Alaska’s arctic climate causes many travelers to pack more than they need. Though the weather is colder than in most other areas, people in Alaska still experience moderately warm summers. On most days, a sweatshirt or light jacket is all that is needed. A rain jacket is also important because Alaska tends to receive a lot more rain than other American states. When outside, many travelers prefer to dress in layers so that clothing can be removed as the weather becomes warmer. What may seem like a cool and rainy day in Alaska can quickly change to become quite mild.

The mountains bordering the Inside Passage shield a lot of the wind and make it nearly impossible to feel the movement of the ship. Most people will only notice the boat begin to sway when it reaches open water. Though this movement is minimal, it is best to bring some nausea medication to ward off any bouts of seasickness. Pack a non-drowsy formula so that you do not miss anything during your trip.

Alaskan cruises offer great opportunities to shop. Whether aboard the ship or on shore, there are many different jewelery and souvenir shops to choose from. Most of the jewelery stores operating in each town are owned by the cruise lines and are only open for the summer tourist season. Those looking for great deals should consider booking their cruise in late September when these stores discount their jewelery by as much as seventy-five percent.

Each town that you visit while on your cruise will have many different excursions to take part in. Most ships will have an information package at their reception desk which list excursions that can be booked through the cruise line. If you and your family have your heart set on one of the more popular excursions, such as tours by plane, helicopter, or train, it is best to book it ahead of time. There are many other other excursions not affiliated with the cruise line that can be purchased when on shore. These tend to be offered for a discounted price and can be booked right up to the moment that the excursion is set to begin.

Those looking for an adventure can try some of the more challenging excursions offered in Alaska. Bring a sturdy pair of hiking boots because many of these tours involve climbing mountains, walking muddy terrains, or visiting glaciers. Before setting out to see any of Alaska’s glaciers, remember to bring warm clothing as it is always a little colder in these areas.

There are many unique souvenirs that can be found in each town along the passage. Many of the local artists in the area specialize in jade jewelry and west coast Native artwork. By visiting any of the locally owned shops in Alaska, you can find artwork and jewelery made by talented people in the area.

Alaska offers beautiful landscapes, wildlife, and artwork. Take advantage of all that the state has to offer by coming prepared. Leave the winter jacket at home and bring a light coat that can be layered with warm clothing on cool days. Also bring some non-drowsy nausea medicine just in case you have a bout of seasickness during the cruise. Finally, if you are hoping to buy unique souvenirs from Alaska, look for work made by local artists. Summer cruises are a great way to take in everything that Alaska has to offer.

The new rules are part of the western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which mandates that all Canadians and American citizens entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean show  a passport or approved travel documents to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Approved documents include a regular passport, a new passport card, a trusted traveler card or an enhance driver’s license, proving citizenship of every traveler over the age of 16.

Please make sure you have any of the above documents when leaving the U.S.  You will not be allow to re-enter the U.S. if you do not have the proper documentation. If you are a resident of the U.S.  you will need a re-entry permit.

For more information visit: www.travel.state.gov/travel

If you own stock in a cruise company, you may qualify for an onboard credit. For example, says Bob Levinstein, CEO of CruiseCompete.com, if you own 100 shares of stock in Carnival (CCL) or Royal Caribbean (RCL) at the time of your cruise, you can qualify for an onboard credit of $50 to $250.

“Anyone traveling on a 14-night Royal, Celebrity, or Azamara sailing can get a $250 onboard credit just for buying $800 worth of stock,” Levinstein said in a press release. With RCL stock selling at about $8 a share at the end of March, “that’s better than a 30 percent return on investment, and there’s no requirement to hold the shares for any particular length of time.”

In other words, Levinstein is suggesting that you could buy the stock, get the credit and sell the stock. Unless the stock price went down, you’d be ahead of the game.

As with many companies, shares of Carnival and Royal Caribbean are down from a year ago. The $8 share price for Royal Caribbean (RCL) is down from a 52-week high of $36, and Carnival (CCL) was trading at about $21 at the end of March, down from $43.

Royal Caribbean, which owns Celebrity and Azamara, also offers shareholder credits on shorter cruises: $200 credit for 10-13 nights; $100 credit for six to nine nights; and $50 credit for sailings of five nights or less.

Carnival owns Princess, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard, and Costa, and offers $250 credits on sailings of 14 days or longer, $100 on sailings of seven to 13 days, and $50 on sailings of six days or less.

Credits can be used for a variety of purchases and services onboard, including specialty restaurants and spas.

Applications to get the credits must be made prior to cruise departures, restrictions apply, and certain requirements must be met. For example, Royal Caribbean’s investor relations department must receive a copy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of ownership of at least 100 shares, along with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, ship, sailing date and confirmation number. Royal Caribbean also advises that the shareholders’ benefit offer is not combinable with other offers.

What Makes a Great Seat?
Exit rows, aisle or window seats, and seats close to the front of the plane are typically considered the best. On a short business trip, you probably want an aisle seat near the front of the plane. On an overnight flight, you’ll want a window seat so you can rest your head. Nervous fliers may want to sit over the wing, where there is less turbulence.

Exit row seats usually offer a bit more legroom, but they’re not appropriate if you’re traveling as a family. By federal law, no one under 15 may sit in an exit row, and infants are not permitted in the rows immediately behind or in front of an exit row either.

Many fliers also like “bulkhead seats,” which are the seats directly behind the physical barriers (such as walls, curtains or screens) that separate different parts of the plane. Because there are no seats in front of you, you won’t get stuck with another passenger reclining into your lap — and you often get some extra legroom as well.

But be careful: Not all “bulkhead” rows are created equal. On some planes, the first bulkhead row may be cramped and uncomfortable. For more information, go to SeatGuru.com, where you can check out seat maps for nearly every type of plane on every major airline.

