SANTA CLARITA, CA — Princess Cruises, which has been sailing to Alaska for 50 years, has announced its largest deployment ever to ‘the Great Land’ in 2019, featuring the debut of Royal Princess and a special anniversary incentive.
Seven Princess Cruises ships will sail to Alaska with the inaugural season of Royal Princess, bringing the largest Princess ship ever to the region. In addition, 76% of all voyages will sail to Glacier Bay National Park, and to enhance the cruise experience even further, guests can also choose from more than 23 cruisetours while visiting Princess Wilderness Lodges and Denali National Park.
The 2019 program also features the first full season of an exclusive treehouse experience at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge built by Pete Nelson of Animal Planet’s ‘Treehouse Masters’.
2019 cruises and cruisetours go on sale on Dec. 14. All guests in North America can also take advantage of a 50% reduced deposit for any 2019 Alaska voyage in celebration of the cruise line’s 50th anniversary in the region.
“Our upcoming 2019 Alaska season marks our 50th year taking guests to this bucket-list destination, that for most is a life-changing experience offering breathtaking scenery and awe-inspiring moments,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “In 1969, Princess Italia was our first ship to bring 525 passengers to Alaska. In 2019, we will mark another milestone by bringing Royal Princess, our largest ship ever deployed to this region, with more than 3,500 guests.”
Highlights of the 2019 May-September Alaska program include:
CRUISES:
- Voyage of the Glaciers – Princess’ most popular sailings between Vancouver and Whittier feature two glacier-viewing experiences on every voyage, visits to Glacier Bay National Park, plus either Hubbard Glacier or College Fjord. These seven-day cruises are offered aboard royal Princess and Golden Princess (departing Saturdays) and Coral Princess and Island Princess (departing Wednesdays).
- Inside Passage – Seven-, 10- and 12-day roundtrip voyages from Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles will feature the Inside Passage.
CRUISETOURS:
In 2019, Princess offers more than 23 cruisetours in Alaska. Guests can combine a seven-day ‘Voyage of the Glaciers’ cruise with three- to eight nights on land with stays at Princess Wilderness Lodges, exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service, plus visits to Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park. They can also purchase a pre-paid meal package for the land portion.
There are four cruisetour categories:
- Denali Explorer – As Princess’ most popular and best value cruisetour, these itineraries feature multiple nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and/or Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, with most offering Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service between the ship in Whitter and the Denali area all in one day.
- On Your Own – This affordable option offers a flexible way to see Alaska, with tours following similar routes as Denali Explorer but without inclusions like pre-planned excursions.
- Off the Beaten Path – These itineraries go beyond Denali to remote regions of the state such as the Kenai Peninsula and Wrangell-St. Elias national Park and Preserve.
- Connoisseur – The line’s highest level of service, these tours include a professional tour director, most meals and enhanced sightseeing.
