| Stateroom Accommodation & Amenities |
| We always recommend reserving a large stateroom with a balcony/verandah or even a suite. When you travel along the Inside Passage you have ever changing views of mountains, glaciers, remote waterfront communities and wildlife. Balconies are providing a great opportunity to get away from the crowds and you enjoy great views from the privacy of your own deck. Another advantage are the floor-to-ceiling windows which makes staterooms even bigger looking. Stateroom amenities included are: Evening turn down service, safe, refrigerator, 110-volt outlets with US plugs fittings, TV with multi-channel programming (CNN, TNT etc..), phone, CD/DVD player, library, closet, mini bar, wireless internet access, bathroom with amenity basket. |
| Cruise Duration |
| Most cruises are 7-days in length. A few 11/14-day sailings include additional ports of call and intensive glacier touring. Basically, there are two different kind of cruises available: Scheduled weekly sailings from Vancouver, Seattle and Anchorage (Whittier/Seward) from May - September. Adventure cruises on small private yachts and specially designed vessels from May - September. Additional pre/post self drive or motorcoach tours are available to enhance your cruise experience. |
| Rates |
| Most cruises include food (3-meals per day plus room service), regular drinks like coffee, tea, juice etc.. entertainment, use of ships facilities. Not included are gratuities (see separate section), alcoholic beverages, shore excursions, gambling, spa or beauty treatments and personal items. Payment on board are through the stateroom account. Similar to a hotel - everything you purchase on board will be charged to this account and at the end of the cruise the account may be settled by credit card, travelers checks or cash. |
| Group Travel |
| For groups of 25-50 passengers, we are able to provide professional escorts who take care of all your group needs at sea and at the port of calls. They make sure your staterooms are in order, provide coordination with the ships staff, they arrange land excursions, day trips, adventure tours and private visits to the vessels galley and bridge. |
| Gratuities |
| During your cruise you will meet many members of our staff in a variety of locations as they provide you with excellent services. Additionally, many more crew members behind the scenes are supporting those who serve you directly. For your convenience a hotel and dining charge of $10.00 per passenger per day (excluding children) will be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. The hotel and dining charge will be shared amongst those staff who help provide and support your cruise experience, including the wait staff, stateroom stewards and accommodation staff, buffet stewards, galley staff, laundry staff and others. Please note this is a discretionary charge and should you wish to remove or make any adjustments, you may do so by contacting the pursers reception desk. Casino dealers and spa personnel do not share in the hotel and dining charge as not all passengers utilize these services. A 15 % service charge is automatically added to your bar charges and dining room wine account. This is shared amongst the beverage staff and their support staff, including cleaners and utility staff. |
| Best Stateroom Glacier Viewing |
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This is one of the most common questions asked to our agents. While we can understand that one think that the right side of the trip (starboard side) is better for scenery on a northbound cruise and the left side (port side) better on a southbound cruise but this isn't true. When cruising Alaska's Inside Passage, there is scenery on both sides of the vessel and when you are entering the fjords in Alaska, the viewing will be equally good from both sides of the vessel over the duration of your cruise vacation. In other words, during your cruise, you'll see scenery from both sides of the vessel. |
| Onboard Services |
| A variety of boutiques are offering fragrances, cosmetics, jewelery, gifts, apparel, accessories and liquor. All vessels provide a library, Internet Cafe, Tour Desk, Spa, Pools, Sauna, Steam bath, Weight and Aerobic Rooms, Massage Therapy, Cinema, Bars, Restaurants etc.. Evening entertainment consists of: Shows, Cocktail Hours, Casino Exitement, Disco etc.. |
| Recommended Clothing |
