Posted on: Sunday, May 8, 2005
TRAVEL
Cruising with the golden girls
Story and pictures by Barbara Elliott
Special to The Advertiser
ETCHIKAN, ALASKA — On a bright August afternoon, my husband and I kayaked through the sapphire waters surrounding the Tatoosh Islands, small dots of land off the southeast coast of Alaska. A bald eagle swooped low in front of us. A seal, bobbing nearby, seemed to stare back at us with equal curiosity. Primeval forests blanket these islands, which are part of the Tongass National Forest.
Photos by Barbara Elliott • Special to The Advertiser Such is the magic of a big-ship Alaskan cruise: There is truly something for everyone, and our diverse little group can prove it.
In a moment long on good intentions and possibly short on caution, my husband, Jim Darrah, and I invited our widowed mothers on a weeklong Alaskan cruise, brushing aside several concerns. Jim's mom, Phyllis, is a 90-year-old dynamo who has some health problems and requires a wheelchair for walks of any distance. Then there were the accommodations. Our moms would be roommates — for a whole week — although they were barely acquainted.
After we booked the cruise, Jim and I began to worry. Would the trip be wheelchair-friendly? Would the traveling be too hard for an elderly person with health issues? Would our moms get along as roommates? Would the cruise offer activities we could all enjoy? Heck, would any of us be on speaking terms by the end of the week? The short answer: We all had a wonderful time despite mixing generations, in-laws, interests and physical abilities.
Choosing the Cruise
As for the ship, we chose the Veendam, owned by Holland America Line). With a capacity of 1,266 passengers, the Veendam is large enough to provide all the amenities we desired, but it carries far fewer passengers than many cruise ships.
The Veendam offers six wheelchair-accessible rooms and nine modified wheelchair-accessible rooms. Our moms' room was lovely, considerably larger than a standard room in the same price category and conveniently located near elevators and the outside decks. For our own accommodations, Jim and I chose a room three levels (and one short elevator ride) directly above our moms.
Getting to Seward can be a long haul. After flying into Anchorage, we boarded a bus that took us directly to our ship, a drive of almost three more hours. The long day is a factor to consider for travelers with health concerns. As an alternative, many cruises depart from Seattle or Vancouver and make a northern loop, returning to the same port. Such an arrangement would shorten the travel time considerably.
Our cruise included three full days at sea and one day in each of three ports: Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan. Some passengers prefer to remain on their ships at ports of call; there is always plenty to do. Physically challenged travelers who desire to visit ports should determine the logistics involved before booking a particular cruise.
Shore excursions are another factor that passengers with physical problems should evaluate. HAL grades its excursions on a variety of criteria, including the amount of physical activity involved. The cruise line suggests motorcoach tours for physically challenged passengers.
Entering the Ice Age
On the first morning of our cruise, we awakened to the harsh beauty of College Fjord in the northern reaches of Prince William Sound, an area renowned for glaciers. These ancient rivers of ice curve around jagged, slate-gray mountains as they relentlessly carve their way to the sea. While the College Fjord glaciers are impressive for scenery as well as sheer numbers, they were but a prelude to the Big One, Hubbard Glacier, the highlight of our second cruising day.
Five miles wide, 76 miles long and 30 to 40 stories high, Hubbard Glacier dwarfs even the largest ship. Known as a tidewater glacier, it is the largest of its kind in North America. There is an ominous beauty about Hubbard, glowing blue, then green, then white as the sun strikes different angles. At first glance, it appears as immovable as the surrounding mountains, but the glacier tells us otherwise. From deep within, it cracks and thunders like a summer storm, calving icebergs the size of buildings into the water.
Russian Reminders
Sitka was our first port of call, and we had decided to explore the town ourselves. As we stepped off our tender boat, we spotted a man in native-inspired clothing answering cruisers' questions and by the way, he just happened to have a bus tour of Sitka leaving in five minutes. "How much?" we inquired. "Twelve bucks each, and I'll tell you everything you need to know," he grinned. Our spur-of-the-moment tour guide was Larry Gamble of Tribal Tours, a Tlingit Indian and local treasure.
Larry explained that Sitka is the ancestral home of the Tlingit Indian nation and the former "Russian capital." The Russians maintained a significant presence in the area during the early 19th century until selling their colony to the United States in 1867. Reminders of Sitka's Russian past remain, such as the Russian bishop's house, built by the Russian navy in 1841, and St. Michael's Cathedral.
