October 6, 2009
NHA Explorations! Alaska
May 27 through June 6, 2010
NANTUCKET MA.: What do the 1898 Gold Rush, the culture of whaling heritage, and Northwest Native American tribes have in common with Nantucket? The Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) is delighted to announce a frequently requested explorations destination: Explorations heads to Alaska in 2010!
Leave your formal attire at home, forego the artificial entertainment and assigned-seat dining of the large impersonal cruise ships, and trade them in for a wonderful encounter with history and nature with fellow passengers who share a passion for travel, adventure, and learning. Join the NHA on a journey through one of the world’s most spectacular destinations imaginable with CRUISE WEST, a small, family-owned, small-shop cruise line voted among the world’s top lines by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, and consistent award winner for Best Small Ship and Expedition Cruising. The 138-guest Spirit of Yorktown, staffed by exploration leaders with many years of experience as naturalists and educators, will be your home for this exciting 11-day/10-night adventure.
Boarding in Seattle, the ship follows the route of the original stampeders of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush, encountering along the way the culture and whaling heritage of the Northwest Native American tribes. We will cruise the pristine waters of the San Juan Islands, visiting the Whale Museum at Friday Harbor, once an important whaling center and now a center for whale research. Continuing on to the Strait of Georgia, home to orcas, bald eagles, and seals; Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a World Heritage Site; Frederick Sound, where humpback whales abound; and the Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier. We will also visit the beautiful town of Sitka with its Russian heritage; the Norwegian-heritage fishing village of Petersburg; and Skagway, where we revisit the Gold Rush of 1898. An optional excursion on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad will be available there.
Nina and Bob Hellman of Nantucket will be your hosts on this adventure, throughout which you will enjoy the services of the cruise line’s accommodating staff and Exploration Leaders as well as Park Service Rangers and Native Cultural interpreters. Bob Hellman will offer a special on-board lecture about the relationship between Alaska and the Far North and Nantucket and New England, during the era of American whaling.
Pricing starts at $4,998 per person, based on a minimum of sixteen people. Price includes ten breakfasts, nine lunches, and ten dinners. Airfare to Seattle and from Juneau is not included. Single supplements and cabin upgrades are available.
Small-ship cruises book quickly; to guarantee a spot, a $500 deposit is required by December 1. Deposits are not refundable after December 1. For more information, call Sheila O'Brien Egan at Swain's Travel (508) 228-3201 (email travel@nantucket.net), or Julie Kever at 508-228-1894, ext. 0, or email her at jlkever@nha.org.
