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A life on the ocean wave
We caught up with Captain Birger J. Vorland on one of his final voyages before retiring to hear the highlights of his 50-year career.
Your cruise, your way
New to cruise or yet to even set foot on board? Wondering what it’s really like and whether it’s for you? We sat down with our Chairman’s and Brand Ambassador, cruise veteran Fernando Barroso de Oliveira, to ask for his tips on how to make a cruise work for every type of traveler.
Award-winning Alaskan blogger Valerie & Valise gives her insider tips on the must-see sights when cruising the region to help inspire what shore excursions you should book.
TRACK DOWN BEARS
Few experiences capture Alaska’s wild nature quite like watching a bear in its natural habitat. Some of the best places to see them include Kodiak Island, where immense brown bears wade through salmon streams with astonishing grace. Near Wrangell, the Anan Wildlife Observatory offers a front-row view of black and brown bears fishing side by side, while in Haines, the banks of the Chilkat River teem with activity as bears feast on salmon.
FOLLOW THE TOTEM POLE TRAIL
Alaska’s totem poles stand as vivid storytellers of Indigenous heritage and artistry. Along Juneau’s Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail), new works rise in dialogue with ancient traditions. In Ketchikan, Totem Bight State Historical Park and the Totem Heritage Center preserve masterful poles weathered by time. Klawock’s Totem Park showcases some of Alaska’s oldest replicas, while Sitka National Historical Park offers a serene forest walk among these historic and modern symbols of Tlingit culture.
WATCH OUT FOR WHALES
Alaska’s rich waterways are home to many whales and summer is the prime season to see them. From Juneau’s sheltered waters to Icy Strait Point’s rich feeding grounds, humpbacks breach and bubble-net feed just offshore. In Seward, orcas and gray whales patrol the fjords of Kenai Fjords National Park, their sleek forms slicing through the waters. Each sighting – whether the wave of a flipper or a soaring breach – feels like a private performance in nature’s grand theater.
RIDE THE VINTAGE RAILS
A ride on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway narrow-gauge train will offer you both glorious views and an insight into the days of the Klondike Gold Rush. Constructed between 1898 and 1900, the railroad ascends from Skagway nearly 3,000 feet in just 20 miles, tracing a route carved by fortune-seekers through sheer granite slopes and lush alpine valleys. Today, the historic railcars with panoramic windows offer a far more comfortable ascent as well as one of the best ways to glimpse Alaska’s rugged frontier past.
JUMP IN A DOGSLED
Few adventures feel more quintessentially Alaskan than mushing behind a team of eager huskies. In ports such as Juneau, Skagway, and Seward, visitors can experience the thrill firsthand, either by gliding across a glacier by helicopter-accessed sled or racing along forested summer trails on wheeled rigs. Led by seasoned mushers, these excursions offer both excitement and insight into Alaska’s enduring dog-sledding tradition, where teamwork, endurance, and spirit define life in this epic wilderness.
DISCOVER RUSSIAN HERITAGE
Echoes of Russia’s colonial past linger in Alaska’s coastal towns. In Sitka, once the capital of Russian America, St. Michael’s Cathedral gleams with onion domes and centuries-old icons, while nearby Castle Hill recalls the 1867 transfer of Alaska to the United States. On Kodiak Island, the Holy Resurrection Cathedral and Baranov Museum preserve artifacts and architecture from that same era – enduring reminders of a time when Alaska was the Russian Empire’s New World frontier.
Discover our Alaska cruises and Shore Excursions here
