Frommer's Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2008 (Frommer's Cruises)

291 Pages·2008·7.07 MB·English

by  Jerry Brown

01_169070 ffirs.qxp 12/3/07 11:40 AM Page i
Alaska Cruises
& Ports of Call
2008
by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden
Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:
“Amazingly easy to use.Very portable,very complete.”
—Booklist
“Detailed,accurate,and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.”
—Glamour Magazine
“Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.”
—Des Moines Sunday Register
“Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.”
—Knight Ridder Newspapers
02_169070 ftoc.qxp 12/3/07 11:41 AM Page vi
01_169070 ffirs.qxp 12/3/07 11:40 AM Page i
Alaska Cruises
& Ports of Call
2008
by Jerry Brown & Fran Wenograd Golden
Here’s what the critics say about Frommer’s:
“Amazingly easy to use.Very portable,very complete.”
—Booklist
“Detailed,accurate,and easy-to-read information for all price ranges.”
—Glamour Magazine
“Hotel information is close to encyclopedic.”
—Des Moines Sunday Register
“Frommer’s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place.”
—Knight Ridder Newspapers
01_169070 ffirs.qxp 12/3/07 11:40 AM Page ii
Published by:
Wiley Publishing,Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
Copyright © 2008 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or
otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States
Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authori-
zation through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance
Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978/750-8400, fax [phone].
Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department,
Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317/572-3447,
fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Frommer’s is a trademark or registered trademark
of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book.
ISBN: 978-0-470-16907-0
Editor: Jamie Ehrlich
Production Editor: Michael Brumitt
Cartographer: Elizabeth Puhl
Photo Editor: Richard Fox
Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico
Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services
Front cover photo (main image): Southeast Alaska: Passengers at bow of cruise ship
observing glacier
Front cover photo (insert) and back cover photo: Homer, Alaska: Three Bald Eagles in
group portrait
For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please
contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800/762-2974, outside the
U.S. at 317/572-3993 or fax [phone].
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that
appears in print may not be available in electronic formats.
Manufactured in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
02_169070 ftoc.qxp 12/3/07 11:41 AM Page iii
Contents
List of Maps vi
What’s New in Alaska Cruising in 2008 1
1 The Best of Alaska Cruising 8
1 The Best of Alaska’s Ships . . . . . . . . .9 3 The Best Shore Excursions . . . . . . . .13
2 The Best Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
2 Choosing Your Ideal Cruise 14
1 The Alaska Cruise Season . . . . . . . . .14 3 Big Ship or Small Ship? . . . . . . . . . .17
2 The Inside Passage or the Gulf 4 Cruisetours:The Best of
ofAlaska? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Land & Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Shore Excursions: The What, 5 Quiz Time:Questions to Ask when
When&Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Choosing Your Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . .24
3 Booking Your Cruise & Getting the Best Price 30
1 Booking a Cruise:The Short 6 Airfares & Pre-/Post-Cruise
Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Hotel Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
2 Booking through a Travel Agent . . . .31 7 Choosing Your Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Watch Out for Scams . . . . . . . . . . . .33 8 Choosing Your Dining Options . . . . .40
3 Cruising on the Internet . . . . . . . . . .34 9 Deposits & Cancellation Policies . . . .45
4 Cruise Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 10 Travel Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
5 Money-Saving Strategies . . . . . . . . .36 Fast Facts: Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
4 The Cruise Experience 49
1 Packing for Your Cruise . . . . . . . . . . .49 Safety at Sea in the New World
2 Money Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 (Dis)Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
The Cost of Common Cruise 5 Keeping in Touch with the
Incidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
3 Your Very Important Papers . . . . . . . .53 6 Visiting the Ports of Call . . . . . . . . . .56
4 Getting to the Ship & 7 Tipping,Packing for Disembarkation &
Checking In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Other End-of-Cruise Concerns . . . . .60
02_169070 ftoc.qxp 12/3/07 11:41 AM Page iv
iv CONTENTS
5 The Cruise Lines,Part 1:The Big Ships 63
1 Some Components of Our 5 Norwegian Cruise Line . . . . . . . . . . .89
Cruise-Line Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 6 Princess Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Weddings at Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 7 Regent Seven Seas Cruises . . . . . . .108
2 Carnival Cruise Lines . . . . . . . . . . . .68 8 Royal Caribbean International . . . . .112
