Arctic Adventure on Land and at Sea

Vacationing in the rugged chill of Arctic Canada might not seem like a peaceful vacation, but as Margie Goldsmith points out in her article, "Running a Marathon in the Canadian Arctic, even far up north where you only picture snow and ice, you can find adventure. She took a cruise ship, Cruise North to tour the beautiful arctic. I would love to take this trip despite the chill, for the experience of a life time, learning about history not taught in classes, seeing whales, icebergs, and more.

I’d signed on partly because the cruise promised icebergs, beluga whales, musk ox, walrus and polar bears, and partly because Cruise North is an Inuit-owned tour operator with Inuit staff onboard, and we’d be stopping at Inuit villages along the way; but mainly because midway through the voyage, there’d be a 26.2-mile marathon to be held on top of a 3,000-foot-high fjord.

Churchill is the polar bear capital of the world, our bus driver/guide said, but that’s in the fall when polar bears migrate out to the ice; this was July. That was one surprise. Another was that the temperature here was 90 degrees Fahrenheit, not the 50-degree average for July.

“They are thought to be ancestors of Native American Indians. The early ancestors of the Inuit are believed to have crossed the Bering Straight 10,000 years ago, migrating from the area currently known as Mongolia. It seems unfathomable to think all the world’s people simply went about roaming the earth ceaselessly. Yet, the logistics of such a migration offer a realistic perspective. The circumference of the earth is approximately 40,000 kilometers (about 25,000 miles)."

There were no spectators, but Inuit volunteers from Kangiqsujuaq, a village three hours away, had come out early to build Inutshuks out of rocks at each kilometer marker. They manned the water spots every four miles, and cheered us on. The average time was four hours and change. I was out much longer because I hurt my foot on a rock. That left me little choice but to walk the entire second half of the race.

Experience Alaska's Beauty without the Carbon Footprint

As discussed in a NY Times article from earlier this year, luxury cruise ships are detrimental to the environment, and when you're looking to spend your vacation enjoying the natural beauty of Alaska, that's a BIG no-no. There is an alternative: All Aboard Yacht Charters (vessel pictured), which caters to groups no larger than ten and promises to show travelers the real Alaska, "up close and personal." While Alaska's luxury cruise tourism has been suffering, here's hoping that a small business like this can hold its own.

Enjoy an excerpt from the NY Times article below:

According to environmentalists, carbon dioxide emissions are just a drop in the ocean when it comes to eco problems on luxury liners. Most ships run on so-called bunker fuel, the cheapest and dirtiest fuel oil, which not only powers the vessel, but also all the amenities on board: restaurants, swimming pools and nightclubs among them. Royal Caribbean will launch its largest ship yet this year, the Oasis of the Seas with a capacity of 5,400 passengers, and its amenities will include a microclimate-controlled Central Park, with irrigation and drainage systems, as well as trees that will tower more than two and a half decks high.

Then there is the issue of waste. A one-week voyage on a large ship is estimated to produce 210,000 gallons of sewage, a million gallons of gray water (runoff from sinks, baths, showers, laundry and galleys), 25,000 gallons of oily bilge water, 11,550 gallons of sewage sludge and more than 130 gallons of hazardous wastes, according to figures supplied by the environmental group Friends of the Earth.

Lower Prices on the High Seas (but they still need to lower their footprint)

Suppose you build an outrageously large and opulent boat:

 

Your entire business model involves the manufacture of grandeur. You’re in the service industry, and your customers are served a taste of posh affluence.

  

Perhaps your company’s name even subtly hints towards the regal (Royal Caribbean; Princess), or alludes to festivals and escape and the unbridling of inhibitions (Carnival), or—maybe—simply and bluntly appeals to a culturally universal yearning towards popularity (Celebrity). 

 

Now suppose the floor falls out from under that market.

 

Though decidedly harsh (and possibly a tad caustic), this equivocation is pretty much descriptive of the big cruise lines’ current positions.

 

By now, the phrase “another victim of the economic downturn” has become a bit trite. But, in truth, that’s the exact boat [sorry] these companies are in.

 

The downturn[/recession/depression/collapse/pick-your-favorite-descriptive-noun]has emasculated nearly all luxury segments, and cruise lines aren’t unique in that respect. But, unlike Fendi, and Bergdorf Goodman (who can stop making so many conspicuously unnecessary luxury goods, and stocking absurd $600 hats respectively), cruise lines are in a bit of a pickle, in that they can’t exactly stop owning 1100ft. boats. (Currently—according to a recent poll asking dudes named Steve who happen to be writing blogs about cruise lines and fur hats—there’s even less of a market for 1100ft. boats than there is for “Silver Fox Fur Hats,” which, though impressive, illustrates the corner these companies have painted themselves into.)

Two articles on the New York Times deal with cruise vacations.

One of them discusses the fact that now just might be the best time to book a cruise. The other might (if you happen to be particularly susceptible overreactions when reading about carbon footprints) blow your mind.

As it turns out, when you're saddled with a boat the size of a small city and interest goes down in expensive vacations, you have to cut prices. This fact is nicely summed up in the second sentence of the first article: "Practically all cruise lines are offering significant discounts to just about anywhere they sail."

