Charting a course for Alaska waters: Alaska's cruise industry plans 2008 itineraries

Alaska Business Monthly, Dec, 2007 by Nicole A. Bonham Colby

With tourism revenue continuing to fuel Alaska's economy, those who work in the travel industry ward off the chill of winter with a look ahead to the warm months of summer and the 2008 cruise ship preview. Next summer's tourism season has heated up already with news of ship upgrades, creative booking discounts, added departures, and ambitious excursion opportunities for visitors to The Last Frontier.

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Plus, as the U.S. dollar continues low against its Canadian cousin and the growth of the euro, cruise companies and their land-based partners hope to reap the rewards of increased interest by foreign travelers looking for a bargain.

AN ALASKA EXPLORER

Holland America Line has eight ships scheduled for 156 cruises in 2008-59 sailings on three Seattle-ported ships and 97 on five ships based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company has announced three distinctive Alaska itineraries for 2008--the "Glacier Bay Inside Passage," "Glacier Discovery," and "The Alaskan Explorer" cruises.

Popular among its cruise packages, the company's "The Alaskan Explorer" cruise, operated by three ships, departs from Seattle and serves up the requisite glaciers, wildlife and Alaska history via stops at Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan, along with Victoria. The ship Amsterdam (1,380 guests) highlights Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glaciers. The ship Oosterdam (Vista-class, 1,848 guests) highlights Hubbard Glacier and Yakutat Bay. The ship Westerdam (Vista-class, 1,916 guests) cruises Glacier Bay. The larger Vista-class ships offer a wide variety of options for verandah staterooms.

Among its 97 cruises from Vancouver, Holland America Line offers a combination of round-trip Inside Passage sailings and one-way cruises from Vancouver and Seward--allowing travelers the option of combining a cruise with additional land-based touring.

Aiming to satisfy an experienced, world-savvy clientele, cruise companies are searching out unique and unusual shore excursions for their passengers. In addition to the requisite glacier flight-seeing, sea kayaking, fishing and wildlife viewing, Holland America Line offers more in-depth shore excursions through its cruise-tours, which combine a cruise with an extended 11- to 20-day, land-based tour. The 2008 schedule includes 29 cruise-tours offerings, encompassing 14 national parks and wilderness areas, including Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic, Klondike Historic Site (Dawson City), and others.

"Holland America's CruiseTour itineraries let guests take their time to have a personal wilderness experience in the areas of Alaska and the Yukon that most intrigue them," says Richard D. Meadows, executive vice president of marketing, sales and guest programs, and a certified travel counselor. "We take guests to scenic national parks and recognized wilderness areas, and we design optional excursions to let them fully experience the adventure while they are here."

PRINCESS: DESTINATION-INTENSIVE

Among the summer 2008 Alaska offerings by Princess Cruises is what the company is calling "the most destination-intensive itinerary in Alaska." Princess Cruises will sail five vessels on its Gulf of Alaska program next summer, including--for the first time in Alaska waters--the ship Tahitian Princess, debuting a longer route that features the brown bears of Kodiak, Valdez, and the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, among other Southeast stops.

According to the company, Princess ships will offer 73 signature Gulf of Alaska sailings and eight departures of the new "Connoisseur"-package voyages throughout the 2008 summer season. Ranging from 670 to 2,670 passengers, Princess ships include Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Coral Princess and Island Princess, each returning for another season of the seven-night "Voyage of the Glaciers" cruises between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Whittier; and the Tahitian Princess, which joins the lineup with the 14-day "Connoisseur" cruise sailing roundtrip from Vancouver.

"We dedicate our newest and most innovative ships to these itineraries because we believe they offer an unrivaled way to see Alaska's worldfamous coastline," said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. "... with our new, longer Connoisseur itinerary, we're offering travelers the chance to explore many of the hidden gems of this region they don't often get the opportunity to explore...."

Travelers can pair the seven-day Gulf of Alaska cruises with any of the company's 34 land-tour opportunities, offering a chance to see the best of Alaska by land and sea, according to Princess. In addition to its "Connoisseur Voyage" cruise, the company offers travelers the "Voyage of the Glaciers" and "Inside Passage" destination packages.

The 2,670-passenger Princess ships Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess will sail 37 voyages departing Saturdays from Vancouver, or Whittier and stopping at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. The itineraries feature daylight cruising of Glacier Bay and the 16 glaciers of College Fjord. In addition, the 1,970-passenger Coral Princess and Island Princess will offer 36 sailings on the same itinerary, departing on Mondays, according to the company.