Grand Western Canada with Alaska Cruise

  • Alaska + 3 more
  • Cruise and Tour
  • 20
from  £5,169pp
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Introduction

Who says you can’t have it all? Certainly not Canadians! From international cities to national parks, snow-dusted summits to vineyard-dotted valleys, dramatic glaciers to soothing hot springs, and the calmest of lakes to the wildest of creatures, Western Canada presents the greatest range of sights and cities, not to mention mountains! Pack your bags for a variety of adventure as we’ve packed the best of British Columbia and Alberta into one encompassing vacation. On this grand tour of Western Canada, you’ll spend time in the multicultural metropolis of Vancouver and the British-infused city of Victoria before trading the pubs of the “garden city” for the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Devour the majestic scenery of four national parks – Glacier, Yoho, Banff, and Jasper – get a taste of resort life in renowned Whistler, sip your way through the vineyards of charming lakeside Kelowna, and clink your glasses to mountains of fun. Make a grand vacation even grander by adding a leisurely Alaska cruise to your tour of Western Canada. While your ship will sail through the glacial beauty of the Inside Passage, Tracy Arm, and Glacier Bay National Park, you’ll personally cruise through several exciting ports of call, including the capital city of Juneau, the gold rush town of Skagway, and totem-pole-dotted Ketchikan.

 

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Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Vancouver

Welcome to Vancouver, your gateway to the Canadian Rockies! At 6 pm, meet your traveling companions for a welcome drink. Your Tour Director will prepare you for your upcoming adventure.

Day 2: Vancouver > Kelowna

Depart Vancouver and travel into the agricultural region of the Okanagan Valley to the thriving lakefront resort community of Kelowna. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant tonight.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 3: Kelowna > Glacier National Park > Banff

Drive east and enjoy the panoramic vistas of peaks exceeding 10,000 feet on Rogers Pass at the summit in Canada’s Glacier National Park. Continue over the Continental Divide into Alberta before descending Kicking Horse Pass into Banff National Park.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4: Banff

Breakfast this morning is served on top of Sulphur Mountain. Take a scenic ride on the Globus Local Favorite Banff Gondola to the top of the mountain and then enjoy spectacular views of the valley below as you savor a flavorful meal. Additional sightseeing in Banff includes a visit to Bow Falls. The balance of the day is at leisure. Consider an optional helicopter flightseeing trip for a bird’s-eye view of the Rockies.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5: Banff > Lake Louise > Columbia Icefield > Jasper

Visit Lake Louise, whose blue-green waters form a perfect mirror reflection of Mount Victoria. Continue on the awe-inspiring Icefields Parkway past towering peaks and immense hanging glaciers to the Columbia Icefield for a thrilling ride on the Ice Explorer. Discover the power of nature as you drive on the Athabasca Glacier. Continue along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park. Tonight, enjoy a special fireside chat with drumming, singing, and indigenous stories shared by the legendary Globus Local Favorite Warrior Women.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 6: Jasper: Excursion to Maligne Lake

Visit Lake Louise, whose blue-green waters form a perfect mirror reflection of Mount Victoria. Continue on the awe-inspiring Icefields Parkway past towering peaks and immense hanging glaciers to the Columbia Icefield for a thrilling ride on the Ice Explorer. Discover the power of nature as you drive on the Athabasca Glacier. Continue along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park. Tonight, enjoy a special fireside chat with drumming, singing, and indigenous stories shared by the legendary Globus Local Favourite Warrior Women.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 7: Jasper > Kamloops

Scenic drive on Yellowhead Highway past Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, en route to Kamloops.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 8: Kamloops > Whistler

Travel to the alpine resort of Whistler, nestled at the base of breathtaking Blackcomb Mountain, for a 2-night stay at the luxury basecamp, the Fairmont Chateau. The evening is free with time to explore.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 9: Whistler

Full free day to explore all that Whistler has to offer.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 10: Whistler > Victoria

Enjoy a visit and private breakfast at the Globus Local Favorite Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, dedicated to the history and culture of the First Nations people. Then travel west to catch a BC Ferry to Vancouver Island for Victoria, said to be the most British city outside of Britain. See major attractions on your city orientation tour, including the Fairmont Empress Hotel, Bastion Square, and Thunderbird Park.

Meals included: Breakfast

Day 11: Victoria

This morning and afternoon are free to explore on your own; your Tour Director may recommend an optional wildlife and whale-watching trip. For shoppers, Government Street’s elegant shops and Market Square’s collection of specialty stores are good places to start. Later, visit world-famous Globus Local Favorite Butchart Gardens, followed by a special dinner in the former greenhouse, renovated to the Blue Poppy Restaurant.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 12: Victoria > Vancouver

Board a BC Ferry and cross the Strait of Georgia through the spectacular Gulf Islands, an archipelago known for its Mediterranean-type climate. Tour Vancouver, including the waterfront, Chinatown, and Stanley Park with its old-growth evergreen forests and totem poles. In the evening, join your Tour Director and fellow travel companions for a festive farewell dinner tonight.

Meals included: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 13: Vancouver (Embarkation)

Embark on your 7-Night Alaska’s Inside Passage cruise.

Included meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 14: At sea

Alaska’s Inside Passage is a protected network of waterways that wind through glacier-cut fjords and lush temperate rain forests along the rugged coast of Southeast Alaska. Arguably one of the greatest cruising routes in the world, the Inside Passage stretches through stunning landscapes, from Misty Fjords National Monument to famed Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 15: Tracy Arm > Juneau

Steep cliffs and glacier-covered mountains flank the Tracy Arm fjord, fringed by the largest intact coastal temperate rain forest in the United States. Old-growth trees colonized Tracy Arm's mouth long ago as the Ice Age retreated. Continue cruising to Juneau, Alaska and visit the most remote, most beautiful, and strangest state capital in the United States. Surrounded by water, forest and mountain sights, visitors seeking things to do in Juneau indoors and outdoors can hike a glacier, eat fresh-caught fish on a seaside patio and tour a grand capitol building all in one day.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 16: Skagway

At the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, the port town of Skagway served as the primary gateway to the legendary gold fields, and quickly grew into Alaska’s largest settlement. It was then a raucous frontier hub packed with trading posts, saloons, and guesthouses. As the gold rush faded into the 1900s, so did Skagway—but today it has been reinvigorated as a gateway for a new kind of visitor: those looking to explore Alaska’s colorful history, pristine wildlife, and unrivaled natural beauty.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 17: Cruising Glacier Bay National Park

On your cruise to Glacier Bay (A UNESCO World Heritage Site), close your eyes and take in the sounds—the creaks and groans of “living” ice, the shrill cries of gulls and soaring eagles, the splash of a breaching humpback whale. Frosted peaks towering over mossy forests, wide tidewater glaciers (there are seven in the park), and sighting wildlife is a given on Glacier Bay cruises, but every experience in this changing biosphere is unique.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 18: Ketchikan

Take an adventure and cruise to Ketchikan, Alaska. Alaska's "First City" of Ketchikan is so named because it’s the first major landfall for most cruisers as they enter the picturesque fjords of the Inside Passage, where the town clings to the banks of the Tongass Narrows, flanked by green forests nurtured by abundant rain.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 19: Cruising Inside Passage

Scenic cruising through the Inside Passage again offering opportunities to spot some of Alaska’s most iconic wildlife.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 20: Vancouver (Disembarkation)

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. Transfer independently back to the airport for your overnight flight back to the UK.

Alternatively, speak with your Discover North America Travel Specialist about possible trip extensions.