Experience the beauty of Yellowstone, Alaska and The Rockies on this unique bucket list adventure. This 18-day tour and cruise is perfect for intrepid travellers seeking untouched wilderness, exciting gold rush settlements, world-renowned natural wonders and more.
Your journey begins in Calgary, Canada, where you’ll discover enchanting Lake Louise and take a sightseeing tour of Banff’s treasures. Enjoy a day at leisure in Canmore where you can join an optional activity to explore Jasper National Park and Columbia Icefields Parkway before heading across the border into the USA. Here you can immerse yourself in America's first and oldest national park, Yellowstone. This is your chance to experience geothermal wonders, towering mountains and pristine lakes. Keep your eyes peeled for grizzly bears, wolves, herds of bison and more in this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire the rolling wheat fields of Kellogg and imagine the romantic American West of Idaho as you head to Washington to wander the artisan stalls of Pike Market Place in Seattle.
You’ll then board the Princess ‘Discovery Princess’ ship for your 7-night cruise through Alaska and Canada. The ship boasts gourmet dining options, a miniature putting course, original musical productions at the Princess Theatre and more. Encounter cultural Tlingit totems in Ketchikan, marvel at cascading waterfalls in the narrow Endicott Arm fjord and wander the colourful buildings in downtown Juneau. Step back in time to learn about the gold rush history of Skagway, spend a day docked in quaint Victoria of British Columbia and more before heading back to Seattle and flying home with cherished memories.
This is a unique itinerary at an unbelievable price with return international full-service flights, a 7-night cruise, 8 nights of hotel accommodation, all meals included while cruising and more.
Want more? Add extra days to your itinerary with Arrive Early in Calgary, USA and Stay Behind in Seattle, USA packages. You can also upgrade to a Balcony or Mini-Suite cabin aboard the Princess Cruises ship.
Please note: Extra charges may apply, see the Important Info section and checkout cart for fees and details
Today, you'll depart from Australia (or New Zealand) for Calgary, Canada. Upon arrival, make your own way to the hotel for check-in. Check-in is from 15:00 onwards and luggage storage will be available for any travellers with an early arrival.
Please note: Due to flight scheduling and availability, some departures may occur on Day 0. Affected customers must be available to depart the day before. Flight times will be indicated on your final documents, issued 4-6 weeks before departure.
Overnight: Country Inn & Suites Calgary Airport or similar, Calgary, Alberta
Meals included: In-Flight
Your adventure begins with an early morning meet and greet at the hotel lobby before driving approximately 180 kilometres to Lake Louise. Prepare yourself for one of the highlights of your journey, Canada’s 'Diamond in the Wilderness', the gorgeous Lake Louise. Spend time relaxing and exploring the surroundings of this iconic and beautiful area. Take a walk around the edge of the lake and gaze at the towering mountains or venture inside the phenomenal Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel (additional charges may apply).
Afterwards, you'll continue onto the resort town of Banff where you'll enjoy a sightseeing tour of the Bow River, the Hoodoos and Bow Falls. You'll then finish the day in the beautiful town of Canmore where you will check in and enjoy an evening at leisure.
Please note: The total travel for this day is approximately 585 kilometres.
Overnight: Canmore Inn & Suites, or similar, Canmore
Meals included: None
Today enjoy a free day to explore Canmore at your leisure. Alternatively, join an optional day trip to visit Jasper National Park and the famous Icefields Parkway.
Optional Activity: Jasper National Park & Columbia Icefields - $300 per person
This morning you'll head for the Icefields Parkway in Banff and Jasper National Parks, considered one of the most beautiful drivesin the world. The jaw-dropping scenery is highlighted by ancient glaciers, waterfalls cascading from
dramatic rock sprees and turquoise lakes set in sweeping valleys. Today’s drive will be approximately 420 kilometres return but you'll have views of Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Summit and Mistaya Canyon which are sure to please all.
On arrival at Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, you'll enjoy riding the “Ice Explorer” onto the surface of the stunning Athabasca Glacier aboard specialised vehicles that allow visitors to traverse its icy surface and immerse themselves in the awe-inspiring landscape. With its unparalleled beauty, accessibility and educational value, the Columbia Icefield is an unforgettable destination. You'll then finish the day back in Canmore for an evening at leisure.
Please note: The Icefield Snowcoach is subject to favourable weather conditions. If it’s closed, you will be notified in advance and an alternative tour or refund will be offered.
Overnight: Canmore Inn & Suites, or similar, Canmore
Meals included: None
This morning you'll depart Canmore for a big day of travel and journey south towards the USA border. You'll then continue across the border into Montana to Great Falls where you'll check into your accommodation for an evening at leisure after an approximately 700-kilometre travel day.
Overnight: The Great Falls Inn or similar, Great Falls
Meals included: None
Depart early this morning for another big day travelling past scenic mountains and national forests to Yellowstone, established in 1872 as the world’s first national park. There are so many wonders to discover in Yellowstone from the spouting geysers, bubbling mud pots, turquoise hot springs and colourful pools.
You'll then finish the day in Gardiner, Montana (otherwise known as West Yellowstone) where you will check into your accommodation and have an evening at leisure after an approximately 680-kilometre travel day.
Please note: The routing and areas visited within Yellowstone are subject to favourable weather and/or road conditions. When conditions are unfavourable, routing may be adjusted accordingly.
Overnight: Absaroka Lodge or similar, Gardiner
Meals included: None
Today you'll enjoy another amazing day exploring more of Yellowstone National Park.
