Oceania Cruises Sails Alaska’s “Last Frontier” Wonders

Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary and destination-focused cruise line, offers a variety of immersive experiences in “The Last Frontier,” engaging guests in the fabric of Alaska’s local communities. Between May and September 2023, the 656-guest Regatta will sail from Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, offering 14 departures for travellers eager to venture beyond conventional tourist destinations and experience new views of local cultures and cuisines.

With over 250 tours and excursions available in Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell, and beyond, the 49th state provides ample opportunities for exciting glacial explorations, authentic culinary classes, native tribal site visits, craft beer tastings, national park excursions, and a chance to savour the region’s beguiling natural beauty.

Guests may engage in unique small group excursions to explore places on a whole new level with Oceania Cruises’ Go Local tour series. Here, visitors are invited into local homes and businesses and immersed in the local way of life in order to learn about and participate in generations-old customs.

Travellers who book this month can save even more money on these once-in-a-lifetime experiences thanks to Oceania Cruises’ 20th Anniversary Sale, which includes free shore excursions, a free beverage package, or free shipboard credit, as well as a special bonus gift of up to $800 shipboard credit per suite or stateroom on a variety of enthralling Alaska itineraries.

“We’re thrilled to provide our passengers a new view of Alaska, one packed with personal emotional encounters connecting with nature, people, and food,” said Oceania Cruises President Frank A. Del Rio. “The inherent beauty of our small ships, particularly in a place like Alaska onboard our intimate Regatta, provides visitors access to little ports and isolated harbours unavailable on other ships.”

Destination Highlights

Klawock is the Alaska that seasoned tourists want to see, unspoilt and teeming with animals. Oceania Cruises will be the first cruise line to stop at this port in 2023. For thousands of years, the settlement has been a native Tlingit hamlet and boasts one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of totems.

Wrangell, first a Tlingit Native American stronghold, then a Russian outpost, and eventually an American colony in 1867, has seen and commemorates remarkable change. At Wrangell, visitors may learn about the everyday life of a local from an Alaskan guide while fishing for typical catches like salmon and halibut and learning about the native Tlingit’s influence on the community.

At Juneau, adventure seekers may do glacier trekking on Mendenhall Glacier or sea kayaking along the coastal rivers used by the Aleut Native People for centuries. The “Flavours of Juneau” shore trip, which includes visits to the Alaskan Brewing Company and Chez Alaska Cooking School, will appeal to foodies.

After a day of rock climbing and rappelling down high granite cliffs or an afternoon flying through the sky in a helicopter, enjoy some local beers in Skagway. Take a relaxing trip on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad and marvel at the route carved into the high mountain pass by the gold rushers.

Icy Strait Point provides numerous options to explore the surrounding untouched wilderness. In the secluded Spasski River Valley west of Hoonah, look for bears, deer, and bald eagles in their native environment. Immerse yourself in Tlingit culture, singing, and storytelling at the Heritage Centre, or go ZipRiding on the world’s most prominent zip line.

Join the captain and crew of the Aleutian Ballad, the renowned crab boat from Discovery Network’s “Deadliest Catch,” in Ketchikan for an epic voyage of discovery. Instead, visitors may participate in a customised fishing adventure during which a personal chef cooks their catch as the central portion of a gourmet meal served around a roaring campfire in the middle of the centuries-old Alaska rainforest.

In Sitka, go deep-sea sport fishing for salmon. See the world-famous Alaska Raptor Centre, one of the biggest rehabilitation clinics for wounded eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls. Take a “Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest” beach trip to see sea otters, whales, sea lions, porpoises, and brown bears.

Shipboard Highlights

Oceania Cruises’ Regatta is a sleek and elegant ship with four unique open-seating restaurants serving The Finest Cuisine at Sea®, a world-class fitness centre and spa, eight lounges and bars, a casino, and 333 lavish suites and luxurious staterooms, nearly 70% of which have private verandas – ideal for viewing Alaska’s stunning landscapes.

The ship’s compact size allows for immersive encounters at each port that delve deeply into the local people, culture, and food. Regatta can also visit places like Wrangell and Prince Rupert that bigger ships cannot, allowing up-close views of Sawyer and Hubbard Glaciers as well as access to Tracy Arm Fjord’s breathtaking splendour.

Voyage Highlights

Glitz to Glaciers:12 days from Los Angeles to Vancouver, visiting San Francisco, Astoria, Klawock, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Ketchikan. Departs 18 May.

Alaska Adventures & Landscapes:10 days from Vancouver to Seattle, visiting Wrangell, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Departs on 30 May.

Gold Rush, Glaciers & Wildlife:10 days from Seattle to Seattle, visiting Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Juneau, Klawock and Victoria. It Departs on 23 June.

Wildlife & Frontiers: 11 days from Seattle to Seattle, visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Klawock, Prince Rupert and Victoria. Departs 3 July.

Wildlife & Wonders: Seven days from Seattle to Seattle, visiting Wrangell, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Departs 14 July.

Alaska & British Columbia Array: 11 days from Seattle to Seattle, visiting Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Wrangell, Prince Rupert, and Victoria. It Departs on 21 July.

Stunning Scenery: Seven days from Seattle to Seattle, visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, and Victoria. Departs 1 August.

Dazzling Alaska: 10 days from Seattle to Seattle, visiting Klawock, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria. Departs 8 August.

Radiant Alaska: 10 days from Seattle to Vancouver, visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Victoria. Departs 28 August.

Alaska & California Treasures: 20 days from Vancouver to Los Angeles, visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Prince Rupert, Victoria, Astoria, Los Angeles, Catalina Island, San Francisco and Ensenada. Departs 7 September.