PR: Travel Agents Vote Princess as Best in Alaska

[Coral]

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na768

 

12/28/2005

Travel Agents Vote Princess as Best in Alaska

 

Travel Weekly Magazine Award Honors Company's Innovation and Leadership in the 49th State, Including Wilderness Lodges and Direct to the Wilderness Rail Program

 

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (December 28, 2005) - For the third year in a row, the travel agent readers of Travel Weekly magazine have voted Princess as "Best Cruise Line: Alaska," an honor that recognizes Princess' years of leadership in taking vacationers to the wilderness of the "Great Land."

Awarded as part of the travel trade publication's Reader's Choice Awards, the honor recognizes the company as an innovator in Alaska with infrastructure and unique programs that offer passengers dynamic choices for their vacations in the 49th state.

 

The award comes after an eventful year for Princess in Alaska, during which time the company launched the successful first year of its "Direct to the Wilderness" rail service, accommodating guests' desire to spend more time at Alaska's most popular inland attraction. This breakthrough program transports passengers direct to the heart of the Alaskan wilderness, arriving the afternoon of the same day they disembark their cruise by providing a direct rail link between the Whittier cruise terminal and the line's own Denali-area wilderness lodges.

 

"As the ultimate travel experts, travel agents have the knowledge and resources to know the very best ways to travel to Alaska," said Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales. "We are very pleased by the acknowledgement of our Alaska program in this respected travel publication."

 

In 2006, Princess will offer even greater opportunities for passengers to experience the best of Alaskan wilderness by land and sea with expanded Gulf of Alaska cruisetour capacity. Two of the line's newest amenity-filled vessels - Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess - add more staterooms and balconies joining Coral Princess and Island Princess on Princess' signature "Voyage of the Glaciers" itinerary. Between them, these four ships offer nearly 2,100 standard balcony cabins and 750 mini-suites. Additionally, both of the company's own Denali-area wilderness lodges will see the addition of new guest rooms. For the second year, passengers will enjoy more time in Denali with "Direct to the Wilderness" rail transfers, right from the cruise ship dock in Whittier.

 

In total, Princess will offer 122 departures on seven ships, offering a variety of experiences on vessels that range from 1,590 passengers to 2,670 passengers. Travelers can choose from a Gulf of Alaska cruisetours or round-trip Inside Passage sailings from Seattle and San Francisco. And Princess remains the only company to offer Alaska's two most popular attractions - Mt. McKinley and Glacier Bay - on every cruisetour.

 

Additional information about Princess' products and services is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or by visiting the company's website at http://www.princess.com.

[cnmiranda]

Interresting, I was thinking that perhaps HAL would get it but I think Princess attracts a wider age group of cruisers. The Denali rail sounds great, I'd certainly like to try that one day!

[Budget Queen]

Sorry I don't buy it. Especially when the bulk of their cruisetours only include the worthless Natural History tour??? And the Whittier/Denali Park train is 10 hours??- A BIG surprise since it is not mentioned anywhere. They completely bypass Anchorage- they have no lodges there, not a benefit since it is a very worthwhile city to see.