
Join Meera Ratnesar '01 and other Young Alumnae of Bryn Mawr College as you enjoy a magnificent cruise from Seward, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia. Pass towering mountains and untouched coastlines, watch for whales and harbor seals, wolves and eagles, mountain goats and Dall sheep, all in their natural habitat; and listen for the loud cracking of ice as it calves into the sea. See Hubbard Glacier; call at the historic towns of Skagway, Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan; and sail the pristine waters of the Inside Passage.
These wondrous sights will unfold around you as you cruise aboard the Six-Star, All-Suite M.V. SILVER SHADOW of the Silversea fleet, voted "World's Best Small Ship Cruise Line 2008" by Travel & Leisure and Robb Report's Reader's Choice––"Favorite Cruise Line 2009." Complimentary features include: personal Butler Service, gourmet dining including wine with lunch and dinner and beverages throughout the cruise, and onboard gratuities. And, fly free from one of 22 gateways!
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(Subject to change)
Locations Visited:
ANCHORAGE/SEWARD
Home to more than half of Alaska's residents, Anchorage is set on Knik Arm framed against the scenic Chugach Mountains. En route to Seward, travel the scenic Seward Highway, tracing the shores of spectacular Turnagain Arm and snaking around the towering snow-capped mountains of the beautiful Kenai Peninsula; watch for pods of orca or beluga whales hunting for salmon and waterfalls cascading to the valley floor.
HUBBARD GLACIER
See one of nature's ice-age wonders. View the awesome "galloping" Hubbard Glacier whose rapid advance—at times over 40 feet in one day—is the largest piedmont glacier (75 miles long and covering 1,350 square miles) in North America! Watch for icebergs calving from the face of this 300-foot-high glacier. In 1986, an unprecedented geological record was set when the glacier blocked Russell Fjord, creating a natural dam over 90 feet high.
SKAGWAY
During the great Klondike gold rush of 1896-1901, prospectors thronged to Skagway, the gateway to the Yukon Territory. Join an optional excursion aboard the historic landmark narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railway steam train to follow 20 miles of the gold prospectors' route through some of Alaska's most spectacular scenery and forbidding territory.
JUNEAU
Alaska's picturesque state capital, located on the edge of scenic Gastineau Channel, boasts the largest land mass in North and South America (spread over 3,108 square miles) and the only American state capital not accessible by automobile. Gold was discovered here 20 years before the great Klondike gold rush. Join an optional excursion to the mighty Mendenhall Glacier. A mass of ice 12 miles long, one and a half miles wide and more than 100 feet high at its terminus, it is one of 38 glaciers that lead out of the vast Juneau Icefield. Or, choose to explore Juneau's urban attractions, including the Alaska State Museum, and stop at the Red Dog Saloon, Alaska's best-known frontier watering hole.
SITKA
A renowned, beautiful Inside Passage city-borough (self-governing community) built on Baranof Island, Sitka is laden with the art and history of its Russian, American and native Alaskan past. It was originally settled by the native Tlingit people, but by the late 1790s, Russian fur traders had become permanent settlers. An optional excursion provides an opportunity to explore the National Historical Park, filled with native artifacts, and St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, housing an impressive collection of gold and silver icons. You can visit the Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Alaska's foremost bald eagle habitat where more than 100 injured eagles each year recuperate and are subsequently released back into the wild.
KETCHIKAN
The colorful fishing village of Ketchikan is also the "salmon capital of the world." Stroll the boardwalks of Creek Street and watch salmon swimming upstream in the middle of the village. Learn about the rich culture of southeast Alaska's Native people during an optional excursion to visit a living Tlingit village; view the impressive collection of cedar totem poles at the Totem Bight State Historical Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and visit the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery, where
King, Coho and Steelhead trout are raised. An alternate option is to cruise to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument, which teems with wildlife and spectacular mountain scenery.
THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Cruise the protected waters of the Inside Passage, one of the few pristine marine wilderness areas in the Western Hemisphere. Pass countless islands and evergreen forests that reach down to the water's edge. Watch for an ever-changing variety of birds, humpback whales, harbor seals, sea otters and brown bears.
