Glacier Bay, Alaska: We walk out onto the deck after breakfast on an impossibly still and sunny Alaska summer morning, as our ship slips into Glacier Bay at a crawl. The mammoth vessel barely ripples the turquoise-coloured water that is dotted with small chunks of floating ice. No fewer than a dozen massive glaciers flow into this bay, cutting through the surrounding mountains at an achingly slow pace. Their giant ‘noses’ loom above the bay and occasionally break off, or ‘calve’. On this bright, warm morning, the conditions are perfect for encouraging such an event, and as if on cue, one of the glaciers cracks, its nose tumbling into the water with a great thunder. It’s what we’ve all been hoping to see. Applause roars from the deck. Without a doubt, we have arrived.
ALASKA CRUISING
By Wesley Owens
Alaska – it is one of the world's most popular cruise destinations, yet the sense of voyaging to a distant and undiscovered land remains undiminished for all who sail here.
From the decks of their luxury cruise vessels, passengers can see, smell, hear and even touch the elements of this sometimes foreboding, yet starkly beautiful northern frontier. It is an exhilarating blend of sensations – one that keeps many people coming back year after year while attracting an increasing number of first-time Alaska cruise passengers.
A day in Glacier Bay is regarded as the scenic highpoint on many Alaska cruise itineraries, but the scenery is almost always compelling in Alaska – provided it is not shrouded in rain, of course. And even if it is raining, there’s lots to explore on your floating menu of entertainment, exercise, relaxation and dining experiences.
We made the most of it, taking in spa treatments and Vegas-style shows, working out in the gym, and dining for hours with the picture-perfect shoreline passing by just outside our window. Cruise lines offer many unexpected extras, such as lectures that enhance the Alaska experience. Want to know more about those bears foraging on the shores of Glacier Bay? Attend a lecture at sea.
Alaska shore excursions present options for everyone – from history buffs to soft adventurers to those who just want to see the land. The state’s reputation as the Land of the Midnight Sun serves especially well the interests of those who like to make the most of their vacation. With up to 20 hours of sunlight, Alaska allows for multiple excursions on any summer day.
In Juneau, you can go glacier walking and dog sledding in the morning, flight seeing in the after-noon and finish the day trading tales in Juneau’s Red Dog saloon. Or, if you prefer, heli-touring to the Mendenhall Glacier or rafting on a broad, glacier-fed river are two choice full-day trips.
One of the most popular excur-sions is Skagway’s White Pass and Yukon (WP&Y) Railroad tour. This historic railroad was originally built to transport prospectors who arrived in Skagway over a century ago during the Yukon gold rush. It was completed near the end of the 1800s, just as the gold rush was dying down. The winding half-day trip up and down the steep pass, over rugged canyons spanned by high wooden trellis bridges, should not be missed.
Before arriving in Skagway, our ship sails into the spectacular set-ting of Haines, a small town that hugs the shore under the shadow of the mountains rising behind it. Our “land” tour starts in the water, as we don lifejackets and settle into waiting kayaks to begin a four-hour paddling experience in the icy waters of the Chilkoot Inlet. The arms ache with the work, but the scenery of the inlet, ringed with mountains, is sublime. Alaska’s abundant wildlife turns up to check out the visitors, and soon everyone in the group is spotting seals, dolphins and eagles. No one gives much thought to their sore muscles as we sit on a rocky beach eating lunch under the sun, savouring the view.
Some people will spend more than a day on their shore excursions and head inland by rail and motorcoach to see more. They may cross into Canada, following the course of the original Yukon prospectors, first to Whitehorse, then Dawson City. The sometimes ferociously hot northern summer, with its wild rush of plant growth and literally endless summer evenings, takes everyone by surprise. The visitors marvel at this natural wonder as they stroll the wooden boardwalks of Dawson City.
The magic of an Alaska cruise begins as soon as passengers arrive in Vancouver and get their first look at this Canadian city under the mountains and beside the sea. We stayed at Vancouver’s Pan Pacific resort hotel, a wonderful way to start the holiday. This luxurious hotel perched at Canada Place sports expansive views, fine dining and entertainment, and is also the site of Vancouver’s main cruise ship terminal.
It is from here that ships sail grandly from Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet, under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and northward up the Georgia Strait.With hours of light remaining, passengers watch the shoreline towns and scenery of British Columbia’s Inside Passage slip slowly past, waving to boaters in the busy waters.
For many people, it is their first experience of the Pacific Northwest landscape, and the “oohs” and “aahs” confirm their impressions. It’s as if they have already arrived in Alaska – and yet their adventure has just begun.
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