Windstar Cruises Makes Big Plans for Alaska 2018

Shortly after I discovered Windstar Cruises’ expeditionary personally in Tahiti, the line is ramping up that side of its product even more in Alaska for 2018 beginning in May.

Its new Signature Expeditions program will explore the Great Land onboard and off, and the company plans to eventually expand it into other regions.

“We are offering travelers the chance to slow down and truly enjoy scenic immersion cruising amongst the glaciers and wildlife, and we have the perfect size ships for Alaska, period. With the addition of our brand-new Signature Expeditions, our comprehensive land tours, and exciting roster of shore excursions, each guest will get to experience the best of adventure, breathtaking nature, and completely personalized service in an incredibly immersive yet completely uncrowded cruise,” said Windstar Cruises President John Delaney, in a press release.

“Our experienced team has created the most intensive Alaska experience available in small ship cruising today and we can’t wait to proudly welcome guests to Windstar’s Alaska. It’s all about our unique style of casual yet luxurious adventure.”

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The onboard component consists of complimentary enrichment classes, plus expert discussions and presentations. Every Alaska cruise will feature an expedition team of five for such purposes.

Off-board, optional shore excursions take the learning even deeper with personalized tours via kayak, zodiac or group hikes led by biologists, glaciologists and others. Particularly unique will be the programming shared intimately among only 212 passengers aboard the Star Legend—which will be fresh from a dry-dock addition of expedition hardware, including half a dozen new inflatable boats.

Expected to be the best part of such cruises, whale season offers the chance to witness majestic local wildlife.

Other experiences to look forward to are those immediately accessible from the ship’s tender and/or Watersports Platform. Zodiacs take guests closer to the shoreline for wildlife viewing, while kayaks offer intertidal exploration. Excursions take place around the likes of Kenai Fjord, Misty Fjords, Tracy Arm/Endicott Arm and the Inian Islands.

Zodiac tours will be priced at $150 per guest, kayak tours are $170 and hikes are $40—all of which are led by the onboard expedition team.

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Misty Fjords Kayaking

A two-and-a-half-hour kayak expedition explores Misty Fjords National Monument and its 3,000-foot cliffs, waterfalls and wildlife. Sightings may include bald eagles, brown and/or black bears, and mountain goats, along with the forest of western hemlock, Sitka spruce and western red cedar.

Kenai Zodiac Tour

Kenai Fjords National Park can be enjoyed via zodiac to coast near tidewater glaciers flowing from the Harding Ice Field. Potential vistas may include calving glaciers, harbor seals, black bears, bald eagles and puffins.

Wrangell Interpretive Walk

Two expedition team members will lead a hike following in the footsteps of John Muir where he headquartered during his Stikine delta explorations. Mountain, town and waterway views will be seen along the approximately 400-foot elevation gain.

Windstar will also begin newly offering pre-and post-cruise Denali land extensions. Five-day jaunts head between Seward and Fairbanks.

When starting in Seward, guests first disembark and venture towards Anchorage—where the Anchorage Museum resides—before an overnight visit of the aviation, mining and climbing town of Talkeetna.

Day two takes to the rails into Denali National Park. There will be a dining experience and an orientation prior to the following day’s activities, while day three includes a seven-hour tour of the park’s history and animals such as caribou, moose and grizzly bears.

Day four will continue with a coach ride to Fairbanks for a Chena River cruise and farewell dinner.

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More traditional shore excursions will also be available:

—Photo ops of orphaned Alaskan animals at the over 60-acre Kroschel Wildlife Sanctuary.

—Classic Taku Lodge Feast & 5 Glacier Seaplane for local bites and sights of Tongass National Forest.

—The chance to catch and ship home halibut and salmon with Fishing the Inside Passage.

Windstar Cruises’ grand return to Alaska follows an absence of over 20 years. The 2018 season will run from May through September 10, featuring the less-frequented destinations of Metlakatla and Wrangell, plus extended 14-day itineraries among Tracy Arm and Misty Fjord.

For more information, contact a travel agent, call 877-958-7718 or visit www.windstarcruises.com/destinations/alaska/.

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