Isaac NeoUnlike any other destination, Alaska offers some of the most spectacular scenery, fascinating wildlife and intriguing culture in the world. Bordered by the Gulf of Alaska, Pacific Ocean and Arctic Ocean, it’s easy to see why so many travellers visit Alaska every year and how this US state has become the world’s most popular cruise destination.
What better way to experience the untamed beauty of the Great Land’s glaciers, wildlife and national parks than with Princess Cruises, which offers the widest range of cruising options. With the ease and convenience of a Fly-Cruise, you can spend more time at sea exploring the very best of Alaska while engaging in a variety of authentic experiences onboard, through the award-winning North to Alaska programme.
| You might have read about the magical land of Alaska in storybooks and now you can live these experiences for yourself, with the people you care about the most.
Plan an epic voyage to Alaska with Princess Cruises or take this travel personality quiz to find out where you and your loved ones should go to create your own storybook moments! Complete the quiz and you might even stand a chance to win a FREE fly-cruise vacation to Alaska! Read on to find out more! |
But your uniquely Alaskan adventure doesn’t end there. Combine your voyage with a Shore Excursion to discover the snowy terrains on a thrilling dog sled ride or go on a vintage gold rush-era train through Yukon territory.
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With so many exciting activities you can do both on and off the ship, here are some compelling reasons why an Alaska Fly-Cruise should be on your travel bucket list:
1. An Unforgettable Glacier Viewing Opportunity
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Experience one of the greatest shows on earth as the glaciers creak, rumble and calve explosively with a stupendous roar often referred to as “white thunder”. Princess Cruises brings you face-to-face with these awe-inspiring icy mammoths in places like the stunning Glacier Bay National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and named a Cruise Wonder of the World by Condé Nast Traveler — and breathtaking Tracy Arm Fjord as well as College Fjord farther north and the Hubbard Glacier.
Spanning 3.3 million acres, the Glacier Bay National Park boasts spectacular glaciers like the Margerie Glacier and Johns Hopkins Glacier. Cruising with Princess Cruises will accord you with a once a lifetime opportunity to sail through this magnificent park, being one of only five global cruise lines which is permitted to bring and sail passengers into the Glacier Bay National Park.
Remember to look out for the Alaskan wildlife like sea otters and humpback whales as well as black bears and mountain goats wandering through the parkland. Knowledgeable park rangers will also join you onboard to guide you through the park’s wonders.
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On the Southbound voyage that departs from Anchorage to Vancouver, you’ll sail on a scenic cruise that passes the Hubbard Glacier, which at 76 miles long, is the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska. On the Northbound voyage that departs from Vancouver to Anchorage, you’ll pass College Fjord, which is home to 16 tidewater glaciers.
Located southeast of Juneau, while on the Fly-Cruise, don’t miss the narrow 26-mile waterway of Tracy Arm Fjord that offers dramatic views of the epic twin Sawyer Glaciers as they calve, sending giant chunks of ice crashing into the waters of this stunning fjord.
2. Shore Excursions Offer Unique Alaskan Activities
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Princess Cruises offers shore excursions for you to experience uniquely Alaskan activities such as Alaska Fishing & Wilderness Dining and Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier. Exclusive to Princess Cruises, some of these excursions have been selected by two of the most trusted names in world exploration — Discovery™ and Animal Planet™— so you can be sure you’re immersing yourself in the best the region has to offer.
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The Discovery-recommended Klondike Summit, Liarsville Experience, and Gold Panning Tour will take you through the same trail that gold panners took in the Gold Rush of 1897-98. Or, if you want to travel through Alaska in style, you can take a trip on the White Pass Yukon Railway on vintage diesel locomotives.
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For a truly unforgettable bucket list experience, you can’t miss the Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour. Your flight will take you over spectacular glaciers, ice spires, deep blue crevasses and meltwater pools, with the highlight being the Mendenhall Towers – rock sentinels that rise over 5,000 feet out of the glacier. But you won’t just be viewing these magnificent natural wonders from afar. You will also get to taste the fresh glacier water and go on a wonderful walkabout on ice to explore the glacier’s surface with highly experienced expert guides.
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For an authentically Alaskan experience, add the thrill of driving a dog sled to your list. Glide through the impressive ice-blue wilderness for an experience and memory that will last a lifetime. Take a helicopter ride to the dog sled camp and experience the unique thrill of zipping across the snow of the Mendenhall Glacier behind a team of huskies.
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Now that you’ve cruised on the Alaskan waters, why not snorkel in it too? Yes, snorkelling in Alaska is possible! Thanks to long summer days and the lack of glaciers in Mountain Point, the shallow tide pools teeming with marine life and steep underwater rock walls allow for free diving. You’ll discover the myriad of fish and colourful invertebrates that inhabit these waters while you snorkel over a kelp forest.
Pair your Fly-Cruise with one of the many shore excursions offered by Princess Cruises to complete your epic Alaskan adventure and experience the grandiose glaciers and wonderful wildlife first-hand. Add the icing to your cake with an Alaska Cruisetour package, combining the 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with a couple of days to explore Alaska by land. Choose from four types of Alaska Cruisetours with highlights including a scenic train ride and lodges in the Alaskan wilderness exclusive to Princess Cruises.
3. The Splendour of Alaska’s Incredible Nature and Wildlife
What’s a trip to Alaska without witnessing some of its wonderful and abundant wildlife? Eagles and seabirds, whales and orcas, bears fishing for salmon and moose grazing — Princess Cruises offers plenty of opportunities to see Alaska’s wild side in all its splendour. Want to see black bears fishing for salmon? Sign up for the Animal Planet-recommended shore excursion to see these mammoth and beautiful creatures up close and personal. See if you can spot the native Dall sheep with its distinctive curved horns as well!
