Alaska a Great Choice even for Cruise Critics

A lifelong independent traveler, I’ve always been defiantly, even snobbishly, critical of cruises. Being confined to a huge ship with strangers, with only half a day or a few hours to enjoy paradise on shore? No thanks. In fact, I’ve always maintained that cruises were for people who didn’t really like to travel. But then some girlfriends asked me to join them on an Alaska cruise and I accepted, thinking that even if I didn’t exactly like the experience, I would at least enjoy their company and get to see some of Alaska’s scenic beauty to boot. But what I got out of our seven-night journey turned out to be much, much more, including a new-found appreciation of the region’s indigenous culture. I’m now convinced Alaska is a great choice even for cruise critics. Here are my reasons why.

Wondrous scenery and wildlife you’ll never forget

I’m not sure anyone could witness the haunting and sometimes surreal beauty of the Inside Passage and not be totally blown away. Carved by glaciers millions of years ago, the coastal route weaves around islands and includes vistas of lush forests of Western hemlock, cedars, and giant Sitka spruce, pristine waterways, ragged fjords, bays, lakes, snowy mountains and wildlife. Much of the passage and coastal areas, including the Alaskan towns we visited, are within the Tongass National Forest, which at 17 million acres is the largest national forest in the United States and the largest contiguous temperate rainforest in the world. It’s home to bears (Admiralty Island alone has more brown bears than the entire Lower 48 combined), wolves, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer, seals, migrating whales (including humpback), the highest density of bald eagles in the world, and five species of wild salmon with a fin count higher than in all other national forests combined.

There’s something admirable about the way salmon fight their way upstream, dodging bears (which can eat up to 90 pounds a day fattening up for winter), eagles and the other creatures who depend on fish to survive in an attempt to return to the very place they were born to hatch their own eggs and watch over them until they die.

But the most memorable experience for me turned out to be Hubbard Glacier, surely one of the most spectacular, accessible glaciers in the world (no one is allowed off ship, thank goodness, and I was delighted that we were the only ship there). What impressed me most is its immensity. Born some 76 miles inland from snow accumulating on Canada’s highest mountain, the 19,850-foot-tall Mt. Logan, Hubbard Glacier stretches an amazing seven miles across by the time the river of ice meets the sea and stands about 500 feet high, half of it beneath water. With binoculars I could see crevasses, caves, and glacial silt, while the cold air was accented by creaks and groans and then what sounded like thunder or rifle shots as chunks calved and tumbled into the water. Hubbard Glacier is one of only 2% of the world’s glaciers that isn’t retreating but rather is advancing or holding onto its own, thanks to Mt. Logan. If a trip to Alaska doesn’t make you want to lobby against global warming, I’m not sure what will (many cruise lines instead go to Glacier Bay, which I’m sure is equally amazing with its many glaciers instead of just one). If there’s just one single reason why Alaska is a great choice even for cruise critics, seeing the immensity of a magnificent glacier is it.

Alaska is a great choice even for cruise critics because you don’t have to sign up for those offshore ship excursions

After looking at the prices for shore excursions offered by Holland America, I decided to book land experiences on my own. In Juneau we opted for Juneau Whale Watch, one of more than a dozen companies offering the chance to see humpbacks in smaller boats. I have to admit I felt sorry for the whales, surrounded by six or small boats every time one of the big mammals was spotted, but seeing humpbacks in their prime feeding grounds was thrilling. We then paid for a bus onward to Mendenhall Glacier, which is sadly retreating, but we enjoyed the visitor center, seeing the spawning salmon and, from the safety of an elevated boardwalk, watching a bear and her cubs ambling along. Because we had extra time to spend doing what we wanted to do rather than being herded on a tour’s rigid schedule, we also hiked the Trail of Time, resplendent with iridescent green moss covering the ground and fallen trees. Despite the rain, we were happy to be surrounded by nature and, remarkably, we had the trail to ourselves.

In Sitka we opted for a two-hour kayaking tour, which was fine for being on the water but otherwise uneventful, after which I struck out on my own. I found Sitka to be an unassuming fishing town of about 7,000 people and two stoplights, made all the more interesting because there are only local and no chain stores. A number of historic sites illustrate the area’s cultural heritage that includes the native Tlingit population in residence for more than 9,000 years and Sitka’s stint as Russia’s Alaskan capital in the 1800s. National Historic Landmarks include the 1843 Russian Bishop’s House, a cathedral and Castle Hill, site of the formal transfer of Russian territory to the United States in 1867. At the 107-acre Sitka National Historic Park I learned about a 1804 battle between the Tlingit and Russians, observed salmon spawning in the Indian River and hiked a forest-shrouded path lined with 18 totem poles. I also visited the Sheldon Jackson State Museum, established in 1887 and Alaska’s oldest museum. It’s filled with artifacts of native cultures from around the state, including hunting bows, dog sleds, masks, kayaks, baskets and an amazing number of items made from fish skin that made them waterproof, including parkas, boots, mittens and bags.

