Book it ! enjoy seven nights on a round-trip Holland america cruise between vancouver and alaska , with inside Passage ports including Juneau and ketchikan , plus exclusive aMa member benefits . departs May 17 or July 1 , 2017 . From $ 1,269 per person Call 1-866-989-6594 |
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Vancouver Before You Board |
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select alaskan cruises depart from vancouver , so book early to secure a space . extend your vacation and explore the coastal city : AMATravel . ca / Activities |
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Vancouver Trolley Hop- On Hop-Off Tour , plus capilano suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain , from $ 137 per person |
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Gastronomic Gastown walking tour , from $ 112 per person
Whistler day tour from vancouver , from $ 99 per person
Sea-to-Sky Gondola in squamish , from $ 39.95 per person
aMa members also save 20 % on admission to the Vancouver Art Gallery , while single-day adult or senior passes at the Capilano Suspension Bridge are discounted by 10 %. AMARewards . ca
in town , rooms at the Best Western Plus Chateau Granville Hotel & Suites are as little as $ 243 per night . see AMATravel . ca / Hotels for more information
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Glacier Bay comes by its name honestly
Black dorsal fins appear next : a dozen sleek orcas all dipping and rising , asserting their dominance as we stare in unbelieving silence . All this , and it isn ’ t even noon !
Every moment in Alaska is memorable because nature is always making a statement . One afternoon , we kayak in a brightly coloured flotilla near the small but vibrant harbour town of Ketchikan , which is otherwise known for hosting the world ’ s largest collection of standing totem poles . A fresh breeze blows as Alaska ’ s famous liquid sunshine showers down from above , and we gaze into the shallows to see tiny , tenacious starfish clinging to the rocks . Cue ball – like floating kelp bulbs thump lightly against our kayaks . Bald eagles wheel in silent circles overhead .
Another sunlit afternoon has us challenging wild rapids near Juneau in a bright yellow Zodiac . Our guide cheers
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our crazed paddling skills as the boat lurches and bucks through the churning gauntlet of water . On yet another occasion , we pan for gold in an icy creek and hear stories of the miners who risked their lives for the shimmering stuff .
Nature rules in Alaska , but the history of her people is important too , as we discover on our visit to Skagway , a town bursting with Gold Rush-era lore and old-timey charm . It ’ s here that we meet street-savvy Essie X . ( To get the joke , say it out loud .) Decked out in sassy saloon-girl red and black , Essie sashays us back to a time when prospectors blew into town with romance in their hearts and gold nuggets in their pockets . The price of a fling with one of the ladies of the evening ? A dollar for a dance , or five dollars for fifteen minutes in the cramped rooms of the Red Onion Saloon . A full night between the sheets with Diamond Lil ,
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Gavin Hellier / stocksy united |