3 Celebrity Cruises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 9 Silversea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
4 Holland America Line . . . . . . . . . . . .79
6 The Cruise Lines,Part 2:The Small Ships 122
1 American Safari Cruises . . . . . . . . .123 3 Lindblad Expeditions . . . . . . . . . . .138
A Note on Ship Ratings . . . . . . . . .124 4 Majestic America Line . . . . . . . . . . .141
2 Cruise West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128 5 Alaska Marine Highway System . . .144
7 The Ports of Embarkation 149
1 Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 3 Vancouver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162
The Iditarod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .153 4 Seattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Shopping Smart for Native Art . . . .156 5 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
2 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 6 Whittier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178
8 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Inside Passage 183
1 Victoria,British Columbia . . . . . . . .183 9 Sitka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
2 Canada’s Inside Passage . . . . . . . . .188 10 Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205
3 Prince Rupert,British Columbia . . .188 11 Icy Strait Point,Icy Strait &
4 Ketchikan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192 Hoonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
5 Misty Fjords National Monument . . .198 12 Glacier Bay National Park
Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
6 Admiralty Island National
13 Haines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Monument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
7 Tracy Arm & Endicott Arm . . . . . . . .199 14 Skagway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
8 Baranof Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
9 Ports & Wilderness Areas along the Gulf Route 225
1 Petersburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225 4 Prince William Sound . . . . . . . . . . .230
2 Valdez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228 5 College Fjord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
3 Hubbard Glacier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230 6 Seward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .232
02_169070 ftoc.qxp 12/3/07 11:41 AM Page v
CONTENTS v
10 Cruisetour Destinations 233
1 Denali National Park & Preserve . . .233 4 Nome & Kotzebue . . . . . . . . . . . . .237
A Mountain by Any Other Name...234 Denali Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238
2 Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234 5 The Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . .238
3 Prudhoe Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235 6 The Yukon Territory . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
First to the Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .236 7 The Canadian Rockies . . . . . . . . . .240
Appendix A:Alaska in Depth 242
by Charles Wohlforth 2 A Short Gold-Rush History . . . . . . .250
1 Natural History:Rough Drafts & 3 An Introduction to Southeast
Erasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242 Alaska’s Native Cultures . . . . . . . . .252
Appendix B:Alaska on the Wild Side 255
by Charles Wohlforth
1 Whale-Watching 101 . . . . . . . . . . .255 2 Alaskan Wildlife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258
Index 263
General Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263 Restaurant Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273
Accommodations Index . . . . . . . . .273
02_169070 ftoc.qxp 12/3/07 11:41 AM Page vi
List of Maps
Alaska 10 Ketchikan 195
Anchorage 151 Sitka 201
Seward 159 Downtown Juneau 207
Downtown Vancouver 163 Glacier Bay National Park 214
Seattle 171 Haines 217
Whittier 179 Skagway 221
Southeast Alaska 185 Petersburg 227
Victoria, British Columbia 187 The Kenai Peninsula & Prince William
Sound 231
Prince Rupert, British Columbia 190
03_169070 flast.qxp 12/3/07 11:41 AM Page vii
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 recommenda-
tion, we’d love to know that, too. Please write to:
Frommer’s Alaska Cruises & Ports of Call 2008
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 confirmation when making
your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experi-
ences 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 wal-
lets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets.
About the Authors
Jerry Brown was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and worked as a reporter for Scottish
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, Vic-
toria Rose, and two grandsons, Mason Patrick and Maddox Matthew. Fran
Wenograd Goldenis a well-established travel writer and editor whose work appears
in numerous newspapers and magazines as well as websites including
CruiseCritic.com. She is also author of TV Vacations: A Fun Guide to the Sites, the
Stars, and the Inside Stories Behind Your Favorite TV Shows as well as other travel
books. She lives in Boston and is the proud parent of Erin and Eli.
Other Great Guides for Your Trip:
Frommer’s Alaska 2008
Alaska For Dummies
Pauline Frommer’s Alaska
Cruise Vacations For Dummies
Frommer’s Cruises & Ports of Call 2008
Frommer’s Seattle 2008
Frommer’s Canada
Frommer’s Vancouver with Kids
Frommer’s British Columbia & the Canadian Rockies
Vancouver & Victoria For Dummies