Cunard to Alaska

Cruising America’s ‘Last Frontier’ dates back to 1902 and ever since then a highlight of any Alaska cruise has been a navigation of the Inside Passage. This wildlife lover’s paradise offers the chance to see brown bears looking for lunch, bald eagles on the wing and humpback whales lunging out of a sea that is otherwise as smooth as a billiard table. Glacier Bay National Park stuns visitors by its majesty. Passengers watch from the open decks as the cathedral-like silence is broken by a thunderous roar when gigantic slabs of ancient ice calve and explode away from the fissured glacier before falling into the sea. 

2019 saw the return to Alaska by Cunard for the first time in 20 years and the demand for this series of cruises has prompted the company to double its Alaska programme from June through September 2020. All voyages are roundtrip out of Vancouver ranging from nine to 12 nights as well as one voyage to San Francisco for an overnight on the 4^th of July 2020. 

These Alaska voyages feature ports such as Skagway; Sitka; and Ketchikan. In addition, there will be more than 120 excursions including the Inside Passage; Hubbard Glacier; as well as Sawyer Glacier’s twin fjords. There are also land-tours aboard the plush Rocky Mountaineer train from Calgary to Vancouver offering stunning views of the snow-capped Canadian Rockies. 

Aboard Queen Elizabeth the interiors recreate the realm of romance. What’s more, the seaborne lifestyle that is conjured up on board is appealing to a discerning, younger crowd seeking a retrospective into the realm of Downton Abbey. For those who want to up the ante in the elegance stakes, each voyage will feature an Ice White Ball in the spectacular Queens Room; but out on deck the backdrop of Alaska creates its own majestic theme. 

The 2,081-passenger Queen Elizabeth has a range of accommodation from the ample to the opulent and the cabin grade dictates where you eat. Most passengers dine in the double-height Britannia Restaurant which is noted for its intimate groupings of tables. The single-seating Britannia Club restaurant is for passengers occupying AA-grade accommodation. For those for whom only the best will do, there is the Queens Grill and Princess Grill.  

A voyage along the coastline of America’s 49^th state is high on many cruisers’ bucket-list and it’s easy to see why. As an added incentive, guests who book one of Cunard’s 2020 Alaska Voyages aboard Queen Elizabeth by 31^st July 2019 will receive a complimentary stateroom upgrade (guests can choose the stateroom they want and then pay for the stateroom a grade lower).