Cruising Alaska in 2005 & 2006

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It would take weeks & lots of money to see & do Alaska's Inside Passage on land or air instead of a cruiseship so having a floating, mobile accommodation is best for this type of journey in my opinion.

I've cruised Alaska both north to south and south to north the past two summers and I did not see a major difference although most people recommend starting the from the south and cruising north as the scenery gets more spectacular each day.

I've cruised Holland America's Ryndam and Regent Cruise Line's Mariner of the Seas. Without a doubt, Regent's cruise was superior and I would recommend it without hesitation.The cruiseline touts itself as six star and it is backed up by many other experts and critics in the industry.

My Alaskan adventure in May 2006 began when I boarded the Seven Seas Mariner cruiseship for my northbound Inside Passage trip to Whittier/Anchorage, Alaska via Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and the Hubbard Glacier Bay in Port Vancouver, British Columbia.

My embarkation was effortless and I was delighted to find champagne and strawberries awaiting me in my verandah suite, #1064. The Mariner has a maximum capacity of 700 guests and all cabins have walk-in closets, marble-tiled bathrooms, a dedicated make-up desk, spacious verandahs and a choice of complimentary liquors for your personal in-room use. The refrigerator is stocked daily with water, beer, soda and ice.

Regent surpassed my expectations in every category. The crew were both gracious and helpful, the cabins were very large (356 sq. feet) and appointed lavishly, and the food was no less than magnificent with open seating for dining or in-cabin dining that included table linens and place settings just as if you were seated in a restaurant. The room service menu is 4 pages long and contains more options than I have ever seen on a cruiseship.

The ship is easy to navigate and has all the standard amenities of other cruiseship plus some extras including soft background music with no loud public address announcements, complimentary wine poured with meals, no formal nights, and pre-paid gratuities. In 2007, Regent should be going all-inclusive with liquor, beer and wine.

The four main restaurants--Compass Rose (main dining room) , Latitudes (Asian-Fusion), La Verandah (buffet breakfast and lunch but reservation-seating at night), and Signatures (French-European cuisine) were equally wonderful in atmosphere, presentation and taste. My favorite was Signatures.

I would not hesitate to book another cruise to Alaska and it is almost getting to be too late to plan for 2007 as the ships cabins are booked early.

Regent's daily "Passages" information sheet from my cruise and indicated that every night was either "Country Club Casual" or Informal. I don't recall seeing any tuxes at dinners and not even that many suits on men. Most men wore just resort casual, collared shirts and the women wore either business-appropriate attire or resort casual clothing.

And for post cruise? So many choices. The previous summer I took the Alaskan Railroad (go 1st class with the open car in the front) from Anchorage to Denali and I am glad I did. It was wonderful. I think though I would have preferred to fly back from Denali or Fairbanks rather than take the train again (although it was great, it was 8 hours covering the same tracks).

If you go to Denali, take the bus on either the 60 mile or 90 mile inland trip because if you drive, you can only go 14 miles into the park before having to turn around. Only busses go beyond that point and they are Government forestry buses, not luxury liners. I did not see much wildlife until 30 miles or so from the entrance and even then, it was sparse. The views though, were unforgettable and Mt. McKinley was 100% visible that day ( a rare sight I was told).

A trip to Homer for some halibut fishing or eagle watching, or lodge-hopping in Denali or museum-going in Fairbanks, all will keep you busy. And of course, there's something to be said about taking some time off and relaxing at your resort in Denali and just enjoying the views over a glass of wine.

As for excursions, in two years and two trips, I have just started to scratch the surface of what Alaska has to offer. I heard the canopy tours in the Tongass National Forest in Ketchikan were good as was the White Pass Railroad trip in Skagway. I did sea kayaked in Sitka to a secluded inlet where I saw sea life I never knew existed in Alaska. I love the sea life and wildlife excursions whether it's land or sea. And don't forget the " fun places" before leaving port--The Red Dog Saloon in Juneau and the Red Onion in Skagway. They were so much fun as people's inhibitions were left behind after several Alaskan beers or exotic drinks. :-)

Many of the Alaskan ports are similar in construction and what they have to offer. Each has at least one unique aspect and it is fun to find and explore that one aspect.

The natural wonders of Alaska are everywhere you look and whether it is blue glacier ice, or a snow-covered mountain or whether it is a vast tundra or lush coastal region, Alaska has something for everyone's tastes and usually lots of it!

A highlight of my most recent trip was the Davidson Glacier near Haines.

My excursion started in Skagway where it was very cold in the morning and fortunately I took the (warm & fast) Chilcat Express boat for a 45 minute trip to the Davidson Glacier area near Haines. The Express is the fastest boat in Alaska and capable of 50+ MPH.

Once there, I was assigned a guide ( Kyle) who was interesting, funny and informative. We landed on a beach near the glacier, took a 4-wheel drive bus to an outpost where I was dressed in canoe/wild water gear. A short hike to the canoes on the river preceded our paddling upriver to Davidson Lake which was fed by the glacier. This truly was a back to nature adventure and after a quick paddle around the lake, it was time to approach the glacier face.

