| When dreaming about an Alaska vacation you | | | | experience. |
| mayenvision the romantic essence of yourself reeling | | | | Ports of Call... |
| in King Salmon, roaming the Alaska wilderness shooting | | | | And of course, there are the ports of call: Ketchikan |
| wildlife pictures or simply observing the awe-inspiring | | | | via the Inside Passage from Seattle, Juneau, Skagway |
| beauty...but there's more. | | | | and Prince Rupert with a sneak into the Sawyer |
| Alaska still remains one of the last frontiers on | | | | Glacier. The ports are all awesome. You have the |
| ourplanet. Its harsh extremely rugged environment can | | | | choice of departing the ship and venturing out into the |
| put any well-equipped adventurer to the test. Yet for | | | | Alaskan territory or stay in your second home, |
| the wise, you can engage in a thrilling Alaska vacation, | | | | onboard the Spirit. It's your choice to expand your |
| experience the rugged Alaska environment, the | | | | Alaskavacation to meet your adventurous needs and |
| awe-inspiring beauty and participate in Alaska's | | | | desires. |
| beckoning adventurous surroundings as much or as | | | | On shore you can experience nearly any level of |
| littleas you want. And you can do it all from the safety | | | | excitementyou so desire. You'll have at your disposal |
| of your home away from home! | | | | helicopter flights, fishing opportunities, river rafting, |
| Your Alaska vacation setting, your home away from | | | | guided tours, shopping expeditions or simply strolling |
| home, isaboard one of the most spectacular means of | | | | around on a self-guided walking tour. The ports of call, |
| transportation known today, a luxury cruise ship. | | | | on our Alaska vacation, were relatively small. This |
| Granted, these cruise ships are monstrous in their own | | | | enabled us to walk around the towns to capture the |
| right, dwarfed by jutting mountain peaks and colossal | | | | Alaskan lifestyle. Granted, our stay in each port was |
| glacier ice fields. Yet, you have the opportunity to | | | | limited but it did yield enough time to get a taste, an |
| experience some of Alaska's finest, right from the | | | | experience of Alaska. The ports were showcased |
| luxury and comfort of your home away from home, a | | | | enabling us to see the highlights and if so desired we |
| cruise ship. What aromantic way to travel! | | | | could return at a later date. |
| Advantages Of Living In The Northwest... | | | | Ketchikan was our first port of call after cruising |
| For those living in the Pacific Northwest, you have the | | | | through the majestic Inside Passage. Ketchikan is |
| ease andadvantage of experiencing a wondrous | | | | ashoppers dream, an added feature to experience the |
| Alaska vacation by driving a vehicle to your departure | | | | ultimate Alaska vacation. The historic downtown and |
| port, either Seattle, Astoriaor Vancouver, B.C.; making | | | | specialty shops are within minutes from the cruise ship |
| your Alaska vacation that much more of a vacation. | | | | docks. You'll find a wide selection of native art, jewelry, |
| You'll experience the joys from NOT having to deal | | | | sporting goods and even the Alaskan themed toys. |
| with the anxieties of a possible flight delay or flight | | | | We especially enjoyed walking around town, watching |
| cancellation and no additional strain on the pocket book | | | | thesalmon run through a stream in the center of town |
| requiring additional money for flights or possible hotel | | | | and riding thecity bus to Saxman Village, a native |
| stays. | | | | village 2-miles south of Ketchikan. The village is literally |
| If you're driving, the ideal is to find a friend or | | | | a totem pole park revealing the native's culture. |
| familymember to drop you off and pick you up. You | | | | Returning to the ship we decided to walk the 2-miles |
| do, however, have the option of parking at the Bell | | | | back along a fabulous waterside walkway that |
| Street Garage located directly across from Pier 66, | | | | portrayed the beauty of this Southeast Alaska area. |
| the cruise terminal in Seattle.Fee: $12.00 per day. | | | | Juneauwas the second port of call. We were amazed |
| On-line reservations are available through Republic | | | | how much the city had changed over the past |
| Parking. | | | | 10-years. Thecruise ship industry had a great effect on |
| Location: 9 Wall Street. Enter at the corner of Alaskan | | | | the coastal Alaskan towns. Shops literally sprung up |
| Way and Wall Street. | | | | overnight to accommodate the thousands of |
| 25 handicap parking stalls. | | | | passengers descending upon Juneau and the other |
| No oversize or RV parking is available in the garage. | | | | coastal towns. |
| Vehicles must be less than 6'6" high. | | | | Juneau is the capital of Alaska, nestled |
| Republic Parking operates the garage. Questions? Call | | | | betweentowering mountains. The enormity of the |
| the garage staff at (206) 783-4144. | | | | cruise ships makes for an awesome sight as they |
| The ability to leave home and drive to your cruise | | | | cruise between the mountain ridges. |
| shipis truly remarkable. We took that opportunity to | | | | Juneau is also home to the Mendenhall Glacier. This is |
| engage in an Alaska vacation with Norwegian Cruise | | | | a sight to be seen, especially if you're not familiar with |
