Princess Alaska Cruises & Cruise Tours

Princess Tours has added 21 excursions to its Alaska Adventures Ashore program for a total of 171 Alaska tour options this year, including seven new private touring options.

The private excursion options include a "Custom Hummer Adventure" in Juneau or Ketchikan; an "Exclusive Ketchikan by Land" option with transportation in a private stretch SUV; "Exclusive Ketchikan by Sea" with a private 20-foot, open-air skiff; "Exclusive Ketchikan by Air" with travel by private floatplane; Skagway's "Custom Classic Cars" in which passengers will explore in a restored vintage Cadillac; and the "Alaska Up-Close Exclusive Cruise Adventure" in Sitka while sailing aboard a new 30-foot catamaran. Each tour includes the services of a private guide/chauffeur who will lend local expertise and suggest possible routes.

Tours can accommodate between four and 10 guests, depending on the excursion. Prices begin at $499 per vehicle. In addition to the new private excursions, the season also includes a variety of new Adventures Ashore options. In Juneau, visitors can learn about Alaska's state sport, dog mushing, as they view an exact replica of an Iditarod Race checkpoint and ride behind a team of huskies in a wheeled summertime training sled. In Ketchikan, a new excursion is the "Neets Bay Bear Cruise" in which passengers ride in a high-speed boat to search for black bears feasting on spawning salmon in remote Neets Bay.

A new option in Skagway is the "White Pass Bennett Lake Adventure," in which small groups visit Bennett, a historic outpost of the Klondike Gold Rush, via the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad. New in Victoria is the evening "City Lights, Wine & Chocolate" tour that includes tasting local wines paired with chocolate truffles. All Alaska Adventures Ashore are currently available for pre-reservation. Passengers already booked on an Alaska cruise can reserve their tours by logging on the Cruise Personalizer on www.princess.com.