Alaska Cruises Central

RCI has scheduled two ships and 37 sailings for the season. They include seven- to 14-night itineraries aboard Radiance of the Seas (2,100 guests) and Rhapsody of the Seas (2,000). Guests may choose departures from San Diego, Seattle, Seward, or Vancouver, B.C.
 
Alternating north- and south-bound on seven-night itineraries between Seward and Vancouver every Friday, Radiance of the Seas will call at four Alaskan ports –  Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait Point which is the only wilderness port in Alaska. Guests also will visit Hubbard Glacier, an astounding ice river six miles wide and 300 feet high. Radiance of the Seas also will offer two special “Ultimate Alaska” itineraries:  a 13-night open-jaw cruise from San Diego on May 8 northbound to Alaska then southbound to Vancouver as well as a 14-night voyage sailing in the reverse direction on September 10. 

Rhapsody of the Seas will offer a seven-night roundtrip itinerary, sailing from Seattle and plying the Inside Passage with calls at Alaska’s Juneau and Skagway, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. Highlights will include a cruise through the 32-mile Tracy Arm Fjord, with its narrow walls rising more than 8,000 feet high en route to Sawyer Glacier, whose glacier face rises approximately 200 feet. (1-800-327-6700; www.royalcaribbean.com)