Glacier Bay HighlightsCruise Glacier Bay National Park’s remote and protected waterways, teeming with wildlife. Get up-close with whales, sea lions, bears and sea birds. Maneuver through ice-studded waters, listening for the thunderous clap of calving glaciers. And learn from National Park Service Rangers and Native Cultural Interpreters about the park’s thriving flora, fauna and its rich history. Adda visit to Denali National Park and Preserveto your cruise for the ultimate Alaska experience.
Join Special Guest Photographer Steve Becker on the June 29, 2010 Glacier Bay Highlights departure.
Cruise OnlyDay
01 | Juneau
Before sailing from Juneau, exciting optional activities may be available for your day in town. Ride the mountaintop tram, flightsee the Juneau Icefield or go hiking. Board the Spirit of Discovery to start your cruise. D | Day
02 | Skagway / Haines
Relive the gold Rush in the picture-perfect setting of Skagway, the starting place for many early gold seekers. The Skagway Streetcar will tour you around this charming town, home of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, built in 1898. Just down mountain lined Lynn Canal, visit Haines, famed for attracting artists and for its bald eagle population. Nestled at the base of the rugged Chilkat Mountains, the picturesque town of Haines is a pleasant contrast to the bustle of the big cruise ship ports. This truly Alaskan town known for its scenery, military history, numerous artisans, galleries, and off-the-beaten-path attitude will allow you to breathe in a taste of life in the “real” Alaska that few have the privilege to enjoy. BLD | Day
03 | Wilderness Cruising / Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Your Captain will determine the best spots to explore this morning based on the local conditions. Watch for humpback whales and, weather and conditions permitting, explore by inflatable excursion craft.
This afternoon the Captain will take the vessel into Glacier Bay Park Headquarters in Bartlett Cove, located just inside the boundary of Glacier Bay National Park. Here a Park Ranger and a Cultural Interpreter will come aboard to welcome you and provide a brief introduction to the park before you go ashore. Once ashore you will be able to participate in a number of activities: a walk around the Forest Loop Trail, extended hikes, walks along the beach, enjoy time sitting by the fireplace, or sitting on the deck at Glacier Bay Lodge taking in the scenery. This evening we cruise into the heart of Glacier Bay National Park looking for wildlife along the way. Tonight, we will overnight in Glacier Bay National Park. BLD | Day
04 | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Designated a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, Glacier Bay is a nature wonderland. While most cruises enter and exit the park in one day, you will be able to spend all day making your way through the Bay, allowing for in-depth exploration and even more incredible scenery. A Park Ranger and a Cultural Interpreter will be onboard all day to provide narration and insight into your Glacier Bay experience. BLD
Some of the highlights of our full day of exploration may include:
• Waking up to the sound of “bergy bits” (glacial ice) gently knocking the hull as
we approach Marjerie Glacier
• Hearing the crack of “White Thunder” as John’s Hopkins, Lamplugh or Grand Pacific
Glacier calves
• Bird watching at South Marble Island, including puffins, black-legged kittiwakes and
murrelets
• Listening to the barking of Steller’s sea lions at their favorite haul-out
• Searching for brown bears, black bears, wolves and moose in tiny coves and inlets
inaccessible to large ships
• Floating alongside rafts of sea otters
• Watching for the minke, humpback and orca whales that make Glacier Bay their
summer home | Day
05 | Juneau
Disembark in Juneau. If you have time before your flight, optional excursions include a rainforest hike, Mendenhall Glacier tour or glacier flight seeing. Transfer to the airport for your return flight home. B |
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner Cruise + DenaliDay
01 | Arrive in Fairbanks
Transfer from the airport to your hotel. Meet your Exploration Leader and fellow travelers for a casual wine and cheese reception. | Day
02 | Fairbanks Sightseeing, To Denali National Park
Sightsee in the city of Fairbanks, including a ride on Riverboat Discovery or a visit to the home and kennel of Alaskan legend Mary Shields, and a trip to the University of Alaska Museum of the North. Travel by motorcoach to Denali National Park for an exclusive naturalist presentation and a comfortable overnight at a Denali Park entrance hotel. BLD | Day
03 | Denali National Park Exploration
An expert guide takes you on your chosen bus tour into Denali National Park to look for wildlife and experience summer in the subalpine tundra. Following your park tour, you have time to enjoy the park on your own or venture out on any of the optional rafting, flightseeing or other adventure excursions we can arrange for you. B | Day
