Cruising Alaska Fjords at Prince William Sound

Written by Kriss Hammond


Continued from page 1

A quick tour of Whittier, named afterrepparttar poet John Greenlief Whittier, sees allrepparttar 133681 dynamic sites within a few minutes. The local bards proclaimrepparttar 133682 fishing port: "Nothing Is Prettier Than Whittier." There are three deep-water ports in Alaska: Whittier, Anchorage, and Seward. Most adventure cruisers joined in for bison burgers at one ofrepparttar 133683 local restaurants asrepparttar 133684 Spirit of Glacier Bay was outfitted for our arrival.

There are eight adventure cruise ships inrepparttar 133685 CruiseWest fleet, withrepparttar 133686 Spirit of Glacier Bayrepparttar 133687 smallest. Built in 1971, it cruises Prince William Sound in summer, moving torepparttar 133688 Columbia River for seven weeks of Fall river cruising, including a jetboat ride uprepparttar 133689 Snake River, before dry-docked forrepparttar 133690 winter. (Read The Jetsetters Magazine feature on that adventure entitled: "Cruising Historic River Roads.")

I got a great bunk onrepparttar 133691 main starboard deck, close torepparttar 133692 lounge and small restaurant atrepparttar 133693 stern. Our bags had arrived by earlier motorcoach transport. If you take this cruise, get berths 201, 202, 203 or 204. Some people paid more for below water and third deck (300 series) cabins that were not as convenient. The third deck cabin windows do not look overrepparttar 133694 water directly, andrepparttar 133695 gangway makes traffic by those cabins at all hours unnerving. The below deck cabins get engine noise complaints. My cabin, 202, allowed me to watchrepparttar 133696 scenery glide by while in bed.

Cabins are equipped with spartan amenities, toiletries, shower (pullrepparttar 133697 water spigot out ofrepparttar 133698 wash basin and snag it on a hook), and a loo. The bunks are narrow. There is an in-cabin intercom system with wildlife alerts at all hours. When in your cabin before dinner is served or special events on board switchrepparttar 133699 intercom to 'B' for wildlife reports and 'A' for piped in music. This was a nice nature feature. I never missed sightings of whales, sea otters, or harbor seal colonies.

Afterrepparttar 133700 mandatory life jacket use and safety lesson by Tahitian Captain Patrick Marere and then crew introductions, there is a free champagne and cheese and wine party before dinner. There is no open bar onrepparttar 133701 boat, with an Alaska beer going for about US$4.50, sorepparttar 133702 US$1.50 for a root beer looked pretty good. The 5:30 p.m. daily happy hour offers free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate and snacks.

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/akfjords/akfjords.html

Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com



Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.


A New Queen Reigns The 7 Seas – Queen Mary 2

Written by Kriss Hammond


Continued from page 1

Onrepparttar technical side,repparttar 133680 QM2 powerplant includes two gas turbines and four diesel engines. More than two-thirds of this energy will be used to power a state-of-the-art Mermaid Pod Propulsion System, comprised of two fixed and two azimuthing pod units. The first four-pod installation to date,repparttar 133681 powerful new system provides a speed of nearly 30 knots with low noise and vibration levels and maximum maneuverability.

World Class Itineraries

Four Inaugural Voyages & A Tandem QE2 Sail

The itineraries forrepparttar 133682 QM2 will includerepparttar 133683 traditional six-day transatlantic crossing, Caribbean voyages from New York, Rio de Janeiro sailings at Carnival time, as well as Europe andrepparttar 133684 Americas.

It is only fitting thatrepparttar 133685 maiden voyage of QM2 be a transatlantic crossing, for which she was designed. Inaugural festivities to be held in Southampton, her U.K. homeport, promise to be fit for a Queen complete with pomp and circumstance befittingrepparttar 133686 launch ofrepparttar 133687 first new ocean liner in more than 30 years. On January 12, 2004, Cunard's new flagship will set out for North America calling at Madeira, Tenerife, and Las Palmas inrepparttar 133688 Canary Islands, Barbados, and St. Thomas USVI, en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for her inaugural voyage fromrepparttar 133689 U.S.

QM2 will use both Fort Lauderdale and New York as her U.S. bases for a series of warm-weather sailings to some ofrepparttar 133690 most desirable islands inrepparttar 133691 Caribbean. Due to her capability of cruising at a speed of nearly 30 knots, QM2 is able to sail a deep Caribbean route out of New York, unlike most other ships. Itineraries from eight to 14 days - offered in March, November and December - will visit San Juan, St. Kitts, Martinique, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, Aruba, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

Come February, travelers on two voyages will haverepparttar 133692 opportunity to celebrate Carnival in Rio with QM2 as their five-star floating hotel. The southbound cruise leaves Fort Lauderdale February 11, calling at St. Thomas and Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, before arriving in Rio for an overnight aboard ship. Northbound guests overnight on board February 23 before sailing to Fort Lauderdale via Barbados, Martinique, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

Commemorative Crossings - New York & Southampton

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/mary2/mary2.html

Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com



Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.


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