Day 1 – Home to Anchorage
We fly to Anchorage today, and meet our coach driver/guide. We’ll do some souvenir shopping and make a lunch stop before we check into the Sheraton Anchorage for the next three nights. Relax, unpack, and join us for dinner at one of our favorite Anchorage restaurants.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Sheraton Anchorage (3 Nights)
Day 2 – Anchorage
This morning we’ll visit the 25-acre Alaska Native Heritage Center and tour this museum devoted to the unique cultures and traditions that make up this great state. We’ll experience a fish hatchery tour & museum before a stop at the native Alaskan ULU Factory for an interesting knife demonstration and shopping. After another enjoyable day in Anchorage, you’ll have dinner and the evening on your own while you explore more of downtown Anchorage.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 3 – Anchorage
Today we take a day trip to Whittier, Alaska to experience Prince William Sound from the water’s perspective. Get ready for an adventure as we take a cruise with a naturalist guide who will help us spot bald eagles, common murres, cormorants, kittiwakes, and other various birds. Steller sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, orca & humpback whales, and porpoise are also common sights. Listen for the unmistakable rumbling of a calving glacier, waiting for the moment when a huge block of ice crashes into the sea. We will discover a waterfall & glaciers up-close! We enjoy a luncheon onboard. This will be a day you will long remember! We’ll head back to Anchorage tonight for our last overnight in the city.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4 – Anchorage to Denali National Park
Head north with a stop at the Iditarod Trail Headquarters to learn about the “Last Great Race.” You might even try some optional dog sledding on your own or hold a sled dog pup! Motor in luxury on this beautiful drive to Denali National Park with several photo opportunities along the way. Journey into the grand interior giving you an idea of how vast the “last frontier” really is. We’ll stop in the charming village of Talkeetna for lunch on your own and a little exploring before reaching our hotel nestled amongst the beautiful scenery and wilderness of Denali National Park. Join us this evening for an Alaskan Cabin Nite Dinner and entertainment.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Denali Park Village
Day 5 – Denali National Park to Fairbanks
Early morning is the best time to see wildlife in the park, so off we go deep into Denali National Park on a bright & early Tundra Wildlife Tour. Keep in mind that you are entering a self contained undisturbed preserve and the animals are in their natural habitat. This is truly an experience to remember as you may see your first wild grizzly bear, wolf, moose, or dall sheep. If weather permits, you may see Denali towering over 20,320 feet. Later this afternoon we’ll board the Wilderness Express Dome Train for some spectacular views as we travel to Fairbanks. Dinner is served aboard the train as we make our way to Fairbanks for a three night stay.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Sophie Station Suites (3 Nights)
Day 6 – Fairbanks
Today is filled with a variety of sights and even a chance for some adventures on your own if you choose! We’ve got a full day packed, first we’re off to a local reindeer ranch for some reindeer education and a chance to walk with the animals. After lunch on your own, there will be Christmas themed shopping at Santa’s House in North Pole, Alaska. Check out the huge displays of ornaments, clothing, and Christmas-themed gifts. Maybe even get the Santa letters ordered for your grandkids! Then we’ll make a stop at the Morris Thompson Cultural Visitor Center and at Golden Heart Plaza. We’ll return to our hotel early enough to enjoy some free time on your own or join the rafting adventure. *If you prefer to forego all that makes up our tour today to partake in some optional adventure challenges, today is your chance! Visit with the R&J office once you’ve made your tour reservation and we can help you get signed up for the side by side and/or rafting excursions! Don’t wait as excursion space is extremely limited. These costs are not included in your tour price and will be an additional cost to you.*
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 7 – Fairbanks
Board the Sternwheeler “Discovery” for an exciting cruise along the scenic Chena and Tanana Rivers. You’ll hear native guides share their unique culture and traditions at a recreated Athabascan Indian Camp. You’ll also see sled dog demonstrations along the way. Lunch is at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge. Later visit the Gold Dredge 8 and learn about goldmining techniques and its colorful history. And you’ll have your own opportunity to pan for gold. We’ve also planned a photo opportunity at the Alaska Oil Pipeline. We’ll gather tonight for an authentic Alaskan salmon bake and a musical comedy.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 – Fairbanks to Valdez, AK
Today is a travel day through the heart of Alaska through some of the most breathtaking scenery as we make our way to a spectacular place that’s “untouched yet within reach,” Valdez. Located near the head of a deep fjord in Prince William Sound, Valdez is a mix of tidewater glaciers, rainforests, and the majestic Chugach Mountains. Valdez is the perfect destination if you are looking to step away from the typical and into the real Alaska. Valdez offers unparalleled natural scenery matched only by the abundant activities offered throughout the year. We only have a short time in Valdez to explore the area, but thankfully we’re in the Land of the Midnight Sun!
