Sunday, June 1 - VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (Embarkation)
Departs 4:00 PM
Sail from Vancouver, glide under the Lion's Gate Bridge, and enter the scenic wonders of the Inside Passage.
The perfect combination of urban and nature, Vancouver is a hub for lovers of the great outdoors. Enjoy picturesque views of the mountains while exploring the city's local hot spots like Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, and more. Don't forget to sample the best local culinary and cocktail scene for something truly unique. Here's how to enjoy a stop at Hollywood of the North.
Monday, June 2 - SCENIC CRUISING THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Relax, enjoy a full day of scenic Inside Passage cruising, and immerse yourself in Holland America Line elegance.
Alaska's Inside Passage is a renowned cruising route through a protected network of waterways, featuring glacier-cut fjords, lush rainforests, and diverse wildlife. Stops along the route showcase Alaska's rich history, including Native Alaskan culture in Ketchikan and Skagway's Gold Rush era legacy. Here's how to experience the best of the Inside Passage.
Tuesday, June 3 - KETCHIKAN
Arrives 6:30 AM
Departs 3:00 PM
Explore this uniquely Alaskan port, famous for its rich native culture, salmon fishing, and scenic Misty Fjords.
Alaska's "First City" of Ketchikan is so named because it's the first major landfall for most cruises as they enter the picturesque fords of the Inside Passage, where the town clings to the bans of the Inside Passage, where the town clings to the banks of the Tongass Narrows, flanked by green forests nurtured by abundant rain.
Ketchikan has long been an important hub of the salmon-fishing and -packing industries. Visitors can try their luck on sport fishing or merely savor the fresh seafood at one of the local restaurants. Ketchikan is also one of the best spots along the Inside Passage to explore the rich cultural sights of Native Alaskan nations like the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian. You can see intricately carved totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center and Totem Bight State Park, the attractions of Saxman Village just outside of Ketchikan offer the chance to see Tlingit culture in action, with working carvers and a dance show in the clan house. Don't forget to leave time to explore their sights in the town itself, including historic Creek Street, a boardwalk built over Ketchikan Creek, where you can shop for souvenirs, smoked salmon, and local art while exploring gold rush-era tourist attractions like Dolly's House Museum.
Wednesday, June 4 - JUNEAU
Arrives 10:00 AM
Departs 9:00 PM
Enjoy a full day of exploring Alaska's capital from exciting shore excursions, and still have time to shop.
Visit the most remote, beautiful, and strangest state capital in the United States. Surrounded by water, forest, and mountain sights, visitors seeking things to do in Juneau indoors and outdoors can hike a glacier, eat fresh-caught fish on a seaside patio, and tour a grand capital building, all in one day.
Juneau is known for its outdoor recreation, fresh seafood, and fine dining. The city itself is pleasant, but the real highlight of a visit to Juneau is tracking down some wildlife. You can hike up Mount Roberts to chance upon wild deer and bad eagles. Most sightseeing and whale-watching tours head north to Auke Bay - bring a good pair of binoculars to get the best view of these majestic and surprisingly graceful creatures. If you prefer land mammals, catch a floatplane to a nearby wildlife reserve such as Chichagof or Admiralty Island to spy some bears lolling around on an Alaska cruise excursion.
The sleepy, misty city of around 32,000 - mostly fishermen and small-business owners - has a frontier town vibe but welcomes more than a million visitors each summer to its natural attractions, cementing Juneau as Alaska's number-one tourist destination.
Thursday, June 5 - SKAGWAY
Arrives 5:30 AM
Departs 9:00 PM
Step back to the days of the last great gold rush - choose from exciting shore excursions and still have time to shop.
At the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, the port town of Skagway served as the primary gateway to the legendary gold fields, and quickly grew into Alaska's largest settlement. It was then a raucous frontier hub packed with trading posts, saloons, and guesthouses. As the gold rush faded into the 1900s, so did Skagway - but today it has been reinvigorated as a gateway for a new kind of visitor: those looking to explore Alaska's colorful history, pristine wildlife, and unrivaled natural beauty.
At every turn, you'll find yourself immersed in gold rush lore, from the infamous Red Onion Saloon that still keeps a pistol that Wyatt Earp left behind en route to the Klondike, to the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. This classic narrow-gauge railway traverses rugged mountains and passes cascading waterfalls and towering glaciers as it connects Skagway to the White House deep in the Yukon. Known as the "Garden City of Alaska," Skagway is filled with beauty and nature. Much of the town has been preserved as part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, where rangers offer free walking tours around the historic district. You'll also find a vibrant local community, home to a rich collection of local galleries, curio shops, and restaurants serving seafood plucked fresh from nearby waters.
Friday, June 6 - GLACIER BAY
Cruise the ice-studded fjords of this national treasure for a full eight hours as a Park Service Ranger narrates.
Close your eyes and take in the sounds - the creaks and groans of "living" ice, the shrill cries of gulls and soaring eagles, the splash of a breaching humpback whale. Frosted peaks towering over mossy forests, wide tidewater glaciers (seven in the park), and marine wildlife are given on Glacier Bay cruises; every experience in this changing biosphere is unique.
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve is best explored on a cruise tour. Our ships are perfectly sized for the optimal experience. Prepare for inclement weather, even in summer, and dress for rain. Pack a hat, gloves, wool or fleece layers, a warm coat, and waterproof gear to comfortably admire the landscape from the open deck of your ship. There stand glaciers, fjords, inlets, rivers, streams, and wildlife galore on Glacier Bay cruises, so bring those binoculars.
