VALENCIA, Calif
Luxury cruise line Cunard announced exciting new shore excursions for when the legendary brand returns to Alaska with Queen Elizabeth's 2019 voyages.
Queen Elizabeth will sail four 10-night Alaska voyages roundtrip from Vancouver, departing May 21, 31, June 10 and 20, 2019 with port calls in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Icy Strait Point and Victoria. Highlights include scenic cruising through the famous Inside Passage, Tracy Arm Fjord, and Hubbard Glacier.
"As Cunard returns to Alaska, we're thrilled to offer guests the most exciting ways to explore and enjoy the region's epic landscapes and culture," said Josh Leibowitz, SVP Cunard North America. "Our 10-day round-trip Vancouver itinerary offers guests more time and more ports with breathtaking shore excursions such as discovering the secrets to catching and cooking fresh Alaskan salmon or dog sledding across a massive glacier. We invite Cunard guests to experience Alaska in ways that speak to their individual interests and passions like never before."
Cunard will offer more than 140 shore excursions in Alaska including:
Whale watching and Wildlife Quest: A specially designed catamaran takes guests past snow-capped peaks and glaciers in the island-studded waters of Stephens Passage, a world-renowned feeding ground for humpback whales. Alive with Orca whales, sea lions, harbor seals, porpoises, bald eagles, Sitka Blacktail deer and bears, this region offers a wonderful opportunity to see wild Alaska up close.
Dogsled Adventure by Helicopter: This jaw-dropping combination tour features two ways to experience Alaska's glacial scenery. Guests embark on a thrilling helicopter ride over rainforest, alpine ridges and glacier-carved peaks only seen from the sky. To round out this unforgettable experience, guests drive a team of huskies with professional mushers over Juneau's famed Mendenhall Glacier.
Taku Lodge Feast & Five-Glacier Seaplane Discovery: A floatplane allows guests to soar over waterfalls, mountains, deep crevasses and the azure meltwater pools of five mighty glaciers. Guests also enjoy a unique visit to remote Taku Glacier Lodge, only accessible by floatplane, where they learn about historic hunters and trappers and explore pristine forest trails teaming with wildlife, including black bears.
Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest: Guests embark on a deluxe catamaran in search of sea otters, whales, Steller sea lions, porpoise and harbor seals. Back on dry land, an expert escorts guests through the world-famous Alaska Raptor Center, bird of prey and education center on the edge of Tongass National Forest. The experience will culminate with the acclaimed Fortress of the Bear sanctuary, a rescue facility for orphaned brown bears, where guests can observe the bears in residence from a viewing platform.
Wilderness Sea Kayaking Adventure: This exhilarating guided kayak tour along the rugged Alaskan coastline begins with a scenic cruise via motorized Seahawk craft to a floating kayak base camp tucked away in a picturesque, tranquil cove. Guests paddle through rocky inlets in a two person kayak, enjoying a diverse intertidal zone filled with colorful marine life. They discover a lush, coastal rainforest and may even witness sea lions, eagles, brown bears, and spouting whales.
Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour: The thrill of commercial fishing comes to life on the Aleutian Ballad, one-time star of the award-winning Discovery Channel television series "Deadliest Catch." On the waters of the Inside Passage off the coast of Ketchikan, guests onboard enjoy a front row seat to the action as 700-pound crab pots are hauled out of the sea to show how Alaska King crabs are caught.
Cooking in Alaska's Wildest Kitchen: An award-winning wilderness chef and author demonstrates how to prepare wild, natural and sustainable Alaskan seafood in a hands-on tasting session, explaining what sets Alaskan seafood apart, including how to handle an alder-wood grill.
Scenic Mountain Ascent & World's Largest ZipRider: Guests soak up sweeping views of Icy Strait and Glacier Bay as they 'fly' 300 feet over treetops on a ZipRider cable ride — the highest in the United States. The ride begins on towering Hoonah Mountain, where steep flanks are swathed in rainforest. Gliding at up to 60 miles per hour, this mile-long zip-ride adventure ends with a gentle touchdown on the beach at Icy Strait Point.
Other excursions include:
White Pass Scenic Railway -- Luxury Class
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show & Crab Feast
ATV Expedition
Ghosts & Goodtime Girls Walking Tour
Wilderness Cruise & Silverking Lodge Seafood Feast
Misty Fjords Seaplane Exploration
Exclusive Burro Creek Waterfall Lodge & Crab Feast
Cunard will also offer pre-and post-voyage Rocky Mountaineer rail tours, which include either three- or five-nights' accommodation and two full days aboard the train. The expedition travels through a spectacular array of scenery including the glacier and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies, winding river canyons, mountain passes and remarkable tunnels.
For more information about Cunard, or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Consultant, call Cunard Line at 1-800-728-6273 or visit www.cunard.com.
For travel agents interested in further information, please contact your Business Development Manager, visit OneSource or call Cunard toll free at 1-800-528-6273.
Cunard
Cunard is the operator of luxury cruise ships Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. Renowned for impeccable White Star Service, gourmet dining and world-class entertainment, all three Queens offer luxury accommodations in Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill Suite and Queens Grill Suite staterooms. Cunard is the only line to offer regularly scheduled Transatlantic service between New York and London, and it continues to celebrate the freedom of travel on exciting World Voyage and Grand Voyage itineraries that visit Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Awarded '#1 Mega-Ship Ocean Cruise Line' by Travel + Leisure's 2018, 2017 and 2016 World's Best Awards and 'Best World Cruise Itineraries' and 'Best Trans-Atlantic Itineraries' by Porthole Cruise Magazine's 2016 Readers Choice Awards, Cunard is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines, a part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the largest cruise vacation company in the world. Together Cunard, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK) operate 102 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 226,000 lower berths.
