Insight - Jewels of Alaska with Glacier Discovery Southbound Cruise, Verandah Cabin, Small Group (05/2023 - 07/2023) (SAJAKBN18)

14 Days From Anchorage to Vancouver (BC) 
Tour Style: Alaska
Insight Brochure Price from $7,036.00
Brochures: IV USA and Canada 2023
Visits: United States, Canada

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Explore the wild and wonderful Alaskan wilderness during this two-week guided tour. Begin your adventure in Anchorage with a sweet treat: Taste agutak — Inuit Ice Cream — after an exclusive demonstration by Alaska's Indigenous people at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Board a jet boat for a tour along the Chulitna River to a trapper’s cabin, where you will learn about the lifestyle of hunting and trapping in the state. Ride along the world-famous, glass-domed Alaskan Railroad toward Denali National Park, where the country’s tallest peak, Mount McKinley, will greet you. Meet the champion dog team of a four-time Iditarod winner and allow him to regale you with tales of the 1,049-mile dogsled race over lunch at his home. From Whittier, take a 100-mile boat tour of Prince William Sound and the see the glaciers of College Fjord.
Choice Highlights

Well-being

• : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
• : Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19. All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
• : Our Well-Being Directors take a proactive approach to your welfare ensuring all well-being regulations are met (available on tours with 21 or more guests).
• : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
• : We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.

Summary

• : Welcome Dinner in Anchorage • Dine-Around evening in Denali • Celebration Dinner in Girdwood.

Authentic Dining

• Anchorage: Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Dinner.
• Denali National Park: For tonight's dinner with wine, the choice is yours between a charming local brewery or your lodge's rustic restaurant during your Dine-Around evening.
• Girdwood: In the evening, join your Travel Director for a wonderful Celebration Dinner, complete with wine and good cheer.
• Dining Summary: 3 Dinner with Wine (DW), 13 Breakfast (B), 7 Lunch (L), and 7 Dinner (D)

Top Rated Highlights

• Anchorage: Get acquainted with Alaska's largest city on an immersive city tour. Discover how this urban landscape enriched with culture came to be as you explore the historic downtown.
• : Enjoy a jet Boat Tour up the Chulitna River and visit a Trappers Cabin. Learn about the fascinating lifestyle of hunting and trapping in Interior Alaska.
• Alaska Railroad: Enjoy a Relaxed Start this morning before boarding the world-famous Alaska Railroad train for a spectacular journey over swift-rushing streams, toward Denali National Park and Preserve. View the majestic surroundings from the comfort of your glass-domed railcar.
• Denali National Park: Meet a local climber at a private reception and hear first-hand about their experience climbing the tallest land-based mountain in the world. A Denali climb begins deep in the heart of the Alaska Range and takes around 17-18 days round trip from the base – to hear the tales about such a trek from someone who has experienced it firsthand is truly captivating.
• Whittier (AK): Travel to Whittier to board the 26 Glacier Cruise for a 100-mile (160 kilometre) boat tour of Prince William Sound and into the College Fjord, where you'll get an up-close and personal look at the impressive glaciers.

Insight Experiences

• Anchorage: Enjoy an exclusive Agutak (Inuit ice cream) making demonstration during a visit to the renowned Alaska Native Heritage Center. Learn how this culinary treat establishes a link to the past, inspires a sense of pride and spurs a dialogue about an ancient people’s remarkable ability to survive.
• : This afternoon, depart Anchorage and travel through the fertile Matanuska Valley making a stop at a local farm to see how the long summer days and glacial silt create the perfect environment for growing GIANT award- winning vegetables and flowers. Even through the growing season is months shorter than the rest of the country, Alaska’s farmers grow some of the largest vegetables in the world. The photosynthetic boost also makes the produce sweeter – a fascinating and insightful experience that shows a different side of Alaska.
• Denali National Park: Meet four-time Iditarod winner, Martin Buser and learn about the challenges of competing in the 1,049-mile (1,688 kilometer) while enjoying lunch at his home. Martin’s stories give an in depth look at his incredible thirty-five years of racing, as well as a great deal of enthralling Iditarod history.

