Cruising News Magazine Cruising News February 2019 | Page 19

Celebrating 50 Years of Alaska Sailings
Princess Cruises first began cruising to
Alaska on 3 June 1969 with Princess
Italia carrying 525 guests to this
breathtaking bucket-list destination.
This year, the cruise line is celebrating
its 50 years of sailing to the Great Land
by introducing new entertainment,
shore excursions and culinary offerings
to mark this significant milestone. New
programs will be available onboard
seven Princess Cruises ships sailing in
Alaska for the upcoming May through
September season, marking the cruise
line’s largest deployment ever and
featuring the debut of Royal Princess in
Alaska.
“Princess Cruises host more guests in
Alaska than any other cruise line and
the region continues to be a bucket-list
destination for many Australians,” said
Princess Cruises’ Sales and Marketing
Director, Nick Ferguson. “As the
destination experts, I’m excited about
the launch of the new entertainment,
shore excursions and culinary offering
in celebration of our 50th year cruising
the region. These elements go in to
creating immersive experiences that
transform into life-long memories for
our guests.”
Princess offers a variety of cruise and
cruisetour options highlighting the
state’s must-see attractions, including
Glacier Bay National Park and Denali
National Park. Alaska cruises range
in length from seven to 12 days and
depart from Vancouver, Anchorage
(Whittier), Seattle, San Francisco and
Los Angeles. Princess also owns and
operates five wilderness lodges nestled
in scenic riverside locations near
National Parks offering more than 20
unique cruisetour options for guests.
Princess cruisetours highlight the best
of Alaska by combining a seven-day
cruise with a multi-night land tour and
exclusive “Direct to the Wilderness” rail
service – giving travellers a seamless
Princess holiday experience in the
Great Land.
New for 2019, as part of the Alaska
cruisetour offerings, is the grand
opening of Fannie Q’s Saloon at the
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
This new restaurant and bar named
after famed Alaskan pioneer, Fannie
Quigley, will showcase her story and
locally inspired dishes in a modern
saloon setting, serving breakfast, lunch
and dinner. Just outside of Fannie Q’s
Saloon, the new Fireside Patio also
debuts with three fire pits offering a
new gathering place for guests to
roast marshmallows, talk about their
adventures and have a drink in the
midnight sun. Light refreshments will be
available for purchase at this new cozy
spot. Last, newly named Grizzly Burger
offers a fast-casual restaurant serving
up the cruise line’s award-winning
Ernesto burger, named “Best Burger
a Sea” by Cruise Critic. This uniquely
crafted rib eye burger was created
exclusively for Princess by burger expert
Chef Ernesto Uchimura.
An exclusive treehouse experience at
the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness
Lodge built by Pete Nelson of Animal
Planet’s Treehouse Masters offers
guests the ultimate Denali view in
an unforgettable setting. For this
anniversary year, specially-themed
offerings are added to the award-
winning “North to Alaska” onboard
line-up that brings unique Alaska
experiences to life through local
seafood and real Alaskans coming
aboard to share their stories.
Second key stage in the construction of Le Commandant Charcot
traditional steel cutting ceremony held
in November 2018. This second key
stage in the construction of this vessel is
on schedule with the launch planned
for 2020, before its delivery in 2021.
The keel of Le Commandant Charcot
was laid at the Vard shipyard in Tulcea,
Romania, on 14 December 2018. This
hybrid electric polar exploration vessel
propelled by Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG) will offer its guests fascinating
odysseys in the wake of the great polar
explorers. PONANT had announced
the order of Le Commandant Charcot
in December 2017 with the ship’s
Designed to be a new type of
exploration cruise ship, the vessel will
incorporate all the latest innovations
in environmental protection, making
PONANT a model of excellence in
responsible tourism. Le Commandant
Charcot will be the first exploration
vessel to surpass the ecological
standards set out in international
regulations. Designed for intense polar
explorations, and with PC2 Polar Class
certification, Le Commandant Charcot
will be able to reach exceptional
destinations such as the Geographic
North Pole and remote sites of the
Antarctic continent including the
Ross Sea, Charcot Island and Peter I
Island…
www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au
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