Keep an eye on seat pitch, especially if you’re tall. This is a measure of how much space there is between a seat and the one immediately behind or in front of it — so the higher the number, the more legroom you will have. SeatGuru lists both seat pitch and width (when available) for most airlines.

Many passengers are concerned about safety, but unfortunately there’s no clear answer about where you should sit in order to fare best in a plane crash. One study suggests that you may have a higher chance of survival during a plane crash if you’re seated in the rear of an aircraft. However, another more recent study contradicts those findings, indicating that the safest place to sit is near the front of the plane within five rows of an emergency exit.

The middle seat in any row is generally undesirable. Rows near flight attendant areas and restrooms may be noisier and experience more traffic, and seats very close to cabin movie screens can be uncomfortable, or bright if you are trying to sleep. SeatGuru.com also identifies other potential problems on its seat maps, such as limited recline or reduced seat width.

10 Ways to Get a Better Seat
1. Join a frequent flier program. This is the most reliable tactic you can use. Providing your frequent flier number at the time of reservation goes a long way toward netting you a good seat, especially if you are a loyal, high-ranking member. If you don’t already have your seat assignment when you arrive at the airport, present your number at check-in.

2. Buy your tickets early. The number of seats available for pre-assignment dwindles as the travel date approaches. If you can’t buy your tickets at least several weeks in advance, be sure to check in online as soon as possible before your flight to select a seat, or arrive at the airport early if online check-in isn’t available.

3. Consider purchasing a better seat. Several airlines now offer economy-class seats with extra legroom for an additional fee. JetBlue has just introduced “Even More Legroom” seats on all its flights, allowing passengers to pay $10 – $20 each way for an exit row seat with 38 inches of seat pitch (instead of 34 – 36 inches on its regular seats). United offers Economy Plus Access to high-ranking frequent fliers and to any travelers who pay the annual fee of $349; this entitles travelers to five more inches of seat pitch in the coach cabin. (If any Economy Plus seats are still available at flight time, they can be purchased for $25 to $30 one way.)

4. Select your seat when you book. Most airline Web sites and major booking engines allow you to choose a seat when you purchase your ticket, or to return to your reservation after your initial purchase and make your seat selection later. In most cases this process is free, but AirTran charges $6 per person, per one-way trip to select your seat in advance if you’re traveling on a sale or discount coach fare.

5. Confirm your seat at check-in. Most airlines allow passengers to check in online 24 hours before their flight departs. At that point you can confirm the seat you’ve already chosen or even choose a better one.

6. Get to the airport early. If you arrive too late at your gate, you may lose your seat.

7. When in doubt, ask. Once you reach your gate, ask whether any new seats have opened up. If other passengers upgrade to business class or don’t show up for the flight, you may get lucky and grab a better assignment.

8. Be specific. If you know exactly what seat you’re interested in, it can be easier for agents to get it for you. Instead of asking for an exit row or “a good seat,” try asking for “12A” — you’ll be more likely to get what you want (or an acceptable substitute).

9. Keep the agent informed. If you have a medical condition, let the agent know. Most will do their best to accommodate you.

10. Kindness counts. Approach agents in a spirit of understanding. They hear complaints and demands all day. Treat them like human beings, and they may surprise you.

Related Links

As we await word from Princess and Holland America on what exactly they are going to cut in Alaska, a little primer.

Alaska is celebrating its 50th anniversary of statehood this year. But we can imagine there wasn’t much celebrating when Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison said this week he’s pulling ships in 2010 (and maybe 2011 too).

RELATED ITEM: Carnival to reduce Alaska fleet

Carnival has 17 ships in Alaska this year, when you add together the Princess, Holland America and Carnival brands. With competitors (Royal Caribbean, NCL, et al), there are 28 big ships scheduled to cruise in Alaska in 2009 – it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out Carnival Corp. is the Big Kahuna (Princess and Holland America also run the most extensive land operations). Royal Caribbean earlier said it’s pulling one of its three ships – Serenade of the Seas – in 2010.

Citing slow bookings, Arison blamed a $50 head tax on cruise passengers approved by the state legislature in 2006. That tax passed after the Alaska populace voted yes on a ballot sponsored by the Responsible Cruising for Alaska Coalition (a citizens group). The money is supposed to offset costs at the ports for essential services used by visitors. But Ketchikan officials just approved using $500,000 from their portion of the fund for a proposed performing arts center (we can’t imagine Arison was happy about that). Arison called the tax “unconstitutional.” He wants to meet with politicians to convince them to reconsider.

Meanwhile, Princess told USA TODAY yesterday that its capacity would be reduced 16% next year, with a loud hint the reduction would come on the Gulf route.

My opinion: Gulf itineraries may be a harder sell than the Inside Passage, especially in tough economic times, because you have to fly into Anchorage and out of Vancouver or the reverse, meaning your air ticket may cost more than if you did a round-trip fare (which you can do on Inside Passage itineraries). Princess has its two biggest ships in Alaska – Diamond and Sapphire – on the Gulf route this year. Expect that to change in 2010.

A spokeswoman for Holland America said they’d have an announcement shortly as they work out a plan to reduce capacity in 2010. She made clear the line would still have itineraries from Seattle, Vancouver round-trip, and between Vancouver and Seward (Anchorage).

Will Alaska cruising become a thing of the past? If the fees and rates continue increasing only the few “Luxury Cruisers” will be able to afford the trip and more will cruise to other locations such as the Caribbean, Europe and Hawaii.

Alaska still remains one of the wonders of the world, it is a shame that the people  running the state are closing the door to more tourism and therefore more revenues in the long run.

Keep safe, be healthy and happy traveling!!!