Join us on the ultimate adventure to America's last frontier, Alaska! Cruise from Seward along the Inside Passage to Vancouver. Visit ports of call steeped in history, culture and tradition. Experience the natural beauty of Denali National Park and travel aboard the Alaska Railroad.
Day
1 Fly to Fairbanks
Your flight to the "Land of the Midnight Sun" takes you to
Fairbanks, Alaska, where your Tour Manager greets you at the hotel.
The first day of travel will come to a quiet close as you explore the
new surroundings and prepare for your adventure.
Day
2 Fairbanks, the “Golden Heart City”
Cast off aboard the Riverboat
Discovery, the only authentic
sternwheeler in Alaska. Your narrated cruise takes you to Old Chena
Village where native Alaskan guides show the culture and lifestyle of
the original Alaskans. The afternoon is free to enjoy Alaska’s second
largest city at your own pace or you may wish to join you on an
optional visit to Gold Dredge #8 Camp for a rail journey through an
old mining camp. Here you will be able to try your hand at gold
panning in an authentic setting.
Dinner this evening is a sumptuous
all-you-can-eat feast of grilled salmon, prime rib or deep-fried
halibut and cod. Afterwards, enjoy humorous skits and songs about
early Fairbanks in the Palace Theatre’s production, Golden Heart
Review.
Meals: B, D
Day
3 Alaska Railroad and Cabin Nite Dinner
Today, board the Alaska Railroad’s flagship
The Denali Star for the
trip to Denali National Park. The track cuts through the northern
boreal forests of the interior on a journey where sparkling salmon
streams, stands of aspen and birch and carpets of purple fireweed
create a dramatic landscape. Arriving in Denali, the afternoon is free
of scheduled activities to enjoy your scenic surrounding and enjoy
an optional "flight-seeing" trip on a helicopter through the park, or
a river float trip on the Nenana River. Tonight, sample Alaskan
cuisine at Alaska Cabin Nite and enjoy an all-you-can-eat dinner.
Then sit back for a hilarious show of tall tales, fun songs and footstompin'
music.
Meals: B, D
Day
4 Natural History Tour of Denali National Park
Rise early and join an experienced local guide who conducts this
morning's Natural History Tour of Denali National Park. Weather
permitting, see North America's tallest mountain, Mt. McKinley.
Learn about Denali's varied and interesting collection of birdlife as
well as the over 650 species of flowering plants.
Later, travel down
the George Parks Highway where you might catch a glimpse of
Mount McKinley and the rest of the Alaska Range through the
stands of spruce and pine. A stop at the Iditarod Trail Headquarters
showcases the race's exciting history.
Meals: B, L
Day
5 Anchorage Sightseeing and Alyeska Resort
Arrive in Anchorage this morning where a local guide conducts a
panoramic tour of Alaska’s largest city. Learn the history and culture
of the area, watch seaplanes splash land on Lake Hood, journey to
scenic overlooks offering ocean and mountain views and make a
stop at Earthquake Park. Then continue to the luxurious Alyeska
Resort with its chateau-style hotel featuring supreme comfort,
modern touches and rich Native influences. Be sure to take the
included Aerial Tram to the top of Mt. Alyeska for dramatic views of
Turnagain Arm and the Chugach Mountain Range.
Meal: B
Day
6 Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Exit Glacier
After a leisurely morning at the resort, you visit the Alaska Wildlife
Conservation Center. This haven for orphaned or injured Alaskan
wildlife hosts an array of animals. Then, take the Anton Anderson
Memorial Tunnel to Whittier. This 2.5 mile-long tunnel is the
gateway to Prince William Sound. Later, board your ship, Holland
America Line’s
Nieuw Amsterdam to begin the unforgettable cruise portion of the tour.
Meals: B, D
Day
7 Prince William Sound and Hubbard Glacier
With its 3,000 miles of shoreline, Prince William Sound is one of
the most scenic archipelagoes of tidewater glaciers in the world.
Keep one eye on the shoreline while cruising, as you just may spot
otters, seals, bears, eagles and deer. From almost anywhere on the
ship you will be able to view Hubbard Glacier, a massive 1,350-
square mile natural wonder of blue ice. It is the longest river of ice
in North America and one of the most active glaciers of its kind in
Alaska.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
8 Icy Strait Point
The Icy Strait Point experience combines authentic regional culture
with incredible natural beauty. Located near the city of Hoonah, the
largest Tlinglit Indian settlement in Alaska, Icy Strait Point sits next
to Glacier Bay National Park. Home to a historic cannery, the port’s
connection to the sea is strong as locals share the sea with the many
humpback whales, orcas, Dall porpoises and all five species of
Pacific salmon that inhabit the region.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
9 Juneau and Sawyer Glacier
Your port of call this morning is the Alaskan Capital of Juneau,
considered by many to be the most beautiful capital city in the
nation. Founded during the gold rush in 1880, the former gold-mining
town counts among its riches some of Alaska's most
spectacular scenery. The terrain is hilly and winding, and narrow
streets present a small-town quaintness existing side-by-side with
cosmopolitan sophistication.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
10 Skagway and the Lynn Canal
As your ship approaches Skagway, see the town resting peacefully at
the base of a river valley bordered by the Coast Mountains. When
gold was discovered in the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory, it
resulted in the historic Gold Rush of 1898. As thousands of goldcrazed
adventurers sought the best jumping-off spot for their trek,
they found the deepest penetration by boat was at the northern tip
of the Lynn Canal. This is how Skagway was born.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
11 Ketchikan
A popular destination along Alaska's famed Inside Passage,
Ketchikan is teeming with Native American culture. Known as the
"Salmon Capital of the World," it is home to the largest
concentration of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people in the state.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
12 Cruising the Inside Passage
Cruise the Inside Passage, a 1,000-mile-long sea corridor from
British Columbia to Alaska, the longest sheltered inland waterway
in the world. Its scenery is as grand as that of Norway. Be on the
lookout for orcas and humpback whales as you take in the sheer
cliffs, massive glaciers and snow-capped mountains.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
13 Vancouver to Seattle and Home
Arrive in Vancouver early this morning and prepare for your
motorcoach transfer to the airport in Seattle for flights home
departing after 3:00 p.m.
Meal: B