Rockies, Rail and an Alaska Cruise

You will stay in hotels such as Irwins Mountain Inn in Banff and the Best Western Downtown in Vancouver. Hotel standards are extremely high in Canada. All rooms feature private facilities, TV, telephone and coffee-making facilities. There is a restaurant and/or bar in each hotel. Hotels will be confirmed in your final documents.

Accommodation on board the Rocky Mountaineer is in RedLeaf class, which includes breakfast and lunch at your seat, complimentary snacks, tea, coffee, soft drinks, beer and wine with meals. Upgrades to SilverLeaf and GoldLeaf are available.

Your ship for this marvellous cruise is Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam. On board you’ll find a great choice of restaurants, bars, the Greenhouse Spa & Salon, show lounge and much more. Services and standards are extremely high on board the ship therefore your Travelsphere Tour Manager will not travel on the cruise with you. Holland America staff are on hand to provide assistance and information where required.

Day 1: UK/Calgary

Depart on your scheduled flight to Calgary. On arrival transfer to your hotel in Banff for a three night stay on a room only basis.

Day 2: Banff

This morning we have organised an included tour of Banff. You will see the lovely Bow Falls, the Cave and Basin and Sulphur Mountain, where you will have time to take a gondola ride (fare not included) to the top for wonderful views of the snowcapped mountains and the town of Banff.

Day 3: Lake Louise

Full-day included excursion to Lake Louise. Many writers have described Lake Louise as the most beautiful place in Canada - a glacial, jade-green lake, high in the mountains surrounded on all sides by towering peaks.

Day 4: Kamloops

A memorable two-day journey begins as you board the Rocky Mountaineer train in Banff and settle into your roomy reclining seat in air-conditioned comfort. The RedLeaf service includes breakfast and lunch served at your seat, whilst complimentary snacks, tea, coffee and soft drinks are available throughout the journey. Beer & wine is included with your meals. A full bar service is also available.

As you journey through the grandeur of the Rockies, an on-board commentary ensures you do not miss any of the sights. The superb scenery continues past Lake Wapata into two spiral tunnels down to Kicking Horse Pass. Continue past Golden and through Roger’s Pass with its tunnels, snowsheds and glistening glaciers. Travel past Craigellachie, Silverdale and along the South Thompson river to Kamloops. Upon arrival in Kamloops, transfer to your hotel for an overnight stay.

Day 5: Vancouver

This morning you will re-board the train and continue your journey from Kamloops to Vancouver, following the Thompson River. Eventually the Thompson merges with the Fraser River, which the train follows nearly all the way to Vancouver. After the town of Hope the rugged canyons give way to the fertile fields of the Fraser River Valley. On arrival in Vancouver transfer to your hotel for a two-night stay.

Day 6: Vancouver

Vancouver has one of the most beautiful settings of any city in the world. It is surrounded by mountains, forests and beautiful islands. As Canada’s third largest city, it is a busy seaport and an important centre for fishing and timber industries. Free in Vancouver with an optional tour available. Take the popular excursion to Victoria, capital of British Columbia, where much of Canada’s British Victorian heritage is preserved. Our full-day optional trip includes a ferry across to the island, and visits the marvellous Butchart Gardens, Parliament building and the impressive Empress Hotel.

Day 7: Vancouver

Depart 17:00

Transfer to your magnificent Holland America Line cruise ship in Vancouver harbour. The ship will set sail at 5.00pm.

Day 8: Cruising the Inside Passage

Your cruise has begun and ahead lie days of luxurious relaxation - and exploration - as your ship traces the outline of North America’s most scenic coastal landscape.

As you cruise the Inside Passage for the first time, keep a watchful eye open for breaching whales, soaring eagles, shoreline grizzlies and inquisitive seals. This is a natural playground for wildlife.

Day 9: Cruising at Sea

Arrive 13:00 – Depart 22:30

Scenic cruising of Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier (weather permitting), followed by an early afternoon arrival in the capital of Alaska, Juneau. You are free to explore. Perhaps visit the mighty Mendenhall Glacier.

Day 10: Skagway

Arrive 07:00 – Depart 21:00

A morning arrival in Skagway, a lively relic of the famous Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Wooden sidewalks and turn of the century buildings recall the riotous living of those days.

Day 11: Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay will be the scenic highlight of your cruise. Great ice castles float serenely in radiant blue-green water. And, as a glacier ‘calves’ and thousands of tons of ice crash into the mirror-calm water, so a thunderous sound echoes across the bay.

Day 12: Ketchikan

Arrive 10:00 – Depart 18:00

Early afternoon arrival in Ketchikan, a quaint weathered town clinging to the mountainside. You may wish to take a seaplane flight over the spectacular Misty Fjords, explore the Totem Poles Park or simply enjoy a lunch of fresh Alaskan salmon.

Day 13: Cruising the Inside Passage

As you cruise the Inside Passage back towards Vancouver, the scenic splendours continue to unroll before you, a wonderland of ice and rock, forest and river, which will remain in your memory - and photo album - for a long time to come.

Day 14: Vancouver

Disembark your ship this morning in Vancouver and transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Day 15: Vancouver/UK

Arrival in the UK.