Virgin Voyages has launched a new month-long season pass giving cruise passengers access to perks such as a professional camera, laundry and bar credits during its Alaska sailings next year.

The 2026 Alaska Summer Season Pass provides a full month aboard the adult-only cruise line’s new Brilliant Lady.

It includes a Central Sea Terrace cabin for two passengers, daily drink credits and up to £188 worth of complimentary excursions each.

Passengers can also get upgraded wifi, laundry, spa passes and priority boarding.

You will even be able to photograph the beautiful scenery and wildlife of Alaska on a Canon G7X camera that is included in the price, as well as binoculars, a portable power bank, water bottle, backpack and a limited-edition Season Pass jacket and a collectible band.

Prices start at £19,575 to sail between 28 May and 23 June 2026, rising to £28,572 for between 23 June and 23 July, £26,317 for 30 July to 27 August and £27,069 for between 27 August and 26 September.

Read more: The best adult-only cruises

The price covers Virgin Voyages’ premium fare, which includes tips and lets passengers book onboard shows and restaurants 60 days in advance.

Each sailing is for a week but passengers with a pass will stay on board for a full 30 days.

This will give passengers a chance to get immersed in scenic destinations such as Ketchikan and Skagway where activities include sledding wit huskies and gold panning. There will also be chances to see glaciers and icebergs while sailing through Alaska’s Inside Passage.

Onboard, passengers can enjoy comedy shows, cabaret and high-end restaurants such as Korean barbecue venue Gunbae.

Nirmal Saverimuttu, chief executive of Virgin Voyages, “Alaska is one of the most awe-inspiring places on Earth.

“Experiencing it aboard Brilliant Lady means you get the adventure without sacrificing comfort, style or that Virgin sense of discovery — and without a single child on board. This is what a vacation is supposed to feel like.”

Virgin Voyages also offers a year-long pass for unlimited sailings, starting from £149,629.

Read more: Virgin Voyages changes cruise fares

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Two Alaska State Troopers were honored Tuesday for risking their lives to save people from drowning in separate incidents earlier this year, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Troopers Garrett Stephens and Nathan Hollenbeck received the Commissioner’s Commendation during a Dec. 2 ceremony at the governor’s office. Both entered frigid waters in different emergencies — one in the Mat-Su and one in Nenana — to rescue victims who were near death, officials said.

“Alaskans rely on our troopers to protect them and save them,” Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement, adding the pair’s actions “showcase their dedication and commitment to our great state.”

Rescue on the Tanana River

Around 2:30 a.m. on May 29, Hollenbeck responded while on standby to a report of a man struggling on the Tanana River. He arrived within minutes of the call and found the victim about 15 feet below a steel dock, hypothermic and unable to grab onto a tow strap lowered toward him.

“He was already pale,” Hollenbeck told Alaska’s News Source in an interview in May. “He was not really responding to us talking to him, and he was obviously weak and cold.”

Hollenbeck fastened a makeshift rescue harness, called for a boat or hoist, and then climbed into the icy waters himself.

For roughly 30 minutes, he kept the man’s head above the water until a rescue boat arrived. Both were severely hypothermic and taken to the hospital.

The man survived and was released from the ICU several days later.

Teen rescued from Mat-Su lake

On June 10, Stephens responded to an urgent call about a 17-year-old boy who had gone underwater about 75 feet from the shore of a Mat-Su lake.

Stephens sprinted into the 42-degree water and swam toward the teen, encouraging him to stay conscious as he drifted in and out of awareness and vomited water, officials said.

Medics threw two life vests into the lake. Stephens put one on and swam the second to the teen, securing it before towing him back to shore with one arm while holding the teen with the other.

The teen was treated for water inhalation and severe hypothermia. Doctors later determined he likely would have died without Stephens’ intervention.

Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell said the troopers “represent the very best of the Alaska State Troopers.”

“I am so proud to have such brave and dedicated troopers serving our state,” he said.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) -While a light snow fell, Casey Schuler looked out his office window.

“I see a lot of folks, you know, running out into the street against any of the lights crossing the street there,” Schuler said. “Oftentimes, down the street itself, crossing it, not the crosswalks. But I also see people crossing at the crosswalks and drivers, more or less, kind of ignoring the pedestrian right of way.”

They were hit by people driving under the influence, or while dashing across the street dressed in black, it happened because the lighting wasn’t bright enough and road conditions were slippery. There seem to be constant near misses.

“I mean, on a daily basis, I see it,” Schuler said. “I’ve seen people actually hit.”

In the past 12 months, 15 people in Anchorage were killed in pedestrian versus vehicle collisions according to the Anchorage Police Department.

In 2023, there were six.

Across the United States, according to data compiled by the Washington Post, there’s been a surge of pedestrian deaths in the Lower 48 — from 4,302 in 2010 to 7,314 deaths in 2023.

Revealed in its “Deadliest Roads in America” report, in Albuquerque, 34 pedestrians were killed along a three-mile stretch of Central Avenue between 2010 and 2023. In Los Angeles, 33 people were killed on Western Avenue just south of downtown during that time.

Alaska state data shows 19 percent of all fatalities on Alaska’s roadways happened when someone was walking or biking. Additionally, there are Alaska-specific problems such as snowy roads, dark clothing, and drugs and alcohol.

“We continue to see a trend with drugs alcohol or a combination thereof for both pedestrians and drivers,” Chief Sean Case with APD said.

Anchorage also follows national trends of people being hit by vehicles on multi-lane roads, by impaired drivers or pedestrians and people taking risks to cross outside of the crosswalk.

Case said city roads were designed to get any driver to their destination within 15 minutes and oftentimes, drivers are going faster than the posted limit.

From where he sits, Schuler says he often thinks about the driver going down the road, not looking for any problems, who then hits and kills someone.

“I actually think of the person that is riding along, you know going about their day, not looking to cause any issues, and then, you know, a pedestrian walks out in front of them. You hit them, you know, potentially kill that person and you have to live with that the rest of your life.”

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