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.
This afternoon visit 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 at Pioneer Park for a sumptuous
feast of grilled salmon, prime rib or deep-fried 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 Music of Denali Dinner Show
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 explore your scenic surrounding and enjoy an optional “flightseeing”
trip on a helicopter through the park, or a river float trip
on the Nenana River.
Tonight, sample Alaskan cuisine at Alaska
Music of Denali’s delicious dinner. Then sit back for a hilarious
show of tall tales, fun songs and foot-stompin’ 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,
Denali.
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 Denali 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 Alaska Native Heritage Center and Anchorage Sightseeing
Today, visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center
which features interactive displays and exhibits. Here, you will
explore the rich cultural history of Anchorage through guides
in traditional dress in their model lakeside village.
Later, arrive
in Anchorage where your driver 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.
Meal: B
Day
6 Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
This morning
take in the dramatic views of Turnagain Arm enroute to 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
Noordam 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 Glacier Bay
Cruise Glacier Bay National Park and
take in the sounds of the “living” ice, shrill cries of gulls and
soaring eagles and splash of a breaching whale. Frosted peaks
towering over mossy forests, wide tidewater glaciers, and
marine wildlife are givens on Glacier Bay cruises, but every
experience in this changing biosphere is unique.
Meals: B, L, D
Day
9 Skagway & 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 gold-crazed 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
10 Juneau & Sawyer Glacier
Your port of call this morning is the Alaskan capital of Juneau. 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
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 Alaska to British
Columbia, 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 and take your
motorcoach transfer to the airport in Seattle for flights home
departing after 4:00 p.m.
Meal: B