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> Dining & Entertainment > Travel Matters > For Alaska - Side Does Matter
For Alaska - Side Does MatterOne of our hottest selling cruise destinations is Alaska.
With the focus on global warming and more recently, with the selection of its Governor, Sarah Palin, as a Vice Presidential candidate, our 49th State is all the rage.
There are basically three types of Alaskan Cruises. 1) Round trip. Start and end at the same port city of Seattle or Vancouver. 2) Southbound - start in Alaska and end in Vancouver. 3) Northbound - start in Vancouver and end in Alaska.
All three have their strong points. Round trip is the best priced option because your airfare is to and from the same city. However you do not see as much of Alaska as a North or South bound trip because the ship can only go so far up to be back at the starting point by the end of the week.
Southbound is very popular as many
people add a pre-cruise land vacation in Alaska with escorted tours to the Denali region, or numerous other options. This way one gets their land portion done and can relax on the
seven night cruise afterwards.
Northbound Alaska cruises typically stay a day or two in Seattle or Vancouver. If you have not been to either city, please go. You can also add a post-land vacation in Alaska when the cruise is over.
In selecting either a northbound or
southbound cruise, the side that your
balcony or ocean-view stateroom is on can enhance your experience. For example, we recommend a port (left) side cabin for a southbound cruise, and a starboard (right) side for
northbound. That way, the view from your stateroom will be the
beautiful Alaskan or Canadian shore. Some of the pleasant surprise
memories are that of the lighthouses along the Canadian shores, in
addition to the glacier images that will remain forever.
The best time to cherry pick your
stateroom is now. Historically, 70 percent of the Alaska cabins are sold by December of the prior year. The Cruise Store can help you as we have many advance purchase discounts and special rates. We also know the best time to go based on your
vacation needs, so you and your
family get the most out of this once- in-a-lifetime experience.
The Cruise Store is the area's largest locally owned vacation agency. Thank you! We sell Cruises and Land vacations. We are now open Saturdays 9:30am- 12:30pm as well as Monday to Friday 9-5. Stop in at 55 Maple Street, East Longmeadow and say "hi". Drop us an email at
anderson@cruisestore.com or call
us at 525-9001. Let us know what subjects you want covered in future columns. Bon Voyage!
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