2011 Alaska Cruise & Cruise Tour Report Report

Program Details At A Glance

Princess Cruises

Royal Caribbean International

Holland America Line

Disney Cruise Line

Oceania Cruises

Introduction

Choose a summertime cruise to Alaska for an unforgettable life adventure. Monumental glaciers create a vivid impression and Alaska’s waterways reveal more of these thrilling Ice Age giants than anywhere else on earth. Alaska’s Inside Passage is one of the most scenic sea-lanes in the world, home to bald eagles, whales, sea lions, otters, brown bears, mountain goats and flocks of seabirds. Cruises to Alaska feature onboard naturalists who offer insights and information.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is deciding which Alaska cruise vacation to choose. On Northbound or Southbound itineraries, roundtrip voyages, and extended cruise tours nature will offer up breathtaking panoramic views day after day.
Northbound and Southbound itineraries feature itineraries that include cruising Glacier Bay, College Fjord, Tracy Arm Fjord as well as stops in Alaskan cities such as  Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Ketchikan. Roundtrip itineraries offer routes that also showcase a variety of cities and fjords with the convenience of departing and returning to the same port.   on all cruises, shore excursions provide an in-depth perspective with opportunities to experience Alaska up close. Watch moose, bear and eagles in their natural habitat, fly over glaciers, experience the thrill of dog sledding or catch a prize salmon.

The extended cruise tours packages take passengers deeper into Alaska via train and include land stays at lodges and additional sightseeing in Alaska’s National Parks. These specially designed vacations offer favorite destination highlights and off the beaten path treasures.
Alaska cruise vacations sail during the summer months from early May to mid-September. June, July and August are peak season with average high temperatures of 75 degree Fahrenheit. Those seeking the best value should check Alaska cruise itineraries sailing in May and September when the average temperatures can hover around 50 degrees. 

2011 Alaska Cruise & Cruise Tour Report Report Continues Below...

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2011 Alaska Cruise & Cruise Tour Report Report Continues....

Twenty Two Ships from Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise Lines to Offer Gulf of Alaska and Inside Passage Sailings for 2011 including new Alaska offers from Disney Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises.

Ninety Eight Cruise Tour Choices Give Travelers Many Ways to Enjoy the Wilderness; Affordable Options Start at Just $299 for Three Days at Denali National Park.
(May 03, 2010) -- Whether it’s mushing dog sleds across glaciers or flightseeing over the Arctic Circle, Alaska Cruise tours Online will offer guests an unrivaled Alaska adventure vacation in 2011.

Travelers can choose a seven-night northbound or southbound itinerary between Vancouver, Whittier or Seward, Alaska, via the Inside Passage, or a seven-night roundtrip Alaska itinerary from Seattle. As well as a 10 Alaska cruise from San Francisco.

Alaska Cruisetours Online 2011 Alaska programs offer travelers a full range of cruise and cruise tour options from 7 cruise lines, whether they want to just cruise the Inside Passage, Gulf of Alaska or visit ports-of-call such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Sitka, Anchorage, Homer, Haines or Kodiak, Alaska.

On select itineraries, guests will enjoy a day ashore at Icy Strait Point near Hoonah, the largest Tlingit Indian village in Alaska. They can visit the Native Heritage Center to learn Tlingit history and culture through exhibits and live performances. They can also go wildlife watching, flightsee above Glacier Bay, book a charter fishing excursion or ride the world's longest zip line.

Guests can also explore; Vancouver, Victoria or Nanaimo, British Columbia in Canada. Most cruises feature scenic cruising in Glacier Bay, the Tracy Arm fjord and past the Hubbard Glacier – North America’s largest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alaska native guides, naturalists and park rangers come aboard at key times to share their knowledge of local culture, history, glaciers and wildlife with guests. There are more than 250 optional shore excursions so travelers can maximize their Alaska experience with everything from sea kayaking and wildlife watching to history, art and cuisine. Guests can go mushing across a snow-covered glacier on a dog sled in Juneau or and cheer on lumberjack teams in Ketchikan as they compete in events such as axe throwing and log rolling. In Skagway, guests can choose to hike the first two miles of the Chilkoot Trail, the centerpiece of gold rush history, and raft down the Taiya River and then voyage from Icy Strait Point to Point Adolphus, the region’s premier whale watching destination, on a whale and marine mammals cruise.

Guests can also choose to explore Denali National Park in depth, plan independently, or take a fully escorted cruise, or venture off the beaten path. The season opens for sale May 13th with special rates that include adding three days at Denali to a cruise for just $299.

“Alaska Cruisetours Online 2011 Alaska cruises and cruise tours offer travelers a variety of ways to take in Alaska’s wonders, from mild to wild. They can explore by cruise ship, deluxe motorcoach, glass domed private rail cars and even by float plane.”

The 2011 lineup offers 10- to 15-night cruise and land vacations that combine a seven-night cruise with a pre- or post-cruise tour into Alaska's majestic and wild interior. Guests can explore the Alaskan frontier aboard signature deluxe motorcoaches and glass-domed train cars, which offer dazzling glass windows, affording guests sweeping vistas and breathtaking views of Alaska’s untamed landscape as it unfolds.

Most packages feature overnights in Denali with included activities into the National Park for the chance to spot grizzly bear, caribou, wolf, moose and dall sheep – known as the “Big Five” – and include overnights at charming and rustic lodges. With Princess cruises exclusive Direct to the Wilderness program, guests step right from their ship onto luxury railcars that transport them directly to the Denali area.

