News, Notes and Specials
Happy New Year! The staff of CruisePerfect.com has had a great time this
year booking cruises for all the new cruisers to CruisePerfect.com as
well as experienced cruisers that have put their trust in CruisePerfect.com
to fulfill their cruise vacation dreams. In this months newsletter we
will talk about this year’s most popular destination, Alaska. We
will also let you be the first to hear about our brand new special starting
January 1st, 2005.
Winter Special
We are offering one of our most exciting specials for those customers
who book a cruise during the winter months for anytime in 2005 or 2006.
Book online at CruisePerfect.com on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival
or Norwegian and receive a shipboard credit applied to your stateroom,
it is that easy!
Select a cruise line
below for the best fares to your favorite destinations |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Here is how to calculate the amount of your credit, add up all the cruise
fare not counting any taxes and fees or airfare charges and use the simple
chart below to see your credit...
Complete details of this offer available here.
Spotlight on Alaska
Introduction
Once
upon a time, some 5,000 to 40,000 years ago, a strip of land connected
the American land masses to Asia. Known as the Bering Land Bridge, it
guided animals and people into a new life as settlements sprang up around
what we know today as Alaska. That bridge is long gone, but during winter,
when the Bering Strait freezes over, it is still possible to walk across
the Strait -- from Little Diomede Island in the US to Big Diomede Island
in Russia.
Russia governed Alaska as a colony for nearly as long as the US has governed
as a territory and state. This early Russian heritage is very much alive
today, through quaint villages and historic architecture. Russian names
dot the geographical landscape. But long before Russians arrived, Tlingit,
Haida, and Tshimshian Indians thrived in southeast Alaska, a region of
lush forests and a mild climate, with an abundance of fish, game, and
edible plants. Inland tribes, such as the Athabascans, faced a harsher
reality, with severe weather and famine more common occurrences.
The US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, but the territory did not
become a state until 1959. Today the diverse Native peoples remain a strong
presence in the state, and much of the native culture is still practiced.
Alaska is divided into five distinct regions. The Inside Passage was
shaped millions of years ago when massive glaciers sliced their way southward,
leaving behind wildlife-filled fjords and lush island scenery. Here are
habitats for bald eagles, sea lions, porpoises and whales, and majestic
forests carpet its mountains.
The Southcentral is home to over half of Alaska's human population. This
civilized gateway to the wilderness offers a myriad of activities.
In the Interior, Alaska's heartland, are wide expanses of Tundra and
Mt. McKinley. Forests teem with wildlife, from the fearsome grizzly to
the majestic caribou. Look for the Willow Ptarmigan, Alaska's state bird,
along the highway to Denali National Park.
The Far North is filled with natural wonders, including the Gates of
the Arctic National Park and Preserve. This region is also home to the
Inupiat Eskimos, who pass their history verbally from one generation to
the next. Their natural lifestyle coexists and contrasts with modern oilfield
technology.
The Southwest is home to Katmai National Park, whose volcanic landscape
resulted from the 1912 eruption of the Novarupta volcano. This is a naturalist's
paradise: brown bears saunter along, accompanied by more than 240 species
of birds. It I from here that the Aleutian Islands begin their 1,000-mile
sweep toward Asia.
Welcome to the home of summer's midnight sun and winter's northern lights.
Welcome to Alaska, the Great Land!
Attractions & Activities
Alaska
is big -- its 570,373-square-mile area is one-fifth the size of the continental
US and over twice the size of Texas. With that much area to cover, you
must do some serious prioritizing. This incredible state offers fishing,
bird- and wildlife-watching, skiing (both downhill and cross country),
cruising, sightseeing, as well as historical and cultural activities and
adventure and Ecotourism, and much more. Where do you want to start?
Attractions:
The variety of activities available to you is as diverse as the land and
people. Since 1995, Alaska has designated 11 state scenic byways. In 1998,
the Seward Highway was designated a National Scenic Byway. The others
are: the Alaska Railroad, Marine Highway System, Dalton Highway, Glenn
Highway, Haines Highway, Parks Highway (Denali State Park to Healy), Richardson
Highway (from Glenallen to Valdez), Steese Highway, Sterling Highway from
Wye to Skilak and from Anchor Point to Homer, and the Taylor -Top-of-the-World
Highway.
The Treadwell Mine History Tour is a self-guided hike along the Treadwell
Trail beginning at Sandy Beach on Douglas Island. A map with information
on the mining history of the area is available at the Juneau-Douglas City
Museum or Davis Log Cabin Visitors Center. The largest stamp mill in the
world (960 stamps) was located here. At one time, Douglas was the largest
city in Alaska.
Don't forget the mountains: 17 of the nation-s 20 highest peaks are in
Alaska, including Mt. McKinsey (20,320 feet/ meters), the tallest mountain
in North America. There are also more active glaciers in Alaska than in
the rest of the inhabited world, with around 100,000 glaciers in all.
