Fairbanks Denali Express - Southbound Cruisetour

Your Norwegian Cruise Line Tour Director will greet you at your Fairbanks hotel this morning. Today you'll enjoy a city tour of Fairbanks in a deluxe motorcoach. The tour includes a stop at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline and gives you a great overview of the Fairbanks community. After lunch on your own, you'll enjoy a ride on the Riverboat Discovery, a three-hour journey that will take you into the heart of Alaska. Operated by a family who has made the Alaskan rivers home for five generations, you'll witness a Bush Pilot take off and land beside the boat, and hear stories of flying into remote Alaska firsthand. Halfway through the experience, you'll be immersed in frontier living with a guided walking tour of a recreated Athabascan Indian village. See cabins made of spruce logs, along with other indigenous dwellings that have allowed the strong Athabascan people to survive for thousands of years in this harsh environment.

Open evening to explore Fairbanks or take an optional tour.

Overnight: Fairbanks

This morning, enjoy traveling along the rails of the Alaska Railroad to Denali National Park. Along the journey, wander the train, purchase a meal in the dining car, or just sit in your comfortable reclining seat and gaze at the magnificent scenery. Alaska Railroad Adventure Class features single-level cars with high ceilings, large picture windows and ample legroom. As you travel through the high tundra plateau into the Healy Gorge and Canyon, be watchful for wildlife during your rail journey.

More than just the mountain, Denali National Park is six-million acres of wild land. After lunch on your own, your tour will take you into this pristine region of Alaska on the only road into and out of the park. Along the way, enjoy a fully narrated ride learning about the flora and fauna of the area while looking out for the wild animals that roam freely and call this park home. While in this beautiful area, set aside time to experience the solitude and tranquility that vast wilderness can provide.

During your Denali Natural History tour, you will travel into Denali National Park, enjoying the incredible scenery and learning about the history of the park.

Overnight: Denali

Travel from Denali via deluxe motorcoach to Whittier. Enjoy a brief city tour of Anchorage and then continue south down the Turnagain Arm along the Seward Highway. This "All American Scenic Highway" has spectacular views of the Cook Inlet and Chugach Mountains. In dramatic fashion, see where the mountains meet the sea. Stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and get up close to moose, bears, musk ox and other indigenous animals of the region. Taking in orphaned animals and providing quality animal care year-round, the Conservation Center is dedicated to the protection and preservation of Alaska's wildlife. Animals that cannot be released back into the wild are given a permanent home at the Center.

Continue on to Whittier to board Norwegian Jade for your 7-day Alaska cruise.

Although situated only approximately 60 miles from Anchorage, Whittier feels a world away. This small, secluded town — only accessible by land via the two-mile long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel — is nestled between soaring mountain peaks and the Passage Canal. Having been originally founded as a military facility during World War II, today, Whittier is your gateway to the famous Prince William Sound. The spectacular rugged coastlines and waterways are home to abundant wildlife, including bears, mountain goats, Dall sheep, whales, sea lions, otters and much more. Unleash your inner explorer on one of the many outdoor activities or enjoy a scenic boat tour along a portion of the sound.

The Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. Its awe-inspiring, turquoise-colored face towers nearly 400 feet tall — 250 feet of which are underwater — while its icebergs are often three or four stories high. At nearly six miles wide where the ice meets the ocean and 76 miles long, viewing this massive glacial mass is an experience not soon forgotten. As you cruise near the glacier, keep an eye out for the region’s rich variety of wildlife, from bald eagles to harbor seals, orcas and humpback whales.

Venture “where the north wind doesn’t blow.” Known for this famous saying, Icy Strait Point is the ideal landing spot for adventurers seeking a new experience. Breathtaking and exciting, Icy Strait Point truly takes you where the wild things are. It’s one of the few places in the world where wildlife outnumbers the human population. A trip here certainly satisfies your taste for adventure. Take a cruise from Icy Strait Point and enjoy Alaska's awe-inspiring scenery and the many excursion options that Norwegian Cruise Line has to offer.

Juneau has been called “Alaska's peak experience,” certainly due in part to its unparalleled glacier viewing from such places as Tracy Arm Fjord, the Juneau Icefields and Glacier Bay National Park. Kayak up one of the area's many protected waterways, go flightseeing, tour historic downtown or try your hand at panning for gold. The majestic Mendenhall Glacier lies nearly 12 miles outside Juneau, a treck worthwhile.

In a single year from 1896 to 1897, this remote town along the Inside Passage grew from a few tents to a city of 20,000 gold seekers. Today, travelers come in search of other riches – to experience yesteryear along Skagway's charming boardwalk lined with buildings that replicate those Gold Rush days.

Thanks to its abundant rainfall, Ketchikan is surrounded by some of the world's most lush wilderness. Its Tlingit Indian name, Kach Khanna, means “spread wings of the eagle.” Chances are you'll see one of these magnificent birds perched atop a Sitka tree during your Alaska cruise to Ketchikan (Ward Cove).

Get ready for amazing views and wildlife like nowhere else as you sail through the islands of Alaska's Inside Passage.

Positioned between the snow-dusted North Shore Mountains and the rich, blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver blends big-city sophistication with small-town charm. Don't miss Queen Elizabeth Park – a 130-acre civic arboretum accented with sculptures by modern artist Henry Moore.