How does one go to Alaska? Well, for starters, your first call should be to a seasoned travel advisor (we highly recommend calling SkyMed Travel! Ask for John at 800-568-8994). Known as The Last Frontier, Alaska has enough adventure to launch a thousand memories, but only a knowledgeable advisor can help you make the most of it. With that in mind, let’s look at some of your choices.
Regents Seven Seas Cruises
If you’re in the mood for cruising The Last Frontier in the height of luxury, you’re in luck: Regents Seven Seas Cruises Seven Seas Explorer is going on its debut season in Alaska. This won’t be until the summer of 2024, so you’ll have plenty of time to plan your escape. This has quite literally been called “the most luxurious ship ever built,” so you’re in for a treat. If you’re new to the region, this is guaranteed to not only make you a fan, but we’re sure RSSC will win your heart over as well.
Seven Seas Explore’s summer 2024 Alaska season will have 15 7-night sailings and two 14-night sailings between Seward, Alaska, and Vancouver, B.C. May to September, your clients can explore Alaska, cruising the cliffs and waterfalls of the Misty Fjords to Skagway and the Hubbard Glacier.
Humpback whale sighting.
Princess Cruise Lines
You’ll love Princess Cruise Lines’ exclusive Direct-to-Wilderness Alaska rail service on their Alaska Cruisetours, which combines their 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers itinerary with a train ride directly to one of their Princess Wilderness Lodges for anywhere from three to ten nights in the Denali area. Packages can include sightseeing or, in the On Your Own package, there are no pre-scheduled activities. Recommended is the train’s GoldStar Service, with double-decker dome cars offering 360-degree views. They also have the only outdoor platform on the train, in-seat beverage service, a full-time bar attendant and preferred seating for dinner in a separate dining area.
The cruise line recently debuted a new ship sailing in Alaska, Discovery Princess, sailing the 7-day Inside Passage itinerary. A MedallionClass ship and the final Royal-class ship, it offers your clients innovative experiences and 270-degree views from its largest balconies at sea and more.
If you want a more upscale experience within the ship, ask your travel advisor to upgrade you to one of their swanky Sky Suites, relaxing Lotus Spa, The Sanctuary retreat and specialty dining, to name just a few. The Sanctuary is an exclusive adults-only retreat, with private cabanas offering signature beverages, light meals, al fresco massages and Serenity Stewards to attend to your every need.
Holland America Line
Looking for a smaller ship with a high-end experience—and a longer cruise? Holland America Line’s (HAL) mid-sized ships are popular with cruisers looking for longer itineraries. They have fantastic 15-night adventures, and they know Alaska like the back of their hand—they’ve been taking guests there for 75 years. And their shore excursions can be as exciting or as laidback as you want them to be. If you’re active, check out the Dog Sledding & Glacier Adventure by Helicopter, prefer to kick back but just take the Taku Lodge Feast & Five Glacier Seaplane Discovery—and that’s just a couple. Along with these excursions, the line also offers a selection of Land and Sea Cruisetours that include one- to three-night stays in Denali, with select rail adventures that begin directly from the ship.
Port of Juneau, Alaska.
Windstar Cruises
If you want an even more intimate luxury experience, look to Windstar Cruises. Their newly renovated and re-imagined all-suite yacht Star Breeze, with only 156 suites, can take you out to experience the very best of Alaska—and it’s almost like having your own yacht. For example, if whales are sighted, the captain can adjust the schedule to linger around a little longer to give you plenty of time to enjoy the view. The land and sea Cruise Tours include the 11-day Alaskan Coastal Adventures & Denali Discovery Cruise Tour and the 15-day Alaskan Explorations & Denali Cruise Tour. Both combine four days touring Alaska by land with the cruise—one night in Talkeetna, two nights in Denali and one night in Fairbanks.
Seabourn
This year, Seabourn’s 229-oceanview-suite Seabourn Odyssey will be in Alaska for 7- to 14-day cruises that will take you through the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay, the Alaska Fjords and the Canadian Inside Passage, all with the Ventures by Seabourn program of expedition-style experiences. Ask your travel advisor about the Anchorage to Juneau land extension that can be added before or after the cruise. The 6-day, 5-night adventure takes them to Denali National Park with a flightseeing tour over Ruth Glacier, plus a full-day rail journey between Denali and Anchorage in a domed railcar.
Prepare to be wowed with adventure and discovery—what they call “active luxury. Seabourn journeys have one team member for every 10 guests, 24 Zodiacs, so you and every other guest on the ship can head out and explore at once. They also have two state-of-the-art submarines, kayaks and even options to scuba dive. (Just FYI: their signature destinations are Antarctica and the Arctic—something to keep in mind for future activities.)
Explora Journeys
Ultraluxury EXPLORA I has recently added Alaska to its itinerary menu. Explora Journeys specializes in immersion experiences the minute you come onboard. Look for three new journeys departing from Vancouver, Canada, in 2024. The 11-night Remote Wrangell and Spectacular Sitka Inaugural Alaskan Journey departs Vancouver on May 6, 2024, and will sail the Inside Passage, Wrangell, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Sitka, Skagway, Ketchikan, Misty Fjord, Victoria and back to Vancouver.
Sailing the Whale’s Highway takes you on an 11-night cruise that includes Icy Strait Point (Hoonah and the Hubbard Glacier), and the Journey of the Glaciers is a 10-night itinerary that will hug the coastlines and visit Mendenhall Glacier, Misty and Tracy Arm Fjords.
Glacier Bay National Park.
Hot for Alaska? Call your SkyMed Travel Advisor at 800-568-8994—and don’t forget your SkyMed Membership. In case of critical illness or injury while away, we’ll take you (and your companion) alllll the way home!
