alaskan shores & glacier views

It's not hard to understand why Vancouver is so appealing. This vibrant metropolis caters to all age groups and interests; it's particularly friendly to pedestrians and bikers, and even the most navigationally challenged visitors can find their way around with ease. The area has been occupied by the Coast Salish people, claimed by the Spanish, and was visited for exactly one day by British Captain George Vancouver. In 1827, Hudson's Bay Company built a trading post on the Fraser River, and the company is still around today -- though now as a department store. After that, the fur traders, gold miners and lumber workers arrived and, eventually, the railroad. Before Vancouver was Vancouver, it was known as Gastown, built out of the need for a bar to serve thirsty lumber mill workers. In 1867, an enterprising man called Gassy Jack supplied a barrel of booze and poured drinks for the men who built him a saloon in a day. A community built up around the bar and, a few years later, incorporated as the town of Granville. In 1886, the town had a population of 1,000 and was renamed Vancouver -- then burned to the ground. The legacy of post-fire reconstruction is the lovely old brick buildings of the original Gastown neighborhood. Today, Vancouver is an ethnic melting pot, with 35 percent of the 2.3 million metro-region residents being foreign born. It's been consistently rated as one of the most livable cities in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit, with a large population inhabiting high-rises in the city center. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games gave the city a chance to shine in the world spotlight; the Olympic cauldron still stands near the port, at Coal Harbour. Arriving in Vancouver by air or sea gives visitors a sampling of what to expect from this Canadian seaport. Ships seem to barely clear the underside of the Lions Gate Bridge as they make their way past the massive green space of Stanley Park on the way to Vancouver Harbor (and in fact, the bridge's height restricts the largest cruise ships from entering). The park dominates the west side of the downtown area, and visitors and residents alike can be found walking or cycling on its seawall perimeter or paddling a kayak in the surrounding waters. Just 12 blocks east of the park, the Canada Place cruise ship terminal has its own distinct character. It was built to resemble a ship with its motif of five large sails on top of the pier. It's easy to explore Vancouver from Canada Place because the city's most popular attractions are located within a two-square-mile area referred to as the downtown peninsula. A unique selection of harbor ferries, hop-on-hop-off buses and light-rail transit (the SkyTrain) makes its easy to get around. Farther-flung attractions even offer free shuttles parked alongside the plaza. On the north side of the peninsula, Gastown lies just a 10-minute walk east of the terminal building, encouraging history-minded travelers to discover Vancouver's roots. An additional few blocks east will put you in Chinatown, North America's second-largest after San Francisco's. The southwest portion of the peninsula borders False Creek, where the hip and fashionable can check out the ultra-trendy ambience of Yaletown. And across the creek, everyone from foodies to art-lovers to maritime buffs can browse Granville Island's public market, artisan studios and nautical shops. From Granville Island, you can take a harbor ferry west to Vanier Park, located in Kitsilano, or to the east end of False Creek, where Science World sits. Wherever you roam, there are interesting restaurants -- from fresh seafood or dim sum to trendy eateries. With the coastal mountains as its backdrop, and just 24 miles north of the Washington state border, Vancouver serves as the leading gateway to Alaska, a reputation that has lasted for the past 30 years. Cruise passengers can take advantage of a city with world-class accommodations, international dining, varied attractions, easy accessibility and the notoriously friendly and contagious Canadian attitude.

