Alaska cruise route map

[mommydoc]

My husband, three children and I are taking a 14 day NCL cruise in and out of. Vancouver which turns around in Whittier this May.

 

I'd love to find a map to pin up in our cabin, which we could use to follow the ships progress and see the coordinates and names of the small islands and towns we pass.

 

Does anyone have any idea as to a good map we could use?

Edited March 25, 2014 by mommydoc

[AryMay]

Just checked out Alaska by Cruiseship by Anne Vipond from my local library and it has a wonderful map included. Not sure if I will buy any guidebooks, but this would be the one if I did.

 

Another option that is FREE is to order the Princess 2014 Alaska catalog. It came with a huge foldout map that shows the cruise routes.

[Putterdude]

A very popular book is "The Alaska Cruise Companion" by Joe Upton which has a very large map included.

[AKStafford]

If you want a good full map of Alaska, the Alaska DOT offers them. You'll find a link on this page:

http://dot.alaska.gov/highways-portal.shtml#

[mommydoc]

Great info! I ordered the Princess brochure and the map from the AK DOT. Still looking for a more detailed may of the cruise route that goes all the way to Whittier though... The guide books maps seem to stop short of there.

[Budget Queen]

My husband, three children and I are taking a 14 day NCL cruise in and out of. Vancouver which turns around in Whittier this May.

 

I'd love to find a map to pin up in our cabin, which we could use to follow the ships progress and see the coordinates and names of the small islands and towns we pass.

 

Does anyone have any idea as to a good map we could use?

 

It sounds like you may be taking a GPS with you for locations? I have a very detail map collection, and even with knowing areas and placing calls to the bridge, the routes are hard to follow without your own GPS. Especially on NCL who doesn't have ship naturalists.

 

These routes are not fixed and cpts have a LOT of options. Most "islands" are not named and you aren't passing many "small towns". You'll be lucky to see a couple. :)

 

These maps are great for general tracking certainly.

 

Get a map of Vancouver Island, which is your "most" area with "small towns". Problem will be the timing as this can be a night time sailing area.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Budget Queen

[Glaciers]

I'd love to find a map to pin up in our cabin, which we could use to follow the ships progress and see the coordinates and names of the small islands and towns we pass.

 

Does anyone have any idea as to a good map we could use?

 

Although there isn’t a lot of interest on these boards you may be able to see Kayak Island which is of historical significance to Alaska. I had my GPS with me as we cross the Gulf of Alaska last summer on the way to Whittier and was able to see the island from quite a distance. It is where Georg Steller landed in 1741 and was the first non-native to set foot in Alaska. Steller’s sea lion, Steller’s Jay, Steller’s sea cow, Steller’s Eider, Steller’s Sea Eagle are a few of the animals he discovered on his trip with Vitus Bering.

 

This is the map we take each year and pin to our cabin wall.

http://www.coastalcruiseguides.com/insidepassage.html

[Paula_MacFan]

Great info! I ordered the Princess brochure and the map from the AK DOT. Still looking for a more detailed may of the cruise route that goes all the way to Whittier though... The guide books maps seem to stop short of there.

 

I second the recommendation on The Alaska Cruise Companion. I ordered one for our upcoming cruise, around $18 from Amazon, and the map is HUGE and very detailed. Plus the book has wonderful pictures and stories about Alaska, as well as corresponding map markers. I plan to take ours with us on the cruise, and I heard they sell them on board as well.

 

The book is often recommended here on CC -- that's where I heard about it.

[fleckle]

My husband, three children and I are taking a 14 day NCL cruise in and out of. Vancouver which turns around in Whittier this May.

 

I'd love to find a map to pin up in our cabin, which we could use to follow the ships progress and see the coordinates and names of the small islands and towns we pass.

 

Does anyone have any idea as to a good map we could use?

I don't know about NCL, but on Celebrity cruises one of the TV channels in the cabin is the ship's navigational channel, which displays the map with all the information you describe for the specific route that your ship is traveling. There is a marker on it that pinpoints the ship's position, moving along as the ship moves along.

 

Maybe NCL has it too.

 

[jimsig]

Thanks for the heads up on the maps from Princess and the DOT!

[TinCan782]

Go here...

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/BookletChart.html

 

Select Alaska and, among others, Booklet Chart 16016.

 

Its a multi-page PDF that you can print yourself and staple into a booklet.

[mommydoc]

John...thank you! Getting ready to print that now.

 

Paula...does the map in that book go as far north as Whittier?

 

What an amazing resource CruiseCritic is!

[Alberta Quilter]

John...thank you! Getting ready to print that now.

 

Paula...does the map in that book go as far north as Whittier?

 

What an amazing resource CruiseCritic is!

 

Not Paula, but, yes, it does. It actually goes farther north than Whittier but can't remember how far north. I can check when I get home from work. It is a fabulous book and map. I have it ready to go for our cruise in May!

 

I used Anne Vipond's book for the Baltic cruise and was very disappointed with that map. It was just an enlarged map with very few cities/towns on it. If her Alaska map is anything like that, I would not waste the money.

 

Should mention that the south part is on one side of the map and the northern part is on the other side. So, half way through your cruise, you'll have to flip the map.

Edited March 26, 2014 by Alberta Quilter

[TinCan782]

A very popular book is "The Alaska Cruise Companion" by Joe Upton which has a very large map included.

 

I don't regret purchasing this book (and the included map)...it will be with us on our upcoming cruise.

[Alberta Quilter]

Not Paula, but, yes, it does. It actually goes farther north than Whittier but can't remember how far north. I can check when I get home from work. It is a fabulous book and map. I have it ready to go for our cruise in May!

 

I used Anne Vipond's book for the Baltic cruise and was very disappointed with that map. It was just an enlarged map with very few cities/towns on it. If her Alaska map is anything like that, I would not waste the money.

 

Should mention that the south part is on one side of the map and the northern part is on the other side. So, half way through your cruise, you'll have to flip the map.

 

Sorry, I forgot about my promise to check the map from the Joe Upton book when I got home. However, I have checked it now and it shows ALL of Alaska, even the northern coastline.

 

As I said earlier, the map is two sided. One side is split into two sections, each one showing a different part (southern and northern) of the inside passage. The other side shows from the Queen Charlotte Islands (now Haida Gwaii), the Aleutian islands, and the rest of the state. There's a bit of the Yukon on there, too. So, for anyone also doing a land tour, this map will give you a fairly good idea of that part as well. But it's real strength is in the cruise maps and the mile markers which correspond to points of interest indicated in the book.

 

I really can't recommend The Alaska Cruise Handbook enough.

 

Enjoy your cruise, and I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

[mapsmith]

There are several other good maps of Alaska, (most available from your local Map Dealer like me or even on line)

 

1. ITMB Alaska $12.99 retail. ITMB is based in Vancouver and has great maps. They also have a retail store under the Richmond stop on the Monorail toward the airport.

2. RKH Alaska $14.95 to $17.95 retail. Reise Know How is a German Tour Company that publishes probably the most detailed maps of German Tourist Destinations available. Maps are topographic and have wonderful detail of hiking trail, roads, lakes, and so on.

3. The Milepost claims to be the "Bible of North Country Travel" and it truly is. It also includes a very detailed 'tear out' map that would work for a wall. Plus they have individual maps printed in the book, of specific places, including a very good one for the inside passage. The new edition of the Milepost is now out and for the first time in about 6 years it has a price increase to $34.99. But you can often find older versions in used book stores.

 

These are my opinions because I sell them in my store.