When I planned and booked our cruise to Alaska I did not think I would find myself learning new information. I imagined the fun we would have on the ship and on the excursions we had planned. I was impressed with Norwegian Cruise Line and the education on the history and each of the ports the provided.
The three intriguing facts I learned while on board the cruise were;
1. Alaska is called the last frontier.
2. There are approximately 100,000 glaciers that reside in Alaska.
3. There are 5 different species of salmon that swim in Alaskan waters.
Do you know why it’s called the Last Frontier? Its isolation from the other 49 states is one of the reasons. Another reason is the long winters and short summers. The northernmost city of Utqiaġvik, also known as Barrow, has nearly 24 hours of sunlight in the summer and darkness most of the day in the winter months. Much of the land is undiscovered and undeveloped which fits perfectly for Alaska’s nickname the Last Frontier.
Glacier Bay National Park is only reachable by plane or sea. We were lucky enough to cruise around the bay for a good portion of a day. Glaciers cover approximately 23,000 square miles. The largest glacier is the Malaspina at 850 square miles. There are more active glaciers in Alaska than the rest of the world.
The five species of salmon include chum, sockeye, king, silver, and pink. A neat way to remember them is to spread your hand out and look at your fingers. Chum rhymes with thumb. Sockeye Salmon is the pointer finger which is usually the one you poke yourself in the eye with. The middle finger is the biggest and represents king salmon. You wear silver on your ring finger, hence silver salmon, and pinky is for pink.
Even though Alaska is twice as big as Texas much of the state is still undiscovered. We explored Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan. I would love to discover more of Alaska. Next time I will add a land package to our cruise.
Interested in an Alaska cruise? Email me at
m.beckel@magicalvacationplanner.com
Marsha Beckel 