DAY 1 September 3, 2022–4:30pm Embark on the 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers (Northbound) Royal Princess Cruise. A welcoming ambience and innovative offerings create the perfect way to see the world. Make your vacation truly yours on a Princess MedallionClass® cruise that features next-level technology, now on all ships.
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DAY 2 September 4, 2022–AT SEA
DAY 3 September 5, 2022— Arrive at Ketchikan, Alaska at 6:00 AM
Ketchikan is famous for its colorful totem poles, rainy skies, steep–as–San Francisco streets, and lush island setting. Some 13,500 people call the town home, and, in the summer, cruise ships crowd the shoreline, floatplanes depart noisily for Misty Fiords National Monument, and salmon-laden commercial fishing boats motor through Tongass Narrows. In the last decade Ketchikan’s rowdy, blue-collar heritage of logging and fishing has been softened by the loss of many timber-industry jobs and the dramatic rise of cruise-ship tourism. With some effort, though, visitors can still glimpse the rugged frontier spirit that once permeated this hardscrabble cannery town. Art lovers should make a beeline for Ketchikan: the arts community here
is very active. Travelers in search of the perfect piece of Alaska art will find an incredible range of pieces to choose from. The town is at the foot of 3,000-foot Deer Mountain, near the southeastern corner of Revillagigedo (locals shorten it to Revilla) Island. Prior to the arrival of white miners and fishermen in 1885, the Tlingit used the site at the mouth of Ketchikan Creek as a summer fish camp. Gold discoveries just before the turn of the 20th century brought more immigrants, and valuable timber and commercial fishing resources spurred new industries. By the 1930s the town bragged that it was the “salmon-canning capital of the world.” You will still find some of Southeast’s best salmon fishing around here. Ketchikan is the first bite of Alaska that many travelers taste. Despite its imposing backdrop, hillside homes, and many staircases, the town is relatively easy to walk through. Favorite downtown stops include the Spruce Mill Development shops and Creek Street. A bit farther away you’ll find the Totem Heritage Center. Out of town (but included on most bus tours) are two longtime favorites: Totem Bight State Historical Park to the north and Saxman Totem Park to the south.
Depart from Ketchikan, Alaska at 3:00 PM
DAY 4 September 6, 2022–Arrive in Juneau, Alaska at 8:00 AM
Juneau, Alaska’s capital and third-largest city, is on the North American mainland but can’t be reached by road. Bounded by steep mountains and water, the city’s geographic isolation and compact size make it much more akin to an island community such as Sitka than to other Alaskan urban centers, such as Fairbanks or Anchorage. Juneau is full of contrasts. Its dramatic hillside location and historic downtown buildings provide a frontier feeling, but the city’s cosmopolitan nature comes through in fine museums, noteworthy restaurants, and a literate and outdoorsy populace. The finest of the museums, the Alaska State Museum, is scheduled to reopen in May 2016 on its old site as the expanded Alaska State Library, Archives, and Museum (SLAM) following several years of planning and exhibit research. Another new facility, the Walter Soboleff Center, offers visitors a chance to learn about the indigenous cultures of Southeast Alaska–-Tlingit, Haida,
and Tsimshian. Other highlights include the Mt. Roberts Tramway, plenty of densely forested wilderness areas, quiet bays for sea kayaking, and even a famous drive-up glacier, Mendenhall Glacier. For goings-on, pick up the Juneau Empire (www.juneauempire.com), which keeps tabs on state politics, business, sports, and local news.
Depart from Juneau, Alaska at 9:00 PM
DAY 5 September 7, 2022–Arrive in Skagway, Alaska at 7:00 AM
Located at the northern terminus of the Inside Passage, Skagway is a one-hour ferry ride from Haines. By road, however, the distance is 359 miles, as you have to take the Haines Highway up to Haines Junction, Yukon, then take the Alaska Highway 100 miles south to Whitehorse, and then drive a final 100 miles south on the Klondike Highway to Skagway. North-country folk call this sightseeing route the Golden Horseshoe or Golden Circle tour, because it passes a lot of goldrush country in addition to spectacular lake, forest, and mountain scenery.The town is an amazingly preserved artifact from North America’s biggest, most-storied gold rush. Most of the downtown district forms part of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, a unit of the National Park System dedicated to commemorating and interpreting the frenzied stampede of 1897 that extended to Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon.Nearly all the historic sights are within a few blocks of
the cruise-ship and ferry dock, allowing visitors to meander through the town’s attractions at whatever pace they choose. Whether you’re disembarking from a cruise ship, a ferry, or a dusty automobile fresh from the Golden Circle, you’ll quickly discover that tourism is the lifeblood of this town. Unless you’re visiting in winter or hiking into the backcountry on the Chilkoot Trail, you aren’t likely to find a quiet Alaska experience around Skagway.
Depart from Skagway, Alaska at 8:30 PM
DAY 6 September 8, 2022–Arrive at Glacier Bay National Park, (Scenic Cruising) Alaska
Located in Southeast Alaska, west of the capital city of Juneau, Glacier Bay is a beautiful National Park full of snow capped mountains, tidewater glaciers and wildlife. Experience wildlife in all its beauty from boat trips for whale watching and hiking through the trails of the Park. It is a protected area full of wonder to be explored.
Depart from Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska at 3:00 PM
DAY 7 September 9, 2022–Arrive at College Fjord, Alaska
College Fjord in the northern sector of Prince William Sound, is considered one of the most scenic fjords in the world with spectacular glacier viewing. . There are over a dozen major glaciers in the fjord, all surrounded by rugged snow-capped mountains. It is possible from one point to see eight glaciers at once. College Fjord was discovered in 1899 during the Harriman Expedition. Edward Henry Herriman, a millionaire railroad tycoon, set sail with 125 other passengers and crew, including 23 of esteemed scientists from several Ivy League schools, to explore the fjords of Alaskan. The scientists named the glaciers in this fjord after their Ivy League alma maters and their sister schools. Those names include Amherst, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Harvard, Smith, Vassar, and Yale. The glaciers of the northwest side feature names of women’s colleges and those of the southeast side are names of men’s colleges.
Depart from College Fjord, Alaska at 8:30 PM
DAY 8 September 10, 2022— Disembark at Whittier at 12:30 AM
The tiny city of Whittier has just over 200 residents. It’s around 58 miles southeast of Anchorage in Alaska.
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge Step off your ship into a waiting railcar for our exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Get settled, and perhaps do an optional excursion. Or you may enjoy the spectacular main lodge, river view deck, and Princess Village with the popular Christmas cottage and sugar shack. Be sure to check out Fannie Q’s Saloon, named after a famed local homesteader, or sit outside at a fireside patio.
DAY 9 September 11, 2022–Start your morning with a quick stop at Fannie Q’s saloon for a hearty buffet breakfast. Explore Denali National Park on a Natural History Tour, watching for glimpses of Denali as well as Denali’s “Big Five”; moose, caribou, bears, wolves and Dall sheep. Later today, you may want to simply relax with a glass of wine on the deck overlooking the Nenana River.
DAY 10 September 12, 2022–This morning, depart via motorcoach to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. The main attraction is Denali, the 20,310 foot mountain visible from nearly anywhere on the lodge’s property. Sit and gaze at the majesty of “The Great One” from the lodge’s treehouse designed and built by Pete Nelson of Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters.
DAY 11 September 13, 2022–You’ll have the morning to take advantage of optional excursions from the lodge. Then, continue your motorcoach journey to Anchorage for an overnight stay at the Hotel Captain Cook.
Day 12 September 14, 2022–Your tour ends this morning in Anchorage. Transfer – Head to airport.