| Lines (NCL) the summer of 2004. Previously we'd | | | | glaciers. We took the city bus to the Mendenhall Valley |
| explored Alaska by air; vehicle, foot and most recently | | | | and walked about a mile to reach the glacier. Of |
| the favorable moment came, to explore Alaska by | | | | course, there are other options to get to the glacier via |
| way of a cruise ship. | | | | helicopter or one of the many bus-guided tours. |
| Past Vacations Were Work... | | | | If you plan on visiting the glacier bring along your |
| In the past, our Alaska vacation required an immense | | | | National Parks Pass. This will entitle you free entrance |
| amount ofplanning, organization, and ultimately, "work", | | | | to the visitor's center. |
| yielding very little time for some true relaxation and | | | | Our third Port of Call was the infamous little town of |
| quality time with loved ones. An NCL Alaska Cruise | | | | Skagway. Our route to Skagway took us up the |
| allows you to truly relax and spend the necessary | | | | Tracy |
| quality time with loved ones. The cruise gives you | | | | Arm to the Sawyer Glacier. We cruised past icebergs |
| options. If you want to engage yourself into an intense | | | | and gushing water falls. The captain brought the cruise |
| schedule, you can. If you don't want the intensity, that's | | | | ship near the spectacular ice-flow, a sight you have to |
| your option. | | | | see. Our kids continued playing on the water-slides as |
| Cruising With NCL... | | | | we cruised alongthe towering pieces of ice, truly an |
| We elected to cruise with NCL for various | | | | amazing sight. |
| reasons:they're very competitive in price, they offer | | | | Skagway welcomed us with open arms. It's here |
| "Free-Style Cruising", they have fabulous children | | | | thatthe Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 began. It's hard to |
| programs (we could spend some quality romantic time | | | | imagine more than 30,000 gold seekers set out from |
| together while the kids were fully involved in the | | | | this once tiny village. And now, Skagway is |
| children programs), superb entertainment, an | | | | experiencing it's second gold rush. Approximately 5- |
| international crew and they were the first cruise line in | | | | cruise ships visit Skagway every day during the |
| Seattle. We had to check them out...and that we did! | | | | months of May - September, that's 10,000 visitors per |
| Six of us, 2-adults and 4-children, set off to explore | | | | day bringing money into the community! |
| thequalities of NCL on an Alaska vacation. Our vessel, | | | | The town is very easy to get around; it's about |
| the "Norwegian Spirit" was docked at the Port of | | | | 7-blockslong all encased with specialty shops. The |
| Seattle, the Pier 66 Terminal. Our scheduled departure | | | | prices are extremely competitive yielding some good |
| was a Saturday afternoon allowing us the relaxing | | | | quality products. Regarding the tours, you can always |
| time to get some last minute things together. We were | | | | sign up for a tour aboard the ship; however, if you |
| in no rush whatsoever. We could arrive at the ship | | | | didn't make previous tour arrangements you still have |
| between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm. How soothing this was | | | | ample opportunities on shore. |
| to all the family members. | | | | Skagway is known for the famous scenic railway. It's |
| Arriving at the terminal was a little confusing; it | | | | a |
| appeared as if every passenger descended on the | | | | 3-hour ride out of Skagway following the gold rush |
| ship at the same time. Amongst the confusion we | | | | route into the Yukon. We decided against the train ride |
| found a courteous NCL employee who directed us to | | | | and hopped aboard a personalized driving tour with the |
| the appropriate baggage check-in and ticketing lines. | | | | Skaguay Tour Company. We like the added edge a |
| We were impressed how quickly and orderly the | | | | personalized tour gives. The tour consists of a historic |
| linesflowed. NCL did a fantastic job of getting us | | | | city tour and a drive to the summit of White Pass, |
| through the baggage check-in, ticketing and on-board | | | | essentially paralleling the train route but only half the |
| the ship. | | | | cost. We also had the opportunity to stop at various |
| Each passenger is issued an ID card before boarding. | | | | points of interest along the way, unlike the train. Before |
| This ID Card serves as your room key, boarding pass | | | | you go to Skagway check out Skagway Tour |
| and credit card for any onboard shopping. It's | | | | Company. Be sure to bring your passport, you'll cross |
| imperative that you guard it like your credit card, do not | | | | into Canada and may need the identification for |
| leave it unattended. You'll need it in ALL ports of call | | | | re-entry into the U.S. |
| for departing and boarding the ship. | | | | Our last Port of Call, before returning to Seattle, was |
| Before the ship left the Seattle dock, on to our | | | | Prince Rupert. This cosmopolitan city |
| Alaskavacation, we were exploring. The Spirit carries | | | | encompassesmany cultures and is the home of the |
| 1,996 passengers with a crew of 920. That's nearly | | | | First Nations people for 10,000 years. Near the cruise |
