Act early and you can secure an excellent bonus on a 19-night fly-cruise-and-tour holiday that includes an Alaska cruise aboard Coral Princess, an eight-night Rocky Mountaineer rail-tour from Calgary to Vancouver and stays at top Alaskan wilderness lodges.
The holiday, from Worldwide Cruise Centres (worldwidecruisecentres.com.au), is named ‘Complete Canada and Alaska’. Book by the end of this month (30 September 2015) to secure bonuses including a Rocky Mountaineer Early Booking Bonus, giving up to A$1000 per couple in added value.
‘Complete Canada and Alaska’ costs from A$8999 twin share per person and starts with a flight from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne to Calgary, Canada’s sunniest major city, on 6 May 2015. Adelaide and Perth departures are available for an additional fee. Return flight is from Anchorage, Alaska.
The holiday consists of three elements: an eight-night Rocky Mountaineer rail-tour from Calgary to Vancouver (including a two-day Rocky Mountaineer rail SilverLeaf journey from Banff to Vancouver with overnight stop in Kamloops); a seven-night Coral Princess cruise from Vancouver to the little Alaskan settlement of Whittier at the base of the Chugach Mountains; and a four-night post-cruise Princess tour from Whittier to Anchorage. Aboard Coral Princess, receive a bonus US$60 in onboard credit per twin cabin, plus a bonus bottle of wine (delivered at dinner) and a bonus 6×8-size photo or photo credit (one per cabin).
‘Complete Canada and Alaska’ includes stays at some spectacular wilderness lodges and a direct-to-the-wilderness rail service to Denali, also known as Mt McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America.
After arrival in Canada, the holiday begins in Calgary. Receive an additional night free here at the International Hotel and Suites Calgary, complete with free breakfast and a pass to the Calgary Tower, 191 metres tall and giving grand prairie views.
Depart Calgary for Lake Louise. Kananaskis on the way is a true highlight: a 12-minute Summit Helicopter Tour here takes you over the remarkable landscape of the Rockies. Continue on to Banff for a sightseeing tour including Bow Falls, Lake Minnewanka, Surprise Corner and the Hoodoos. The famed Banff Gondola is included. Next day, visit Columbia Icefield (nearly 325 square kilometres) and ride the Ice Explorer on the Athabasca Glacier.
Other highlights: a half-day tour of Yoho National Park takes in the Spiral Tunnels (an engineering marvel), Emerald Lake and a natural rock bridge spanning the Kicking Horse River. There’s two nights accommodation at the famed Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and another two at Banff Ptarmigan Inn, both with free breakfasts. A whole day in Banff National Park gives time to soak in the mineral pools at Upper Hot Springs.
Then all aboard the Rocky Mountaineer train for a scenic rail journey from Banff to Vancouver, with an overnight stop in Kamloops in the interior of British Columbia. Travel is in SilverLeaf Service, with two breakfasts and two lunches served aboard.
After a night’s stay in Kamloops, founded as trading outpost, the rail journey continues past the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate in Fraser Canyon and follows the mighty Thompson River, the route of early fur traders.
Stay at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Vancouver and after a free breakfast, set out to enjoy a leisure day in Vancouver (entry to Vancouver Lookout is included) before boarding Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess, described by Frommer’s guides as “beautiful, spacious, and at the same time surprisingly intimate”.
Coral Princess sails north along Canada’s West Coast for a seven-night round-trip cruise into the dramatic fjords of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Bears, bald eagles, sea lions, porpoise and whales thrive in these parts. Highlights include the town of Juneau at the foot of mountain peaks, the historic Klondike gold-rush settlement of Skagway, the totem poles of Ketchikan and the 16 tidewater glaciers of majestic Glacier Bay.
All main meals aboard Coral Princess (excluding specialty restaurants) are included. The ship’s impressive choice of dining options includes two main venues, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria and the Bayou Cafe, a New Orleans style restaurant at sea. Then there’s the cigar lounge and retro martini bar.
Disembark in Whittier and board the direct-to-the-wilderness rail service for a scenic trip to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge for a two-night retreat. The setting, Denali National Park, is a scenic knockout. Rugged, glaciated landscape supports grizzly bears, caribou, wolves and moose.
A Denali natural history tour follows in one of America’s best national parks, set around the highest mountain in North America. A spectacular journey to the Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge for another night’s stay, then on to Anchorage, Alaska’s biggest city, set between mountains and sea, before jetting back to Australia.
To find your local Worldwide Cruise Centres agent go to:
www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au
SOURCE Worldwide Cruise Centres