04 | Denali National Park Exploration
Experience another full day in the remote wilderness of Denali. Consider hiking or optional excursions like rafting or flightseeing. Enjoy an exclusive dinner and presentation on the effects of climate change on Alaska’s national parks from an Alaska Geographic naturalist. BD | Day
05 | Denali National Park to Anchorage Via Rail and Motorcoach
Enjoy a scenic ride aboard a deluxe domed rail car from Denali to Talkeetna, then travel by motorcoach to Anchorage, where you can enjoy dinner at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa or at your choice of one of our selected restaurants. BLD | Day
06 | Fly Anchorage to Juneau
Your morning includes sightseeing and a visit to the Anchorage Museum before you transfer to the airport for your included flight to Juneau. In Alaska’s capital city, overnight at a downtown Juneau hotel. B | Day
07 | Juneau
Before sailing from Juneau, exciting optional activities may be available for your day in town. Ride the mountaintop tram, flightsee the Juneau Icefield or go hiking. Board the Spirit of Discovery to start your cruise. D | Day
08 | Skagway / Haines
Relive the gold Rush in the picture-perfect setting of Skagway, the starting place for many early gold seekers. The Skagway Streetcar will tour you around this charming town, home of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, built in 1898. Just down mountain lined Lynn Canal, visit Haines, famed for attracting artists and for its bald eagle population. Nestled at the base of the rugged Chilkat Mountains, the picturesque town of Haines is a pleasant contrast to the bustle of the big cruise ship ports. This truly Alaskan town known for its scenery, military history, numerous artisans, galleries, and off-the-beaten-path attitude will allow you to breathe in a taste of life in the “real” Alaska that few have the privilege to enjoy. BLD | Day
09 | Wilderness Cruising / Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Your Captain will determine the best spots to explore this morning based on the local conditions. Watch for humpback whales and, weather and conditions permitting, explore by inflatable excursion craft.
This afternoon the Captain will take the vessel into Glacier Bay Park Headquarters in Bartlett Cove, located just inside the boundary of Glacier Bay National Park. Here a Park Ranger and a Cultural Interpreter will come aboard to welcome you and provide a brief introduction to the park before you go ashore. Once ashore you will be able to participate in a number of activities: a walk around the Forest Loop Trail, extended hikes, walks along the beach, enjoy time sitting by the fireplace, or sitting on the deck at Glacier Bay Lodge taking in the scenery. This evening we cruise into the heart of Glacier Bay National Park looking for wildlife along the way. Tonight, we will overnight in Glacier Bay National Park. BLD | Day
10 | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Designated a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, Glacier Bay is a nature wonderland. While most cruises enter and exit the park in one day, you will be able to spend all day making your way through the Bay, allowing for in-depth exploration and even more incredible scenery. A Park Ranger and a Cultural Interpreter will be onboard all day to provide narration and insight into your Glacier Bay experience. BLD
Some of the highlights of our full day of exploration may include:
• Waking up to the sound of “bergy bits” (glacial ice) gently knocking the hull as
we approach Marjerie Glacier
• Hearing the crack of “White Thunder” as John’s Hopkins, Lamplugh or Grand Pacific
Glacier calves
• Bird watching at South Marble Island, including puffins, black-legged kittiwakes and
murrelets
• Listening to the barking of Steller’s sea lions at their favorite haul-out
• Searching for brown bears, black bears, wolves and moose in tiny coves and inlets
inaccessible to large ships
• Floating alongside rafts of sea otters
• Watching for the minke, humpback and orca whales that make Glacier Bay their
summer home | Day
11 | Juneau
Disembark in Juneau. If you have time before your flight, optional excursions include a rainforest hike, Mendenhall Glacier tour or glacier flight seeing. Transfer to the airport for your return flight home. B |
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner Cruise + Denali + Kantishna RoadhouseDay
01 | Arrive in Fairbanks
Transfer from the airport to meet your fellow travelers at a wine and cheese reception. Overnight at a Fairbanks hotel. | Day
02 | Fairbanks Sightseeing
Today’s activities include a visit to the home and kennel of Alaskan legend Mary Shields or an authentic riverboat experience on the Chena River, and a city tour and admission to the University of Alaska’s Museum of the North. Dinner and overnight at a Fairbanks Hotel. An optional activity is a flight above the Arctic Circle, barely 125 miles away. BLD | Day
03 | Fairbanks to Denali and Kantishna Roadhouse
