Venture Ashore, the award-winning largest independent shore excursions provider in the world, adds three North American tours to its best-selling “Essential Collection” for the first time in Alaska, providing cruise guests personally curated and affordable must-see-and-do excursions that maximize time ashore.
Discover historical Ketchikan by trolley, whale-watch on the Auke Bay, discover Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier, and enjoy an up-close experience with former Iditarod mushers at an authentic dog sled camp in Skagway
New York, NY (February 13, 2023) – Venture Ashore, the largest independent cruise excursions provider in the world, announced today three new tour experiences, further extending the award-winning company’s portfolio of experiential shore excursions for the first time in the Alaskan region. Part of the company’s “Essential Collection,” these expertly curated itineraries are designed to give great value at an affordable price, featuring the highlights of Alaska including a trolley tour of Ketchikan, a Skagway Yukon sled dog experience led by former Iditarod mushers, and a whale-watching cruise with an up-close visit of Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier. Experiences are available at ventureashore.com/essential-collection.
Venture Ashore’s “Essential Collection” excursions provide individually curated compilations of the must-see and do experiences in top cities around the world, maximizing cruise guests’ time ashore at a great value with multi-port package discounts in destinations from Barcelona to Venice and Cape Town to Cartagena.
“The demand for affordable shore excursions in Alaska has never been higher and that’s why we expanded our portfolio and designed these experiences as an absolute must-do with our on-the-ground teams. Savvy cruise travelers can now experience the best Alaska has to offer in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan with our Essential Collection experiences and take advantage of great value with our multi-port packages,” said Rinat Glinert, chief operating officer, Venture Ashore. “We are looking forward to kicking off the year by delivering our guests the best itineraries at the best prices with the best opportunities, including seeing salmon streams, waterfalls, rainforests, and beaches—all in just one state!”
Venture Ashore is part of the portfolio of brands under City Experiences, a leading provider of world-class experiential travel offerings. Through its vibrant, personally curated offerings and personal connectivity, City Experiences delivers guests with an amazing experience, all provided through their own unmatched Crew and expert Tour Guides. Below are highlights of the new experiential offerings and for a full list visit ventureashore.com.
Trolley Tour Of Ketchikan, Saxman Totem Village & Wildlife At Herring Bay
You will immediately feel the town’s history by stepping onboard your cable car trolley. Taking in the town’s cannery, City Park, residential areas, and the waterfront, including well-known Creek Street, the former historic Red Light district with its wooden boardwalks. Your professional guide will tell tales of the “good old days,” sharing stories of dance halls, brothels, and bootleggers!
Then, leaving the town behind, you head south to Herring Bay, a quaint area far from the crowds. This beautiful small inlet cove allows you to experience the sights of incredible wildlife. During salmon season, black bears, bald eagles, blue herring, and seals are often spotted in this area. So be sure to keep your eyes wide open and your cameras ready!
Your final stop brings you to the Saxman Totem Village. The park is unique, being the only totem park in Alaska with 29 authentic totems carved by Tlingit and Haida natives. The poles were moved here from the original sites in the 1930s and have been restored by native carvers. Your guide will share tribes carving rituals as you watch carvers turning tree trunks into works of art and culture.
Returning to downtown Ketchikan, you can be dropped off at Creek Street to stroll the boardwalk, do some shopping, or continue the ride back to return to your cruise ship.
From $89 per person
CLICK HERE for more information.
Whale Watching And Mendenhall Glacier Combo Tour
Your tour starts with a short drive through downtown Juneau to Auke Bay; on your way, look out for humpback and orca whales, Dall’s porpoises, stellar sea lions, harbor seals, bald eagles, and more.
Arriving at the Bay, you will step aboard your boat and let your experienced captain lead the way through the Alaskan waters. Your knowledgeable guides will share the habits of these beautiful mammals and the best spots to spot whales and other wildlife; have your cameras ready!
From here, it’s back to land to the well-known Mendenhall Glacier. Enjoy the overlook point, take in the spectacular views, get ready to take plenty of pictures, and enjoy the Visitor’s Center to learn about this 13-mile glacier and its surroundings.
This tour brings you up close and personal with nature and will fill you with Alaskan memories!
From $217 per person
CLICK HERE for more information.
Skagway Yukon Dog Sledding And White Pass Summit Adventure
Start your Skagway adventure by traveling through the Klondike Highway, taking in the wildlife, stunning waterfalls, glacier-covered mountains, and views of the White Pass railroad as you follow in the footsteps of the 1898 Gold Rush stampeders up the White Pass and into the Yukon!
