West Coast USA & Alaska

In Los Angeles you will be spoilt for choice. Spend some time on Venice Beach made famous by the Baywatch TV series and the setting for many films, featuring roller skaters and lifeguard huts. Visit the boutiques on Rodeo Drive and perhaps take a Movie Star tour in Beverly Hills. Visit the Chinese Mann’s Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard where you will find the Walk of Fame and see how your hands measure up to those of Hollywood stars cast in the concrete sidewalk outside the theatre. Anaheim is the Home of Disneyland and also a western style Rollercoaster park called Knotts Berry Farm. Long Beach is the final resting place of the Original Queen Mary which has been converted into a floating museum/restaurant/hotel.

Flight between Los Angeles to San Francisco, overnight at hotel

The cruise terminal is the next pier along to Pier 39 which is a huge entertainment, dining and shopping complex. This is situated in the heat of the famous Fisherman’s Wharf area where there are lots of bars, fishing boats and restaurants. From here you will see magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge and have the opportunity to take a boat trip to visit Alcatraz. Perhaps take the famous cable car over the hill to Union square – the heart of the downtown shopping area of the city.

Board the Coast Starlight between San Francisco and Seattle, private roomette on-board the train

Arrive into Seattle, disembark the train for overnight at hotel

Seattle is perhaps not the best-known American city for British cruisers but it is a city which has lots to offer during a one to three night 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 ($16pp) 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

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

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.

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

Sitka is an Alaskan city and borough near Juneau, the state capital. It's spread over Baranof Island, part of Chichagof Island and others. It was part of Russia until 1867 and St. Michael’s Orthodox Cathedral is topped with an onion dome. The 1842 Russian Bishop’s House is nearby. Sitka National Historical Park is the site of Russia’s defeat of the indigenous Tlingit people and has a trail dotted with totem poles.

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.

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 ship for overnight flight to UK