The size of the Davidson glacier face is difficult to determine and to get the proper scale of how large it really is you must canoe right up to it (and this was one of the smallest glaciers I saw but still impressive up close).

Icebergs as big as a bus floated near me in Davidson Lake and knowing they broke off the face recently made me appreciate not getting closer than 100 yards to the face.

A moment of silence in front of the massive glacier made me reflect on the beauty of Alaska. We then reversed our route and headed back to the Express which had lunch waiting for us for the return to Skagway. Overall, a highlight of my trip.

The ship had this tour available or you can try to book it yourselves
Phone: [phone]
Address: Near Haines, Alaska
Directions: About a 45 minute jet boat ride from Skagway and 30 minutes from Haines
Other Contact: PO Box 509 Haines, AK. 99827

My Favorite Thing on Alaska cruises is to take a floatplane anywhere to see the beauty & vastness of Alaska from the air. There is nothing like the vistas of mountains, glaciers, and the experience of taking off and landing on water.

In 2005, I had done the floatplane to Taku Lodge with its world famous salmon feast so in 2006 I opted for a floatplane to George Inlet (from Ketchikan) for aerial sightseeing and then a dungeness crab feast!. It was a highlight.

Summertime in Alaska can be warm or cool but always colorful and the people all seem to be genuinely happy, friendly and welcoming to visitors.

With all there is to see, I still don't know what was more captivating in Alaska--the snow capped mountains, the blue glacier lakes or extreme vastness and desolation of the Alaskan interior.

The day I was to see Hubbard Glacier Bay in 2006, the Mariner of the Seas was able to navigate through icebergs to get within 1 to 1 1/2 miles of the glacier face which is 5 miles wide, 1,500 feet deep and 76 miles long. Watching and especially hearing the crack of ice and calving was awesome--simply awesome. The water was calm, the air crisp and the views magnificent.

Alaska is too full of eye candy to pick and choose just one fond memory but those are two of my favorites.

The Travel Slut tips for Alaska & the Regent Cruise Line & Seven Seas Mariner:

NOTE: Buy a cyber (internet card) for Seaport Cyber which is located in Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka and use it in all the ports. It is $10 for 2 hours and they are located in the downtown port areas.

1) Although embarkation was not scheduled until 2:30 PM, I was able to board just after 12 PM & although my cabin was not ready, I was able to walk the ship, check out the library & DVD library & enjoy the La Verandah restaurant until 1:30 PM when my room was ready.
2) Be sure to take several of the free "Alaska Destination" booklets in port before boarding the ship as they contain both worthwhile coupons, freebies, and information on each of the ports & their stores, tours.
3) Make reservations for either Signatures (French cuisine) or Latitudes (Indo-chine & Asian fusion) restaurants as soon as possible after boarding as they fill-up fairly quick.
4) Be sure to experience room service at least once whether it is a full meal or a snack-appetizer. You will be pleased.
5) Complete your in-room liquor request form as soon as you are allowed into your cabin.
6) Spend at least some day-at-sea time in the Observation Lounge taking in the wonderful views
7) If you get the urge for popcorn, check into the movie theater and you might get lucky like I did and get a bag of fresh-popped popcorn.
8) Be sure to tell any of the maitre'd's how you wish to dine---with company or not and they will do their best to accomodate you. I prefer larger tables for socializing and then learning about new experiences that are available.
9) On many mornings, the tour groups were directed to the Constellation Theater prior to disembarking and I noted that the ship had set up continental breakfast items in the room for those people waiting. That was a nice touch for late sleepers and late arrivals.
10) Disembarkation was painless and EXTREMELY fast as we started @ 7 AM and by 8 AM the ship was emptied. Request an early room service breakfast on your final night onboard.

Regent info:
Phone: [phone]

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Photos

Departing Vancouver, BC for Alaska-2006
Departing Vancouver, BC for a 7-day Inside Passage cruise to Alaska aboard the Regent Mariner of the Seas cruiseship in May 2006.

Flying to George Inlet, Alaska
A view of the port in Ketchikan as my floatplane takes off to George Inlet and a dungeness crab feed.

At George Inlet via floatplane
And about to enjoy a dungeness crab feed to end all dungeness crab feeds!

Eating one of two crabs
We learned how to eat them the old-style way and I am now a dungeness crab fan.

Davidson Glacier near Haines
Canoeing near the face of the Davidson Glacier which feeds Davidson Lake. It was a beautiful sight.

A sunflower starfish in Sitka Inlet
The marine life in the Alaskan waters is incredibly diverse and beautiful like this HUGE sunflower starfish that washed up on an island's beach during low tide.

Hubbard Bay & Hubbard Glacier
What a massive glacier and you could both hear and see its forces of nature at work. Cracking ice like cannonfire and calving chunks of ice--simply awesome!