Saturday, June 7 - COLLEGE FJORD
Enjoy a leisurely day highlighted by evening cruising through picturesque College Fjord.
See majestic, centuries-old rivers of ice cascading from the mountains to the sea. Glaciers have shaped man Alaska lakes, rivers, and valleys one slow centimeter at a time. They've fascinated scientists and inspired artists for a long time. Scenic cruising College Fjord will bring you close to many glaciers - there's even a spot where you can see eight at once. Your chances of watching ice thunder into the water are high, as the Prince William Sound is one of the most active areas for calving.
Out of all Alaks fjords, College Fjord is the most storied. The Harriman Expedition of 1899 with John Muir and other notable scientists traversed the College Fjord aboard the George W. Elder, funded by Ivy League colleges. All of the glaciers were named for various schools. As you travel into Collge Fjord, the glaciers on the left are named for women's colleges, and those on the right are named for men's colleges. (Amherst, Barnard, Bryn Mwr, Harvard, Smith, Vassar, and Yale).
Harvard Glacier is the biggest - its face is a mile and a half across. In case you're wondering, it is rumored that the scientists snubbed Princeton.
Sunday, June 8 - WHITTIER/SEWARD (Disembark)
Arrives 1:00 AM
Disembark and head to Seward, where you can take an optional excursion or tour this picturesque seaside town in the afternoon.
Monday, June 9 - SEWARD
Explore, on your own or take optional excursions with an entire free day in Seward. Don't miss the chance to visit the Sealife Center or take an excursion into Kenai Fjords National Park.
As a scenic gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park and laid-back burg steeped in history, there's plenty of reason to stop into Seward.
Seward is ground zero for the Klondike Gold Rush's Iditarod National Historic Trail, a dogsled route that connected the Kenai Peninsula's ice-free port with Nome during frontier-era winters. Though the modern race makes a ceremonial start in Anchorage, it's inspired by the famous run of 1925, which dashed along parts of this older path. It allowed 20 mushers to carry urgently needed diphtheria vaccine more than 621 miles in just over 127 hours.
Native Alaskans and explorers from Russia, Britain, and the United States frequented this area before Seward's official founding in 1903. The early settlement included a colorful neighborhood known as Homebrew Alley which was erased by a 9.2-magnitude megathrust earthquake. Known as the Good Friday earthquake; it was the second most powerful ever recorded and dropped the shoreline nearly six feet in 1964.
Tuesday, June 10 - ANCHORAGE
After a morning at leisure, take the small ship cruise to Portage Glacier on the way to Anchorage - Alaska's largest city.
From ice-blue glaciers to beluga whales and the famous bore tide, a single cruise to Anchorage, Alaska will considerably shorten any nature lover’s bucket list. Nestled between mountains and the Cook Inlet terminus, near many national and state parks, this hospitable haven is a top-notch place to see Alaska wildlife. A city moose roaming the streets (there are about 1,500) is a regular sight and views of whales, puffins, otters, and Dall porpoises going about their days are just a short excursion away. Cruises to Anchorage are a must for those who want some of the most incredible bear viewing in the country.
Anchorage is not only known for its diverse wildlife but also for its rich cultural tapestry. With nearly half of the state's population residing in Anchorage, you'll encounter a vibrant mix of military personnel, Alaska Natives, adventurous newcomers from the contiguous United States, and professionals from the oil industry, it's a melting pot of unique backgrounds and stories waiting to be explored. Coffee and espresso huts dot every corner and fresh halibut, smoked salmon and reindeer dogs are among the local eats.
Wednesday, June 11 - DENALI NATIONAL PARK
Board the luxurious domed rail cars of the McKinley Explorer to Denali for a two-night stay at this magnificent national treasure. Don't miss the chance to visit Denali Square and immerse yourself in the Denali experience.
Thursday, June 12 - DENALI NATIONAL PARK
Today features the unforgettable Tundra Wilderness Tour. This 5-6 hour, fully narrated sightseeing excursion takes you into the heart of Denali National Park. The tour will go to mile 43 because of road construction but will continue to offer the best opportunity to view Danali's iconic wildlife and North America's tallest peak. (snack included)
Friday, June 13 - FAIRBANKS
Saturday, June 14 - FAIRBANKS
Sunday, June 15 - FAIRBANKS (Fly Home)
Bearing the nickname the Golden Heart, Alaska's second-largest city was born of gold rush fever, thanks to Italian immigrant Felix Pedro who found the precious metal in 1902 near where Captain E.T. Barnette decided to build a trading post on the banks of the Chena River. Fairbanks is an amalgam of modern shops and malls, its history is celebrated at the 44-acre Pioneer Park, which includes a Gold Rush Town with 35 restored buildings. Fairbanks also preserved its City Hall, which now houses the Fairbanks Community Museum. The city's location in Alaska's interior makes it a gateway to the Arctic, and in summer tourist boats run cruises along the Chena and Tanana rivers. Fairbanks is a city of festivals, from July's Golden Days commemorating its past to Ice Alaska in February and March, when residents make the best of its brutal winters by playing host to a slew of international ice sculptors who descend on the city for the World Ice Art Championships. For more insight into Fairbanks and to learn about the history of Alaska, visit the Morris Thompson Cultural & Vistors Center.