OVERVIEW

Experience life in the days of the Klondike Gold Rush through activities that defined Alaska in the late 1890s. Upon arriving in Dredge Town, a replica of typical gold rush community, you will watch a sled dog demonstration and interact with puppies that will eventually pull sleds for the famed Iditarod annual competition. You will also learn to pan gold and extract gold nuggets from a stream with a water sluice much like those that the prospectors used. You can then bring your pay dirt to the assayer’s office to determine its value. The gold will be yours to keep. A hearty barbecue lunch and the chance to make a dessert of s’mores over a campfire follows. An enlightening tour of Dredge Town adds even more depth to your understanding of the mania that fueled the Klondike Gold Rush.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit a musher’s camp and watch sled dogs demonstrate their strength and stamina.
• Interact with the sled dogs, including the puppies.
• Pan for gold nuggets like the prospectors did in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.
• Enjoy a barbecue lunch and make s’mores over a campfire.
• Tour Dredge Town for a deeper understanding of life during the gold rush.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Your journey begins with a narrated tour of downtown Juneau, highlighting the city’s landmarks and rich cultural past as you head towards the Mendenhall Valley. Your first stop is the historic Brotherhood Bridge, where you’ll enjoy spectacular views of the valley and, weather permitting, the Mendenhall Glacier off in the distance. This bridge holds significant cultural and historical importance, symbolizing the bridging of the gap between Native and Non-Native communities and overcoming racial tensions. Adorned with ten bronze medallions featuring the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) crest, sculpted by Roy Peratrovich Jr. in honor of the ANB’s 50th anniversary, the bridge depicts the two great Tlingit moieties—Eagle and Raven—emphasizing the ANB’s foundational role in their shared heritage. Afterward your drive takes you to Juneau's Macaulay Salmon Hatchery and Visitor Center. There you will learn the value of ocean ranching to Juneau's commercial and sport fishing industries and the hatchery's role in keeping the area salmon population at sustainable levels.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Depart the Port of Miami by air-conditioned coach with a knowledgeable guide and drive for approximately one hour to enter Everglades National Park. This world renowned eco-system covers about 5,000 square miles and is home to most of Florida's alligators, snakes, black bear, wild pigs, over two hundred species of birds including herons, egrets, white ibis, anhingas, roseate spoonbills, wood storks, ospreys, hawks, vultures, eagles and more, plus the endangered and nocturnal Florida Panther - less than 100 remaining in the wild.

Board your airboat for a thirty minute exhilarating ride over this 'river of grass' and hopefully come face to face with a number of these different creatures. Enjoy the Alligator Show and take home a complimentary photo next to a baby alligator. Afterwards enjoy the various crocodilian exhibits, visit the souvenir shop or perhaps try out the alligator nuggets in the snack bar. On the drive to the airport learn about the Miccosukee and the extremely wealthy Seminoles, the two Florida tribes of Native American Indians.

Take an approximately 45 minute cruise along the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. On arrival, open safari buses take you on an approximately 15 minute drive through Spanish Town to The Baths for a self-guided tour, where you can swim (weather permitting) in the unique atmosphere of mammoth boulders, palms, and sea caves. Travel along the trails and boulders to discover hidden caves and sea pools.

Where else in the world can you tour the launch areas of a working space flight facility, have the opportunity to meet a real astronaut and stand inches away from the largest rocket ever built? Only at Kennedy Space Center! Located just minutes from Port Canaveral on Florida's Space Coast, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at one of mankind's most fascinating and remarkable achievements - the space program where history was, and still is, made every day. On your tour into KSC, you'll have the chance to see the Apollo/Saturn V Center which offers an inspirational and exhilarating look into mankind's quest for the moon.

There's a lot of activities offered at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, including reliving the historic launch of Apollo 8 at the Firing Room Theater; also, being able to marvel at a monstrous 363-foot Saturn V moon rocket. Pick and choose wisely since you won’t have time to see everything. Your options include seeing an IMAX® movie, the interactive Astronaut Encounter program or the Shuttle Launch Experience. Finally, your chance to be an astronaut!

