Category: Recreation

Alaska is the perfect place in the world to have the fishing experience of a lifetime. With an infinite number of fishing resources, Alaska is the location to go to fish for rainbow trout, king salmon or halibut.

Alaska fishing trips assure a splendid fishing experience against the spectacular wilderness of the land. When choosing where to go in Alaska, it is important to know the type of fish you are hoping to catch, because some species are region-specific. For example, if you are going on a fishing trip in Alaska and are looking to catch halibut, you should try and look for the fishing locales where halibut is known to reside. Ask the local population where this might be, and you will get some good tips.

The climatic conditions must also be conducive to the fish you are looking for. If you are fishing in the summertime, you may not be able to catch the same types of fish you caught last winter. Again, ask around.

Southeast Alaska is popular for salmon, steelhead and halibut fishing. A great abundance of fighting fish is found in the Kenai River. Anchorage, Seward, Soldotna, Homer, the Kodiak Island of south-central Alaska, Bristol Bay and the Kuskokwim River of southwest Alaska are prime fishing destinations. Lake Hood in Anchorage Alaska is famous for fly fishing.

No matter where or when you choose to fish in Alaska, be sure to pack all of the necessary supplies. In the cold winter months, you should dress extremely warmly. In other seasons, dress in layers so that the sudden shifts in temperature can be accomodated as you fish all day or over the course of a week or weekend.

An Alaskan cruise offers something for everyone! For those who like adventure or for those who just want to sit back and view the wildlife from afar this is the right choice. It is the most popular way to explore Alaska, which is twice the size of Texas with 47,300 miles of shoreline, 4 million acres of National Parks, preserves and monuments, 17 of the nation’s 20 highest peaks, and the largest number of active glaciers and ice fields in the inhabited world. A cruise is the best way to combine sightseeing with options like glacier viewing, whale watching, fishing, hiking, beach combing, berry picking, bear viewing, photography, bird watching and kayaking. The cruises are seasonal with July and August being the most popular months for tourists.

There are two major routes for Alaskan cruises that usually last seven nights: the Inside Passage route and the Gulf of Alaska route. Round trips from Vancouver or Seattle may include ports of call such as Glacier Bay, Juneau or Hanes. While Gulf of Alaska cruise route travels from Anchorage to Vancouver or vice versa with ports of call including Hubbard Glacier, Seward or Valdez.

Over 30 ships from 13 cruise lines sail in Alaska’s waters ranging from small vessels offering a casual atmosphere, medium size (800 to 1500 passengers) to mega size (2000 and more) offering a host of amenities and activities in a resort-like setting. The latter has equal focus on shipboard activities as on the landscape of Alaska. The smaller ships focus more on nature activities and often get closer to shore and enter some fjords that may be too small for the larger ships.

Enjoy ancient history at the 10,000-year old settlement of Prince Rupert Port, view the extinct Volcano at the northern city of Sitka and the unique 25 story tall monuments of ice floating in Glacier Bay. Most Alaska cruises are affordable and include meals, ship transportation, cabin accommodations, entertainment and most activities. Many lines include side trips to Denali National Park but shore excursions can be more expensive, so check before you book.

In the wake of tremendous competition among various cruise lines, each has been offering several special offers. Special offers may be discounts on packaged vacation cruises, or the customization of cruises according to passengers’ wishes. The cruise lines advertise and provide various novel features to attract more cruisers to their ships.

The biggest cruise special is, of course, the discount offered on the package. For bulk or off-season bookings, cruise lines may provide as much as 25 to 50% off their regular rates. The same applies for rerouting cruises, i.e., when the ships are returning to warmer southern seas. Discount schemes are also provided to cruisers for forthcoming tours, which can be availed of by either themselves or their families and friends.

Certain cruise lines, like the Princess, allow passengers to make their own itineraries. These are then incorporated with the cruise lines’ planned itineraries to the maximum possible extent. Cruisers can select which ports they would like to halt at, which hotels to lodge in and how many days to spend exploring the glacier and whale watching, etc. Besides this, they may also have the chance to select their choice of music and food on board. Customized cruises are the current trend, though they are more costly than other cruises.

