Alaska - Southbound Whittier

Where? You're forgiven if you've never before heard of Whittier. Although it's a gateway to the glacier- and wildlife-filled Prince William Sound, most people have had no reason to go there. Except -- and this is a big except -- Whittier has experienced a boom as an alternative embarkation and disembarkation port to ship-crowded Seward. Princess Cruises primarily homeports ships here for the entire Alaska season. Despite the sound views, quaint it's not -- the feel is very industrial and military. (The town holds a strategic position on the Alaska Railroad and at the head of a deep fjord; during World War II, it was a key port in the defence strategy for the state.) Weather is often nasty, with whipping winds and lots of rain, particularly in the winter. Still, the tiny city of about 200 residents is a natural benefit for cruise lines sailing Alaska itineraries, actually more than an hour closer to Anchorage than Seward. (It takes about 90 minutes to get to Whittier from the Anchorage airport.) This means hundreds of thousands of cruise passengers are a part of the Whittier scene each summer. How an increased cruise presence has changed this scene is unclear. What visitors will find today, however, is a really odd-ball place, where nearly all residents live in a single, 14-story concrete apartment building. (Most others live in a second building.) Kids in the apartment building don't even have to go outside to go to school in winter. A tunnel leads to their classrooms. (The average amount of snow on the ground on any given day between December and April is 33.8 inches!) Getting into town is, however, one of the highlights of a visit: The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is like no other. You enter what looks like a Swiss Chalet structure and ride for 2.5 miles on a railroad track through the narrow pass cut into a mountain. The tunnel is actually shared by rail and vehicle traffic -- when one is inside, the other is not; they switch every half-hour. If you are planning an overnight stay before or after your cruise, we highly recommend staying in Anchorage because there is much more to see and do in town, and there are more accommodation options. However, with Prince William Sound just steps away, there is plenty for cruisers to do with a few hours to kill in Whittier. Included are a few suggestions for what to do with one day in Whittier if you are feeling a bit adventurous.

Hubbard Glacier is the largest glacier in North America, with a calving front that is over 6 miles wide. An extremely active glacier, there have been two major surges in the last 30 years alone.

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.

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.

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.

Cruising the Inside Passage offers an unforgettable journey through a stunning network of waterways, islands, and fjords.  With breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife viewing opportunities (think whales, eagles, and bears), and charming coastal towns, it's a truly remarkable experience.

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.