SEATTLE & INSIDE PASSAGE CRUISE

Day 1 - Arrive Seattle
Upon arrival at the SEATAC Airport you will be met by your private sedan and transfer to downtown Seattle. You will have some free time to explore on your own.

Moderate: Overnight Mayflower Park Hotel
Superior: Overnight Fairmont Olympic Hotel - Deluxe room
Deluxe: Overnight Fairmont Olympic Hotel - Deluxe Executive Suite

Day 2 - Choice of Activity: Mount Rainer OR Mt. Saint Helen's Sightseeing
Today you have your choice of activities.

Mount Rainier Day Tour - Of all the mountains that surround Seattle, Mount Rainier stands boldest. On clear days, you can see the mountain from downtown, but to grasp its full beauty, you must see it up close. Breathtaking vistas await on this rocky peak more than 14,000 feet tall. Even when clouds in Seattle obscure the view from the city center, once you climb in altitude, Mount Rainier's scenery is awe-inspiring. Don't forget your camera. This 10-hour day trip is a feast for the eyes. Begin with a scenic bus ride, stopping at a visitors' center before we continue into Mount Rainier National Park. In the park, we'll linger at several scenic lookout points and gaze at the natural wonders ' crashing waterfalls, diverse plant life, and the snowcapped summit. You'll have time to purchase lunch along the way. In the late afternoon, follow a different route back to Seattle, taking in even more great scenery.

Mt. St. Helen's Day Tour - The excitement builds throughout the day as you travel towards this historic volcano, made famous by its recent eruption. For more than a hundred years, Mt. St. Helen's sat dormant and peaceful, but on May 18, 1980, the slumbering volcano exploded to life, spewing a massive cloud of ash and steam more than 10 miles high and triggering the largest landslide in recorded history. Revisit history as we travel 90-miles south of Seattle, through a diverse and recovering landscape, forever changed by the devastating blast. During our journey, we'll stop at three different visitor's centers, hearing firsthand the stories of local inhabitants who survived the eruption. Fallen trees, scattered like matchsticks, still cover the rolling hills within the blast zone, and a moon-like terrain surrounds the mountain itself. Videos and interactive displays describe the geological forces that triggered the eruption, and a hands-on exhibit lets you simulate your own earthquake," using the same equipment seismologists use. Your final stop at Johnston Ridge gets us up close for a spectacular view of the crater.

Moderate: Overnight Mayflower Park Hotel
Superior: Overnight Fairmont Olympic Hotel - Deluxe room
Deluxe: Overnight Fairmont Olympic Hotel - Deluxe Executive Suite

Day 3 - Seattle City Sights Tour / Depart Seattle aboard Holland America's ms Amsterdam
This morning depart on a Seattle City Sights Tour. Seattle is known for attractions such as Pike Place Market and the Space Needle, but outside the downtown core, Seattle is a city of neighborhoods, each with its own, unique personality. Using a smaller vehicle limited to only 20 passengers, we travel through parts of town many visitors never see. Soak up the Asian flavour of the International District. Check out the quirky public art in Fremont, the self-proclaimed 'Center of the Universe', and get a taste of Seattle's maritime culture as you drive past Fisherman's Terminal. At the Hiram Chittenden Locks, you'll see the famous Fish Ladder, where an underwater viewing room lets you watch for sea life. And enjoy a sprawling view of the skyline from atop one of Seattle's scenic lookout points. This tour takes you where others don't ' off the beaten path to areas where local residents live and play. Experience the local point of view.

This afternoon, transfer by private sedan from your hotel to the cruise ship terminal. You will set sail for new adventures on board the exciting ms Amsterdam. The musically themed ms Amsterdam has always offered guests a unique shipboard atmosphere. Her décor includes artifacts and memorabilia representing various musical genres - from a Baroque-style Dutch pipe organ in the atrium to guitars signed by rock icons The Rolling Stones. The ms Amsterdam offers a symphony of cruising pleasures.

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Note: Saturday & Sunday cruise departures will be aboard different ships. Thursday (Oosterdam) and Friday (Noordam). Cruise itinerary will change slightly on the other ships.

Day 4 - Scenic Cruising Inside Passage
Today is at sea. Journey deep into one of nature's most isolated monuments accessible only by sea and air and encounter the magnificence of the Ice Age as you slowly glide through the Inside Passage. Expect the unexpected on your Alaska cruise - a massive glacier calves, a bald eagle soars above, a humpback whale clears the water and the night sky awakens to waves of color. With guaranteed views of sky-splitting peaks, glaciers and vast wilderness.

