
Best of Portugal
Per person, double occupancy, excludes roundtrip airfare
Portugal, the starting point of countless expeditions of discovery, is itself full of treasures and wonderful sights.
Leave no sight unseen on this Alaskan vacation! Start off with gold mining in Fairbanks, wildlife in majestic Denali, colorful coastal villages, and a cruise through Kenai Fjords. Then, sail aboard the ms Noordam—passing stunning glaciers and pristine coastline, with the spectacularly scenic Inside Passage for a grand finale.
Your journey starts with a land tour, whose many highlights begin in Fairbanks’s beautifully restored Gold Dredge #8, which brings the (years – 1800?) gold rush vividly to life.
Nature lovers will thoroughly enjoy their Denali natural history tour in the 6 million-acre Denali National Park. Board a catamaran and experience the marine wildlife, coastal fjords and islands, lush forests, and dazzling tidewater glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park.
From there your cruise begins! Travel through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, America’s largest national park, which covers 13 million isolated acres. Your cruise’s other natural highlights include Glacier Bay National Park, and the Inside Passage. For human history, the frontier cities of Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan can’t be beat. Their distinctive appearance and colorful past make them must-see sights for cruisers.
Check out our Travel Blog for more tips and ideas for your Alaskan cruise tour!
Highlights
2 Countries
Sightseeing
Cruise Accommodations
Hotel Accommodations
Meals
Service
Baggage Handling
Arrive in Fairbanks
If you purchased your airline tickets from YMT, you will be welcomed by a representative and transferred to your hotel.
SpringHill Suites Fairbanks or similar
Gold Dredge #8 Visit
Explore the area’s gold mining history as we visit the restored Gold Dredge #8. The visitor center offers a great perspective with artifacts from the gold rush era, bringing to life the history of Fairbanks. In the afternoon, explore Fairbanks on your own. (B)
SpringHill Suites Fairbanks or similar
Denali Natural History Tour
Travel along the George Parks Highway to Denali National Park. At 6 million acres, Denali is one of the world’s great frontiers for wilderness adventure. Get a deeper look at this amazing park on a Denali Natural History Tour. This memorable tour provides insight into the diverse native and early pioneer influences in and around the park. This afternoon you will have free time to spend in the park at your leisure. (B)
Denali Park Village or similar
Iditarod Sled Dog Headquarters and Anchorage City Tour
Head south through the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Next, stop at the Iditarod Sled Dog Headquarters to learn about the world’s most famous dog sled race. You might even get to meet some puppies! Continue to Anchorage for an included lunch and city tour. (B, L)
Crowne Plaza Anchorage or similar
Anchorage to Homer
Travel across the picturesque Kenai Peninsula to Homer. See the Homer Spit, a long, narrow finger of land that extends more than four miles into Kachemak Bay. Continue with a guided walking tour of the Homer Docks. See the Salty Dawg Saloon, Homer’s most famous landmark. For the full Salty Dawg experience, add a signed dollar bill to the saloon’s wall. (B)
Best Western Bidarka or similar
Homer Leisure Day
Enjoy a free day to enjoy Homer. Be sure to sample some local halibut during your stay!
Best Western Bidarka or similar
Kenai Fjords National Park Catamaran Cruise
Spend the day enjoying a memorable catamaran cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park. You’ll enjoy lunch on board. See marine wildlife, coastal fjords and islands, lush forests, and magnificent tidewater glaciers. Back on land, you’ll have free time to explore Seward.
Windsong Lodge or similar
Embark in Whittier (Departs at 8:00 PM)
Continue to Whittier, the gateway to Prince William Sound. Whittier is nestled between breathtaking mountains, emerald forests, and the sparkling blue sea. Embark on Holland America’s ms Noordam in the afternoon. Get settled into your stateroom and explore the ship’s many available amenities and activities!
Hubbard Glacier
Cruise along the Hubbard Glacier in Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve. America’s largest national park, it covers more land than Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined. This rugged, isolated 13-million acre wilderness is home to dazzling blue glaciers, spruce forests, and nine of America’s 16 tallest mountains.
Scenic Cruising Glacier Bay National Park
Spend the day cruising through the glaciers, viewing exotic wildlife inGlacier Bay. The 60-mile passage is the frequent site of glacier calving, where chunks of ice fall into the bay with a deafening crash.
Skagway (7:00 AM – 9:00 PM)
Skagway, where the Gold Rush began, was the turbulent staging point for prospectors determined to find riches in the Klondike gold fields. Even today, Skagway’s well-preserved history and atmosphere can transport you back to the 1898 Gold Rush like no other Alaskan city.
Juneau (8:00 AM – 6:00 PM)
Nestled at the feet of Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts, Alaska’s state capital is nicknamed “Little San Francisco” due to its narrow streets and multicolored houses built into the hillsides. (B)
Ketchikan (11:00 AM – 7:00 PM)
This distinctive frontier town is famous for its bawdy history and wooden boardwalk, which has remained perched on stilts above Ketchikan Creek for over a century. Take a stroll along Creek Street, the former “Red Light” district.
Cruise the Inside Passage
Sail through the Inside Passage, a complex labyrinth of fjords and bays where whales and sea lions find refuge during the summer months.
