Seward to Vancouver: Canada & Alaska Expedition Cruise

Description

Retrace parts of the famous 1899 Harriman Expedition that went from Seattle to Siberia and understand why dozens of scientists, writers and artists joined the voyage. Experience the Tsimshian indigenous culture in Metlakatla. Visit and tour the Tongass National Forest by land and sea. Cruise past the six-mile-wide Hubbard Glacier and the incredible Misty Fjords in search of bears, seals, and sea otters. Trace winding fjords to hear the crackle of glaciers as they calve new icebergs. Nature lovers will delight not just in sweeping mountain and fjord views but also sightings of Bald Eagles, humpback whales, orca whales, Steller sea lions and harbor seals.

Trip Name

Seward to Vancouver: Canada & Alaska Expedition Cruise

Days

Overview

Vessel Type: Luxury Expedition Length: 157 m Passenger Capacity: 200/260 Built: 1994 Refurbished & Rebranded: 2017 After extensive refurbishment, Silver Cloud will be the most spacious and comfortable ice class vessel in expedition cruising. Her large suites, her destination itineraries and her unparalleled service make her truly special. Her five dining options will tantalise your taste buds and as 80% of her suites include a veranda, watching a breaching whale or a few cavorting penguins has never been so personal. Broad sweeping decks with multiple open spaces and a swimming pool complete what is surely the most distinctive expedition ship sailing today. A limited number of guests, particularly with just 200 in polar waters, mean that Silver Cloud has the highest space to guest and crew to guest ratios in expedition cruising. With her 18 zodiacs, possibilities are almost limitless with ship-wide simultaneous explorations. Finally, a team of 19 passionate and dedicated experts are always at hand to ensure your voyage is enhanced every step of the way. DECK 09 - Observation Lounge, Jogging Track DECK 08 - Pool, Pool Bar, Hot Rocks, The Panorama Lounge, The Connoisseur’s Corner DECK 07 - La Terrazza, The Spa at Silversea, Beauty Salon, The Library DECK 06 - Lecture Theatre, The Fitness Centre, Reception/Guest Relations, Expedition Desk DECK 05 - The Bar, Boutique, Casino DECK 04 - Main Restaurant, Le Champagne, Launderette

Itinerary

Day 1 - Day 1 SEWARD (ANCHORAGE, ALASKA)

It is hard to believe that a place as beautiful as Seward exists. Surrounded on all sides by Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest, and Resurrection Bay, Seward offers all the quaint realities of a small railroad town with the bonus of jaw-dropping scenery. This little town of about 2,750 citizens was founded in 1903, when survey crews arrived at the ice-free port and began planning a railroad to the Interior. Since its inception, Seward has relied heavily on tourism and commercial fishing.

Day 2 - Day 2 CAPE ST.ELIAS (KAYAK ISLAND, ALASKA) & ICY BAY

Cape St Elias is the southwest end of Kayak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. It is separated from the mainland by a channel 4 miles wide. The island, named by Lt. Sarichef of the Russian Navy in 1826 because its outline resembles the shape of an Eskimo skin canoe, is 20 miles long and only 2 miles wide and covered in dense rainforest. The cape itself was named by Russian explorer Vitus Bering on July 20, 1741 in honour of St. Elias, whose saint's day is July 20. The lighthouse, located at the southernmost tip, is a National Historic Landmark.Icy Bay, located on the south eastern edge of the Gulf of Alaska, is a relatively new geographical feature that has formed within the past 100 years. As recently as the early 1900’s, the glacier front reached all the way to the Gulf of Alaska. However, the rapid retreat of the three major glaciers in the area (the Guyot, Yahtse, and Tyndall Glaciers) has resulted in the present-day bay, which is over 30 miles long. The surrounding scenery is stunning, with Mount Elias (at over 18,000 feet) towering high on the horizon.

Day 3 - Day 3 CRUISE HUBBARD GLACIER (ALASKA)

Hubbard Glacier, off the coast of Yakutat, Alaska, is the largest glacier in North America, with a calving front that is more than six miles wide. One of the main sources for Hubbard Glacier originates 76 mi inland. It has been a very active glacier, experiencing two major surges in the past 30 years. This glacier was named after Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a U.S. lawyer, financier, and philanthropist. He was the first president of the National Geographic Society.

Day 4 - Day 4 ELFIN COVEA (ALASKA) & CRUISE POINT ADOLPHUS ALASKA (PAHANG)

Elfin Cove sits snugly on the southern shore of Cross Sound, which leads in eastwards to the Inside Passage. Northwards and across the Sound from the small community lies Glacier Bay National Park and the Fairweather Mountain range. Elfin Cove is a quaint little harbor clustered with attractive timber houses built into the wooded hillsides on stilts. The population swells to about 200 during the summer months, from a rather meager 6 or so during the snowy and isolated winters.During the evening Silver Explorer will be near Point Adolphus, a well-known area for whale watching. Enjoy an aperitif while you are on the outer decks, looking for humpback whales as well as orcas, or simply enjoying the landscape.

Day 5 - Day 5 SITKA (ALASKA)

It's hard not to like Sitka, with its eclectic blend of Alaska Native, Russian, and American history and its dramatic and beautiful open-ocean setting. This is one of the best Inside Passage towns to explore on foot, with such sights as St. Michael's Cathedral, Sheldon Jackson Museum, Castle Hill, Sitka National Historical Park, and the Alaska Raptor Center topping the town's must-see list.

