A total of 15 companies will field a flotilla of 47 ships to the protected waters of Alaska's Inside Passage in 2008; that's two more vessels than last year when nearly two million passengers made the trip..
The vessels range from big ships (as in really, really big – the largest accommodating 2,670 guests) to smaller vessels pampering as few as a dozen.
Four Cruising Patterns
The vessels will sail the traditional four Alaska cruising patterns: “Inside Passage" round trips from Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco to Southeast Alaska and return; “Gulf and Glaciers" one-way voyages between Vancouver and south-central Alaska ports (Seward, Whittier, and Anchorage); “All-Alaska" cruises that begin and end in the 49th State; and “Alaska Expedition" voyages that can extend to far-north points and even to Russia across the Bering Sea.
The cruiselines and the number of their Alaska-bound ships include:
Lines with mid-size to mega vessels: Carnival Cruise Line, 1; Celebrity Cruises, 3; Holland America Line, 8; Norwegian Cruise Line, 3; Princess Cruises, 8; Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 1; Royal Caribbean International, 3; and Silversea Cruises, 1.
Small ship lines include: American Safari Cruises, 4; The Boat Company, 2; Cruise West, 8; Discovery Voyages, 1; Lindblad Expeditions, 2; Majestic America Line, 1; and Maple Leaf Adventures, 1.
Copyright (c) 2007 (All rights reserved)
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Alaskan travel writer Mike Miller lives in Juneau where his current passion is publishing an information-packed website about Alaska cruising and ferry travel: http://www.AlaskaCruisingReport.com. Miller has authored a number of books (Fodors, Sierra Club Books, Globe Pequot, and others), contributes to The Milepost, TravelAge West (for travel agents) and frequently writes for major newspapers and magazines.
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