Alaska
An Amusement for the Gods
Mountains seem to compete with each other to see which ones can push higher into the clouds. Glaciers advance and retreat inexorably over mountain peaks, transforming the landscape with icy fingers that may be hundreds of feet thick, leaving a trail of hanging valleys and hopelessly scrambled moraines in their wake. Springtime's swollen streams careen between canyon walls and somersault over thousand-foot precipices in the headlong rush to the sea, oblivious to the magical transformation taking place around them as the once-frozen earth turns to verdant green.
You cannot compare Alaska to anywhere else because there's no place like it on our plant. It's as if a race of giants had decided to build a theme park populated with bigger than life creatures and places. In Alaska, it would be easy to imagine that we little humans are the victims of a "Honey, I shrunk the kids" joke perpetrated by the gods. Thus, it is with a certain sense of awe - and pride - that the new Seven Seas Mariner will venture into this landscape of mythic proportions during the summer of 2000. And although we certainly won't be the first or last cruise vessel to visit the 49th state, the Mariner promises to be one of the most luxurious small ships ever to explore Alaska's coastal waters. For those who prefer their adventures accompanied by the highest level of personal luxury in the six-star tradition of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, this will be a unique opportunity. Because, oddly enough, in the overwhelmingly oversized environment of Alaska, it is only aboard a small-sized ship that you can appreciate such grandeur from an up-close perspective.
In a forty - mile journey through a winding, mist -shrouded cleft bordered by towering cliffs and spruce -clad mountains, the navigator threads the narrow passage of Tracy Arm, bringing guests to the face of massive Sawyer Glacier. This is where chunks of thousand -year old ice the size of skating rinks crash to the sea to become newborn icebergs. In Yakutat Bay, where the Chugach Mountains meet the Gulf of Alaska, guest will come close enough to actually feed the frigid breath of Hubbard Glacier, the longest and widest tidewater glacier on the continent, and see humpback whales sounding on the looking glass surface of the sea. For these remote bays are not only the calving grounds of icebergs, they are also nursery to Alaska's prolific marine wildlife.
But fascinating as it is, your discovery needn't be confined to Alaska coast. As a guest on the Mariner, you'll also have an opportunity to explore Alaska's rugged interior by taking part in one of our optional four or six day Denali National Park land Programs, which we heartily recommend. The Seven Seas Navigator is the only deluxe Alaska cruise program to offer these optional tours to America's largest national park
But even with all these choices, we venture to guess that not the least of your favorite activities will be relaxing on your private balcony aboard the Seven Sea Mariner, watching Alaska's larger -than -life world go by. 
It's the big One. Alaska defines big, once and for all. Then add wild. More wilderness than can be charted. And more wildlife than can be counted. It is incredibly moving, in the way that wild places lift your spirit with their heart -stopping beauty. But it is the sheer immensity of Alaska - inescapable fact that you simply can't ignore. Alaska makes everything else seem, well, tiny.
The mandala of life in the Great Land is everywhere larger than the imagination. Salmon by the hundreds of thousands instinctively fight their way upstream to spawn in the place of their birth. Goliath -sized grizzly bears lumber through the berry bushes, their mouths purpled from feasting on summer's bounty. Eagles with eight -foot wingspans swoop down from the skies to feed hungry fledglings. Breaching whales slap the surface of glacier -fringed bays with a sound loud enough to start an avalanche of ice, while dall sheep lock horns on impossibly steep mountain slopes and the echoes reverberate like the sound of Thor's hammer. Hardy plants muscle their way up through the snowmelt to blossom and set new seed in just a few fleeting weeks. And miraculously, in that short, sweet time, Alaska's almost 24-hour long summer sun encourages cabbages to grow to 100 - pound kings and roses to bloom with blossoms as big as dinner plates.
Traveling with no more than 700 guests, the Seven Seas Mariner will take the road less traveled to explore the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska. An incredibly complex 10,000 - mile shoreline serrated like a fine - toothed comb with hundreds of finger - like fjords reaching far into the interior almost as far as the Canadian border. You can anticipate some memorable highlights in these voyages.
In Prince Williams Sound, Steller's sea lions and harbor seals congregate like lounge lizards on iceberg rafts, watching your ship glide by with unconcerned yawns. Playful sea otters dive for abalone, and Orca whale, with their penguin - like black and white, cruise in hunting pods offshore. Trumpeter swans honk their brassy greetings to returning mates and pairs of comical tufted puffins do a classic hip-hop courting dance. Passing the lush, rain forested wilderness of Admiralty Island, you might be treated to the sight of bears gallumphing through the shallows of tidal inlets, for the island, known as "fortress of the bears" by the Tlingit peoples, is home to at least 1,500 Alaska grizzly bears. And as the Seven Seas Mariner cruises through the narrow 300 -foot wide Peril Strait to Sitka, it's difficult to decide whether to focus on the onion-doomed spire of St. Michael's Russian Orthodox topped peak of Mt. Edgecombe. Or the bald eagles nesting in the tall Sitka spruces lining the shore. Aboard a small ship such as the Seven Seas Mariner, you encounter Alaska and its myriad of wildlife species with an intimacy that fairly overwhelms the senses!
Alaska, by its very nature, encourages visitors to actively participate in its discovery. And so our shipboard program includes daily enrichment briefings by our onboard Alaska cultural experts, as well as narrative commentaries, by naturalists as we pass through wilderness areas. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has also carefully tailored its shore excursions to include programs that allow you to explore Alaska at your own pace. Moreover, if you believe that seeing Alaska only through the windows of a tour bus might leave a lot to be desired (and a lot unseen!), we offer you a wealth of other possibilities, ranging from hiking to mountain biking to kayaking, helicopter flight - seeing and glacier walking. With abundant wildlife virtually at our front door, fascinating discovery expeditions in teaming wildlife habitats are available at every port of call. They include whale watching eagle encounters, bear sightings, salmon hatchings and a myriad of fishing expeditions, from fly - in - fly fishing for record -breaking salmon aboard licensed charter boats in Alaska's licensed charter boats in Alaska's rich Gulf waters. You can ride a narrow-gauge railroad to the top of White Horse Pass and Canada's Yukon Territory - or you can saddle up and follow the trail of the 1898 gold Rush pioneers on a horse. Pan for gold or watch a totem pole carving. Hike or mountain bike through miles of unspoiled temperate rain forest wilderness in Tongass National Park. Paddle a native canoe. Raft down a rushing river. Or Kayak behind a waterfall gushing from a hanging glacier. You can even be put down on top of the ice field from a spectacular mushing run with a team of eager husky sled dogs!
M/S Seven Seas Voyager
M/S Seven Seas Mariner
M/S Seven Seas Navigator
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To check availability or request a brochure with more information on Regent Seven Seas Cruises aboard the Seven Seas Navigator, drop us a note, or call.... 800-777-7739 |
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