Why Take An Alaska Cruise

T he Alaska cruise is a            route takes in the                 breathtaking adventure that     ports of Ketchikan, Juneau,                                        Skagway and Sitka in the           you'll never forget. Giant            extreme southeast of Alaska.       snow-capped mountains,                Other cruise routes run            sparkling glaciers, thick pine        to Prince William Sound near the   forests rising up from the            city of Anchorage,                 shoreline and abundant wildlife       and also along the Alaska          vie for your attention                Peninsula and into the Bering      in this dramatic landscape. Towns     Sea. These longer cruises are      and villages brimming                 often one-way, requiring           with history tell a story of the      passengers to make their return    Great Land that will                  journey by train or                endear Alaska to you forever.         plane.                                                                                                      An Alaska cruise typically            Ketchikan is well worth a visit    departs from Seattle in               alone for the Tongass              Washington State or from              National Forest - the most         Vancouver in British Columbia.        northerly rainforest on the        Winters are very harsh in Alaska,     North American continent. It is    so the main cruising                  more than eight times              season is confined to the summer      the size of the Yellowstone        months, typically                     National Park, and offers          between May and September.            the ultimate in adventure tours                                          where you'll find rich             The most popular Alaska cruise        salmon runs and grizzly bears.     route takes passengers                Ketchikan is also home             on a one week round-trip up the       to the world's largest collection  Alaskan coastline and                 of totem poles.                    through the Inside Passage. This      These can be found at the Totem    Heritage Center Museum.               when you're done with the gold,                                          why not take time out              Juneau, often known as 'little        to watch the whales near Sitka -   San Francisco', is                    a haven for these                  Alaska's capital. Here you can        beautiful creatures all year       experience life in a                  round.                             true northern city. The                                                  Mendenhall Glacier is sure            For the more adventurous, an       worth a visit, as is the Sawyer       Alaska cruise can take             Glacier a little                      in Kodiak Island in the Gulf of    further to the South.                 Alaska. Known as                                                         Alaska's 'Emerald Isle' Kodiak     Skagway is Alaska's gold-rush         Island takes visitors              town. It is well                      back to the time when the first    preserved and offers access to        inhabitants settled on             the Klondike Gold Rush                the island more than 7,500 years   National Historical Park.             ago. You can even                  Disembark at this port and            locate Alaska's oldest parish      view the way of the world famous      here on Kodiak Island..            White Pass railroad,                                                     before panning for gold in this       John Metcalfe www.azcruises.com    northern outpost. And                  About the Author: John Metcalfe is the webmaster for http://www.azcruises.com which is the No1 resource for Cruise related Information on the Internet. Be sure to visit his complete archive of articles here: http://www.azcruises.com/newsletter-articles Source: www.isnare.com