You have been dreaming of this vacation with anticipation. Your five-star vessel boasts fewer passengers, larger staterooms and more space than any other in Alaska. Today you will notice this refined elegance as you sail under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and enter the scenic wonders of the Inside Passage.

Steep coastal mountains and marine wildlife will be the backdrop to a relaxing day at sea. Whether with a massage in the Greenhouse Spa, a cooking lesson in the Culinary Arts Center or a game of chance in the casino, you’ll discover exciting daily activities and elegant service.

Tracy Arm is home to the beautiful twin Sawyer Glaciers where spires of ice calve into the fjord with a thunderous splash. In Juneau, you’ll have the day to explore Mendenhall Glacier or go whale-watching, fishing or even dog-sledding on a glacier!

Meet your Tour Director in Skagway and board the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad. A luxury motor coach will provide you passage into Canada’s Yukon Territory. Today’s discussion will focus on the region’s natural and gold rush history. In Whitehorse, you’ll check into your downtown hotel and take in the uproarious Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue (included).

As you follow the Yukon River north, the poetry of Robert W. Service comes to life as you pass Lake Laberge. Today’s discussions will focus on native history and culture in the Yukon, as well as early exploration. After a stop for lunch in Minto (included) arrive in Dawson City. Overnight in the heart of the Klondike National Historic Site.

There are two major excursion themes: Tombstone Park and the Klondike Gold Rush. You can venture into an ancient land at Tombstone Park. Join local interpreters and explore marvels two billion years old. This remote region is the ancestral home of North America’s earliest peoples — the Tr’ondek Hwech’in First Nation. And a full range of wildlife, from grizzlies and moose to peregrines and plovers, roam free. Those who stay in Dawson City can enjoy a Gold Rush tour of the city and the gold fields made famous by the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.

Cruise 102 miles along the Yukon River aboard our mv Yukon Queen II catamaran — a Holland America exclusive (lunch included onboard). Hear tales of river pilots, mail carriers, Mounties and prospectors as you glide past the wide-open country that goes on forever. You’ll disembark in the Alaskan village of Eagle. Next, enjoy a tour with a resident guide, then stop at the Visitor Center for Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Today’s onboard discussion en route to Tok will focus on gold mining and the local natural history. There will be stops at Polly Summit, (an expansive viewpoint) and the tiny prospecting town of Chicken (pop. 39, in-season!).

The Alaska Highway travels the deep backcountry and offers views of the Alaska Range and the TransAlaska Pipeline. An exciting visit will be made at an authentic Alaskan Roadhouse as you sightsee to Fairbanks. Enjoy a hearty lunch at Gold Dredge No. 8, a National Historic Site. Then view the mining exhibits and pan for gold during your informative tour aboard the dredge. Overnight downtown.

Today you’ll board the McKinley Explorer, the largest domed railcars on the historic Alaska Railroad route, an Alaska Scenic Byway. Sit back and relax in the observation lounge and watch magnificent scenery glide by. You’ll arrive and check into your comfortable lodge and later enjoy a 6-8 hour official Tundra Wilderness Tour of Denali National Park. Travel deep into the park for excellent chances of seeing wildlife — caribou, moose, grizzly, wolves and Dall sheep are frequently sighted. And enjoy dramatic Mt. McKinley viewpoints.Tonight, enjoy your accommodations at your inviting lodge.

After a morning at leisure reboard the McKinley Explorer on the way to Anchorage. Transfer to your downtown hotel for an overnight stay in Alaska’s largest city. Say "good-bye" to your Tour Director

The Wilderness Enthusiast: Between Denali National Park, the Yukon Territory and the Inside Passage, wilderness and wildlife viewing opportunities abound.

The History Buff: You will retrace the route of the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 from the shores of Skagway to the Gold Fields of Dawson City in the Yukon Territory.

The Railroad Lover: Between the White Pass & Yukon Route’s narrow gauge trip back in time, to Holland America Line’s luxurious, ultra-modern McKinley Explorer domed railcars, this tour includes 3 days riding the rails.

Alyeska Resort Post CruiseTour Option: The only Alaska hotel to be included on Condé Nast’s Gold List, Alyeska Resort is nestled in the Chugach National Forest. Including a four-diamond restaurant with a view of seven nearby glaciers, extending your CruiseTour here will be a most relaxing journey.

Anchorage & Portage Glacier: Add an extra night in Anchorage, plus a 7-hour tour including a cruise to Portage Glacier aboard Holland America Line’s mv Ptarmigan. Traveling by deluxe motor coach, you will also see the wilderness of the Chugach and Kenai Mountains as you look for beluga whales in the scenic Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet.

Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier By Helicopter. Travel into the ice age viewing rain forests, high alpine ridges, jagged mountain peaks and finally the crevasses, spires and deep blue melt-water pools of Mendenhall Glacier. Explorer the moon-like surface after landing with a guide. With this excursion you will have seen glaciers today by air and on foot.

Dawson City: Diamond Tooth Gertie’s. Follow the strains of a honky-tonk piano and the click of roulette wheels into historical Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Saloon & Gambling Hall.

Tombstone Park: Exploring Along the Dempster Highway. Travel in a small group from the Tombstone Visitors Center to Chapman Lake. Your guide will give an informative talk on the history and changing landscape of the area. Stops may include the North Fork Pass Summit and Two Moose Lake for great photos.

Denali National Park: Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre. Savor family-style platters of salmon and marinated ribs as you enjoy a historical musical based on the life of Fannie, an adventurous woman who found fame and fortune in Alaska. The young and young at heart will love this show!