Oceania Cruise Line provides a unique feature. They organize a lecture series onboard the ships called ‘Your World’. Passengers are invited to attend these lectures and deliberate on issues. Besides this, there are several shops which sell artifacts and trinkets on board, which can be taken home as souvenirs of the cruise. While Oceania focuses on intelligent activities, Royal Caribbean caters to the more adventurous palate, by providing helicopter flying and snorkeling activities.

Almost all cruise lines have a variety of entertainment options on their ships. Features like shopping malls, swimming pools, water spas and saunas, have today become mandatory on cruise ships. There are also Las Vegas-style casinos and cyber cafxe9s for people to remain connected with family, friends and the rest of the world. Some cruise lines also have Broadway theaters and movie halls to enthrall the audience.

Today, by virtue of all the specials offered on cruises, they are no longer considered just another activity. Cruising today is considered to be a blend of adventurous and cerebral activities.

Several new and old ships ply the Alaskan waters taking cruisers along. There are ships are of all possible classes. There are big and small ships, luxury ships and ships with balconies in their cabins and more deck space. People who wish to go on a cruise must ascertain, in advance, what kind of a ship they would be on.

One of the ships currently offering Alaskan cruises is the Radiance of the Seas, belonging to Royal Caribbean International. It is a huge ship, with the space to accommodate 2,100 people. Its glass elevators look out into the sea and provide a breathtaking view. Onboard entertainment facilities include the Jakarta Lounge and the Singapore Sling. Besides these it has the Aurora Theater and the Art Nouveau Casino Royale. It has two sister ships, Serenade of the Seas and Vision of the Seas, which ply exclusively in Alaska.

Another famous Alaskan cruise ship is the Celebrity Infinity. It can accommodate 1,950 people. Its features include an aromatherapy session named AquaSpa, a musical library called Enjoy Notes, and the Trellis Restaurant. Its sister ships, Summit and Millennium, also sail on Alaskan cruises.

Other big ships that offer Alaskan cruises are Radisson Seven Seas Mariner, Carnival Spirit and seven ships from the cruise company Princess. The Norwegian Cruise Lines also sends its ships for Alaskan cruises. Some of them are Norwegian Dream, Norwegian Spirit, Norwegian Star, and Norwegian Sun.

Apart from the mainstream big ships, there are several small ships offering Alaskan cruises for those on tighter budgets. Small ships provide more adventure and offshore activities than bigger ships. They may carry less than 100 passengers. Some companies providing small ships for Alaskan cruises are Lindblad Expeditions, the Clipper Cruise Lines, and Cruise West.

The experiences of cruising in Alaska on mainstream ships and small ships are totally different. Big ships are designed for people who are looking for more luxury and comfort, while small ships are designed for adventure seekers. Big ships have better facilities to keep everyone amused all the time, while small ships give opportunities to build more friends and camaraderie.

Reviewing a cruise line is not easy as most people on board are having fun, and on a cruise people generally tend to overlook petty shortcomings. Moreover, most existing cruises have been around for more than a decade, and hence they have already perfected most of their shortcomings. Some Alaska cruises that have consistently been at the top of the savvy cruiser’s list are those provided by Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, and Carnival.

The Royal Caribbean line has won great accolades for its ship Radiance of the Seas. Beginning with the reception and the checking in, everything is systematically organized. It stops at Juneau, Skagway, Hubbard Glaciers, and Ketchikan during its seven-day cruise. Shopping in Juneau is a memorable experience, as is kayaking in Ketchikan and the glacier exploration at Hubbard Glaciers. There are several onboard activities x96 Broadway performances, a silhouette act and a comedy act as a farewell show on the last night. The only drawback may be the large number of people on board x96 about 2,500 of them x96 which may not be appealing to the peace-loving cruiser.