Swim with the world’s most fascinating creatures in a tropical atmosphere for a 40-minute dolphin swim, complete with an exciting belly ride, enjoy unlimited food and drinks, snorkel with tropical fish in the natural aquarium and venture out to the ocean for kayaking and paddle boarding.

You’ll meet your guide outside your cruise ship for an approximate 5-minute taxi ride along the coast to the facility. Upon arrival, you’ll attend a 10-minute interactive orientation session so you can learn more about the dolphins’ history, physiology and anatomy. Then make your way to a waist-deep platform in the waters of the lagoon to immerse yourself in the magical underwater world of the bottlenose dolphins. As you head into deeper water, you’ll be given a snorkel mask to see how the dolphins glide. Hold on tight during the famous belly ride! You can grab onto a dolphin’s fins while racing across the water at top speeds for a thrilling experience. Relax after your dolphin swim and take full advantage of everything the facility has to offer. Stop by the palapa restaurant for lunch with the family and cool off with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Kids and adults alike will love Serenity Cove, a safe inlet with snorkel equipment where you can swim through an underwater aquarium filled with tropical fish! Head out to the ocean for fun-filled activities like kayaking and paddle boarding. Tour includes all food, beverages, snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Photos, souvenirs, towels, and lockers are at an additional charge. After your tour, you can walk into downtown Cozumel for some shopping before heading back to the dolphin entrance where your transportation will take you back to the ship.

Enjoy the thrill of sailing through the turquoise Caribbean Sea on the Castaway Girl, a catamaran that will take you to Shipwreck Cove for snorkeling. The catamaran is fast, stable and extraordinarily comfortable with spacious sunbathing decks and a large cockpit for those who prefer a bit of shade. You can expect an exhilarating cruise all the way to Shipwreck Cove, which is located on Buck Island. Once Castaway Girl anchors, you will be free to snorkel the surrounding coral reefs. Besides observing an array of tropical fish, you may spot the wreck of a ship that lies in just 25 feet of water. As you will see, these waters are absolutely teeming with marine life. After snorkeling, the bar will open, the Caribbean music will be turned up and the onboard party will begin in earnest.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sail the catamaran Castaway Girl to Buck Island while admiring the gorgeous scenery.
• Snorkel the crystal-clear waters at Shipwreck Cove.
• See a shipwreck that lies just 25 feet below the surface of the water.
• Enjoy an open bar and Caribbean music on the return cruise.

OVERVIEW

Meet your guide at the cruise terminal and be escorted to your private and luxuriously appointed yacht along with your professionally trained crew. On the boat ride there, you will explore a massive coral reef that attracts an array of marine life. Snorkeling gear is available. Observe the underwater wonders off Rose Island Rainbow Reef. Swimming with the island’s population of pigs will be an equally unusual water activity. These domesticated pigs will come to you, looking to be petted and fed as you wade out into the waist-deep water. It will be a wildly entertaining experience that will give you plenty to talk about over snacks and while relaxing on the island’s beach. Nothing quite compares to swimming with the green sea turtles that come in great numbers to Green Cay. You will observe them gracefully paddling by and grazing on beds of sea grass and algae. Swim up close and personal with these amazing calm animals. Rose Island is almost completely undeveloped so it will be easy to find a quiet spot to relax. Feel free to take a refreshing swim in the sea, beach-comb and enjoy light snacks and drinks which are provided. The remaining time will be spent relaxing on a spectacular beach on Rose Island, the long slender oasis that lies due east. Your boat will beach right up to Footprints Bar and Grill where there is a full bar, beach volleyball, cornhole, darts, billiards, karaoke, and music.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Admire the gorgeous tropical scenery on a leisurely cruise to Rose Island.
• Swim with the friendly pigs that live on Rose Island and feed them if you wish.
• Relax on a pristine beaches and dine on your own at the Sand Dollar Beach Resort.
• Floating extra-large lily pads provided where guest can lounge on the calm waters near shore.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW
Relax and unwind on Pearl Island, an idyllic tropical setting with plenty of amenities to ensure that your time is well spent. A short ferry ride across the harbor will bring you to the slender, meticulously maintained private island, where you will enjoy about four hours of free time to do as you please. You might start by climbing the lighthouse for the ultimate view of the island and the azure seas that surround it. Not far away, you will find two beaches that are ideal for basking in the sun and swimming just off shore. If you’d prefer to stretch out on a lounge chair, you are welcome to settle into one beneath a towering palm. Later in the day, you can indulge in an authentic Bahamian lunch that includes barbecued chicken, fish fingers and local side dishes such as pigeon peas and rice. Then round out your day by kayaking or heading to sea on a stand-up paddleboard.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Ride the ferry the Pearl Island, the closest private island to Nassau.
• While away the hours doing whatever you please.
• Climb the lighthouse, bask in the sun and paddle a kayak along the shore.
• Savor a hearty Bahamian BBQ lunch.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear a swimsuit under your clothes and bring sunscreen and a towel.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Spend a full and delightful day exploring two medieval villages on craggy hills overlooking the sea, each setting with its own personality.

