It’s not a secret that Cunard are sailing to Alaska next year for the first Alaska sailing in 20 years, and they have now released shore excursions details for the forth coming Alaska sailings. Queen Elizabeth will start the first journey on 21st may 2019 for a 10 night cruise out of Vancouver. Apart from scenic cruising the ship will call at Juneau, the capital of Alaska , Skagway, Icy Straight Point, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria. Shore excursions will include whale-watching and wildlife-viewing in Stephens Passage; a dogsled adventure on Mendenhall Glacier with helicopter ride; a seaplane ride with visit to Taku Glacier Lodge; a guided sea-kayaking trek; cooking demos with an Alaskan chef; and a mile-long ZipRider cable ride from Hoonah Mountain in Icy Strait Point. All are already available for booking. The ship is then doing a few more 10 nights Alaska sailings until the 20th June where the cruise ends in Los Angeles and the ship will be doing the Panama canal. For those looking to add a few days to the beginning or end of their cruise, 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 excursions below are some of the ones Cunard are offering:
- 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’sglacial 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.