Rockies Grandeur and Alaska Inside Passage Cruise

Welcome to Canada! You will be met at Victoria International Airport and transferred to your hotel. This evening meet your Tour Director and fellow travellers for a welcome dinner at your hotel.
Two Night Stay: Chateau Victoria or similar

This morning visit the world-famous Butchart Gardens, a 22 hectare showplace of magnificent, colourful gardens. Learn about the history and flora while exploring the gardens. Afterwards enjoy an orientation tour of Victoria’s Inner Harbour, Bastion Square, Beacon Hill and residential areas. There is free time to explore Victoria or allow Evergreen to assist you in discovering more about this historic region.

Discover More: Discover Victoria, go whale watching, or take a culinary dinner tour (additional cost).

Opportunity to view this spectacular landscape from the air with a one hour floatplane flight over the Georgia Strait to the alpine resort of Whistler (seasonal, must be pre-booked, additional cost).

After breakfast drive north along Vancouver Island to Nanaimo. Board the BC Ferry and travel through Georgia Strait to Horseshoe Bay. Journey inland along the Sea to Sky Highway as the road follows the rugged coastline with views of Horseshoe Bay on your left and forested parks and mountains on your right. You will have the chance to stop at the awesome Shannon Falls before arriving at the charming alpine resort of Whistler Village. This evening you are free to explore the village’s cobbled pathways and plazas.
Overnight Stay: Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa

Discover More: Undertake a bear viewing tour with a local expert (seasonal option), or have dinner with a twist on a tasting tour (both additional cost).

Travel through the historic farming village of Pemberton, along the scenic Duffy Lake Road lined with thick forest, into the town of Lillooet. In the afternoon we head into the mountains to the picturesque ski resort village of Sun Peaks. You're Invited: This evening our highlight dinner involves an authentic Fur Traders presentation and feast.
Overnight Stay: Coast Sundance Lodge or Nancy Greenes Cahilty Lodge

Today you will be rewarded with astounding views as you reach the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies. Travel through British Columbia and into Alberta, enjoying glimpses of the soaring mountains as you make your way through the three spectacular national parks of Mount Revelstoke, Glacier and Yoho. Travel from primeval forests to Ice Age glaciers, waterfalls and mountain peaks. Late this afternoon we arrive into Banff National Park.
Two Night Stay: Elk + Avenue Hotel

This morning you will have breakfast with one of the best views Canada has to offer. Take the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain where you will witness inspiring views and enjoy a sumptuous buffet. The rest of the day is for you to enjoy Banff and its many sights and attractions.

Discover More: Spend time with magnificent wolfdogs, take a breath-taking helicopter flight, enjoy an outback dinner and wagon ride, or relax on a float trip along the river (additional cost).

Enjoy a morning sightseeing tour including Bow River, the Hoodoos and Bow Falls. See the glacier fed Emerald Lake and the spectacular Natural Bridge, which has been carved by the Kicking Horse River. Prepare yourself for one of the highlights of your journey as you arrive at Canada’s “Diamond in the Wilderness”, the beautiful Lake Louise where you have the opportunity to stay at one of the Rockies most stunning and historic properties. This afternoon you have free time to explore this beautiful lake or relax and take in the amazing scenery.
Overnight Stay: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

This morning we travel north along the Icefields Parkway, acclaimed as one of the most spectacular journeys in the world. Enjoy breath-taking mountain scenery as you pass rugged peaks and glaciers fringed by thick forest and shimmering lakes. We make a stop at the Columbia Icefield, North America’s largest sub-polar ice pack, where you’ll climb aboard the ‘Ice Explorer’ for a once-in-a-lifetime journey onto the mighty 300 metre thick Athabasca Glacier. The day’s end finds us in Jasper National Park, an alpine wonderland of pristine wilderness and an abundance of wildlife where you will be taken through the park to the beautifully carved Maligne Canyon. You're Invited: This evening we journey to the foothills of Pyramid Mountain and experience an authentic Canadian Rockies Western style dinner.
Overnight Stay: Lobstick Lodge

Set off on a two day rail experience on “The Most Spectacular Train Journey in the World”. Settle back in your SilverLeaf carriage (upgrade to GoldLeaf at additional expense). Enjoy spectacular views of the soaring mountains including Canada’s highest peak, the awesome 3954 metre Mount Robson, as you journey towards Kamloops.
Overnight Stay: Kamloops Hotel (as assigned by Rocky Mountaineer)

Rocky Mountaineer is unescorted by Evergreen Cruises & Tours Tour Director. On this section you will be looked after by Rocky Mountaineer staff.

Continue your journey on board the Rocky Mountaineer following the Thompson River and passing through the magnificent Fraser Valley. Late afternoon we arrive into Vancouver.
Overnight Stay: Sheraton Wall Centre

Today enjoy a sightseeing tour of Vancouver including Stanley Park, the waterfront, Gastown and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Make your way across this spectacular suspension bridge, 70 metres above the Capilano River, and join the award winning Treetops Adventure along a series of elevated walkways. This afternoon we return to Canada Place Pier to board your luxurious cruise ship. Check into your comfortable Outside Stateroom (upgrade to Balcony Stateroom additional expense) on the luxurious Holland America Cruise Ship ms Nieuw Amsterdam and settle-in for an unforgettable 7 night voyage through the famed Inside Passage.

Spend the day cruising the Inside Passage, one of the world's most spectacular waterways passing forests of spruce and hemlock, mountains, islands and inlets.

This morning we cruise into the spectacular Tracy Arm, a narrow, 56 kilometre long fjord, another of Alaska’s most dramatic glacier settings. The panorama of 7,000-foot mountain peaks and nearly vertical rock cliffs is astounding. Tucked away at the end of this remarkable waterway are the twin Sawyer Glaciers, calving icebergs into the jade-coloured inland sea. In the afternoon arrive into Alaska’s scenic capital city, Juneau.

Established in 1897 as a trading post for prospectors headed to the Klondike Gold Rush, Skagway was an untamed, violent town controlled by organised criminals. Today, of course, the town is civilised, though its colourful past is carefully preserved in the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park. For a truly memorable excursion, take an optional ride on the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon Railroad (shore excursions are at own expense).

Early this morning your cruise ship enters the iceberg-strewn waters of Glacier Bay National Park, where thirteen spectacular glaciers flow from surrounding mountains into the waters of the bay. A National Park Service Ranger will help you spot wildlife, while pointing out sights and explaining glacial activity. Perhaps you will be lucky enough to see a pinnacle of ice ‘calve’ or break away from the face of the glacier, and with a thunderous boom land in the bay.

Welcome to the salmon capital of the world! Part of the town is built along a steep hillside and part is built on pilings over the water, where bald eagles watch from waterside perches. An outstanding collection of totem poles makes the town an essential stop for anyone interested in native art.

Today is a day of relaxation. Take advantage of the ship’s many outstanding facilities, or simply relax on deck with a drink and watch unmatched scenery glide by as you travel south through the Inside Passage.

Disembark early this morning and transfer to Vancouver International Airport to board your homeward flight (book flight after 2pm) or consider taking in more of Vancouver with some post tour accommodation (enquire for details, additional cost).