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FAQ: Frequently Asked QuestionsPACKING TIPS
FOR ALASKA CRUISES
Pictures may be misleading as you see glaciers and mountains topped with snow. In general, Alaska has a very pleasant climate in the summer from June through to August. One can expect anywhere from 50 to 80 degrees. Areas near the coast are usually cooler. Bring clothing that can be worn in layers that will prepare you for any eventuality. Bring a warm, water resistant coat and pants and a sweater, especially for a day cruise if you take it. Do bring lighter clothing as well. Definitely bring comfortable shoes like sneakers. A good deal of time is spent on deck viewing glaciers and wildlife. Shore excursions include activities such as a helicopter ride to the top of Juneau's Mendenhall Glacier, or a fishing excursion for salmon, panning for gold or a salmon bake at a rustic lodge. A must bring is a camera (zoom lens cameras are even better for those not so obvious shots, like wildlife and wide angle lens for the expanses). Also bring with you a set of binoculars; you wouldn't want to miss anything. Keep an eye out for those Killer Whales, Bald Eagles and Grizzly Bears. (Cruise West provides binoculars for everybody). Bring bug repellant as summer bring swarms of mosquitoes and good sunscreen is wise as the sun is much stronger here. How should I dress? Whenever
and wherever you travel in "The Great Land," clothing is always a
primary consideration. Suggestions include:
Necessary incidentals include:
When is the Cruise season in Alaska? The cruise season starts as early as the end of April, beginning of May and finishes around the end of September. The most popular months are July and August, typically the warmest months. Deals on cruises can be found at the beginning or the end of the season (May & June, with the longest day of sunlight at 20 hours in June, and September). Nature excursions are at their peak in August with the salmon spawning and the bears fishing. What is the weather like? The weather in Alaska is unpredictable. Plan on some rain and sunshine. Temperatures in Alaska during the summer range from 60°F-80°F. Nighttime and early mornings are cooler, from the 40's - 50's. Late August and September you could encounter cooler temperatures and slightly fewer hours of sunlight, as fall arrives early at these latitudes. Below is a chart with average daytime highs & lows, average monthly precipitation and average hours of sunlight. You're cruise will most likely not be average. It will be great, no matter what the weather if you are prepared.
How do I choose an itinerary? There are two major routes. The first is the seven day Vancouver-to-Vancouver cruise that includes stops at Juneau, the capital of Alaska; Ketchikan, a colorful fish packing port; Glacier Bay National Park; and Sitka, the former Russian frontier outpost. This is a good introduction to the scenic wonders of southeastern Alaska and Glacier Bay, although some ships call on Hubbard Glacier instead. The other major route is a seven to 10 day itinerary from Vancouver to Seward (or the reverse), which takes in more glaciers and more of the Alaskan scenery north of the Panhandle. If you plan to take in a land tour of Alaska, then this itinerary is a better choice. How do I choose a ship? More than 30 ships from 13 cruise lines sail in Alaska's waters. The ships range from mega-size with more than 3000 passengers to small, nature-oriented ships with fewer than 50 passengers. The medium size and mega-ships are floating resorts with a wealth of entertainment facilities and organized activities. The focus of these cruises as much on the shipboard activities as it is on the passing landscape of Alaska. The smaller ships are focuses more on nature and cultural activities. They can also get closer to shore and enter some fjords that may be too small for the larger liners. However, the small ships do not have the resort facilities of the larger ships such as nightclubs, casinos, shops and spas. Therefore, you should choose your ship on the basis of what kind of cruise experience you want. FAQ Specific to Cruise West Q
How many bags are allowed per person when
cruising? Q Is the whole cruise and tour casual? Q
Are Passports required for travel in Alaska? Q
Are there laundry facilities on board? Q
Is Internet access available on board? Q
Are senior discounts available? Q
Are children's rates available? Q
Do you allow infants on your ships? Q
Do you have a single share program? Q
How do you figure out the rates for your single cabins? Q
Are all of your shore excursions included? Q
When are your deposits due? Q
When are final payments due? Q
When is the best time for whale watching? Q
When are documents sent out? Q
What is the best time to see the Northern Lights? Q
How much should I tip? Q
May I bring my own bottle of alcohol on board? Q
What is included in my cruise/tour price? Q
What is not included in my cruise/tour price? Q
Do I need an adapter to use the electrical outlets in my cabin? Q
How can I be contacted in case of emergency? Q
Should I be concerned about seasickness? Q
Is there a doctor on board? Q
Do I need to bring binoculars or an umbrella? Q
Are the kayaking and snorkeling on the Mexico cruises an additional charge? Smaller cruise ships have special appeal. Size does matter. A small ship is part cruise ship and part private yacht. You have many of the advantages of cruising, but you can go to remote locations out-of-the-way ports where big ships can’t go. While the cruise industry keeps churning out ships so massive that their 2,500-plus occupants have to go up 10 decks to get a glimpse of the ocean, a small but growing cadre of seagoing travelers is opting for the Lilliputian. "We like to call them 'big-ship refugees.' They're looking for something more thoughtful and focused on the destination," says Clipper Cruise Lines' Liz McQuinn. Most of the company's passengers are over 60, attracted by Clipper's on-board naturalists and historians and such off-the-pina-colada-circuit itineraries as Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway and Venezuela's Orinoco River. But the tiny vessels also are luring first-timers whose vision of a high-seas escape doesn't include mingling with a cast of thousands. Longer voyages to exotic destinations are a hallmark of many small ships, from Pitcairn Island (highlight of Society Expeditions' 17-day "In the Wake of the Bounty" trip on the 138-passenger World Discoverer) to Mersin (a remote town in eastern Turkey that's included on sailings of Radisson Seven Seas' 120-passenger Song of Flower). The less-is-more flotilla ranges from 70-passenger expedition ships that ferry nature lovers through Baja