Dear UVDA Representative,

This is our cover letter for inquiries from a person with a disability about a cruise to Alaska. Also the attachment is our Independent Trip Planning questionnaire for an individual with a disability for independent travel in Alaska to determine their limitations for travel.

AWY's COVER LETTER follows:

Cruising to Alaska> is a once in a lifetime experience. The natural beauty of Alaska cannot be exceeded anywhere in the United States.We feel Princess Cruises offers the best value for your accessible Alaskan Cruise vacation. Princess operates six ships on seven-night cruises in Alaska each summer from mid May through mid September. Two sets of sister ships, Coral and Island Princess along with Sun and Dawn Princess sail four times weekly between Vancouver British Columbia and Whittier, Alaska with two sailing north and two sailing south each week. Sister ship indicates they were constructed using the same set of blueprints. The Coral and Island Princess are the newest ships in the Princess fleet. The Sun and Dawn Princess have 19 accessible staterooms while the newer Coral and Island Princess have 20 accessible staterooms. The Sapphire and Diamond Princess, with 27 accessible staterooms, sail on a seven-night loop from Seattle. The Regal Princess, with 9 accessible staterooms, sails north from San Francisco bypassing Seattle on its 11-night cruise but follows the same route as the Sapphire and Diamond Princess in Canada and Alaska

Cruising means that you do not have to unpack and pack daily to visit a new area. The floating convention center brings you to another activity each day while providing you with exotic foods from around the world along with lectures from an on-board naturalist, dance bands in the lounges, free first run movies, and Broadway-style Shows held in the large theatres. All this is included in the one single price of your cruise.

The Voyage of the Glaciers Route between Vancouver and Whittier allows a full day ashore at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway on each sailing. Each stop provides the opportunity for you to study another aspect of the State of Alaska. At the Village in Ketchikan you can examine the numerous totem poles, learn the meanings of each symbol carved into the wood, and observe members of the local Tlingit Tribe carving new totems. The next morning Juneau, the Alaska State Capital, greets you. Juneau allows an opportunity to see Mendenhall Glacier up close and have all your questions answered by the US Forest Ranger concerning the growth and retreat of the river of ice that lies across the glacier lake. Also there are numerous state buildings to explore including the State of Alaska Museum with displays of natural history and the Russian cultural heritage of the area. Your final daylong stop is Skagway, the entranceway to the gold fields in the interior of Canada and Alaska. Visit the restored buildings along Broadway that served as the center of activity for thousands of prospectors passing through the area in the late 1890's. Travel on the White Pass Railroad up the canyon along the Dead Horse Trail to perceive first hand the challenges that faced the early prospectors in Alaska.

The remaining portion of your cruise involves viewing the natural history of Alaska with a stop in Glacier Bay College Fjord. Your tour either begins or ends in Whittier, Alaska at the end of Passage Canal nestled between the Kenai and the Chugach Mountains. A short one-hour motor coach ride brings you through a combination railroad/automobile tunnel, along Turnagain Arm, then to Anchorage, Alaska's largest city.

The seven-day Sapphire Princess and Diamond Princess Inside Passage Cruise originating in Seattle and returning to Seattle follows the same route with a stop at Tracy Arm but does not travel north of Skagway. This cruise includes Victoria, the Capital of British Columbia, as a port of call. The Regal Princess sails on the same route cruising eleven-days from San Francisco

Alaska opens a new world of cultural history, natural history, and beauty that cannot be truly appreciated on the big screen in a movie theater or on television. You must observe it in person to experience the true nature of "The Great Land". Come "North to the Future" next summer to find out why people come to Alaska, are enthralled by its beauty and make it their permanent home.

We provide a list of accessible activities at each port and have contact with local operators who are able to provide land tours equal to or better than the larger operators at a lower cost.. They have many personal experiences from their life in the "Last Frontier" and stories from the local area making their tour far more interesting

All the ports of call provide accessible activities that we have personally inspected to insure that they meet our standards for accessibility. During our inspections we have found that some activities listing themselves accessible may possess severe limits for a person using a wheelchair. We provide you with a list of the accessible activities available at each port. You can extend your vacation by choosing a Princess Land Tour or contacting us for your personalized vacation with our 100% accessible INDEPENDENT TRIP PLANNING SERVICE.

The cruise prices increase gradually reaching a peak during July and August then drop in price as Alaska's fall arrives. Discounts are available on many of the fares shown in the 2005 Princess Catalog.

Please call AWY at 800-349-6301 for more detailed information concerning your Alaskan Vacation.

Thank you for choosing Alaska Welcomes You!, Inc., to assist with your vacation plans.

Sincerely yours,

Paul F. Sandhofer
Alaska Welcomes You!, Inc.
800-349-6301
akwy@customcpu.com