Denali Talkeetna Explorer - Southbound Cruisetour

Your Norwegian Cruise Line Tour Director will greet you at your hotel this morning. After the orientation, enjoy a ride on the Riverboat Discovery, a three-hour journey that will take you into the heart of Alaska. Operated by a family who has made the Alaskan rivers home for five generations, you’ll witness a Bush pilot take off and land beside the boat and hear stories of flying into remote Alaska firsthand. Halfway through the experience, you’ll be immersed in frontier living with a guided walking tour of a re-created Athabascan Indian village. See cabins made of spruce longs, along with other indigenous dwellings that have allowed the strong Athabascan people to survive for thousands of years in this harsh environment. In the afternoon, you’ll enjoy a city tour of Fairbanks in a deluxe motorcoach. The tour includes a stop at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline and gives you a great overview of the Fairbanks community. Open evening to explore Fairbanks or take an optional tour.

Overnight: Fairbanks

This morning, enjoy travelling along the rails of the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park with 360-degree views from your dome rail car seats. As you travel through the high tundra plateau into the gorgeous scenery of the Healy Gorge and Canyon, be watchful for wildlife during your rail journey. Full bar and meal service are available for purchase during your rail journey.

Overnight: Denali

More than just the mountain, Denali National Park is six-million acres of wild land. This afternoon, your Tundra Wilderness Tour will take you into this pristine region of Alaska on the only road into and out of the park. Along the way, enjoy a fully narrated ride learning about the flora and fauna of the area while looking out for the wild animals that roam freely and call this park home. While in this beautiful area, set aside time to experience the solitude and tranquility that vast wilderness can provide.

During your included Tundra Wilderness Tour, you will travel into Denali National Park, enjoying the incredible scenery and some of the best opportunities to see wildlife in its natural setting. A light snack is included on the tour. The remaining part of the day is open for optional activities.

Overnight: Denali

Today’s itinerary includes the morning kennel tour. Learn about the Alaska state sport of dog mushing with an included stop at a local Iditarod sled dog kennel. You’ll be amazed to learn about this fascinating sport, the musher, the dogs and even get to hold a future champion puppy in your arms. After this authentic visit, we won’t be surprised if you are ready to run “The Last Great Race” yourself. Late morning, continue south by motorcoach and explore the unique town of Talkeetna. Open afternoon and evening for optional activities in Talkeetna. Overnight in one of the finest lodges in Alaska, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge with great views of Mt. Denali (weather permitting).

Overnight: Talkeetna

This morning, you’ll head south to Seward. Stop in Anchorage for a brief Anchorage City Tour before continuing this afternoon down Turnagain Arm. Make a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center to view large animals found throughout Alaska. You'll get up close to moose, bears, musk ox, and other indigenous animals of the region. Taking in orphaned animals of the region and providing quality animal care year-round, the conservation center is dedicated to the protection and preservation of Alaska's wildlife. Animals that cannot be released back into the wild are given permanent home at the Center.

Continue via motorcoach to Seward to board Norwegian Jewel for your 7-day Alaska cruise.

Best known for its beautiful parks and mountain scenery, Seward, Alaska is not to be missed. There is nearly an endless variety of outdoor activities to enjoy in Seward, from mountain biking and climbing, to rafting, sea kayaking, and dog-sledding, and even skiing, fishing or white water rafting. Explore scenic hiking trails or have a picnic among the pristine landscape. There's no shortage of enjoyable pastimes in Alaska's City of Seward.

Get up close and personal with the gigantic Hubbard Glacier, North America's largest tidewater glacier. It's 1,350 square miles of blue ice and one of the most active in Alaska.

Venture “where the north wind doesn’t blow.” Known for this famous saying, Icy Strait Point is the ideal landing spot for adventurers seeking a new experience. Breathtaking and exciting, Icy Strait Point truly takes you where the wild things are. It’s one of the few places in the world where wildlife outnumbers the human population. A trip here certainly satisfies your taste for adventure. Take a cruise from Icy Strait Point and enjoy Alaska's awe-inspiring scenery and the many excursion options that Norwegian Cruise Line has to offer.

Juneau has been called “Alaska's peak experience,” certainly due in part to its unparalleled glacier viewing from such places as Tracy Arm Fjord, the Juneau Icefields and Glacier Bay National Park. Kayak up one of the area's many protected waterways, go flightseeing, tour historic downtown or try your hand at panning for gold. The majestic Mendenhall Glacier lies nearly 12 miles outside Juneau, a treck worthwhile.

In a single year from 1896 to 1897, this remote town along the Inside Passage grew from a few tents to a city of 20,000 gold seekers. Today, travelers come in search of other riches – to experience yesteryear along Skagway's charming boardwalk lined with buildings that replicate those Gold Rush days.

Its Tlingit Indian name, Kach Khanna, means “spread wings of the eagle.” Chances are you'll see one of these magnificent birds perched atop a Sitka tree. Thanks to its abundant rainfall, Ketchikan is surrounded by some of the world's most lush wilderness.

Get ready for amazing views and wildlife like nowhere else as you sail through the islands of Alaska's Inside Passage.

Positioned between the snow-dusted North Shore Mountains and the rich, blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver blends big-city sophistication with small-town charm. Don't miss Queen Elizabeth Park – a 130-acre civic arboretum accented with sculptures by modern artist Henry Moore.