5 Reasons to Choose Princess Cruises for your Alaska Cruise
5 Reasons to Visit Alaska with Princess Cruises
Come Feel the Love with Princess Cruises Alaska Program
Alaska - truly the “Last Frontier”: a land of icy glaciers, diverse wildlife and rich native culture. It is a place like no other on earth and tops many of our travel bucket list, mine included. Most people visit the region via cruise ship, but which is the best cruise line to choose for your visit?
In this article I explore five reasons why you might decide to choose Princess Cruises for your once-in-a-lifetime trip.
1️⃣ In-depth Understanding of the Region
Princess Cruises is the premier cruise line in Alaska with over 50 years experience. In fact 2024 will mark its 55th year in the region. Princess Cruises first began cruising to Alaska on 3 June 1969 with Princess Italia carrying just 525 very privileged guests. Now, for 2024, they are extending their commitment to the area and will have seven ships deployed in Alaska - that’s nearly half of their fleet.
2️⃣ Visiting Glacier Bay - A Must See
Covering 3.3 million acres which include diverse terrain such as mountains, glaciers, rainforest, wild coastlines and deep sheltered fjords, Glacier Bay National Park is a highlight of Alaska's Inside Passage. It is part of a 25-million acre World Heritage Site—one of the largest international protected areas of the world. It is the highlight of any trip to Alaska, but not all ships are able to visit.
Princess is one of a select few cruise lines permitted to cruise the pristine waters of Glacier Bay. As such, Princess Cruises takes more guests to Glacier Bay National Park than any other cruise line. The 2024 season features 86 visits to Glacier Bay National Park, with three ships – Royal Princess, Sapphire Princess, and Grand Princess - sailing the“Voyage of the Glaciers” itinerary featuring two glacier-viewing experiences on each cruise.
3️⃣ Special On-board Alaska Programs
On every Princess Cruises’ Alaskan cruise there is an opportunity to enjoy unique experiences before even leaving the ship, with the award-winning “North to Alaska” enrichment programme.
There are cultural offerings in each port of call of course, and unique partnerships with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, which brings an interesting lineup of local entertainers, historians and naturalists to further enhance guests' Alaska experience.
Onboard Programs include a special presentation from U.S. Forest Service rangers while in Ketchikan; a talk by Iditarod winner Libby Riddles; Junior Ranger programs and informative ranger presentations while in Glacier Bay.
However the highlight for guests big and small must be ‘Puppies in the Piazza’ (Skagway) where you can get up close and personal with the cutest sled dog puppies.
4️⃣ Award-Winning, Authentic Experiences Ashore
Princess Cruises’ award-winning “North to Alaska” enrichment programme continues ashore, offering an immersive experience for guests. Amongst the experiences to choose from are the opportunity of flightseeing and landing on glaciers, or a musher’s camp and dog-sledding experience, which I can vouch is a fabulous activity - although my experience was on home soil and without the snow!. Guests can discover glaciers by helicopter, and venture on an exciting remote wildlife and brown bear search or go whale watching. Guests can even go fishing with the opportunity to “Cook My Catch” onboard or at the wilderness lodges.
5️⃣ Experience Life in the Wild
A visit to Alaska for most of us is a trip of a lifetime, and therefore it is desirable to make the most of being in such an awe-inspiring destination. Whilst a cruise is a wonderfully relaxing way to see the scenery and spot the wildlife from a distance, Princess Cruises offer a variety of cruisetours to take that experience to the next level.
When booking a Princess Cruises Alaska cruise you have the option of combining a seven-night “Voyage of the Glaciers” cruise with an extended three to 10 nights on land, staying at the cruise line’s exclusive Princess Wilderness Lodges. All cruisetours include a visit to Alaska’s top-two attractions – Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. This means that you won’t just be exploring the landscapes, you will be living within them.
Guests undertaking one of the Cruisetours will also have the opportunity to experience Princess’ “Direct-to- Wilderness" rail service, which departs directly from the ship in Whittier all the way to the Denali area for even more time in the wilderness.
If you have the luxury of time, you could have the ultimate experience on the 17-night Ultimate Princess Connoisseur cruisetour. This very special tour features two nights at each one of the five Princess Wilderness Lodges, on the doorsteps of legendary national parks including Kenai Fjords and Wrangell St. Elias and Denali National Park.
Read More details about Princess Cruises Alaska Cruise Tours
*All images courtesy of Princess Cruises