It's not hard to understand why Vancouver is so appealing. This vibrant metropolis caters to all age groups and interests; it's particularly friendly to pedestrians and bikers, and even the most navigationally challenged visitors can find their way around with ease. The area has been occupied by the Coast Salish people, claimed by the Spanish, and was visited for exactly one day by British Captain George Vancouver. In 1827, Hudson's Bay Company built a trading post on the Fraser River, and the company is still around today -- though now as a department store. After that, the fur traders, gold miners and lumber workers arrived and, eventually, the railroad. Before Vancouver was Vancouver, it was known as Gastown, built out of the need for a bar to serve thirsty lumber mill workers. In 1867, an enterprising man called Gassy Jack supplied a barrel of booze and poured drinks for the men who built him a saloon in a day. A community built up around the bar and, a few years later, incorporated as the town of Granville. In 1886, the town had a population of 1,000 and was renamed Vancouver -- then burned to the ground. The legacy of post-fire reconstruction is the lovely old brick buildings of the original Gastown neighborhood. Today, Vancouver is an ethnic melting pot, with 35 percent of the 2.3 million metro-region residents being foreign born. It's been consistently rated as one of the most livable cities in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit, with a large population inhabiting high-rises in the city center. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games gave the city a chance to shine in the world spotlight; the Olympic cauldron still stands near the port, at Coal Harbour. Arriving in Vancouver by air or sea gives visitors a sampling of what to expect from this Canadian seaport. Ships seem to barely clear the underside of the Lions Gate Bridge as they make their way past the massive green space of Stanley Park on the way to Vancouver Harbor (and in fact, the bridge's height restricts the largest cruise ships from entering). The park dominates the west side of the downtown area, and visitors and residents alike can be found walking or cycling on its seawall perimeter or paddling a kayak in the surrounding waters. Just 12 blocks east of the park, the Canada Place cruise ship terminal has its own distinct character. It was built to resemble a ship with its motif of five large sails on top of the pier. It's easy to explore Vancouver from Canada Place because the city's most popular attractions are located within a two-square-mile area referred to as the downtown peninsula. A unique selection of harbor ferries, hop-on-hop-off buses and light-rail transit (the SkyTrain) makes its easy to get around. Farther-flung attractions even offer free shuttles parked alongside the plaza. On the north side of the peninsula, Gastown lies just a 10-minute walk east of the terminal building, encouraging history-minded travelers to discover Vancouver's roots. An additional few blocks east will put you in Chinatown, North America's second-largest after San Francisco's. The southwest portion of the peninsula borders False Creek, where the hip and fashionable can check out the ultra-trendy ambience of Yaletown. And across the creek, everyone from foodies to art-lovers to maritime buffs can browse Granville Island's public market, artisan studios and nautical shops. From Granville Island, you can take a harbor ferry west to Vanier Park, located in Kitsilano, or to the east end of False Creek, where Science World sits. Wherever you roam, there are interesting restaurants -- from fresh seafood or dim sum to trendy eateries. With the coastal mountains as its backdrop, and just 24 miles north of the Washington state border, Vancouver serves as the leading gateway to Alaska, a reputation that has lasted for the past 30 years. Cruise passengers can take advantage of a city with world-class accommodations, international dining, varied attractions, easy accessibility and the notoriously friendly and contagious Canadian attitude.

Juneau, often described as America's most unusual state capital, is the only centre of U.S. government with no roads leading into or out of town. The city is surrounded by nature, namely towering mountains and the waters of Gastineau Channel. For most visitors, the only way in or out is by air or sea. Residents boast three routes: plane, boat or birth canal. Gold put Juneau on the map in the 1880s, though the mining camp went by several names before prospector Joe Juneau finally wrangled enough votes to get his name to stick. Juneau became a state capital when Alaska became the 49th U.S. state in 1959, and nearly 60 percent of the city's population works in government. The governor's mansion stands on a hillside overlooking the cruise docks, and anyone can take a walk up the hills via steep stairways. Juneau offers a wide range of shoreside activities, from whale watching, dog sledging and ziplining to touring the Capitol building or the Alaskan Brewing Company. Then, there's the state's most accessible glacier -- Mendenhall, an immense, 12-mile-long river of ice. Along with glacier viewing, there's always the chance of seeing a bear or two up close. The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council has a community calendar on its website that is jam-packed with events, so you can easily find out what's happening while you're in port.

In 1897, gold stampeders from all over the world arrived in Skagway by steamship, bound for the Dawson Gold Fields in Canada's Yukon Territory. It wasn't long before the rough-and-tumble tent town was festooned with boardwalks, dance halls, inns and saloons. More than 100 years later, Skagway still retains the feel of those Gold Rush days, though most travellers now arrive by cruise ship and follow part of the original Gold Rush route by tourist train. (Learn more about the Gold Rush at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center on 2nd and Broadway.) The immensely walkable -- four blocks wide by 22 blocks long -- historic downtown has also largely been restored to its roots, complete with false-fronted buildings and wooden sidewalks. It's an utterly charming place -- if a tad precious. But a brief walk off the beaten path of Broadway reveals fresh-faced businesses, like Skagway Spirits, offering a unique take on local business. Skagway consistently ranks as one of Alaska's most popular ports. It's not unusual to find four ships docked there on the same day.

In 1897, gold stampeders from all over the world arrived in Skagway by steamship, bound for the Dawson Gold Fields in Canada's Yukon Territory. It wasn't long before the rough-and-tumble tent town was festooned with boardwalks, dance halls, inns and saloons. More than 100 years later, Skagway still retains the feel of those Gold Rush days, though most travellers now arrive by cruise ship and follow part of the original Gold Rush route by tourist train. (Learn more about the Gold Rush at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center on 2nd and Broadway.) The immensely walkable -- four blocks wide by 22 blocks long -- historic downtown has also largely been restored to its roots, complete with false-fronted buildings and wooden sidewalks. It's an utterly charming place -- if a tad precious. But a brief walk off the beaten path of Broadway reveals fresh-faced businesses, like Skagway Spirits, offering a unique take on local business. Skagway consistently ranks as one of Alaska's most popular ports. It's not unusual to find four ships docked there on the same day.

