Grand Canadian Rockies & Alaska Cruise Goldleaf - Verandah Stateroom (2013/14)

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Itinerary:

Day	Description	View All +
Day 1	VIBRANT VANCOUVER Welcome to Canada’s vibrant port city of Vancouver. On arrival at Vancouver International Airport, transfer to your luxury downtown hotel in the heart of the city’s premier shopping and entertainment district. Early evening, gather with your Tour Director for a Welcome Reception, drinks and a light informal meal.(Welcome Reception) Four Seasons Vancouver	View Details +
Day 2	VICTORIA - PUTTING THE BRITISH INTO BRITISH COLUMBIA Experience the best of Vancouver during your exclusive sightseeing tour. Explore historic Gastown, Chinatown, the eclectic community of English Bay and view the famous totem poles in Stanley Park. Now board your ferry and relax with a newspaper or magazine in the comfortable Seawest Lounge. Enjoy complimentary beverages, light snacks and scenic coastal views all the way to Victoria. On arrival, an orientation tour introduces you to the Inner Harbour, the ornate Parliament Buildings and Bastion Square. Your luxurious hotel is situated near the banks of the Inner Harbour and features many fine amenities and personalised service. Greet the next day with breakfast at the famous Butchart Gardens, which have delighted visitors for over a hundred years. A representative will give a brief talk on the gardens and the history of the Butchart family. Then there is ample time to explore the exquisite floral displays, meandering paths and spectacular views. The remainder of the day is at leisure in Victoria. Spend the time as you wish. Perhaps indulge in a little shopping or partake in the time-honoured tradition of afternoon tea. Further sightseeing options are available if you wish.(Full Breakfast / Dinner / Full Breakfast) Grand Pacific	View Details +
Day 4	THE ULTIMATE RESORT OF WHISTLER Journey across the Strait of Georgia back to the mainland and continue along the scenic Sea-to-Sky Highway. Enjoy a stop at the beautiful Shannon Falls before climbing over the Coast Mountains. In Whistler, join a local guide for a walking tour of the village and learn about this 2010 Olympic venue. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure. Your hotel is one of North America’s top mountain resorts, so why not take advantage of the hotel’s famous spa, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, glaciers and alpine meadows. Dinner tonight is a gastronomic experience, made with only the best local ingredients and served at one of your resort’s fine restaurants.(Full Breakfast / Highlight Dinner) Four Seasons Whistler	View Details +
Day 5	ON TO THE NAPA VALLEY OF THE NORTH Travel to Kelowna in the sun-drenched Okanagan Valley, one of Canada’s most beloved vacation spots. The lush Okanagan region is Canada’s wine capital, home to world-class vintners and a vibrant wine community. Visit a beautiful winery, sample an array of outstanding local wines, and develop your palate with the help of some expert insights. Your award winning hotel is beautifully situated on the lake offering memorable guest experiences and inspirational dining.(Full Breakfast) Delta Grand Okanagan Resort	View Details +
Day 6	THE UNSPOILED WILDERNESS OF BANFF NATIONAL PARK Journey through four of Canada’s most spectacular National Parks: Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, Yoho and Banff. Travel from primeval forests to Ice Age glaciers, from spectacular waterfalls to soaring peaks. At Kicking Horse Pass, cross the Continental Divide, where all the rivers of North America are diverted to the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Banff before arriving at your hotel, a grand Scottish baronial castle resort, featuring luxurious amenities and gracious service in a breathtaking location. While here, experience traditional, regional and contemporary dining at your choice of one of the Fairmont’s fine restaurants. Enjoy leisure time in Banff the next day. The choice is yours and your Tour Director is on hand to help with suggestions.(Full Breakfast / Dine Around / Full Breakfast) The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel	View Details +
Day 8	THE THREE EXQUISITE LAKES OF LOUISE, MORAINE AND EMERALD Enjoy an interpretive walk along the shore of Lake Louise, Canada’s ‘Diamond in the Wilderness’, and learn about the history and geography of this breathtaking area before moving on to Moraine Lake, crowned by ten notable peaks. As you approach Yoho National Park, stop at the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint and learn about the construction of these famous tunnels. Pass by the spectacular Natural Bridge, patiently carved by the Kicking Horse River before arriving at Emerald Lake, one of Canada’s most outstanding wilderness settings. Your historic hotel is built of hand-hewn timber and features massive stone fireplaces. After dinner, stargaze under the night sky and savour a liqueur and s’mores, a traditional American campfire treat, by a lakeside bonfire.(Full Breakfast / Dinner) Emerald Lake Lodge	View Details +
