Cruise guests sailing to Alaska generally stand a good chance of seeing the famous Aurora Borealis, aka Northern Lights, but those onboard a Princess Cruises’ ship in summer 2024 are guaranteed to experience the striking, night sky phenomenon. As part of its North to Alaska enrichment program, the cruise line announced it will present a new planetarium show featuring the spectacle inside each ship’s Princess Theater.

The presentation, called “Northern Lights,” is part of a broad series of special events, performances, culinary highlights, and cultural tours and excursions that makes Princess Cruises one of the top lines in the Alaska market. In fact, the cruise line in 2024 marks its 55th year sailing in the Great Land.

“Each season in Alaska we strive to deliver enriching experiences for our guests to feel immersed in the beauty and local culture of this spectacular destination,” said Terry Thornton, chief commercial officer of Princess Cruises.

“After receiving our highest guest satisfaction ranking ever last season, we knew we wanted to design elevated programming to further connect our guests to all of the wonders of the 49th state for our 55th anniversary season,” Thornton added.

In planning its 2024 Alaska itineraries, Princess Cruises predicted early in the year that the upcoming season will break records, with seven ships deployed to the destination. The ships will sail 14 itineraries to 17 ports or scenic cruising grounds, offering a total 158 departures.

Itineraries include five glacier-viewing options and 91 calls to the pristine Glacier Bay National Park. 

Three ships will operate 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruises between Vancouver, British Columbia, and Anchorage, including the 3,560-guest Royal Princess; the 2,670-guest Sapphire Princess, and the 2,600-guest Grand Princess.

Seven-day Inside Passage voyages will operate roundtrip from Seattle aboard the 3,660-guest Discovery Princess, and the 3,560-guest Majestic Princess.

From San Francisco, Princess will offer 11-day Inside Passage cruises aboard the 3,080-guest Crown Princess, while the 3,080-guest Ruby Princess operates 7-day Inside Passage voyages from Vancouver.

Summer 2024 Season Introduces New Tours, Activities

Princess Cruises has several new experiences waiting for cruisers who book a sailing aboard one of its seven ships exploring Alaska in summer 2024.

New shore excursions include Juneau Highlights: Glacier Gardens & Whale Park; Crab Feast at George Inlet Lodge, in Ketchikan; Port Chilkoot Distillery Tour & Tastings, in Haines; and Marine Expedition & Wildlife Quest, in Sitka, for example.

Cruisers who book a cruisetour that features accommodations at one of Princess Cruises’ five Princess Wilderness Lodges across Alaska can try the line’s new Alaska Adventure Quest: Geocaching Expedition. This exciting experience involves guests using their cellphones as GPS devices — or they can use a paper map —to find hidden goodies on the lodge properties.

In all, 20 cruisetours are offered in 2024, including two new ones. A 15-night cruisetour features visits to five parks, Glacier Bay, Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias, Kenai Fjords National Parks, and Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The trip combines a 7-day cruise with 8 nights on land, with accommodations at four Princess lodges.

Read Also: Your Guide to the Best Alaska Cruise Ports

A shorter option added to the 2024 cruisetour list is a 9-day exploration that features a 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise and two days in Anchorage, where the main event is a visit to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, famous for its bear-watching experience. The land component is offered pre- or post-cruise.

Cuisine is a major focus onboard Princess Cruises ships sailing in Alaska, with several local culinary events on tap. Among them are Crabshack, a four-course seafood extravaganza offered as a pop-up dining venue in the ships’ World Fresh Marketplace, and a salmon cooking demonstration on the final sea day of each itinerary.

Princess Cruises, facing geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea and surrounding regions, has announced a revision of its 2025 World Cruise itineraries. The cruise line has opted to reroute its global voyages to bypass the Middle East and Asia, instead shifting focus to Europe and Africa.

Modifications to the 2025 World Cruise are comprehensive, affecting both Island Princess and Crown Princess voyages.

Terry Thornton, chief commercial officer of Princess Cruises, emphasized the decision’s necessity, stating, “A Princess World Cruise is truly the voyage of a lifetime and after careful consideration with guidance from global security experts and government authorities, we know our guests will understand and appreciate the change to our upcoming 2025 itineraries to avoid certain areas.”

Thornton went on to explain, “These global events beyond our control have necessitated these reroutings but we are pleased to continue to ensure these world cruises retain destination-rich itineraries with incredible stops along the west Africa coast and the Mediterranean.”

The tension in the Red Sea is due to rebels, who began using armed drones and sea mines to disrupt maritime traffic while attempting hijackings and attacking ships earlier in 2024.

Multiple cruise lines, including Princess Cruises’ 2024 World Cruise, rerouted voyages in 2024 to avoid the region. As tensions have not lessened in the area, Princess Cruises will continue to avoid the region in 2025.

Princess Cruises Alters 2025 Routes

In 2025, Island Princess is offering two roundtrip World Cruise options, the first departing from Fort Lauderdale on January 5, 2025, and the second from Los Angeles on January 20, 2025. Its updated itineraries include over 36,700 nautical miles of travel and feature 46 destinations across 24 countries on six continents.

Worth Reading: Princess Cruises Reveals 114-Day World Cruise for 2026

Notably, the revised routes include first-time stops at locales like the Greek Island of Patmos and the historic city of Volos, Greece, near the Monasteries of Meteora.

Scheduled to arrive in Sydney, Australia, on February 16, the itinerary revisions occur on journeys following Sydney through April 9. During this time, Island Princess will experience 32 days at sea. Calling on Melbourne and Perth, Australia, the ship will arrive in Mauritius on March 3.

Instead of navigating north, through the Red Sea, and to ports in the Middle East and Asia, Island Princess will head south to Cape Town, where it will have an overnight call to host embarkation and disembarkation for its next segment.

Originally scheduled to take place in Dubai, U.A.E., on March 14, passengers scheduled to depart from or sail from Dubai on the original leg will now need to disembark or join the cruise from Cape Town on March 9. 

Read Also: The Impact of Red Sea Tensions on Cruising

This change means a shortened itinerary for some passengers and longer travel distances, with direct flights between the two cities taking more than 9 hours. To compensate for the changes, Princess Cruises is refunding the amount equivalent to four days of cruise fare. Those joining early will not be charged anything additional.

All guests affected will also receive $300 onboard credit, “as a gesture of good will.” No mention of airfare compensation was announced.

The voyage will continue north along Africa’s western coast, calling in Namibia, the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira, Portugal, and Gibraltar. It will then enter the Mediterranean for calls in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, and Montenegro. As originally scheduled, the voyage will arrive in Valletta, Malta, on April 9.

Similarly, Crown Princess will depart on its World Cruise from Auckland, New Zealand, on May 31, 2025, and Sydney on June 4, 2025. Its voyage will span 113 days, visit 42 destinations in 22 countries, and call on five continents.

The ship will also bypass the Red Sea and travel via Africa instead of the original Middle East and Asia itinerary. However, its new lineup is still being finalized and will be announced at a later date.