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Fairbanks today remains a destination for adventure seekers, as the gateway to Alaska’s northern wilds and some its most isolated terrain. While home to just 32,000, Fairbanks is the big city of the interior and cultural hub for the sparsely populated region. You can still go for the gold in Fairbanks, panning just like the early prospectors did. If your trip is blessed with clear skies and sunny weather, you might actually see the mountain several times, say, during a jet boat tour on Talkeetna's three rivers or on the way to board the bus in the morning.
White Pass & Yukon Route Railway ride
Fairbanks is the northernmost "big city" in Alaska, where many cruise tours begin or end. But cruise visitors are kept pretty separate from the folks who live and work there, with a slew of activities created especially for tourists. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide great views and abundant sunlight during long summer days.
The 8 Best Alaska Cruises For Every Travel Style 2024 - Forbes
The 8 Best Alaska Cruises For Every Travel Style 2024.
Posted: Tue, 08 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Top 10 Alaska Shore Excursions
Its "North to Alaska" program will delight kids with sled dog puppies in the ship's Piazza, and lure their parents and grandparents with local seafood on restaurant menus and onboard cultural programming with Alaska residents. Travel back in time and pan for gold like a prospector during the Gold Rush. Snuggle sled dog puppies in the ship's Piazza, or see the Northern Lights in the planetarium.
Alaska Travel Tips & Articles: Cruisetours
Another could see guests hiking to a glacial lake or going for a skiff tour among icebergs. And another could involve biking in an area known for its healthy population of brown bears (if you dare). However, this UnCruise Adventures sailing is aimed at those who want an more heart-pumping immersion into some little-visited areas of the 49th state, like South Baranof Island Wilderness Area and Chichagof Island. In Alaska, NCL offers passengers countless off-ship activities to choose from.
An expedition team of Alaska experts join each voyage, hosting lectures about the areas the ships visit and guiding passengers on outings like nature walks through rainforests and kayaking trips around the foot of a glacier. Guests learn about the cultural heritage of remote communities and focus binoculars to spot bears, whales, caribou, moose, deer, wolves, birds and more. The MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen embark on 14- to 19-day Alaskan voyages between May and September. Alaskan-owned and -operated Alaskan Dream Cruises dates back to 1970 when its parent company, Allen Marine, founded by Bob and Betty Allen, launched with the St. Michael. In those days, Bob ran the boat while Betty and her children served treats and tea to their guests. Today, Allen Marine operates 30 vessels, including the five ships that make up the Alaska Dream Cruises fleet, all of which accommodate between 12 and 76 cruise passengers.
The Anchorage Museum has an excellent exhibit on Alaska Native cultures, in partnership with the Smithsonian, with fascinating items like a jacket made of seal intestines and a helmet with a human face on it. From a seat on the back patio of the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, you could see a black bear wandering down a walking trail behind the hotel. If you aren't interested in flightseeing to see Denali, you could always sign up for a mountain wake-up call at your hotel. You'll get a call when the mountain becomes visible, whether it be 11 p.m. Wildlife sightings aren't guaranteed, especially if you don't bring your own binoculars. But it's worth the opportunity of sighting that majestic moose or exotic lynx along the stunning landscapes.
Small Ship Cruise + Land Tour
Sail the Inside Passage, a series of channels and waterways formed by the march of glaciers, on your 7-day roundtrip Alaska cruise from Seattle. With an abundance of landmarks and wildlife, take in the sights and sounds of the Inside Passage from the comfort of your ship or on a thrilling excursion ashore. Explore fjords, glaciers and Gold Rush-era towns on weekend voyages out of Seattle. After a relaxing cruise, does the possibility of charting your own course intrigue you?
With a CruiseTour, you’ll get to journey deeper into Alaska’s breathtaking wilderness while crossing off bucket list experiences, like a tundra trek in Denali, wildlife watching in Seward, and glacier gazing in Alyeska. Those craving a luxury Alaska cruise need not look further than Silversea, says Goldring. The line’s Door-to-Door All-Inclusive fares cover private airport transfers, economy flights, business-class upgrades or air credits, and shore excursions. This isn't just because I spent more than two decades writing about Alaska and other cruise destinations for major newspapers.
Whether you're interested in hiking through a forest, trekking to glaciers or a shopping spree downtown, the towns along Alaska's inside passage provide a variety of adventurous activities. Alaska cruise ports such as Juneau and Ketchikan are small cities with their own personalities. Anchorage is the state's largest city and a gateway to the rest of the state. Denali National Park takes you out of the city altogether, into a wilderness full of spruce forests and snow-capped mountain peaks. Traditional excursions are created to fit a specific number of people, all of whom come from the ships and are expected to be in port for a specific time. They provide an overview of Alaska's history, culture, recreation and industry, and don't offer much of a personal touch.
A cruise tour offers myriad opportunities to learn about Alaskan culture, but know that presentations range from sophisticated, interactive exhibits to more touristy attractions. Simply because it's nice to have time to relax in your stateroom for a good run after traveling to different hotels every night. If your tour offers it, it's well worth the upgrade to take the longer seven-hour Tundra Wilderness Tour by school bus through the park. While wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, you have the potential to see bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and more. The go-go-go pace might have you putting luggage outside your doors at 6 a.m., leaving the hotel an hour later and not arriving at the next destination until the evening. Here are eight things you need to know about the best Alaska cruise tours ...
On offer are children and teenage clubs, plus families can come together to play video arcade games, laser tag, and race cars. During a Glacier Bay passage, a park ranger hops aboard to narrate scenic sights. Explore majestic Icy Strait Point—one of the world’s few places where wildlife outnumbers humans—with family-minded excursions like the Spasski River Valley and Wildlife tour. Motor to an elevated observation area in a postcard-perfect remote valley to safely observe bears, deer, and bald eagles in their natural habitats. Learn, too, about Tlingit Indigenous Alaskans who reside in nearby Hoonah, Alaska’s largest such settlement. Pioneer America’s Last Frontier onboard Ovation of the Seas®, one of the world's most groundbreaking ships and among the boldest ships to ever sail Alaska.
I’m a Florida-based freelance travel and lifestyle journalist who has embarked on more than a dozen cruises, including several to Alaska. As a traveler, I am just as comfortable bicycling through Italian olive groves and SCUBA diving the wall of sharks in French Polynesia as I am sipping bubbles in a Champagne house and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. The White Pass and Yukon Railroad, also commonly known as the “Scenic Railway of the World,” begins in Skagway, Alaska.
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