They're literally giving away vacations (if you're an accompanied child):

"MSC Cruises, which already allows children ages 17 and under to sail free, has savings of up to 50 percent for baby boomers at least 50 years old and seniors on Caribbean sailings with rates from $499 a person for seven nights, and 60 percent off European cruises for seniors. And Norwegian Cruise Line has just introduced rates for kids, or any third guest or more sharing a cabin, as low as $99, down from $499 normally, and will offer up to $250 in on-board credit good toward shore excursions, specialty dinners, spa treatments or other extras on bookings made by March 15."

Before you click, call, or pack to jump on a great deal, you should read the second article--especially if you're concerned with the other type of green. 

Those who assumed that sailing was the eco-friendly choice should know that cruise ships, "emit nearly twice as much carbon dioxide as airplanes." Worse yet,

"According to environmentalists, carbon dioxide emissions are just a drop in the ocean when it comes to eco problems on luxury liners. Most ships run on so-called bunker fuel, the cheapest and dirtiest fuel oil, which not only powers the vessel, but also all the amenities on board: restaurants, swimming pools and nightclubs among them. Royal Caribbean will launch its largest ship yet this year, the Oasis of the Seas with a capacity of 5,400 passengers, and its amenities will include a microclimate-controlled Central Park, with irrigation and drainage systems, as well as trees that will tower more than two and a half decks high."

Despite all the cause for alarm, the  Cruise Line International Association remains hopeful:

"Terry Dale, chief executive officer of the association, said, “Even in these tough economic times, we are forecasting that in 2009 a record 13.5 million people will take a cruise,” adding that last year the industry was worth $38 billion, employing roughly 350,000 United States workers. “As a leader in travel we feel we have to be industry stewards of the environment,” he said. “We are not sitting back, but rather trying hard to be proactive and meet the challenges.”"

Cruise Ships - Cause Commotion

I have written before about cruises and the benefits that arise from taking one. I have failed to write about the down side to cruises - especially the really big ones that go to the really big ports. An article I found on SmartMoney talked all about the effects that large cruise lines are having on the ports that they stop at and also the effects it's having on travelers who are not a part of the cruise. Read below for more from Cruise-Ship Gridlock at the Island Ports

With the cruise industry booming (even in this economy), port and resort towns throughout the Caribbean are facing a flurry of cruise crowds. Last year the Bahamas alone hosted more than 2.4 million cruisers, and George Town, Grand Cayman, is regularly visited by up to six ships a day, with a combined passenger capacity of more than 14,000 — well over a quarter of the 22-mile-long island's total population. The largest islands may be able to hold the vacationing masses, but stepping off the ship at smaller ones is "like stepping into a tidal wave of people,"

Caribbean remains the destination of choice for nearly half of the 12.8 million people expected to set sail this year. In addition to old standards like Cozumel and St. Thomas, little guys like St. Vincent, once just a blip on the radar, have seen cruise traffic spike by nearly 70 percent in the past year alone.

While the average Caribbean cruiser spends $98 per port, according to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, bars and restaurants usually see less than $8 of that, since they're competing, in part, with the ships' free food. Hotels do even worse. And the size of the crowds alone can make doing business in the ports nearly impossible, turning off the onshore guests who pump money into tourism mainstays.

The cruise lines, for their part, say they're doing plenty of crowd control. They point to an increase in staggered scheduling, meaning ships leave their home ports on various days, avoiding the gridlock that results when everyone sets sail on Saturday and returns a week later.

For more of this article, visit SmartMoney

Cruising Alaska

Cruises I am told can be a wondrous experience - full of music, people, sights, smells, activities, and of coarse GREAT food. I have yet to go on one, but my family and I have been discussing doing one to Alaska. Which cruise is the best pick though?? Looking around online I found this great article with some helpful suggestions on a trip to AK. I picked out some good tips from the Chicago Suns article "Alaska's Inside Passage: Wild coast":

Options aplenty

Now, as then, the basic coastal voyage remains the standard, the trip most travelers try first. Sailing between the ragged Pacific coastline and hundreds of outer islands, the route charts a path between Vancouver, Canada (or Seattle) and the Gulf of Alaska, skimming the highlights and calling at A-list ports like Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway and Juneau.

Convenience vs. close-ups

To give them their due, mega-ships are a thrill a minute. More hotel than ship, these floating resorts have panoramic views and glam entertainment. Luxury dining, dance bands, spa treatments, nightclub acts, casinos, Internet access, a choice of restaurants and staterooms with picture windows are standard fare. Art collections, investment seminars and children's programs juke up the choices. And storm friendly? Most definitely. These goliaths are so stable, it's hard to tell when you're moving.

But that same giant will be too wide and sit too deep in the water ("draft" it's called) to sail close to shore. If there's a brown bear prowling that distant beach, he'll look like a dot. If the captain has his hand on the throttle and you're not standing in the stern holding your binoculars you'll miss the sea lions on the rocks.

Best compromise

For a combination of small ship convenience and large ship entertainment, check out the Empress of the North, Majestic America Line's 231-passenger sternwheeler. This riverboat look-alike sails seven-night loop cruises out of Juneau, reprising the bawdy days of the 1898 Gold Rush to the Yukon. You'd never guess that that Victorian silk upholstery, brass railings, gilt mirrors and silk pillows are new. So are the amenities, including TV, DVD player, telephone and minibar. Bathrooms come with showers and tubs. The onboard historian is a fount of Gold Rush anecdotes.

Finish this article and more at the Chicago Sun Times