Signature Denali & Glacier Discovery

Arrive in Anchorage where you have 1 night accommodation with breakfast before travelling by glass-domed train to Denali tomorrow.

Today the glass-domed McKinley Explorer train will take you from Anchorage to Denali National Park. Sit back and relax as pure Alaska wilderness rolls by. Cross the dramatic Hurricane Gulch and travel through Broad Pass while a guide narrates the experience. Watch breathlessly as the clouds part, and Mt. Denali appears on the horizon. While the scenery is as rugged as it gets, the train offers unparalleled comfort and service. Luxury domed railcars offer a fully immersive experience. Take in 360 degree views or step onto an open air platform to feel fresh mountain breezes. Listen as guides narrate every spectacular sight. Enjoy exquisite dishes with regional influence such as bison short rib sandwiches and reindeer chili served in the lavish dining car during breakfast and lunch. Each car also has bartenders to mix unique cocktails while you sit back and drink in the veiws!

Holland America Line is also the only cruise line to include the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park on all cruisetour itineraries. On this expertly guided 6- to 8-hour adventure, you’ll likely spot some combination of Alaska’s Big Five: grizzly bears, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and wolves. In addition, there are countless bucket list opportunities—such as river rafting, flightseeing (including the chance to land with a ski plane on Denali itself) or meeting an Iditarod dog musher and getting a sloppy kiss from a sled dog. Today you have the afternoon at leisure to explore the 60-acre riverside resort. Denali Square at the McKinley Chalet Resort is the ultimate base camp. Spend your days sightseeing at Denali and the evenings winding down in creature comfort. Enjoy stunning views across the Nenana River into Denali National Park from virtually anywhere on the grounds, as well as upscale dining, quality entertainment, and local shopping.

Today a luxury motorcoach will take you from Denali to Whittier to board your 7 night Inside Passage cruise on board Noordam

Sailors used to worry about falling off the edge of the world. Surely somewhere out there, it all simply stopped, and the only thing left to do would be to fall. But what if you discover that you’ve already fallen, and now you’re trying to get back up? That’s what sailing towards Hubbard Glacier feels like.

The glacier is up to 65 meters (213 feet) wide at its face and 50 meters (164 feet) tall, but that’s only the tiniest piece of the ice: The main channel of this frozen river begins 122 kilometers (76 miles) back, pouring down from around the 3,400-meter (11,100-foot) mark off the shoulder of Mt. Walsh.

Hubbard is the longest tidewater glacier (meaning it ends at the ocean) in North America. But unlike nearly every other tidewater glacier on the continent, Hubbard is advancing, not retreating; it’s forever pushing a little further into the bay. Chunks of ice that break off become floaties for seals, who like the bergs because orca sonar doesn’t work well among them.

The deep blue of the face of the glacier on a sunny day—the color made by compression of ice crystals that can be a foot or more long—is the blue of the furthest stars. The glacier is on the move.

With the serene majesty of snow-flecked and forested mountains defining its shores, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve offers some of the most dramatic scenery and wildlife experiences in the world. Glacier Bay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, is home to the mile-wide Margerie Glacier, highlight of your scenic cruise up this Alaskan fjord. Watch for breaching humpbacks alongside your ship, bears along the beaches, and so much more as Holland America Line and National Park Service Rangers guide you through the best Alaska Glacier Bay cruise adventure you’ll ever have.

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.

Set sail on an Alaska Cruise and take an adventure in Skagway. 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. Known as the “Garden City of Alaska,” Skagway is filled with beauty and nature. Explore the town on a Skagway excursion. 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. Take an Alaska Cruise to Skagway and 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 waters.

Cruise to Juneau, Alaska and visit 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.

Juneau is known for its outdoor recreation, fresh seafood and fine dining. 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 on Alaska cruise excursion.
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. Experience this breathtaking city on an Alaska cruise.

Take an adventure and cruise to Ketchikan, Alaska. Alaska’s “First City” of Ketchikan is so named because it’s the first major landfall for most cruisers as they enter the picturesque fjords of the Inside Passage, where the town clings to the banks of the Tongass Narrows, flanked by green forests nurtured by abundant rain.

Ketchikan has long been an important hub of the salmon-fishing and -packing industries. Visitors can try their luck on a sportfishing or simply savor the fresh seafood at one of the local restaurants on a cruise to Ketchikan excursion. Ketchikanis also one of the best spots along the Inside Passage to explore the rich cultural sights of Native Alaskan nations like the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. You can see intricately carved totem poles at the Totem Heritage Center and Totem Bight State Park, while the attractions of Saxman Village just outside of Ketchikan offers the chance to see Tlingit culture in action, with working carvers and a dance show in the clan house. On an Alaska cruise to Ketchikan don’t forget to leave time to explore the sights in the town itself, including historic Creek Street, a boardwalk built over the Ketchikan Creek, where you can shop for souvenirs, smoked salmon and local art, while exploring gold rush­–era tourist attractions like Dolly’s House Museum.

Today your cruise ends in Vancouver. You have 2 nights hotel accommodation included post cruise to explore the city.

The perfect combination of urban meets nature, Vancouver is a hub for lovers of the great outdoors. Enjoy picturesque views of the mountains while exploring the city’s local hot spots like Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown and more. Don’t forget to sample the best of the local culinary and cocktail scene for something truly unique.

Today your incredible holiday comes to an end. Interested in extending or adding on the Rocky Mountaineer? Ask us about our incredible range of accommodation and touring packages.