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Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise Experience
A superb Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise experience. Fly from the UK to Calgary and transfer to your chosen hotel in Banff for a 3 night stay. Move on to Jasper, the “Jewel of the Rockies” via the Columbia Icefields where you have the opportunity to try an Ice Explorer Ride and the Glacier Skywalk. Enjoy a 2 day, all daylight, train journey through the Rockies as you join the Rocky Mountaineer at Jasper, heading to the vibrant, cosmopolitan city of Vancouver. After a couple of days exploring Vancouver, join Holland America’s Volendam for a 7 night, awe-inspiring Alaska Cruise.
The Rocky Mountaineer
AN ONBOARD EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
Travel through scenic valleys, the Coast Mountains range and the Fraser Canyon with its spectacular white water rapids and dramatic landscape. You will follow the route of the Fraser River, home of British Columbia’s largest salmon run, pass by the Albreda Glacier and magnificent Pyramid Falls, and hopefully see wildlife on the way. The highlight of this route is majestic Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
Holland America Alaska Cruise
Cruise roundtrip from Vancouver, BC, through the scenic Inside Passage to Ketchikan. Watch for whales, Dahl porpoises and bald eagles, en route to majestic Glacier Bay National Park.
Elegant and spacious, Volendam takes her décor cues from the garden. Her grand public spaces are graced with floral fabrics and tapestries, as well as huge vases of fresh floral arrangements. While on board, explore the wonders of nature in BBC Earth Experiences. Enjoy a cooking show or hands-on workshop with America’s Test Kitchen. Relax with a spa treatment at the Greenhouse Salon & Spa. Or dine in one of our selection of fine restaurants.
Price Includes
- Return flights
- Transfer to Banff
- 3 nights in Banff
- Icefield Discovery Tour to Jasper
- 2 nights Jasper
- 2 nights in Vancouver
- 7 night Alaska Cruise
- Private transfer to Vancouver Airport
Flights from London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh & Aberdeen. Other regional airports on request. Alternative dates, durations available, please call for full details
Itinerary
Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise Experience
On arrival in Calgary, transfer to your chosen hotel in Banff. Transfer included
Travel the Icefields Parkway through the natural splendour of Banff and Jasper national parks. Spectacular glaciers, cascading waterfalls, turquoise lakes and colourful meadows dot this awe-inspiring mountain wilderness. The snow-capped peaks and endless mountain ridges are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including bears, wolves, deer and eagles. The tour stops at the Columbia Icefield where you will venture by Ice Explorer onto the massive Athabasca Glacier. Other brief sightseeing stops include an opportunity to photograph the turquoise waters of picturesque Lake Louise, Ice Explorer, Glacier Skywalk and lunch are included.
Visitors will take a shuttle from the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre 6.5 km to the new Glacier Skywalk. The glass-floored platform extends 30 m out over the Sunwapta Canyon. Visitors can also enjoy the interpretive stations along the 500 m long Discovery Trail that leads to and from the viewpoint. Experience waterfalls, wildlife, fossils and more on an existing cliff-edge walkway that leads to a platform where glass is all that separates visitors from a 277 m drop.
Visitors will take a shuttle from the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre 6.5 km to the new Glacier Skywalk. The glass-floored platform extends 30 m out over the Sunwapta Canyon. Visitors can also enjoy the interpretive stations along the 500 m long Discovery Trail that leads to and from the viewpoint. Experience waterfalls, wildlife, fossils and more on an existing cliff-edge walkway that leads to a platform where glass is all that separates visitors from a 277 m drop.
Board the Rocky Mountaineer train at the Jasper Station at 8:10am MT. Today you will travel from Jasper in the Canadian Rockies to Kamloops, located in the heart of the British Columbia Interior. As you journey west and south you will be surrounded by the dramatic scenery of the Continental Divide and by the river valleys of the Monashee and Cariboo Mountains. Breakfast & lunch will be served onboard. Today’s highlights include Mount Robson, Pyramid Falls, the climb over Yellowhead Pass, and the journey along the North Thompson River as you approach Kamloops. You will arrive in Kamloops between 5:30pm and 7:00pm PT. Spend the evening exploring the town, or relaxing in your hotel. All hotels in Kamloops are of moderate standard: your hotel will be assigned post-booking.
