Frommer's® Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2005

290 Pages·7.732 MB·English

by  Jerry Brown, Fran Wenograd Golden

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Alaska Cruises
& Ports of Call
2005
by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden
Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:
“Amazingly easy to use.Very portable,very complete.”
—Booklist
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About the Authors
Jerry Brown was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and worked as a reporter for Scot-
tish newspapers before joining the news department of the London Daily Mail.
Later, for 31 years, he was the West Coast Bureau Chief of a leading travel trade
newspaper. He and Margaret, his wife and best editor, have two grown sons, a
granddaughter, Victoria Rose, and a grandson, Mason Patrick. Fran Wenograd
Goldenis travel editor of the Boston Herald,and a well-established travel writer.
She is also author of TV Vacations: A Fun Guide to the Sites, the Stars, and the Inside
Stories Behind Your Favorite TV Shows,and co-author (with Jerry) of Cruise Vaca-
tions For Dummiesand Frommer’s European Cruises & Ports of Call.She lives north
of Boston with her husband, Ed, and is the proud parent of Erin and Eli.
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Contents
List of Maps vi
What’s New in Alaska Cruising in 2005 1
1 The Best of Alaska Cruising 6
1 The Best of Alaska’s Ships . . . . . .6 2 The Best Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Personal Reminiscence . . . . . . .10 3 The Best Shore Excursions . . . . .13
2 Choosing Your Ideal Cruise 14
1 The Alaska Cruise Season . . . . .14 Ship Size Comparisons . . . . . . . .17
2 The Inside Passage or the Gulf 4 Cruisetours:The Best
ofAlaska? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 of Land & Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Shore Excursions: The What, 5 Quiz Time:Questions to Ask
When & Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 WhenChoosing Your Cruise . . .24
3 Big Ship or Small Ship? . . . . . . .16
3 Booking Your Cruise & Getting the Best Price 29
1 Booking a Cruise:The Short 7 Choosing Your Cabin . . . . . . . .37
Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Model Cabin Layouts . . . . . . . . .39
2 Booking Through a Travel Reading a Ship’sDeck Plan . . . .40
Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
8 Choosing Your Dining
Watch Out for Scams . . . . . . . .32
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
3 Cruising on the Internet . . . . . .33
9 Deposits & Cancellation
4 Cruise Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
5 Money-Saving Strategies . . . . . .35 10 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . .43
6 Airfares & Pre-/Post-Cruise Fast Facts: Alaska . . . . . . . . . .44
HotelOfferings . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
4 The Cruise Experience 47
1 Packing for Your Cruise . . . . . . .47 Safety at Sea in the New World
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . .49 (Dis)Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
The Cost of Common Cruise 5 Keeping in Touch with the
Incidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
3 Your Very Important Papers . . . .50 6 Visiting the Ports of Call . . . . . .54
4 Getting to the Ship & 7 Tipping,Packing for
Checking In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Disembarkation & Other
End-of-Cruise Concerns . . . . . .57
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iv CONTENTS
5 The Cruise Lines,Part 1:The Big Ships 60
1 Some Components of the 6 Norwegian Cruise Line . . . . . . .90
Cruise-Line Reviews . . . . . . . . .61 7 Princess Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . .99
Weddings at Sea . . . . . . . . . . .63 8 Radisson Seven Seas
2 Carnival Cruise Lines . . . . . . . .64 Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
3 Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . .69 9 Royal Caribbean
4 Crystal Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 International . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
5 Holland America Line . . . . . . . .80
6 The Cruise Lines,Part 2:The Small Ships 118
1 American Safari Cruises . . . . .119 5 Glacier Bay Cruiseline . . . . . . .137
2 American West Steamboat 6 Lindblad Expeditions . . . . . . . .141
Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123 7 And Now for Something
3 Clipper Cruise Line . . . . . . . . .125 Completely Different:Cruising
4 Cruise West . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 Using the Alaska Marine
Highway System . . . . . . . . . . .144
Like a Road Trip,
but by Boat . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
7 The Ports of Embarkation 149
1 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 4 Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
The Iditarod . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154 5 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
2 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 6 Whittier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
3 Vancouver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
8 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Inside Passage 181
1 Victoria,British Columbia . . . .181 7 Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm . . . .194
2 Canada’s Inside Passage . . . . .185 8 Baranof Island . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Shopping for Native Art . . . . .185 9 Sitka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
3 Prince Rupert,British 10 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
Columbia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
11 Icy Strait,Point Adolphus
4 Ketchikan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 & Gustavus . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
5 Misty Fjords National 12 Glacier Bay National Park
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193 & Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206
6 Admiralty Island National 13 Haines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .207
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194
14 Skagway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
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CONTENTS v
9 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Gulf Route 218
1 Hubbard Glacier . . . . . . . . . . .218 4 College Fjord . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
2 Prince William Sound . . . . . . .218 5 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
3 Valdez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .220
10 Cruisetour Destinations 223
1 Denali National Park & 3 Prudhoe Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . .226
Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223 4 Nome & Kotzebue . . . . . . . . .226
A Mountain by Any Other
5 The Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . .227
Name... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
6 The Yukon Territory . . . . . . . . .227
2 Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224
7 The Canadian Rockies . . . . . . .228
Denali Changes . . . . . . . . . . .225
Appendix A:Alaska in Depth 230
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Natural History:Rough Drafts Dateline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
& Erasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231 An Alaska Glossary . . . . . . . . .246
2 A Short Gold-Rush History . . .239 4 An Introduction to Southeast
3 Politics & History:Living a Alaska’s Native Cultures . . . . .249
Frontier Myth . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
Appendix B:Alaska on the Wild Side 252
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Whale-Watching 101 . . . . . . .252 Alaska’s Animals: Did You
2 Alaskan Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . .255 Know . . . ? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
Index 261
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . .261 Restaurant Index . . . . . . . . . . .272
Accommodations Index . . . . . .272
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List of Maps
Alaska 8 Ketchikan 191
Anchorage 150 Sitka 197
Seward 159 Downtown Juneau 201
Downtown Vancouver 163 Glacier Bay National Park 207
Seattle 169 Haines 209
Whittier 179 Skagway 213
Southeast Alaska 182 The Kenai Peninsula & Prince
Victoria, British Columbia 183 William Sound 219
Prince Rupert, British Valdez 221
Columbia 188
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An Invitation to the Reader
In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places—hotels, restaurants,
shops, and more. We’re sure you’ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share
the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed
with a recommendation, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2005
Wiley Publishing, Inc. • 111 River St. • Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
An Additional Note
Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time—and this is
especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirma-
tion when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held
responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us,
however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a
close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s Alaska
Alaska For Dummies
Frommer’s Cruises & Ports of Call
Cruise Vacations For Dummies
Frommer’s Canada
Frommer’s British Columbia
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