There is a reason Alaska is known as The Great Land. The name comes from the Aleut word Alyeska, meaning "great land," and after visiting four times over thirty years, we can honestly say there is no better description.
As the founder of World Tree Destinations, I've been fortunate to travel to many incredible places. Yet whenever someone asks me, "If you could cruise anywhere again?" my answer is always the same...
Alaska.
My Alaska story began aboard the Sky Princess in 1994. It looks nothing like the Sky Princess of 2026... in 1994, things were different. Still amazing... but different.
This wasn't just another vacation. The only time I had travelled abroad as a kid or teenager was a trip to Walt Disney World (Orlando, FLA) in grade 5 when my parents, grandmother, cousin, and I all stayed in a trailer at the old Camp Wilderness. So in 1994, on a whim, we (my mom, my dad, my girlfriend, and I) followed the words of Johnny Horton and headed north - “Way up north. North to Alaska. Go north, the rush is on.”
It became one of the most important trips of my life because somewhere in the Inside Passage between the mountains, glaciers, and endless skies...we got engaged and my girlfriend became my fiancée. Our chapter that has spanned over thirty years started on the deck of the Sky Princess.
We sailed north from Vancouver to Anchorage. We did not have Glacier Bay in this itinerary but were gobsmacked by College Fjord and Hubbard Glacier. Hubbard Glacier provided (which seemed like) hours of endless calving while College Fjord was a glorious day with the hues of forest greens and glacier blues contrasting under a cloudless sky. In 1899 the fjord was explored by an expedition that had professors from elite American universities (sorry U of T!!). As you sail into the fjord, the glaciers on your left-hand side are named after elite women's colleges (such as Smith, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, and Vasser) while the right-hand side are named after men's colleges (namely Dartmouth, Williams, Yale, and Amherst). At the end of the ford is the largest glacier whom the expedition members saw fit to name the Harvard glacier. (In an interesting snub, the professors left Princeton out of this beauty fjord.) The cruise was stunning and sadly, was over before we knew it but its ending became the beginning of an unforgettable seven-day cruisetour through Alaska's interior.
Three nights at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge introduced us to epic wilderness, towering mountains, and wildlife everywhere we looked. For all you Disney fans, this same Kenai is name of the main character in the movie Brother Bear who is turned into a brown bear. Curiously, his brothers in the movie also possess names from Alaska - Sitka, and Denahi (a linguistic root/variant of Denali). Fans of the movie know there are a pair of moose as well - Rutt and Tuke (Bob and Doug). Well, Alaska has the largest moose I have ever seen. The moose of Algonquin Park (Alces alces americana) are incredible but the moose of Alaska (Alces alces gigas) are next level. Alaskan moose have adult males that weigh 1300-1800 lbs and stand 7.6 feet at the shoulder while in comparison, the adult male moose of Algonquin Park average 900-1000 lbs and stand 6 feet at the shoulder. (I think of myself of one who can articulate his thoughts relatively well - but this particular monster seen from a Princess train resulted in a feeble finger pointing to the window and garbling two pathetic words: “Moose. Big.” ) I was shook - these are definitely...moose…big. Another three nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge gave us our first glimpse of Denali (Mt. McKinlay) and the immense wilderness that makes Alaska unlike anywhere else on Earth. Officially named Denali, it is the highest mountain peak in North America and sits at an elevation of 20,130 feet. We were fortunate to see it on a crystal clear day. The cruisetour provided so much more to our Alaskan adventure - I hope someday to do another.
Our journey ended in Fairbanks, but Alaska had already found a permanent place in our hearts.
Eleven years later we returned...for our aluminum (tenth) anniversary... with us were our next-door neighbours who were Alaska newbies. (It is amazing to witness Alaska for the first time but it is also tres cool to be with others witnessing it for the first time. They are awesome travel companions btw.)
This time we experienced Alaska from a different perspective, sailing southbound from Anchorage to Vancouver (Princess 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers) on the Dawn Princess. It was incredible what a decade had done to the ships of Princess… these incredible changes continue to this day.
One of the highlights was travelling by rail from Anchorage to Whittier. The final highlight before boarding the ship is coming through Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel and seeing your cruise ship docked in all its glory is an epic sight. The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (also known as the Whittier Tunnel) is a 2.5 mile (4 km) tunnel through Maynard Mountain that connects the port city of Whittier to the Seward Highway. It is the longest highway tunnel in North America and because it is single-lane usage (but bimodal - autos and trains), traffic moves in one direction at a time. Alaska's rail journeys deserve almost as much attention as the cruises themselves, winding through forests, rivers, and mountain valleys that seem untouched by time.
Seeing the same coastline from the opposite direction reminded me that Alaska is never the same trip twice. There were some significant changes other than our direction and new Princess ship. Our ports of call changed with one of the changes being our first time to Skagway - rather than Sitka. Sitka was a location steeped in Russian history while Skagway was beautiful town rich in gold rush history. More significant was the fact this cruise was our first journey to Glacier Bay National Park. Glacier Bay is not just an incredible UNESCO site but a location of remarkable natural beauty and epic wildlife. It is as amazing as the articles, pamphlets, and YouTube videos describe and it has been a 'must' for our Alaskan itineraries ever since. Rafts of dozens to hundreds of sea otters float along as these massive ships sail meters away (a remarkable comeback by the otters - with zero otters before 1995, the local population has now grown to an estimated 8000 otters). Keep an eye for the blows of humpback whales visible in Glacier Bay from the deck - with some so close you can hear the exhalation.
