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Crown Cruise Vacations Offers Alaska Cruise Shore Excursions at Phenomenal Prices

Sophisticated Cruise Specialists at Crown Cruise Vacations Assist With the Ordinary and the Extraordinary

PRINCETON, N.J. (Feb. 28, 2012) – Crown Cruise Vacations shore excursions offer lower prices, higher quality, a money-back guarantee, 24/7 customer support for travelers and guaranteed returns to the ship.

Planning a trip to Alaska? Depending on the cruise itinerary, there are multi-port packages or you can pick from single excursion packages in Icy Strait, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway and Victoria. Here is a sampling of one multi-port excursion and two single excursions to choose from.

1. Three Port Best of Alaska Nature Package Excursion – Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway

Experience nature at its best with this three-port package! See majestic whales in Juneau, zipline through a forest in Ketchikan and see amazing wildlife from a river in Skagway. This Alaska Nature Package includes an exciting combination of tours in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan that allow you to experience the best of Alaska’s natural scenery and wildlife. In Juneau enjoy a whale watching trip, where you’re guaranteed to see whales, and stop by for a visit to Mendenhall Glacier. In Skagway, take a scenic drive and float down a river in Alaska’s wilderness. In Ketchikan, soar through the wilderness above the trees on an exciting zipline adventure.

Juneau Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Excursion
Your adventure begins with a short drive to a scenic harbor. Here, you will board a mammal friendly jet boat equipped with water jet drives to ensure a quiet underwater operation without dangerous propellers that may frighten or harm the animals. The boats have an enclosed and heated cabin, complete with indoor plumbing. In addition, the boat only holds a maximum of 40 guests and there are large viewing windows and an outdoor viewing deck that provides an up close and personal experience while observing and photographing the animals in their natural surroundings.

You will be on the boat for approximately two hours in an area that the whales return to every summer, and you are guaranteed to see whales.

Returning to the pier, you will travel further into the valley to see the only “drive up” Glacier in S.E. Alaska. Once you arrive at the Visitor’s Center, (entrance included) you will have approximately 45 minutes to explore on your own. You can walk around the visitor center, which has an elevated view of the glacier across the Mendenhall Lake, view exhibits as well as a short film about the Juneau Ice Fields. For those guests feeling more adventurous, there are several hiking paths around the lake area including Photo Point Trail which winds along Mendenhall Lake to an unobstructed view of the glacier face. At the appointed time, meet your guide for the trip back to town.

Scenic Skagway Float Excursion
Setting out from downtown Skagway, enjoy a 10-mile drive along the coast to the beautiful Dyea valley, home to an old Gold Rush settlement now returned to nature. On the drive, you may spot seals and eagles.  Upon arrival at the put in location, you will get your flotation vest before boarding the rubber rafts with your captain / guide. Along with your group of never more than 10 guests, you will sit back and let your guide do the paddling. As you float along, they will point out wildlife, native plants and tell stories of the area’s fascinating history as you float down the gentle Taiya River. Float time is approximately 45 minutes on the river. After the rafting enjoy a riverside snack. Time permitting, you will also stop at the Skagway scenic overlook for a panoramic view of the town after the float.

Ketchikan Zipline Adventure Excursion
Experience the thrill of ziplining on an exciting course through a lush rainforest in Ketchikan.  Enjoy a scenic, narrated drive form the pier to a beautiful off the beaten track property on the Alaskan waterfront. Here your guide will lead you on a short walk to the zipline course which is located in a temperate rainforest. After a safety briefing, you will be familiarized with your gear before beginning your ziplining adventure.

Unlike standard ziplining experiences, this adventure offers a wide variety of fun and exciting activities. You can you can swing, balance, and climb your way along this giant jungle gym in Alaska’s forest canopy. The ropes portion includes eight different spans across the canopy. Some of the ropes elements include suspended logs, rope bridges, and swinging steps.

The seven zip lines encircle the course which is spread out over the property. Here you will catch glimpses of the ocean below as you glide along through the trees. There is an added option of a 50 foot climbing tower for the more adventurous participants. A circular staircase inside the tower enables others to climb up and snap a picture of the view or of their companions happily ringing the bell at the top of the wall. The Zipline Adventure is fun recreation for friends and family in a perfect setting!  Prices start at $356 for adults and $311 for children under 10.

For more details about this Three Port Best of Alaska Nature Package excursion, please click here.

2. Whales and Wildlife Excursion — Icy Strait
Escape crowded tours on this small, personalized whale watching tour with a maximum of only 6 people!  You will be guided by a lifelong resident of the area with over 30 years of experience on the local waters. Many who visit the area consider this the highlight of their trip to Alaska.

See majestic humpback whales and other wildlife such as stellar sea lions, porpoise, harbor seal, bald eagles and on occasion a sea otter. While the humpbacks are the focus of this excursion it is not uncommon to find a pod of Orca (killer whales) cruising through in search of salmon or marine mammals.

