The Ultimate Alaskan Cruise: Woody's Around the World Travel Guide

It doesn't matter if you have seven weeks of vacation a year or none, this series of articles will not only show you several places to travel, but also different ways for you to save along the way. I want you to get out a pen and paper and write the following down: I will go on vacation in 2008, I will go on vacation in 2008, I will g.....okay enough that. I didn't figure the subliminal messages in this article were going to do much so I tried a different route. Okay, "ON WITH IT!"

Woody sold vacations for 5 years stemming anywhere from the United States to package deals in India. Yes you read that right, India. Different people have different needs and tastes and well we must accommodate as many as we can. So where is a good place to start on this journey? NO, not Gatlinburg, or Branson we need something off the wall, you know to spark your interest like uhm..............................Alaska.

I know, the thought of Alaska doesn't sound like a vacation. The majority of people when they think of vacation think about somewhere warm, sunny, and at times even tropical. Its kind of like me asking you what the biggest desert in the world is out there. What would be your answer? Usually people will say the Sahara Desert. Why? People associate desert with somewhere hot. However, getting a little technical here the entire continent of Antarctica is in measurement the largest desert in the world. However a trip to Alaska can be just as entertaining and an experience of a lifetime.

Its fun to do a little pretending about vacationing so I just got us two tickets for a 13 day Alaskan Cruise. Now since the "off-peak" time is usually in between May and September our journey will start on September 20th that way we keep our costs down and can enjoy up to about 18-23 hours of daylight time. I know pretty crazy right? Good news is I had enough frequent flier miles left to get us both round trip airfare right into Vancouver where we'll be departing from. It was suggested that we fly in a couple days earlier just to get used to the surroundings and time change.

We are aboard the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas which is highly recommended by many guests and it is time to depart. We'll be at sea the rest of today and all the way through the 21st until we reach our first destination Sitka, Alaska. Where history is king learning about the Tlingit Indian Tribe and Russians who had settled there in the 18th century. Where you can take a self-guided short hike to the Tlingit Fort, watching native dance performances around fire pits. If your more of a water person you can grab a kayak and take a few different tours available. You'll also find several shops and a mall where you can buy souvenirs and eat lunch. Whatever you do get in as much as you can and make sure your back to the cruise ship at least 30 minutes early. If you aren't back by departure they won't wait for you.

For the next 14 hours you will spend on the Serenade of the Seas before finding yourself engulfed in the Hubbard Glacier. Which is 76 miles long. At some point you will cruise alongside the Hubbard (as close as a quarter mile) hearing the glacier itself sound like its trying to tell you something as it dwarfs your ship sitting 300-400 feet above sea level. As pieces of the Hubbard Glacier fall into the water it makes loud noises known to the Tlingit tribe as "white thunder". Next stop, Skagway, Alaska.

A few years before the 20th century many people made their way to Skagway to endure an adventure field with gold. Almost 110 years later its almost as if you've found gold when visiting this historic city. If you miss the train you miss the best part of Skagway. Because of the Klondike gold rush in 1898 the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was created. A ride that will travel around mountains, through tunnels, and over gorges. Its an epic event and is why almost every cruise line offers the ride. You can take walking excursions that leave you searching for gold while panning at Liarsville Gold Rush Camp. Other nostalgic sites are the dog sledding events and even taking in 9 holes of golf around the mountainside.

This is only touching the surface as you continue to other destinations such as Juneau, Icy Strait, and Ketchikan, Alaska before making your way back through Seattle, San Francisco, and finally Los Angeles, California. If your trying to get in as much as you can an Alaskan Cruise is the way to go when traveling around this state. You are getting to see several experiences of a lifetime all on one trip without the hassle of making a vacation schedule yourself. Discussed in the previous paragraphs were simply things to do while at your ports of call. Letting you know that with all the events on the cruise ship itself will make for a memorable trip.

When booking a reservation for this cruise the #1 rule is to do it during the summer months where the cost will be more inexpensive. Also there are 4 different options for rooms when booking your trip (Interior, Ocean View, Balcony, and Suite). Plan on a huge jump in cost from Ocean View to Suite and if you don't plan on staying in your room long the Ocean View is the way to go and you can spend the money you've saved on the room at the ports of call along the way. For more information regarding this trip please visit Hotwire.com that will be clickable for you to go straight the Alaskan Hubbard Glacier Cruise.