Alaskan Adventure
& Discovery Tour
August 5-18, 2012
Enjoy 14 days of sightseeing on Alaskan sea and land tours. We will visit Ketchikan, Skagway, Seward, glaciers and wildlife in Denali National Park, Gates of the Arctic National Park , Fairbanks and much more. We'll enjoy an inside or outside stateroom for seven days on the cruise ship Zaandam.
On this trip we'll ride Alaskan rail cars, see native villages, tour a gold mine and see a show depicting a true-to-life gold rush tale. We'll view the Alaskan tundra, and may see grizzly bears, wild sheep and caribou. We'll see Mt. McKinley, historic displays and the Kenai and College fjords. We'll take in a lumber jack show and have a whale watch. This vacation will stay in our memories forever!
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
- Round-trip transportation between Vermont, New York and Montreal Airport aboard Premier Motor Coach
- Air fares: Montreal -Vancouver - Fairbanks - Montreal
- All ground transportation, including rail fare
- 6 shore excursions
- All taxes and port fees
- Gratuities on board ship, and for all meals and local guides
- Hotel accommodations on land
- Meals
DEPARTURE TIMES:
- 4:00 a.m. Winooski - St. Stephen's Catholic Church, E. Spring St.
- 4:05 a.m. Quality Inn - Park Drive, Colchester
- 4:35 a.m. St. Albans - Highgate Commons Shopping Plaza
- 5:20 a.m. Rouses Point - Rouses Point Civic Center
Day 1 – Sunday, August 5, 2012 – Vancouver
Today we will travel to Montreal by motor coach to Pierre Trudeau Airport, then we’ll fly Vancouver B.C. on an early flight. We’ll sail from Vancouver in the late afternoon/early evening. Please note: for crossing the Canadian border, you must bring BOTH your passport and ship ID card.
Day 2 – Monday, August 6, 2012 – At Sea– Inside Passage
Today, we’ll see the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and enjoy onboard activities.
Day 3 – Tuesday, August 7, 2012– Ketchikan
We’ll have our first shore excursion this morning, at Ketchikan. We’ll visit Saxman Native Village for the Great Alaskan Lumberjack show. We’ll experience Native American Culture through song, dance and stories, and we’ll learn about native art. Ketchikan is home to the world’s foremost stand of authentic native totems. Returning to the pier, we’ll view Ketchikan’s famous Creek Street, bustling boat harbors and historical waterfront.
Day 4 – Wednesday, August 8, 2012 – Juneau
This morning we’re scheduled to dock at 9:00 a.m. We’ll experience some more of Alaska’s premier attractions, glaciers and wildlife from two very different vantage points – by land and sea. We’ll take a narrated motor coach tour to view and photograph Alaska’s most famous glacier, the Mendenhall Glacier. We’ll tour the visitor’s center and learn about the landscape-carving force of glacial ice. This afternoon we’ll have a scenic cruise on the Auke Lake to see whales and other wildlife. An onboard naturalist will explain the behavior and habitat of the wildlife. We may encounter humpback and killer whales, as well as sea lions. This afternoon we will have time to explore Juneau and shop along Main Street.
Day 5, Thursday, August 9, 2012 – Skagway
Today we arrive in Skagway; the Klondike gold rush area. We’ll transfer to Skagway by ferry. We’ll experience an unforgettable journey along the eastern side of the world-famous Narrow Gauge railway. We’ll travel along the Yukon Route Railroad, built more than 100 years ago. We’ll pass through some of the north’s most rugged terrain aboard a comfortable, old-fashioned parlor car and retrace the original route beyond the summit of White Pass at 2,863 feet. The scenery is breath taking. Upon reaching Fraser, British Columbia, we’ll board a motor coach for the journey down the west side of the White Pass Canyon. Our guide will tell us about Pitchfork Falls and the Tormented Valley. Then we’ll stop at historic Liarsville, a gold rush trail camp. Here we’ll view cabins and tents once used as a bakery, laundry and saloon. Here we’ll enjoy a snack of hot cider and cookies, and have our photos taken with a husky, or do some shopping.
Day 6 – Friday, August 10, 2012 - Glacier Bay National Park Scenic Cruise
This morning we’ll tour Glacier Bay National Park, where the glaciers cascade down the mountainside one after the other – a great photo opportunity. This afternoon we’ll enjoy shipboard activities.
Day 7 – Saturday, August 11, 2012 – Gulf of Alaska
Today we’ll see the Gulf of Alaska and cross the College Fjord. We’ll have leisure time aboard ship to enjoy the many shipboard activities.
Day 8 – Sunday, August 12, 2012 – Seward Kenai Fjords National Park
Early this morning, we’ll pass the Kenai Fjords National Park and then debark the ship and have some leisure time. Then we’ll settle into our hotel in downtown Seward, on Resurrection Bay.
Day 9 – Monday, August 13, 2012 – Seward/Anchorage
We travel to Anchorage via motor coach this morning, making several stops along the way. We’ll follow the Seward Highway, passing Cook’s inlet. We’ll arrive at our hotel in Anchorage in the late afternoon.
Day 10 – Tuesday, August 14, 2012 – McKinley Explorer
After breakfast this morning we’ll board the McKinley Explorer on the Alaskan railroad. We’ll see stunning panoramic views of untouched wilderness. If the weather is clear we’ll see Mt. McKinley. This afternoon we’ll have time for shopping and leisure at McKinley Chalet Resort. Later this evening we’ll have a delightful dinner and entertainment at the Alaska Cabin Night Dinner Theatre. We’ll join heroine Fannie Quigley and an unforgettable cast of characters in the true-to-life gold rush tale of adventure set in early 1900s Alaska.
Day 11 – Wednesday, August 15, 2012 – Tundra Wilderness Tour
This morning we’ll have a guided tundra wilderness tour aboard the McKinley Explorer. As we travel we’ll glimpse Mt. McKinley at Savage River, then pass the drunken forest of Teklanika. Here we may see the dale sheep of Igloo Canyon, the grizzlies of Sable Pass and the caribou of Toklat River. Our major stop will be Stony Hill overlook for awesome views of McKinley, just 36 miles away (weather permitting.)
Day 12 – Thursday, August 16, 2012 – Denali/Fairbanks
We’ll start today with some leisure time and then re-board the McKinley Explorer in the afternoon. We’ll have dinner on the train and end up in Fairbanks.
Day 13 – Friday, August 17 – Seward
We have a very full day of activities today. This morning we’ll visit Gold Dredge No. 8, a massive four story tall machine that was in operation right up until 1959. Later, we’ll board the sternwheeler Discovery riverboat for a scenic tour. This evening we’ll have dinner at an Alaskan salmon bake, and then go to the nearby Palace Theatre for a show.
Day 14 – Saturday, August 18, 2012 – Homeward Bound
This morning we’ll say good-bye to Alaska, bringing home memories to treasure forever.