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Detailed Preliminary Itinerary
DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND FAIRBANKS PRE-CRUISE OPTION
Explore Alaska's former frontier trading post, Fairbanks, and travel deep into the pristine wilderness of Denali National Park. Spend two nights in Fairbanks where you can learn about daily frontier life a century ago, when gold was discovered in nearby creeks. Visit a gold mine, travel through a permafrost tunnel and pan for gold; view a portion of the incredible Trans-Alaska pipeline; and cruise the fabled Chena and Tenana Rivers aboard an authentic sternwheeler. Travel aboard a domed train offering open-air observation platforms and stunning 360-degree views of the majestic wilderness–– mountains, gorges and spruce forests—during the journey to America's splendid six- million-acre Denali National Park. Spend two nights in a lodge located near the park's entrance. Enjoy a guided walk to Horseshoe Lake and discuss the park's ecosystem. Lunch is in the lodge's restaurant. Journey into the heart of Denali, where a park guide will help you spot Denali's amazing wildlife––moose, bear, caribou, wolves, Dall sheep and raptors––in its protected natural habitat. Enjoy a scenic transfer to Anchorage, "the City of Lights and Flowers," for an overnight before embarking the ship. Join us for this Pre-Cruise Option to further explore America's amazing last frontier and interior wilderness––an added dimension unlike any other. Glimpse seldom-seen wildlife in the shadow of Mt. McKinley, the centerpiece of Denali National Park and, rising 20,320 feet above sea level, the tallest mountain in North America
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August 27, 2010 - HOME CITY/ANCHORAGE/SEWARD/ EMBARK M.V. SILVER SHADOW
August 28, 2010 - CRUISE HUBBARD GLACIER
See one of nature's ice-age wonders. View the awesome "galloping" Hubbard Glacier whose rapid advance—at times over 40 feet in one day—is the largest piedmont glacier (75 miles long and covering 1,350 square miles) in North America! Watch for icebergs calving from the face of this 300-foot-high glacier. In 1986, an unprecedented geological record was set when the glacier blocked Russell Fjord, creating a natural dam over 90 feet high.
August 29, 2020 - SKAGWAY
During the great Klondike gold rush of 1896-1901, prospectors thronged to Skagway, the gateway to the Yukon Territory. Join an optional excursion aboard the historic landmark narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route Railway steam train to follow 20 miles of the gold prospectors' route through some of Alaska's most spectacular scenery and forbidding territory.
August 30, 2010 – JUNEAU
Alaska's picturesque state capital, located on the edge of scenic Gastineau Channel, boasts the largest land mass in North and South America (spread over 3,108 square miles) and the only American state capital not accessible by automobile. Gold was discovered here 20 years before the great Klondike gold rush. Join an optional excursion to the mighty Mendenhall Glacier. A mass of ice 12 miles long, one and a half miles wide and more than 100 feet high at its terminus, it is one of 38 glaciers that lead out of the vast Juneau Icefield. Or, choose to explore Juneau's urban attractions, including the Alaska State Museum, and stop at the Red Dog Saloon, Alaska's best-known frontier watering hole.
August 31, 2010 – SITKA
A renowned, beautiful Inside Passage city-borough (self-governing community) built on Baranof Island, Sitka is laden with the art and history of its Russian, American and native Alaskan past. It was originally settled by the native Tlingit people, but by the late 1790s, Russian fur traders had become permanent settlers. An optional excursion provides an opportunity to explore the National Historical Park, filled with native artifacts, and St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, housing an impressive collection of gold and silver icons. You can visit the Raptor Rehabilitation Center, Alaska's foremost bald eagle habitat where more than 100 injured eagles each year recuperate and are subsequently released back into the wild.
September 1, 2010 - KETCHIKAN
The colorful fishing village of Ketchikan is also the "salmon capital of the world." Stroll the boardwalks of Creek Street and watch salmon swimming upstream in the middle of the village. Learn about the rich culture of southeast Alaska's Native people during an optional excursion to visit a living Tlingit village; view the impressive collection of cedar totem poles at the Totem Bight State Historical Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and visit the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery, where King, Coho and Steelhead trout are raised. An alternate option is to cruise to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument, which teems with wildlife and spectacular mountain scenery.
September 2, 2010 - CRUISE THE INSIDE PASSAGE
Cruise the protected waters of the Inside Passage, one of the few pristine marine wilderness areas in the Western Hemisphere. Pass countless islands and evergreen forests that reach down to the water's edge. Watch for an ever-changing variety of birds, humpback whales, harbor seals, sea otters and brown bears.
September 3, 2010 - VANCOUVER/DISEMBARK M.V. SILVER SHADOW
VANCOUVER
POST-CRUISE OPTION
Vancouver's spectacular setting between the Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains creates a diverse ecosystem and habitats for multitudes of wildlife species and provides a stunning backdrop for the city's cosmopolitan urban culture. Spend two nights in vibrant Vancouver to see the historic 19th-century Gastown District and visit the acclaimed University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology. You will have the opportunity to ferry to the B.C. Capital of Victoria and tour Vancouver Island's famous Butchart Gardens.
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