Please note: Touring today will be weather dependent so your guide will pick the best sightseeing on offer depending on the weather and conditions.
Overnight: Absaroka Lodge or similar, Gardiner
Meals included: None
Rise early for the chance to see wildlife and explore Yellowstone’s natural wonders and unique environment.
You'll then take a scenic drive filled with American history as you pass meandering rivers once brimming with gold and abundant wildlife that attract rugged mountain men, gold miners and pioneers of the Frontier Days in American history.
Sparsely inhabited, one can picture the romantic American West as it was and remains today.
You'll then finish the day in Kellogg, Idaho, where you will check into your accommodation and have an evening at leisure after an approximately 650-kilometre travel day.
Overnight: Silver Inn or similar, Kellogg
Meals included: None
This morning you'll depart Kellogg for the rolling wheat fields and wine country of Eastern Washington State. Locals of this area boast they are surrounded by dozens of lakes left behind by glaciers of the ice age. You will find there’s something magical about this day that’s difficult to describe.
You'll arrive in Seattle where you will check in for an evening at leisure after an approximately 570-kilometre travel day.
Overnight: Ramada Tukwila or similar
Meals included: None
Depart: 15:00
Today, your first visit is to the Pike Place Market which is Seattle’s original farmers market and the centre of locally sourced, artisan and specialty foods.
Afterwards, you'll transfer to the Seattle Cruise Terminal to board your 7-night Alaska cruise.
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Dinner
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Arrive: 06:30
Depart: 15:00
Ketchikan is known as Alaska's 'First City' because it's the first major community travellers come to as they take the journey north. Located on an island, Ketchikan began life as a fishing camp. In the early 1900s, when gold was Alaska's claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan. The growth of these industries helped make this Inside Passage port Alaska's fifth-largest city.
Visitors to Ketchikan will be intrigued by its rich Native heritage, which includes a collection of totem poles at Totem Heritage Center (additional charges may apply). The Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian are all a part of the city's colourful history.
With its abundance of salmon, Ketchikan is also a sportfishing paradise. Sightseers will be impressed with both the scenic town and its surroundings, especially Misty Fjords National Monument (not included).
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier (Scenic Cruising)
From 05:00 to 09:00
This narrow fjord is located approximately 50 miles southeast of Juneau and is part of the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness area. Breathtaking Endicott Arm extends over 30 miles long with nearly one-fifth of its area covered in ice. At the head of the fjord, tidewater glaciers such as the Dawes Glacier, regularly expel enormous chunks of ice into the waters below in a magnificent process known as calving. During the summer, icebergs float along the surface of the glistening water in an array of sizes from just a few inches up to three stories wide.
Protected within the Tongass National Forest, Endicott Arm is a haven for wildlife. Black and brown bears, deer, wolves, harbour seals, mountain goats and a variety of seabirds have been spotted in the area. As you glide through the pristine fjord, you'll first pass by a lush forest where a number of beautiful waterfalls cascade down before being treated to views of snowcapped mountains and blue-tinged glaciers.
Juneau
Arrive 12.30
Depart 21:00
In 1880, it was slow going for Joe Juneau and Richard Harris as they searched for gold with the help of native guides. After climbing mountains, forging streams and facing countless difficulties, they found nuggets "as large as beans" and from their discovery came three of the largest gold mines in the world. By the end of World War II, more than $150 million in gold had been mined. Eventually, the mines closed but the town Joe Juneau founded became the capital of Alaska and the business of gold was replaced by the business of government. Some 30,000 people live in Juneau and its total area makes it one of the biggest towns, in size, in the world. Today Juneau is famous not only for gold and government but also for its breathtakingly beautiful glaciers and stunning views of both water and mountains.
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Arrive: 06:00
Depart: 17:00
Skagway was the gateway to the gold fields for the thousands who flocked to Alaska and the Yukon with the hope of striking it rich. Skagway may have boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it wasn't the easiest. Over 100 years ago, the White Pass route through the Coast Mountains and the shorter but steeper Chilkoot Trail were used by countless stampeders. Many a would-be miner perished on the treacherous Chilkoot Trail. The gold rush was a boon so by 1898, Skagway was Alaska's largest town with a population of about 10,000 with hotels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses prospering. When the gold yield dwindled in 1900, so did the population as miners quickly shifted to new finds in Nome. Today, Skagway has approximately 1,000 residents and still retains the flavour of the gold rush era.
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Arrive: 07:00
Depart: 00:00
Victoria exudes old-world charm and fragrant colourful flowers can be found everywhere.
Founded in 1843 by James Douglas of the Hudson's Bay Company, the city was first known as Fort Victoria. By 1849, Vancouver Island was a British colony and Victoria was its capital. In 1858, Victoria was a tent city and the base for some 25,000 prospectors on their way to the Frasier River gold fields. When Vancouver Island was incorporated with mainland British Columbia in 1868, Victoria became the capital of the entire province.
Although it's a port city, Victoria is not as industrially oriented as Vancouver. The harbours, especially Inner Harbour, are dotted with pleasure craft, ferries and floatplanes. The city is renowned for its beautiful gardens, charming houses and very British feel.
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Disembark: 07:00
After breakfast, disembark and make your own way to the airport for your flight home.
Please note: Some flights will depart late in the evening. Luggage storage is available at both the cruise port and Seattle International Airport (fees apply). Some flights may depart one day later so complimentary airport hotel accommodation will be provided for affected passengers, but you will still be required to make your own way to the airport hotel.
Overnight: Princess Cruises ‘Discovery Princess’ Ship
Meals included: Breakfast; In-Flight
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