New cruise line for B.C.

Photo: Contributed

Add one more cruise line to the long list sailing along the B.C. coast to Alaska.

Seabourn plans to introduce a series of 11-, 12- and 14-day itineraries between Vancouver and Alaska starting in 2017, returning to the northernmost U.S. state for the first time in 15 years.

And while some cruise lines are opting for larger ships, the luxury Seattle-based company says the "intimate size" of its Seabourn Sojourn — 198-metres-long with a capacity of 450 guests — offers advantages, including being able to access places along the route that larger vessels cannot.

The scenic West Coast waters are plied by operators including Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, Disney, Oceania, Crystal, and Regent Seven Seas.

Royal Caribbean International says its 311-metre Explorer of the Seas, with a capacity of well over 3,000 guests, is the largest ship cruising to Alaska.

Seabourn, a brand of Carnival Corp., said rates for an 11-day sailing in June 2017 from Vancouver to Anchorage aboard the Seabourn Sojourn will start at US$7,999.