We drove through Sitka's small downtown, walked in a rainforest, watched thousands of salmon making their arduous journey upstream and stopped for photos as Larry described the history and culture of Sitka with a generous dose of humor. His 60-minute tour was one of the high points of our cruise.
Evenings aboard the Veendam included a show in the ship's theater. The Veendam's shows, including a vocalist, Broadway-style revues and a pianist were good and were big hits with our moms.
The weather gods had smiled on us until now, with high temperatures in the 60s and rare Alaskan sunshine every day. In Juneau, however, the clouds hung low around the Chilkat Mountains and a cold, steady rain fell — a day only a whale could love. Whale-watching we went, and our quarry, humpbacks, did not disappoint us. The elusiveness of whales adds to their mystique: a back slowly arching above the water, a massive tail flipping in the air. Each glimpse brought shouts of excitement from their enthusiastic audience. And while it rained, we were comfortable in a catamaran designed for wildlife viewing.
After a day in Ketchikan, our last day on board was spent at sea as we headed south toward Vancouver to disembark.
And how did it go, putting our barely-acquainted mothers in the same room for a week? They were soon in fits of laughter over matters known only to themselves, and herein lies a truth: Much laughter makes for a very good trip.
Barbara Elliott is a travel writer based in Overland Park, Kan.
Meanwhile, just a few miles but seemingly an epoch away, my mother, Billie Elliott, was power-shopping in Ketchikan's historic district. And the fourth member of our traveling quartet? My mother-in-law, Phyllis Darrah, was on board our ship, reading a book between visits to the slot machines.
Turner Glacier carves around mountains on route to Yakutat Bay.
Our first task was to pick a cruise, a process impeded by far too many choices. We soon determined that combination cruise and land tours were out: too many buses, trains and different hotel rooms. We picked a seven-day cruise that departed from Seward, Alaska (a port south of Anchorage), and concluded in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Cruising cabin mates Phyllis Darrah, left, and Billie Elliott enjoy the Alaskan scenery from deck on the Veendam on their weeklong trip.
For example, in two of our ports, Juneau and Ketchikan, our ship docked at the pier and a ramp led passengers right onto land. In Sitka, however, our ship dropped anchor out in the harbor and passengers took small tender boats to the pier, an arrangement we considered too difficult, if not impossible, for a wheelchair.
Float planes and boats of all sizes share Ketchikan's busy harbor.
Our first two days at sea passed quickly as we headed south, due to all the activities the ship offered. What was our pleasure: a presentation about whales by a naturalist, live music, card games, yoga, a tour of the ship's massive kitchen? That is the beauty of big-ship cruising: We could spend time together, wander off on individual pursuits or do nothing at all.
St. Michael's Cathedral is a distinctive reminder of Sitka's Russian heritage before the colony was sold to the United States in 1867.
Alaska's capital city, Juneau, was our next port of call. A gold rush town, Juneau grew from a jumble of prospectors' shacks in the 1880s to a city of 30,000 today, but in true frontier spirit, is still inaccessible by road. Juneau's historic district, a short walk from the pier, is well-preserved and full of shops offering Alaskan-inspired merchandise ranging from kitsch to handmade native crafts.
The towering ice cliffs of the Hubbard Glacier dwarf even the biggest cruise ship, reflecting colors that change with the angle of the sun.
| IF YOU GO ...
SAMPLE FARES: A sampling of 2005 fares for seven-night cruises on big-ship lines is below. These prices do not include airfare, taxes or other incidental charges. Fares are per-person and subject to change. Contact the cruise lines or your travel agent for details. • Holland America Line. The 2005 brochure lists a windowless room on the Veendam in September from $849. A deluxe veranda suite in July and August starts at $3,399. (877) 724-5425, ext. 54, or see www.Hollandamerica.com. • Celebrity Cruises. The Web site shows fares starting at $1,150 for a cruise on the Summit in August. (800) 852-7239 or see www.celebrity.com. • Princess Cruises. The 2005 brochure lists a wheelchair-accessible room with balcony on the Coral Princess in June from $1,769. (800) 774-6237 or see www.princess.com. It's not too soon to begin planning and pricing travel for 2006. The earlier you book, the better price and cabin choice you generally get (though occasionally you can get good deals on last-minute unbooked cabins if you're flexible and can just pick up and go). Consult a cruise specialist. SHORE EXCURSIONS: Prices vary, depending on the activity. Our four-hour whale-watching tour in Juneau was $109 each and our nearly-five-hour sea kayaking tour in Ketchikan was $139 each. |
