Princess Cruises’ 50th Anniversary of Alaska Sailings

Experiencing an Alaskan cruise is on most people’s bucket lists, and after experiencing my first one with Princess Cruises, I have to say that it’s worth the hype and excitement. As one of the most respected names in cruising, Princess Cruises has reached a major milestone: 50 years of fulfilling guests' dream vacations to Alaska.

Sailing to The Last Frontier began in 1969 with Princess Italia carrying just 525 guests. To date, that number has grown to a total of five million guests (and counting).

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In efforts to continue to its great success in providing guests with wow moments and lifetime memories, Princess Cruises is undergoing a multi-year $450 million overhaul to further enhance the line’s onboard guest experience.

For anyone looking to fully embrace the vastness of Alaska, Princess Cruises offers the option to combine a multi-night land tour with a seven-day cruise giving guests the unique opportunity to explore much of the state’s highlights, in addition to providing a traditional ocean cruise experience.

It’s the best of both worlds, and the Princess Cruises staff ensures that it’s also seamlessly easy to book excursions and fully enjoy them without worrying about logistics.

Prior to boarding the Royal Princess, we spent four days exploring the interior of Alaska. Our 12-day trip began in Anchorage, and after a night to unwind we boarded a motorcoach to the Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.

This rustic property is one of five wilderness lodges situated in epic riverside locations, each of which is conveniently located nearby National Parks. Princess Cruises offers over 20 adrenaline-pumping cruise tour options for guests while on land.

Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is not only 40 miles away from the famed Denali peak, but it's nestled within the Denali State Park itself. One great perk of the property is its daily shuttle to the nearby town of Talkeetna, meaning “meeting of three rivers.” Filled with kitschy shops, boutiques and art, restaurants and more this charming former-pioneer town is where most of the excursions start.

The next several days were filled with adventures that were complemented by the extreme wealth of knowledge each of our guides happily shared with us throughout the day. A few stand out tours included a wilderness jet boat excursion on the Susitna River where we jetted through glacial-fed rivers, admired views of Denali and hiked to visit an authentic trappers cabin and a recreated Indian village.

Another fun one was a zip line adventure that had us zooming through the gorgeous fall foliage. Each platform offered epic views of the Alaska Range and Chulitna River valley.

Following Mt. Mckinley, we made our way even closer to Denali National Park to stay at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Located just one mile from the entrance, on the banks of the Nenana River, this beautiful lodge features easy park access and is surrounded by exceptionally rugged scenery.

When it comes to the interior of Alaska, nothing beats Denali National Park, a place that remains untouched thanks to strict entry rules.

A must-do is the all-day Tundra Wilderness Tour which takes guests deep into the park to learn about the history of the park and view incredible vistas and wildlife. Think about all the animals you want to see—bears, moose, eagles, foxes and more. This is the only way to get this far into the park, so it’s a pretty special thing to see!

Hands down the coolest land excursion? The Denali Glacier Landing by Helicopter. There’s nothing more exhilarating than boarding a helicopter, gliding through insane views of wild terrain, U-shaped valleys, dramatic mountains and rivers followed by landing on an epic glacier.

Hiking around on the Yanert Glacier honestly felt like being on another planet. Walking in “glacier boots” through icefalls, moraines and blue glacial pools isn’t something you get to do often, so don’t pass this up!

After your time on land, it’s hard to believe you’re not even halfway through the vacation of a lifetime. To get to the ocean part of your trip, Princess Cruises offers an exclusive “Direct to the Wilderness” rail service in which guests get aboard a classic, luxury rail car straight to Whittier to embark on the Royal Princess.

The ride, though long, is absolutely beautiful. The train features full-view, large domed windows so you literally ride through the most gorgeous scenery! It includes onboard narration plus a dining car and beverage station.

Once you arrive in Whittier, the Royal Princess, the cruise line’s largest ship to ever deploy the region with over 3,500 guests, awaits.

As someone who has never been on a cruise ship, I can confirm that my biggest fears—feeling claustrophobic, getting seasick, or sick in general—were completely unnecessary. Once we boarded the cruise, everything was taken care of and accounted for—foods, drinks, entertainment, activities—you name it, and it’s available to you.

One of the biggest things Princess Cruises is pushing is OceanMedallion. Currently the most advanced wearable device in the global hospitality industry, each guest gets a complimentary device meant to enhance the guest experience by facilitating guest-crew interactions and delivering a seamless level of service from before you even step on the ship.

A few of my favorite usages of the OceanMedallion accessory included the easy check-in process (in combination with several Princess Cruises apps guests can use to personalize their vacation prior to boarding); on-demand food and drink ordering delivered to anywhere you are on the ship; locating your friends and family, and keyless stateroom entry.

While many assume once you’re on a cruise you’re stuck for the next however many days, it’s quite the opposite. Our cruise made stops in Skagway, a once booming gold rush town; Juneau, home to incredible glaciers and top-notch whale watching; and Ketchikan, known as the state’s “first city.”

At each port, you’re given the opportunity to explore and go on pre-booked excursions.

Top picks include Ketchikan’s Neets Bay Bear Watch & Flight, in which you fly in a floatplane to Neets Bay Creek to spend 45 minutes black bear watching; Juneau’s whale watching in combination with a trip to view the epic Mendenhall Glacier; and Skagway’s Heli-Hike & Rail Adventure which combines a helicopter tour with a ride aboard the historic White Pass railroad and hike in the Tongass National Forest.

While you spend a good portion of most days exploring on land, your time on the ship itself is also filled with plenty to do and see. We cruised past some of the most epic scenery that included the Inside Passage filled with barrier islands, narrow waterways surrounded by icy walls and continually changing scenery.

Hubbard Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America, was incredible to see so close up—right from our balcony! Another outstanding cruising experience was sailing through Glacier Bay National Park, part of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During this part of the cruise, we stopped to admire Margerie Glacier which dropped a huge chunk of ice into the sea right in front of our eyes.

Onboard there is never a lack of activities, which range from eating to your hearts content at one of their many restaurants and eateries, each of which has its own specialties in addition to classic “Alaskan” fare and local seafood; playing at the casino; attending shows and nightly entertainment; experiencing the Northern Lights Planetarium; dancing the night away at the club; dressing up for two formal nights; pampering yourself at the spa; watching movies under the stars and so much more.