The season includes a total of 326 Alaska departures aboard 22 ships sailing during May to September.

New to Alaska cruising for 2011 is Disney Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises.

Disney Cruise line will sail north weekly on roundtrip Vancouver cruises to picture-perfect Alaska and guests can behold all kinds of wildlife, from bald eagles and bears to sea otters and whales—and surrender to scenic nature views, ice-blue glaciers, gushing waterfalls, snow-capped mountains and pristine fjords.

Disney Cruise Line's 7-Night Alaskan Cruise sails aboard the Disney Wonder to where fur traders and gold prospectors once walked, where land animals and sea life abound. From the historic gold-mining town of Skagway to the ice fields of Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier, the Alaska & Pacific Coast ports of call offer a magical adventure. Ports of call include Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Tracy Arm and Vancouver, Canada—plus 2 days at sea.

For a more luxury cruise experience, Oceania offers for the first time 10, 12 and 14 day Alaska cruises.

"America’s largest state, Alaska truly knows no bounds. Stretching beyond the imagination, it is a land of staggering natural beauty. Virgin forests blanket the hills, snow-mantled mountains soar high into the sky, and ancient glaciers creep toward the sea, oblivious to the passage of time. Even the cities, so youthful and spirited, blend in seamlessly. Alaska remains a beacon for those who hold Mother Nature dear, and Oceania's Regatta will explore from north to south, even calling upon Anchorage itself and charmingly remote Kodiak."
Oceania's Regatta will cruise the breathtaking fjords of the Inside Passage and the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska’s unique treasures unfold. Guests can stroll the wooden sidewalks of Skagway, an authentic gold rush town. Ride a horse drawn trolley through Ketchikan, the “Salmon Capital of the World.” Learn about Tlingit Indian traditions and totem poles in Sitka. Hike along Mendenhall Glacier on the outskirts of Juneau, the state capital. Explore the glaciers of College Fjord and natural wonders just outside Seward. The deeper you delve into Alaska, the more amazing its culture and beauty become.

Featured Cruise Line

For 2011 Princess Cruises combines a seven-day "Voyage of the Glaciers" cruise with three to eight additional nights on land exploring Alaska's interior. Travelers can choose from four types of land and sea packages -- Denali Explorer, On Your Own, Off the Beaten Path and Connoisseur. All Princess cruise tours include the company's exclusive wilderness lodges, rail or motorcoach travel, plus the top two attractions in the state -- Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park, where visitors spend at least two nights exploring the wonders of this area.

Cruises -- Princess offers three itineraries to the majestic glaciers, historic towns and scenic waters of Alaska with sailings from seven to 10 days.

Voyage of the Glaciers -- The line's famed Gulf of Alaska route between Vancouver and Whittier (for Anchorage) features calls at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway with daylight cruising in Glacier Bay National Park and the 16 glaciers of College Fjord (or Hubbard Glacier on southbound sailings). Diamond Princess and Coral Princess sail on Saturdays and Island Princess offers new Wednesday departures for a total of 54 sailing choices between May 18 and September 17, 2011.

Inside Passage from Seattle -- Golden Princess and Sapphire Princess offer convenient weekend departures on seven-day roundtrip itineraries from Seattle along the scenic Inside Passage with calls at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, B.C. Passengers will enjoy dramatic glacier viewing in either Glacier Bay National Park (Golden Princess) or Tracy Arm (Sapphire Princess). The two ships will sail on 37 departures between May 14 and September 17, 2011.

Inside Passage from San Francisco -- Sea Princess again sails from the "City by the Bay" on 10-day roundtrip cruises. The ship offers 13 voyages from San Francisco featuring the scenery of Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm, stops at Victoria and Juneau, plus two other calls in Ketchikan, Skagway, Haines, Sitka or Icy Strait Point. Departures sail between May 10 and September 7, 2011.

Cruise Tours -- Princess cruise tours offer passengers a complete land and sea Alaska experience with vacations ranging from 10 to 15 nights. All cruise tour options include at least two nights in the Denali National Park area, stays at Princess' own riverside wilderness lodges, and a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers sailing including Glacier Bay National Park.

Denali Explorer -- Featuring multiple nights at the line's own Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and/or Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, these tours also offer the exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service between the Whittier cruise terminal and the dramatic Denali National Park area. Most also offer the opportunity to explore Fairbanks or Anchorage.

On Your Own -- A new option for independent-minded travelers, these tours offer a more affordable and flexible way to see the Heart of Alaska. Tours do not include any pre-planned excursions, giving travelers time to create their own experience.

Off the Beaten Path -- For those who want to explore Denali and beyond, these tours offer options to the Kenai Peninsula with stays at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park with stays at Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. Passengers can even choose to venture to the state's far north into the Arctic Circle and Prudhoe Bay.

Connoisseur -- These cruise tour options offer the services of a professional tour director and additional time for passengers to experience the Great Land. Travelers can choose from more of these extended itineraries in 2011, with most meals and enhanced sightseeing options included as well.

Gulf of Alaska cruises and cruise tours for 2011 are available for reservations on May 13, 2010.

Fares begin at $649 per person for an inside cabin for seven-day cruise only voyages, and $948 for an inside cabin and a 3 night land stay for cruise tours.

Rates do not include government fees and taxes. All cruise lines reserve the right to impose a fuel surcharge at anytime, even after the cruise or cruise tour is fully paid for. At the present time, there are no fuel surcharges.
For more information visit www.alaskacruisetoursonline.com or call 800.365.1445 for more information.
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