ALASKA WILDERNESS

August 10–23, 2023 · 14 Days

Day 1 (Thursday) Fairbanks

Today, we fly from Nashville to Fairbanks, our destination for the next two nights.

Day 2 (Friday) Riverboat Discovery

Following a cruise aboard the Sternwheeler Riverboat Discovery, we’ll take our chances on one of the highlights of the day and pan for gold at the Discovery Gold Mine. We’ll also learn about how gold was and is mined in Alaska.

Day 3 (Saturday) Denali

We’ll board a motor coach for our trip to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, where we have reservations for the next two nights. We have leisure time this afternoon and evening, with optional activities to enjoy. The lodge overlooks the Nenana River, and the view behind the lodge is beautiful.

Day 4 (Sunday) Denali Park

This morning you will have leisure time before embarking on a tour in Denali National Park. Be sure to look for Dall sheep, moose, wolves, caribou, and bears. Tonight, you will have time on your own to relax as we stay our second night at Denali Princess Lodge.

Day 5 (Monday) Mt. McKinley

This morning we’ll take a motor coach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, where we’ll spend the next two nights. The view from the deck is beautiful when the mountain is visible! You can choose from some optional activities during our time at the lodge.

Day 6 (Tuesday) Mt. McKinley

Set your own schedule today. You may want to take part in one of the many activities that Princess offers.

Day 7 (Wednesday) Princess Rail Dome Train

(formerly the Midnight Sun Express)

Enjoy a leisurely morning at the lodge before our afternoon transfer to Talkeetna, where we’ll board the Princess Rail Dome Train. After traveling through Anchorage to Whittier, we’ll board the Sapphire Princess for the next seven nights. As we travel along the Cook Inlet late this afternoon, be on the lookout for Beluga whales, Dall sheep, and bald eagles. All meals on the ship are included!

Day 8 (Thursday) Hubbard Glacier

Enjoy the fantastic scenery during our cruise! Hubbard Glacier is a tidewater glacier off the coast of Yukatat – 6 miles wide where it meets the ocean, with a 400-foot face.

Day 9 (Friday) Glacier Bay

Cruise Glacier Bay, a World Heritage Site with 3.3 million acres of glaciers, snow-capped mountains, and abundant birds and wildlife.

Day 10 (Saturday) Skagway (Port of Call)

Skagway was known to thousands of hopeful gold rushers as the gateway to the gold fields. Although it boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, it was far from being the easiest. The gold rush was a boom to Skagway, and by 1898 it was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000. Today Skagway has fewer than 1,000 residents, but it retains the flavor of the gold rush era. Optional shore excursions are available.

Day 11 (Sunday) Juneau (Port of Call)

Some 30,000 people live in Juneau. Its total area makes it the largest town, in terms of size, in North and South America – and the second largest in the world (only Kiruna, Sweden, exceeds Juneau’s 3,108 square miles). Today Juneau is not only famous for gold and government, but also for its breathtakingly beautiful glaciers and stunning views of water and mountains. There are more optional shore excursions today.

Day 12 (Monday) Ketchikan (Port of Call)

Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s First City because it’s the first major community travelers come across as they journey north. Ketchikan is located on an island and began as a Native American fishing camp. The name Ketchikan comes from a Tlingit phrase meaning “eagle with spread-out wings” and refers to a waterfall near town. Visitors to this beautiful city are intrigued by its Native American heritage, shown through the world’s oldest collection of totem poles. Shore excursions are an option once again at Ketchikan.

Day 13 (Tuesday) Inside Passage (Scenic Cruising)

There’s more great scenery to take in as our time on the ship nears an end.

Day 14 (Wednesday) Home

Today we’ll fly back to Nashville, via Vancouver.

Cost Per Person:

Balcony

$8,728 single member

$5,714 double member

$9,028 single non-member

$6,014 double non-member

Deposit Per Person: $800

Included:

Airfare, port charges, government fees, gratuities on ship, tours during land portion of trip (as listed in description), insurance, transfers, luggage handling, Sonshine Tours escort, and all meals on ship

Window Cabin pricing available upon request.

Passport required.

Final Payment: June 9, 2023

Not Included: Optional tours, meals during land portion of trip, gratuities during land portion, checked luggage fee

Please note that an airline fuel surcharge may be added. Princess reserves the right to collect any fare increase, government fees, and tax increases in effect at the time of sailing, even if the fare has been paid in full.