Alaskan Cruises
Save Your Money It's Not Worth The Trip
August 31, 2007
A friend emailed me earlier today with a question on his mind. He asks, "Why would anyone in their right mind want to take a cruise to Alaska?"
That is all the email said. Puzzled, I just had to respond, and ask him why this particular question was on his mind, and why he posed it to me.
This friend lives in Alaska, having moved there more than 30 years ago. So, an exchange of emails took place, and he invited me to look at a long list of online photographs and blogs on the topic of some Alaskan ports.
After quietly viewing the resources he presented me with, I emailed him back. "I have no idea why anyone would take a cruise to Alaska, it's just a waste of good money."
Now, imagine this. With the information highway right at my fingertips, I can find out, what millions of passengers over the many years paid much too much to find out first hand. Alaskan ports are a disappointment.
After some more thought, it became clear to me why he posed the question to me. First, I run this website and know the history of Alaskan cruises from the dirty side of the camera.
Second, I spent a great deal of time exploring Ontario, Canada right up to the end of the road at Frasierdale. From there, either by train or wind-up toy size plane it is the only way to get to Hudson Bay. I've seen the northern Ontario rivers, lakes, endless bush, and miles of piled high snow at -50 degrees more than can I begin to explain on this one page. Oh yes, there were those 105 degree summer days as well, and the zillions of black flies that come long with that short term cherished heat wave.
Once you get to Hudson Bay what you find is nothing more than disappointment. Goods from Asian countries in the style of native Canadian goods fill the shelves, what few shelves there are. To find these treasures, you suffered through a long boring train ride on the Moosonee Express, that was nowhere near worth the money or time spent.
Now, if the Hudson Bay Trading Company still had outposts there with authentic native Canadian handcrafted goods it would have all been worth the trip. That is not the case.
I have shared my experiences in Northern Ontario with my friend many times over the past 20 years. So, he knows the story well. But, his point was this. The ports in Alaska are nothing more than Northern Ontario towns located instead on the Pacific Ocean. They are so commercialized, full of products the average traveler would never purchase, that the edge of the world landscape is lost amid the bad memories of how much the cost to China cost you.
I think the most important thing to consider when taking a vacation, is really just this. What do the locals think of you coming to their town, bringing your filth, pollution and congestion to their town? So, let me show you what most of the people in these towns think of you by giving you some links to webpages that lay out the scenario for you.
Browse the links and see things from the comfort of your living room or office what are not worth the money and time it would take to experience it in the flesh.
There is one very important fact to remember about Alaska. Alaskan ports are the B movies you moan through, at least half-way, when you can't take any more and leave the theatre early. You see the promos for it, fabulous pictures, enduring video clips, and those awfully deceiving cruise ship commercials with a knack for romanticizing anything and everything, no matter how awful it actually is, and you get all hyped up.
But, like a B movie, those clips comprise less than two minutes of the movie. Romanticizing a vacation can be disastrous. Just because you think it is so in your mind, doesn't mean it will happen.
Try being sensible. Remember: It is likely to rain everyday of your Alaskan cruise, in spite of being hot. You are not going to get a tan on deck. This is going to be an indoor cruise all the way, most likely.
If you are one of those alcoholic cruisers who have never had a bad cruise, because you have never had a sober cruise, you will likely love this cruise as well.
This Is A Tourist Hands On Guide With Some Interesting Information About Cruises And Those Who Take Them. Please note points #17, #22, #24,
