Alaska Cruises: Excursions

Enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer including sightseeing, museums, shopping, and restaurants as this narrated tour allows you to hop-on or hop-off throughout the day at 20 of the city’s most popular sites. Half of the buses feature live commentary by an English speaking guide, the other half offer an audio tour in 10 different languages. Frequency of the buses is every 10 minutes in the summer and every 20 minutes in the winter.

Highlights include Fisherman’s Wharf, North Beach, Little Italy, Embarcadero and Union Square. The Civic Center includes the architectural masterpieces of City Hall, Asian Art Museum, Central Library, Symphony Hall and the Opera House. Enjoy Alamo Square with its Victorian row houses and Haight-Ashbury, once the epicenter of the 1960’s hippy culture. Your stop at Golden Gate Park includes the California Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden, De Young Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Crossing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge return to the city center via Presidio Park, with stops at the Palace of Fine Arts, Lombard Street, Union Square North, Chinatown, and Steuart Street. The tour ends at the ship’s pier.

An all you can eat mouthwatering assortment of warm and cold dishes awaits your arrival in Skagway. Feast on wild Alaskan caught salmon grilled over an open alder wood fire as part of this feast in the forest. Enjoy Chilkoot Chicken, Panners Pasta, Prospector Pete’s Reindeer Beans, Liarsville Rice Medley, Sluice Box Slaw and other fresh salads, plus cornbread and blueberry cake for dessert. Beer and wine are available for purchase.

This delicious meal also includes a visit to an 1898 replica campsite located in the historic Liarsville region. During your visit, take time to reflect on how the prospectors of yesteryear survived. Chat with the colorful characters and gold-digging madams as you enjoy a glimpse back at life during the Klondike gold rush. Visit the Fancy Goods Gift Shop to find that special souvenir. Have your picture taken with the camp mascot, an Alaskan Malamute.

Enjoy sightseeing, shopping, beaches, restaurants and bars as this fully narrated tour allows you to hop-on or hop-off at over 13 locations throughout Miami Beach. The open-air double-decker bus provides fantastic views and best of all, you'll be luggage free as the tour includes luggage storage service as well as complimentary shuttle service to Miami International Airport. Note: This tour is only for guests with domestic flights departing after 2:00 pm or international flights departing after 3:00 pm from Miami International Airport. Guests are responsible for ensuring their debark tours are compatible with their departure flight times. Guests have the option to book their flights through our Premium Air Department to ensure that flight departure times do not interfere with debark tours. less

This eco-exploration includes a guided nature hike, Alaskan reindeer, a Native totem carver, raptor center and a historic sawmill at an exclusive reserve located in the forested mountains at rustic Herring Cove. This pristine natural environment is home to bald eagles, black bear, seals and a variety of birds and other species attracted by the major salmon runs in the abundant marine estuary. A naturalist will guide you along a trail through the heart of the dense forest, among tall stands of hemlock, spruce and Alaska cedar, stopping at strategically located viewing areas. At a protected, open estuary, you’ll follow Eagle Creek along an elevated wooden boardwalk overlooking grassy wetlands. Major runs of salmon return to spawn here. Listen to the symphony of bird activity in this spectacular setting. Seasonal ecosystem changes result in varying levels of wildlife activity. After a mile trail walk you'll have a chance to feed reindeer, see the historic Herring Bay Lumber Company sawmill, visit birds of prey up-close at the Alaska Wildlife Foundation’s Raptor Center, and observe a master Native totem pole carver at work. Snacks and beverages are provided and shopping opportunities await in the general store. Note: Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed. Tour operates in all weather conditions. Rain ponchos provided. Wear comfortable walking shoes and warm clothing. less

Enjoy Oregon wines at The Cellar on the 10th while you learn about senses and how to put them to use right away for enjoying and understanding Oregon wines. Oregon’s northern latitude brings long hours of summer sunshine to its vineyards and occasional marine’s breezes help moderate the combination of conditions and encourages complex fruit flavors, aromatics and nuances. The complexities of Oregon grown wines allow local wineries to compete well with other world-class wineries. Pinot Gris, Riesling, Chardonnay, and delightful Pinot Noir are among the favorites. Join Baked Alaska Restaurant’s Chef Christopher Holen at the Oregon State University Seafood consumer center exhibition kitchen and immerse yourself in foods of the Pacific Northwest.

Chef Holen will filet fresh salmon while discussing the various salmon species of the region. He’ll demonstrate the proper way to cook salmon and make a quick sauce to accompany it. The chef always comes up with something special for each group, in addition to salmon to define Northwest ingredients. A sampling will be served up for you to try and you may even get the chance to be hands on. The chef will also bring some ingredients and tools from Astoria’s premier kitchenware shop, “Mise en Place” to demonstrate. Items will also be available for purchase. More than just a cooking demonstration, the chef will entertain, educate and inspire you to try a recipe or two when you get back home.

Experience Skagway with Alaska’s original city historical tour for an informative fun filled 90 minutes. Skagway character Martin Itjen came here looking for gold in 1898 and became the town’s most celebrated storyteller. He gave Alaska’s first motorized sightseeing tour on his “Skagway Street Car” for U.S. President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and delighted visitors for decades. Today, Martin’s tour lives on! Aboard your yellow 1927 sightseeing bus, your costumed “conductor” passes on a century of history, behind-the-scenes tales, and stories.

Explore the waterfront and National Park Historic District, enjoy the panoramic views from the scenic overlook and have your camera ready for the recounting of the Soapy Smith gunfight at the Gold Rush Cemetery. Highlighting the history of this gold rush town and the pioneer families that built it, you’ll motor through the residential neighborhoods of Skagway, famous for its flower gardens. A stop is made in town for those who want to get off to shop or explore before the tour continues back to the ship.

Note: For foreign language translation this tour utilizes a GPS activated audio narration. Guests wear comfortable headphones that deliver the complete tour narration in their chosen language. In addition to German, French and Spanish, the audio narration is also available in Dutch, Japanese, Mandarin and English.