| I have to admit, I love Alaska. I fell in love with the place | | | | 6. The native cultures. You'll have a chance to see |
| on my first Alaska cruise. The scenery is beyond | | | | everything from live totem pole carving to native |
| incredible, and the variety of activities and adventures | | | | dance ceremonies. There is a surprisingly large variety |
| available is really mind-blowing. | | | | of different native cultures in the region (no, not just |
| Therefore, it's no surprise to me that Alaska cruises | | | | "Eskimos"), and these cultures have amazingly vibrant |
| are becoming increasingly popular each year. Cruising | | | | cultures, histories, and traditions. |
| is about the only way to see many of Alaska's most | | | | 5. The wildlife. Wildlife is unimaginably abundant. On my |
| amazing sights, from Glacier Bay National Park to | | | | first cruise, I saw bears (black and brown), Dall sheep, |
| Misty Fjords National Monument. | | | | a fox, deer, and a bunch of bald eagles -- all in the wild. |
| The following is a list of what I think are the top ten | | | | Kids will especially love seeing the wildlife. It's a real |
| reasons to take an Alaskan cruise. | | | | treat. |
| 10. The incredible shore excursions and Alaska tours. | | | | 4. The waterfalls. I know I mentioned waterfalls |
| When your ship is docked in ports such as Juneau, | | | | already, but they are so amazingly abundant in Alaska, |
| Skagway, and Ketchikan, you can participate in a wide | | | | I think they deserve a ranking of their own. There is an |
| array of shore excursions, everything from whale | | | | especially incredible number of waterfalls lining the |
| watching to bear viewing to riding in a sea plane | | | | steep walls of the fjords of Glacier Bay and Misty |
| through some of the most amazing fjords in the world. | | | | Fjords National Monument. Makes sure your cruise |
| 9. The cooler weather. I don't know about you, but | | | | stops at one of these places, preferably Glacier Bay. |
| when it's 98 degrees at my house in the middle of | | | | 3. The opportunities for adventure. If you have an |
| August, the thought of head off to a place where it's | | | | appetite for adventure, you'll love the options available |
| 65 degrees is incredibly appealing. The summer | | | | on an Alaskan cruise. Everything from dog sledding |
| weather in Alaska is generally very comfortable, | | | | atop a glacier to ice climbing to dry-suit scuba diving. |
| averaging around 60-65 at the coast and maybe 75 | | | | And that's all just during your days in port. Add on a |
| inland. It's perfect weather for outdoor adventure. | | | | pre- or post-cruise inland adventure out of Anchorage, |
| 8. The whales. I saw everything from Beluga whales | | | | and you can go mountain climbing, white water rafting, |
| to Orca to Humpbacks, and I didn't even do on a | | | | mountain biking -- you name it, it's available. |
| whale watch. I saw most of them from the shore, and | | | | 2. The wilderness experience. There is something just |
| amazingly up close. Seeing these amazing animals in | | | | so refreshing and uplifting about being surrounded by |
| their natural environment is just incredible. | | | | sheer wilderness. When you come back from an |
| 7. The rainforest. You may not know it, but southern | | | | Alaska vacation, you are simply relaxed and renewed, |
| Alaska is home to the largest rainforest in North | | | | and, the odds are, you won't have a sun burn either. |
| America. It's temperate rainforest (pines instead of | | | | 1. The glaciers. Glaciers are the highlight of any Alaska |
| palms), but it's no less lush or dense than the rainforest | | | | cruise. There is simply nowhere else that you can see |
| you'll find in the tropics, and no less beautiful. Thanks to | | | | tidewater glaciers like these, up close and in action. |
| the precipitation, waterfalls, streams, rivers, and lakes | | | | Watching chunks of ice the size of five story buildings |
| are literally everywhere. It's all just so beautiful, it never | | | | crash into the sea water is something you'll never |
| stops taking your breath away. | | | | forget. It really does take your breath away. |