AAA Carolinas Cruise Vacations - 7

ALASKA
Ever wonder how many natural wonders you can squeeze into one trip?
This is Alaska - epic, majestic and unspoiled - where the silence is broken only by the sound of an orca surfacing, a lone bald eagle circles above the forested shore, and glacier crowned mountains provide the backdrop. Alaska is a land of superlatives. It is, first and foremost, the biggest state in the Union. At 570,000 square miles it’s bigger than Texas -- twice as big, in fact -- and it would take three Californias, 12 New Yorks, or 470 Rhode Islands to equal it in size! It is home to North America’s tallest peak, Mount McKinley (known to the locals as Denali) whose 20,320-foot crown dominates the Alaska Range. Alaska is big and bold, and is an intriguing, culturally diverse destination with thousands of miles of scenic coastline that make it a natural for cruise ships. Each of the ports offers a different perspective on life in the most northerly U.S. state. More than 700,000 cruise visitors flock to the state during its all-too-short season (mid-May to midSeptember) each year. They come to enjoy the history, the frontier ambiance, the wildlife and -- above all -- the scenery. Towering mountains, massive glaciers, countless miles of rainforest and Arctic tundra -these are the magnets for cruise passengers.
Port Highlights

find honky-tonk music, a laugh-a-minute emcee and wholesome (but hardly gourmet) food. tiny, historically significant community at the head of the Lynn Canal. It came into being in the last part of the 19th century as the nearest port of entry for stampeders making their way into the Klondike in search of gold. Today, the narrow gauge White Pass & Yukon railroad is a must-ride for cruise passengers. It follows the staggeringly photogenic route the gold-seekers took -- on foot -- over the pass to the Canadian border. In town, there’s another place worth visiting for a filling lunch and a few laughs. It’s the Red Onion Saloon, in a building that once served as (whisper it!) a bordello.
Sitka offers cruise passengers a fascinating shore excursion opportunity -- the Alaska Raptor Center. The volunteer staff at the not-for-profit facility is dedicated to restoring to health birds of prey, primarily American eagles. Many of the birds are made well enough to be restored to the wild; some who are too badly hurt are housed permanently at the center. Many remnants of Alaska’s Russian past (St. Michael’s Cathedral, the Russian Bishop’s House, the historic park in which are found totem poles and story boards commemorating the battles between the Russian invaders and the Tlingit Indians) are to be found in Sitka. Skagway is another staple on cruise itineraries, a

Most cruise ships include Juneau in their itineraries -- on both Inside Passage and Glacier Bay itineraries. When you get off the ship, head straight to the pierside terminal of the Mount Roberts Tramway for the six-minute ride to the upper station - the view of the city and the Gastineau Channel on which it stands is spectacular. Later, look in on the raucous fun and games in the Red Dog Saloon, possibly the most talked about pub in the nation. There you’ll

Creek Street, which has been called “the most photographed street in the world” is the main attraction in Ketchikan. Built on pilings over the creek, it once was the city’s red light district and now is lined with funky little stores and restaurants overlooking canoeists and (at the right time of the year) leaping salmon.

AAA Carolinas Cruise Vacations

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