THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9411010505
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Stephen Harriman
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
ALASKA CRUISE advice this time of year?
Yes. This is when you should plan next spring or summer's Alaskan cruise. The 49th state was this year's most popular summer cruise destination, and it probably will be again in 1995.
Two reasons for thinking Alaska this fall: The earlier you book, the more choices you have. And, more importantly, the more you save over published fares. Making up your mind early and putting down a deposit on the specific dates you want to cruise can save up to $750 per person, depending upon the cabin category you choose.
Depending on the cruise line you choose, early-reservation discounts kick in for reservations made before the end of January. A lesser discount is offered for deposit by the end of February or early March. Repeat passengers with Holland America Line and Princess Cruises also are offered special discounts.
Holland America, the region's cruise and land tour giant, begins its 48th year of operating Alaska tours with an industry-leading 1,181 departures. Packages range in length from six to 19 days, including cruise portions or three, four or seven days. Its early-booking discounts: 15 percent off published tour price with deposit by Feb. 17, 10 percent off thereafter until April. Discounts off cruise only with deposit will be 25 percent by Feb. 17 and 15 percent by April 1.
Princess Cruises has scheduled 102 sailings on six ships to seven different destinations. It also offers advance-purchase discounts.
Other large-ship cruise lines that ply Alaskan waters: Royal Caribbean, Royal, Cunard, Costa, Regency and Norwegian.
Several small yacht-like ships, without full cruise-ship service, also cruise the Inside Passage. They include: Alaska Sightseeing, Special Expeditions and World Explorer.
Also, the Alaska Marine Highway System operates eight ferry boats of various sizes; some have cabins for overnight accommodations.
Local professional travel consultants have brochures from all companies that outline various cruises and land packages as well as prices and discounts.
WHO'S GOING? Unlike Caribbean cruises, Alaska cruises are more casual and more intent on wildlife than nightlife. Cruisers tend to be over 50, energetic and adventurous. For many, it's the trip of a lifetime - the one they've always wanted to take. For veteran cruisers, it's a change of pace from tropical destinations.
SOME OPTIONS: When you arrange air fare along with your cruise ticket, you have no choice of airline or routing. But there is an advantage: you save a bit over booking your own air connections, and the scheduling by the cruise line is done to mesh with transfers to and from the ship. (The land transfers between Anchorage and Seward or Vancouver and Seattle take about three hours by bus.)
Do yourself a big favor and think beyond a cruise. Spend as much time on land travel as you can afford before and after cruising. Cruise lines offer pre- and post-cruise escorted trips that suit travelers seeking a worry-free (though regimented) experience. Talk to cruise specialists for details. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
TRAVELER'S ADVISORY
MAKING CONTACT
For cruises, see story at left.
Alaska's 120-page 1995 travel planner is hot off the presses. The
free guide includes names, phones and addresses of outfitters and
tour companies, as well as ferries, hotels and lodges, and all sorts
of government and private agencies connected with tourism. Contact:
Alaska Division of Tourism, Box 110801, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0801;
(800) 762-5275. To talk to a real person for answers not found in
the book, call (907) 465-2010.
For a free, 38-page color brochure on how to plan a trip along
the Inside Passage, write to the Southeast Alaska Tourism Council,
Box 20710, Juneau, Alaska 99802; (800) 423-0568.
For Denali Wilderness Lodge info, call (907) 683-1287 or 479-4000
October-April; for reservations, call (800) 541-9779.
For Alaska Private Lodging, an agency that will find lodging and
give suggestions for your itinerary, call (907) 248-2292.
For other visitor's bureaus: Anchorage, (907) 276-4118; Juneau,
(907) 586-1737; Fairbanks, (907) 456-5774; Alaska Native Tourism
Council, (907) 274-5400; Southeast Alaska Tourism Council, (907)
586-4777; Alaska Marine Highway Reservations Center, (800) 642-0066;
Alaska Railroad, (800) 544-0552; Denali National Park & Preserve,
(907) 683-2294; Denali Park reservations for shuttle bus to the
interior, (800) 622-7275 after March 1; Alaska Public Lands
Information (camping, parks, maps), (907) 271-2737.
For Canada's Yukon: Yukon Tourism, Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2C6; (403) 667-5400.
BOOKS TO READ
``Alaska A to Z,'' ($9.95, Vernon Publications). A small
encyclopedia that is indispensable to any tourist.
``The Milepost'' ($18.95, Vernon Publications). This is the bible
of travel in Alaska. It lists in excruciating detail what is at
every decimal point mile of every highway, plus lots of maps, and
ferry schedules for the Alaska Marine Highway.
``Alaska, A Travel Survival Kit'' ($12.95, Lonely Planet
Publications). Compact book with lots of information.
``The Alaska Almanac'' ($9.95, Alaska Northwest Books.) Tells all
about lots of stuff, including homesteading. The bad news is that
there are no homesteads available.
``Insight Guides Alaska'' ($19.95, Houghton Mifflin Co.). Good
information and beautiful photography.
``On the Loose in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska'' ($15.50, The
Berkeley Guides). It's written by Berkeley students ``who know what
cheap travel is all about.'' Its frank writing style will delight
some and offend others.
ABOUT MOSQUITOES
It is NOT true that the mosquito is the official state bird. The
willow ptarmigan is.
But some Alaska mosquitoes ARE really big, like slow-moving
dragonflies with long legs dangling down in flight. Others are tiny
like the little S.O.B.'s (songs of the bush) around Denali Park. At
times (particularly dawn and dusk) they are especially thick.
Thanks to modern chemistry, though, mosquitoes need NOT be a real
problem. A small bottle of repellent does magic. Something with DEET
in it is good; a lot of people swear by Avon's Skin So Soft, which
wasn't designed as a repellent. by CNB