Alaska for Connoisseurs
Date: 04 Jul 2007
Alaska’s biggest cruise and tour operator, Princess Cruises, is giving travellers even more reasons to visit the land of ice with the launch in 2008 of new longer ‘Connoisseur’ sailings.
The boutique 670-passenger Tahitian Princess – the ‘baby’ of Princess’ Alaskan fleet - will swap palms and blue lagoons for spruce trees and ice-blue glaciers when she debuts in the region next year to offer the line’s first two-week, eight-port sojourns in Alaska. She is one of eight Princess cruise ships to sail on Alaskan voyages in 2008, offering more passenger capacity than any other line.
Designed to attract nature lovers seeking a complete Alaskan experience as well as past visitors keen to see more of America’s largest and wildest State, the new ‘Connoisseur Voyages’ will sail round-trip from Vancouver and showcase hidden gems not featured on shorter Alaskan cruises.
New ports featured include Kodiak with its famous brown bears, the breathtaking Kenai Fjords of Seward and Alaska’s ‘Little Switzerland’ at Valdez in addition to the popular ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and Victoria and a day in Alaska’s number one attraction, Glacier Bay.
In total, the 2008 Alaska line-up for Princess Cruises will feature 135 sailings through Alaska – one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world for Australians - with eight ships on offer between May and September.
Four huge ships – the 2670-passenger sisters Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess and the 1970-passenger twins Coral Princess and Island Princess – will offer Princess’ signature seven-night Gulf of Alaska sailings between Vancouver and Whittier, with all cruises featuring calls at Glacier Bay. Princess will carry more passengers to this spectacle of ice and sea life in 2008 than any other cruise line.
Meanwhile, two megaliners – the 2600-passenger sisters Star Princess and Golden Princess - will offer seven-night round-trip itineraries from Seattle to the famed Inside Passage with sights that include gushing waterfalls, crashing glaciers, soaring eagles, roaming bears, frontier towns and lush forests. Another vessel, Dawn Princess, will offer 10-night round-trip journeys to the Inside Passage from San Francisco – ideal for passengers flying from Australia.
Princess Cruises also offers stays at five exclusive Princess wilderness lodges in Alaska, a range of add-on land tours in Alaska and the Canadian Rockies and rides aboard Princess’ own deluxe trains, which provide direct access from the ship to the famed Alaskan frontier. Princess Cruises will offer dozens of excursions from its ships and lodges in 2007 including glacier hikes, dogsled rides, kayaking, fishing expeditions, whale-watching, bear-spotting, seaplane flights and native cultural dances.
An Alaskan cruise is one of the most spectacular, yet affordable cruise experiences in the world. Princess Cruises offers seven-night Alaska cruises in 2008 from AUD$1099* per person (cruise only). The new 14-night Connoisseur Voyages are priced from AUD$3389* per person (cruise only). Also available are 11-night cruise-tour packages from AUD$2419* per person including a seven-night Alaska cruise and a four-night coach and rail tour in Alaska.
For copies of Princess Cruises’ 2008 Alaska brochure for Australia, see a travel agent, call Princess Cruises toll-free on 132488.
* Fares are twin share and subject to availability. Conditions apply. To be read in conjunction with the booking and passage conditions in the Princess Cruises 2008 Alaska brochure.
