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On an Alaska cruisetour, you will not just see Alaska, you will experience it. Wilderness lodges feature a wide array of opportunities to get out and explore each unique region. The enrichment goes further than optional tours - some lodges feature daily lectures from National Park Rangers featuring the geology, wildlife and native culture pertaining to the area. Optional Tours and ExcursionsEach of our riverside lodges features a tour desk where all varieties of excursion are available. Our Alaskan Outfitters - experts on optional excursions - can tailor your experience to be what you want it to be. You can walk on a glacier, fly around Mt. McKinley, ride horses in the backcountry or just go for a leisurely walk around the grounds of the lodge. The level activity varies by excursion. Our most active options require a moderate level of activity such as walking for moderate distances over relatively a variety of levels of terrain. Activities such as canoeing, hiking, biking or kayaking are examples. Participant should by physically fit. We also offer a wide variety of excursions that require more moderate levels of activity. Each excursion is rated and indicates the level of mobility and fitness required to enjoy the tour. Princess also offers a number of optional tours for guests with limited mobility, including wheelchair users. Most tour operators require that wheelchairs are collapsible. Your outfitter can assist you in making a decision as to what type of trip is best suited for you.
Alaskan cruises have so much to offer you onboard - casinos, fine dining, entertainment, and other typical outdoor cruise adventures. However, shore excursions are an important part of all cruises. With the diversity of Alaska, there are many beautiful shore excursions that you can take. Depending on where your cruise goes in Alaska, you may be able to do all or most of these on one single cruise.
1. Alaska Glaciers
Visiting glaciers from one or more of the stops on your Alaskan
cruise can be a breathtaking and beautiful experience. You can see
the glaciers up close, and hike to them or take tours. Going on
tours of glaciers, and learning about the diverse plant and animal
life found in and around them can be one of the best experiences of
your Alaskan cruise.
2. Alaskan Flightseeing
Flightseeing is something that comes standard with just about any
Alaskan cruise shore excursion destination. Flightseeing is
sightseeing by plane, and it came about because of the overwhelming
and breathtaking beauty of the Alaska, but the inaccessibility to
see much of this state in an afternoon. Each time you’re off the
boat, you’ll probably have a chance to do some flightseeing, whether
you’re taken to glaciers, national parks or monuments, or simply for
a look at the actual land that you’ve been cruising around.
3. Fishing
Alaska’s coast is known for its fishing - and its seafood. At just
about every stop, you’ll have the chance to do a shore excursion
that includes fishing. You can do so from land, from docks, or even
from smaller fishing boats. Most of the time, you’ll also be able to
sample what you’ve caught as well!
4. Mining Tours
Much of current Alaskan history is based around the mining industry.
Many ports’ shore excursions include a chance to tour a mine or
learn about the history of that particular mine. You’ll be able to
see them first hand as well as purchase mining memorabilia. Some
towns even have fairs to celebrate their mining history, so you
might be lucky enough to visit during that time of the year for a
special treat.
5. Museums
Every town has a history, but in Alaska, the cities seem to seep
with history. You can take a historical tour of cities or small
towns in Alaska on most shore excursions. Most cities also have
historical museums that you can visit, and some even offer guided
tours.
6. Historical Village Tours
This kind of excursion includes tours of small villages, which can
be very different from tours of large cities. You can see the way
that ancient people lived and worked in Alaska, and also learn about
the American history that is found in all of these places as well.
Village tours are very popular when it comes to shore excursions on
Alaskan cruises, because the small villages of Alaska are places
where the history is still living.
7. Monument Tours
Monument tours are exciting off ship excursions as well. There are
lots of monuments that you can visit while in Alaska, and you can
often see these by bus, boat, or plane. Many times, you’ll be as
excited by the scenery surrounding the monuments as by the monuments
themselves.
8. Rain Forest Tours
A rain forest in Alaska? Who knew! Alaska’s rain forest can be found
in several stops along your Alaskan cruise. You can take rainforest
tours or helicopter or flightseeing tours of these areas. You can
learn even more about the area and the rainforests as well, on your
shore excursions.
9. Hiking or Biking
You can get out into the beauty of Alaska and take hiking or biking
tours of the surrounding areas on your on shore excursions. You can
experience the beauty first hand, by being a part of it. Usually
cruise lines will have bikes to rent or hiking trails to suggest to
you.
