HAL REBRANDS ALASKA CRUISETOUR PROGRAM
Holland America Line (HAL) has rebranded its popular Alaska CruiseTour program with the new name Land+Sea Journeys. According to officials, the change reflects substantial program updates designed to appeal to the desires of today’s travellers. With more time in the marquee destinations and less overland travel time, HAL guests will have more opportunities than ever to explore and personalize their Great Land vacations. Land+Sea Journeys offer the benefit of combining the “must-see”of Denali National Park with the “seldom seen”wonders of the Yukon, including one- or two-night stays in the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush Country. Holland America will employ a refreshed approach to add to guests’ leisure time so they can further engage in their own personal discoveries and experience more highlights en route. Perhaps the most significant program enhancement for 2014 is a convenient one-hour flight that brings Fairbanks, Alaska, and Dawson City, Yukon closer together — replacing up to two days of motorcoach travel and a hotel overnight. Other notable elements include a new McKinley Explorer dome rail schedule between Anchorage and Denali that departs later in the morning northbound to Denali and arrives before dinnertime nearly three hours earlier heading southbound to Anchorage. Between Denali and Fairbanks, motorcoaches will provide swifter service that maximizes the guest experience in both destinations. At Westmark Fairbanks, Anchorage and Skagway, Holland America has begun substantial renovations that will include extensive room updates, soft goods, hotel decor and some expansion in the Skagway property. In 2014, the Land+Sea Journeys run May through September and are simplified with just 12 options ranging in total length from 10 to 20 days in two distinct series: Yukon+Denali Land+Sea Journeys and Denali Land+Sea Journeys. All Land+Sea Journeys combine a three- to seven-night Holland America Line cruise with an overland adventure that includes a one-, two- or three-night stay at Denali National Park as a centrepiece of the Alaska experience. (http://www.hollandamerica.com)