California to a twin-hulled, 350-passenger vessel, with on-board ambience that extends from cookies and blue jeans to caviar and black tie. Typically, there will no games, few announcements, no assigned dining room seating. Instead of bingo, you have the opportunity to visit the bridge at any time and stand at the helm station or on a very small ship perhaps take the helm yourself. Instead of a cruise director, you have historians, naturalist guides and other experts who know the area who give talks and slide shows and join you at dinner. There may be a best-selling author or a wildlife photographer. Sometimes there is a casino, more likely not. Sometimes there is a piano bar or a band and a dance floor, but just as often there is a local band brought on board for dancing on the aft deck. Instead of spending much time inside the ship, you spend most time outside at destinations or on deck looking at the scenery. On some ships passengers dress up for dinner occasionally or all the time, on others not at all. Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, described by America Online Cruise Critic Anne Campbell as "camping at sea," offers week-long Caribbean voyages on authentic sailing ships at prices that start at less than $100 per person, per day. It's bring-your-own-bottle on American Canadian Caribbean Line, whose trio of tiny vessels charge an average $175 per day. More typical, though, are the globe-spanning, yachtlike ships that make up the Cunard Sea Goddess, Seabourn and Silversea fleets, where the service is tastefully fawning, attire is formal and fares can top $1,000 per person, per day. After 16 voyages on a dozen ships, the veteran traveler becomes a loyal fan of Seabourn Cruises, whose ultra-luxurious vessels carry fewer passengers than could fit in a disco on the biggest floating resorts. If you want Las Vegas-type shows and a constant inundation of the senses, you don't want Seabourn. It's much easier to make friends with only 200 people on board. Usually there is focus on learning about the environment and people and cultures of the area, with lectures by naturalists and historians, wildlife excursions with guides and a library with books and videos on the destinations. You might be learning about ancient roots of civilization while viewing Mayan ruins or archeological sites in the Greek Islands or you might be getting close to nature while watching the courting dances of blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos, being inches away from sea lions belching and belly-flopping on the beach, or feeding bananas to a lemur on your shoulder in The Seychelles. Whether their amenities include recommended reading lists and evening slide shows on local flora and fauna, retractable platforms for water sports or private beach picnics washed down with Moet et Chandon, many small ships target a similar audience: experienced travelers weary of midnight buffets, atrium shopping malls and shipboard comedians asking if you've heard the one about the lady who wondered whether the crew commuted or lived on board. "A big ship is like a big city: If you engage in conversation with someone at a bar, you'll probably never run into him or her again," Campbell says. "On some ships, parents even use walkie-talkies to keep in touch with their kids." By contrast, many small ships are more like B&Bs or country clubs at sea. Instead of heading for assigned tables at a first or second seating, passengers are free to eat when and with whom they fancy. In lieu of high-gloss musical revues, evening entertainment might consist of savoring a glass of port around a piano bar or kibitzing with the first officer on the bridge (which, on most small ships, maintains an "open door" policy). On most small ships, children are actively discouraged. Because there are fewer people, you have the opportunity to meet with speakers in informal conversations. The lectures, the art works, the closeness to the environment all provide a profound sense of place to the destinations. Because of their turn-on-a-dime maneuverability the small ships can get into secluded coves and remote places inaccessible to bigger ships, they can go up rivers to where they are just navigable, and visit secluded places that can be reached only by water. Also because of the small number of passengers, the itinerary can be flexible. You can stay for the evening for a local festival, stop to watch a whale, or launch the zodiacs in minutes if there is something special to see. Small ships come in all shapes and sizes. Even "small ships" can have only a few passengers, more like a private yacht, or several hundred passengers. Ships can be diesel-powered, have paddlewheels, or be sailing ships. There are riverboats that go along the Danube or Rhine, the Volga in Russia, the remote jungle tributaries of the Amazon, the Yangtze, the Nile, the Snake River in Oregon, or up and down the Mississippi and the Ohio. There are icebreakers that can slice through ice in the Antarctic and Arctic. There are barges in Europe, and freighters, and even boats that can you charter yourself. Some ships have bow ramps that let you walk directly onto a beach, others have a diving platform/sports deck at the stern from which, when at anchor, you can scuba, water ski, windsurf, swim, paddle a kayak or sail a sunfish. Some have a fleet of zodiacs for quick access to coves and beaches. In a recent industry survey of how prospective passengers perceived cruises vs. other forms of vacations, "being pampered," "relaxing" and "romantic getaway" emerged as key cruise advantages, says Cruise Week's Mike Driscoll. "Obviously," he adds, "those have nothing to do with the fact that a ship is 100,000 gross tons and has virtual-reality games or a climbing wall." Ten years ago, Windstar Cruises marketed its four-masted, computerized sailing ships to early-40s workaholics as "the consummate yuppie vacation," says sales chief Rick Meadows. Sushi is still served poolside as the sails unfurl on the 148-passenger Wind Star, Wind Song and Wind Spirit and their 312-passenger sibling, the Wind Surf. But now, Meadows says, "we're getting the empty-nest boomer -- burned-out executives who need to step off the planet for a week." To be sure, the same shallow drafts that let some small ships nuzzle close to an Alaskan glacier can send stomachs churning during rough seas. And just as small-ship aficionados would rather walk the plank than stand in line for a souvenir photo of the lifeboat drill, the vast majority of cruisers continue to prefer the megaliners' expansive public spaces and plethora of choices. Happy Cruising! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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