Princess returns to Alaska with 7 ships in 2018

Princess Cruises has welcomed the start of the 2018 Alaska cruise season, with seven ships sailing the region during the summer months, including the newly enhanced Golden Princess. Guests will be able to experience the newly designed restaurant space and menu at Sabatini's Italian Trattoria, create, play and huddle at the Camp Discovery youth and teen centre, and be entertained while watching a variety of the newest movies, shows and concerts on a more technologically advanced Movies Under the Stars screen aboard Golden Princess.

While onboard all ships sailing Alaska this year, guests will encounter a variety of ways to engage in unique Alaska experiences through the North to Alaska program, featuring the line's favorite "Cook My Catch," an exclusive culinary program allowing guests to return from select Princess fishing excursions to have the chef prepare their very own catch of the day. Also offered, the Puppies in the Piazza, where real Alaska sled dog puppies are brought onboard in Skagway for guests to interact with.

Guests venturing into the interior of Alaska on a Princess cruisetour visiting Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge will be some of the first to visit the lodge's newest addition, a wilderness treehouse built by Pete Nelson of Animal Planet's hit show "Treehouse Masters." The treehouse, completed in fall 2017, in conjunction with the line's Discovery partnership, provides a unique perspective of Denali – the tallest mountain in North America.

In addition to new programming on land, Princess debuts a new dining venue at the line's Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, Rod & Reel. The restaurant renovation is the latest enhancement to the lodge located on the Kenai Peninsula, and will offer new menu items for both lunch and dinner.

Guests will also enjoy newly updated Princess-owned rail cars operating on the Alaska railroad, taking travellers between their cruise ship and Princess Wilderness Lodges on the line's exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service, giving them more time to enjoy the Denali-area. The rail journey will now feature forward facing seats in the upper level dome for all guests and updated interiors.

Details of the 2018 Princess offerings include:

Alaska Cruises

With 130 departures from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, B.C. and Whittier featuring unique ports, there are options abound for exploring Alaska in 2018 aboard Princess ships, including:

• Voyage of the Glaciers
• Inside Passage

Alaska Cruisetours

In addition, cruisetours offer a more immersive experience and the opportunity to visit Denali National Park. Land tours are combined with a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise and include the company's premier wilderness lodges, exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service, plus visits to the top two attractions in Alaska – Glacier Bay National Park and Denali National Park.

Princess offers guests more than 22 cruisetour options in 2018, most featuring multiple nights at Princess-owned and operated wilderness lodge. Guests will once again be able to purchase a pre-paid meal package for the land portion of their vacation in 2018. Options include:

• Denali Explorer
• On Your Own
• Off the Beaten Path
• Connoisseur

For more information, visit www.princess.com.