Aging & Family Services
2020 Alaska Land and Sea Tour
June 15-27, 2020
Take an adventurous trip to Alaska on a cruise that includes both land and sea excursions. View marine and land wildlife such as sea lions and caribous while marveling at glaciers, mountain ranges, deep fjords and historic gold mines. Bring your camera to capture land attractions sights like the Denali National Park and the Gold Mine in Fairbanks.
Aging & Family Services is planning a Land & Sea Tour to Alaska in the summer of 2020.
More information including prices and general itinerary should be available in late 2018. A planning meeting will be held in April 2018 for those that may be interested. The package will include transportation from Keyser, Roundtrip Airfare and the Cruise and Land portions of this trip.
We are gathering names of interested travelers and will be having informational meetings in the coming months. While it is too early to officially set a date and take money, our initial plan (subject to change) is to take a charter bus from Keyser & Cumberland, and then fly to Alaska. Do a land tour and then a week-long cruise.
If you would like to be included in upcoming announcements, please call Louie at 304-788-5467 ext 110 or email at lkitzmiller@wvaging.com. Please leave your name, number of travelers interested in your party, address and phone number in your message.
TENTATIVE PRICES – BASED ON 2019 RATES
Includes Insurance*
Inside Cabin Category $3,999 $4,523*
Balcony Cabin Category $5,401 $5,946*
Suite Cabin Category $5,811 $6,356*
Rates are per person double occupancy and include round-trip motorcoach to/from airport (based on 30 passengers, round-trip airfare from Dulles, cruise, port charges, government fees, taxes, transfers to/from ship and prepaid gratuities.
*These rates also include travel protection insurance.
PRINCESS CRUISES HAS ADVISED THAT ALL AIR PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED UNTIL FULL PAYMENT HAS BEEN RECEIVED.
PASSPORT REQUIRED
Those who book early get the best prices, the best cabin locations and their preferred dining times.
Booking information available December 2018
A TENTATIVE ITINERARY LOOKS LIKE THIS:
Alaska Cruisetour
Princess Cruises® on the
Royal Princess®
2020
11 Days / 10 Nights
(From Whittier, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia)
Day 1
Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska
Arrive in Anchorage and get settled in your hotel for an overnight stay. You might enjoy getting out to see the shops, restaurants and cultural attractions of this surprisingly metropolitan city.
Day 2
Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge (talkeetna)
Board a motorcoach for your journey along the dazzling George Parks Highway, an attraction in itself. You may catch your first views of incredible Denali along the way. Once you arrive at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, the mountain is visible for nearly anywhere on the property. Take in those sensational views with a glass of wine in the Great Room or on the expansive deck. The 20,320 Alaskan Bar & Grill is the perfect place for a relaxed dinner to end your day.
Day 3
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
This morning you depart on another scenic motorcoach ride to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge at the doorstep of Denali National Park. You’re treated to an afternoon Natural History Tour to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area before returning to the lodge. Tonight, opt for the lively “Music of Denali” dinner theatre, a great introduction to the region’s culture and history.
Day 4
Whittier
Enjoy the scenic rail journey through some of the best wilderness in the Great Land on our exclusive Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service. Once in Whittier, you’ll step from the train onto your ship for the beginning of your unforgettable cruise.
Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska (EMBARK) ~ 8:30 PM
Whittier, approximately 65 miles southeast of Anchorage, lies nestled at the base of the Chugach Mountains bordering Passage Canal. Established as a World War II port for cargo and troops of the Alaska Command, Whittier remained activated until 1960. Today, Whittier’s economy and its 290 residents rely largely on the fishing industry, the port and, increasingly, on tourism.
Once accessible only by boat or via a war-era railway tunnel, The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel was recently enhanced to accommodate highway traffic as well, making it the longest highway/rail tunnel in North America at 2.5 miles.
Named for the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, the community is also the gateway to spectacular Prince William Sound, with its magnificent tidewater glaciers and abundant marine life.
Day 5
Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) ~ 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Nicknamed the “Galloping Glacier,” this east Alaskan glacier is rapidly advancing toward the Gulf of Alaska into a pristine area known as Disenchantment Bay. In fact, its movement temporarily formed a natural dam that twice closed off nearby Russell Fjord from the bay, but the intense water pressure building within the fjord-turned-lake has thus far been enough to explode through the wall of ice.
The largest tidewater glacier in North America, Hubbard Glacier measures 76 miles long and plunges 1,200 feet into the depths of the bay. Its immense beauty and phenomenal blue hues are enchanting, even from afar. But it’s when your cruise ship draws closer that its towering surface really impresses, dwarfing even the uppermost deck on your ship at a whopping 40 stories high. There, with the snowcapped mountains serving as a glorious backdrop, you’ll have a prime viewing spot from which to witness the glacier calving, as it often expels icebergs the size of 10-story buildings-imagine the splash!
