Cool Alaska among hottest cruise destinations
Demand is high among various lines departing from the Port of Vancouver
For a ridiculously long time, I’ve been excited about the start of the Alaska cruise season in Vancouver. It remains one of my favourite cruise destinations, thanks to its intoxicating mix of natural beauty, quaint and interesting ports of call, and its ethereal environments. Few things can compare to pulling up next to Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park and listening to it shift and groan as the forces of gravity exert their pull on its centuries-old ice face. While cruises to Alaska will run this year from as far away as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, the departures from Vancouver’s iconic Canada Place Cruise Terminal remain the quintessential Alaska cruise experience. Sailing past Coal Harbour and Stanley Park and under the forest-green Lions Gate Bridge beats pulling out into the open Pacific any day. And you can look forward to more ships and more sailings this year from the Port of Vancouver. Although a few ships pull into Canada Place in April, the 2019 Alaska cruise season kicks off in earnest in May, when nearly every major cruise line places at least one of its ships in the region until about September. And while there are some megaships coming to Alaska this year, most will be based farther south in Seattle, leaving Vancouver as the domain for the luxury market and ships that carry fewer than 3,000 or so passengers. Princess Cruises (cruise.center/princess) and Holland America Line (cruise.center/holland) maintain the largest presence once again in Vancouver. Princess concentrates primarily on so-called northbound and southbound voyages that sail between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska, or vice versa. These cruises are great if you want a longer cruise to Alaska (you can combine a northbound and southbound voyage into one 14-day round trip), or if you want to head farther into Alaska to explore places like Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali National Park. Holland America, meanwhile, offers an assortment of weeklong “classic” round-trip Alaska cruises and a series of northbound and southbound voyages that can be extended with an overland cruise tour. These particular cruises are some of my favourite voyages, and Holland America rolls out a time-tested itinerary sailing from Vancouver with calls on Tracy Arm Fjord; the capital city of Juneau; the Gold Rush town of Skagway; Glacier Bay National Park; and the quaint fishing town of Ketchikan. Of course, Princess and Holland America aren’t alone. Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean all have at least one ship sailing out of Vancouver, as does Disney Cruise Line, which deploys its classy Disney Wonder on sailings to Alaska that include a multitude of different itineraries. On the small ship and luxury front, Seabourn, Silversea and Regent Seven Seas Cruises all return this year to Vancouver, as does Azamara Cruises, which brings its nimble Azamara Quest to the city. Newcomers this year include Cunard Line (cruise.center/ cunard), which kicks off its first Alaska cruise season in over a decade by sending its Queen Elizabeth on a series of 10-, 13- and 15-night voyages from Vancouver. A number of different ports are included that make these perfect for those looking for the ultimate Alaska adventure. Cunard’s 10-night cruises typically call on Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway — in addition to visits to Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Hubbard Glacier. One quantifier for the 2019 Alaska season that I am noticing is different from years past: demand is high and so are prices. If you’re thinking of cruising to Alaska this summer, I wouldn’t wait any longer — this is one of the hottest cruise destinations this year. Happy cruising.