What if I told you that you could do something truly unique and adventurous, something that the whole family would love? What if I told you that there was a family cruise destination so breathtakingly beautiful and teeming with wildlife that you could spend days captivated at the rail of a cruise ship and still not get enough? Would you be interested? Sure you would.

Few people have visited Alaska without having been changed by the experience. Much of the terrain consists of gorgeous, formidable glaciers and ice fields which cover over 5% of Alaska’s land surface.

This natural beauty can be seen from many top tourist destinations of Alaska including Juneau, Valdez, Seward and the Matanuska Valley, but is usually only fully appreciated with an up close and personal view that only a cruise through the inland waterways can afford. From this vantage point you will stand spellbound by tidewater glaciers that reach over 100 ft. in height and the antics of wildlife such as humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, dolphins, brown bears and bald eagles.

In Alaska, there is a multitude of attractions that will keep you coming back for more. Cruise the

• PRICE. Rooms on the top decks are pricy. Do you want this luxury or would you rather spend your money on other things? We wanted a comfortable cabin with enough space to move about and dry our laundry. When our travel agent called and said he could upgrade us to a more expensive cabin with a veranda we turned down the deal.
• POSITION. Your travel agent will supply you with a plan of the ship. Study the plan carefully before you reserve a cabin. Our cabin was in the middle of the ship and on the same floor as the lifeboats, which made the lifeboat drill easy. The door to the promenade deck was just a few feet down the hall and we walked as often as we could.
• CONVENIENCE. It’s convenient to have a cabin close to elevators and stairs. One of the things we liked best about our cabin was that it was close to the laundry. Our ship would do our laundry for $32 but we could do it ourselves for a $2.00 washing machine fee and $1.00 dryer fee. We would put a load in the washing machine, go back to our

It is said that the happiest days of a boat owner’s life are the day she buys a boat, and the day she sells it. Truer words were never spoken. It has also been said that owning a boat is like standing in a cold shower tearing up $20 bills. This is not true. You’re tearing up $100 bills, at least.

All my friends were shopping madly, all over town, buying clothes, shoes, furniture. I was at Home Depot melting my Visa card on stuff like stainless steel piano hinge. Wood plugs. Router bits. I do have every power tool known to God and Bob Vila, so Tim Allen, kiss my…keel. I was committed to this relationship. Committed? I was certifiable – I lived on my boat. And what a harsh house-mother she was, too.

As you read this, raise your arms so your hands are close together, right over your head. Keep them there for four hours. Every spring, I was forced to do this for days at a time. Holding a ten pound grinder. Carpal tunnel? I had the entire carpal subway system.

Every task I undertook involved a toxic chemical. My life

On Sundays and Wednesdays there is a market which sells both local crafts and antiques. The marina was originally built in 1987 and has a total of 739 berths, of which 33 are 25-30 metres, and 8 are over 30 metres. These are often fully booked, particularly when one of the major sporting events is taking place such as the Volvo masters. Construction is well under way to increase this number to over 1000. There are a variety of restaurants, bars and shops to suit all tastes but many clients feel that the marina lacks atmosphere and can be rather soulless, particularly out of season. There are much prettier and more intimate marinas further up the coast such as Duquesa and Cabopina.

Mooring is available both alongside and stern to. The maximum length of yacht that can be accommodated is 70 metres and the maximum draught is 4.5 metres, with a maximum beam of 14 metres. Prices vary between 90 euros in high season to 50 euros in low season based on a 24m plus yacht for a 24 hour period. The nearest International airport is Gibraltar approx. 25km away, and the nearest heliport is 20km. Facilities

You may consult a travel agent who has specialization in cruising. There are so many travel agents that are specializing in Caribbean, Alaska or Rhine etc. You’ve to just meet an experienced travel agent who has specialization in the area where you want to spend your vacations. Sometimes the agent has not any experience about that place so you should choose travel agent carefully.

Today Internet offers great information about bargain cruises. At present every cruise line has its own web site and they offers complete information about their cruise. You can book your seats in advance by getting information via Internet. You can also get discounts by reserving your seats in advance. Cruise lines updates their sites regularly to give latest information about cruise. You can also have a look of floor plan of ship and its cabins from their website that will help you in making right decision. You should search for unsold empty cabins for getting heavy discounts.

Generally last minute cruise bargains offers heavy discount because the cruise lines are trying to fill empty cabins at the departure time. So it is the best option to choose the cruise that is going