Majestic Alaska - Another Check On My Bucket List - Coming Soon!

We live in a tourist’s haven, so where do we go for a great vacation? For that once in a lifetime experience, I'm thinking  Alaska! There’s no place like it.

The ideal Alaska experience is a combination cruise and land package, called a cruisetour. Alaska’s prime traveling season runs from mid-May through early September, so now is the time to start planning!

 Generally, Alaskan cruises start in Vancouver, BC or Seattle, Washington and are either round trip or northbound. You can also fly to Fairbanks or Anchorage to start your southbound cruisetour, which will end you in Vancouver or Seattle.  It all depends on what kind of vacation you want and how much time you have to spend.

 Alaskan cruises are usually seven nights and a prime venue for taking in the most breath-taking views of the icy-blue glaciers. Cruise along the Inside Passage while visiting historic towns such as Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan, the first city in Alaska. Shore excursions offered on these cruises range from helicopter or airplane flights that can take you glacier walking, ice climbing or dog sledding to tours of the rain forest preserve on an ATV, horseback or mountain bike. Meet dog mushers, trappers, bush pilots, wildlife experts and visit Native villages where storytellers share their Alaskan heritage. Keep your eyes wide open because you never know when you’ll see an eagle soar or a whale breach or a bear fishing for his next meal. If you only have a week to spare, the cruise is the answer for you.

 However, if you have more time, you can add to your once in a lifetime  experience by including a land tour package either before or after your cruise. The cruise line will take care of you in the same exceptional style they do while onboard. Travel by glass-domed trains to Denali National Park where, on a clear day, Mt. McKinley will awe you with its beauty and majesty.  Hike the nature trails in Talkeetna, one of the most idyllic spots in all of Alaska. Spend a day or two in the cosmopolitan city of Anchorage or travel by deluxe motor coach all the way to Fairbanks and experience its unique charm.  Other itineraries include Whistler, Banff, Kenai and the Yukon.  The cruise lines will provide top-notch lodge and hotel accommodations and transportation all along the way.

 My husband and I are looking forward to June, when we will be spending 11 nights on a cruisetour to Denali with a small group of first-timers. If Alaska is on your “bucket list”, you’re more than welcome to join us!