Whether it’s mushing dog sleds across glaciers or flightseeing over the Arctic Circle, Royal Caribbean International’s 2011 Alaska cruise and cruisetours will offer guests an unrivaled adventure vacation. The cruise line today announced 34 voyages for Royal Caribbean’s 22nd consecutive season in the Great Land, comprising six unique itineraries aboard Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas. Vacationers can choose a seven-night northbound or southbound itinerary between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, via the Inside Passage, or a seven-night roundtrip Alaska itinerary from Seattle.
Additionally, vacationers can select a Royal Caribbean cruise tour land package, which combines a cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas with one of 21 escorted land tour itineraries traveling into Alaska’s majestic and wild interior. Bookings for Royal Caribbean International’s 2011 Alaska cruises and cruisetours open today.
“Royal Caribbean’s 2011 Alaska cruises and cruisetours offer vacationers a variety of ways to take in Alaska’s grandeur: by ship, motorcoach, train and even plane,” said Betsy O’Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “Multigenerational family vacationers and adventurers of all ages will find opportunities for their own “Why Not?” moments, with Alaska’s awe-inspiring natural wonders as the backdrop. Throughout, guests will enjoy the world-renowned Royal treatment delivered by our friendly and engaging staff and crew.”
A grand Alaska adventure awaits guests on a 2011 Royal Caribbean cruise tour land package, 11- to 14-night vacations that combine a seven-night cruise aboard Radiance of the Seas with a pre- or post-cruise tour into Alaska’s interior. A dedicated Tour Director escorts each group of guests as they explore the Alaskan frontier aboard Royal Caribbean’s signature deluxe motorcoaches and the Wilderness Express, the cruise line’s exclusive glass-domed train cars, which offer breathtaking views of the untamed landscape. The packages feature overnights in Denali with included activities into the National Park for the chance to spot grizzly bear, caribou, wolf, moose and dall sheep – known as the “Big Five” – and include overnights at the charming and rustic Talkeetna Lodge. Other highlights include a tramway excursion 2,300 above the valley of Alyeska and learning about Alaska’s indigenous people at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Optional sightseeing tours include flightseeing across the Arctic Circle, white-water rafting; and jet-boating on Alaska’s glacial waters.
Guests also can explore Alaska up-close on a wide variety of optional shore excursions available for purchase, such as mushing across a snow-covered glacier on a dog sled in Juneau on “Dog Sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier via Helicopter,” and cheering on lumberjack teams in Ketchikan as they compete in events such as axe throwing and log rolling at the “Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.” In Skagway, guests can choose a hike through a rainforest and experience Alaska’s rugged beauty on the “Sawtooth Mountain Nature Hike,” and then voyage from Icy Strait Point to Point Adolphus, the region’s premier whale watching destination, on “Whale & Marine Mammals Cruise.”
Royal Caribbean’s 2011 Alaska season begins on May 13 with a seven-night itinerary to Sawyer Glacier via the Inside Passage aboard Rhapsody of the Seas, departing Vancouver and calling at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. The season continues with 15 sailings from Seattle that follow a similar seven-night itinerary, 14 of which are roundtrip and replace Ketchikan with a call at Victoria, British Columbia.
Radiance of the Seas will begin the Alaska season with a special 12-night Ultimate Alaska itinerary departing from San Diego on May 15. The itinerary will cruise Hubbard Glacier, calling at San Francisco, Alaska’s Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka, and Nanaimo, British Columbia. Radiance of the Seas will then alternate north- and southbound seven-night itineraries on 16 sailings between Vancouver and Seward via the Inside Passage and featuring a visit to Hubbard Glacier.
Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas are both appointed with multi-deck, dazzling glass windows, affording guests sweeping vistas of Alaska’s landscape as it unfolds. Guests can race to the top of the ships’ iconic rock-climbing walls for an even more thrilling view from the ship’s highest point or enjoy a variety of rejuvenating spa treatments in the Day Spa. Younger guests will be entertained and enlightened in the cruise line’s award-winning Adventure Ocean and teen programs, with scheduled activities led by a college-graduate counselor beginning from 9 to 2 a.m. In the evenings, guests can enjoy the Royal Caribbean Productions’ award-winning Broadway-style musical revues, and recount the day’s experiences in multiple onboard bars and lounges over cocktails. Throughout, all guests enjoy the Royal treatment delivered by Royal Caribbean’s friendly and engaging staff and crew.
