Volendam, Alaska ex Vancouver to Skagway

3 Night Cruise sailing from Vancouver to Skagway is sold in conjuction with land as a Cruise Tour only onboard Volendam.

The Volendam reflects a graceful combination of classic and state-of-the-art features found on board both the ms Rotterdam flagship and the Statendam-class vessels. Special features include an alternative restaurant, a third staircase for convenient access to public rooms and a children's play room, as well as more of the popular mini-suites with verandahs. The Volendam's predominant theme is flowers -- from the 17th to the 21st centuries -- featured in the ship's artwork and interior design elements. The Volendam has 10 passenger decks and a three-deck oval atrium. The atrium is punctuated by a monumental glass sculpture by Luciano Vistosi. Vistosi, one of Italy's leading contemporary glass artists, combines beautiful red lacquered metal and blocks of bluish-green glass, the appearance of which changes as fiber optic lighting reflects different colors through the glass. Lounges and duty-free shops are conveniently located on Promenade and Upper Promenade Decks. The various public rooms provide both intimate and social atmospheres.

Highlights of this cruise include:

Vancouver
Galleries, boutiques, colorful public markets, restaurants of every ethnicity: this vital port city has them all. Visit vibrant Chinatown and Stanley Park, with its 1,000 acres of forests, gardens, lakes and lawns in the heart of the city.

Tracy Arm
This narrow, 26-mile-long fjord is another of Alaska's most dramatic glacier settings. The lush rain forest recedes to reveal a stunning canyon of bare rock. The panorama of 7,000-foot mountain peaks and nearly vertical rock cliffs is astounding. Waterfalls appear at every turn. Icebergs make their way to the sea in all sorts of wondrous shapes. And tucked away at the end of this remarkable waterway are two very active reminders of the Ice Age - the twin Sawyer Glaciers, calving icebergs into the jade-colored inland sea. Kittiwakes, mountain goats and seals are a common sight. Whales and bears may even make an appearance in this magical place.

Juneau
Located at the foot of grand mountain peaks on the Gastineau Channel, the town of Juneau has the massive Mendenhall Glacier and the immense Juneau Icefields at its back door. Juneau is the place to let your imagination run wild. Explore the lush Tongass National Forest. Visit the rustic shops in town. Or get out and kayak, dogsled, raft, hike, whale watch, flightsee or fish. There s no end to the adventure because of the long daylight hours. Climb aboard the Mt. Roberts Tramway for a great spot to hike and shoot a souvenir photo.

Skagway
The sidewalks are all but rolled up in Skagway come winter, so you can only imagine the frightful conditions endured by the gold prospectors who passed through en route to the Yukon, with a mandatory ton of supplies to be hauled with them over the steep and treacherous Trail of '98. Today, summertime visits to Skagway require nothing of the sort, but you can still ride the antique White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railway up through silvery-purple rock faces, past Deadhorse Gulch, to see what it was like back then.

Take your time and poke into every little store from the Trail Bench to Lynch & Kennedy's Dry Goods. The Red Onion Saloon, with its honky tonk piano and costumed barmaids, is a treasure trove of memorabilia featuring pictures of Klondike Kate, Peahull Annie and other vintage characters. To complete the picture of those rip-roaring days, visit the nostalgic Trail of '98 Museum. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park boasts restored buildings and wooden boardwalks that invite you to take a stroll into the past.

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