| 1-crew member for every 2-passengers! And we | | | | dock is a native museum with a variety of shops |
| have to say; the crew was there to serve us and | | | | nestled along the waterfront. Compared to the other |
| make sure we had the absolute best Alaska vacation. | | | | ports, we found the various gift items expensive even |
| We appreciated all of the nationalities represented on | | | | with the good U.S. dollar exchange rate. |
| the Spirit. It's truly a vessel of international flair. | | | | There are tours that you can participate in; however, |
| Our kids, of course, loved the stern section of the | | | | wetook advantage of the walking tour along the |
| ship,the Kids Club. It's amazing, an entire | | | | waterfront visiting the sunken gardens. It made for a |
| mini-amusement park with tunnels, tubes and balls, a | | | | nice walkabout; however, our kids were anxious to |
| pool with slides, fountains and a mock pirate ship | | | | return to the ship and engage in the many wonderful |
| yielding water-spouting cannons that make up the | | | | activities. That's the beauty; you have a home away |
| upper portion of the stern section. This is a kid's | | | | from home, a comfortable place to return to creating a |
| heaven. When our kids were tired of the water | | | | relaxing and enjoyable Alaska vacation. |
| games (that rarelyhappened), the arcade was only | | | | Seattle, our off-boarding port, came far too soon. None |
| steps away. | | | | of us were very anxious to leave the ship; we were |
| The restaurants on board were numerous from fine | | | | ready to do the cruise again, back to our Alaska |
| dining tobuffet style and fast food offered 24-hours a | | | | vacation. But the reality, we had to disembark. NCL |
| day. You'll never go hungry. If you're dieting to lose | | | | made this an extremely easy process. |
| weight, put the diet on hold for the duration of the | | | | Each passenger is given a color-coded baggage tag |
| cruise. You'll want the flexibility to enjoy all the fabulous | | | | depending upon your on-shore schedule. For example, |
| food entrees. | | | | if you had a morningflight scheduled out of SeaTac |
| The Many Options... | | | | Airport, your color-coded baggage tag indicated early |
| We especially enjoyed the many options of simply | | | | ship disembarkation. You'd simply listen to your color |
| watchingwhales spout, the beautiful scenery passing | | | | tag announced over the loudspeaker system and |
| us by, picking up a movie in the theater, dining, playing | | | | proceed to depart the ship. |
| cards, trying our luck in the casino, listening to some live | | | | NCL makes it a relaxing experience even when the |
| entertainment at one of the many bars, lounging on the | | | | ship has reached its final destination. You can sitback, |
| deck by one of the pools, pumping iron at the gym, | | | | relax and continue to enjoy your Alaska vacation while |
| shooting some hoops on the basketball court...thelist | | | | eating breakfast looking out at Seattle's skyline. |
| seems endless. This is the ultimate Alaska vacation; | | | | Foremost, the things we bring with us from any |
| you can do it all, part or nothing. | | | | vacation isthe memories, the experiences. It, therefore, |
| Our family of six always had something to do, there | | | | makes sense to have a memorable vacation. |
| wasnever a dull boring moment. Each one of us had | | | | Unfortunately there is a cost to it, any vacation or |
| the option to choose what we wanted to do. My wife, | | | | anything we do in life will cost in some form, either |
| for example, read a book in the library while I watched | | | | money, time, material things, etc. A cruise costs money. |
| a movie in the theater, our oldest hung out with some | | | | If money is a concern to you then we can show you |
| new found friends and the other three played on the | | | | how to save money before you purchase your cruise |
| water slides. Our Alaska vacation was unlike any | | | | tickets. |
| other,there was literally no sacrificing the wants and | | | | The Alaska cruises book-up quickly. We encourage |
| likes of other family members. And above all, we didn't | | | | you to get the most of your Alaska vacation by |
| have to drive to any of these recreational activities! | | | | booking early. You will not be disappointed. And we'll |
| One of our favorite functions were the evenings | | | | help you through the booking process, your memories |
| livehigh quality professional entertainment in the grand | | | | are a keepsake; therefore, book early. |
| Moulin Rouge showroom. It's unique in that the Moulin | | | | We do not sell cruise tickets, airline tickets or any |
| Rouge utilizes two decks, with theater style sitting. You | | | | travel tickets, we simply reveal the Facts so you can |
| ultimately get a great view from every seat, including | | | | make an informed decision and get the most for your |
| the seats in the balcony! On ourparticular cruise, the | | | | hard earned dollar. |
| Cruise Director, Adrian Lewis, did a fabulous job | | | | Step out into the exciting, adventurous, and romantic |
| organizing all of the professional entertainment. The | | | | wonderlands our planet has to offer...make your |
| picture depicts a special attribute to all the crew who | | | | Alaska vacation an Alaska Cruise. |
| made our Alaska vacation an unforgettable | | | | |