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| Daily Itinerary: |
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| Day 1 | Wednesday, July 24 Fairbanks: Motorcoach to Indianapolis International Airport. Upon arrival at the airport, you are responsible for your baggage check in and fees (approximately $30 a bag). Fly to Fairbanks, Alaska our home for two nights. Fairbanks is now Alaska’s second largest metropolis known as the “Golden Heart City,” a testimony to the warmth of the people. Transfer to our hotel along the shores of the Chena River. (Meal Money)
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| Day 2 | Thursday, July 25 Fairbanks: Our day is spent exploring the city of Fairbanks including stops at Gold Dredge #8. Learn about gold in Alaska and you even get to try your hand at panning! Next up is the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, one of the greatest engineering marvels of the 20th Century. This afternoon, we climb on board an authentic Alaskan Sternwheeler, the Riverboat Discovery, and take a journey back in time along the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Since 1950, the Brinkley family have guided visitors into nature to tour with native Alaskans in a traditional village and meet some of the pioneers who call this land home. While cruising, we will see one of Alaska’s bush pilots take off right from the river. Further down the river, share in the excitement, joy, and hard work of an Iditarod dog kennel, ran by the family of the late Iditarod Champion Susan Butcher. This evening enjoy time in Pioneer Park with an Alaskan Salmon Bake. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 3 | Friday, July 26 Denali: Travel on the world famous Alaska Railroad Dome Car Train from Fairbanks to Denali. Enjoy Gold Star service complete with breakfast on the Denali Star. Travel past the towns of Nenana and Healy many times paralleling the Nenana River. Upon arrival in Denali, transfer to the hotel, our home for two nights for a welcome and overview. After lunch as a group, you will have optional excursions or time to explore the unique surroundings that make up the village that borders Denali National Park and Preserve. (Breakfast, Lunch)
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| Day 4 | Saturday, July 27 Denali: Board a tour bus (similar to a school bus) for a Tundra Wilderness Tour. This tour takes you 62 miles into Denali National Park and Preserve and lasts as long as five hours. Incredible scenery, a narrated history of Park Road, and a chance to view the park’s wildlife. Optional Excursions available late afternoon and evening. (Breakfast, Box Lunch)
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| Day 5 | Sunday, July 28 Anchorage: Today, we make our way south to Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage. The drive passes by the town of Cantwell before reaching Broad Pass, offering some of the most beautiful scenery along this highway. The road continues through Denali State Park which borders the highway between the Talkeetna Mountains and the Alaska range. Time to explore and enjoy lunch in the quaint town of Talkeetna before passing through the growing community of Wasilla. Our journey continues across the Palmer Hay Flats, Knik River, and Eagle River during the last 35 miles of our journey before arriving in Downtown Anchorage. Alaska’s largest city located on Cook Inlet will be our home for the night. Free time to shop, sightsee, and enjoy dinner. (Breakfast, Meal Money)
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| Day 6 | Monday, July 29 Seward: This morning, we will travel to the port city of Seward. Seward is perched on a peninsula where the ice age has had lasting power. Where ocean and mountains meet, the frosty waters and rugged coast of Resurrection Bay sustain birds, sea mammals, and other marine life. We will arrive in time for you to check out some of the local stores, have lunch, and visit the Alaska SeaLife Center. Alaska’s only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility. A “window on the sea” shows us close encounters with puffins, octopus, sea lions, and other marine animals while watching ocean scientists study Alaska’s rich seas and diverse marine life. Late afternoon board the Norwegian Jewel to begin our seven day Southbound Alaska and Hubbard Glacier cruise. Offering sweeping ocean views, a dazzling at-sea experience, panoramic vistas, new dining experiences, poolside movie screen, complimentary onboard productions, and duty-free designer shops make for a perfect home away from home. (Breakfast, Dinner)
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| Day 7 | Tuesday, July 30 Cruising Hubbard Glacier: Get acquainted with our ship and enjoy all the scenery as we start our cruise. Hubbard Glacier is 76 miles long, 7 miles wide and 350 feet above the water line where it meets the bay. Watch as massive chunks of ice crash into the bay, a process known as calving that the Tlingit people call "White Thunder." See the Hubbard Glacier in warmth through your ship's floor-to-ceiling windows! (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 8 | Wednesday, July 31 Icy Strait Point: Icy Strait Point is Alaska Native owned-and-operated, with all profits directly supporting the community of Hoonah, Alaska’s largest Native Tlingit village. Their dedicated staff - 85% of which call Hoonah home - is committed to providing a one-of-a-kind experience for every guest that is infused with their local Native culture and hospitality. Shore excursions include over twenty exciting tours, a restored 1912 salmon cannery and museum, nature trails, and even a beach! Fly down North America’s longest and highest zip line, ride the new Skyglider Gondola to the top of the Mountain, whale-watch in the whale-rich waters of nearby Port Frederick and Point Adolphus, explore the backroads in your personal ATV, and search for the coastal brown bears that inhabit the area. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 9 | Thursday, August 1 Juneau: Surrounded by fjords, forest and snow-capped mountains, Juneau is one gorgeous state capital. Its historic downtown harkens back to its gold-rush origins and you can still pan for gold. But nature is the priceless treasure. Together as a group, we will explore the Mendenhall Glacier. Enjoy a narrated drive along Juneau's Gastineau Channel and through the Mendenhall Valley on the way to the blue ice of the Mendenhall Glacier. Pass by Gold Creek, where gold was discovered in 1880, and the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge. Soon, the valley slowly reveals the magnificent treasure hidden at its end. Spend time at the glacier, walk the trails, snap exquisite photos and explore the visitor center. Return to Juneau for lunch, time to explore, or ride the Mount Roberts Tramway at your leisure. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 10 | Friday, August 2 Skagway: History, beauty, and adventure meet in Skagway, Alaska’s first incorporated city and The Gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Nestled in the northernmost reaches of the Inside Passage, the streets are lined with wooden boardwalks and restored buildings, looking much as they did 100 years ago. A tour most people enjoy is the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. This unique railroad symbolizes accomplishments in adventure and pioneering - of triumph over challenge. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 11 | Saturday, August 3 Ketchikan: Ketchikan, Alaska is truly the beginning of the last frontier. Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska's famed Inside Passage - a network of waterways that snake through some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful wilderness in the world - Ketchikan is best known for three things: feisty salmon, idyllic scenery, and an incredibly rich Alaska Native culture. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 12 | Sunday, August 4 Cruising Inside Passage: The fabled Inside Passage is one of the most scenic sea-lanes in the world, and one of the few where deep-draft vessels can sail close to steep mountain walls. The scenery is unbelievable, with forests in a hundred shades of green, tumbling turquoise glaciers, and evocative towns loaded with history, culture, and adventure. With most of Southwest Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, the Inside Passage is a lifeline to the outside world. Cruising through the Inside passage is what has made Alaska so popular. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
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| Day 13 | Monday, August 5 Vancouver: Depart for the airport to fly from Vancouver, British Columbia to Indianapolis International Airport. Upon arrival at the airport, you are responsible for your baggage check in and fees (approximately $30 a bag). (Breakfast, Meal Money)
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| Day 14 | Tuesday, August 6 Indianapolis: Overnight flight arriving at Indianapolis International Airport early in the morning. Motorcoach to Terre Haute. (Meal Money)
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