Travel to Alaska during the summer months when more than 2,000 humpback whales will be feeding in the waters off Alaska, providing a prime opportunity to go whale watching.
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Along with viewing the glaciers and wildlife watching, you have to experience the Denali National Park to round off your trip to Alaska! Extend your trip by taking the Princess Rail, a luxury rail service that will take you from the cruise ship straight to Princess Lodges located in the unspoilt wilderness of Denali National Park. You’ll get to see many different varieties of wildlife like caribou and bald eagles on your rail journey, as well as at the parks themselves.
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Combining comfort with adventure, the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge offers exceptional views of Denali, accompanied by a host of recreational activities and Alaskan experiences. A newly-opened treehouse – created in conjunction with the Animal Planet show “Treehouse Masters” – is accessible via a short hiking loop, where you’ll be able to witness awe-inspiring views of the whole south face of Denali from the viewing deck. In addition, you can enjoy activities like Sourdough Expedition talks with the author, world record holder and amputee mountain climber – Todd Huston – as well as birch syrup tastings.
4. Be Charmed by Quaint Alaskan Towns
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Aside from the behemothic natural glaciers, Alaska is also a destination steeped in history.
Make a stop at some of Alaska’s towns to get a glimpse into the welcoming personality of the Great Land and a taste of the fascinating gold rush history that has left its mark on the region’s streets, saloons and storefronts. On your Fly-Cruise, you’ll marvel at the breath-taking scenery and encounter ports like Gold Rush-era Skagway, Ketchikan, and the capital city of Juneau.
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The Alaskan town of Juneau is where gold was discovered in 1880, setting the people off in a frenzy. While the gold hasn’t lasted to this day, you can still try your hand at panning, visit the abandoned gold mines and enjoy the area’s beautiful glaciers.
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Your Alaskan Fly-Cruise will also introduce you to the town of Skagway, which was the gateway to the gold fields of Yukon during the gold rush. However, when the gold supply dried up, so did the number of residents. This small town now only has 1,000 residents but nevertheless, still receives many tourists keen to see its well-preserved buildings from the gold rush era.
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Your Fly-Cruise won’t forget to drop you off at Alaska’s first city, Ketchikan, also the salmon capital of the world. Visitors to Ketchikan will be intrigued by its rich Native heritage, which is on colourful display at Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Native village. Have a renewed sense of being learning about the Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian cultures, all part of the city’s rich history.
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On Princess Cruises’ Alaskan Cruises, you’ll get the chance to visit these beautiful towns when the cruise ship docks at their ports, fortifying your adventure of the Great Land, full of culture, history and experiences.
5. The Spectacular Northern Lights
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While on your Fly-Cruise, you might even be able to catch the beauty of the Northern Lights. Travel in May and September, which offers significantly longer hours of darkness than mid-summer months, giving you a better chance of seeing the phenomenon on a clear night.
6. Authentic Alaska Experiences On-board
Princess Cruises’ North to Alaska Programme even offers enriching experiences that bring local personalities, culture and cuisine onboard, giving you a taste of all things Alaskan and an even deeper connection with Alaskan culture.
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Onboard, you’ll get to meet real Alaskans such as Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the gruelling 1,100-mile Iditarod sled dog race. Can’t get enough of the sled dogs? Don’t miss Puppies in the Piazza, where you can cuddle with adorable Alaska sled dog puppies onboard!
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Guests such as Captain David Leithin and his shipmates, from the popular Discovery Channel program Deadliest Catch, will come onboard to talk about their real-life fishing adventures out in the Bering Sea. Don’t miss the plethora of other guests Princess Cruises will be bringing onboard, sharing their inspirational Alaskan adventures include award-winning photographers, mountain climbers and lumberjacks. You can also see Alaskan artist Kenneth White give a live totem carving exhibition.
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You’ll also enjoy world-famous seafood at Alaskan-themed dinners in the dining rooms, as well as special Alaskan seafood dining menus in the speciality restaurants onboard. The top deck grill will also feature special dishes from local eateries, such as crab cakes from Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau and seafood chowder from the Bonanza Bar and Grill in Skagway.
| Now that you’ve read about the beautiful land of Alaska, you can stand a chance to win a trip to explore the Great Land for yourself! Win a FREE 7-day fly-cruise vacation to Alaska, inclusive of a stay in Princess Cruises’ Suite stateroom and roundtrip airfare to Seattle (worth at least S$12,718) for 2 guests!
To enter the sweepstakes, simply:
Find out where you should be travelling to this year based on your personality, and you might just find yourself on a fly-cruise to Alaska! Hurry, the contest ends 17 Mar 2019! |
Princess Cruises’ upcoming 2019 Alaska season marks its 50th year taking guests to this bucket-list destination. Alaska offers a life-changing experience with breath-taking scenery and awe-inspiring moments that you’ll remember for a lifetime. With seven Princess Cruises ships sailing to Alaska, bringing the largest Princess ship ever to sail the region, there is no other cruise line that will offer you an Alaskan experience as authentic as this.
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Princess Cruises offers airport-to-ship transfers with reliable staff taking care of your luggage so that your journey will be worry-free from start to end. You’ll also enjoy luxury accommodation, dining and activities onboard, as well as opportunities to explore more of Alaska through excursions or even extending your trip off the ship. Experience the best of land, air, and sea all in one trip when you embark on a Fly-Cruise to Alaska with Princess Cruises.
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