Denali-Valdez Explorer - Southbound Cruisetour

Your Norwegian Cruise Line Tour Director will greet you at your Anchorage hotel this morning. Today you’ll ride along the rails of the world-famous Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Talkeetna with 360-degree views from your deluxe dome railcar seats. As the gorgeous scenery of Alaska rolls past, be watchful for wildlife, as well as glimpses of Mt Denali, or, as local Alaskans call it, “The Great One.” Full bar and meal service are available for purchase during your rail journey. Continue from Talkeetna to Denali via motorcoach. Today’s itinerary includes a 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. Open evening for optional activities such as whitewater rafting, helicopter flightseeing, hiking, or one of the park service programs.

Overnight: Denali

More than just the mountain, Denali National Park is six million acres of wild land. This morning, your 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. Open evening for optional activities.

Overnight: Denali

This morning you will have time on your own in Denali to explore. In the afternoon, continue north to Alaska’s Golden Heart City, Fairbanks, on your deluxe motorcoach.

Overnight: Fairbanks

This morning, enjoy a visit to the historic Gold Dredge #8 where you will get the chance to do some panning just like the early pioneers of Alaska. Afterwards, board your deluxe motorcoach for a city tour of Fairbanks before stopping in historic downtown for lunch on your own. Open evening to explore Fairbanks or take an optional tour.

Overnight: Fairbanks

Today’s journey travels south along the Richardson Highway to Valdez, the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline. Enjoy spectacular vistas of the Alaska Range over one of the rarely utilized highways in Alaska. Enjoy your free evening in the beautiful port community of Valdez.

Overnight: Valdez

This morning, you will cruise through the majestic Prince William Sound and along the Meares Glacier, keeping a watchful eye out for wildlife, including seals, sea otters, birds and even whales! View the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline Terminal where supertankers are loaded with crude oil from Prudhoe Bay as you leave the harbor. Continue your day-long journey to the port community of Whittier. Light meal included on board. Upon arrival in Whittier, board your deluxe motorcoach and 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 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 a permanent home at the Center. Continue towards Seward where you will 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.