| Outside: The keyword for dressing for an Alaska cruise is "layering". Casual sportswear including windbreaker, pants and jogging suits are well suited at both sea and ashore in Alaska. Remember to bring a sweater or jacket for cooler evenings. The weather is unpredictable and you should plan on bringing a rain resistant jacket for shore side activities. Light gloves, a hat or visitor and sunglasses are also recommended. You'll also want comfortable walking shoes and sandals with a rubber sole as you explore the shores of Alaska. Inside: Alaska cruises tend to be more casual than cruises to other destinations. However, many of the contemporary cruise lines still observe formal nights and resort-casual nights Alaska cruises. Smart casual is similar to what you would wear at home going out to dine at a nice restaurant and can included skirts/dresses, slacks, sweaters and blouses for ladies and pants and open neck shirt for men. A jacket and ties are optional. In the dining area, items such as cutoff t-shirts, halter tops and torn jeans are not permitted. Evenings: In the evening, ships vary as to dress. As on shore, attire is dictated by occasions. For the Captain's Gala for example, you'll probably want to wear something more formal, such as dark suit or cocktail dresses; perhaps even a dinner jacket or gown. Out 7-day cruises feature 1-2 formal evenings during the cruise. Note: It is possible to rent formal attire on some cruise ships. Please inquire. |
| Weather Conditions |
| High-low daytime temperatures help you plan for your cruise vacation. Alaska has a short visitors season and during July/August cruise availability is very limited. We highly recommend cruising during May and June - up to 21 daylight hours, nice weather conditions - OR during the month of September - beautiful fall colors, some Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) viewing and generally stable weather conditions - The following link provides current and historical weather data info for all ports within Alaska. http://www.arh.noaa.gov/textforecasts.php?type=climate - Wildlife viewing is generally at its best during the off-season because larger mammals such as bears, moose etc.. are feeding in lower elevations. In general: the weather conditions in Alaska are characterized by large temperature differences and varies widely day-by-day. |
| Sightseeing |
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You will have plenty of opportunities for sightseeing and/or fishing trips. Please check our website for current rates and conditions. Great fishing spots are available around Ketchikan and Juneau. Other options are float-plane trips to a remote lakes or rivers to fish for Lake Trout, Salmon and Dolly Varden. Please Note: Optional sightseeing tours are only available in connection with a confirmed cruise or cruise tour package reservation. |
| Casino & Alcohol Policies |
| We kindly request that you do not bring your own alcoholic beverages (other than wine and champagne) on board for consumption. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the gift shop or at ports of call will be collect for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage. A member of our security staff will be at the gangway to assist with the storage of your alcoholic beverage purchases. The legal drinking age on board is 21 years for US citizen is always observed on board and proof of age may be required. All on board staff are trained to take seriously their responsibility to not serve alcohol to underage passengers. Entry into the disco is limited to passengers 18 years and older. Be sure to check with the child and teenager centers. Evening entertainment shows may be attended by minors with a parent or guardian. |
| Cruise Terminal Locations |
| Vancouver: Canada Place is located downtown at 999 Canada Place in Vancouver. Ballantyne is located at 655 Centennial Road, east of the city center. The cost for taxi service is approximately $30.00 - $50.00 from the airport. Travelers to Ballantyne have access to the Ballantyne Cruise Terminal only via Clark Drive or McGill Street Overpass. There is no access to travellers via Victoria Drive and Heatley Avenue. It takes about 30-45 minutes to get to the cruise terminal from the airport. Whittier & Seward: We provide scheduled motorcoach, private Van and railroad services from Anchorage. Please calculate at least 2-hours of transfer time to Whittier and 4-hours to Seward. Rates are about $35-90.00 per person. Passengers who are driving should arrive at the pier 2-3 hours before sailing. For your own convenience, please do not arrive earlier as boarding will not have commenced. |
| Travel Documents |
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US and Canadian citizen must show proper proof of citizenship to every Border Service Agency Officers including - but not limited to: passport, government issued photo ID, original copy of birth certificate. All overseas customers must show a valid passport and, if required, other documents such as visas etc.. for more information please contact the next US or Canadian embassy. |
| Embarking/Disembarking |
| Express checkout features are available on every vessel. Please provide a credit card upon check in and you have to sign only your final bill for any incidental charges on the last evening of the journey. The crew provides you with disembarkation letter and luggage tags. Please pack up your bags on the last evening and place them outside your stateroom door to facilitate custom clearance and disembarkation. Passengers may not leave the ship until the entire luggage if off-loaded. |