Princess Cruises announced updates for the upcoming 2023 cruise and cruisetour season in Alaska. As the leading cruise line in Alaska, Princess is renowned for its commitment to sustainability, immersive programming, and unparalleled guest experiences.
The company sails 7 ships throughout The Great Land across 14 itineraries and 25 land-sea vacations, including the newest ship Discovery Princess along with Royal, Ruby, Majestic, Grand, Crown, and Sapphire Princess.
One of the highlights of the 2023 season is the expanded Wild for Alaska Seafood menu, available to all guests sailing with Princess in Alaska. This industry-first initiative, introduced in 2022, features a rotation of fresh Alaska seafood dishes, along with destination-inspired cocktails made from local spirits. Princess Cruises has partnered with Pacific Seafood, Alaska Seafood, and Alaska Leader Seafood, all known for their environmentally responsible practices and sustainable fishing methods, to develop this unique dining experience. Guests can indulge in a variety of Alaska seafood, including multiple varieties of salmon, wild Alaska cod, halibut, rockfish, Dungeness crabs, spot prawns, and razor clams, highlighting the freshest ingredients from the region.
In addition to the Wild for Alaska Seafood menu, Princess Cruises is also introducing a new Garden-to-Table menu for cruisetour guests staying at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. Guests can stroll through the lodge's large garden, filled with Alaska-grown vegetables and flowers thriving in the summer sunshine, and enjoy the chefs' menu creations using the fresh produce harvested throughout the season.
The beverage program for the 2023 season is also getting a makeover, with decadent coffee and hot chocolate-based creations, themed frozen drinks, Alaska wines, and flights of Alaska beer and cocktails being introduced. Guests can warm up with delicious drinks like Spiced Rum Hot Chocolate and Gingerbread Breakfast, sample Alaska beers through tastings or order beer flights, indulge in themed frozen drinks like Ketchikan Strawberry Shortcake and Alaskan Polar Bear, enjoy Alaska cocktails made from local spirits, and even participate in the Alaska Wine Experience with wine pairings featuring Alaska salmon.
The brand's commitment to showcasing the beauty of Alaska goes beyond dining and beverages. Every cruise itinerary includes at least one glacier-viewing experience, with Princess taking more guests to Glacier Bay National Park than any other cruise line. Cruises also visit marquee ports like Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway, with late-night calls in Juneau on select itineraries. Guests can choose from over 150 shore excursions, including unique experiences like lumberjack shows, dog sledding on glaciers, flightseeing adventures, and wildlife viewing tours to spot whales, bears, and more. Exclusive to Princess Cruises, Cook My Catch allows guests to reel in a fish during a fishing excursion and have it cooked for their dinner that night, creating unforgettable culinary memories.
For those looking to explore more of Alaska's interior, Princess Cruises offers cruisetours that seamlessly combine a cruise with land tour options, including visits to Denali National Park and Princess' five signature Wilderness Lodges. The 17-night Princess Connoisseur Cruisetour is back by popular demand, featuring 10 nights on land with stays at each of the five Princess Wilderness Lodges and visits to five national parks.
Princess Cruises also takes care of guests' transportation with their Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service, which takes guests from the ship through the heart of Alaska with breathtaking scenery to the Denali-based wilderness lodges, providing more time to explore the vast interior of this stunning state.