August 5 – 18, 2012
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Special Features
- Round trip Air from Springfield, MO
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Denali National Park
- Mt. McKinley Chalets
- Wildlife Viewing
- Scenic Rail in Domed Railcars
- Fairbanks, Alaska
- Tok, Alaska
- Panning for gold
- The Alaskan Highway
- Eagle to Dawson City
- Cruise the Yukon River on the Yukon Queen
- The Yukon Territory’s Whitehorse
- Skagway, Alaska
- Cruise the Inside Passage with Glacier Bay National Park, Ketchikan and Vancouver, British Columbia
Sunnyland has never offered a more extensive tour of Alaska than this tour. We depart
from Springfield-Branson airport and fly to Anchorage where we begin this extensive land tour of the interior of Alaska and beyond. All modes of transportation are used in this fantastic tour. We will have luxurious motor coaches, domed rail cars, riverboats, trains and finally a beautiful cruise ship. We will visit the expansive Denali National Park, home of Mt. McKinley, for a full day tour. Next we are off to explore a gold mine, then travel to the remote fishing village of Eagle to cruise the Yukon River to Dawson City. From there we venture to Canada’s Yukon Territory and the town of Whitehorse. After exploring Whitehorse and the Klondike Trail we’ll take the Alaskan Highway to White Pass and board a narrow gauge train to Skagway and connect with our cruise ship, Holland America’s Zuiderdam for a 4 night luxurious cruise down the inside passage to Vancouver.
See pictures from past Alaskan Cruises, but none as extensive as this tour.
Prices
Balcony Stateroom: $4,790/pp based on double occupancy
Oceanview Window Stateroom: $4,500/pp based on double occupancy
Interior Stateroom: $4,275/pp based on double occupancy
Trip Protection at Balcony Level: Platinum-$419, Standard-$309
Platinum allows cancellation for any reason up to 24 hours prior to departure. If canceling for a reason not covered, 90% cash returned. Standard allows cancellation for covered reasons.
Day 1, Sunday, August 5, 2012
We board our flight from Springfield to Anchorage, Alaska. Our Holland America tour escort will meet us and counsel us on dining, shopping and all of our recreation. Our escort will be with us the entire portion of our land excursions.
LODGING: Archorage, Alaska
Day 2, Monday, August 6, 2012
Today we’ll board the McKinley Explorer, the largest domed railcars on the historic Alaska Railroad route, and Alaska Scenic Byway. Sit back and relax in the observation lounge and watch magnificent scenery glide by on our way to Denali National Park. Tonight we will check into our lodge and explore on our own.
LODGING: Mt. McKinley Chalets
Day 3, Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Today we have a full day tour deep into Denali National Park with the Tundra Wilderness Tour, the best way to see wildlife and hopefully, Mt. McKinley.
Denali National Park, Overview:
natural ecosystem in the world. Watch for moose, sheep, caribou and bear and marvel at massive icefields. Every turn on the Park Road brings a new wonder as you journey miles into this astounding wilderness preserve with your knowledgeable driver/guide. Watch for ptarmigan, Alaska’s state bird, in the open valleys. See golden eagles patrolling the higher elevations and ridge tops. And listen to ravens, magpies and gray jays chattering in the brush. With any luck, you’ll see grizzlies crossing braided streams, Dall sheep traversing rugged cliffs and moose foraging in upland meadows. And this unfolding adventure leads to the lofty, isolated grandeur of Mt. McKinley itself – a wonder to behold.LODGING: Mt. McKinley Chalet
Day 4, Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The morning is free to explore this magnificent park on our own. This afternoon we reboard the luxurious McKinley Explorer domed train and watch the magnificent scenery glide by. We are bound for Fairbanks, Alaska, Alaska’s Golden Heart City.
LODGING: Fairbanks, Alaska
Day 5, Thursday, August 9, 2012
We depart this morning for a tour of Fairbanks, Alaska’s second largest city. We will see the sights, including the TransAlaska Pipeline, on our way to the Discovery Riverboat where we will glide through the Chena and Tanana rivers and learn about native American life, dog sledding, salmon fishing and fur trapping in this most unique setting depicting life in Alaska.
