# Alaska Cruising.....That 70s Style on CN & CP



## NS VIA Fan (Aug 17, 2014)

Back in the 70s before the massive cruise ships that sail today....both CN and CP Rail offered Alaska Cruises. On CN.....you sailed on the Prince George


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## NS VIA Fan (Aug 17, 2014)

On CP Rail......it was the Princess Patricia


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## Green Maned Lion (Aug 17, 2014)

These things failed for a reason. In the 70's where would you rather go? A Canadian cruise to Alaska? Or to the Concord Resort in Kianesha Lakes? No contest.


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2014)

Nonsense. They were old, small ships crewed by high-wage Canadians. They were supplanted by internationally flagged and crewed ships. The CN and CP ships pioneered Alaskan cruising, which has since taken off thanks to establishing a viable business model based on larger ships and lower costs.

BTW, Carnival cruise lines began with two retired CP transatlantic liners, the Empress of Canada and Empress of Britain. The latter were British flagged and crewed under CP.

BTW2, the last remaining Edwardian era steamship in the world , the CP Great Lakes steamer Keewatin, is on display in Port McNichol on the south shore of Georgian Bay near Midland ON. It was built in 1907 and operated until 1965, when it was taken out of service, due to high wages and the need to update fire regulations.


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## NS VIA Fan (Aug 17, 2014)

Green Maned Lion said:


> These things failed for a reason.


Don’t think they failed......the Princess Patricia and Prince George had been in service for years. New ship safety regulations were being introduced and costs would have been have been prohibitive to upgrade them. (Look at that fine wood interior!!)

By the late ‘70s and ‘80s......both CN and CP were now concentrating on their core rail freight business. CN got out of Hotels and Ferries. CP.....out of Passenger Ships and sold of their Airline. Alaska was now in the hands of the big cruise ship operators.



Green Maned Lion said:


> In the 70's where would you rather go? A Canadian cruise to Alaska? Or to the Concord Resort in Kianesha Lakes? No contest.


Never heard of it! (And probably most Canadians haven’t either) If I wanted to go to a resort it would have been to CN's Jasper Park Lodge or CP's Banff Springs.....and riding there on the Super Continental or Canadian (on the way to my Alaska Cruise!)


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## NS VIA Fan (Aug 17, 2014)

Guest said:


> BTW2, the last remaining Edwardian era steamship in the world , the CP Great Lakes steamer Keewatin, is on display in Port McNichol on the south shore of Georgian Bay near Midland ON. It was built in 1907 and operated until 1965, when it was taken out of service, due to high wages and the need to update fire regulations.


Yes she’s back in her home port of Port McNicol after years at Douglas, Michigan.

http://www.sskeewatin.com/


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## railiner (Aug 17, 2014)

NS VIA Fan said:


> Green Maned Lion said:
> 
> 
> > These things failed for a reason.
> ...


And where is the Concord today? Like most of its type Catskill Mountain resorts that catered to ethnic population's, "gone with the wind"....even gambling, if it ever becomes legal there, won't save it....


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## railiner (Aug 17, 2014)

Great photo's as usual, NS VIA Fan!

The closest I came to those was on CP's Princess Marguerite, on the Victoria-Seattle run....took a dayroom stateroom, just for the experience.


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