In Alaska This Summer, It’ll Be Anchors Aweigh

There’s gold in them thar ports! Or so it might seem, judging by the gold rush of cruise ships heading for Alaska this summer, including the largest vessel ever. For cruisers it means more choices and, in many cases, more competitive fares.

Although Alaska cruising has been growing in recent years, the Sept. 11 attacks sent new ships into the market as some cruise lines decided to pull back from Europe this summer and redeploy to domestic destinations that some U.S. travelers perceive as safer.

This summer 25 ships from major cruise lines will ply Alaskan waters, three more than last year, says John Hansen, president of the North West Cruise Ship Assn. in Vancouver, Canada. They will carry about 10% more passengers than last year, logging a record 5.5 million “berth days” (number of berths multiplied by days in port), he says. And those figures don’t count small boats from boutique lines that dart in and out of bays.

The growth is not without controversy. Ruling in a suit by environmentalists, a federal judge in Anchorage last year ordered cruise lines to reduce summer visits to scenic Glacier Bay; the number of visits has since been restored by congressional action. Some activists remain concerned about the impact of so many ships on Alaska’s environment, even though the industry last year adopted stricter rules on wastewater discharge and has spent millions to upgrade antipollution equipment (including plugging some ships into Juneau’s electric grid to avoid emitting diesel smoke in port).

Saying cruise lines should pay their fair share of costs, Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles earlier this month proposed a $30-per-head tax on ship passengers to help bail out the state’s deficit-ridden budget. Hansen says his group opposes the tax and will cite the industry’s economic benefits to the state in upcoming hearings.

Alaska cruising continues to grow nonetheless, spurred by spectacular scenery and sports-minded shore tours. Here’s a roundup of some cruise lines’ Alaska plans this season, with an emphasis on what’s new. All prices are per person, double occupancy, mostly based on brochure rates; lower fares may be available with early-booking discounts or other specials.

* Princess will send its newest ship, the 2,600-passenger Star Princess, to Alaska this summer for weeklong cruises. It will be the largest cruise ship to visit Alaska, says spokeswoman Denise Seomin. Also among the line’s six ships in Alaska (versus five last year) will be the Regal Princess, which was redeployed for the summer from Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltics after Sept. 11. It will run 10-night Alaska sailings from San Francisco. There will be 104 Alaska departures for the line in 2002, 13 more than last year.

In May, Princess plans to open its fifth hotel in the state, the 84-room Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge, near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in south-central Alaska. It will be a base for excursions by plane, jet boat, raft, canoe and dog sled, as well as fishing trips. Ten-night packages that combine a stay at the lodge with a cruise start at $1,749. Cruise-only prices in Alaska start at $999 for a week. (For the first time, early booking discounts in Alaska, up to 37%, will be extended through April, a spokeswoman said.)

* Holland America Line also will have six ships in Alaska this season. It had planned to drop to five, but after Sept. 11 it reassigned the 1,380-passenger Amsterdam from Europe to Seattle, where it will make weeklong Alaska cruises, among other itineraries. It will be the second Alaska cruise ship based in Seattle. Its faster 22.5-knot speed makes the trip possible in a week.

Fares for Alaska cruises, which a spokesman says cost slightly less than last year, begin at $799 per week. There are also six new land tours, plus early-booking discounts through Feb. 28 for combined land-cruise trips.

* Celebrity Cruises redeployed its 1,870-passenger Mercury from the Baltics and the Mediterranean for the summer after Sept. 11, giving it three ships in Alaska this year versus two last year. The others are the Infinity and Summit, each with a passenger capacity of 1,950. All three make weeklong sailings from Vancouver. Prices begin at $949; land-cruise packages include rail tours of the Canadian Rockies.

* Seabourn Cruise Line, which hasn’t sailed to Alaska in five years, decided after Sept. 11 to redeploy its 208-passenger Seabourn Spirit from the eastern Mediterranean to Vancouver for mostly 10- or 11-night sailings to Alaska. Most were sold out by early February, and Seabourn does not plan to return to Alaska next year, a spokesman says. Fares start at $3,499.

* The others: Several major lines will station one or two ships each in Alaska. Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2,002-passenger Norwegian Sky will do weeklong Alaska itineraries from Seattle. The 1,748-passenger Norwegian Wind will make weeklong sailings from Vancouver. Fares begin at $749. Royal Caribbean International has its 1,800-passenger Legend of the Seas and 2,100-passenger Radiance of the Seas doing seven-night trips. Fares, which are mostly lower than last year, begin at $949. Land-cruise packages include rail tours of the Canadian Rockies. Carnival Cruise Lines’ 1,124-passenger Carnival Spirit will return with weeklong Vancouver-Alaska sailings. Fares begin at $799. Radisson’s Seven Seas Navigator, with 490 passengers, will make mostly weeklong sailings from Vancouver. Fares begin at $2,695. Crystal Cruises’ 940-passenger Crystal Harmony returns with mostly 12-night sails from San Francisco. Fares for these begin at $2,975.

* “Boutique” ships: Several companies offer Alaska cruises mostly on small vessels, many of which can enter smaller, more remote bays. Some also offer adventurous sports or tour options. Cruise West’s six ships carry 70 to 114 people each. New offerings include bush-plane tours of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a 13-night cruise between Prince William Sound and Nome. Fares begin at $1,069 for a four-night cruise. American Safari Cruises added a third yacht, the 12-passenger Safari Escape, this year; its two other yachts carry 12 and 22 passengers each. They run various itineraries between Sitka and Prince Rupert. New this year, you can combine back-to-back cruises for a 14-night trip. Fares begin at $3,695 for eight days. Glacier Bay Cruiseline operates five- to nine-night cruises on its three boats, which carry 35 to 92 passengers each. Fares begin at $1,380; there’s no single supplement for May and September trips. Lindblad Expeditions continues to run weeklong and 10-night itineraries on its two 70-passenger boats. Fares begin at $3,690. World Explorer Cruises’ single ship, the 737-passenger Universe Explorer, makes eight- to 14-night sailings from Vancouver that emphasize the area’s culture, biology and geology. Fares begin at $1,525.

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Jane Engle welcomes comments and suggestions but cannot respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, or e-mail jane .engle@latimes.com.