LODGING: Tok, Alaska
MEALS: Lunch
Day 6, Friday, August 10, 2012
Today is a full day of incredible sights and experiences. First, we’ll travel the Taylor Highway to the remote Alaskan village of Eagle, a National Historic Site. There will be picture stops like Polly Summit (an expansive viewpoint) along the way. We will then board the Yukon Queen for a cruise up 102 miles of the Yukon River Hear tales of river pilots, mail carriers, Mounties and prospectors as you glide through a wilderness that
goes on forever. Arrive this evening in Dawson City, Yukon Territory – a living museum of the gold rush. Enjoy an overnight stay in the heart of this, the Klondike National Historic Site.
LODGING: Dawson City
MEALS: Lunch
Day 7, Saturday, August 11, 2012
Today is ours to explore the exciting town of Dawson City. Dawson City, now a National
Historic Site, is where the search for gold transformed a small fishing camp at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers into the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle. Jack London came here as a 21-year-old prospector. A replica of his original cabin, with his famous signature on the back wall, is part of the flavor of a town that has turned back the clock to preserve a rich living history.
LODGING: Dawson City
Day 8, Sunday, August 12, 2012
Today we follow the route of Klondike Gold Stampeders to Whitehorse. We will sightsee along the Klondike Highway past Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River . Whitehorse, overlooking Lake Schwatka and Miles Canyon, once commanded a very different view. This is where thousands of Stampeders traveling down the Yukon River to Dawson met the most treacherous obstacle on the entire route – the Whitehorse Rapids. Nearly 300 boats were dashed to bits on the rocks, and five people drowned. But nothing stopped the determined flow of miners to the Klondike. It wasn’t until the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad was completed and Yukon riverboat travel took hold, however, that Whitehorse earned a firm place on the map.
LODGING: Whitehorse
Day 9, Monday, August 13, 2012
Today’s travels take us to an amazing tapestry of ever-changing scenery. View Emerald Lake, the town of Carcross and Lake Bennett, where stampeders built their boats and cast their fates upon the tumultuous waters of the Yukon River. At Fraser, we’ll board the nostalgic 108-year-old White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad and descend from 3,000 feet
to sea level through some of Alaska’s most spectacular country. The rugged terrain is the same the miners used with mules during the Klondike Gold Rush back in 1898. In Skagway, home of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, you’ll have the rest of the day to explore the town, relax at the Red Onion Saloon, and take in the local melodrama. We will overnight in a downtown hotel.
LODGING: Skagway, Alaska
Day 10, Tuesday, August 14, 2012
We bid farewell to our Holland America tour escort and board the beautiful Zuirderdam, 
the first in the Vista-class series in Holland America’s fleet. She’s a mildly hefty lady at 82,305 tons with elegantly appointed public rooms and spacious staterooms. By cruise standards, she’s a medium sized ship accommodating just over 1,900 passengers with 11 decks, 4 restaurants, two show lounges and many other amenities.
LODGING: The Zuirderdam
MEALS: Lunch Dinner
Day 11, Wednesday, August 15, 2012
We began our journey down the Inside Passage last night, but today we are in for some 
spectacular scenery in Glacier Bay National Park where we’ll see ice-studded fjords with a full eight hours with a Park Service Ranger.
Glacier Bay Overview:
LODGING: The Zuiderdam
MEALS: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 12, Thursday, August 16, 2012
We continue our journey down the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Alaska, famous for its rich
native culture, salmon fishing and Misty Fjords. Built out over the water and climbing weathered stairways, Ketchikan clings to the shores of Tongass Narrows and drapes the mountains with a cheerful air. Besides the main attractions – Creek Street, the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Village, try a flightseeing trip to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument–a transformational adventure not to be missed. These deep water fjords left by retreating glaciers left granite cliffs towering thousands of feet above the sea and countless waterfalls cascading into placid waters. The souvenir photos you’ll take from the pontoons of the plane are worth the trip alone.
LODGING: The Zuiderdam
MEALS: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 13, Friday, August 17, 2012
Today is our last full day on the Zuiderdam and it is not to be wasted. We are still in for fantastic scenic cruising of the Inside Passage. We can also enjoy the many amenities of our ship including the Spa, live Broadway type revues and elegant dining.
LODGING: The Zuiderdam
MEALS: Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Day 14, Saturday, August 18, 2012
We bid farewell to our lovely cruiseship this morning and transfer to the Vancouver airport to begin our journey back to Springfield, MO.
MEALS: Breakfast