Make Travel Matter

• Anchorage: Guests will have a guided visit of the Alaska Native Heritage Center - A renowned cultural center and museum where people come to expand their understanding of Alaska's indigenous people. They promotes active observance of Alaska Native culture and traditions. It is the only statewide cultural and education center dedicated to celebrating all cultures and heritages. Through permanent collections, life-sized village sites, and immersive educational programs, ANHC works to provide tourists and non-Natives a framework in which to engage with Alaska Native culture. While here, guests will enjoy an exclusive Agutak (Inuit ice cream) making demonstration. Learn how this culinary treat establishes a link to the past, inspires a sense of pride and spurs a dialogue about an ancient people’s remarkable ability to survive. This MTM allows guests to walk away with knowledge about indigenous communities and traditions. private guided with museum docent.

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Insight Tour Itinerary

Day 1	Anchorage, the City of Lights and Flowers
	Welcome to Alaska, an adventurous land of wildlife, mountains, national parks and glaciers.  Join your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Dinner.
	Visits: Anchorage
	Meals: Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa
Day 2	Anchorage Sightseeing and the Matanuska Valley
	Get acquainted with Anchorage with on an immersive city tour. During a visit to the renowned Alaska Native Heritage Center, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you enjoy an exclusive presentation on Agutak (Eskimo ice cream) while learning how it's made by Alaska's first people. Learn how this culinary treat establishes a link to the past, inspires a sense of pride and spurs a dialogue on a culture's remarkable ability to survive. This afternoon, travel through the fertile Matanuska Valley and stop at a local farm to see how the long summer days and glacial silt create the perfect environment for growing vegetables and flowers. Depart Anchorage for the quaint community of Talkeetna, nestled at the base of Mount Denali, North America's tallest peak. The evening is yours at leisure, feel free to ask your Travel Director for suggestions on the best spots to grab a bite.
	Visits: Anchorage
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Day 3	Talkeetna Sightseeing
	This morning, enjoy an immersive jet boat tour up the Chulitna River and make a visit to a trapper's cabin. Learn about the fascinating lifestyle of hunting and trapping in Interior Alaska.The rest of the day is yours to explore, perhaps discovering more of Talkeetna or joining an optional experience such as a flightseeing tour of the Alaska Range, or a dryland dog sledding ride.
	Visits: Talkeetna
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge
Day 4	Journey Along the Alaskan Railroad Relaxed Start
	Enjoy a Relaxed Start this morning before boarding the world-famous Alaska Railroad train for a spectacular journey over swift-rushing streams, toward Denali National Park and Preserve. View the majestic surroundings from the comfort of your glass-domed rail car. Later, meet a local climber who will share stories about what it's like to a climb up one of the most daunting and tallest land-based mountains in the world, Denali. A trek that begins deep in the heart of the Alaskan Range and where conditions only get tougher further into the journey, forcing climbers to build snow walls for protection from the harsh elements. The climb which takes approximately 17-18 days round trip, takes incredible physical and mental fortitude. For tonight's dinner with wine, the choice is yours between a charming local brewery or the lodge's rustic restaurant during your Dine-Around evening.
	Visits: Denali National Park
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: Grande Denali Lodge, Denali National Park
Day 5	Denali National Park, the Crown Jewel of the Alaskan Wilderness Relaxed Start
	With the Denali National Park and Preserve just a short drive away from your hotel, you'll find a number of ways to enjoy the Alaskan wilderness on your own or spend the day partaking in one of our optional activities. With Denali, the highest peak in North America at the center of it all, the park consists of 6 million acres of tundra, boreal forest and ice-capped mountains. This magnificent land is nature at its most pure yet has something to offer all. From a blissful stroll through one of the meadows, to a rewarding hike, this Park is for everyone. You will also find that to be true with the exciting optional experiences which include a rafting trip down the Nenana River, (waiver required) to a helicopter flightseeing tour or a Denali Wilderness walking tour, the choice is yours – just don't forget your camera! End the day back at your lodge where you'll enjoy panoramic views of your surroundings under the star filled night.
