Discovering Its Unspoiled Beauty on a Small Ship Is Magical
Listen to Pam's Travel Bistro 'Alaskan Explorer' Podcast
By GERRY BARKER
Naturalist John Muir described Alaska as “the very paradise of the poets, the abode of the blessed,” finding spirituality in a rugged wilderness “where the mountains themselves seemed to “declare (God’s) glory in terms still more impressive.” After concluding 12 days exploring our 49th state on American Cruise Lines’ ship, American Constellation, it’s hard not to be in complete agreement with his assessment. In fact, Alaska’s natural splendor is such, words hardly do it justice.
While this is our second time to cruise here, we were told you haven’t really seen Alaska until you’ve seen it on a small ship. And I couldn’t agree more. American Constellation is one of more than 20 ships operated by the Guilford, CT.-based company, the largest small-ship cruise line in the United States. We previously cruised on Constellation’s “Grand Puget Sound” itinerary, and since then, she’s been refitted with new furnishings and carpet throughout. Launched in 2017, the ship has a guest capacity of 175, and there were around 150 on our 12-day “Alaska Explorer Cruise.” READ MORE.
Naturalist John Muir described Alaska as “the very paradise of the poets, the abode of the blessed,” finding spirituality in a rugged wilderness “where the mountains themselves seemed to “declare (God’s) glory in terms still more impressive.” After concluding 12 days exploring our 49th state on American Cruise Lines’ ship, American Constellation, it’s hard not to be in complete agreement with his assessment. In fact, Alaska’s natural splendor is such, words hardly do it justice.
While this is our second time to cruise here, we were told you haven’t really seen Alaska until you’ve seen it on a small ship. And I couldn’t agree more. American Constellation is one of more than 20 ships operated by the Guilford, CT.-based company, the largest small-ship cruise line in the United States. We previously cruised on Constellation’s “Grand Puget Sound” itinerary, and since then, she’s been refitted with new furnishings and carpet throughout. Launched in 2017, the ship has a guest capacity of 175, and there were around 150 on our 12-day “Alaska Explorer Cruise.” READ MORE.
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Day 1: Juneau, AlaskaOur American Cruise Lines' "Alaska Explorer" cruise started here in Juneau, Alaska's capital. While the year-round population is a little over 30,000, during the cruise season, it hosts more than 1.6 million visitors. So many, in fact, they have had to place restrictions on how many large ships can visit.
Happily, our ship, American Constellation, is a small ship, with a passenger capacity of 175. We're fine. READ MORE. |
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Day 2: Cruising the Lynn CanalDay 2 of our "Alaska Explorer" cruise on American Constellation is spent cruising the waters of the Lynn Canal Fjord as we head for our next port of call, Haines. Capt. Bryan will keep us posted on any whale sightings as passengers settle into their staterooms and learn their way around the ship. The scenery around us is -- what can I say? -- breathtaking.
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Day 3: Haines, AlaskaDay 3 of our "Alaska Explorer" cruise on American Constellation finds us docked at Haines, a town of less than 2,000 people set against the backdrop of the majestic, snow-capped Chilkat Range mountains. Known as one of the key gateways to the Klondike gold fields, as well as a Tlingit trading post, Pam and I are going on the "Chilkoot Lake Wildlife Kayak Adventure" excursion, along with another couple.
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Day 4: The Inside PassageAfter departing Haines, Day 4 finds us entering what is one of Alaska's gems -- Glacier Bay National Park. Surrounded by the Fairweather Mountain Range, today we'll cruise 60 miles into Glacier Bay along the Inside Passage as only a small ship like American Constellation can. Along the way we'll see wildlife, ice floes, waterfalls and of course, glaciers. Since we'll be spending a lot of time outside on decks 4, 5 and 6, the crew is helping take the chill off with a fancy hot chocolate bar, complete the whipped cream topping of our choice
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Day 5: Bartlett CoveOur trip through the Inside Passage brings us to Bartlett Cove on Day 5, considered the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Once onshore, we view exhibits from the Native American Tlingit people, as well as the skeleton of a humpback whale named Snow at Glacier Bay Lodge. Nearby is the start of the Forest Trail, a one-mile, self-guided loop through a rainforest of spruce and hemlock. Hiking in Alaska is akin to a spiritual experience -- just you in the quiet surroundings of a primeval forest, feeling at one with Nature at a moment in time.
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Day 6: SitkaOn Day 6 of our American Cruise Lines' "Alaska Explorer" cruise, we are docked in Sitka, which was under Russian rule until 1867 and served as the former capital of Russian America. This town of almost 9,000 is a popular stop for cruise ships, and today there are three large cruise ships visiting here as well. This is a chance for Pam to do some shopping, so we head downtown on an ACL shuttle bus to see what we can find. Besides the arts and crafts and souvenir shops, Sitka is known for its pure Alaska salt and salmon, so one of the first stops is a salt store.
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Day 7: Cruising Frederick SoundDay 7 finds us cruising Alaska's Inside Passage and Frederick Sound, ever watchful for whales and other wildlife. We are surrounded by the beauty the Alaskan wilderness, gliding past deep green shorelines almost close enough to touch. A highlight of the day is a late afternoon rainbow, along with a spectacular sunset. Our next stop is St. Petersburg.
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Day 8: PetersburgAfter a day of scenic cruising, we arrive at Petersburg on Day 8, a town on Mitkof Island known as "Little Norway." That evening, we'll get a demonstration of their Norwegian heritage when a group of children come aboard to perform traditional Norweagian folk dances. There's a lot on our agenda today. In the morning, we'll board a floatplane and see LeConte Glacier from the air during the "LeConte Glacier Flightseeing Experience."
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Day 9: WrangellIt's Day 9 and we are docked in Wrangell, a former Russian trading post established in 1834. One of the oldest non-Native settlements in the state, its history includes ancient rock carvings by the Tlingit people at Petroglyph Beach. Here we got to see the completion of a totem pole two years in the making for the Chief Shakes Tribal House.
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Day 10: Wrangell Day TwoAfter the thrill of seeing bears in the wild, on our second day in Wrangell we had two more excursions -- one to tour the city and visit the famous, 8,000-year-old rock carvings at Petroglyph Beach, and the other to take a jet boat ride on the Stikine River, the fastest navigable, free-flowing river in North America.
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Day 11: Tracy Arm FjordFamed nauturalist John Muir once described Tracy Arm Fjord as a "a wild, unfinished Yosemite" ... "shut in by sublime cliffs, nobly sculptured,." Words hardly do the sheer beauty of the 25-mile cruise into Tracy Arm Fjord justice. This is our last full day of cruising before the cruise ends where we began 11 days ago -- Juneau.
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See additional coverage of American Constellation's "Alaska Explorer" cruise on All Things Cruise.
Our thanks to American Cruise Lines for hosting us.
Our thanks to American Cruise Lines for hosting us.