A trip across the Canadian border to the Province of British Columbia (B.C) takes you through the Tormented Valley, a subarctic alpine tundra as you take in the incredible views of Summit Lake, stopping at Canadian customs (passports are required here) Fraser B.C., and the Yukon Territory along the way. Photo opportunities will be available at the Welcome to Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon signs, perfect spots to create those memories!
Tutshi Dog Sledding Camp is your featured stop, and here you will meet Yukon Quest and Iditarod veteran long-distance mushers that lead the camp. The friendly canines are true athletes, and the camp exists solely for their training. Here, you will glimpse into the history of sled dog use throughout Canada and Alaska. So get ready to play with the puppies and see the dogs in action. The ultimate thrill comes when you board a UTV-style dog cart pulled by real Alaskan Huskies! This is a unique and memorable experience that you won’t want to miss!
From $175 per person
CLICK HERE for more information.
Additional Essential Collection experiences in Ketchikan and Juneau are coming soon!
Earlier this year, nine new Venture Ashore experiential tours from WALKS and Devour Tours were added to the “Essential Collection,” ranging from offerings available in Barcelona, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Civitavecchia, Rome and Venice, Italy. Immerse yourself in the history and local culture of your desired destination while maximizing your time in port including some of the most popular local experiences led by expert guides via comfortable transportation.
Venture Ashore offers a wide range of tour offerings to satisfy a variety of groups, interests and budgets. Parties of 12 or more can take advantage of a dedicated groups service, with a team of personal specialists to support a seamless experience from start to finish for a unique and tailor-made itinerary. Venture Ashore also offers extensive private tours and features small group tours, varying by destination and demand, accommodating up to 25 people or as few as 6. Venture Ashore provides guests with a worry-free travel experience with more flexibility and generous policies such as full refunds provided up to 24 hours prior to the excursion, 24/7 customer service and a “back-to-ship” guarantee.
City Experiences is a leading provider of world-class experiential travel offerings, redefining how guests see the world with expanded one-of-a-kind travel experiences across major global destinations. Part of the Hornblower Group, a global leader in experiences and transportation,
City Experiences delivers a vast array of water and land-based experience offerings in top cities around the world including Barcelona, Boston, Chicago, London, New York City, Paris, Rome, and San Francisco, amongst others.
For more information visit ventureashore.com or cityexperiences.com.
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About Venture Ashore
Venture Ashore is the largest provider of independent commissionable cruise excursions in the world, delivering carefully curated amazing experiences for cruise travelers led by professional guides in hundreds of ports worldwide. Venture Ashore cruising excursions are currently offered
across 111 countries with departures from over 500 ports of call worldwide including over 5,000 individual tours. Venture Ashore is the newest addition to the City Experiences portfolio of brands and backed by Hornblower Group. Venture Ashore offers an unrivaled global collection of travel experiences fueled by innovative technology to deliver a personable frictionless journey for travelers, advisors, and independent tour providers. Venture Ashore provides a wide range of tour offerings to satisfy a variety of interests and budgets. Parties of 12 or more can take advantage of our dedicated groups service, with a team of specialists to support a seamless experience from start to finish for a unique and tailor-made itinerary. Venture Ashore also offers extensive private tours and features small group tours, varying by destination and demand, accommodating up to 25 people or as few as 6. For more information visit ventureashore.com.
About City Experiences
City Experiences represents Hornblower Group’s expansive portfolio of water- and land-based experience companies and includes two sub-brands: City Cruises and City Ferry. City Cruises companies operate dining, sightseeing and private events across 22 destinations in the U.S., Canada and the UK. City Cruises companies also operate cruises on behalf of the National Park Service and the Niagara Parks Commission and currently hold service contracts to provide ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Alcatraz Island and Niagara Falls. City Ferry companies offer specialized knowledge and expertise required to transport passengers, vehicles and other cargo safely across inland and coastal waterways, serving as operator of NYC Ferry and Puerto Rico ferry system, among others. City Experiences’ portfolio of companies also offers a range of water- and land-based experiences including shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, multi-port packages, with companies including Venture Ashore, Walks and Devour Tours. For more information visit cityexperiences.com.
Press Contacts:
Melissa Gunderson/ [email protected]
Michael DeiCas / [email protected]
Kirsty Bachelor / [email protected]
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