Cruise ship magic: now's the time for Alaskans to cruise Alaska.

• Author: Cutler, Debbie
• Position: TOURISM

There's something magical about walking up a covered gangplank in Vancouver, British Columbia, to board the 1990-built Volendam, a diesel-electric-powered cruise ship owned by Holland America Line that is headed toward the Inside Passage of Alaska.

Magical as you get a card key that opens your room and ties to your credit card in this cashless society. Magical as you are told (already? can't be) that there is lunch awaiting on the Lido deck, near the Lido pool, consisting of starters, roast beef, bigger-than-big asparagus, pastas, desserts and much more, oh so much more, that it can't all be taken in and must be left to the imagination.

The bars are open, the computer lab ready for action, coffee cafe brewing, the spa accepting reservations, shops awaiting, casino machines ready for sea and sunlight streaming down on fully dressed sunbathers in an enclosed area with room-sized skylights complete with pool and hottub.

The sky deck is open, Deck 10, giving spectacular views of Vancouver from the top of the mid-sized ship that holds 1,440 passengers and 620 crew members.

Inside, passengers stroll down a teal glass-walled spiral staircase, with carpets colored wine and gold, as they make their way to the send-off party complete with music and dancing. And with honk of a loud horn people wave from the decks in the sunny but windy classy city as a bridge fades in the distance over dark blue waters as cameras flash.

Magical.

Why, if you are from Alaska, take a cruise to Alaska? There are many good reasons. 1) The fares are cheap right now, a seven-day cruise for the cost of a one-way plane ticket and few nights stay at an average hotel in an Outside city. 2) See your own state and help its economy. Why not take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and shop in Southeast Alaska? Or even take a land excursion in Southcentral or Interior? 3) You meet interesting people from around the world. 4) There's the finest of foods (all included in the price of the cruise unless you want an extra special dining experience in the first-class intimate-dining room, Pinnacle Grill, for $20 a head. 5) Great nightlife. 6) Alaska is beautiful beyond belief. Yeah, it's Alaska!!!!

The staterooms, billed to be the largest in Alaska cruise ships, are comfortable, with generously thick towels, plenty of closet space, a TV with DVD, telephone and other amenities. The ship is silent as it plows through the Pacific Ocean. The decks without staterooms house huge windows that...