Welcome to Alberta! Arrive at Calgary’s International airport and board your transfer to the idyllic parkland town of Banff. Check into your hotel and take the rest of the day to explore the many unique shops, eateries and attractions around town. Overnight at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, your luxury mountain home for the next couple nights!

Time to discover one of Canada’s most famous mountain resort towns. Get up early and venture around the legendary mountain town of Banff and check out the shops, boutiques and restaurants and then jump on the local bus service to take a gondola ride to the summit of Banff’s Sulphur Mountain. From a theatre and interpretive centre inside to epic views of six stunning mountain ranges and the sweep of the Bow Valley from the rooftop deck and mountain boardwalk outside.

Depart on your full-day sightseeing transfer to Jasper including a stop at the incredible Columbia Icefield along the famous Icefields Parkway. The huge Columbia Glacier covers nearly 325-km2 and dominates the surrounding landscape. An Ice Explorer ride will take you onto the ancient Athabasca Glacier and is followed up by a walk on the Glacier SkyWalk – a glass-floored platform extending 30m out over the Sunwapta Canyon. Continue on to Jasper and arrive in the late afternoon. Overnight at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.

Today you will view some of the most interesting and spectacular scenery found anywhere in the world. Declared the “Best Boat Cruise in Canada”, the Maligne Lake Cruise is an experience like no other. You’ll enjoy a panoramic tour across the crystal waters of magical Maligne Lake, fed by the glaciers of Jasper National Park. Glide past the jagged mountain peaks as you cruise to Spirit Island, a world-famous destination only accessible by boat. When you arrive back at your hotel, confirm the shuttle for your departure tomorrow morning.

Wake up and get on the hotel shuttle for the rail station and board the Rocky Mountaineer train for a spectacular rail excursion from Jasper to Kamloops, BC (breakfast and lunch included). This unique daylight service allows you to view some of the most spectacular sights in Western Canada. The route departs the Rocky Mountains through the Kicking Horse Pass. By late afternoon, you are in the arid ranch land of interior British Columbia, where you disembark for the night. Upon arrival in Kamloops, enjoy the evening at your leisure. Overnight in Kamloops at the Thompson Hotel.

You will set out on the last leg of your spectacular rail experience today. The Rocky Mountaineer takes you through the “cowboy country” ranchlands and along the rushing torrents of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers. You are now truly in pioneer territory and en route you can listen to the history and legends of the West while enjoying all the comforts of your luxury train. The last stretch takes you through lush farmlands and past historic towns to Vancouver. Breakfast and lunch included. Overnight at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver.

This full-day trip to Victoria begins with a cruise through the scenic Gulf Islands and includes a visit to the acclaimed Butchart Gardens. Afterwards continue to Victoria for a city sightseeing tour that encompasses Victoria’s stately homes and gardens as well as historic landmarks. You will see the University of Victoria and Beacon Hill Park and pass the Royal British Columbia Museum, Thunderbird Park, the Parliament Buildings and the exclusive homes of the Uplands and Oak Bay. You will return to Vancouver in the early evening.

Today you check out of your hotel and transfer individually to the Vancouver cruise terminal where you board Holland America Line’s cruise ship and are welcomed by the crew who will be your hosts for your cruising adventure. Familiarize yourself with amenities of the ship and watch the sun set over the water from the wide decks of this magnificent craft. The ship weighs anchor and sets sail this afternoon for one of the most famously beautiful passages in the world. Full board begins at dinner. Overnight on board the ms Zuiderdam. Outside cabin features: Two lower beds convertible to queen, approximately 16.25 sq metres, complimentary 24-hour room service, Dual voltage 110/220 AC, Four pillows in every stateroom, complimentary use of bathrobes, 100% Egyptian cotton towels, bathroom accessories & hair dryer, complimentary beach towel service, plentiful storage space in your bathroom & wardrobe, 23” LCD-HD Interactive television system to view & select shore excursions, luggage delivery, individual safe, direct-dial telephone, thermostat controlled air-conditioning and window.

Enjoy the fantastic scenery on the first full day of cruising, travelling through the Inside Passage. Just beyond the deck rails, the gems of Alaska are laid open in a spellbinding vista of rain forests, glaciers, fjords and white-capped peaks. Along the way it is common to view whales and sea lions at play along the coastlines as well as a near countless assortment of marine bird life.

Travel the Stephens Passage as it flows into the Boundary Ranges at Tracy Arm, a narrow, twisting, 48 -kilometre-long fjord that ends at the twin Sawyer glaciers. Lush rain forest gives way to ancient stone as the land dramatically rises to 2100m towering peaks, the waterway ending at the twin Sawyer Glaciers. Arriving in the port of Juneau, take some time to explore this unique state capital and its frontier culture and spirit.

Cruising to the Gold Rush stopover town of Skagway, travel in the footsteps of the prospectors that either continued on to the gold fields, or remained to create the historic town that still thrives today. Perhaps take some time to ride the antique White Pass & Yukon narrow-gauge railway, step into the Red Onion Saloon or peruse the restored buildings and wooden boardwalks of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

An exciting day cruising ahead, exploring the famous waters of Glacier Bay – home to Glacier Bay National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the park boasts a unique ecosystem of plants and animals living in concert with an ever-changing glacial landscape. When a monumental chunk of ice splits off a glacier and thunders into the sea, the impact shoots water dozens of metres into the air. Glacier Bay has more active ‘calving’ (splitting off) tidewater glaciers than anyplace else in the world.

Cruise into the port of Ketchikan today, set along the shores of the Tongass Narrows, unique for its many shops and houses built suspended above the water. Known as the Salmon Capital of the World, this lively town also is home to Creek Street, the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Bight State Park and the Saxman Village. The town is surrounded by natural wonders, inviting all visitors to discover their wild side amidst the wilds of the Alaskan landscape.

Today the ship slowly retraces its voyage along the Alaskan and British Columba coastlines. Watch how the landscape slowly and subtly changes as you descend into the more southern and warmer climate of the Pacific Northwest temperate area.

Its time to pack up your belongings, grab breakfast and disembark. Don’t forget to search your room for any left-over belongings; its a long way to return to pick up any forgotten items! If you haven’t done so already, be sure to charge your devices and check in online for your flight. Individually transfer to Vancouver International Airport for your departure.