Transfer to the train station to board a deluxe domed railcar to Denali National Park. Enjoy breakfast on the train. On arrival at Denali Park, you will be met by a guide for the drive deep into the wilderness along the park’s sole road. The Moose Creek district and Kantishna Roadhouse are nearly 100 miles from the park entrance. Dinner and overnight at Kantishna Roadhouse. BD | Day
04 | Exploring Around Kantishna
Enjoy the unique wonders of Denali National Park’s backcountry from the privileged perspective of Kantishna Roadhouse. Hiking, wildlife observation, bird watching and botanizing in a variety of the park’s landscapes create the foundation for your wilderness experience. Built in 1993, the log lodge is surrounded by 32 full-service cabins. Educational activities are offered every day and each evening after dinner the Roadhouse staff helps plan activities for the following day. Guided hikes provide an opportunity to learn about the area from the naturalists at the Roadhouse. Mountain bikes are available to ride to Wonder Lake or on the old mining roads in the area. Gold panning, fly-fishing, dogsled demonstrations or flightseeing tours are other optional activities. BLD | Day
05 | Denali to Anchorage via Rail
Enjoy your final panoramas of Denali as you transfer to the rail station via bus. Board a deluxe domed railcar to travel south to Anchorage, with lunch and dinner onboard the train. Overnight at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa. BLD | Day
06 | Anchorage to Juneau
Transfer to the Anchorage airport for your flight to Juneau. Overnight at a downtown Juneau hotel. B | Day
07 | Juneau
Before sailing from Juneau, exciting optional activities may be available for your day in town. Ride the mountaintop tram, flightsee the Juneau Icefield or go hiking. Board the Spirit of Discovery to start your cruise. D | Day
08 | Skagway / Haines
Relive the gold Rush in the picture-perfect setting of Skagway, the starting place for many early gold seekers. The Skagway Streetcar will tour you around this charming town, home of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway, built in 1898. Just down mountain lined Lynn Canal, visit Haines, famed for attracting artists and for its bald eagle population. Nestled at the base of the rugged Chilkat Mountains, the picturesque town of Haines is a pleasant contrast to the bustle of the big cruise ship ports. This truly Alaskan town known for its scenery, military history, numerous artisans, galleries, and off-the-beaten-path attitude will allow you to breathe in a taste of life in the “real” Alaska that few have the privilege to enjoy. BLD | Day
09 | Wilderness Cruising / Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Your Captain will determine the best spots to explore this morning based on the local conditions. Watch for humpback whales and, weather and conditions permitting, explore by inflatable excursion craft. This afternoon the Captain will take the vessel into Glacier Bay Park Headquarters in Bartlett Cove, located just inside the boundary of Glacier Bay National Park. Here a Park Ranger and a Cultural Interpreter will come aboard to welcome you and provide a brief introduction to the park before you go ashore. Once ashore you will be able to participate in a number of activities: a walk around the Forest Loop Trail, extended hikes, walks along the beach, enjoy time sitting by the fireplace, or sitting on the deck at Glacier Bay Lodge taking in the scenery. This evening we cruise into the heart of Glacier Bay National Park looking for wildlife along the way. Tonight, we will overnight in Glacier Bay National Park. BLD | Day
10 | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Designated a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, Glacier Bay is a nature wonderland. While most cruises enter and exit the park in one day, you will be able to spend all day making your way through the Bay, allowing for in-depth exploration and even more incredible scenery. A Park Ranger and a Cultural Interpreter will be onboard all day to provide narration and insight into your Glacier Bay experience. BLD
Some of the highlights of our full day of exploration may include:
• Waking up to the sound of “bergy bits” (glacial ice) gently knocking the hull as
we approach Marjerie Glacier
• Hearing the crack of “White Thunder” as John’s Hopkins, Lamplugh or Grand Pacific
Glacier calves
• Bird watching at South Marble Island, including puffins, black-legged kittiwakes and
murrelets
• Listening to the barking of Steller’s sea lions at their favorite haul-out
• Searching for brown bears, black bears, wolves and moose in tiny coves and inlets
inaccessible to large ships
• Floating alongside rafts of sea otters
• Watching for the minke, humpback and orca whales that make Glacier Bay their
summer home | Day
11 | Juneau
Disembark in Juneau. If you have time before your flight, optional excursions include a rainforest hike, Mendenhall Glacier tour or glacier flight seeing. Transfer to the airport for your return flight home. B |
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner |
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