After departing from the pier, you will enjoy a scenic drive south to Taormina, an ancient city that rises almost perpendicularly from the sea. It’s a beautiful setting with an alluring medieval character, as you will discover while strolling its narrow, cobblestone streets.

Among the highlights are the Arabian-influenced Palazzo Corvaja and the ruins of a 2nd-century Greek theater. It sits on a seaside hilltop with a view of Mount Etna that is so inspiring that it can detract from the entertainers that still perform there in the summer.

After visiting, you will enjoy free time to explore on your own, taking in the views from the fragrant public garden or shopping along boutique-lined Corso Umberto. The most popular merchandise includes designer fashions, jewelry and colorful ceramic pine cones, a Sicilian symbol of hospitality.

A bit farther inland and above Taormina, you will find the village of Castelmola, which arguably boasts even better views. Although first fortified in the 9th century, Castelmola was repeatedly attacked and the ruins of the castle that remain are from the 16th century.

Like Taormina, Castelmola is wonderfully atmospheric with cobblestone streets and lovely squares flanked by small shops. Still, it’s the breathtaking views that will linger long in your memory. Before returning to the pier, you will enjoy a traditional Sicilian lunch and perhaps a glass of almond-flavored wine, the local specialty.

Depart the Port of Miami by air-conditioned coach with a knowledgeable guide and drive for approximately one hour to enter Everglades National Park. This world renowned eco-system covers about 5,000 square miles and is home to most of Florida's alligators, snakes, black bear, wild pigs, over two hundred species of birds including herons, egrets, white ibis, anhingas, roseate spoonbills, wood storks, ospreys, hawks, vultures, eagles and more, plus the endangered and nocturnal Florida Panther - less than 100 remaining in the wild.

Board your airboat for a thirty minute exhilarating ride over this “River of Grass” and hopefully come face to face with a number of these different creatures. Enjoy the Alligator Show and take home a complimentary photo next to a baby alligator. Afterwards enjoy the various crocodilian exhibits, visit the souvenir shop or perhaps try out the alligator nuggets in the snack bar. On the drive to the airport learn about the Miccosukee and the extremely wealthy Seminoles, the two Florida tribes of Native American Indians.

View rolling farmlands, stunning seascapes, tiny villages and bustling harbors along Blue Heron Drive as you get ready to meet Anne of Green Gables and actual descendants of Lucy Maud Montgomery. First stop is Silver Bush and the Anne of Green Gables Museum, here you’ll tour the museum, explore the beautiful grounds with many flower beds and gardens and share some Raspberry cordial with Anne herself!

Next, it's off to Cavendish, the old farm site that inspired L. M. Montgomery's first novel, Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Highlighting some of the finest attractions on Prince Edward Island's breathtaking north shore, this is definitely the ultimate Anne experience.