An Alaskan cruise has been at the top of my wish list for as long as I can remember, and this summer my dream will come true when my mother and I join other travel bloggers on the second annual “Princess Cruises 140 Characters @ A Time” trip. What that means is that the invitees have the opportunity to experience this particular Princess Cruise Cruisetour and share their experiences by “tweeting” on Twitter (the micro-blogging site) and blogging about their summer cruise travel adventures. You may follow along by searching for the #FollowMeAtSea hashtag (save it as a favorite for easy following) and contribute your thoughts by using the same hashtag. You may follow my personal tweets by going to: www.twitter.com/bethblair
For me, the thought of an Alaskan cruise vacation is up there with spending the night in the Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada or flying an airplane, but there’s more to the trip than simply roaming ports. The travel experience starts out in Fairbanks,
Alaska (I’m flying nonstop from Minneapolis). From there I will meet up with my mom (who is flying in from Denver) and we will spend four days experiencing the Princess’ wilderness lodges (Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge, Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge) and excursions. The adventure includes a ride through Alaska on the Princess Rail.
After three days on land we will board the Coral Princess and spend seven days at sea. We’ll be passing Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park and stop in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and end the trip in Vancouver, Canada (yes, a passport is needed for this trip). Here is our day by day itinerary:
4-Day Land Tour
Tuesday, 6/15 Arrive Fairbanks; overnight at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge
Wednesday, 6/16 Depart for Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
Thursday, 6/17 Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
Friday, 6/18 Depart for Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
Saturday, 6/19 Depart for Coral Princess
7-day Cruise Aboard Coral Princess
Port Arrive Depart
Saturday, 6/19 Anchorage (Whittier)
Sunday, 6/20 Hubbard Glacier
Monday, 6/21 Glacier Bay National Park
Tuesday, 6/22 Skagway
Wednesday, 6/23 Juneau
Thursday, 6/24 Ketchikan
Friday, 6/25 Inside Passage (scenic cruising)
Saturday, 6/26 Vancouver
As I was scrolling through the various shore excursions I realized I will be crossing more off my wish list than the cruise. There is the opportunity for dog sledding, ziplining, whale watching, hiking glaciers, walking across the Yukon Suspension Bridge, kayaking and so much more – the question is what excursion do we choose? Fortunately, my mom loves adventure, so whatever we choose will be great fun. While on board the Coral Princess we have access to the ship’s fantastic gym, pools, numerous restaurants, wine and caviar bar and even a treatment from the on-board Lotus Spa. I don’t think life can get much better than what we’re about to experience.
Stay tuned as I ponder my itinerary, figure out what to pack, meet the other guests and share my Alaskan adventures during this Princess Cruises Cruisetour.
Thank you to Princess Cruises for inviting me on this hosted excursion. I look forward to sharing my experiences and thoughts of this Alaska Cruisetour.
I think a cruise-tour sounds like the best of both worlds! What a great way to get to know Alaska – on land and by sea.
Can’t wait to hear all about your adventures!!
Yes, please let us know about your experience! My grandmother took one years ago and loved it.
You lucky duck! I’ve never been on a cruise. I have such bad motion sickness, I’m afraid to try it. Some people say you can’t even feel it. others say they felt awful. Let me know what you think.
P.S. Watch out for those icebergs:)
I am trying really, really hard not to be jealous! (It’s not working.) I have always wanted to go on an Alaskan Cruise! I look forward to reading your tweets.
We are doing Alaska this summer too – 7 days on land (we are staying at the Denali Princess Lodge one night) and then 7 nights on a cruise – we are on Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas. We don’t go until July so I will be following the blogs/tweets with much interest!
This cruise looks amazing!! I would love to travel to Alaska…I haven’t been able to travel lately, but I’ve been using this site that’s really great, you can host travelers as they come through your city, so it’s like traveling without ever leaving home…
check it out: https://www.tripping.com/?utm_source=JamieBurwood&utm_medium=SMB&utm_campaign=MAY
Maybe I can host someone from Alaska until I can get there myself
The kids and I were just talking about Alaska yesterday. What a wonderful opportunity! Have fun. Look forward to reading about it.
Beth,
I think you and your mom will enjoy Alaska. It is one of my favorite places. Will miss meeting you at TBEX in NY.
Check out http://www.nancydbrown.com/category/alaska for some favorite “Things to See and Do” in Alaska posts.
Wow am I jealous, my sister moved to Anchorage two years ago and we still haven’t found a way to visit. Will be following all your posts!