[twisted_ophelia]

Ches (I think it was you, Ches!) asked if any of us had been to Alaska in chat the other night and I just recently picked up some books from the travel agent about Alaska because I'd really love to go so it got me thinking that I should start up this topic and see if anyone has experienced being up there. I'm not planning on going this year but I'm thinking next summer. Have any of you guys gone and have some experiences to share? I do not want to do a cruise or anything which seems to be the popular way to see Alaska, I'd like to be on the land. I've also considered going and checking out northern Canada like the Yukon so if anyone has been up there, please share! Thanks!

mimi

[Ches]

Eh, Im going.. but Im cruising.. Im more interested in the whales, icebergs, night sky.. more so than the bears!

Hey I can tell you this after looking in to it all.. The northern Lights are best seen Sept-March.. Cruises are only offered March-Sept.. so thats a bitch.. but u can always plan to be there LATE summer if u want the best chance of seeing those beautiful wonders..

We are rolling out on the week of,. hmm I htink its Sept 3rd.. last cruise available.. and NO MOON for a few days.. should be pretty cool.. Our best chance!

My bros are stoked about the salmon fishing.. Im sure they wish we were going to spend less time on a ship.. I however am all about the ice cream bar on the ship, f*@k salmon!

[Tim13]

I was born there and, except for college and vacations, lived until 2007.

http://www.tim13.com/timnet/index.htm

[twisted_ophelia]

Ches, on Jun 30 2009, 03:27 PM, said:

Eh, Im going.. but Im cruising.. Im more interested in the whales, icebergs, night sky.. more so than the bears!

Hey I can tell you this after looking in to it all.. The northern Lights are best seen Sept-March.. Cruises are only offered March-Sept.. so thats a bitch.. but u can always plan to be there LATE summer if u want the best chance of seeing those beautiful wonders..

We are rolling out on the week of,. hmm I htink its Sept 3rd.. last cruise available.. and NO MOON for a few days.. should be pretty cool.. Our best chance!

My bros are stoked about the salmon fishing.. Im sure they wish we were going to spend less time on a ship.. I however am all about the ice cream bar on the ship, f*@k salmon!

That sounds awesome! I would so love to see the whales and icebergs but definitely want to go on land and then maybe do some kind of boating/whale watching. I would also love to see the nothern lights and would maybe go in early fall instead of summer in order to see them. When are the whales around? A lot of whales go away to mate, give birth, etc., and I would hate to go to see whales only to find that they're in some other part of the ocean. How much did you end up paying for the trip? Pricey? Ice cream bar =

Nice site, Tim! Beautiful pics! Makes me want to go to Alaska even more!

This post has been edited by twisted_ophelia: 01 July 2009 - 03:57 AM

[AndrewB]

CRUISE = Giant floating shopping mall. Menu: Bacon wrapped scallops, Bacon wrapped "fillet mignon" and other assorted PRE-frozen but ALWAYS fresh delicacies prepared by the well trained staff.

Good god, i sound bitter.. Maybe i need a cruise.

[twisted_ophelia]

AndrewB, on Jul 1 2009, 11:21 AM, said:

CRUISE = Giant floating shopping mall. Menu: Bacon wrapped scallops, Bacon wrapped "fillet mignon" and other assorted PRE-frozen but ALWAYS fresh delicacies prepared by the well trained staff.

Good god, i sound bitter.. Maybe i need a cruise.

I went on a cruise around the Greek Islands once. It was fun, we had a good time, but I'd still much rather be on land exploring and all that. No more cruises for me.

[Ches]

haha cruises arent exactly the coolest way to travel but theres 8,maybe 10, of us going.. all family, which means a bunch of spoiled brats..cruises are soo inclusive u cant go wrong..

who cares about the shitty food, they have 24/7 ice cream and coffee.. HELLO?!

[acidtwix]

watch out for vampires..

[Ches]

acidtwix, on Jul 1 2009, 12:14 PM, said:

watch out for vampires..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, f*@k.. at least its not Zombies!

SECRET BESTIE CODE "KIK"

[twisted_ophelia]

Ches, on Jul 1 2009, 01:09 PM, said:

haha cruises arent exactly the coolest way to travel but theres 8,maybe 10, of us going.. all family, which means a bunch of spoiled brats..cruises are soo inclusive u cant go wrong..

who cares about the shitty food, they have 24/7 ice cream and coffee.. HELLO?!

I don't recall the food on my Greek cruise being shitty. And 24/7 ice cream and coffee? That kicks ass! You will have lots of fun, no doubt!

Ches, on Jul 1 2009, 01:17 PM, said:

acidtwix, on Jul 1 2009, 12:14 PM, said:

watch out for vampires..