One of Alaska's newest cruise ports, Icy Strait (just outside of Hoonah) opened in 2004 so local communities and giant cruise corporations alike could profit from visitors eager to experience America's "last wilderness." The native Tlingit Corporation Huna Totem owns Icy Strait Point, and in conjunction with cruise line partners and investors, they've created a cruise port with some of the highest passenger satisfaction levels around. The demand for a slice of "real" Alaska has only increased in the years since -- shore excursion offerings in Icy Strait more than doubled from 2015 to 2019. Facilities have expanded and increased over the years -- Huna Totem owns 23,000 acres. In 2020, Icy Strait will debut a second dock and their largest yet -- the Wilderness Plaza -- built in conjunction with Norwegian Cruise Line. No matter how big the port expands, the company is careful about the tiny details that preserve its nature-focused ethos; you'll never see a tour bus until it's time to board. The facility -- just down the road from Hoonah, Alaska's largest Huna Tlingit village, and 22 miles southeast of Glacier Bay National Park -- has been a lifeline for the community, providing a much-needed alternative source of income for locals afflicted by a downturn in their traditional businesses of fishing and logging. Millions of dollars have been invested in creating facilities that offer cruise travellers an authentic "wilderness experience" and a refreshingly non-commercialized alternative to the usual run of Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway and Sitka. What they've created is an attractive destination expressly for cruisers that's manmade but not commercialized. Icy Strait offers pretty woodland walks, an insight into Tlingit history and culture, a wide range of back-to-nature adventures and high-quality restaurants. Upmarket craft shops feature artisan crafts and locally made goods like woodland berry jam and confectionery, rather than the "made in Taiwan" goods so prevalent in, say, Juneau. Buildings are constructed from sustainable local timber and built by local Tlingit workers in traditional style. Although the port receives ships from many cruise lines, officials -- have wisely limited ship calls to ensure high passenger satisfaction. This will shift slightly when two ships are accommodated at a time, heading into the 2020 cruise season.

Misty Ketchikan, the rainiest town in Southeast Alaska, is known as the "Salmon Capital of the World." The town offers the perfect blend of activities: kayak in Misty Fjords or hike up Deer Mountain in the morning, then poke in and out of fantastic galleries and shops in the afternoon. You're bound to visit Creek Street, a row of wooden buildings perched over the water on pilings. Brightly painted boutiques once catered to gentlemen seeking the company of "sporting women." The museum at Dolly's House gives you a glimpse into the bawdy ways of frontier life, though Ketchikan's red-light district wasn't shut down until 1953. Legends of a different sort are recorded on totem poles. Boasting the world's largest collection of Northwest totems, Ketchikan offers plenty of places to see these fascinating works of art.

The largest and most densely populated city in Washington State, Seattle is known as the Emerald City, in recognition of its lush evergreens and plentiful public green spaces that include an old-growth forest, a converted military base, and parks built over freeways. All that green is a byproduct of the temperate marine climate. And while there are many grey, wet days in Seattle, it rains less here than most visitors have been led to believe. Seattle's average annual precipitation is below what falls from the sky in Boston, Houston, New York City and Washington, D.C.; it just seems like more rain because Seattle's drizzly weather lingers longer. All the buzz about Seattle's love affair with coffee is real. Starbucks was born here (an outpost at Pike Place Market retains the first store's original look) and the city brims with branches of that now-worldwide chain along with dozens of independent coffeehouses with steadfast followers. While more than 200 cruises set sail from Seattle for Alaska and the Pacific Northwest each summer, the city does not sit on the ocean. It's actually at the inland-most end of Puget Sound, which wends its way north to the Pacific and is the gateway to some of the most magnificent scenery on the continent. Pristine mountain ranges rim the east, while hundreds of islands dot the Sound to the north and west. Downtown, you'll find Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operating farmers' markets in the United States. In nearby Pioneer Square is the 38-story Smith Tower, which opened in 1914 and held the title of the tallest building west of the Mississippi for more than 50 years. There's plenty of must-see modern architecture, too, from the geometrically exuberant glass-and-steel Central Library on 4th Avenue downtown to the MoPop Museum at Seattle Center, which celebrates music and popular culture in a building inspired by a pile of smashed guitars. Next door to the pop culture museum is Seattle's most famous landmark, the Space Needle, which still looks futuristic although it was created for the 1962 World's Fair.