The featured image is sourced from Flickr.
Alaska is the grand, uncharted territory of the USA. It’s a forbidden land of wild animals and wilder landscapes, and it is widely regarded to be one of the most magical places on earth. Getting round it is hard if you’re not going by sea. This means that travelers get to travel as part of colorful Alaska cruises. That is, in many senses, highly fortunate – we’re here to present three of the best Alaska cruises on offer.
Celebrity Cruises Alaska Cruise
Celebrity Cruises – which, happily for us, operates around Alaska, as well as pretty much the rest of the whole world – hopes to give you a taste of the glitz and glamour of being in the public eye without any hassle. They’ll tour all the top destinations, so you can get your fix of bears, salmon and breathtaking scenery. On board, things are split into ‘Taste’, ‘Learn’, ‘Revive’ and ‘Play’, each offering a plethora of activities. If you’re going to tour one of the most gloriously inhospitable places on the planet, why not do so in indulgently extravagant style? Furs not provided (though you can probably pick them up around the place).
Royal Caribbean’s Canada & Alaska Cruise
Don’t let the ‘Caribbean’ name put you off; all their ships are fitted with heating. Royal Caribbean offer the “Wild and Wonderful”, with the usual array of glaciers, dogsled rides and white-water rafting on offer. Quad bike tours, Skagway “Railway Adventures” and wildlife spotting shake up the itinerary somewhat. And, if you do get tired of your overly-luxurious cabin aboard the regular vessel, there’s Tall Ship sailing available from Halifax, offering a tour of one of Canada’s Seven Wonders, Pier 21.
Princess Alaska Cruises
If money is no object and you trust the readers of Travel Weekly (who’ve voted Princess their favorite Cruise Line in Alaska for six years running), Princess might offer you exactly the kind of cruising experience you’ve been after. While the line has attracted criticism in some areas for its more staid and plain approach to cruising Alaska (there’s less of the glitz, glamour and excitement usually demanded by family cruisers), this might not dissuade more reserved would-be cruisers from taking a discerning trip among the cultures of America’s northern continent. Princess are all about authenticity, even going so far as to bring National Park Rangers onto the vessel to give insightful tips for intrepid explorers (as well as granting some insight in o the staggering conservation tasks tackled by a surprisingly small number of staff). If you’re looking to visit and see the ‘real Alaska’, there’s less to distract you here.
Oh come forth and comment, ye future Alaskan visitors! Tips and tricks are welcome in the comment section below – why not give your fellow travelers a hand? What is your favorite piece of advice about Alaskan cruises?