Board the Rocky Mountaineer train at the Kamloops Station at 7:35am PT. On today’s journey west, you will again see dramatic changes in scenery, from the desert-like environment of the Interior, through winding river canyons and pristine forests, to the Coast and Cascade Mountains and the lush green fields of the Fraser Valley. Breakfast and lunch will be served onboard. Highlights include the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River and the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate in the Fraser Canyon. You will arrive in Vancouver between 6:00pm and 7:30pm PT.
Alaska’s Inside Passage is a protected network of waterways that wind through glacier-cut fjords and lush temperate rain forests along the rugged coast of Southeast Alaska. Arguably one of the greatest cruising routes in the world, the Inside Passage stretches through stunning landscapes, from Misty Fjords National Monument to famed Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve.
Sailing the Inside Passage offers opportunities to spot some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife, with humpback whales and orca plying the bountiful waters alongside the ships, bald eagles soaring overhead and brown bears lumbering on the shoreline.
Numerous ports along the way recount Alaska’s colorful history. In Sitka, an onion-domed church marks Russia’s onetime foothold in the Americas; Ketchikan provides a glimpse of the Native Alaskan experience, with historic totem poles and native-arts galleries; and the legendary town center of Skagway bustles as it did at the turn of the 19th century, when it served as the rowdy Wild West gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush.
Sailing the Inside Passage offers opportunities to spot some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife, with humpback whales and orca plying the bountiful waters alongside the ships, bald eagles soaring overhead and brown bears lumbering on the shoreline.
Numerous ports along the way recount Alaska’s colorful history. In Sitka, an onion-domed church marks Russia’s onetime foothold in the Americas; Ketchikan provides a glimpse of the Native Alaskan experience, with historic totem poles and native-arts galleries; and the legendary town center of Skagway bustles as it did at the turn of the 19th century, when it served as the rowdy Wild West gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush.
Juneau, Alaska may well be the most remote, most 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 capitol building all in one day.
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 bald 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.
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
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 bald 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.
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
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, a classic narrow-gauge railway that traverses rugged mountains and passes cascading waterfalls and towering glaciers as it connects Skagway to Whitehorse deep in the Yukon. 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. Here 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 water
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, a classic narrow-gauge railway that traverses rugged mountains and passes cascading waterfalls and towering glaciers as it connects Skagway to Whitehorse deep in the Yukon. 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. Here 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 water
Frosted crags descend into mossy forests and a 457-meter-deep (1,500-foot-deep) fjord at this World Heritage Site, which is also one of the planet’s largest biosphere reserves. Stone, ice and water continue to collide, sculpting a dramatic landscape that is the crown jewel of southeastern Alaska’s natural wonders.
The area’s first European explorer missed it all—but with good reason. When Captain George Vancouver sailed here in 1794, a vast shield of ice, more than 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) thick, dominated the area. In one of the fastest retreats on record, the glaciers shrank back 105 kilometers (65 miles) by 1916. The formerly glacier-squashed land is rebounding now, rising 30 millimeters (1.18 inches) each year. Visitors can observe this rebirth: A spruce-hemlock rain forest has sprouted near the mouth of Glacier Bay. Farther north, the more recently exposed land shows sharper edges and thinner vegetation. Still, it’s enough to encourage the return of wildlife, from bald eagles to bears, moose and humpback whales.
While the national park is open year round, most travelers prefer the warmth of late May to early September. Even in summer, be prepared for any weather—especially rain! Pack a hat, gloves, wool or fleece layers, a warm coat and waterproof gear if you want to admire the landscape from the open deck of your ship.
The area’s first European explorer missed it all—but with good reason. When Captain George Vancouver sailed here in 1794, a vast shield of ice, more than 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) thick, dominated the area. In one of the fastest retreats on record, the glaciers shrank back 105 kilometers (65 miles) by 1916. The formerly glacier-squashed land is rebounding now, rising 30 millimeters (1.18 inches) each year. Visitors can observe this rebirth: A spruce-hemlock rain forest has sprouted near the mouth of Glacier Bay. Farther north, the more recently exposed land shows sharper edges and thinner vegetation. Still, it’s enough to encourage the return of wildlife, from bald eagles to bears, moose and humpback whales.
While the national park is open year round, most travelers prefer the warmth of late May to early September. Even in summer, be prepared for any weather—especially rain! Pack a hat, gloves, wool or fleece layers, a warm coat and waterproof gear if you want to admire the landscape from the open deck of your ship.
Upon dis-embarkation, transfer to airport for your overnight flight to the UK. Private transfer from cruise terminal to Vancouver Airport included.