Yesterday we disembarked the wonderful MS Statendam. Although our group was sad to leave the comfort, amenities, wonderful service and outstanding cuisine of the ship, we were excited about the second half of our Alaskan Adventure.
The land portion of our trip began with the Kenai Fjords National Park Tour; a boat trip which departed from the Seward's Small Boar Harbor. It was rainy and bit a chilly, but our enthusiam was not dampened as the trip promised to be an in-depth experience showcasing the Kenai Fjords National Park's abundant wildlife and alpine and tidewater glaciers. It was a promise that was kept!
Our group had the good fortune to be assigned to the newest vessel to join the fleet, the m/v Orca Voyager. She was commissioned into service in October of 2008 and provided excellent views from every angle (inside and out). Kenai Fjords Tours has combined the expertise of their captains—certified through the National Association of Interpretation—with the National Park Service to bring a multi-dimensional experience to their National Park Tour.
We cruised from Resurrection Bay and then through Harding Gateway and headed toward Aialik Glacier. Here I was thrilled to hear and see the loudest and most spetacular calving I had yet to experience. On our way we saw cormorants, horned and tufted puffins, bald eagles and common murres as well as sea lions, sea otters, and habor seals. We continued on past Holgate Head, Harbor Island, and Chisell Islands, with more wonderful wildlife viewing but as the six hour trip seemed to be coming to an end, we were all rather sad that we had not seen the "big one". But then with about an hour left of our journey, the captain reported that another ship had seen some whales, so we changed course slightly in quest of orcas.
As I stood on deck I heard from inside a shout of "port side - ten o'clock". My hands shook with excitement as I grabbed my camera and binoculars simultaneously. Off in the distance I saw the "blow". The captain announced that we were in the midst of a pod of orca whales and that it was possibly a "super pod" which is a combining of several pods; and that is exactly what it turned out to be. We then spent twenty minutes in what could be called "orca heaven". We experienced blows (the exhaling and replenishing of oxygen through the blowhole which produces a spray that can be seen up to a mile away) and flukes (the lifting of the tail as the whale begins its dive). And then I saw one of the most amazing things I've seen in my life - a complete breach of an adult whale. During a breach, a whale thrusts at least 75% of its body out of the water but this whale must have been an over-achiever because his entire massive body was completely out of the water. What a thrill!
If your travels ever find you in Seward, Alaska, this tour is not to be missed. And who knows; maybe you'll have the same luck that I did and experience the grand champion "breacher".
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
North To Alaska
I’m five days into my fourteen-day Alaskan Adventure and each day’s scenery, ports of call, and shipboard experiences have exceeded all of my expectations. I am traveling with the WTMJ Listeners Group and many friendships have already been formed.
I had breakfast today with Colleen, the tour manager from Fox Select Vacations, the group travel division of Fox World Travel. She developed and customized this itinerary which starts with a seven day inside passage cruise on Holland America’s MS Statendam and continues with a seven day interior Alaska land tour. Our conversation turned to the best way to do a land/cruise Alaska journey; cruise northbound first and then experience the land versus doing it in the reverse order. There are arguments for both.
One theory is that if you begin in the inside passage on a cruise ship you are “building” to the climax of “the Great One”, Mount McKinley. It truly does give one the sense of going “North, to Alaska”.
Then there is the equally compelling argument that you should begin your trip on land as that tends to be the more active part of the trip. The cruise is then considered to be a relaxing way to finish your Alaskan vacation.
Since I’m traveling north, I am going to make a bold statement and say that this is the best way to do it (until my next Alaskan Adventure when I may change the order and thus change my mind. It is after all, a woman’s prerogative).
So far we’ve seen Ketchikan and Juneau; both were great and the weather cooperated. We have two days at sea coming up which will give me the opportunity to fill you in on more of the details, but right I’m off to explore Skagway.
I had breakfast today with Colleen, the tour manager from Fox Select Vacations, the group travel division of Fox World Travel. She developed and customized this itinerary which starts with a seven day inside passage cruise on Holland America’s MS Statendam and continues with a seven day interior Alaska land tour. Our conversation turned to the best way to do a land/cruise Alaska journey; cruise northbound first and then experience the land versus doing it in the reverse order. There are arguments for both.
One theory is that if you begin in the inside passage on a cruise ship you are “building” to the climax of “the Great One”, Mount McKinley. It truly does give one the sense of going “North, to Alaska”.
Then there is the equally compelling argument that you should begin your trip on land as that tends to be the more active part of the trip. The cruise is then considered to be a relaxing way to finish your Alaskan vacation.
Since I’m traveling north, I am going to make a bold statement and say that this is the best way to do it (until my next Alaskan Adventure when I may change the order and thus change my mind. It is after all, a woman’s prerogative).
So far we’ve seen Ketchikan and Juneau; both were great and the weather cooperated. We have two days at sea coming up which will give me the opportunity to fill you in on more of the details, but right I’m off to explore Skagway.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Booking Travel Online - Is The Thrill Gone?
Making your travel arrangements online was all the rage just a few short years ago. Discussions about travel became contests to determine who had "outsmarted" the system and found the cheapest cruise, all-inclusive Caribbean resort, or airfare online. But the thrill that many do-it-yourselfers had experienced when making travel arrangements online has turned into frustration as many of the web sites used to book travel online have become less user-friendly and more complex.
Last year the e-travel business grew by eight percent according to PhoCusWright Research. But we are seeing a bizarre development; while more people are making their travel arrangements online, they are less satisfied when they do.
Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester Reach travel analyst said, "What we've seen is growing frustration." He explains that "travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent. The question I always ask these guys is 'Could your mother-in-law use your web site without havng to call you for help?' The answer is always no." (See the entire article in the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/business/04frustrate.html?_r=2&ref=global).
So if you are one of those online travel bookers for whom the "thrill is gone", remember that a full service travel agency like Fox World Travel is a phone call away. For those who still enjoy researching online and comparing prices side-by-side in front of you, but would still like reassurance from a travel agent, Fox World Travel does offer the ability to book travel online, but you can chat live with a travel agent or call while doing it for added support and reassurance.
Last year the e-travel business grew by eight percent according to PhoCusWright Research. But we are seeing a bizarre development; while more people are making their travel arrangements online, they are less satisfied when they do.
Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester Reach travel analyst said, "What we've seen is growing frustration." He explains that "travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent. The question I always ask these guys is 'Could your mother-in-law use your web site without havng to call you for help?' The answer is always no." (See the entire article in the New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/business/04frustrate.html?_r=2&ref=global).
So if you are one of those online travel bookers for whom the "thrill is gone", remember that a full service travel agency like Fox World Travel is a phone call away. For those who still enjoy researching online and comparing prices side-by-side in front of you, but would still like reassurance from a travel agent, Fox World Travel does offer the ability to book travel online, but you can chat live with a travel agent or call while doing it for added support and reassurance.
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