Cruisin’ Alaska

Since most cruises to Alaska starts at the port of Vancouver, the Philippine Cultural High School Class 55-58 embarked on their journey to Vancouver on board Philippine Airlines from Manila on Sept. 5. Their hectic journey started the next morning with a city tour of picturesque Vancouver, visiting Queen Elizabeth Park and Stanley Park, crossing over the Lions Gate Bridge to the North Shore to walk on the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and heading back to downtown Vancouver to see historic Gastown and Chinatown.

Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest point in Vancouver. One can catch a wonderful view of downtown Vancouver from here. There’s a sunken garden complete with waterfalls, which is very popular for wedding photo shoots. There are also the rose and quarry gardens. Bloedel Conservatory, which is in Queen Elizabeth Park, houses tropical plants.

Stanley Park on a peninsula connected to downtown Vancouver is a natural park. The Vancouver Aquarium and Zoo is housed inside the park. There are several photo spots inside Stanley, as well as two restaurants and several beaches at the foot of the park. There are also about 80 kilometers of roads and trails where people can jog or bike.

Capilano Suspension Bridge is a swinging footbridge 137 meters long on top of a 70-meter deep gorge. Crossing the bridge, one finds hiking trails in the wooded area.

Historic Gastown is paved with cobblestones. It is lined with restaurants and gift shops. At its center is a century-old steam clock.

Vancouver’s Chinatown is the third largest in North America after San Francisco and New York. There’s hustle and bustle in the area, the markets, shops and restaurants adding color to the place. Near the Chinese Cultural Center is the classical Sun Yat Sen Classical Garden where one is transported to a serene environment.

In the afternoon, the group boarded the 91,000-ton, five-star luxury cruise ship Celebrity Infinity for a cruise of the Inside Passage, visiting the ports of Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. The cruise’s main attraction is the calving of the glaciers at Hubbard Glacier.

The group chose to travel the Inside Passage route. The other Alaskan cruise route is the Glacier Route, a one-way cruise usually taking seven days and most often starting in Seward in Alaska, and ending in Vancouver (or vice versa). This option involves air travel from Vancouver to Anchorage since Seward does not have an airport. A bus ride to Steward is necessary, about three hours long from the Anchorage airport. In Seward, passengers board the ship and the cruise experience commences. A spectacular view of numerous glaciers, icebergs and lush green forests greets each passenger. In contrast to the Inside Passage route, the Glacier route presents more glaciers and snow-capped mountains.

The Inside Passage route is a round-trip cruise from the port of Vancouver. The cruise begins in Vancouver, docking at several Alaskan ports, and passes through coastal islands, intricate channels, passes and straits, before finally returning back to Vancouver. The Inside Passage cruise also takes seven days and is the more convenient cruise. Besides, since this cruise spends bulk of its time in coastal and not in oceanic waters, this option is more favorable to those who are more prone to seasickness. Like the Glacier Route, this cruise also takes passengers to some of the most spectacular natural sights in the world.

The most awe-inspiring sight to experience in Alaska is the calving of the glaciers. This group experienced it when the ship cruised around Hubbard Glacier. Glacier calving is the process by which icebergs are formed. Nothing compares to witnessing the sights and sounds of a calving glacier: a characteristic "gunshot" sound followed by a massive block of ice collapsing into the water.

Of course, the ports that an Alaskan cruise visits should not be neglected. Some of the most common ports of call are Juneau, Sitka, Skagway and Ketchikan. Juneau, the capital of Alaska, is a small metropolitan town. Several activities are available there. Take a tour of the Mendenhall Glacier and Gastineau Salmon Hatchery, board a helicopter or a float plane to view the Mendenhall from above, or for the adventurous, try the excitement of whitewater rafting (mild-Class 2) down the Mendenhall River. Also not to be missed is the notorious pub called the Red Dog Saloon.

Sitka is a historic Russian town. Among the places to see there are the St. Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral with its ornate altar, the Bishop House Museum and the Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Skagway is a town reminiscent of the Klondike Gold Rush. Here, one can take the White Pass and Yukon Rail tour, reliving the miners’ historic route to Yukon during the Gold Rush. Along the way, you will see picturesque mountain scenery and numerous waterfalls, including the Pitchfork falls. Also in Skagway is the Red Onion Saloon that is the counterpart of Juneau’s Red Dog Saloon. Ketchikan, one of the southernmost towns in Alaska, features the Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Village with its Native Indian heritage. It also has Creek Street, the famed former red light district turned into a shopping area with wide boardwalks.

