Princess Cruises, the leading cruise line in Alaska, is readying for the start of the 2023 cruise and cruise tour season which begins April 29. Sustainable seafood and award-winning programming that immerses guests in all things Alaska are highlights again this year as Princess sails seven ships throughout The Great Land across 14 cruise itineraries and 25 land-sea vacations, including the line’s newest ship Discovery Princess along with Royal Princess, Ruby Princess, Majestic Princess, Grand Princess, Crown Princess and Sapphire Princess.
New for 2023 is an expanded Wild for Alaska Seafood menu that can be enjoyed by all guests sailing with Princess in Alaska this season, as well as a new Garden-to-Table menu for cruise tour guests staying at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. An extensive beverage program including decadent coffee and hot chocolate-based creations, themed frozen drinks, Alaska wines and flights of Alaska beer, Alaska cocktails, Bloody Marys or Mimosas are also being introduced this season.
“Welcoming guests at the start of the Alaska season is always one of the most highly anticipated events of the year because we know they are going to have one of the most memorable travel experiences,” said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. “Each season, we’re passionate about enhancing our programs to offer one of the most destination-focused programs available and for 2023, we’ve crafted some amazing Wild for Alaska Seafood dishes that will leave guests dreaming of coming back.”
Introduced in 2022, Princess’s Wild for Alaska Seafood menu is an industry-first, location-based seafood initiative featuring an extensive menu offering a rotation of fresh Alaska seafood dishes, along with destination-inspired cocktails including flights of Alaska spirits sourced from local distilleries. Distinctive Alaska seafood dishes with featured items are offered every night in all main dining rooms and highlight only the freshest seafood ingredients with multiple varieties of Alaska salmon, including King (Chinook), Sockeye and Coho, as well as wild Alaska cod (caught by hook and line only), halibut, rockfish, Dungeness crabs, wild spot prawns and razor clams.
Underscoring its role as a steward of the environment, Princess developed the new “Wild for Alaska Seafood” program in partnership with Pacific Seafood, Alaska Seafood, and Alaska Leader Seafood, all of which have an abiding commitment to environmentally responsible practices and are among the best-managed, most sustainable fisheries in the world.
This year guests can also enjoy new Alaska seafood bowls offered in World Fresh Marketplace daily, featuring the freshest salmon available. Other new offerings include Steelhead Salmon Carpaccio, King Salmon with Razor Clams and an authentic Alaskan Crab Cake.
The expanded beverage program includes a variety of offerings, giving every guest something to love:
• Keep warm with coffee and hot chocolate-based beverages such as the “Spiced Rum Hot Chocolate,” “Gingerbread Breakfast,” “White Glacier and more.”
• Learn about Alaska beers through hosted tastings, or order beer flights at any point during the cruise.
• Indulge in themed frozen drinks such as the “Ketchikan Strawberry Shortcake,” “Alaskan Polar Bear” and “Juneau Goldbelt Tram.”
• Enjoy flights of Alaska cocktails, including a sampling of beverages made from spirits produced in Alaska.
• Sample various Mimosas or Bloody Marys with tasting flights and on certain days, enjoy a Bloody Mary bar near the main pool.
• Take part in the Alaska Wine Experience that offers the chance to try a diverse selection of wines paired with Alaska salmon.
Guests can enjoy cruises from seven to 11 days, departing from San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C. and Anchorage (Whittier) as well as cruise tours which take guests 500 miles into the heart of Alaska – where they seamlessly transfer from ship, to train to Denali, all in one day.
These highly sought-out cruise tours give guests an opportunity to see more of Alaska by combining an unforgettable cruise (most going to Glacier Bay National Park) with land tour options to visit the extraordinary Denali National Park and Princess’ five signature Wilderness Lodges.
Additional distinctions of the Princess Cruises Alaska experience include:
• Every cruise features at least one glacier-viewing experience – Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier, Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier or Tracy Arm Fjord. Princess takes more guests to Glacier Bay National Park than any other cruise line.
• Cruises feature the marquee ports of Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway with a “More Ashore” late-night call in Juneau on all northbound Voyage of the Glaciers and seven-day Inside Passage voyages.
• From a lumberjack show, dog sledding on a glacier, the historic White Pass Scenic Railway, flightseeing adventures and plenty of tours with wildlife viewing – whales, bears and more – guests can choose from more than 150 shore excursions. Exclusive to Princess, Cook My Catch offers guests the chance to reel in a fish during a fishing excursion and have chefs cook it for their dinner that night.
• Only Princess offers custom-built, exclusive wilderness lodges on the doorsteps of legendary national parks. Back by popular demand, the 17-night Princess Connoisseur Cruisetour features 10 nights on land that includes two nights at each of the five Princess Wilderness Lodges and visits five national parks.
• NEW for 2023, guests staying at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge can enjoy the Garden-to-Table offerings. Guests are welcomed to walk through the large garden on property and admire the Alaska grown vegetables and flowers that flourish with the longer summer days filled with sunshine, then enjoy the chefs’ menu creations using the fresh produce harvested throughout the season.
• The cruise line’s Direct-to-the Wilderness rail service takes guests from the ship through the heart of Alaska with breathtaking scenery to the Denali-based wilderness lodges for more time to explore the interior of this vast state.
• Every cruise tour itinerary includes Denali National Park, a picturesque six million acres, home to North America’s tallest peak.
