Luxury cruise line Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth kicked off the company’s return to Alaska today in their West Coast homeport of Vancouver, Canada. Queen Elizabeth will sail four ten-night roundtrip voyages out of Vancouver in 2019, and ten voyages in 2020, calling at Juneau, Ketchikan, Victoria, Skagway, and more.
To celebrate this inaugural season, Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge, Master of Queen Elizabeth, along with Simon Palethorpe, President, and Josh Leibowitz, Senior Vice President, of Cunard, welcomed aboard dignitaries from the Port of Vancouver for a traditional Plaque and Key ceremony welcoming the ship to the city and exchanging gifts.
It was announced today that during Cunard’s expanded 2020 Alaska season Queen Elizabeth will visit the awe-inspiring Glacier Bay during its 2020 Alaska voyages, with only Cunard offering a selection of 10, 11 and 12 day round trip voyages from Vancouver that soak up the majestic and pristine drama of both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier, two jewels in the crown of the region. Sailing to Glacier Bay National Park is an iconic experience, highly rated by cruise passengers and a highlight of Alaska. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, Glacier Bay covers over 58,000 acres comprised of vast glacial fjords and peaks, and showcases some of the continent’s most breathtaking scenery and wilderness.
The 2020 program will run from June-September, offering a variety of nine to 12 nights as well as a getaway cruise to San Francisco for an overnight stay on the 4th of July. The Alaska voyages will feature longer time in ports such as Ketchikan, Victoria, Juneau, Skagway, and others.
In other experiences only to be found on Cunard, guests will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of Alaska with Cultured Heritage Guides on every sailing. For relaxation, guests can indulge in Mareel Wellness & Beauty (Cunard’s new holistic spa concept) on every voyage, offering oceanic treatments and meditation rituals inspired by the wilderness. And as night falls, with the backdrop of Alaska, guests will enjoy the unique sense of occasion with an Ice White Ball in the spectacular Queens Room on every voyage.
“We are thrilled to launch our inaugural Alaska season today in Vancouver,” said Josh Leibowitz, SVP Cunard North America. “Our guests now have the opportunity to sail into this spectacular region with the luxury and style of being on a Cunard ship. With Glacier Bay added to our 2020 Alaska itineraries, our guests will have an even more dramatic front-row seat to witness the immense beauty of the region.”