The Alaskan cruise season extends from May to September. The months of May and September are considered the low season, June the shoulder season, and July and August, with their nicer weather, the peak season. However, rain is not infrequent. Depending on several factors, the month of May could possibly be one of the best times to go, while an Indian summer makes September still a good time to go. Since pleasant weather is dominant in the summer, T-shirts are nice to have, as are a light jacket and sweatshirt for cooler days and nights. Comfortable walking or athletic shoes are also necessary if a walking tour is planned.

Shopping in Alaska involves mainly souvenir merchandise. Hematite, more commonly called the Alaskan Black Diamond, is sold as jewelry. It is inexpensive and is a real find. There are also a number of excellent art galleries with extensive collections of wildlife theme artworks.

Alaska is truly magnificent with its natural beauty and numerous glaciers. Alaskan towns, each with its own distinct flavor, make an Alaskan cruise an experience of a lifetime.

How to enjoy an Alaskan cruise and spend as little as possible

The next paragraphs cover tips on how to spend as little as possible on your cruise and enjoy Alaska to the fullest. I will focus more on how to beat the exorbitant amounts cruise lines charge for board and tours.

First of all, which cruise line company to take? I have my favorites but I don’t really want to endorse a particular cruise line because none of them are perfect, except for the six-star ships like the Crystal, Radisson Seven Seas, Silverseas and Seabourn.

Whether to take an inside, outside or balcony room or a suite is a personal choice and it all depends on your budget. However, if you want to splurge, a room with a balcony is what I would suggest because Alaska is one destination where one would enjoy the use of a balcony. Just bring sweaters, sweatshirts and thick socks, a blanket from your cabin and a nice book will do. For a first-time cruiser who would like to experience everything, I would suggest passing on the balcony as you won’t be spending much time in your room.

For someone prone to seasickness, the best choice is a cabin in the middle lower deck. The cabin toward the aft (back) is preferable than those toward the forward (front) of the ship.

How to get an upgrade? Don’t ask for one and you won’t be disappointed, and if you do get one then it’s a bonus. If there are three or four people sharing a cabin, you’ll never get upgraded, based on my experience. Only if there are two of you sharing a room and you did not get a cabin assignment, that you may be upgraded. I do not suggest this route if you are a first-time cruiser or if you are particular on where your cabin should be.

What preparations do you need to make after picking up your ticket and you’re excited and cannot wait to board the ship? First of all, if you are not a US or Canadian citizen make sure you have a US multiple entry visa as well as a Canadian visa. The US Immigration and Customs offices are located at both Canada Place and Ballantyne Pier. Get lots of singles (one dollar bills).

What clothes to bring. Ladies, don’t go out of your way to buy new party dresses. You only need two from what you’ve been wearing to parties. Those are for the two formal nights. The people on the ship have never seen you in those dresses before so who cares? Plus, you won’t see these people again after the seven days are over. Gentlemen, if you own a tuxedo bring it but if not, don’t go out and buy one. A dark suit will do just fine, just bring different ties. For the two semi-formal nights, or informal nights as some cruise lines call them, a nice blouse and skirt for ladies and a jacket with or without tie for men will do. For people who don’t want to dress up, cruise lines nowadays have alternative dining but what you’ll miss is the dressing up for dinner on formal nights, when the cruise lines serve the best dishes like lobsters, Alaskan king crabs and caviar.

Other than clothes, what I normally bring onboard is a box of bottled water and pop because cruise lines charge an arm and a leg for them. If you don’t mind drinking tap water then you’re fine, you don’t need to bring bottled water. I don’t check in a box of pop; I put it inside my suitcase or carry-on since you don’t carry anything on board, everything is checked in at curbside. For those who want to bring their own alcohol or beer, I do suggest that you bring it before embarkation and hide it in your suitcase because cruise lines are more lenient on embarkation day. When you buy alcohol in Alaska, most cruise line personnel will take it from you when you go back to the ship and you’ll only see it again upon arrival in Vancouver. Juice and milk are free onboard. On Royal Caribbean, pop served in the dining room is free.

