Explore more of Alaska and Canada’s Inside Passage during this extended cruise combining Prince William Sound’s legendary fjords and glaciers with an inland tour and train ride to picturesque Denali National Park. Throughout your journey Windstar’s Signature Expedition guides offer insights on wildlife and lead kayak and nature photography expeditions directly from your ship. Test both luck and skills while fishing for Chinook or sockeye salmon among Copper River’s eddies and deep pools. Master dogsled team skills on the expansive Mendenhall Glacier. Float close to the turquoise-hued calving ice at the ends of the breathtaking Tracy or Endicott Arms. As you journey inland to Denali, you’ll see caribou, Dall sheep and foxes, with ample opportunities for spotting moose, grizzly, and roaming wolf packs. After time in the Denali wilderness, you’ll visit the rustic, frontier town of Talkeetna, a centuries-old gathering for Denali expeditions, and ride in domed observation cars on an Anchorage-bound train.

Rivers, mountains, emerald wilderness and milky blue glacial lakes pass below during the flight to Fairbanks. After meeting your Alaskan Guide and transferring to your comfortable hotel, the rest of the day is yours to rest up or explore downtown Fairbanks’ unique blend of old and new.

(Includes overnight at Fairbanks Hotel)

Board the Riverboat Discovery for a trip back in time on the Chena River, stopping along the way to learn frontier living skills at an Athabascan Indian village, watch an Alaskan bush pilot use the river as a runway, and visit Iditarod champion Susan Butcher’s kennels. After a scenic drive to Denali National Park, mingle with fellow guests at a Welcome Reception, then get a taste of old-time Alaska at Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, complete with an all-you-can-eat salmon and barbecue ribs dinner.

(Includes overnight at Denali Lodge, Breakfast, Welcome Reception and Cabin Nite Dinner)

Spend a full 5 to 5-1/2 hours in the park famous for its wildlife, searching for moose, Dall sheep, caribou, grizzlies and wolves. If you have energy to spare, finish the day with an ATV, zip line or horseback adventure on your own.

(Includes overnight at Denali Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch and a Snack)

Board your deluxe domed train for a scenic ride to the quaint village of Talkeetna at the foot of Denali. Settle into your hotel, then listen to colorful tales of the area’s history before your Farewell Dinner.

(Includes overnight at Talkeetna Hotel, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

The Seward Highway is one of the most breathtaking routes in Alaska, following along Turnagain Arm and through the Kenai Mountains. Pause in Anchorage for a visit to the Anchorage Museum before finishing the drive to your waitng ship.

(Includes Breakfast and then all meals on board)

Seward, (Anchorage’s gateway) is sandwiched between the Kenai Mountains and the Kenai Fjords National Park. It is one of Alaska’s oldest and most scenic communities, with Mount Marathon rising majestically behind the town. Even though Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, it is also home to 1,500 moose, surrounded by national parks full of wildlife.

Located in the northern part of Prince William Sound, College Fjord was discovered during the 1899 Harriman Expedition and contains 5 tidewater glaciers, 5 large valley glaciers and dozens of smaller glaciers, most named after East Coast College, with women's colleges on the northwest side, and men's colleges on the southeast side. Harvard Glacier is the largest of the College Fjord Glaciers.

Rarely visited Valdez sits at the mouth of the Port Valdez fjord about 11 miles inland from Prince William Sound. It is surrounded by the Chugach Mountains and numerous glaciers including the Columbia Glacier, Worthington Glacier, Valdez Glacier, and Meares Glaciers.

Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier on the North American continent at 76 miles long, 7 miles wide and 30 stories tall at its face.  It calves about every 15 minutes and was named after Gardiner Hubbard, the founder of the National Geographic Society.

Here is what is considered the mecca for humpback whale watching and where it is almost guaranteed you will see whales. Watch for their unique feeding method known as bubble-net feeding and their breaching from the water.

Privately owned Icy Strait Point is a tourist destination and the only privately owned cruise destination in Alaska. It is the property of 1,350 Alaskan natives with aboriginal ties to Hoonah and the Glacier Bay area. Visitors here enjoy an educational experience learning about Alaska's native cultures, and the natural history of the region. There is much to do here including a brown bear search, tram excursion, flightseeing over Glacier Bay and the biggest zipline in the United States.

Located on the Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle, Juneau sits at sea level below steep mountains between 3,500-4,000 feet high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow, and two of them – Mendenhall Glacier and Lemon Creek Glacier are visible from the local road. A unique feature of Juneau is that it is the only U.S. capital that has no roads connecting it to the rest of the state.

Haines is one of the most popular Alaska cruise ports and one of the best places for hiking, fishing and wildlife viewing, especially bald eagles.  Within the Haines city limits Fort William H. Seward is a nationally recognized historic landmark, with some of its structures open to the public. Other cultural offerings in Haines include the Alaska Indian Arts Center where traditional craftsmen offer demonstrations of their work, the Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center where local Tlingit people are featured, the Hammer Museum, dedicated to the history of the hammer and the Tsirku Canning Company Museum with memories of Haines’ salmon canneries.

Stunningly beautiful Tracy Arm is a fjord 45 miles south of Juneau that actually consists of two deep and narrow fjords – Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Both fjords are over 30 miles long. At the end of Tracy Arm are the impressive twin Sawyer Glaciers. Wildlife in the area includes black and brown bears, deer, wolves, harbor seals and a variety of birds. What you'll be able to see today and how far we can travel up Tracy Arm is weather and ice dependent.

The island community of Petersburg with its strong Norwegian influence continues to thrive by fishing and living from the sea. The three beautiful harbors there are perfect for smaller cruise ships. Located on Frederick Sound, it boasts an abundant marine life and is near the summer feeding ground of hundreds of humpback whales and the spectacular LeConte Glacier.

One of the oldest towns in Alaska, Wrangell is located near the mouth of the Stikine River. Much of its history can be seen in the impressive collection of totems scattered throughout the town. Highlights here are the amazing Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park where you can find primitive rock carvings and just 30 miles away is the Anan Wildlife Observatory with the largest pink salmon runs in the Inside Passage, and a platform from which you can look for eagles, harbor seals and black bears.

Picturesque Prince Rupert, located on Kaien Island, just north of the mouth of the Skeena River is rich in culture and heritage. Prince Rupert was founded in 1910 on a site that has been inhabited by First Nations people for over 10,000 years. The area is rich with wildlife like whales, eagles, salmon and grizzly bears. 

Today we cruise the fjords of Canada’s Inside Passage boasting centuries-old coastal rainforests, beaches, waterfalls and mountains. Over 25,000 miles of rugged coastline lie in Canada’s Inside Passage, joining Alaska’s 15,000 miles of inside waters and provides a safe and sheltered West Coast waterway transit.  In this isolated wilderness look for coastal First Nations longhouses fronted with proud totems and a variety of marine life, from orcas and porpoises to some of the largest populations of bald eagles in the world.

Vancouver’s location at the mouth of the Fraser River and on the waterways of the Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet and all their tributaries makes this busy seaport an easy place for meeting. It is one of Canada’s most populated, most ethnically diverse cities that is a popular filming location. Visit the interesting neighborhoods of Gastown, Granville Island and Chinatown. Walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge and stroll through Stanley Park. See the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Museum of Anthropology. There is an amazing variety of things to see and do here.