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel: Mountain Sky Hotel
Day 9 – Valdez to Seward, AK
Today we’ll head out early for an adventure cruise across Prince William Sound to Whittier, aboard a narrated cruise through the sound. See beautiful glaciers, abundant wildlife and unprecedented scenery along the route. We’ll enjoy lunch on board. Once we arrive in Whittier, we’ll board our waiting motorcoach. We travel the Seward Highway with several scenic stops along the way, including some time at Exit Glacier. Then we check into our lodge outside of Seward for the next two nights. We’ll enjoy a meal together on the property tonight and you’ll have time under the midnight sun to explore more of our resort area or shuttle into Seward to check out the town.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Aspen Hotel (2 Nights)
Day 10 – Seward
Today we’ll explore more around Seward and the Kenai Peninsula aboard our vessel for a half day cruise through the icy waters of Resurrection Bay where we might spot whales, puffins or otters. With the help of our guide on board, we’ll learn about the massive glaciers, the snowy mountains and the jagged cliffs along the way to Fox Island. Fox Island boasts rain forests and remote beaches. We’ll settle in for a wonderful lunch as we learn more about the island. Once we depart our cruise for the day in late afternoon, you’ll be able to explore more of Seward and dinner on your own downtown, or head back to our lodge for the evening.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 11 – Seward to Homer, AK
We’ll get up early and travel to Homer, AK, known as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World. You might take the opportunity for an optional halibut fishing excursion if you’d like. If you choose not to join the fishing excursion, there is much to explore in and around Homer. We’ll check into our hotel which will be our home for the next two nights then gather as a group once the fisherman return, for a pizza party and fishing stories.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Seward Windsong (2 Nights)
Day 12 – Homer
Sleep in this morning or take a walk in downtown Homer before we head to where the action is, the Homer Spit; filled with restaurants, gift shops, and wonderful spots along the marinas for watching the fishing boats come and go. There is much to explore in and around Homer today. Perhaps you’ll wish to visit the interesting Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and/or the Pratt Museum where you can learn all about Homer & the surrounding area as well as take a nice nature walk.
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 13 – Homer to Home
Enjoy our last breakfast together and some time relaxing and just taking in the scenery before we begin our journey north towards Anchorage & home. We’ll again make a few scenic stops along the way. We’ll also visit the Norman Lowell Art Gallery where we’ll be awed by the breathtaking masterpieces of this talented resident artist of Alaska. Then you’ll have a chance to make your final Alaska shopping purchases. Once in Anchorage, we’ll enjoy one last farewell meal together at a local favorite, The Peanut Farm, before our coach drops us at the airport for our overnight flight home.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 14 – Arrive Home
Arrive bright & early to the MSP airport after a Grand Alaska Tour!
Flyaway Per Person Pricing Information
Flyaway Travel Protection Per Person
Travel Bucks
Deposit Due
Passport Needed
Tour Pace
Price Includes
Roundtrip airfare from MSP including baggage fees, all taxes & surcharges approx. $100 per person included, 25 Meals, all hotels & activities as stated in brochure, Expert Local Driver/Guides incl. their Tips.
07/05/2024 07/18/2024
Tour Map
Tour Highlights
Anchorage
Native American history at multiple venues!
Denali National Park/Fairbanks
Morning is the best time to see wildlife in the park, so we travel deep into Denali National Park on a Tundra Wildlife Tour. Keep in mind that you are entering a self contained undisturbed preserve and the animals are in their natural habitat. Truly an experience to remember as you may see your first wild grizzly bear, wolf, moose, or dall sheep. If weather permits, you may see Denali towering over 20,320 feet. Travel in style aboard the Wilderness Express Railroad to Fairbanks in domed railcars for the best views where we’ll pan for gold and enjoy a sternwheeler cruise on the river.
Prince William Sound Cruise
We’ll cruise twice in the sound: First exploring the beauty and grandeur of breathtaking scenery, towering waterfalls, massive glaciers and wildlife such as: eagles, harbor seals, otters and whales. Floating among the icebergs gives us plenty of time to take in Mother Nature’s glorious ice sculptures. Listen to the glaciers as they groan and crack, an indication that enormous sections of ice are about to calve off and splash into the bay! Later in the tour we’ll take an across-the-sound narrated cruise from Valdez as we journey to the Kenai Peninsula.
Kenai Peninsula
We’ll cruise Resurrection Bay and experience lunch on Fox Island before heading along the Sterling Highway to the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World, Homer, for more discovery & maybe a whole lot of fishing! Continue along one of America’s most scenic roads, the Seward Highway, to the lovely village of Seward. Drive along Turnagain Arm, a fjord of water which boasts some of the highest tide waters in the world, keeping an eye out for Beluga whales.