	Visits: Denali National Park
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Grande Denali Lodge, Denali National Park
Day 6	Girdwood and Mount Alyeska
	Enjoy a scenic journey along the George Parks Highway. Stop in Big Lake, AK and visit four-time Iditarod winner Martin Buser at his own home. Arriving at the kennel, you will be greeted by between thirty and sixty excited sled dogs. Spend time with Martin and learn about the many challenges faced on the 1,049-mile dogsled race. Take a virtual trip along the Iditarod trail alongside Martin's narration including countless stories from his thirty-five years of racing, as well as a great deal of Iditarod history. A true insider experience into the world of the Iditarod, that very few get to experience.  Journey on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm with its dramatic views, before arriving in the town of Girdwood, home of the Alyeska Resort.In the evening, join your Travel Director for a wonderful Celebration Dinner, complete with wine and good cheer.
	Visits: Denali National Park, Girdwood, Alyeska
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: The Hotel Alyeska, Girdwood
Day 7	Prince William Sound Cruise and on to join your Glacier Discovery Cruise Relaxed Start
	Take this morning to enjoy the surroundings and amenities at the beautiful Alyeska resort. Travel to Whittier to board the 26 Glacier Cruise for a 100-mile boat tour of Prince William Sound and into the College Fjord where you will come up close and personal to the glaciers. Visit with the Captain in the wheelhouse and enjoy an included lunch. Continue your journey on the Glacier Discovery Cruise from Whittier, you will be transferred to the ship pier to board the MS Nieuw Amsterdam or MS Noordam where you'll enjoy dinner and set sail in the evening. While on board, the cruise line will provide you with options and activities for the day, so whether you want to stay on the ship or explore more on land, the choice is yours. You'll also have a wide range of meal options to choose from throughout your journey. Information about these will be given by the cruise line once on board.
	Visits: Girdwood, Whittier (AK)
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8	A Day at Sea
	Enjoy the facilities on board the ship during this day at sea. You will find plenty of options for entertainment, dining or shopping or simply sit back and relax.
	Visits: Gulf of Alaska
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9	Glacier Bay National Park
	Today you’ll catch Glacier Bay National Park's immense glaciers, towering peaks and icy rivers while getting a glimpse at what Alaska was like before the first humans arrived.
	Visits: Glacier Bay National Park
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10	Skagway
	The port town of Skagway was once known as the gateway to the gold fields. After the Klondike Gold Rush faded in the 1900s, the settlement also lost its liveliness. Now, the town is reinvigorated with a vibrant local community, a rich collection of local galleries, curio shops and seafood restaurants. You’ll find Alaska’s colourful history, pristine wildlife and unrivalled natural beauty on display here in the “Garden City of Alaska
	Visits: Skagway
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11	Juneau
	Stroll Juneau's picturesque streets, stopping in eclectic shops and saloons from the Gold Rush era. Perhaps embark on an optional trip on the Mount Roberts Tramway for exhilarating views of the harbour and nearby mountains.
	Visits: Juneau
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12	Ketchikan
	Check out the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, intricately carved with native designs. Perhaps take an optional guided tour through town or a floatplane flightseeing trip.
	Visits: Ketchikan
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13	Float Through the Inside Passage
	Revel in the scenery as you slowly glide past a maze of bays, glacier-carved fjords and waterways protected from the open sea by rugged, isolated islands.
	Visits: Inside Passage
	Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 14	Depart Vancouver
	Arrive in Vancouver and disembark. Make your own way to Vancouver International Airport, Cruise arrival is around 9:30am, please keep in mind for departure flight time.
	Visits: Vancouver
	Meals: Breakfast

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Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin
Child: ages 5 to 17