Day 9	ALONG THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY TO JASPER NATIONAL PARK Today motor along the unforgettable Icefields Parkway and witness amazing scenery such as Crowfoot Glacier hanging improbably from a cliff face some 900 feet above and Columbia Icefield, North America’s largest sub-polar ice pack. At Athabasca Glacier, one of the icefield’s six principal “toes,” climb aboard a specially-designed Ice Explorer for a once-in-a-lifetime guided tour over steep grades, snow and ice as you ascend partway up the glacier. En route to Jasper, perhaps join an optional gentle float trip down the Athabasca River. Your home for the next two nights is the picturesque Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in the heart of Jasper National Park, an alpine wonderland of immense forests, jewelled lakes, soaring waterfalls, soothing mineral hot springs, rugged glaciers, colourful meadows and majestic mountains. Tonight, enjoy a special Highlight Dinner with wine at your hotel. Join your Tour Director in the morning for an interpretive walk at Maligne Canyon, one of the most beautiful gorges in the Canadian Rockies. Stroll along the canyon’s trail, past beautiful waterfalls, astounding rock formations, and learn about the underground river system. Join an informative presentation about some of the park’s most interesting residents including elk, moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, grizzly bear, black bear, beaver and caribou. The rest of the day is yours to do as you please. Jasper is the base for a host of optional tours and activities. Perhaps enjoy a boat cruise on Maligne Lake or join a guided nature walk at Mount Edith Cavell along the “Path of the Glacier.” The choice is entirely yours!(Full Breakfast / Highlight Dinner / Full Breakfast) The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge	View Details +
Day 11	ROCKY MOUNTAINEER TRAIN Relive the golden age of rail travel aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train, one of the world’s great rail journeys. For the next two days, succumb to GoldLeaf Service as you journey through the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean. Your carriage has two levels - take in dazzling vistas upstairs from the glass-topped dome coach, and enjoy gourmet meals downstairs prepared by talented onboard chefs. View spectacular scenery as the train crosses the Continental Divide and over the Yellowhead Pass back to British Columbia. On arrival in Kamloops, your bags are waiting at your hotel room.(Continental Breakfast / Lunch) Assigned by Rocky Mountaineer	View Details +
Day 12	ROCKY MOUNTAINEERING BACK TO VANCOUVER Your magical Goldleaf carpet ride onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train continues today. Relax while rail staff ensure your every need is attended to, topping up your drinks or perhaps bringing you a snack? Follow the river into the Thompson Canyon with its rugged walls and dry sagebrush landscape until it dramatically merges with the Fraser River. On arrival in Vancouver, transfer to your hotel. Raise your glasses this evening and revel in rich flavours at a lively Celebration Dinner.(Continental Breakfast / Lunch / Celebration Dinner) Four Seasons	View Details +
Day 13	ALASKA GLACIER BAY INSIDE PASSAGE CRUISE Head out to North Vancouver and the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Park. Cross the spectacular suspension bridge, 230 feet (70 metres) above the Capilano River, and join the award-winning Treetops, a guided nature tour along a series of elevated walkways. Transfer to Canada Place to board Holland America Line’s ms Zuiderdam for an unforgettable Alaska Glacier Bay Inside Passage Cruise.(Full Breakfast / Dinner) ms Zuiderdam	View Details +