Disembark in Vancouver and Depart for Home (B) (Arrives at 7:00 AM)
Note: Departure flights from Vancouver to some cities are overnight and arrive the following day.
Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Hotels may differ depending on date. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tour vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights. Please ask your Travel Consultant for more information.
YMT Vacations itineraries may contain suggestions for activities for your leisure time; these suggestions do not constitute a recommendation nor an endorsement of any specific service provider and the decision to participate in any such activities should be made independently.
FREE ONBOARD CREDIT
Two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed—our signature Mariner’s Dream™ bed with plush Euro-Top mattresses, premium massage shower heads and a host of amenities are featured in these comfortable staterooms. The configuration of staterooms may vary from the images shown.
Approximately 151-233 sq. ft.
Click to enlarge +
These expansive staterooms include include two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed—our Signature Mariner’s Dream™ bed with plush Euro-Top mattresses, premium massage shower heads, a host of amenities and an ocean view. The configuration of staterooms may vary from the images shown.
Approximately 174-180 sq. ft.
Click to enlarge +
Filled with light from floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a private verandah, these staterooms include a sitting area, two lower beds convertible to one queen-size bed—our signature Mariner’s Dream™ bed with plush Euro-Top mattresses, and bath tub with premium massage showerheads. The configuration of staterooms may vary from the images shown.
Approximately 212-359 sq. ft. including verandah
Click to enlarge +
You have the ability to move your booking to another date or destination. We’ll waive all land or cruise penalties and transfer you to the new vacation (airlines impose different change policies and penalties). See our Peace of Mind Program for more details.
A worry-free experience for our guests is very important to us. With guest’s help and the implementation of a few changes and new protocols such as increased sanitization, responsible social distancing, and enhanced tour director training, you can continue to enjoy peace-of-mind while traveling. For more information on our new safety protocols, please see our Travel Safe Program.
No, guests will not need to bring adapters or converters as the U.S. and Canada both use standard 110V plugs.
U.S. guests will need a passport, but not a visa for this tour. Guests are required to have a valid government issued passport with an expiration of a minimum of six (6) months beyond the end date of for this tour. Please note that the passport application or renewal process is taking longer than before due to reduced operations during the pandemic. It may take up to 16 weeks to complete. It is extremely important that guests planning to travel check the validity of their passports not only for expiration date, but also to ensure that they have at least 6 months of validity after the final date of travel.
Yes. Holland America Cruise Line has an obligation to collect certain cruise guest information before embarkation. This is a Department of Homeland Security requirement and should only take a few minutes.
To check in online please:
1. Access the Holland America website at www.hollandamerica.com
2. Click “Register”
3. Select “Yes” to Do you have a cruise booked with Holland America?
4. Enter Holland America Booking Number
5. Enter Sailing Date
6. Enter First Name & Last Name
7. Continue
8. Follow the instructions to continue with registration.
If you require further assistance, please call the Holland America support desk at 1-800-426-0327.
Several weeks prior to your departure date, you will receive notification via email that Optional Tours are available for booking at an additional cost. These Optional Tours are also available for purchase online by logging into your YMT account. Optional Tour information will also be emailed to you along with your travel documents.
Additional Shore Excursions are available directly with the cruise line. We highly recommend that you book Shore Excursions well in advance by accessing the cruise line’s website and registering online. Information on how to register with the cruise line will be mailed to you along with your travel documents.
For more information about the different types of optional tours, read this article.
The weather in Vancouver will be warmer with average temperatures between 74°F and 53°F during the months of May through September. The weather in Alaska will be fairly cooler with average temperatures between 62°F and 48°F during the months of May through September.
You can find more on the weather in Alaska here.
On Cruise
For most ocean cruises, consider three different types of clothing: casual attire for days aboard, layered outfits for time in port, and smart or formal eveningwear. Contact your respective cruise line for their dress code and guidelines for evening attire. Typically, a larger amount of nights is reserved for more casual clothing while some evenings are set aside for formalwear. Some recommendations for daywear include slacks or pants, blouses or shirts, knit tops or polo shirts. Bring a pair of sneakers or rubber-soled shoes for deck sports and a swimsuit cover-up for cool areas on the ship. As port wear for women consider a casual dress, skirt and blouse, or pants outfit; for men, casual pants or walking shorts, and polo-type shirts. Comfortable walking shoes are a must. Also, remember to bring extra bathing suits, as well as sun block, sun visors and other types of sun protection. Formal attire can include cocktail dress, gown, or dressy pantsuit for women and a tuxedo, suit, or dinner jacket with slacks for men. Note that T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are often not allowed in certain areas of the ship, for example restaurants.
On Tour
For more information, check out our How To Pack for Your Alaskan Vacation article.
You will need U.S. dollar in the U.S. and Canadian Dollar in Canada.
Per person, double occupancy, excludes roundtrip airfare
Portugal, the starting point of countless expeditions of discovery, is itself full of treasures and wonderful sights.
Per person, double occupancy, excludes roundtrip airfare
Rugged, remote, and so beautiful it takes your breath away, the wilds of the Frontier State come alive on this guided Alaskan cruise tour. Experience the best that Alaska has to offer.
Per person, double occupancy, excludes roundtrip airfare
Experience the charm of New Orleans and the Lone Star State on this incredible southern state tour up the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the heart of Texas.
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