Proposed 2018 Unlock the Past cruise to Alaska

Calling all genealogy cruisers - it looks like I might be heading back out with Unlock the Past again!

Unlock the Past is hoping to run a genealogy cruise of Alaska in the third quarter of 2018, and I've provisionally agreed to take part as one of the speakers, which I am very much looking forward to (subject to the final cruise date being acceptable, which will be confirmed early next year, and my own personal circumstances in 2018 permitting).

This will be my fourth cruise with Unlock the Past, having previously spoken on cruises from New Zealand to Australia, around Australia again, and a third voyage around the Baltic last year, all of which were great experiences. Genealogy cruises are exceptional fun - you get the holiday experience of a cruise combined with the benefits of a genealogy conference whilst at sea. On top of that, you get some experienced genealogists, trapped on a boat, with nowehere to run or hide - the chances of breaking down your research brick walls don't get much better...!

Here is the proposed provisional itinerary for how it is hoped the Alaskan cruise might work:

• Fri – Seattle, USA depart 4pm
• Sat – at sea
• Sun – Inside Passage, Canada (cruising) – see the rugged beauty of the islands and mainland coast of southern Alaska. The views include glaciers, fjords, soaring cliffs and misty northern rainforest.
• MGSun – Juneau, USA 12noon to 9pm – surrounded by fjords, forest and snow-capped mountains, Juneau is one gorgeous state capital. Its historic city centre harkens back to its gold-rush origins and you can still pan for gold. But nature is the priceless treasure.
• Mon – Skagway, USA 7am to 8:30pm – the great Klondike Rush lives on in Skagway’s charming city centre of restored 19th-century buildings and its historic railway. From the vintage train, admire the mountains and see the 1898 trail that fortune seekers travelled on foot.
• Tue – Tracy Arm, USA 7am to 12noon – just south of Juneau lies the magnificent Tracy Arm Fjord, carved by glacier activity. Among the sights to admire from the icy waters are waterfalls cascading down 900-m (3,000-ft)-high granite walls.
• Wed – at sea
• Thu – Victoria, Canada 9am to 6pm – the capital of British Columbia is filled with blooming gardens, heritage architecture and historic charm. The heart of Victoria is its scenic harbour and Old Town, compact areas that are made for strolling and easily explored on foot.
• Fri – Seattle, USA arrive 6am

For further details, and/or to register interest, please visit the Unlock the Past Cruises page at http://www.unlockthepastcruises.com/provisional-2018-cruise-alaska/#

I wonder if I should also mention that I might be heading down under again to New Zealand and Australia before this?! Perhaps I might just hold onto that thought for a while longer...! :)

Chris

For details on my genealogy guide books, including A Beginner's Guide to British and Irish Genealogy, A Decade of Irish Centenaries: Researching Ireland 1912-1923, Discover Scottish Church Records (2nd edition), Discover Irish Land Records and Down and Out in Scotland: Researching Ancestral Crisis, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html.