Empress of the North Summers in Juneau

Empress of The North
Photo by Charles Pannell

The 235-passenger Empress of the North returns to Alaska for her third season this summer, with one important change in her itinerary. Instead of sailing from Seattle as she did in previous years, this summer the sternwheeler will sail a new seven-night round-trip itinerary from Juneau. At the end of the season, she will reposition to Seattle on an 11-night sailing which departs Juneau on September 9, 2005

According to American West Steamboat Company, this new itinerary was designed to give passengers the opportunity to fully explore and experience Alaska’s Inside Passage. By cruising round-trip from Juneau and spending a full week in Alaska, passengers get a more comprehensive cruise experience, with more time in Alaska, more ports of call and more close-up glacier and wildlife viewing opportunities.

The Empress of the North has 112 staterooms including four that are wheelchair-accessible. All accessible staterooms have roll-in showers, level thresholds and wide doorways.

For more information about the Empress of the North, call (800) 434-1232 or visit www.empressofthenorth.com.

Alaska continues to be one of the most popular cruise destinations for wheelchair-users and slow walkers, partly because of the availability of accessible ground transportation and partly because of the good accessibility of the ports.

A wide variety of accessible shore excursions are offered by Alaskan tour operators, from helicopter flights and gold panning to train excursions and whale watching trips. An updated list of accessible shore excursions and tourist attractions in Alaska is available in the Summer 2005 issue of Emerging Horizons. Don’t leave home without it!