Alaska Cruise

We left from Vancouver British Columbia, Canada which is in my opinion is one of the most beautiful cities on the North American west coast next to San Francisco which I lived near for 12 years.

There were several ports of call on the inside passage, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchican The Salmon capital of the world all littered with tourist shops and jewelry stores selling just about every type of gem. The most memorable stop was Skagway then Glacier Bay National Park.

Glacier Bay was great the cruise ship did 360 degree circles for a few hours so every point on the cruise ship had a good vantage point of the glaciers. The highlight was seeing glacier calving. This is when the glacier breaks chunks of ice off into the frigid waters. It sounded much like a gun or cannon going off in the distance.

While in glacier bay we also saw eagles, seals and a black bear all from the safety of the cruise ship.

Dining was fabulous! It is all about food. They say expect to gain about 5 to 7 pounds. Well I can see why. I am not a dessert person but when you pass by a dessert bar everyday that is larger than most all you can eat buffets on land well it's hard not to grab desert. The only buffets I have ever seen that were more spectacular were in Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

They dining experience in fine dining was the best. Bring some nice clothing or a suit no jeans or sneakers. Casual works fine. The food was some of the best ever and so was the service.

On our particular Alaska cruise there were a lot of British and Australian tourist and it was rather fun chatting with the the Australians. I learned a lot and may have to take a vacation there way one day.

Other things of interest on board is the stage shows and on ours was the ice carvings. I treated my spouse to a hot stone massage while I went to play some black jack, slots, craps and roulette in the casino.

I'll never forget the excursion tour at Skagway and the train up the steep mountain pass it was beautiful part of the Yukon loaded with gold rush history. I will also never forget Ammolite one of natures rarest gems and found at all ports of call. It is such a beautiful gem. I did find a good source of Ammolite.

The train from Skagway to White Pass was breath taking. It took up most of the day and filled two of my digital camera cards.

The route was constructed at the height of the the 1898 Klondike gold rush and is considered an engineering marvel.

While your waiting for you train I would highly recommend experiencing Skagway and even stopping in at one of the local taverns. It just gives you a feel of what life is in a small town.

What you get to see experience on the train ride is tunnels, trestles, waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife, breath taking gorges while riding on vintage antique cars on a narrow gage rail track. This is a must see excursion and probably one of the most reasonable ones. There was no bad seats on this ride.

This is cruise packing list of extra items you may want to pack for a Alaska cruise.

1. Sunglasses polarized are best around all the water
2. Walking shoes, you will be doing a lot of it off ship or during excursions
3. A light jacket that is waterproof
4. A winter jacket
5. A warm hat, stocking hat or earmuffs
6. Gloves
7. Binoculars
8. Digital camera extra batteries and card
9. Formal wear, a suit a few ties. Depending on the ship and day a suit will be required to get into fine dining.
10. Sunscreen
11. Bug repellent
12. Sweater or hooded sweatshirt

Some of the items can be found for purchase on the cruise ship but why take a chance.

The cruise line we were on had a very good price for a digital camera. I even considered purchasing it as a second camera.

For most of the Alaska cruise experience most people are wearing street cloths 90% of the time.

Another alternative to a cheap Alaska cruise is a repositioning cruise. When a cruise line moves a cruise ship to another location for the season they often discount those cruises. This is another way to find a cheap Alaska Cruise.

Some of us have the luxury of being within driving distance of a cruise terminal. For those of you who don't have such a luxury a bus trip or airline ticket may be your only other choice. Many of the popular cruises leave from San Diego, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, New York, Fort Lauderdale or Miami. The added expense of an airline ticket puts a dent on your spending money. Find Cheap Flights from 100+ Sites with One Click.