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This is just an example of one of our favorite Cruise Tours. We can and will find one that fits your dreams if this one does not!
Day 1: Fly to Fairbanks. When you arrive at FAI you'll be met by a Holland America rep who will retrieve your luggage and get you on a coach to The Fairbanks Westmark Hotel. For the rest of the day you'll relax, meet with your Tour Director who will get you very excited about your upcoming trip, have dinner and hopefully get to bed early! (Sometimes easier said than done as Fairbanks has up to 21 hours of daylight in June…)
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Day 2: Your day will start with a tour of Fairbanks itself. The Golden Heart City has lots of history and you'll be fascinated by the blend of urban culture and old trapper cabins within a few feet of each other. You'll see the Trans-Alaska pipeline just north of town and go to a Holland America exclusive, Gold Dredge #8 where you'll have lunch (included on most trips) and tour the dredge. After the tour you'll get the opportunity to pan for real gold! Almost everyone we know has gotten from $9.00 to $16.00 worth of gold out of the "pokes" they are given to pan. You'll understand why and how they do this when you're finished and you go into the gift store to have your find weighed up. They just happen to have wonderful little lockets and earrings and whatsits to put you gold in! I know it all sounds a little corny and touristy, but it's very well done and a truly educational and fun experience.
This afternoon you'll get a ride on one of our favorite excursions, The Riverboat Discovery. This sternwheeler will take you down the Chena and Tanana Rivers for a scenic, educational fun and funny experience. You'll learn about fish camps, dog mushing, float plane flying and just plain old Alaska bush living all from the comfort of the 2 story river boat. I've done this trip a dozen times at least and would go again tomorrow if I could!
That evening you'll relax and have dinner at any number of good Fairbanks restaurants. See my page on Fairbanks for more info.
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Day 3: All aboard! You're climbing on the Alaska Railroad for a wonderful 4 hour ride to Denali National Park. Holland America's exclusive domed railcars, The McKinley Explorer's are an amazing way for your first real views of Alaska's wilderness. As you head south from Fairbanks in your assigned seat you'll
begin to understand the vastness, the wildness that is Alaska. You'll appreciate the dome that starts about waist high and curls completely over your head allowing you unparalleled 360 degree views of mountains and rivers and hopefully moose and sheep and eagles. It's a great way to experience this part of Alaska.
Sometime around noon you'll arrive at Denali National Park. You'll have the rest of the day to float a river or fly around the mountain or any number of excursions that are available in the Denali area. Your Tour Director will have helped you choose what it is you're going to do either the day before or this morning on the train. These tour directors have a wealth of information so use them!!! Whatever you decide to do, you are in one of the most spectacular places on Earth so enjoy!
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Day 4: After a leisurely early morning, sometime around 10 or 10:30AM you'll get on your bus (and I do mean bus, this tour is run by the Park Service contractor, NOT Holland America) and head into Denali National Park for your Tundra Wilderness Tour. The last time we did this tour was August of 2007. We saw 14 Grizzly bears, I don't remember how many Caribou, a few Moose, a couple of Golden Eagles and a partridge in a pear tree… Just kidding about the partridge… We got to see the mountain in all it's glory from Stony Hill overlook and had an all around amazing day! I hope yours is that good!
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Day 5: Again, a relaxing morning, or a last chance to do a flightseeing trip or river float. Around noon you'll re-board the McKinley Explorer rail cars and head to Anchorage. The 8 hour trip affords some of the best views of Denali itself and is a wonderful way to spend a day with nothing to do but take in the amazing Alaska scenery. Lunch and Dinner are available down stairs in the dining area.
You'll spend the night at a downtown Anchorage hotel. See my Anchorage page for restaurants and city tours.
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Day 6: A relaxing and beautiful 2 ½ to 3 hour ride on a motor coach along a "Designated Scenic Highway". You'll leave Anchorage and travel along Turnagain Arm which has the 2nd highest tides in the world at 39 feet. On one side is the Arm itself and on the other skyscraper mountains jutting straight up. Moose, Dall sheep and Bald Eagles are common sights along the way on land and Beluga Whales and sometimes even Killer Whales are spotted in the water. You'll pass by or maybe even make a stop at Portage Glacier at the end of Turnagain Arm and then onto the Kenai Peninsula up and over Johnson Pass and down into Seward where you'll board your ship, unless you have booked a trip to Kenai Fjords National Park first. Later that evening you'll set sail from Seward.
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Day 7: Today is spent scenic cruising the College Fjords in Prince William Sound. The fjords are so named because when the Harriman expedition visited this area in 1917 they named the glaciers after Ivy League schools which had funded the expedition. The waters of Prince William Sound still teem with wildlife and with luck you'll have ample opportunities to see Killer Whales, Humpback Whales, sea otters and Puffins. Later that evening you'll sail out of Prince William Sound into the Gulf of Alaska where you'll cruise down the coastline through the night. This is one of the few times on this entire 7 day cruise where you'll be exposed to open ocean and possibly rough seas.
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Day 8: Scenic cruising Glacier Bay National Park. I could write all day about this but I already have on the Glacier Bay National Park page, so please go there for a full explanation of this day.
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Day 9: Skagway. One of our favorite ports because the White Pass and Yukon Railroad is one of the best shore excursions you can do anywhere! You'll notice on most itineraries that stop in Skagway they stay from early morning until 9PM or so. That is so that all who want to have the opportunity to ride this wonderful railroad. It is not just one of the most beautiful scenic rides you can take, but a wonderful combination of history and scenery that makes for a full and interesting day. It is a must-do on any Alaska trip.
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Day 10: Juneau. Alaska's state capital, Juneau is a fun port for a variety of reasons. We advise all of our clients who REALLY want to whale watch that Juneau is the place to do so. They rarely have to travel far to find pods of Humpback or Killer whales and we have had good experience after good experience with the folks there.
Juneau is the state capital with no road access. What makes Juneau even more interesting is that it's the only city in the world that has a glacier inside the city limits! Mendenhall Glacier makes for some great touring. It's not uncommon to spot Black bears and Bald Eagles, and the glacier and river are beautiful.
The Mount Roberts Tramway gives you a spectacular view of Juneau, Gastineau Channel and your ship from high above. There is a wonderful 3.5 mile hike at the top of the tram that is not too strenuous and well worth the effort!
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Day 11: Ketchikan. Flightseeing or small boat cruising back into Misty Fjords National Park is an incredible way to spend your day. Neets Bay bear viewing is a wonderful trip. For those of you who want to do some fishing in Alaska, Ketchikan is a great choice. Full or half day combination Halibut and Salmon trips are available depending on the season, and you usually don't have to travel far from the small boat harbor to get to the fishing grounds.
Saxman Village and the Totem Park there are a wonderful and interesting trip for Native culture.
Even if you do nothing but get off the ship and take a walk down Front Street Ketchikan is fun and has lots to offer.
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Day 12: Scenic cruising down the Inside Passage. A wonderful, relaxing day at sea. Remember, it's called the "Inside Passage" because of the barrier islands that keep the "Big" waters at bay. This is for the most part calm, scenic cruising.
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Day 13: This morning you dock in beautiful Vancouver BC, disembark the ship and fly home. Holland America makes the disembarkation process so painless. You are allowed to stay in your stateroom until your group is called. They determine which group you are in by your flight time or, if you have booked a side excursion, by that tours' departure time.
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