1st to Alaska?

[agabbymama]

I have searched the Internet to no avail. Does anyone know who was the first to cruise to Alaska? And when? Or when the Princess Lodges were built? Some actual historical data on Princess and Holland America? I'm not able to find a thing. Everything that comes up is about cruises there now.:confused:

[NancyIL]

I believe it was Chuck West - founder of Cruise West: http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2005_4th/Oct05_ChuckWest.html

[ARRTrain]

I'm sure there were other Cruise Lines up here earlier and in other ports, but I remember the Cunard Princess coming into Whittier in '83 or '84. That may have been the first big pass. ship into Whittier.

 

I think Denali Lodge was built 1st and that would have been in the '80s. I think it was called Harper's Lodge back then.

 

The rest of the Princess Lodges and the 1 Princess Fairbanks Hotel were probably built within the last 10 years.

[agabbymama]

I believe it was Chuck West - founder of Cruise West: http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2005_4th/Oct05_ChuckWest.html

 

Thank you so much for that link. It was really interesting reading. I'm sure there has to be more out there somewhere, I'm just not very good at finding stuff on the Internet.

 

While I had not heard of Chuck West, I have heard of Westours. Didn't know he sold to Holland America. Sad, such a pioneer is gone!:(

[RichardK]

Vitus Bering - 1741 :)

[NancyIL]

Vitus Bering - 1741 :)

 

Very good!

[agabbymama]

Gee thanks. I didn't actually mean the first PERSON to land in Alaska, but guess that's where the Bering Sea gets it's name, ya think? I meant which cruise line was the first to start cruising to Alaska, and I think you knew that!

 

I have found some interesting info on the Internet though. Holland America owns hotels, Grey Line Tours, trains, Westours, and lots more that we probably don't even know about. Princess owns their own hotels, railcars and who knows what else. So all this making Carnival probably the biggest tour operator in Alaska.

 

I found that interesting for a little company that started with what (2) cruise ships to Mexico? WOW!:eek:

[cruisnfool]

I thought I read that Princess was the pioneers in Alaska!

[agabbymama]

Cruisinfool,

 

I think you may be right. Princess appears to have started cruising to Alaska in 1964. Holland America bought an Alaskan company that had been in business since 1947, but Holland America took it over in 1979. I can't find when Holland America actually started sailing there themselves. Holland America has more ships sailing there. Both Princess and Holland America own hotels and rail cars. Holland America owns Grey Lines, the Raptor Center, and Windstar Cruise Lines. They are both a really big presence in Alaska. I always hate that we don't know who owns what. When you buy something you think is one company, it can end up being owned by a totally different company. I didn't know Holland America was owned by Carnival when we cruised in 1999, but it was. Princess and Holland America are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Carnival. Searching for one thing, you can learn all kinds of different information.:D

[NancyIL]

I still say it was the company founded by Chuck West. From the link above:

In typical West fashion, the godfather of tourism founded his own cruise company in 1957 to replace the Alaska Steamship service. He called it Alaska Cruise Lines. It was the first company to offer Inside Passage cruises exclusively for tourists, according to a West biography released by his family Tuesday.

[agabbymama]

NancyIL,

 

That would be the 1st one!!!! And I think that's the one Holland America bought in 1979 (actually Westours) from West. And again, I thank you for the link to his story. And I did find a website that says HAL did their first Inside Passage cruise to Alaska in 1975, so Princess did beat them.

 

I followed the Iditarod and looked up a lot of the history for that. I find it fascinating that people can live in that cold year round and LOVE IT!

 

I have over a year to go, but I have to wait. I have New England/Canada this year. Once that's over, then I can really get excited about Alaska.

 

Our final payment is due Sunday, so we are waiting with fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan. We have two nights in NYC before the cruise, then 11 days on Celebrity. This will be my longest cruise. Not real happy with sea days, I like to be visiting the ports.:p

[cruisnfool]

It could be that Cruise West is not considered a Cruise line like Princess and RCI.....aren't they quite small and yacht like?

 

The article I read that stated Princess was the first may have been referring to big cruiselines.

 

I agree it is hard to keep everyting straight especially with cruiselines. My son worked for Princess for 3 yrs and one of his reasons for leaving was the imminent purchase of Princess by Carnival.

[ARRTrain]

It could be that Cruise West is not considered a Cruise line like Princess and RCI.....aren't they quite small and yacht like?

 

The article I read that stated Princess was the first may have been referring to big cruiselines.

 

I agree it is hard to keep everyting straight especially with cruiselines. My son worked for Princess for 3 yrs and one of his reasons for leaving was the imminent purchase of Princess by Carnival.

 

Why would he leave? Did he not like his job? There hasn't been much change with the Carnival purchase, unless he was in the Rail Dept.