A new itinerary that will be offered by Princess Cruises will take passengers from the scenic beauty of Japan all the way to the ice caps of Alaska.

According to Princess, the new route, which will be offered during the company's Japanese cruise season in 2024, would carry passengers from Japan's northern Tohoku and Hokkaido areas during the cherry blossom time and take them all the way to Alaska over the course of 15 days. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to extend their trip for an additional 7 days to include a visit to Vancouver, for a grand total of 22 days at sea.

The Royal Princess will make her debut in the area as the cruise line's first Royal-Class ship when it sets sail from Tokyo on April 27, 2024, embarking on a journey that will be the first of its kind in the area.

The president of Princess Cruises, John Padgett, was quoted as saying in a statement that the company is "thrilled to offer such a culturally-rich season of cruises in this region for the 2024 season."

"Japan has been a popular home-port and destination experience for Princess guests for many years," Padgett stated.

In addition, beginning in March 2024 and continuing through August of that same year, Princess Cruises will operate its Diamond Princess ship out of Japan. This vessel will make a full circuit beginning and ending in Tokyo, making stops in 35 unique locations spread across three countries over the course of voyages ranging from seven to 23 days in length.

The COVID-19 outbreak that occurred aboard the Diamond Princess in Japan at the beginning of the pandemic brought the ship considerable attention; nonetheless, it has been back in service since the previous year. The ship is currently referred to as a MedallionClass ship and comes equipped with amenities such as keyless cabin entrance, turn-by-turn instructions to help passengers navigate the ship, and the capacity to place orders for food, beverages, and other items to be delivered via the ship's app.

According to the Japan National Tourist Agency, Japan reopened to independent travellers in 2017, although it demands all visitors to provide documentation of either having had three doses of a COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative test completed within 72 hours of leaving.

Source: travelandleisure.com