Why Alaska?

Cruise visitors setting out to explore Alaska on a cruise ship will have a lot to discover.  There are 30 ports in Alaska and with almost 34, 000 miles of shoreline, an Alaska cruise is the best way to see and enjoy the great land of Alaska.

Good to know

• The word Alaska comes from an Eskimo word “Alakshak” meaning great lands or peninsula.
• Mountains: Of the nation’s 20 highest peaks, 17 are in Alaska. That includes the legendary Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet.
• Glaciers: Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, which cover almost five percent of the state. There are more active glaciers in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world.
• Alaska Marine Highway System: Alaskan ferries travel a route covering 3,500 miles and serving 30 Alaskan ports.
• Bald Eagles: The largest known concentration of bald eagles, over 3,000, converges near Haines from October through January to feed on late run salmon in the Chilkat River.
• Water: Alaska has 3 million lakes, over 3,000 rivers and more coastline (47,300 miles) than the entire contiguous United States.
• Parks: Alaska has 15 National Parks, Preserves and Monuments, and 3.2 million acres of State Park lands.
• Time Zones: Alaska has its own time zone, which is one hour earlier than Pacific Time. The westernmost Aleutian Islands are on Hawaii-Aleutian Time, two hours earlier than Pacific Time.