From the Gold Rush to Jack London to, well, Sarah Palin, Alaska has been celebrated in our culture as a place of rugged individualism.
In the past few years, people from all over the U.
S.
have made Alaska a popular vacation destination, with Alaskan cruises high on the list.
Yet, ironically, many choose to cruise this breathtaking frontier by way of giant, self-contained floating cities with up to 3,000 passengers.
If gorgeous picture-postcard views are your idea of a vacation then, by all means, climb aboard a large Alaskan cruise ship.
However, if you want to step (or hike, climb or canoe) into that postcard, then a small ship Alaskan cruise is for you.
Alaskan small ship cruises bring you closer to the experience Alaska is more than the big ports suited for the tourist trade; it's also the little towns and villages that can't handle (and don't want) the weekly invasion of hundreds of cruise passengers.
Alaska is more than majestic forests, mountains and glaciers viewed from a mile offshore; it's a family of bears tromping the marsh, as seen from mere yards away.
That up-close intimacy - to nature and the local culture - is one of the main attractions of an Alaskan small boat cruise.
Cruise passengers looking for the famous local landmark, the post card and the souvenir T-shirt will find plenty to choose from at the major ports of call - the kind frequented by the large Alaskan cruise ships.
Those whose tastes run more to the offbeat, the less-traveled or the rarely seen will find an Alaskan small ship cruise more to their liking.
Alaskan small boat cruises mean smaller crowds It's excursion time at your Alaskan port of call.
You wait to disembark your huge cruise ship, either at the dock or offshore for the small tender boats.
You wait to go ashore.
Then, after a couple of hours you do it all again in reverse.
And you realize that about an hour of your excursion time was spent shuffling in lines with hundreds of your fellow passengers.
Excursions aren't the only time you wait on a large Alaskan cruise ship.
You will wait for your meals, attractions and shows - practically any activity you might enjoy during your Alaskan cruise.
Not exactly the stuff of memories.
This is not the case on an Alaskan small boat cruise.
With a passenger list often in the double digits, and the ability to drop anchor much closer to land, it's never an ordeal to hop ashore to find your adventure.
And at mealtime, you just pull up a chair! Alaskan small ship cruises are more personalized experiences The giant Alaskan cruise ship runs on a tight schedule.
Launch, docking, disembarking, reboarding, meal times - these are all tightly regimented to keep hundreds of crew and thousands of cruise passengers moving efficiently.
Excursions and onshore activities are determined by the popular tastes of the thousands of guests on your large Alaskan cruise ship, and the thousands that came before them.
On an Alaskan small boat cruise, however, the schedule and choice of activities is much more loosely structured and suited to the particular passengers on board.
Chug into the fjords, dock at that little seaside village, get close to that ice formation, learn fly fishing...
or not.
In the past few years, people from all over the U.
S.
have made Alaska a popular vacation destination, with Alaskan cruises high on the list.
Yet, ironically, many choose to cruise this breathtaking frontier by way of giant, self-contained floating cities with up to 3,000 passengers.
If gorgeous picture-postcard views are your idea of a vacation then, by all means, climb aboard a large Alaskan cruise ship.
However, if you want to step (or hike, climb or canoe) into that postcard, then a small ship Alaskan cruise is for you.
Alaskan small ship cruises bring you closer to the experience Alaska is more than the big ports suited for the tourist trade; it's also the little towns and villages that can't handle (and don't want) the weekly invasion of hundreds of cruise passengers.
Alaska is more than majestic forests, mountains and glaciers viewed from a mile offshore; it's a family of bears tromping the marsh, as seen from mere yards away.
That up-close intimacy - to nature and the local culture - is one of the main attractions of an Alaskan small boat cruise.
Cruise passengers looking for the famous local landmark, the post card and the souvenir T-shirt will find plenty to choose from at the major ports of call - the kind frequented by the large Alaskan cruise ships.
Those whose tastes run more to the offbeat, the less-traveled or the rarely seen will find an Alaskan small ship cruise more to their liking.
Alaskan small boat cruises mean smaller crowds It's excursion time at your Alaskan port of call.
You wait to disembark your huge cruise ship, either at the dock or offshore for the small tender boats.
You wait to go ashore.
Then, after a couple of hours you do it all again in reverse.
And you realize that about an hour of your excursion time was spent shuffling in lines with hundreds of your fellow passengers.
Excursions aren't the only time you wait on a large Alaskan cruise ship.
You will wait for your meals, attractions and shows - practically any activity you might enjoy during your Alaskan cruise.
Not exactly the stuff of memories.
This is not the case on an Alaskan small boat cruise.
With a passenger list often in the double digits, and the ability to drop anchor much closer to land, it's never an ordeal to hop ashore to find your adventure.
And at mealtime, you just pull up a chair! Alaskan small ship cruises are more personalized experiences The giant Alaskan cruise ship runs on a tight schedule.
Launch, docking, disembarking, reboarding, meal times - these are all tightly regimented to keep hundreds of crew and thousands of cruise passengers moving efficiently.
Excursions and onshore activities are determined by the popular tastes of the thousands of guests on your large Alaskan cruise ship, and the thousands that came before them.
On an Alaskan small boat cruise, however, the schedule and choice of activities is much more loosely structured and suited to the particular passengers on board.
Chug into the fjords, dock at that little seaside village, get close to that ice formation, learn fly fishing...
or not.
Source...