Cruising to Alaska via the inside passage is a great way to have a fantastic vacation while enjoying the North American and Canadian coast. The best and most popular way to do it is by cruising up the “inside passage” toward Alaska. People usually start in Washington to begin this cruise, and it is amazing.
To the left you can view what the inside passage route looks like. Where ever you start, you will move up the west coast of North America, in between many islands in the pacific ocean, and up into the gulf of Alaska. Here are some reasons why this is the best way to cruise to Alaska from us at besttimetocruisealaska.com.
The water is quite placid much of the time
The ocean here is placid a lot of the time compared to the open ocean. This is due to much of it being surrounded by land on both sides. The land blocks much of the wind coming from the East and West, aka port and starboard side, leaving only the North and South winds to rock the boat. Much of the time, it will seem like there is no wind at all, which means you will see very little waves in the water. When the ocean is placid you see what looks like long stretches of motionless water that give it the appearance of sparkling glass. The boat moving through the water will not sound as if the water is crashing against it, but instead creates a sound similar to a trickling stream in a forest, moving along side it. It is a very excellent experience.
You get to see the coastline and wildlife while in the passage
There are many awesome outdoor sights on your cruise to Alaska. You can find large orca swimming together for their next meal with their young, depending on what time of year you go. You can find dall’s porpoise, which are very similar to the popular dolphin in other parts of the world. The porpoises will follow the boat and love to play up close, giving you a birds eye view. There are many seal as well. These are very curious animals and just watch as you go by, as you continue on to your destination. Lastly, you can also see sea lions in the water too.
You might even see some wildlife on the shore. Anything native to Canada and Washington, and Alaska is possible to see on this great adventure.These can include:
– Moose
– Bear
– Deer
– Elk
You will also see many types of birds in the sky, as you travel your way to the inside passage of Alaska that you wouldn’t see otherwise. More specifically, you will see eagles, raptors, sea gulls, and many other water birds.
There are many majestic land formations on your way as well. The more north you go the bigger the mountains seem to get. You will see many beautiful glaciers, some landlocked and some floating in the water as they meet the ocean. You will see hundreds of islands, many forests and countless trees, all up the coast of North America.
Lastly, you will visit or see many quiet, small, Alaskan and Canadian coastal communities that have their own charm and adventure about them. Most of these communities have large docs, lots of netting and buoys stacked up in areas close to their boats and, the closer you get to Alaska, the more you will find people dressed in warmer clothing, except in the short summer.
It is like a boat highway
If you are a boat, ship, sailboat, or tugboat connoisseur, you will enjoy the inside passage immensely. It’s almost like a highway since it is surrounded on two sides by land for much of the journey. In contrast, to the open ocean, you would be lucky to see more than a few boats. While on the inside passage, you often see boats coming from the opposite direction to your destination. They will be traveling from North to South, and it’s very easy for you to see them up close and look at some great engineering feats.
Spots that aren’t surrounded on both sides by land
At places in the voyage, where there is no land on the west side, or port side, of the boat, you can view the open ocean. This provides a little bit more variety instead of being in the middle of island and continent for the whole trip. In these areas, you might find it exciting because the waves are sure to get bigger and hit the boat harder than you are used to, because of the wind.
Cruising to Alaska is a great experience that is very unique to other types of cruises. The inside passage is just the most popular and in our opinion, the best way to do it to. If you decide to cruise to Alaska we highly recommend that you do it via the inside passage.
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