Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
is the main southern start and finish point for these trips, handling more than 300
sailings and 700,000 passengers during the short May-September summer season.
Canada Place was designed especially for cruise ships, but as these boats increase
insize,theholdingcapacityofCanadaPlacehasdiminished,andsomenowdockat
Ballantyne Cruise Terminal, a renovated cargo pier east of Canada Place.
A cruise along the Inside Passage may be less expensive than you imagined, and
although this form of travel isn't for everyone, it provides the unique opportunity to
travel through one of the world's most spectacular landscapes surrounded in luxury.
The best place to start planning a cruise is at your local travel agent, or contact the
cruise lines directly.
CruiseAlaska.com Online
(3540 W. 41st Ave., 604/266-1179
or 800/663-1389,
www.cruisealaska.com
)
is one of Vancouver's most recommen-
ded cruise ship booking agents.
Holland America Line
(877/932-4259,
www.hollandamerica.com
) has been
cruising the Inside Passage since the 1940s and offers a wide range of itineraries
that link up with other arms of the company operating throughout Alaska.
Princess
Cruises
(800/774-6237,
www.princess.com
)
offers luxury that is reminiscent of
days gone by.
Carnival Cruise Lines
(888/227-6482,
www.carnival.com
)
attracts
a younger crowd.
Un-Cruise Adventures
(888/862-8881,
www.un-cruise.com
)
,
a U.S.-owned company, features smaller, more personalized ships. Another good
source of pre-trip planning is
Porthole Cruise Magazine
(
www.porthole.com
),
which is dedicated to the cruise industry.
In 1886 the first Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) train rolled into Vancouver, forging a
linktotheoutsideworldandspurringthecity'sgrowthbeyondeveryone'swildestdreams.
By the early 1990s, though, rail travel had lost much of its appeal, thanks to drastically
reduced airfares. Today, however, improved service, a refitting of carriages, a competit-
ivepricingstructure,andtheluxuriousprivatelyoperatedRockyMountaineerhavehelped
trains regain popularity in western Canada.
VIA Rail
Government-run
VIA Rail
(416/366-8411 or 888/842-7245,
www.viarail.ca
)
provides
passenger-train service across Canada. The
Canadian
is a thrice-weekly service between
