Alaska-Tour-50 Cruise from VANCOUVER to ANCHORAGE aboard Holland America - Zuiderdam

Vancouver

Vancouver is a wonderfully scenic region that has vacation opportunities everywhere you look. The dining is splendid, and the shopping and nightlife are abundant. There are a number of high quality stores, and friendly nightclubs and bars are plentiful. One of the most enjoyable spots in the city is the BC Sports Hall of Fame Museum. Here you can observe the history and highlights of athletics in British Columbia, while testing your own might by actually participating in sporting events. The result is a lively afternoon that is sure to capture your mind and heart. Other fine museums exist in the city as well, such as the Museum of Anthropology and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

When you aren't too busy visiting all of the exquisite galleries and museums, you should take some time to notice the intrinsic beauty of the area. The city has some dazzling spots that are amazing no matter what time of the year you may be visiting. The air is fresh and the view out to the sea is inspiring, making for a lovely experience as you stroll along the port. The skyscrapers and new age buildings provide a certain contrast to the sparkling waters and clear skies. The Vancouver Harbour Center in the downtown portion of the city overlooks the beach and the heart of the city, depending on which way you are facing. This rotating landmark demands comparison to the Space Needle in Seattle, except that it is much smaller. Nonetheless, it still provides an opportunity to observe the goings on of this spectacularly unique city.

Juneau

Juneau is the third most populated city in Alaska, and it is the capital of this great state. Located in the Southeast region of Alaska, Juneau is a wonderful vacation spot full of fun activities, fascinating sites, extraordinary museums, and tasty eateries. The shopping in Juneau is fantastic, and the layout of the city is one of interesting complexity. Juneau combines ancient Alaskan traditions with Western commercialism and bustling city life. This is a very popular area, especially during peak ski and fishing seasons. The hiking in Juneau is terrific, as is the shopping. The wide array of stores offer unique-to-Juneau artwork and handicrafts of particularly high quality. In the summer this city is definitely the most popular destination in Alaska for cruise passengers from the United States mainland. There are a number of spectacular art galleries and specialty stores very much like those in many big cities. But, if it is remote and isolated wilderness you are in search of, Juneau will be more than happy to comply. There are great hiking areas, plenty of ocean for sea kayaking expeditions, and wonderful trails for mountain biking and other outdoor activities.

The population here is 300,000, but during the off-peak season, Juneau seems like a quaint little town with limited growth potential because of the area's geography, comprised of impenetrable natural barriers. Mount Roberts and Mount Juneau surround the small city, and avalanche threats have prevented any true expansion. The Juneau Ice field is a site that demands a visit; it too has hindered the growth of Juneau. Efforts to brave the mountains or forge the Ice field in hopes of expanding the city are just not feasible. Perhaps this is nature's way of telling the local government to leave this exquisite town just as it is.

Skagway

Skagway is a Southeast Alaskan paradise, full of culture and brimming with life. Parts of the city seem stuck in 1897, never progressing beyond the height of the Alaskan gold rush era. This is speaking in architectural terms though, as some of the restaurants and shopping facilities offer distinctly 21st century fare. This unique blend of old and new really enhances the atmosphere of Skagway. There is so much to see and so much fascinating history to soak up. The saloons and bars, some of which date back to 1898, are splendid, full of artifacts and local heritage. Because of Skagway's geographic set up, you will want to make sure that your cruise company has made all your traveling arrangements for you. Though Skagway is a small enough town that you can pleasantly travel around it on foot, side trips from Skagway to any of the neighboring cities can prove to be a difficult proposition. For example, the city of Haines is 14 miles away by ferry, but if you try and rent a car and drive to Haines, it is an unbelievable 359-mile trip to get there because of the poor or nonexistent access to roads around Skagway. In any event, lucky for you, downtown Skagway is quite compact and all of the best sights are reachable by foot.

In 1897, people from all over the world flocked to Skagway in search of a quick fortune. The gold rush gave thousands of men and women false hopes and dreams, and when the riches didn't pan out, the city really declined. By mid-1898, Skagway was not a pleasant place to be, as poverty and shantytowns had pretty much taken over. This bustling town of 200,000 shrank to a mere 700 when the gold rush ended. It took a while, but slowly people began to realize that there was much more to Skagway than an old gold rush town. In the last two decades, tourism has really kept the city afloat, and with the historic cemeteries, interesting museums, fantastic parks, and lively saloons, Skagway has entered the new millennium with a great deal of confidence.

Seward

Seward is a fascinating place to visit, and even if you are only here for a day or so, the region demands a look around. Many tourists traveling through Alaska will be familiar with Seward due to its popularity as a central port from which travelers take off to many Alaskan destinations. It is located conveniently in the Prince William Sound and acts as a gateway to the Kenai Peninsula and the rest of Alaska. Therefore, if only for a couple of hours or a couple of days, many people who have visited Alaska have seen Seward at one time or another. Only the lucky ones have visited Seward for days at a time, a region with some outstanding fishing sites, great sea kayaking opportunities, and wonderful hiking trails. The Kenai Fjords National Park is one of the top destinations in all of Alaska, and it is as diverse as it is majestic. You can see a multitude of landscapes, an abundance of wildlife, and breathtaking scenery that you thought only possible in your dreams. Recently, tourism in Seward has exploded, which has come as a bit of a shock to the citizens of this once small town. It's a bit of a mystery why travelers all over the world are showing such universal interest in this remote location, but perhaps Seward business proprietors and visitors like myself have plugged the city so much that our advertising has paid off.

Seward is one of the oldest cities in Alaska, and the area was first recognized in 1793, when the governor of Russia, Alexander Baranof, stopped here and named Resurrection Bay. He then built a ship which unfortunately sank, and not too much was heard about Seward until 1903. At this time the town evolved into a big Alaskan port city because companies were interested in building a railroad here that would run north and south for miles. This venture failed, but all of the talk brought gold prospectors, settlers, and workers whose families and kin would stay here for good.