Icy Strait is home to one of the largest summer populations of humpback whales found in Alaska and the whale watching is second to none. Individual humpbacks are easily identified by the unique shapes and patterns of black and white on the underside of their flukes. The majority of the humpback whales of Southeast Alaska migrate annually between the warm waters of Hawaii where they mate and bear their young and the cold, rich waters of Alaska where they spend the summer feeding. Humpbacks display many interesting behaviors in the waters of Southeast Alaska.

Bubble feeding is a unique technique employed by some of the whales in Icy Strait and can sometimes be observed in the area close to the harbor. Many times the whales work together in pods of three to a dozen whales and can be very vocal while feeding. You may enjoy hearing what the whales are “saying”, with the on-board hydrophone. Along with feeding, the whales engage in all sorts of frolic; breaching, slapping their flippers, waving their tails and exchanging trumpets, groans and grumbles.

The waters of Icy Strait and Port Frederick and shoreline of Chichagof Island afford some amazing wildlife viewing and photography opportunities while traveling back and forth to the most productive whale watching areas. Chichagof Island boasts one of the highest concentrations of Alaska Coastal Brown bear anywhere in Alaska, roughly 1.5 bears per square mile and sometimes brown bears are spotted and enjoyed as they forage and travel on the beach.

Bald eagles abound and can often be found perched close enough to the shore to get close for a photo or fishing offshore where you may witness them diving down and snatching a fish from the water.

This tour will enable you to enjoy a truly Alaskan experience that you will savor for a lifetime as you get out on the water and into the wild. Prices start at: 225 for 3 hours and 45 minutes.

For more details about the Whales and Wildlife Excursion — Icy Strait, please click here.

3. Rainforest Canopy and Zipline Expedition – Juneau

This eco-adventure combines the thrill of gliding above the treetops in a rich rainforest on over 6,000 feet of dual ziplines, suspension bridges, and a ground-based trail network. Plus a channel crossing aboard an expedition craft, mountain ascent on an off-road vehicle, and aerial exploration of hidden relics of a world famous gold mine.

After meeting your guide on the pier, you and your group of no more than 18 guests will board a high-speed vessel for an approximate 15-minute Gastineau Channel crossing, passing Mayflower Island and Suicide Falls, with a beach landing at the remote Treadwell Mine site on Douglas Island and direct access to the forest outfitting base camp.

Your professionally trained guides will outfit you with state of the art safety equipment and provide a detailed safety briefing before transporting you in a 4 x 4 all-terrain vehicle up the densely forested hillside to the first zipline tree platform. This is your introduction to nearly a mile of dual high tension cables linking a network of platforms mounted high in carefully selected old growth spruce trees.

Your guides will progressively ease you into the forest canopy along ten zip lines. Cross two aerial suspension bridges, with breathtaking views of spectacular Bullion Creek, and enjoy unique views of Juneau from the treetops. Discover hidden ruins of the historic Treadwell Mine (1881-1917), once one of the world’s largest gold mines, and zip over a 180-foot deep “glory hole”. Looking from above, see the ruins of the original mine refinery, where millions of dollars of molten gold was poured into ingot molds. The longest zip is approximately 800 feet.

During your approximately 80 to 90 minutes on the zip course, you will be surrounded by the sights and sounds of Alaska’s rainforest throughout this award winning nature-based adventure. The last zipline takes you to a final platform to experience the thrill of rappelling into base camp, where you will receive a light snack and be presented with a custom cast Alaska Canopy Adventures medal in recognition of your achievement. An informative narration is provided on the channel crossing. Prices start at: $176 per person.

For more details about the Rainforest Canopy and Zipline Expedition – Juneau, please click here.

These and many other shore excursions can make your Alaskan cruise most memorable and exciting. To work with a Crown Cruise Vacations cruise specialist for your next Alaskan cruise vacation and to plan your Alaskan shore excursions, call 877- 283-1114 (toll-free USA / Canada) or 609-945-9801 or visit Crown Cruise Vacations at http://www.crowncruisevacations.com.

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About Crown Cruise Vacations:

Sophisticated cruise specialists at Crown Cruise Vacations assist with the ordinary and the extraordinary, with travel designed to delight clients as they take dream vacations. Great value and unparalleled service are the cornerstones of Crown Cruise Vacations.

Crown Cruise Vacations was recently named North America’s Leading Cruise Travel Agent 2011 by the prestigious World Travel Awards, which acknowledges excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry. Crown Cruise Vacations is the preferred provider of PTV at Sea cruises, which enrich, inspire and entertain with informative programming presented by some of public broadcasting’s most acclaimed personalities.

Based in Princeton, New Jersey, Crown Cruise Vacations specialists are comprised of a unique team of experienced, accredited travel agents and managers with an average of 12 years selling leisure travel. For more information, please visit us at http://www.crowncruisevacations.com/.

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