Welcome to Vancouver! Your Tour Director is on hand from 3-6:00 p.m. to answer any questions.
Once you get settled, perhaps head out and start exploring this vibrant, culturally diverse city nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Coastal Mountains. Take a walk to the harbour front or check out the city’s thriving culinary scene that offers a wide array of delicious cuisine
This morning, an included city tour highlights Stanley Park, the harbour, beaches, and more. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Consider taking a water-taxi to lively Granville Island with its outdoor markets, street musicians, and waterfront cafés, or visit historic Gastown with its steam-powered clock, antique shops, and art galleries
Board the Rocky Mountaineer train for a two-day, all-daylight adventure by rail through some of Canada’s most spectacular scenery. Travel along the Fraser and Thompson River canyons, before arriving in the city of Kamloops. (B,L)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch
Reboard the train and continue your adventure as you travel along Shuswap Lake, through the Columbia Mountains, and into the Canadian Rockies. Wind your way through the Spiral Tunnels while climbing Kicking Horse Pass to cross the Continental Divide into the province of Alberta. Enter Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park, for a two-night stay. (B,L)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch
Join an orientation tour, with the remainder of the day at leisure. Perhaps hike one of the many wilderness trails in the area, stroll through Banff townsite, or simply relax at the hot springs. Banff National Park is the perfect place for photographers and wildlife watching, and you may be lucky enough to encounter some of these amazing creatures, like elk, deer, or bighorn sheep, in their natural habitat. Or set your sights higher with an optional helicopter ride over the awe-inspiring Canadian Rockies for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Or if you prefer keeping your feet on the ground, join the Panoramas & Peaks* optional excursion to see stunning Moraine Lake in the famed Valley of the Ten Peaks.
*This optional excursion begins operating in early June
Enjoy a day of scenic grandeur. First visit famous Lake Louise, where blue-green waters create a perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains. Then travel the stunning Icefields Parkway to ride the all-terrain Ice Explorer across ice that’s 750 feet thick! Enjoy an orientation tour of the town of Jasper upon arrival. This afternoon, take the opportunity to glide down the Athabasca River on an optional scenic float trip
Start your day with a magical optional cruise on Maligne Lake to the much-photographed Spirit Island*. Then travel to the base of 12,972-foot Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. Continue through British Columbia’s Fur Trade and Cariboo regions for glimpses of the soaring granite mountains. Watch for wildlife as you continue to the internationally renowned Sun Peaks ski resort for an overnight stay.
*This optional excursion begins operating in late May/early June
Head south, along the once-treacherous Cariboo Wagon Trail. From Lillooet, “Mile 0 of the Gold Rush Route,” you’ll follow the rushing waters of Cayoosh Creek en route to the resort town of Whistler with an afternoon arrival and orientation
Today is at leisure to explore this lively mountain resort town on your own. Choose to soar to new heights on an optional Peak 2 Peak Gondola ride which spans the distance between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains and is the world’s longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind. If you prefer your feet on the ground, consider a fascinating optional excursion to the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, a First Nations Museum and Art Gallery, for an authentic Indigenous experience.
*Operation of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola is seasonal and may not be available on early departures
Set sail across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island. In Victoria, sightseeing includes a visit to gorgeous Butchart Gardens’ 55 acres of floral displays, the Empress Hotel, Legislative Buildings, Bastion Square, and Thunderbird Park. In your free time this evening, perhaps take a stroll along the scenic harbour front
A day at leisure gives you the chance to enjoy high tea at the Empress Hotel, go shopping on Government Street, or have lunch in one of the many pubs. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for additional sightseeing. Or take home a whale of a tale by embarking on an optional marine wildlife and whale watching expedition where you’ll cruise the beautiful waters of the San Juan and Gulf Islands, looking for whales, porpoises, seals, and eagles
Return by ferry to the mainland this morning and bid farewell to your Tour Director upon transferring to your cruise ship for a 7-night voyage through the famed Inside Passage. Your package price includes Holland America’s ‘Have It All Premium Cruise Package.' (D)
Includes meal(s): Dinner
Spend the day cruising one of the world’s most spectacular waterways. Located along the coast of British Columbia, the Inside Passage is the longest sheltered inland waterway in the world. Watch the water for orcas and humpback whales. (B,L,D)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Located at the foot of grand mountain peaks on Gastineau Channel, Alaska’s capital city of Juneau features massive Mendenhall Glacier and the Juneau Icefield at its back door. Visit the rustic shops in town—or get out and kayak, raft, hike, whale watch, flightsee, or fish. With long daylight hours, the possibilities for adventure are many! (B,L,D)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Skagway is historically considered the gateway to the Gold Rush of 1898 when thousands of men with dreams of striking it rich poured into the city and withstood treacherous winter conditions en route to the Yukon Territory. Explore Gold Rush lore at the Trail of ’98 Museum or in a treasure trove of memorabilia at the Red Onion Saloon, featuring pictures of Klondike Kate, Peahull Annie, and other historic characters. Or simply walk on the boardwalks along the dirt streets and enjoy perusing all the shops. (B,L,D)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
With the serene majesty of snow-flecked and forested mountains defining its shores, Glacier Bay National Park offers some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. Keep your binoculars and camera on hand as you cruise Glacier Bay to the mile-wide Margerie Glacier, where you may have a chance to witness the thrilling spectacle of ice calving. Wildlife abounds in Glacier Bay, so keep a watchful eye to catch the fluke of a humpback rise breaking the surface or a lone grizzly bear wandering a wind-swept beach. (B,L,D)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Named Alaska’s “First City,” Ketchikan is so named as the first major landfall for most cruisers entering the picturesque fjords of the Inside Passage. The town clings to the banks of the Tongass Narrows, flanked by green forests nurtured by abundant rain. An important hub of the salmon-fishing-and-packing industries, Ketchikan offers the opportunity to try your luck on a sport-fishing excursion, savor fresh seafood at a local restaurant, or dive into rich cultural sights of Native Alaskan nations like the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. (B,L,D)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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 and 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. (B,L,D)
Includes meal(s): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Your cruise ends this morning. Please schedule flights after noon. (B)
