Fancy an Alaskan cruise? The price is right with NCL

What’s a better way to beat the summer heat than with an Alaskan cruise? 

I’m headed for the Great White North in August but Norwegian Cruise Lines has a slew of specials for July. 

The best price deal is a seven-night cruise on the Norwegian Sun leaving on July 8 from Whitter (near Anchorage) for $249. That’s roughly $36 per day for your room, board and shipboard entertainment. 

Stops include Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait, Sawyer Glacier, Skagway and Ketchikan with the cruise ending in Vancouver.

Last month a friend of mine was able to get flights to Anchorage from Bermuda for $300 per person with flights from Vancouver around the same. 

If you can match those great flight prices with the cruise, then that’s better than a decent deal to snag.

If you can do a last minute deal for Alaska, Norwegian has the Jewel on a Seattle round trip on July 6 for $399 and the Pearl, also leaving from Seattle, for $499 on July 7. 

An option for a seven-day Caribbean cruise on Norwegian would be the Pearl on November 5 for $329.

Icy Straight

Veterans of Alaskan cruises know the usual suspects of ports so it’s great when there’s a new option. Icy Straight Point in Hoonah, Alaska opened up in 2004 a cooperative effort between the cruise lines and the town desperate for a new revenue stream after the fishery cannery closed down. 

It is also one of the few places where the town actually recommends you book your cruise on the ship, rather than when you dock.

The official website says: “While our port is open to the general public, we strongly encourage our guests to book their tours through their cruise lines’ websites prior to arrival. We allocate all of our departure times and space to the cruise ship that is in port for the day and control all sales until they arrive at Icy Strait Point.”

One of the highlights is a zipline, which it brags is the world’s longest at 5,330 feet long with a 60mph maximum speed. 

Other than that, there’s plenty of native Tlingit culture to soak in, including tribal dances. Of course, you can do a variety of fishing activities — halibut, sport and stream — as well as nature tours on ATVs, trams, bikes and ships. See www.icystraitpoint.com for more details.

Air Canada

On Tuesday of this week the airline announced its winter flight schedule, but Bermuda was not mentioned. From Toronto, Air Canada will offer more options to Montego Bay, Jamaica; Grenada; St Kitts; Grand Exuma, Bahamas; Curacao; and La Romana, Dominican Republic. 

It will also be offering more options to popular US destinations Orlando and Las Vegas. 

Alamo

The rental car company has two specials running. The first offers $20 off when you rent a convertible, minivan or SUV. You have to have at least a three-day booking and use by July 27.

The second gives you a free car-class upgrade when you book a compact through a midsize through July 31.