Glaciers

Seeking A Better Work/Life Balance? Cruise North To Alaska And Ask The Bears Yourself How They Do It.

By far, the best work/life balance in the world belongs to Alaskan Bears.  They spend an average of seven months of the year in complete hibernation, then spend their summers fishing in the beautiful Alaskan rivers and enjoying the freshest salmon in the world.

So here’s my advice:  If you’re looking to improve your work/life balance, go and see these Alaskan Bears this summer on an Alaskan cruise.

The majestic, breath-taking natural scenery of Alaska, the sumptuous food and plush accommodations aboard a modern cruise ship, the exotic forms of travel on your land excursions  (seaplanes, dogsleds, kayaks, narrow gauge trains), and the incredible wildlife (including bears, who will be very much awake) make for  a near-perfect combination of soul-enriching excitement and soul-soothing relaxation.

Three of Carnival Corporation’s four North American-based cruise lines – Princess, Holland America, and Carnival – sail multiple times each summer to Alaska. Each offers its own, distinctive itineraries and ways of showing off the magnificence of both the 49th state and their incredible ships, which are more accurately described as floating results.

Carnival passengers get an up-close and personal view of a calving glacier

Carnival passengers get an up-close and personal view of a calving glacier

Carnival ships sail north from Seattle and along the Southeastern Alaska coast all the way to Skagway and the nearby, famous Glacier Bay. Carnival’s Alaskan cruises typically include excursion stops at Juneau, KetchiKan, and Victoria, B.C., Canada. They typically sail through the scenic Inside Passage and the dramatic Tracy Arm Fjord.

Our premium Holland America line offers a variety of Alaskan cruise itineraries, each of which promises to take you deeper, and more slowly and relaxingly into the Alaskan way of life. In roadless Juneau you can go ocean kayaking or fly fishing, ride in a dogsled, or hike trails in the Tongass National Forest, the world’s largest temperate rain forest. In tiny Haines you can go rafting on the Chilkat River, hiking in the Takshanuk Mountains, or fishing on Chilkoot Lake. And while you do those things you’ll likely spot bald eagles, moose, bears, wolves, seals, and orcas before returning to the ship for an wonderful dinner and relaxing evening sailing through the land of the midnight sun.

Or you can sail northwest with Holland America to Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula. There, from the middle of College Fjord, you can see eight huge glaciers at once.

Our Princess Cruises line is the gold-standard of Alaskan cruising. And that’s fitting, because each itinerary not only takes you north, but also back in time to the late 19th century, when hardy adventurers journeyed into Alaska and western Canada to dig for gold in the Klondike. Whether it’s a seven-day cruise from Vancouver or Seattle, or a 10-day voyage from San Francisco, you’ll have lots of options to see the well-known, breath-taking sites along the Inside Passage and Southeastern Alaska, or to cruise all the way across the 500-mile wide Gulf of Alaska. There, on the rugged Kenai Peninsula you’ll see its untouched forests stocked with wild game and its chilly, fast-flowing rivers teaming with fish.

Princess also gives you the option to combine the very best of cruising with the very best of land adventure vacation through one of its land-sea vacation packages. In addition to seeing the glaciers and picturesque coastal towns, you can take the Alaska Railroad aboard domed Princess viewing cars to visit Anchorage, Fairbanks and the majestic Denali (or Mt. McKinley), North America’s tallest mountain, in the Denali National Park. You can choose to spend two or more nights in one of Princess’ own, private rustic lodges either in the Fairbanks-Denali area or on the secluded Kenai Peninsula. And Princess will let you experience Alaska the way you want; either as part of a guided tour or on your own.

And, in conjunction with Discovery Networks, Princess now offers the Discovery at Sea program that helps create new, memorable vacation experiences for the whole family. On Alaskan cruises that includes both onboard Discovery activities and off-ship Animal Planet excursions built around the themes of such popular shows as Deadliest Catch (which follows daring commercial fisherman doing their dangerous work in the icy waters off Alaska), MythBusters, and Shark Week.

If you’re not sure exactly how you want to experience Alaska by sea, or how you should go about from learning the secrets to a perfect work/life balance from those Alaskan brown bears you can learn more about that these and other cruising adventures at our World’s Leading Cruise Lines’ website.

And speaking of those bears. Here’s some interesting facts about hibernation – and how you can enjoy both the thrill of exploring wild Alaska and the deep hibernation-like relaxation on an Alaskan cruise.

  • A black bear can gain up to 30 pounds a week during its pre-hibernation eating binge in the summer. Bears need the extra weight to make it through the five to seventh months of sleep.Similarly, you could gain up to 30 pounds during the week of your Alaskan cruise. The food onboard – and on shore – is that good. But don’t worry, our cruise ships are equipped with lots of state-of-the-art gym and exercise equipment. And you’ll be plenty active between all the onboard activities and active onshore excursions.
  • During hibernation the heart rate for many animals slows to less than 10 beats per minute. Breathing also slows. Taking an Alaskan cruise won’t lower your heart and breathing rates that much. But chances are that your Alaskan cruise will do wonders for both your heart, and your soul – lowering the real/figurative beats-per-minute rates of both to a healthier, more relaxed level.
  • A hibernating animal has internal controls that prevent its body temperature from falling too low. If you’re worried about being cold on your Alaskan cruise, don’t be. Alaska in the summer, when we sail there, is quite comfortable. A jacket or sweater is perfect for the daytime. And though nights can get chilly, our ships and our lodges will keep you cozy and dry. And both offer plenty of inspiration and opportunity for you to heat things up with someone special.

See you in Alaska!