Tipping. Read the fine print of the cruise brochures. Follow it and that includes children. With the mainstream cruise lines, only Holland America does not give guidelines on tipping but it’s expected. Cabin stewards and waiters don’t receive salaries from the cruise lines so they rely on your tips. There are lots of Filipinos who work on the ships, they are very hard-working and nice but if someone doesn’t give them tips or does not tip them properly they will be talked about by the crewmembers. In fact, I’ve heard so much from crewmembers on who tips and who does not. They are not shy to point out who stiff. So my advice is before boarding the ship set aside money in US dollars for tipping and put it in the safe of your cabin and never touch it until the last night on board when you hand it out to the crewmembers.

If you order drinks at the bar, you do not need to tip because it’s included in your bill. If a Filipino bartender happens to slip you free drinks from time to time because you are a kababayan then he deserves a tip. At the beauty salon and spa, tips are added to your bill.

Internet services on board the ships are expensive. Try to refrain from using computers on board. They charge from 75 US cents to $1.50 per minute of usage. The three popular ports in Alaska – Janeau, Ketchikan and Skagway – have Internet cafés with cards at denominations of $5, $10 and $20. Since the same company runs the Internet cafés, save your unused time for the next port. Ask the Filipinos on board on where to find the best-priced port Internet café.

Joining tours. If you’re interested in city tours, canoeing and kayaking, I suggest you wait until the ship has docked and you get off the ship. The tourist information center has different tour companies plying their trade. You will save more than $20 per person if you buy the tour aboard the ship. In Juneau, they have helicopter or light plane tours for you to see and step on a glacier. They cost over $100 per person. Here’s my cheap remedy. When you go on a road trip to Banff or Jasper, take a side-trip to the Athabaska Glacier-Columbia Icefield. You’ll get to step on a glacier at a more affordable price. The only tour in Juneau which I would suggest one could purchase aboard the ship is whitewater rafting. In Skagway, the train ride will bring you to the US-Canada border and back. You won’t even reach Whitehorse, Yukon. A cheaper alternative is the old-fashioned long limo that gives a city tour and drives you to the point where the train passes by. In Ketchikan, the only tour is the city tour costing $10 for one hour and $20 for two hours. You can purchase it right when you get off the ship again. For kayaking, just walk over to the operator and pay. To see the city of Sitka, we just walked and walked. You may also hail a taxi and ask the driver to give you a city tour.

Shopping. The best way to shop in Alaska is to pick up the coupon book either at Canada Place or Ballantyne Pier. They are pre-packaged in plastic bags. Take more than one bag. Once inside your cabin go through the coupons and tear out what you want and don’t forget to bring them at the ports. This is the cheapest way for you to buy souvenirs and presents for your friends. The stores giving out these coupons are very easy to find because there are only a few streets in these ports.

Souvenir shopping at the ships’ gift shops. Most merchandise does not go on sale, except for T-shirts and sweatshirts with logos. Try not to be tempted to buy anything during the first few days unless there is an advertised sale. Most ships hold a clothing sale on the last day at sea. Designer watches sell for $60, carrying brand names you’ve never heard of. Gold bracelets or necklaces are not cheap at all.

Gambling. If you have to go to the casino, visit it only on the first or second day. That’s when the casino will let you win. After that don’t lose your waiter’s tip at the casino, otherwise you’ll be talked about as a non-tipper.

Dining. If you are a big eater and want to order two to three main courses, do so when you give your initial order. Don’t be shy, the waiter is there to please you. The worst thing you can do to your waiter is order three main courses at separate times; he will be complaining behind your back. First of all, the galley is very far and they have to line up to get your food. Be nice to your waiter and he will go out of his way to please you.

Pictures. Bring lots of film. The pictures taken by the ship’s photographers are very costly. I’m not sure if it’s now $59.50 for a 5x7. Don’t buy your picture if you look awful (the ship’s photographers are not really professional); take it and hand it over to the cashier and say, ‘Please throw it away, I’m not buying it.’ If you don’t take your picture, people who have nothing to do will scrutinize it along with the other people’s pictures.

On a cruise there is no limit as to how many pieces of luggage you can carry unless you have to fly and comply with an airline’s policy of two pieces per person with a maximum weight of 70 pounds each.

I think I have covered a lot of things on cruising Alaska. For any questions regarding cruise lines or cruising, e-mail nellieq@philippinejournal.com.