In 2009 we decided to change things up a wee bit. We changed cruise lines and the Alaska itinerary. We chose Holland America Line for a roundtrip voyage from Vancouver through the Inside Passage. The reason for this was to keep things as simple as possible as my mom and dad were returning to Alaska after 15 years and we had three daughters under ten in tow. A return flight from Vancouver was far easier and HAL had an itinerary that worked for dates, glaciers, and ports. Also, because my mom (grama) was not in the best of health, we chose the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver to again make things easier. The Pan Pacific is a beautiful hotel, in a beautiful city, in an incredible location (and you pay a premium price for it). The hotel is linked to the cruise terminal and provides cruisers the ability to take an elevator from your hotel room down to the cruise terminal - it is pretty sweet. This was an easy value decision for us as it made it simpler for mom to get to the ship (sadly, mom's health prevented her from joining us on this trip... but my dad (grampa) still came and the Pan Pacific was already booked!).
As nervous as we were to move away from Princess (pretty sure it is my wife’s favourite cruise line), we were all so pleased that HAL was amazing too and now we had two incredible cruise lines that work for us. The Zuiderdam was only six/seven years old when we cruised on her - she is a beautiful Vista-class ship that underwent drydock refurbishments in 2017 to modernize it and is scheduled for updates in Spring 2028. Holland America is viewed as a cruise line for seniors and retirees... but it was amazing for multigeneration cruisers as our three young daughters loved it. We (my wife, youngest daughter, and I) sailed HAL again on the Rotterdam for a 2025 Norwegian Fjords cruise and loved it just as much! The Alaskan shore excursions were once again memorable with whale soup being served up in Juneau (we have had had so much success on our whale watching excursions in Juneau - bubble feeding three times - pods of orcas) and dad/grampa fully committed to landing some Alaskan salmon. Which he did…and did it again in 2024.
Inside Passage itineraries are wonderfully relaxing because you settle into your ship immediately while enjoying the calm, protected waters of one of the world's most beautiful coastal routes. This itinerary returned us to Glacier Bay and also introduced us to Tracy Arm and the Sawyer Glacier - this is a stunning and underrated glacier and fjord and IMO worth a visit - I like Tracy Arm a tonne.
Thirty years after our first Alaska adventure, we returned aboard the Ruby Princess. The family had changed but the magic of Alaska had not. Mom passed in 2011, the girls had grown up and left for school, my dad (grampa) had a partner, and our oldest daughter brought her boyfriend (who is now a World Tree Destinations Brand Ambassador) - so eight of us returned to Princess and headed north for another Inside Passage journey. (It never gets old to share Alaska with those who are experiencing it for the first time.)
Some destinations lose their mojo over time. Alaska somehow doesn’t for us and at times becomes even more spectacular. This cruise was featured on our Instagram page - @worldtreedestinations - and on our daughters' original Instagram page - @threesistersfourparks.
Glacier Bay never disappoints. The glaciers were every bit as massive as we remembered (even though we know that sadly, most are not). The mountains seemed taller. The wildlife appeared even more abundant - whale soup is an unforgettable experience yet again. It was so great to return to the Great Land… it just doesn't get old.
Most importantly, Alaska reminded us why we had fallen in love with cruising in the first place. Alaska is one of nature's greatest performances.
People often ask why anyone would cruise Alaska more than once. Many argue that there are so many other incredible places to see on our planet so why return to the same place?. And I would have to agree with them... our planet is magnificent and we have found dozens of places that capture us. But we are drawn back to Alaska - for some tangible and intangible reasons.
These reasons? Because it’s stunning. Because no two Alaska cruises are ever the same. The weather changes. The wildlife changes. The stars dance in the early, early morning. The glaciers change. Even the light changes from one hour to the next.
As someone who spent a career in science, I find Alaska to be one of the greatest outdoor classrooms on Earth. Every glacier tells a story of geology and time. Every whale reminds us of the incredible richness of our oceans and the magnificence of other species. Every towering spruce forest speaks to ecosystems that have thrived for thousands of years. Every salmon - the soul who swims - that drives marine and terrestrial ecosystems reminds us of nature’s connections. And the otters…
At World Tree Destinations, we know there is an Alaska cruise for everyone—whether it's your first voyage or your fourth; roundtrip or north/south; cruisetour or not; just the two of you or a multigenerational group of many. You need to see this place.
Looking back over four Alaska cruises spanning three decades, I realize I've collected far more than photo albums, treasure books or Instagram posts. We've celebrated milestones. We've loved and lost. We've watched glaciers thunder into the sea. We've seen humpback whales bubble-net feeding. We've seen dozens upon dozens of killer whales. We've walked on ancient ice. We've fished for salmon and watched salmon runs. We've stood quietly on deck while the stars dance overhead in the Alaskan twilight. We have witnessed three decades pass.
And somehow, every time the ship sails back toward Vancouver, I find myself saying exactly the same thing.
"We'll be back."
Because Alaska isn't just a destination.
It's a place that can become part of who you are.
World Tree Destinations
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