In Ketchikan, a town of about 12,000 people, we didn’t sign up for anything at all. While my friends went shopping, I wandered around town. Ketchikan was once the canned salmon capital of the world, making it Alaska’s most populous city into the 1920s with its seven canneries, pulp mills, and school, not to mention brothels and gambling houses along the Creek Street red-light district. Creek Street, minus those working girls since 1953, is still a major draw, with a boardwalk hovering over the creek lined with century-old houses now operating as gift stores, galleries and restaurants. I stopped at Dolly’s House, a brothel now turned museum, where I learned that Dolly bought the house in 1919 for $800 and was able to pay it off in a mere two weeks. I learned all about the Tongass National Forest at the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center and I walked to Ketchikan Creek to see the salmon spawning area. But there were a jillion other places I didn’t have time because I was a cruise-ship captive, including the Totem Heritage Center with its 19^th-century poles made by Tlingit and Haida carvers, the Misty Fiords National Monument Wilderness, and–though I don’t usually go for such things–maybe even the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, based on the enthusiastic crowd I heard cheering from the open-air amphitheater as well-built athletes chopped, sawed, balanced on floating logs and performed other feats.

In other words, I learned about history, indigenous culture, and animals who call the 49th state home, all, another reason why Alaska is a great choice even for cruise critics.

The cruise industry supports the towns they visit

Steamships were bringing pleasure travelers to southeastern Alaska even before 1900, with as many as four steamships plying the Inside Passage by the 1920s. Today it’s safe to say that many of the jobs in port towns—store clerks, waitresses, gallery owners, artists, tour operators—wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the cruise ships and their passengers. In addition, a tax levied on each passenger is distributed to municipalities affected by the cruise industry, much of it poured back into dock infrastructure and upgraded port facilities to support ever larger and newer ships that now carry as many as 4,000 passengers.

And, like cruising around much of the world, business is booming. In 1998 in Ketchikan, for example, 35 ships docked here 488 times, bringing in 523,000 passengers. Just 20 years later, more than 500 dockings are bringing in one million passengers each year.

There are places to escape even on a ship

One of my biggest fears about a cruise was feeling trapped and overwhelmed. But I have to say that as one of about 1,380 passengers aboard Holland America’s Amsterdam (which is one reason we chose her, though there are certainly smaller and more expensive vessels), I sometimes wondered where everyone was hanging out during our one full day and half-days at sea. There was room to spread out, with lots of multi-level deck space, several bars, comfy window-side chairs for watching the world go by, and quiet places to read. One of the first things I noticed on my virginal cruise was that cruise ships are well-oiled machines, with everything from meals to room service performed with efficiency. I was also surprised by how much there is to do onboard if so inclined. You can play bridge or bingo, gamble, attend AA, learn about your camera, have a massage, partake in a stretching or yoga class, sample Alaskan beers, sit in the hot tub, tour the kitchen, attend a cooking class, watch evening performances, or eat all day. I spent a glorious couple of hours alone on our private balcony (which cost an arm and a leg but was worth it) during our day at sea, wrapped in a blanket, warmed by the sun, gazing on an ocean that stretched to meet the sky, listening to the sound of waves beating against the hull, and writing in my journal. It doesn’t get much better than that.

People who sign up for Alaska cruises are not your typical Caribbean party animals

Again, I don’t know what it’s like on those massive ships, but my fellow passengers were more interested in Alaska’s wild nature than wild parties. In fact, there were few families and children, probably because our ship didn’t have amenities that would attract them. Instead, there were lectures about Alaska’s natural wonders and an informative Captain’s Talk, where we learned the Amsterdam was about the same size as the Titanic, making those icebergs we saw slightly more interesting.

You’ll want to go back for more

My Alaska cruise provided the opportunity to see things I never thought I’d see, making it a once-in-a-lifetime experience because it’s way too expensive to ever do it again. And while I understand objections raised by diehard cruise naysayers, including pollution and the general degradation of nature caused by mass tourism, I have to say that the cruise did arouse the desire to go back on my own some day, spending as much time in each place as I wanted. The Alaska Marine Highway System serves more than 35 coastal communities in southeastern Alaska, operating year-round with full-service ships complete with staterooms, meal service and transport for cars, RVs and boats. It travels from Bellingham, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska, for example, in 36 hours. Day ferries connect the various towns.

It’s also worth pointing out that our cruise to southeastern Alaska covered only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Alaska is huge, accounting for 20% of our country’s landmass, with 100,000 glaciers, 17 of America’s 20 highest mountains, and more active volcanoes than Hawaii.

So while I’m glad I went on an Alaska cruise, the only times I can see myself boarding another vessel in the future is to get from here to there (I always thought an Atlantic crossing would be cool), to travel along a river in a small boat, or because of an outstanding itinerary that would be difficult to do on my own. In other words, now that I’ve been on a cruise, I’m not tempted to jump on another one. Instead of a cruise around the Caribbean, for example, I’d rather go to Key West, Cozumel or Dominica and just stay there. But for people who vow they’ll never take a cruise, there are plenty of reasons why Alaska is a great choice even for cruise critics.