Award winning boutique cruise line Windstar Cruises has announced that they will be once again offering cruises to Alaska starting in spring/summer 2018. From 11 to 14 day cruises, the small cruise ships from Windstar Cruises can sail directly into the Misty Fjords and Kenai Fjords giving guests an Alaskan experience unlike any other.
Windstar’s Alaska beckons guests to slow down over leisurely journeys. With voyages starting at 11 days, there is ample time for scenic cruising in both Canada’s and Alaska’s famed inside passages – where guests can look for orcas, bears, and bald eagles from the comfort of their elegant ship.
Guests can enjoy a cup of cocoa on deck as they sail through Misty Fjords National Monument and Kenai Fjords National Park, experiences usually booked via a shore excursion because the “big ships” just don’t go there.
Each Windstar Alaska itinerary includes sailing through Tracy Arm Fjord – so close that noise of the ice breaking and falling into the water during glacier calving will surprise you. Enthusiastic park rangers, scientists, glaciologists, geologists, and other experts will be aboard each cruise to provide education, perspective, one-on-one discussions, and ample opportunities for individual discovery in America’s “last frontier.”
Highlights of Windstar’s inaugural Alaska season with the 212-guest Star Legend yacht include:
- Every cruise features Tracy Arm and Misty Fjords.
- Full destination immersion with 7 to 8 Southeast Alaska and British Columbia ports each cruise.
- Optional up-close and personal kayaking and scenic cruising by Zodiac directly from the ship.
- Due to the small size of the ship, Star Legend will sail right into Misty Fjords and Kenai Fjords.
- Multiple glacier experiences on northbound/southbound sailings featuring Mendenhall Glacier, Tracy Arm, and Kenai Fjords.
- Longer itineraries of 11- to 14-days let the yacht move slower and get closer to shore exploring more off the usual charted course.
- Naturalist/Expedition Leaders on all voyages who will customize the experience for guests along with speakers from Native American tribes.
Windstar President John Delaney, gave the following statement about the cruise line returning to the 49th state: “We are so excited to be enhancing the Alaskan travel marketplace by introducing our brand of true small ship cruising to Alaska. Sailing closer to pristine deciduous shorelines, delving deeper into all-enveloping fjords, kayaking in icy straits right off the ship’s Watersports Platform, and viewing an endless wilderness from sea level. We are bringing our guests right to the heart of what makes Alaska and the Great Pacific Northwest such an amazing destination and magical place to visit.”
Once in Alaska, the elegant Star Legend embarks on three new itineraries with eight sailing dates, departing May to August, including a 14-day Seward (Anchorage) to Vancouver option; 12-day Vancouver round-trip itinerary, and 11- or 12-day Vancouver to Seward (Anchorage) voyages. Windstar also plans to offer pre- and post-cruise land excursions, allowing guests more time to explore Alaska’s interior.
Star Legend is one of the world’s most luxurious small cruise ships that holds a maximum of 212 guests. The 1:1 staff to guest ratio gives the ship the feel of a private yacht and the 106 suites on board offer more room than many hotels. There are 36 balcony suites with floor to ceiling windows, 64 ocean view suites with large picture windows, and two large suites located just below the Open Bridge.
The leader in small ship cruising, Windstar recently won the “10Best” award as #1 Best Boutique Cruise Line voted on by readers of USA Today and was named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 Gold List.