10. Dog Sledding
Lastly, dog sledding is an important sport in Alaska, and you can
witness it first hand during any time of the year, by visiting dog
kennels, learning about the sport, or even trying it out for
yourself. Make sure you include this activity and some of those
listed above on your next Alaskan cruise!
Explore a National ParkFully one-half of all United States' national park land is in Alaska. Considering that, you begin to understand the scope and diversity of this vast expanse. Stretching 13.2 million acres, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the largest National Park in America. The Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge is only a few short miles from the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park visitor center and Princess provides free shuttles to the center. Denali National Park is located 240 miles north of Anchorage, and encompasses 6 million acres of forests, tundra, glaciers and mountains - that's larger than the entire state of Massachusetts. Yet only 90 miles of main road traverses the park, leaving the moose, caribou, sheep and bears free to roam a wide area of land untouched by man. The Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is only one mile from the lone park entrance and tours into the park are arranged by our outfitters. Kenai Fjords National Park lies on the jagged southern edge of the Kenai Peninsula south of the Kenai Princess Wilderness lodge. This ice-sculpted land known as "Alaska's playground" just begs to be explored - and there's a variety of ways to do it from our lodge. Each of these lodges features interpretive experiences provided by the NPS Park Rangers. Enjoy the unique cuisine of AlaskaOne of the best ways to experiences Alaska's unique lifestyle is through its cuisine. Princess Alaska lodges feature cuisine carefully chosen to reflect the distinct regional flare of Alaskan food. We call it our signature Alaskan Cuisine. Salmon is king in Alaska and there is no shortage of it around Princess lodges. Each location features salmon prepared in unique ways - from smoked BBQ salmon bakes to poached salmon steaks smothered in fennel sauce. We also feature thick steaks of fresh-caught halibut and luscious Alaska king crab legs. You can top it off with one of the features northwest regional wine or a locally brewed Alaskan Ale. These are just a few ideas to help you plan your ultimate Alaskan vacation. Alaska is land worthy of many superlatives. Here we provide you with an interesting collection of some of Alaska's vital statistics that may help satisfy your curiosity and whet your appetite.
Name Origin: The name of Alaska comes from the Aleut work Alyeska, meaning The Great Land. Nick Names: The last frontier, Land of the Midnight Sun Motto: North to the Future Flower: Forget-me-not Capital: Juneau is the only capital in the United States accessible only by boat or plane. Statehood: The US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7,200,00 (about 2 cents an acre) and made it the union's 49th state on January 3, 1959. Land Area Size: Alaska is the largest state in the union, covering 570,373 square miles, approximately one fifth of the entire United States. Alaska is so large that the state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times. Population: The population of Alaska is only 670,053 and compared to the population of bears in Alaska, there is 1 bear for every 21 people. Tallest Mt. in North America: Mt. McKinley stands at 20,320 feet. Alaska is also home to 16 of the 20 highest mountains in the U.S. Greatest concentration of glaciers in North America: There are more active glaciers and ice fields in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world. The largest glacier is Malaspina at 805 square miles. State Symbols and emblems:
Light vs. Dark: The Arctic Circle is an imaginary circle around the globe where on December 21 the sun never rises for twenty-four hours and on June 21 for twenty-four hours it never sets. Gardening: Giant vegetables are common in Alaska due to the extremely long days in summer which account for a record cabbage weighing in at 94 pounds. LEARN TO "SPEAK ALASKAN"Alaska is unique in every way - it even has its own vocabulary. We offer you a guide to some of the words and phrases, ancient and recent, known only to those who inhabit Alaska. Study these terms and you just might convince the locals that you are a true sourdough. Outside: Anywhere outside Alaska but generally means the continental 48 states. When a local goes on vacation, they are headed "outside". Eskimo Ice Cream: The fat of a Seal or Caribou is whipped to a creamy texture and mixed with chopped meat or berries. Yummy. Muktuk: An Eskimo delicacy consisting of the skin and attached layer of whale blubber. It can be eaten dried or cooked, but usually prepared raw. Muskeg: Swamp or bog composed of layers of decomposing plant life. Often found in tundra