The Alaska Cruise Handbook: A Mile-by-Mile Guide [Folded Map] [Paperback]

Joe Upton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2008

Enjoy every minute of your Alaska vacation! With this comprehensive guide to the sights and stops on Alaska and Northwest Passage cruises, you can plan your trip and choose the ports and excursions that you find most appealing. With the author's own wonderful Alaska stories and information on wildlife, native culture, landmarks, historical sites, shopping, and more, you won't miss a thing.

Upton's Handbook traces the route used by most Alaska cruises, with maps and text keyed to a route numbering/navigational system that is frequently announced onboard, allowing the passenger to easily follow his ship's progress from Mile One.

The beautifully illustrated maps and color photography keep you informed throughout your journey, making a wonderful souvenir when it ends.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Traveling northwest waters as a commercial fisherman since 1965 in small craft and large, Joe upton gained intimate knowledge of the coast from Puget Sound almost to the Arctic Circle.

In the 1970s Upton lived and fished out of a tiny island community in the roadless wilderness of Southeast Alaska. His first book, Alaska Blues, based on on those years, was hailed as ''One of those books you want to proclaim a classic'' by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Upton has a new book coming from Epicenter Press for Spring 2011: Bering Sea Blues,a memoir of crab fishing in the Bering Sea. Upton lives with his wife, Mary Lou, on an island in Puget Sound.

Product Details

• Paperback: 287 pages
• Publisher: Coastal Publishing; Pap/Map edition (March 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979491509
• ISBN-13: 978-0979491504
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Cruises
  • #19 in Books > Travel > United States > Regions > West

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Guide Book, June 20, 2008

By 

Martha E. Cathcart "Merrie Reader" (Aiken, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Alaska Cruise Handbook: A Mile-by-Mile Guide (Paperback)

Planning a cruise to Alaska? This is a wonderful book to read both before you go and to take with you on the ship. It has many interesting stories about the state. Mr. Upton has been a resident of Alaska and offered tips on things that would have been unknown to the average tourist on a cruise ship. For instance, excursions may be bought on the ship but are usually rather expensive. He pointed out that sometimes you can go on the dock and find similar excursions at a better price by local vendors. He also said that sometimes cab drivers would give you a one-on-one tour for very little as well. We did this in Juneau and had a very interesting Klingit driver who told us many local stories and took us to some out of the way places for some great pictures. He also told which excursions were really worthwhile to spend your money on.(The Skagway RailRoad)

A map comes with the book and shows you mile by mile where the ship is. Other helpful things that he talked about in the book were the background of each of the towns that the ship visited as well as the glaciers,etc. He also talked about the fishing and the wildlife in the different areas. If you can only afford one book for your trip to Alaska, this would definitely be the one to buy.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource!, June 29, 2008

By 

Cruzshopper (Texas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Alaska Cruise Handbook: A Mile-by-Mile Guide (Paperback)

I purchased copies of this handbook for both my husband and me as well as his brother and wife for our first time Alaskan cruise. It was interesting to follow our route on the included map and know what we were cruising by, as well as to anticipate what lie ahead. We were able to take wonderful photographs of lighthouses, etc. by knowing when to watch for them. We saw several people onboard with the books, and I would highly recommend it as a "must pack" item on an Alaskan cruise.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best we have seen on Inside Passage/Alaska cruising, February 28, 2009

By 

Clifford Bennett (Napa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Alaska Cruise Handbook: A Mile-by-Mile Guide (Paperback)

My wife and I are planning our first Alaska cruise. To prepare, we have purchased and read a number of books during the past four months. We strongly agree this is one of the best! Unlike many books that cover cruise line/ship details or specific port points-of-interest and shore excursions, Joe's book mixes authentic slice of life observations with vivid pictures and relevant historical events. He covers the Inside Passage and Southeast Alaska in depth. There is sufficient coverage of the balance of the state, especially the coastal regions.

I heartily recommend it to Alaskan cruisers, visitors and dreamers alike.