The Marine Highway System covers 3,500 miles and serves 30 ports. Alaska
has 3 million lakes, over 3,000 rivers, and more coastline than the entire
continental US - 47,300 miles. As for parklands, there are 15 National
Parks, Preserves, and Monuments, and 3.2 million acres of State Park lands.
And if that isn't enough to impress you, think consider this: Alaska
is home to the largest known concentration of bald eagles; over 3,000
converge near Haines from October through January to feed on late-run
salmon in the Chilkat River.
Landmarks:
Alaska has far too many landmarks to name them all. Here are some of the
highlights.
Houston is the historic crossroad for numerous trails accessing placer
gold mines on Willow Creek. Take the scenic 15-mile gold trail to Little
Willow Creek on the west side of Independence mine. The trail leads to
the heart of the Willow Creek mining district. Today, the area is popular
for its recreational opportunities and scenic beauty. Additional trails
may be accessed at the end of the Houston trail, taking the visitor into
ghost towns of hard rock gold mines.
Central has the area's only surviving roadhouse and a mining museum.
In Chicken, log cabins and the schoolhouse featured in the book Tisha
still stand. Chitina is a living ghost town, and several mining era buildings
remain. Many miners went to Circle Hot Springs to relax, and it is still
open to the public today. Copper Center had a trading post in 1896; in
1898-99, 300 prospectors wintered here. The village became the principal
settlement and supply center in the region. Dyea's dock pilings and the
cemetery for victims of an avalanche at Chilkoot Pass are among the remains
of the town at the base of the Chilkoot Trail. In Eagle, a number of buildings
remain, including Fort Egbert, the courthouse and waterhouse. The historical
society has tours and many exhibits. Iditarod is ghost town that was a
supply center on the Iditarod Trail. Juneau has many Gold Rush homes,
businesses, and mine buildings remaining, including the remnants of the
Alaska Juneau Mining Company. The city and state museums have mining exhibits.
Other landmarks are Jack London's Cabin in Dawson City, Yukon Territory;
the Largest Gold Pan in the US, Nome; Skagway's Gold Rush Cemetery and
Broadway, its most famous street; Dyea and the Chilkoot Trail; Klondike
Highway and Trail of '98; Chickaloon-Nelchina-Knik Trail, Sutton; the
historic town of Chicken; Mineral Creek Canyon near Valdez; and the Stikine
River and Cottonwood Island.
Anchorage
The
home of more than half of the population of Alaska is known as both the
"City of Lights" (winter) and the "City of Flowers"
(summer). It possesses all the cultural amenities and activities one would
expect from any urban center, but this one just happens to be surrounded
by awe-inspiring wilderness.
The city and seaport are located at the head of Cook Inlet. Its amenities
include luxury hotels, fine cuisine, interesting shopping, and area state
parks. This popular visitor destination serves as the center of commerce
for the region. Founded in 1918 as a railway construction camp, it was
severely damaged in 1964 by an earthquake. Evidence of the damage still
exists at Earthquake Park.
With Anchorage as a jumping-off point, you can journey south and discover
the Kenai Peninsula, a scenic jewel and fishing paradise. Visit the quaint
seaside communities and experience Kenai Fjords National Park. To the
west is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, home to nine of the 16 highest
peaks in the US. Don't forget to visit the Matanuska-Susitna Valley with
its fertile farmland where they really do grow giant vegetables, and it's
set against the majestic backdrop of the Chugach Mountains.
So come on up to Anchorage. You'll be glad you did!
Seward
Seward is a beautiful little town and one of Alaska's oldest communities.
Situated at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula, it is
known as the "Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park." This town
of about 3,000 is surrounded on all sides by mountains and overlooks the
blue waters of the bay. The weather is frequently rainy, but on a reasonably
nice day, the view is spectacular. Approaching from the bay allows you
to view the town against magnificent Mt. Marathon (3,022 feet/921 meters).
The Harding Icefield (35 by 20 miles/56.3 by 32.2 kilometers) extends
downs the coast between Seward and Homer, spawning glaciers (eight of
which are tidewater glaciers) and calving icebergs into the bay.
This Gold Rush town was founded when developers tried to build a railroad
from a year-round port to the gold diggings in the Interior. Two companies
went bankrupt before the federal government finally undertook the project
in 1915. Prior to that time, Seward had served as a winter port for miners
from Nome and Iditarod, who followed the mail route now known as the Iditarod
National Historic Trail.
This busy port is home to the Alaska Sealife Center, and other tourism
activities are plentiful and varied. Eagles and otters are commonly seen
from shore. You might want to try the 6.5 hour glacier cruise, which travels
throughout Resurrection Bay. The bustling harbor and historic downtown
district are filled with quaint shops and art galleries.
