This summer Holland America Line and Princess Cruises are inviting travelers to experience Alaska through Gray Line Alaska, Princess Alaska Lodges and Holland America Line’s Westmark Hotels, giving travelers a combination of tours, lodging and sightseeing options on land.
Alaska offers many opportunities for travelers to see glaciers up close, spot wildlife, explore national parks and see Denali – North America’s tallest mountain. And while cruises to ‘The Last Frontier‘ have been suspended, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises are inviting travelers to discover this amazing destination by land.
This year’s tours highlight the best of Alaska’s interior with COVID-19 health and safety precautions top of mind, both for the well-being of employees and guests.
Among the highlights for escorted tours will be the full eight-hour Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali, where guests have opportunities to see the big five – grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep. Other included tours are the Portage Glacier Cruise near Anchorage and Riverboat Discovery excursion in Fairbanks. In addition, optional tours such as flightseeing around the mountain, river rafting, and more will be available to book at each hotel property.
Options this summer include the following:
Escorted and Explorer tours
- Variations between Kenai, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks are available.
- Escorted tours include a tour director and range from six to seven nights.
- Explorer tours do not include a tour director, but helpful staff members are available along the way. Tours range from five to six nights.
- Rail travel on GoldStar service on Alaska Railroad rail cars.
- Most meals and some sightseeing included.
Denali Rail tours
- Trip variations range from one to six nights with up to four nights at Denali National Park.
- Options include travel by rail or a combination of rail and deluxe motor coach. Rail travel is hosted in Adventure Class on Alaska Railroad rail cars with the option to upgrade to GoldStar.
- Tour choices include round trip from Anchorage to Denali, Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks, or Fairbanks to Denali to Anchorage.
- No meals or sightseeing included. Guests may customize their experience with optional tours.
Hotel only and sightseeing
- The Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center is currently open. Additional properties will open for guests, May 28- September 6, including Holland America Line’s McKinley Chalet Resort at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge overlooking the world-famous Kenai River.
- Portage Glacier Cruises will operate, May 28-September 6. Portage Glacier Cruises will run five daily departures of its one-hour cruise to see the face of Portage Glacier, including one departure at 1:30 p.m. that includes round trip transportation from Anchorage with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
Information and advisories about traveling to Alaska from the Lower 48 or an international destination is available at the State of Alaska Safe Travels website.
2022 Alaska season
After getting a taste of “The Last Frontier” this summer, why set sail for new experiences onboard either Holland America Line or Princess Cruises?
In 2022, Holland America Line will celebrate 75 years of Alaska exploration and bookings are now open for its award-winning cruises and Land+Sea Journeys. From April through October 2022, guests can embark on Holland America Line’s cruises to Alaska aboard Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam. For explorers who want to travel farther into the Great Land, 16 different Land+Sea Journeys combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an inland exploration of Denali National Park. Holland America Line is the only cruise line that extends land tour options up to the unspoiled reaches of Canada’s Yukon Territory. For more information visit hollandamerica.com.
More guests choose Princess in Alaska than any other cruise line, exclusive Direct to the Wilderness rail service on custom built rail cars and Princess Wilderness Lodges. The newly announced 2022 Alaska cruise and cruisetour program offers six ships, including Discovery Princess, the cruise line’s newest ship. Guests can choose from 12 cruise itineraries, plus 25 seamless cruisetour options. Cruisetour guests see even more of Alaska by combining a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise with multiple nights on land in the heart of Alaska. Every cruisetour features Alaska’s top two attractions Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park, with options ranging from 10 to 17 nights. Princess owns and operates five wilderness lodges, located on the doorsteps of legendary national parks. Visit princess.com for more information.