|
|
|
. Cruise
to Alaska in the wake of Haida Chiefs,Great
Explorers and Soldiers of Fortune By Angela Warner From the home port of
Vancouver, the larger cruise companies offer two
major routes: the Inside Passage Cruise and the
Glacier Cruise- on both you can be assured of the
same kind of luxury and service as on the more
established Ocean or Caribbean cruises. A typical Inside Passage
Cruise would take you on a 7-day, 2000 mile journey
from Vancouver to the top of the Alaskan Panhandle
and return, between the BC mainland and the
offshore islands. Because these islands act as a
buffer from the turbulent seas of the North Pacific
Ocean, the cruise is very calm so motion sickness
should not be a problem FILM FESTIVAL AT
SEA: The Films to Sea Festival, a
seven-day Alaskan cruise, will showcase up
to 14 international film premiers while
sailing through the Inside Passage and
Glacial Bay National Park starting on
August 4. Holland American Lines' M.S.
Zaandam's screening room is not as big as
downtown Vancouver's Tinseltown theatres,
but is elegant nonetheless. Dusty Cohl,
Toronto's film festival czar, organized
the first such cruise in 1990 as a fun way
to bring his friends together. In some places the passage
is quite narrow and twisting, making for some
exciting moments as the skillful officers navigate
the vessel through seemingly impossible places.
Seymour Narrows, 100 miles north of
Vancouver is such a place- much safer since the
mid-channel Ripple Rock was blasted in 1958, but
still a tight, S-shaped pass. Another is the fjord
named Grenville Channel- difficult to maneuver, but
spectacular to behold, with mountains creating
walls against which waterfalls tumble. Once you enter American
waters, it's like you've taken a step back in time
as you go ashore to visit the old frontier towns.
Ketchikan is Alaska's southernmost major
city and is the home of the world's largest
collection of totem poles. Its waterfront buildings
rise above Tongass Narrows supported by a forest of
pilings and joined together by a picturesque
boardwalk. Wrangell began as a fur-trading
post in 1834 and has been governed under three
flags: Russian, English and American. Evidence of
even earlier inhabitants can be seen in some
intriguing petrographs. Juneau, Alaska has
the distinction of being the only US capital that
can be reached only by air or sea. This gateway to
Glacier Bay rests between towering Mt. Juneau and
the Gastineau Channel. Skagway is the
historic town where the great Klondike Gold Rush of
1889 is relived. It is headquarters of the White
Pass and Yukon Railroad, the last single gauge
railroad in operation. Sitka sits in the shadow of
Mt. Edgecombe, a 3201 ft high extinct volcano. It
was once the seaside capital of Russian America and
a visit here certainly evokes the 18th century. In our
"Super Cruise Guide," we salute the sleek Empresses
that wore the colours of Canadian Pacific, and as
an extension of the mighty CPR, sailed from
Vancouver to exotic ports o'call in the distant
Orient. They did us proud. Their smaller, more
modest sister ships,
Princesses of the BC to Alaska fleet plied the
Inside Passage from Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver
to the Northern ports along the Alaska Panhandle.
They carried freight and passengers to remote
points; setting the stage for today's love boats
and floating hotels. It was on the SS Princess
Norah that I experienced my first memorable sea
cruise as featured in my series 'Klondike
Memories.' Since I found the history of the Inside
Passage such a fascinating study, I am sure our
potential cruise passengers would like to know more
about its background and discovery. The new Super Cruise Guide
is based on the success of our Air
Highway Supermaps
and the earlier overland versions created for Best
Western and Avis, which feature auto
travel,accommodation and intermodal connections.
Close to 500,000 of our various maps are in
circulation. Above:
Inside Passage from Vancouver to Alaska. The
Fotomation sequence (above) is from the Ship to
Shore Conference, where the major Alaska cruise
lines entertained and educated Travel Agents from
across North America. Aprés
Cruise? Fly Helijet's..Super
City Triangle New shorter "Pocket
Cruises" Royal Caribbean International is
offering something new for cruise enthusiasts with
the addition of a "pocket cruise," a shorter
three-to four-day cruise between Vancouver,
Victoria and Seattle on its Vision of the Seas,
pictured in the 'fotomation' above. In 1999, 24
vessels representing 10 cruise lines called on Port
Vancouver, for a total of 309 sailings. Passengers
per voyage climbed 3% over last year's numbers.
This year marked the 17th consecutive year of
growth for the Vancouver-Alaska cruise. The numbers reflect healthy
growth for the Vancouver-Alaska cruise industry.
Everyone involved in the Vancouver-Alaska cruise
experience should be proud of this exceptional
performance," said David Stowe, VPA Chairman. There
were 309 sailings in 1999 compared to 294 in 1998.
The number of ships dedicated to this itinerary has
remained steady over the last couple of seasons,
with 24 vessels representing 10 cruise companies
calling on Vancouver. The average number of
passengers per voyage climbed 3% over last year's
numbers, In 2000, a new market offering will begin
with the addition of the pocket cruise option of
three to four-day cruises, which should provide
further growth for the industry.
The Port of
Vancouver offers Cruise customers:(1) Modern,
comfortable and safe cruise facilities near both
downtown and the airport.(2) Terminals that
accommodate the largest cruise ships afloat.(3) A
sailing time to Alaska that allows sufficient time
to enjoy an extensive Alaska itinerary. The Port of
Vancouver is comprised of 26 cargo and other marine
related terminals to provide a full range of
facilities and services to the international
shipping community. Most terminals are centrally
located in Vancouver's Burrard Inlet. The
exceptions are the Deltaport container terminal,
and Westshore Terminals' coal handling facility,
which are located at Roberts Bank, 22 km from the
city centre. Collectively,
Port Vancouver terminals offer virtually no draft
restrictions, post-Panamax capacity, and among the
most extensive on-dock rail facilities of any North
American West Coast port. Bulk cargoes
account for more than 81% of the port's annual
throughput. Coal, sulphur, potash, grain,
petro-chemicals and woodchips are typical of the
bulk shipments which are handled through the port's
17 bulk terminals. There are
nine general cargo terminals. Forest products such
as lumber, plywood, pulp, and newsprint account for
96% of general cargo, and 6% of the port's total
cargo volumes. General cargo also includes project
cargo. Two
container terminals, Centerm and Vanterm, are
located in the port's inner harbour. The Deltaport
container terminal in the outer harbour officially
opened in 1997. Deltaport doubled the port's
container capacity to more than 1.2 million TEUs
per year. |
While
John Muir's assertion may be true of many
destinations in the world, I would challenge anyone
to try to ignore the scenic beauty totally
surrounding them on a cruise from Vancouver,
British Columbia via the Inside Passage to Alaska.
From the soaring tree-clad mountains, to the
looming glaciers, to the breathtaking waterfalls,
the passing panorama is just so vast, so
overwhelming, it would take the most cynical and
world-weary not to be impressed by it. Rail
Adventures
and
Super Cruises
Details
.....