The area around Hubbard Glacier is also renowned for its wildlife, where whales, harbor seals, and otters swim, brown bears, moose and black-tailed deer roam ashore, and a wide variety of seabirds soar gracefully across the sky.
Day 6
Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska ~ 9:15 AM – 7:30 PM
Princess is one of a select few cruise lines permitted to cruise the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, the highlight of our 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. Just west of Juneau, this breathtaking national park and preserve boasts some of the world’s most spectacular tidewater glaciers, such as Margerie Glacier, which often drops colossal chunks of ice into the sea. Not surprisingly, Glacier Bay National Park and its epic ice giants are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Alaska’s magnificent park system.
During your scenic cruise, friendly Park Rangers will join the ship to share their knowledge of this amazing place and host a fun Junior Ranger program for kids. They may even be able to help you identify Glacier Bay’s abundant wildlife, including humpback whales, sea otters, porpoises, harbor seals, black bears, mountain goats, bald eagles and large colonies of seabirds.
Take in the awe-inspiring scenery as you enjoy an unforgettable day of sailing through this dazzling park, where you’ll glide along emerald waters and past calving icebergs, and can breathe in the crisp, fresh air to your heart’s content.
Day 7
Skagway, Alaska ~ 7:00 AM – 8:30 PM
Skagway was the gateway to the gold fields for the thousands who flocked to Alaska and the Yukon with the hope of striking it rich. Skagway may have boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it wasn’t the easiest.
Over 100 years ago, the White Pass route through the Coast Mountains and the shorter but steeper Chilkoot Trail were used by countless stampeders. Many a would-be miner perished on the treacherous Chilkoot Trail.
The gold rush was a boon and by 1898, Skagway was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000. Hotels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses prospered. But when the gold yield dwindled in 1900, so did the population as miners quickly shifted to new finds in Nome.
Today, Skagway has less than 1,000 residents. It still retains the flavor of the gold rush era.
Day 8
Juneau, Alaska ~ 6:30 AM – 5:00 PM
In 1880, it was slow going for Joe Juneau and Richard Harris as they searched for gold with the help of Native guides. After climbing mountains, forging streams and facing countless difficulties, they found nuggets “as large as beans.”
From their discovery came three of the largest gold mines in the world. By the end of World War II, more than $150 million in gold had been mined. Eventually, the mines closed, but the town Joe Juneau founded became the capital
of Alaska and the business of gold was replaced by the business of government.
Some 30,000 people live in Juneau. Its total area makes it one of the biggest towns, in size, in the world. Only Kiruna, Sweden, and Sitka, Alaska, exceed Juneau’s 3,248 square miles.
Today Juneau is famous not only for gold and government but also for its breathtakingly beautiful glaciers and stunning views of both water and mountains.
Day 9
Ketchikan, Alaska ~ 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Ketchikan is known as Alaska’s “First City” because it’s the first major community travelers come to as they journey north. Located on an island, Ketchikan began life as an Indian fishing camp. The name Ketchikan comes from a Tlingit phrase that means “eagle with spread-out wings,” a reference to a waterfall near town.
In the early 1900s, when gold was Alaska’s claim to fame, fishing and timber industries were established in Ketchikan. The growth of these industries helped make this Inside Passage port Alaska’s fourth-largest city.
Visitors to Ketchikan will be intrigued by its rich Native heritage, which includes the world’s oldest collection of totem poles at Totem Heritage Center. The Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian are all a part of the city’s colorful history. Ketchikan, with its abundance of salmon, is also a sportfishing paradise. Sightseers will be impressed with both the scenic town and its surroundings, especially Misty Fjords National Monument.
Day 10
At Sea
Everything you need to refresh body and mind is right on board. Indulge in a manicure, pedicure or a makeover in the salon, or a soothing massage in the Lotus Spa®. Or maybe it’s a brisk workout in the fitness center, followed by a little “me time” in The Sanctuary, a tranquil retreat reserved just for adults.
Day 11
Vancouver, British Columbia (DISEMBARK) ~ 7:30 AM
It seems unlikely that a character named “Gassy Jack” Deighton would be responsible for one of the most beautiful cities on the continent. But that’s history for you.
During the gold rush, Gassy Jack saw a chance to make money from the hordes of miners on their way to the Yukon. The saloon he built became the focus of the shanty town known as Gastown. From that ragtag group of shacks, modern Vancouver was born. The provincial government persuaded settlers to change the name of the town to Vancouver, after Captain George Vancouver, who sailed the region’s waters in 1792.
Canada’s third-largest city, Vancouver is a cosmopolitan place with a European feel and a personality all its own. It’s a community with a rich ethnic mix – including the second-largest Chinatown in North America – and stunningly beautiful parks.