regions. Termination Dust: The construction workers during the building boom in the 1940's called the snowfall each year termination dust because it meant the end of their jobs would be terminated for the season. Now, it is used to refer to the first snowfall signaling the end of the summer season. Cheechako: The Alaskan term for someone who is new to the country. A "tenderfoot" "green horn". Denali: Literally, means the "High One" or the "Great One" , Denali is the name given to the massive peak also known as Mt. McKinley, by the Athabascan Native People. Congress officially changed the name of Mt. McKinley National Park to Denali National Park in the Alaskan Lands Act in 1980. Sourdough: The name originally came from the Gold Rush of 1898 era when prospectors and other wanderers carried a lump of fermented starter dough for making bread in pouch around their neck. The fermented dough was kept close the body, to stay warm. A sourdough pouch hanging around a miner's neck was a clear sign of experience in survival. So, the term came to be associated with an old timer or someone who has been in the north country a long time. Lower 48: Alaskans refer to the continental United States as the lower 48. Combat Fishing: Alaska features the most salmon rich fishing streams in the world. Opening day is so eagerly anticipated that hundreds of Anglers will line the banks of the river, shoulder to shoulder, casting for fish. The trick is to actually hook a salmon and not a fellow salmon fisherman. Tundra: The word comes from the Finnish word meaning barren or treeless land. Most of the Tundra exist on the planet exist in the Northern Hemisphere in a belt along the Arctic Ocean. Mukluks: Mukluks are a soft boot made of caribou or sealskin and typically worn by the Eskimo. Noseeums: Tiny winged insects (a form of small gnat) that is nearly invisible. The bug packs a nasty bite slightly less bothersome than a bear chewing your leg off. Bunny Boots: Also known as Mukluks, a soft boot made of reindeer or sealskin. Iditarod: Known as the "The Last Great Race on Earth". From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days. Ice fog: Is what occurs when water vapor meets bitter cold air that can't hold any more water in 10 seconds or less. Water cooled that fast forms tiny ice particles. Collectively, millions of these particles take form as ice fog, the cotton candy-like clouds that hang over our roads. Break up: The spring melting season is a season unto itself. The rivers thaw and begin to flow again, carrying huge chunks of ice down river. Breakup is followed by days of celebration as Alaskan's emerge from long, long winter nights. Aurora Borealis: The official term for northern lights, which are visible for more than half the year in the far north. The University of Alaska Fairbanks houses a research center dedicated to studying the phenomenon which is caused by magnetic particles from the sun as they hit the earth's atmosphere. Permanent Fund: A state savings account created by constitutional amendment that requires at least 25% of Alaska's royalties from oil to be set aside, with only the interest earnings available for spending. Permanent residents receive a yearly dividend check. Mushing: Is the game of sled dog racing. Cache: A small shed-like building on stilts where furriers and hunters kept their goods. Alcan: The Alaska Highway, also "Alaska-Canadian Highway", "Al-Can Highway", runs form Dawson Creek, British Columbia to Fairbanks, Alaska via Whitehorse, Yukon. It is 1,523 miles or 2,451 kilometers long. Blanket toss: The blanket toss is now conducted as entertainment, but it didn't originate that way. The Inupiaq hunter would be tossed in the air, enabling them to see across the horizon to hunt game. Now thirty or more Inupiaq gather in a circle, holding the edges of a large skin made from walrus hides, and toss someone into the air as high as possible. The person being tossed throws gifts into the crowd and loses their turn when they lose their balance. The object: to maintain balance and return to the blanket without falling over. This is one of many games played during the course of a 10-day celebration. Totems: Totem poles are known as silent storytellers, depicting figures that were relevant to a specific Native tribe. Ulu: The native people of northern Alaska invented this knife centuries ago. It is used for hunting, fishing, skinning, filleting and every other imaginable domestic cutting need by the Inuit (Eskimo) people. Nowadays, replicas can be purchased at any souvenir shop in Alaska. Ice worms: Ice worms are real. They live in pools of water and crawl around between ice crystals near the glacier surface. Ice worms have been observed to move around in the ice at depths near two meters. Even in the Alaska Range, the glacial ice at that depth can remain near freezing and so can provide at least a marginal ice worm habitat.
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