Day 14	ALASKA GLACIER BAY INSIDE PASSAGE CRUISE The ms Zuiderdam is designed for Alaskan cruising with its airy lounges, teak decks and roomy verandahs, allowing for comfortable observation of the ever changing panorama of unspoiled virgin forests and vast wilderness that stretch from British Columbia to Skagway, Alaska. Enter a region so isolated, it can only be accessed by sea or air. Come face-to-face with the grandeur of the Ice Age. Slowly glide past a maze of bays, glacier-carved fjords and waterways protected from the open sea by islands and other land masses. Juneau is a place to let your imagination run wild. Stop in rustic shops offering jade and ivory sculptures, silver jewellery, wooden masks, intricate beadwork and apparel designed by native Alaskans. Visit Gold Rush era bars such as the Alaska Hotel with its ornate Victorian furnishings, or the Red Dog Saloon showcasing Wyatt Earp’s gun. Perhaps take an optional guided tour of the State Capitol or climb aboard the Mount Roberts Tramway. Follow in the footsteps of the original North Americans as you explore the Mendenhall Glacier and the immense Juneau Icefields just outside the city, or trek through the lush Tongass National Forest. And don’t hurry, daylight here lasts well into the evening! As a trading post for prospectors headed to the Klondike Gold Rush, Skagway was once known as “hell on earth,” an untamed, violent town controlled by organised criminals. Today, of course, the town is a bit more civilised, though its colourful past is carefully preserved in the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. For a truly memorable excursion, why not board vintage parlor cars for an optional ride on the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon Railroad, built in 1897 to take miners to the gold fields. In the watery wilderness of Glacier Bay National Park, behold a landscape at its literal moment of creation. Your ship becomes a time machine as you travel thousands of years back in time, witnessing the life cycle of a new land from Sitka-spruce forests alive with grizzlies and wolves to the algae, lichens and mosses that were the beginnings of life in the region. In this isolated land the shrill noises of modern life are replaced with the deep, thunderous boom of building-size icebergs calving into the sea from a vast river of ice. It is raw, primordial…and unforgettable. Call in at Ketchikan, salmon capital of the world! Part of the town is built along a steep hillside, part is built on pilings over the water where bald eagles watch from waterside perches. An outstanding collection of totem poles makes the town an essential stop for anyone interested in native art. To make the most of your time ashore, consider taking an optional guided tour through town, a harbour cruise or a float plane “flightseeing” trip. If you prefer a more hands-on experience, you can take a sport fishing charter, kayak expedition, jeep ride or mountain excursion on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The adventure never stops.(Full Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner) ms Zuiderdam	View Details +
Day 20	DEPART VANCOUVER After disembarking, a departure transfer takes you to Vancouver International Airport, or the tour hotel in Vancouver for passengers extending their stay. Please do not schedule flights before 12 p.m.(Full Breakfast)	View Details +

Additional Information:HighlightsVancouver: Explore vibrant Chinatown and Gastown, visit the totem poles of Stanley Park and take in spectacular views of English Bay.
Victoria: Enjoy an introduction to this sparkling city, including the Inner Harbour, Parliament Buildings and Bastion Square. Visit world famous Butchart Gardens and learn about its history and design.
Whistler: Enjoy a walking tour of the village.
Okanagan Valley: Taste the local vintages at a renowned winery.
Lake Louise: Walk along the shores of this shimmering jewel of the Rockies and learn about its history and geology.
Banff National Park: Stroll along Lake Louise and enjoy an informative talk with your Tour Director. Also view Moraine Lake, the Spiral Tunnels and Natural Bridge.
Emerald Lake: Gather around a bonfire overlooking the lake, roast s’mores and enjoy a liqueur.
Athabasca Glacier: Journey along the magnificent Icefields Parkway; board a specially-designed Ice Explorer.
Jasper National Park: Enjoy Jasper National Park’s wildlife from a unique perspective with a local expert. Take a guided walk past roaring waterfalls and learn about the underground river system in the spectacular Maligne Canyon gorge.
Rocky Mountaineer: Travel onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train for one of the world’s great rail journeys.What's IncludedAt 6.00 pm on Day 1 join your Tour Director for a Welcome Reception including drinks and a light informal meal. (WR)
10 Full Breakfasts (FB) 2 Highlight Dinners (HD), 1 Dine-Around (DA), 1 Celebration Dinner (CD) and 2 three-course table d’hote dinners (D)
2 Continental Breakfasts (CB) and 2 light deli-style Lunches (L) onboard the Rocky Mountaineer train in GoldLeaf Service
Aboard the ms Zuiderdam enjoy 7 Full Breakfasts (FB), 6 Lunches (L) and 7 Dinners (D)