NORTHBOUND ITINERARY
Day 1 - Depart aboard Holland America Alaska Cruise
This afternoon, you will set sail for new adventures on board a Holland America Cruise. The ms Zaandam and ms Volendam sail out of Vancouver, bound for forested isles, icy-blue glaciers and charming frontier ports. Travel northbound on a one way cruise that will explore the spectacular sights of the Inside Passage, as well as the glacier-clad shores of South central Alaska. Highlights include a day immersed in magnificent Glacier Bay. Witnessing the sun rise or set on peaks rimming College Fjord. Discover charming Juneau, Skagway or Haines and Ketchikan.
Note: 2009 departures are aboard the ms Statendam or ms Veendam
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 2 - Scenic Cruising Inside Passage
Today is at sea. Journey deep into one of nature's most isolated monuments accessible only by sea and air and encounter the magnificence of the Ice Age as you slowly glide through the Inside Passage. Expect the unexpected on your Alaska cruise - a massive glacier calves, a bald eagle soars above, a humpback whale clears the water and the night sky awakens to waves of color. With guaranteed views of sky-splitting peaks, glaciers and vast wilderness.
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 3 - Ketchikan, Alaska
In the heart of the Tongass National Forest, immerse yourself in Tlingit Indian culture and view the world's largest collection of totem poles kayak the colorful waterfront and stroll the boardwalk that once led to Ketchikan's red light district. Sample Shore Excursions (not include) Saxman Native Village, Back country Jeep & Canoe Safari, Ketchikan Motorcycle Tour.
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 4 - Juneau, Alaska
For years Juneau's livelihood, like that of many cities in Alaska, was tied to mining. The city itself is built on tailings from the A-J mine whose shafts perforate the hillside above town. Because it is Alaska's capital, Juneau prospers through government work and tourism. This is a great place to sample salmon baked over an alder wood fire, pan for gold, and hike the massive Juneau Icefield. If you feel the need for speed, hop on a sled and let a dog team pull you across the surface of a glacier. Sample Shore Excursions (not included): Four-Glacier Adventure by Helicopter, Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest, Photo Safari by Land & Sea
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 5 - Skagway, Alaska
The sidewalks are all but rolled up in Skagway come winter, so you can only imagine the frightful conditions endured by the gold prospectors who passed through en route to the Yukon, with a mandatory ton of supplies to be hauled with them over the steep and treacherous Trail of '98. 21st-century summertime visits to Skagway require nothing of the sort, but you can still ride the antique White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railway up through silvery-purple rock faces, past Deadhorse Gulch, to see what it was like back then. Sample Shore Excursions (not included): White Pass Summit Scenic Railway, Glacier Country Flight seeing, Best of Skagway Tour.
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 6 - Glacier Bay National Park Scenic Cruising
Cloistered in the rocky recesses of Alaska, Glacier Bay is a world still emerging from the Ice Age. Sixteen dazzling tidewater glaciers creep back and forth by millimeters, chiseling great masses of moraine onto their pristine surfaces.
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 7 - Scenic Cruising College Fjord
Prince William Sound's College Fjord is one of the northernmost inlets on the Gulf of Alaska. It terminates in Harvard Glacier, more than two miles wide and 300 feet tall at the face. On the west side of the fjord, the glaciers are named after colleges for women on the east, after colleges for men'hence the name College Fjord.
Deluxe: Overnight ms Zaandam or ms Volendam - various categories available
Day 8 - Arrive Seward, Alaska
Arrive in Seward in the early morning. Ice-free the year round, Seward was a natural choice as the ocean terminal and supply center during the construction of the Alaska Railroad. Upon arrival, transfer by regular scheduled motor coach or Cruise train (not included) from the cruise ship terminal to the Anchorage Airport in time for your flight departure home. Transfer is approximately 3 hours in length.
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- 7 night Alaska Glacier Bay Holland America cruise aboard the ms Zaandam or ms Volendam including most meals & entertainment onboard ship
- Port Charges & Taxes
- Personalized documentation package
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Shore Excursions
- Alaska Cruise Taxes (approximately $110 USD per person)
- Fuel Surcharges (approximately $5.25 - $5.90 CDN per person/per day)
- Optional programs & activities
- Alcoholic beverages & soft drinks
- Spa Treatments
- Transfers to and from the cruise ship
- Trip Cancellation Insurance (Insurance can be purchased from your Vacation Specialist, ask for more details)