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, f*@k.. at least its not Zombies!

SECRET BESTIE CODE "KIK"

LMAO my ex hubby is scared of zombies. And I mean for real. You can't even mention zombies around him. It's hilarious.

[Tim13]

I'd highly recommend Princess Tours, they have first class modern facilities on land and have contracts with a lot of local businesses (fishing trips, flightseeing, glacier cruises, etc) which is very important because the huge number of summertime visitors makes things difficult.

I'd go with a Prince William Sound (Whittier) destination and hop on the train to Denali Park and the interior to see the best of Alaska. A lot of people go one way then fly back out.

Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, while beautiful is much more commercialized and is crammed with tourists in the summer months. It does offer the best fishing in the world-but everybody knows it and goes there.

[kdenon01]

I'm glad you asked this. We are planning on doing an Alaskan cruise next summer. It's something i've always wanted to do.

[twisted_ophelia]

Tim13, on Jul 1 2009, 06:20 PM, said:

I'd highly recommend Princess Tours, they have first class modern facilities on land and have contracts with a lot of local businesses (fishing trips, flightseeing, glacier cruises, etc) which is very important because the huge number of summertime visitors makes things difficult.

I'd go with a Prince William Sound (Whittier) destination and hop on the train to Denali Park and the interior to see the best of Alaska. A lot of people go one way then fly back out.

Seward and the Kenai Peninsula, while beautiful is much more commercialized and is crammed with tourists in the summer months. It does offer the best fishing in the world-but everybody knows it and goes there.

Cool, thanks for the tips! I don't fish but I love boating (just not cruises hehe) and being on the water in general so I would definitely like to do some sightseeing from the water but also check out the interior and all that. What about skiing in Alaska? If I go in the winter, I'd loooove to do some monoskiing there. I also cannot stand being surrounded by tourists so I'm thinking I'd rather go in the late fall/early winter/early spring. I don't mind harsh weather as long as I'm bundled up and got my knobby tires on my chair!

[Tim13]

I think you'd like Alyeska resort
http://www.alyeskaresort.com/
it's just outside Anchorage, has a great view and excellent skiing. I've only been skiing there before i was injured but they are home to Challenge Alaska which provides lessons, equipment etc for disabled skiing and other sports so you can assume it's very wheelchair friendly (as much as a ski resort can be i guess).
As far as being around tourists, that won't be an issue in the winter lol.
Just avoid major holidays and it's pretty dead.

Direct link to challenge Alaska:
http://www.alyeskare...intNodeID=22280

And my favorite, snowmobiling! (they're called snowmachines in AK)
one of these tours will put you into some incredible country:
http://www.alyeskare...intNodeID=11103

This post has been edited by Tim13: 02 July 2009 - 04:51 PM

[twisted_ophelia]

Tim13, on Jul 2 2009, 12:35 PM, said:

I think you'd like Alyeska resort
http://www.alyeskaresort.com/
it's just outside Anchorage, has a great view and excellent skiing. I've only been skiing there before i was injured but they are home to Challenge Alaska which provides lessons, equipment etc for disabled skiing and other sports so you can assume it's very wheelchair friendly (as much as a ski resort can be i guess).
As far as being around tourists, that won't be an issue in the winter lol.
Just avoid major holidays and it's pretty dead.

Direct link to challenge Alaska:
http://www.alyeskare...intNodeID=22280

And my favorite, snowmobiling! (they're called snowmachines in AK)
one of these tours will put you into some incredible country:
http://www.alyeskare...intNodeID=11103

Awesome!!! That sounds like it is EXACTLY what I would enjoy--skiing and snowmobiling. In the winter months, what is a good time to come for a visit? I don't want to come in the dead of winter when the weather is extreme and super harsh but I'd still like there to be plenty of snow and ski time.

[Bill Forrester]

I have just got back from an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver on the Zuiderdam. I had put up a lot of photos on my facebook page and collected a lot of accessible information if you want some specifics.
http://www.facebook.com/wforrester58

Regards,

Bill

This post has been edited by Bill Forrester: 13 July 2009 - 05:05 AM

[Bill Forrester]

Holland America's Zuiderdam accessible cabin. The Zuiderdam sails out of Vancouver to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan including both Tracy Arm and Glacier bay

[Bill Forrester]

Bathroom of the same cabin

[Bill Forrester]

Ches,
If you want Whales these are for you. Same cruise 27th June this year.

[Bill Forrester]

Glaciers and Icebergs

[twisted_ophelia]

Bill, those were some amazing pics of the whales and glaciers!!! I love whales. Seeing them in the wild like that would just blow me away. That cabin looks awesome.