Exploring Alaska by Cruise

In the earlier two posts, "Vacations on Cruise" (Click Here to read) and "Cruise Vacations: Costs and Conveniences" (Click here to read), there was a brief discussion on the advantages of taking a vacation on cruise ships and the relative costs vis-a-vis conveniences of such a trip as compared to other modes of vacations. As Cruise trips to Alaska are very popular and also provide one of the two alternatives to visit this wonderful geographical region, taking a look at exploring Alaska by Cruise would be interesting. 

Why is Alaska special as a tourist destination? Why should one take an Alaska  cruise tip or why it should become a preferred vacation area? The answers to these questions are indeed fascinating both from the geographical as well as historical perspectives.  

Where is Alaska? It is well known that it is one of the 50 states that comprise the United States of America. Yet it is separated from the other mainland states of USA. It is a part of the North American Continent and yet it is very close to Asia. Alaska is very valuable due to its enormous natural resources and strategic location. It has abundant mineral wealth, marine wealth and tourist attraction. It's long coast line and wild forests provide for a variety of adventure activities. Alaska has something to offer to tourists of all age groups and varied interests.

The following facts give an idea about Alaska:

• Alaska is nicknamed as "The Last Frontier".
• It is the 49th state of the USA and became a state on 3rd January 1959. It was followed later by Hawaii (a state only made of islands and another vacation destination) as the 50th state on 21st August 1959.
• It was purchased from Russian Empire on 30th March 1867 for 7.2 million dollars (not 1,000 dollars as sometimes quoted). It was one of the cheapest and grandest real estate purchases!
• It is a strategically important geographical area for various reasons.
• It is on the Pacific coast and 500 miles away from the nearest state of USA, Washington (Seattle area).
• The distance between USA and Russia is only 3 miles! Last Alaskan Island of "Little Diomede" is just three miles from the Russian island of "Big Diomede".
• The Diomede Islands are called as the Yesterday Island and Tomorrow Island because even though they are only three miles apart, international time line separates them by 21 hours!
• The Diamode islands get their names from the Greek hero and commander of 80 Argive ships that took part in Trojan War.
• When territorial water area is included, Alaska is larger than the next three large states of Texas, California and Montana put together.
• Adjoining Canada, it is the largest state of USA by area.
• Its length is 1420 miles and breadth is 2261 miles and is spread over 6,63,000 square miles.
• But its population is only 7,40,000 and hence the least densely populated state.
• Juneau, capital of Alaska, cannot be reached from other parts of USA by land (unless pass through Canada). It can be reached either by Air or Sea.
• Its Denali National Park alone comprises six million acres of wild land and has the 20,310 feet high Denali peak, which is one of the popular tourist destinations.

Alaska is thus a very important geographical region due to its natural resources, marine wealth and tourist attractions.

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What are the requirements for making a trip to Alaska? The first requirement is the desire to get there and explore. The second is to make time and ear mark funds for the same. This is true of all tourist destinations as well. In addition to these, there are some documents required to make a trip to Alaska. What are the documents required for visiting Alaska?

• As Alaska is a part of USA, a valid Visa for visit to USA is required (except for the citizen of countries for whom USA waives a visa to visit the country).
• Alaska can be visited in two ways from mainland USA; either by Air or by Cruise. 
• For visit by Air, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau are the main airports of entry. Anchorage is the most popular airport of arrival and is well connected to other parts of the world.
• For visiting Alaska from USA by cruise, valid Canada visa is also required as the ships stay in the Canada territorial waters for a considerable time. Besides, cruise trips to Alaska usually include a halt at Victoria island which is a part of Canada.

Other preparations depend on the season and weather conditions. Though there are many cruise options from other cities to Alaska, cruises from Seattle, USA and Vancouver, BC, Canada are very popular. These cruises are generally roundtrips and start on the afternoon of Saturday and return to the same place on the early morning of the next Saturday. A duty leave of five working days would be enough for working people to take such cruises. These cruises cover the highlights of Alaska excluding the Denali. The peak season for these cruises is during the months of April to September. June, July and August are the warmest months and have maximum cruises and attract most of the visitors.

The one week's cruise time is covered by sailing in the nights, arriving at a port in the morning, providing land excursions during the day and resuming next lap of the journey again in the night. Even during the summer months, warm clothing will always be required to be kept handy as the weather changes very fast and sunny days have rainy or cold interludes. While on the ship, there would be gusty winds when the ships sail in the pacific and one feels colder than what the temperatures are actually are. While on day excursions one should have a kit bag or backpack with warm clothing which can be used when required or stored away in the bags when the sun comes out and it is hot. A foldable umbrella will be a good friend as showers can visit us any time. 4 or 5 layers of dress with warm sweaters would be advisable. It is important to cover the legs and feet as well with warm pants and socks and wear comfortable shoes. Proper caps/monkey caps, neck covers and mufflers should be available in the bags. Carrying some types of snacks for munching at times of leisure during such excursions is also advisable as the items may not be easily available when you are hungry.

As mentioned earlier, while the ships anchor at the port in the morning, the entire day is allowed for exploring the land areas around the port and return to the ship in the evening. In the summer months sunrise is early and sunset is mostly after 8 PM. In July and August months the sun sets after 9 PM. This gives enough time for the tourists to explore both outdoor and indoor attractions around the port. The cruise ships provide voluminous literature on the attractions available in the area. They also provide a number of alternatives or combination of activities to gainfully spend the day time on the land. One should carefully  study these literature and choose the trip for the day to suit budget, time, physical activity and interests. There are helicopter tours, boat rides, coverage by buses and also adventure sports and hiking etc. The activity chosen should be according to the age group and capacity to walk long distances or enjoy with least physical activity. These plans should be in place before the sailing of the ship and booked well in advance so that disappointment of not getting seats on the last minute approaches is avoided.

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A cruise trip to Alaska is not just one trip. It is a combination of many excursions within a vacation trip. One who plans for each leg of the tour diligently and in advance will derive the best experience with least expenditure. Make full use of the available time, get the best experience and spend the least will be the key guiding factors for an enjoyable Alaska Cruise Trip. Of course, it is the same for other cruise trips as well!