U.S. Rockies Rail Journey and Alaskan Discovery Cruise

Overnight hotel stay. There is lots to see and do in Chicago. You can go to the beach, shop on the Magnificent Mile, stare at the reflections in the giant “Cloud Gate” stainless steel bean sculpture or stand on the glass “Ledge” 103 floors up in the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), which is the tallest building in the US.

Make your own way to Grand Central station to embark the Amtrak Empire Builder service for two-nights on board the train in a private sleeper roomette. The train departs at 1415.

Enjoy the scenery pass by from the privacy your sleeper Roomette as you clatter across the U.S. Rockies on your way to Seattle, the Emerald City. Not only does this route have breath-taking scenery but there is also an amazing amount of classic North American History in the area, such as Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Chief Sitting Bull, the Wild Horse Stampede and the development of the Great Northern Railroad across the Rockies. There are lots of general interest points, including the longest tunnel, the tallest building, the largest building at the Boeing Factory, the longest river, the biggest shopping mall, the midway point between the Equator and the North Pole, the home of Bing Crosby and one of only three antipodes in North America!

Disembark the train at 1025am and stay overnight in central Seattle. Seattle is perhaps not the best-known American city for British cruisers but it is a city which has lots to offer during a short stay. The shopping here is excellent, as is the dining and bars for some lively nightlife. Pike Place Market is a focal point in the downtown area and just steps away from the waterfront. Pioneer Square marks Seattle’s original downtown area dating back to 1852 and is home to art galleries, cafes, sports bars and nightclubs. The Seattle Underground Tour ($20pp) can be found here and is well worth it as you have a chance to visit eerie sunken store fronts and forgotten streets which were at the original ground level before the Great Fire of 1889. These were covered up and built on in an effort to clean up the city in the second half of the 19th century. For the best views of the city visit the Space Needle which was built for the World’s Fair in 1962. This 605 foot tower is the equivalent to 60 floors high and houses the revolving Sky City restaurant open for lunch a dinner daily. It was built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of up to 9.1 in magnitude!

Embark the ship ready for a scenic seven-night Alaskan cruise.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Ketchikan, known as the salmon capital of the world, is a quaint village (propped up on wooden pilings), three miles long, just three blocks wide and wedged between the water and the forested slopes of Deer Mountain.

In the morning the ship makes a scenic stop at Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier before continuing onto Juneau to arrive at lunchtime. Juneau is the capital of Alaska perched on a hillside where the historical downtown buildings give it a somewhat frontier feel. 4000ft mountains create a dramatic backdrop to the city, beyond which lies the Juneau Icefield from which 30 glaciers flow, the most famous being the Mendenhall Glacier.

Some of the aspiring Klondike gold rushers who made it to Skagway took a look at the 500-mile journey that still lay ahead of them and decided a change of profession was in order. So many of them set up shops as provisioners that Skagway was the largest city in Alaska by the end of the 19th century. Booms fade and dreams move on, but the glory days still reverberate through the town. Take a ride on the White Pass & Yukon Railway or ride up the Klondike Highway which will take you to places where you can roll up your sleeves and do some prospecting of your own.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Victoria (British Columbia) was once a British colonial post and is full of historic sites, public parks and groomed gardens. Here, the locals appear more British than the British. The beautiful town centre features the impressive government buildings, the Fairmount Hotel and the harbour area where pleasure boats navigate past seaplanes as they take-off and land.

Disembark the ship and fly to London overnight.

Arrive in to the UK in the morning for your onward journey home.