Three Inside Passage Cruises that Begin and End in Alaska Waters
Cruises that sail entirely within Alaska waters, beginning and ending in Alaska, allow you to experience more of its magnificence and natural wonders than is possible for cruises of the same duration that begin or end outside of Alaska — more scenery, more wildlife, more glaciers, and more ports.
There are three different Inside Passage itineraries, offered by AAA and Cruise West, which cruise entirely, from beginning to end, in Alaska waters.
The eight-day Alaska’s Inside Passage tour cruises from Ketchikan to Juneau and calls at all of Southeastern Alaska’s major ports: Petersburg, Sitka, Skagway, Haines, and at Metlakatla (a Tsimshian native community). It cruises in southeastern Alaska’s four grandest fjords: Glacier Bay National Park, Misty Fjords National Monument, Tracy Arm, and Le Conte Glacier Fjord. And, it gives you a full day and an overnight stay in Juneau.
A Daylight Yacht Tour allows four or five full days to explore 400 miles of intricate Inside Passage coastline between Ketchikan and Juneau, a distance that large ships, using the main navigation channels, cover in a single night. Unlike all other cruise ships, large or small, the Sheltered Seas sails only during daylight hours; you overnight at shoreside lodging. This all-daylight cruising — which includes Misty Fjords, Le Conte Glacier, and Tracy Arm — combined with overnight stays in ports, gives you an up-close wilderness experience, plus a close encounter with the communities that share this wilderness. You have a night in Juneau, two nights in Petersburg, and an option of one or two nights in Ketchikan. You will also explore the historic old port Wrangell, established by Russia in 1834.
Wilderness Waterways, an eight-night cruise, focuses on remote regions bypassed by almost all other cruise ships, large or small. You’ll experience a world of hidden inlets, boardwalk hamlets, rainforest trails, glaciers, fjords, and habitat for wild creatures — bald eagles, brown bears, sea otters, sea lion colonies, humpback whales, seals, orca whales, and mountain goats. Roundtrip cruises sailing from Juneau call at Kake, a rarely visited Tlingit Indian community on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island, and at Sitka, a town whose Tlingit origins and Russian history make it one of the more interesting towns in all of Alaska.
While each of these cruises appeals to those with somewhat different interests, they also have similarities. All cruising is close to shore, the focus is outward on wildlife and wilderness and not inward on the glamorous life at sea traditional aboard large liners, and captains vary their schedules depending upon wildlife sightings and other opportunities.
Each itinerary includes at least one shore outing at every port: walking tours, local sightseeing, totem parks, museums, and native performances. Optional activities range from glacier flightseeing to river rafting to eagle-spotting excursions by bicycle or kayak.
Life aboard all Cruise West ships is informal — dress is casual. All ships have private facilities in all cabins, a comfortable lounge, and substantial outside deck space for viewing and photographing wildlife and scenery. In addition, all carry Exploration Leaders trained in Alaska’s natural history and local lore who narrate the voyage from the lounge and deck.
For more information and to book your cruise, contact your AAA Travel agent today. Be sure to ask about AAA member benefits.
