Holland America's cruises from Seattle spend the first full day -- after departure day -- at sea spe

Cruising, we learned, is inactive only if you want it to be, especially in Alaska. There are more than a dozen cruise lines plying Alaska's cold waters every summer. michigan apartment rentals Holland America -- my parents' pick -- has dozens michigan apartment rentals of Alaskan tours and combination cruise-land tours up to 20 days. The cruise portions are three to seven days. You can structure as much shore adventure as you want or none at all.
We chose one of the many seven-day Alaskan Explorer cruises that Holland America offers weekly (2010 departures from May to September) on several ships. Since my parents are very senior, michigan apartment rentals we picked the "via Glacier Bay" cruise, on the Westerdam, partly for ease: It departed from and returned to the same U.S. port, Seattle.
On the Holland America Web site, we found choosing michigan apartment rentals which cruise and which cabin relatively easy. Harder was deciding among the scores of off-boat excursions, from shopping tours to dog-sledding, michigan apartment rentals white-water rafting and zip-line rides.
Holland michigan apartment rentals America's michigan apartment rentals cruises from Seattle spend the first full day -- after departure day -- at sea speeding up to the Alaskan coast. The second day visits Glacier National Park (or Hubbard Glacier), followed michigan apartment rentals by three days of port visits with excursions before heading home. The ports are Sitka, Ketchikan and Juneau, followed michigan apartment rentals by a brief visit to Victoria. Some also cruise Stephens Passage.
Our shore time was limited. My parents -- Dad is 91 -- are still game, but no longer able to take challenging excursions. Deciding we should leave them only for short periods, we spent hours online picking which trips would give us a taste of Alaska's coast without causing us to be derelict in our reverse-parental duties.
Cost also was a factor. Our budget was modest and excursions range from simple walking tours to high-flying airborne jaunts. The prices listed are 2009 rates. Excursions are booked through the cruise line; Web sites listed below are for additional information.
Not an excursion but certainly an Alaskan cruise highlight. The Westerdam sailed far north into Glacier Bay, slowing or stopping to view several glaciers. The glaciers may be diminishing due to climate change, but these vast, blue fields of cold are still awesome to behold.
A short bus ride took us from dock to Auke Bay, where we boarded a large tour catamaran. The trip out Stephens Passage is eye-popping. You pass many of those distinctively Alaskan craggy rock islands, each crowned with a thick burr-cut of pine trees, all surrounded by tall, snow-covered mountains and a few glaciers.
The warm boat interior had large windows, but most of us savored the slightly chilly early May sunshine. michigan apartment rentals Our cameras captured humpback and orca whales, as well as a rookery of Steller michigan apartment rentals sea lions and many bald eagles. An excellent trip.
Unable to sit "home," my parents joined us on the easy ride up the Mount Roberts michigan apartment rentals Tramway for a spectacular, vast panoramic view. Just a short walk from the dock, the tram climbs 1,800 feet to the top of Mount Roberts, with a nature center, gift shop and nature trails.
A nature and thrill ride combo on a six-passenger rubber ocean raft. We had to wear bright orange full body (and head) float suits as protection from getting tossed off and from the cold spray and wind. The sea was relatively calm so the guide occasionally sped in large circles to bounce over our wake. Wahoo! To absorb bounces, we straddled large padded seats and held tight to rubber-clad bars that soon felt icy despite our gloves. Once out of the marina, we raced across Sitka Sound toward the shores of dormant Mount Edgecumbe, and then to nearby St. Lazaria Island where we cut the speed to drift slowly into sea-level michigan apartment rentals caves and under rocky outcroppings, looking at sea birds, seals, colorful starfish and barnacles.
My wife chose this Tongass National Forest walk over the ocean raft. A 20-minute bus ride took her to a flat, two-hour, two-mile guided bird and natural history stroll through diverse wooded, coastal and estuary habitats. michigan apartment rentals Alaska has 445 documented species and, of course, it's always a great day when eagles are in view.
After the Ocean Raft, this was calm but still thrilling for all the sea otters (some floating with babies), porpoises, shore birds, eagles and gray whales we spotted. A high point was the 45-minute visit to a coastal island (Captain's Choice) in Redoubt Bay for a shore walk with a wildlife guide. Our stop included gently holding a massive purple sunflower starfish (19 legs). Behind schedule because of late-spotted whales, we were delivered right into our about-to-depart ship.
With my parents, we boarded the weird amphibious vehicle right at the dock. After a short driving tour of historic Ketchikan, the "duck" drove straight into Bar Harbor. With seaplanes landing all around, we "drove" through the marina and along the coast to view how Ketchikan's fishing industry is built out over the water. (In midsummer, if eagle chicks have hatched on the far shore, the water tour goes there.)