Alaska Cruise Tour - Ultimate Denali

Day 1

A Perkiomen Motorcoach will transfer us to the airport for our flight to Fairbanks, Alaska. We will arrive in Fairbanks where an airport transfer (included) takes you to the hotel to meet your Holland America Cruise Line Tour Director who will be with you for the duration of the land portion of this cruise tour. Here you will begin your 15-day Alaska Cruise tour with Holland America Cruise Line. The rest of the day is yours to explore the Golden Heart City at your leisure. We will stay in Fairbanks for 2 nights.

Please Be Aware

All Alaska Cruise tour arrival times are tentative and subject to change. Tours and included experiences as described, other than optional excursions and meals, are included in your cruise tour vacation.

Day 2

Take a step back in time as you board the Riverboat Discovery (a classic sternwheeler) for a 3-hour cruise into the heart of Alaska along the Chena & Tanana Rivers. During the cruise you'll visit the Chena Village Living Museum, see a Bush Pilot Demonstration (weather permitting), and visit Trail Breaker Kennel. Lunch is included at Steamboat Landing. Later we will visit the historic Gold Dredge 8 where Alaska's mining history comes alive. Gold Dredge 8 was operated in the Goldstream Valley of Fairbanks from 1928 to 1959 and extracted millions of ounces of gold from the frozen Alaskan Ground. You'll have the opportunity to be guided through the entire dredge as you see, touch, and learn about the history that it contains and the dredge's importance to the development of Fairbanks. We'll even be able to try our hand at panning for gold! This evening you can explore Fairbanks on your own.

Day 3

Today you'll travel to Denali for a two-night stay. The wonders of Denali are yours to explore at your leisure. Don't miss the chance to visit Denali Square and immerse yourself in the Denali experience. Your HAL Tour Director will recommend optional excursions, from guided hikes to adventures like flight sightseeing trips or rafting down the Nenana River.

Day 4

Today features the unforgettable Tundra Wilderness Tour. This 5-6 hour, fully narrated, sightseeing excursion takes you into the heart of Denali National Park. The tour will go to mile 43 because of road construction but will continue to offer the best opportunity to view Denali's iconic wildlife and North America's tallest peak. A snack will be provided during the tour. After, you can spend time at the museum-like visitor center or take advantage of the biking and hiking trails that begin near the park entrance. You'll arrive at the hotel by late afternoon. The remainder of the day is yours to relax and enjoy the amenities of the hotel.

Day 5

Today you'll board the McKinley Explorer train bound for Anchorage where you'll enjoy a 1-night stay. This evening is yours to enjoy. Experience big-city nightlife under the evening sun with restaurants, craft breweries, and urban trails that are all part of the eclectic scene in Anchorage.

Day 6

After a leisurely morning in Anchorage, you will take a small ship cruise to Portage Glacier. Experience the fantastic views of the glacier as you get within 300 yards! After, you'll depart for the picturesque seaside town of Seward for a 2-night stay. The remainder of the day is yours to enjoy Seward at your leisure.

Day 7

Explore Seward on your own. Don't miss the chance to visit the Sealife Center or take an excursion into Kenai Fjords National Park. This day is yours to spend as you'd like. Your HAL Tour Director is available for assistance with booking excursions.

Day 8

There will be optional excursions available in Seward this morning. Early this afternoon, you'll motorcoach to Whittier to board Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam. The Nieuw Amsterdam has an inspiring design and art collection. While on board, rejuvenate in the tranquil Greenhouse Spa & Salon, play pickleball at sea, gamble in the casino, or enjoy a tantalizing meal at fine dining restaurants. When you're in the mood for music, Billboard Onboard fills the room with chart-topping hits and Rolling Stone Lounge's 7-piece band brings you the best in rock, pop, country, and more.

Day 9

Hubbard Glacier - Cruising toward Hubbard Glacier feels like you're approaching another planet. At 76 miles long, 7 miles wide, and 350 feet above the water line, it feels almost otherworldly. Watch as massive chunks of ice crash into the crystal waters of the bay, a process known as calving.

Day 10

Glacier Bay - Close your eyes and take in the sounds - the creaks and groans of "living" ice, the shrill cries of gulls and soaring eagles, the splash of a breaching humpback whale. Frosted peaks towering over mossy forests, wide tidewater glaciers (there are seven in the park), and marine wildlife are given, but every experience in this changing biosphere is unique. Glacier Bay National Park offers some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. Keep your binoculars and camera on hand as you cruise. There are glaciers, fjords, inlets, rivers, streams, and wildlife galore!

Day 11

Skagway - 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. 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.

Day 12

Juneau - Surrounded by fjords, forest, and snow-capped mountains, Juneau is the most remote, most beautiful, and strangest state capital. The sleepy, misty city of around 32,000 has a frontier town vibe but welcomes more than a million visitors each summer to its natural attractions. Juneau is known for its outdoor recreation, fresh seafood, and fine dining.

Day 13

Ketchikan - Ketchikan is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska's famed Inside Passage best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture. See many Native American totem poles on display throughout the town. Ketchikan is the gateway to Misty Fjords National Monument, whose landscapes and dramatic seascapes can only be reached by plane or boat.

Day 14

The Inside Passage - Alaska's Inside Passage is a renowned cruising route through a protected network of waterways, featuring glacier-cut fjords, lush rainforests, and diverse wildlife. The Passage embodies the best of Alaska's pristine nature and rugged beauty.

Day 15

Set between the sea and snow-capped mountains, Vancouver is a stylish multicultural metropolis. You'll catch glimpses of this city as you disembark. Upon disembarking, transportation (included) will be provided to the airport for our return flight home. A Perkiomen Tours bus will be waiting at the airport to transport you back to Pennsburg.

Please Note

Our intention is to run each tour as originally planned and published. However, if deemed necessary to do so, Perkiomen Tours reserves the right to make changes to tour components, schedules or itineraries without prior notification.

Tips for Perkiomen motorcoach drivers and tour escorts are not included in the price of this tour. We feel that these gratuities should be extended on an individual basis and dictated by the level of service provided.

To fully participate in this tour may require extended amounts of walking. There may be steps, inclines, uneven surfaces or extended periods of standing. Participants with physical limitation should take this into consideration.

B=Full Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner