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Dawn Princess |
Golden Princess |
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In the late 1800s, times were tough so a series of gold
discoveries in Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia
drew thousands of desperate gold seekers. Most made the
first leg of their journey via ship, leaving from San
Francisco, Seattle or Victoria for points north. Many
were so frantic to get a berth that they were willing to
take any ship, seaworthy or not. They slept 10 to a
cabin, or packed themselves and their goods into the
suffocating hold or endured driving rain or sleet to
sleep on deck. But the harrowing sea journey was only
the start—they still had to haul their goods over
mountain passes, and sometimes build boats to cross
lakes and rivers in order to reach the site of the gold
strike.
Only a handful of the gold rush hopefuls actually struck
it rich, but many of the miners, speculators, merchants,
entertainers and others who poured into the north made
their fortunes by providing goods and services. Many
stayed on and settled permanently, opening up the north.
Certainly, the gold rush changed the history of the
entire northwest coast and in the process impacted the
development of coastal shipping.
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Diamond Princess |
Sapphire Princess |
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Cruise ships run the gambit from pocket cruisers small
enough to dock at coastal villages or explore hidden
covers to luxurious floating cities with Vegas-style
entertainment and international cuisine. Smaller ships
carry as few as 100 passengers but provide them with the
opportunity to board zodiacs or kayaks for up-close
wildlife viewing or sail aboard an actual sternwheeler
or discuss cultures or flora and fauna with on-board
experts. Many larger ships offer a wide variety of
on-board programming, special activities for children
and teens, spa and sports services, casinos and exotic
entertainment. The newest and biggest cruise liners such
as Diamond Princess or Sapphire Princess are themselves
luxury destinations for 2,600 passengers.
From May to October 2006, the larger cruise lines will
operate 27 ships to Alaskan destinations, with hundreds
of round trips and departures from Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Seward. For a
complete fleet listing of companies with larger liners
servicing Alaska, check out the website for the North
West CruiseShip Association at
www.nwcruiseship.org/fleet. For information on companies
with smaller ships to Alaska or that also provide
cruises to the BC coast, look at the website for Cruise
Industry Association of BC at
www.cruisebc.ca. A Google
search for cruise ships will also turn up a huge volume
of information.
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