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Day 5 - Juneau, Alaska
For years Juneau's livelihood, like that of many cities in Alaska, was tied to mining. The city itself is built on tailings from the A-J mine whose shafts perforate the hillside above town. Because it is Alaska's capital, Juneau prospers through government work and tourism. This is a great place to sample salmon baked over an alderwood fire, pan for gold, and hike the massive Juneau Icefield. If you feel the need for speed, hop on a sled and let a dog team pull you across the surface of a glacier. Sample Shore Excursions (not included): Alaska-style Salmon Bake, Glacier View Sea Kayaking, Gold Panning at Gold Creek.

Note: Oosterdam itinerary: Scenic Cruising Hubbard Glacier and Yakutat Bay

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Day 6 -Glacier Bay Scenic Cruising
Cloistered in the rocky recesses of Alaska, Glacier Bay is a world still emerging from the Ice Age. Sixteen dazzling tidewater glaciers creep back and forth by millimeters, chiseling great masses of moraine onto their pristine surfaces.

Note: Noordam itinerary: visit Juneau / Oosterdam itinerary: Scenic Cruising Hubbard Glacier and Yakutat Bay

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Day 7 - Sitka, Alaska
Bald eagles perch in the spruce and cedar trees of Sitka'often several to a branch. Russian Alaska is enthusiastically represented in a lively performance by the New Archangel Dancers. View holy paintings of the Czarist days, visit recuperating eagles at the rehabilitation center and hear the amazing story of the Cathedral fire and Sitka's mad flurry to save the church's icons and religious treasures. Sample Shore Excursions (not included): Historic Russian America & Raptor Center, Silver Bay Nature Cruise & Salmon Hatchery, Sitka Wilderness Sea Kayaking Adventure

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Day 8 - Ketchikan, Alaska
In the heart of the Tongass National Forest, immerse yourself in Tlingit Indian culture and view the world's largest collection of totem poles kayak the colorful waterfront and stroll the boardwalk that once led to Ketchikan's red light district. Sample Shore Excursions (not included): Adventure Kart & Jet Boat Expedition, Misty Fjords by Floatplane, snorkeling adventure, Totems & Town Tour.

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Day 9 - Victoria, British Columbia
High tea can be taken at the Empress Hotel if you really want to discover what Victoria is all about. Then, walk over to the breathtaking Museum of Natural History or stroll through the charming downtown of that lives up to its British-flavoured name with double-decker buses, turreted castles, fine British woollens and delicate china. A coach-ride away, the Butchart Garden earns every superlative of its impeccable reputation for glorious blooms and redolent scents. Sample Shore Excursions (not included): Victoria by Horse-drawn Trolley, A Taste of Victoria: City Lights with Wine & Chocolate, Orca Whale Watching by Day

Moderate: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Inside Cabin (J class)
Superior: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin (E class)
Deluxe: Overnight ms Amsterdam in an Outside Cabin with Veranda (AA class)

Day 10 -Arrive Seattle
Arrive back into Seattle in the early morning. Today you will transfer by private sedan from your hotel to the Seattle International Airport in time for your flight departure home.


PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• 2 nights accommodation, room tax and any mandatory service charges

• 7 night Alaska Glacier Bay Holland America cruise aboard the ms Amsterdam including onboard meals & entertainment, taxes and port charges (SUBSTITUTION: Thursday departures are aboard the ms Amsterdam, Friday departures are aboard the ms Oosterdam and Saturday departures are aboard the ms Noordam - itineraries may vary slightly)

• Choice of Activity: Mount Rainier OR Mt. St. Helen's Day Tour

• Seattle City Sights Tour

• Private sedan transfers between Seattle Airport & hotel, hotel & Cruise Ship Terminal, Cruise Ship Terminal & Seattle Airport including gratuities

• Personalized documentation package

PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE:

• Shore Excursions

• Alcoholic beverages

• Gratuities not listed as included (including meals & cabin attendants onboard Holland America Cruise Lines)

• Meals not listed as included

• Transfers not listed as included

• Optional activities not listed as included

• Trip Cancellation Insurance (Insurance can be purchased from your Vacation Specialist, ask for more details)
  

• $50 US per person Alaska State Cruise Tax