Cruising New Waters More Ships, New Itineraries For Alaska Sailings

Right about now, savvy cruisers already have begun to think about Alaska. As well they should.

Traditionally, the cutoff for garnering the heftiest advance-purchase discounts on Alaska sailings is mid-February. After that, you still might ferret out some last-minute bargains, but the best cabins will have been spoken for. In fact, many Alaska cruises are 90 percent booked by late winter.

So, if you’re considering cruising Alaska this summer, start planning now.

There isn’t any doubt that Alaska is a well-trod destination - the popularity of summer cruises to the 49th state drew 445,000 passengers just to Juneau last year, according to that city’s convention and visitors bureau.

But if much of what Alaska offers seems the same-old-same-old to you, this season’s sailings bring some notable news to factor into your planning.

Four new - and very big - ships will enter Alaska waters this year. In May, Princess Cruises’ 1,950-passenger Dawn Princess will make its Alaska debut, as will Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s 2,000-passenger Rhapsody of the Seas, which begins seven-night cruises in June. Celebrity Cruises’ 1,870-passenger Galaxy, launched last month in New York, will be the line’s largest ship in Alaska. And the Veendam, Holland America’s newest 1,266-passenger ship (currently plying the Caribbean), will reposition to Alaska to bring the number of HAL ships there to six.

Some lines are tweaking itineraries in order to offer cruisers some convenient options. While most ships depart from Vancouver and points north, Crystal Cruises’ Symphony will make 12-day, round-trip Alaska sailings from San Francisco. Crystal also is offering tailor-made shore excursions designed to appeal to its upscale clientele. This may be your chance to guzzle champagne atop a glacier.

Those hankering for shorter Alaska vacations can try Holland America’s new “cruise samplers,” five-day packages designed to give just a taste of Alaska - the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. These cruises depart from Vancouver and will sail the Inside Passage to Juneau and Skagway. That is followed by a motorcoach trip to Whitehorse along the route miners took to the Yukon gold fields a century ago. The $689 per person starting fare also includes an overnight in Whitehorse and return flight to Vancouver, making this a very economical option both in terms of time and money.

Alaska Sightseeing/Cruise West will operate overnight cruises on Prince William Sound, the exquisite wilderness region made famous by its brush with ecological death in the Exxon Valdez incident. This marks the first time such overnight voyages have been offered by any cruise line. Beginning May 19, two- and three-night cruises aboard ASCW’s 54-passenger Spirit of Discovery will depart from Whittier, a town south of Anchorage.

Some of the biggest news for cruisers isn’t even on the water. Princess Tours, a division of Princess Cruises, will unveil the 160-room Mount McKinley Princess Lodge, the line’s newest land-based hotel just 41 miles from the foot of America’s highest peak, also known as Denali.

The remote lodge, situated in Denali State Park, is more than half done. When completed, it will be the only large hotel complex in Alaska with a view of the towering 20,320-foot-high mountain, located in the adjoining 5-million-acre Denali National Park. Guests will have spectacular views of the mountain which, when not under cloud cover, can be clearly seen from the main lodge and its bungalow-style guest rooms. Lodge stays will be featured in conjunction with Princess’ 13- to 15-day cruise/tours.

Holland America Westours has been designated the official cruise and cruise/tour operator of the Klondike Gold Rush Centennial. The line kicks off pre-centennial commemorations this summer by adding Skagway to most of its itineraries. While the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Gold Rush officially is 1998, shouts of “gold!” were first heard worldwide in the summer of 1897. Skagway became the gateway town to the gold-rich Yukon. It was from here that the massive migration began as tens of thousands of miners struck by gold fever struggled to climb the 2,800-foot Chilkoot Trail or White Pass in sub-zero temperatures. They were loaded down almost to the breaking point, each hauling a year’s supply of goods, as mandated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

HAL also will be mining Alaska’s gold. The line has acquired exclusive rights to Gold Dredge No. 8, designated a National Historic Site by the National Park Service. It is the only gold dredge in Alaska open to the public. Gold dredges were colossal machines that were used to carve up entire valleys in search of Alaska’s precious metal. Gold Dredge No. 8 - a restored relic that was operated after the gold rush for commercial mining purposes when the placer gold was depleted - is one of eight that mined the metal from the Goldstream Valley near Fairbanks. The dredge functioned from 1928 until 1959, extracting 7.5 million ounces of gold before it was shut down. The gigantic, ungainly looking contraption is now part of a museum that features authentic support buildings such as bunkhouses and supply depots. To give passengers a feel for what life was like for miners who worked there, all HAL cruise/tours that include a two-night stop in Fairbanks will visit the dredge. The visit will give passengers the chance to pan for real gold and to enjoy a miner’s buffet lunch served in the “miners’ cookhouse.”

Though cruisers age 55 and over still are the staple of cruise lines in Alaska, no line is ignoring kids. In fact, they are attempting to lure more families to Alaska by offering more activities for children. For instance, Holland America will debut an expanded version of “Club HAL,” a children’s program available on all its ships. The line, which says it is not unusual to have as many as 100 children aboard an Alaska cruise, says the program will feature kids’ shore excursions for two age groups - ages 6 to 12 and teens. Unique educational on-shore adventures, led by youth counselors or naturalists, include hiking in a rain forest, sea kayaking, visiting a raptor center, taking hay-wagon rides and seeing a ghost town near Skagway.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line features facilities for kids ages 3 to 17 aboard Legend of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. Both ships have teen clubs with discos, and kids’ programs are led by a trained youth staff.

Finally, Celebrity has announced unbeatable Alaska rates for youngsters, launching a special $199 fare for children under age 18 who share a cabin with two adults.

For information and reservations on Alaska cruises, contact a travel agent or the following companies:

Alaska Sightseeing/Cruise West, 800-426-7702.

Carnival Cruise Line, 800-438-6744.

Celebrity Cruises, 800-437-3111.

Clipper Cruise Line, 800-325-0010.

Crystal Cruises, 800-446-6620.

Cunard Line, 800-221-4770.

Glacier Bay Tours and Cruises, 800-451-5952.

Holland America LineWestours, 800-426-0327.

Norwegian Cruise Line, 800-327-7030.

Princess Cruises, 800-774-6237.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, 800-327-6700.

Seabourn Cruise Line, 800-929-9595.

Society Expeditions, 800-548-8669.

Special Expeditions, 800-762-0003.

World Explorer Cruises, 800-854-3835.