Day 6 - Day 6 WRANGEL (ALASKA)

A small, unassuming timber and fishing community, Wrangell sits on the northern tip of Wrangell Island, near the mouth of the fast-flowing Stikine River—North America's largest undammed river. The Stikine plays a large role in the life of many Wrangell residents, including those who grew up homesteading on the islands that pepper the area. Trips on the river with local guides are highly recommended as they provide, basically, an insider's guide to the Stikine and a very Alaskan way of life. Like much of Southeast, Wrangell has suffered in recent years from a declining resource-based economy.

Day 7 - Day 7 BEHM CANAL (ALASKA) & RUDYERD BAY (MISTY FJORDS)

Separating Revillagigedo Island from the Alaskan mainland, the roughly 100 miles long Behm Canal is located within the Tongass National Forest. Already charted in 1793 by George Vancouver, the Behm Canal is the western border of Misty Fiords National Monument. Tongass National Forest extends over 16.9 million acres and is the largest wilderness area in Alaska’s forests and the second largest forest in the nation. It has been described as an almost untouched coastal ecosystem with outstanding geological features, and Misty Fiords National Monument is sometimes called “The Yosemite of the North”.Rudyerd Bay is one of the highlights of the Misty Fiords, 40 miles east of Ketchikan, along the Inside Passage. This fjord cuts through steep-sided mountainous terrain and extends far into the mainland. The scenery is stunning, with dramatic thousand-foot waterfalls plunging down rainforest covered cliffs to the water below.

Day 8 - Day 8 METLAKATLA (ALASKA)

Since the late 19th century, Metlakatla has been the major settlement of the Metlakatla Indian Community of the federally recognized Annette Islands Reserve, the only remaining reservation in Alaska. It is located on Annette Island, and in 2010 had 1,405 residents. Membership in the community is primarily by lineage and is comprised primarily of Tsimshian people. Metlakatla comes from a Tsimshian word meaning "Salt Water Passage.

Day 9 - Day 9 PRINCE RUPERT (BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Just 40 mi (66 km) south of the Alaskan border, Prince Rupert is the largest community on British Columbia's north coast. Set on Kaien Island at the mouth of the Skeena River and surrounded by deep green fjords and coastal rain forest, Prince Rupert is rich in the culture of the Tsimshian, people who have been in the area for thousands of years. As the western terminus of Canada's second transcontinental railroad and blessed with a deep natural harbor, Prince Rupert was, at the time of its incorporation in 1910, poised to rival Vancouver as a center for trans-Pacific trade.

Day 10 - Day 10 KLEMTU (BRITISH COLUMBIA)

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Day 11 - Day 11 ALERT BAY (BRITISH COLUMBIA) & SEYMOUR NARROWS (BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Alert Bay is a small village on Cormorant Island, with approximately 1,300 residents. More than half are First Nations people. The settlement was named in 1860 in honour of the Royal Navy ship HMS Alert, which conducted survey operations in the area. The traditional Kwakwaka’wakw people of Alert Bay have endured a difficult history of devastating foreign diseases and failed government policies of assimilation. Today there is a revival of their traditions.Sailing through the Seymour Narrows is an exciting adventure. This five kilometer long passage is notorious for strong, turbulent tidal currents that can reach speeds of 15 knots and have dangerous conditions such as whirlpools and overfalls. For most of its length, the channel is only about 750 m wide. Captain George Vancouver, an English officer of the Royal Navy who explored this region of the northwestern North America Pacific Coast during his 1791–95 expedition, described the Seymour Narrows as "one of the vilest stretches of water in the world."

Day 12 - Day 12 NANAIMO (BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Nanaimo is located on the east coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, about 70.2 miles (113 kilometres) northwest of Victoria and 34.1 miles (55 kilometres) west of Vancouver. The 'Harbour City' of Nanaimo is separated by the Strait of Georgia, and linked to Vancouver via the Horseshoe Bay BC Ferries terminal in West Vancouver. As the site of the main ferry terminal, Nanaimo is the gateway to many other destinations both on the northern part of the island, such as Tofino, Comox Valley, Parksville, Campbell River, Port Alberni, and Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.

Day 13 - Day 13 VANCOUVER

Vancouver is a delicious juxtaposition of urban sophistication and on-your-doorstep wilderness adventure. The mountains and seascape make the city an outdoor playground for hiking, skiing, kayaking, cycling, and sailing—and so much more—while the cuisine and arts scenes are equally diverse, reflecting the makeup of Vancouver's ethnic (predominantly Asian) mosaic. Vancouver is consistently ranked as one of the world's most livable cities, and it's easy for visitors to see why. It's beautiful, it's outdoorsy, and there's a laidback West Coast vibe.

Day 14 - Please Note:

Expedition highlights and wildlife listed here are possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed. Your Expedition Leader and Captain will work together to ensure opportunities for adventure and exploration are the best possible, taking into account the prevailing weather, wildlife activity and/or ice conditions. Expedition Team members scheduled for this voyage are subject to change or cancellation.

Trip Dates

Start	End	Price From	Room Type

Inclusions

Discover Kayak Island, Hubbard Glacier, Elfin Cove, Wrangell, Behm Canal and Misty Fjord and Prince Rupert
Visit Metlakatla, home of the indigenous Tsimshian people, famous for their emblematic Totem Poles. Observe native cultural presentations and ceremonies.
Retrace parts of the famous Harriman Alaska Expedition.
Wildlife Watch List: Bald Eagle, Steller’s Jay, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Marbled Murrelet, Pigeon Guillemot; Common, Bonaparte’s, Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls, Brown and black bears, Humpback whales, orcas, harbor seals