PHOTO: Alaska Railroad locomotive pulls Princess Cruises guests. (photo by Jason Leppert)
It’s official: According to a survey conducted by ManTripping and #MenWhoBlog, an Alaskan cruise combined with a land tour of the Last Frontier is the number one choice for men looking to take a “mancation.”
“Initially, I was surprised that an Alaska cruise ranked so high in the survey, but after thinking about it, the choice is obvious,” said James Hills, publisher of ManTripping and founder of #MenWhoBlog, in a press release.
“Men are looking for once-in-a-lifetime adventures and opportunities to engage our manliness that we tend to repress in modern society. A land and sea Alaska experience offers opportunities to enjoy a luxury, pampered experience on the ship, plus active excursions such as panning for gold, fishing trips, hiking on glaciers and following in the footsteps of legendary men who pursued adventures and explored the Alaskan frontier.”
A “mancation” is the male equivalent of a “girlfriends’ getaway” wherein only guys take a chance to relish in traditionally manly activities like fishing, golf, sports, outdoor adventures, exploring military history, drinking alcohol, smoking cigars and/or enjoying steaks and burgers. The term was most recently made popular by the Vince Vaughn film “The Breakup” from 2006 and might also be referred to as a “mancursion,” “man trip” or “fellas trip.”
In other words, think of it as something the character Ronald Ulysses “Ron” Swanson from the television show “Parks and Recreation” played by actor Nick Offerman would subscribe to.
The results were also resoundingly in favor of cruising: 507 responses gathered via Google Surveys in April 2017 and sorted by age and geographic group indicated 26.4 percent preferred an Alaska cruise with land and sea tour.
The second choice of a golf trip to a Florida beach resort came in well behind at 18.3 percent.
Third place was then tied at 16.8 percent between a road trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and a ski trip to Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada. Fourth went to a sport fishing trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (at 12.6 percent), while a Montana dude ranch adventure came in fifth at 9.1 percent.
The picks voted on were selected from the most popular ManTripping.com subjects and reader inquiries from the last nine years.
READ MORE: What’s So Special About Cruising to Alaska
The cruise option even ranked number one among millennials and beyond at 23 percent in the age group of 18-34, while it rated at 27.2 percent in the age range of 35-54.
The ManTripping website accurately mentions that most cruise lines have some sort of presence in the 49th state, even adding that, “one of our favorites – Viking Ocean Cruises will be joining the pack with their smaller ships that should be able to explore fjords that the larger ships simply can’t.”
As to those offering land extensions specifically, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line are also cited. Princess’ rail cars and Princess Lodges are discussed as well as Holland America Line’s McKinley Chalet Resort, featuring the new Denali Square.
READ MORE: 5 Reasons to Take an Alaska Cruise
Additional cruise brands with land and sea options are Norwegian Cruise Line as well as corporate cousins Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. Even the small-ship line of UnCruise Adventures offers pre- and post-sailing land packages.
In fact, that’s one of the main things for men to consider in a “mancation”: How up close and personal with nature do you really want to get?
Small ships provide more of that than the big ones do—at least immediately off from the vessel itself without relying on extra shore excursions. Of course, if you want more pampering, there are more options onboard the larger ships.
It all comes down to the specific type of Alaska cruise you desire for yourself because either option has its own pros and cons.
This post first appeared on TravelPulse.