All ships of the Princess cruise line have got rave reviews from cruisers. They come highly recommended by cruise agencies as well. They follow the same itinerary as the Royal Caribbean and have an excellent and knowledgeable staff. The great attractions of Princess ships are the dark wood mahogany furniture in some of their cabins and the ship memorabilia available for sale. The dining rooms are arranged forward, and the theater seats are thoughtfully arranged to provide all with an unobstructed view, free from poles and other obstacles. The Princess line is a very experienced line and offers customized cruises to its passengers.

Carnival and Celebrity both rate high on the cruiser’s list. They have reliable ships and staff and good outside balconies, which provide excellent views of natural scenery.

Among the small ship category, Clipper, American Safari, and Cruise West are considered to be great cruise lines. They provide the adventure seeker a host of activities to do while on the cruise.

Among the famous cruise lines offering services in Alaskan seas are the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Radisson, Norwegian, Holland America, and American Safari. Each cruise line has its own ships and itineraries, and is most active in the peak season between May and September.

The Royal Caribbean Cruise Liner is one of the most famous Alaskan cruise liners. Its main ship is the Radiance of the Seas, with sister ships Serenade of the Seas and Vision of the Seas. Royal Caribbean provides an eight-day, seven-night Alaskan cruise. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line specializes in cruising along frontier towns, and glacier cruising.

The Princess Cruise Line is highly recommended by cruise critics. Its huge ships are often called floating cities due to the vast number of restaurants, Broadway theatres, casinos, health spas, movie halls, lounges, discotheques and other forms of relaxation present onboard. Their popular ships are the Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Coral Princess, and Island Princess. They have weeklong itineraries, and people can book them either during their northward or southward voyages.

The Celebrity Cruise Line is known for its fleet of large opulent ships like Zenith, Mercury, Infinity, Constellation, Summit, and Millennium. Celebrity has recently launched ships in the Xpedition class, which are made for adventure cruises.

Besides the huge cruise lines, small ships are also very popular. Small ships have better navigation ability and hence are favorites among adventure seekers. Lindblad specializes in its small cruise ships that can hold up to 120 guests. Holland America has five ships, namely Statendam, Veendam, Ryndam, Zaandam, and Volendam, which offer small cruises on the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay.

American Safari provides long as well as short Alaskan cruises in yachts. Their yacht Safari Quest has both five day-four night as well as eight day-seven night cruises. Safari Spirit and Safari Escape also conduct fortnightly cruises to Alaska. Most cruises conducted by American Safari are chartered, and the charter rates for the Safari Quest are about $58,000 for five days.

Italy, recognizable in the world map as the boot-shaped Italian peninsula in southern Europe, has quite a few attractions that ensure a steady tourist traffic..The independent countries of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclosed within Italian territory. The description of its beauty and historical monuments lures many tourists from all over the world.

Several airlines fly from the US directly to Italy. These include Delta, American Airlines, Alitalia, Air France, Iberia and Swiss International airlines. Another option is to fly to other large cities in Europe such as London, Frankfurt or Paris and opt for a low budget flight to Italy.

Flights to Italy from these cities are easy to find with the arrival of the budget airline phenomenon. Europe happens to have become a lot smaller for everyone. With all of these airlines battling amongst themselves, this can only be good news for the customer. Several budget airlines fly from the UK or Europe to Italian destinations and it’s easy to find a bargain flight to Italy. Many of the destinations under budget airlines need no introduction. The demand for Rome, Venice, and Milan is understandable. But some of the cheapest flights to Italy place you in less known tourist destinations. Some of these make good bases for exploring further, most value a weekend break in themselves.

For non-Europeans traveling within Europe, there is a wonderful new proposal that offers dozens of flights at a maximum price of $99 per seat. The independent low-cost carriers have opened up tremendous opportunities in the last two years. These are no frills flights, and the aircrafts are amazingly new and comfortable.

With a group of 37 aircrafts, Alitalia is Italy’s national airline that links Italy with about 60 countries and transports more than 22 million passengers safely to their destinations every year. They fly to 20 places in Italy alone, and 200 worldwide. With so many tourists world wide eager to explore Italy’s beauty, both private and state owned airlines have a lot of scope for growth.