Rocky Mountaineer & Celebrity Alaska cruise

After a relaxing start to your journey with included airport lounge access you’ll embark on a daytime flight to Calgary. Once you’ve arrived you will be transferred directly into the Canadian Rockies, and your home for two nights in Banff.

Stay: Banff Royal Canadian Lodge (Superior / Silver Leaf) / The Rimrock Resort (Deluxe / Gold Leaf)

You'll have a full day to explore Banff, enjoy an included cruise on Lake Minnewanka, the largest lake in the Banff National Park, sitting below the towering peaks of Mount Aylmer and Mount Inglismaldie to Devil's Gap. Look out for wildlife, including big horn sheep, deer and eagles, before returning to Banff to explore the town's shops and museums at your leisure, take a ride on the Banff Gondola for panoramic valley views before a perhaps a dip in the mineral pools of the Upper Hot Springs.

Stay: Banff Royal Canadian Lodge (Superior / Silver Leaf) / The Rimrock Resort (Deluxe / Gold Leaf)

This morning board the Rocky Mountaineer train at Banff Station. Enjoy the spectacular array of scenery as you travel between the glacier and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies, over mountain passes and through remarkable tunnels, along rocky lakeshores and across the ranchlands of the Interior. Highlights include the Continental Divide, the Spiral Tunnels, Kicking Horse Canyon, Rogers Pass, and Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven. Breakfast and lunch will be served onboard. Arrival in Kamloops in the early evening. Spend the evening exploring the city of Kamloops or relaxing in your hotel room. All hotels in Kamloops are of moderate standard: your hotel will be assigned post-booking.

Stay: Kamloops accommodation (Rocky Mountaineer allocated)

Board the Rocky Mountaineer train at the Kamloops Station at 7:35am. Journey west and again see dramatic changes in scenery, from the desert-like environment of the Interior, through winding river canyons and pristine forests, to the Coast and Cascade Mountains and the lush green fields of the Fraser Valley. Breakfast and lunch will be served onboard. Highlights include the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River and the rushing waters of Hell's Gate in the Fraser Canyon. Arrival into Vancouver in the early evening in time for dinner.

Stay: Pinnacle Hotel Harbour Front (Superior / Silver Leaf) / Paradox Hotel (Deluxe / Gold Leaf)

Your centrally located hotel is just a short walk from the shops of Robson St, Stanley Park and the seawall, the perfect base to explore some of the best leisure activities Vancouver has to offer, including the Aquarium, Totem Poles, art galleries, shopping and the classical Chinese gardens. Its green spaces, beach shores and historic architecture are a hive of activity, offering eclectic shops, sensational art galleries, trendy streets and cosy forest trails. Everything here is framed by snow-capped, steely mountains and the glorious views you've become used to in your Canada adventure.

Stay: Pinnacle Hotel Harbour Front (Superior / Silver Leaf) / Paradox Hotel (Deluxe / Gold Leaf)

Enjoy a relaxing morning before being transferred to your Celebrity cruise ship. Settle into your stateroom before enjoying the first   Your cruise to the spectacular coastal landscapes of Alaska will depart Vancouver in the afternoon.  

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

Sail into Alaska's famed Inside Passage in southeastern Alaska, a complex labyrinth of fjords, bays, and lush green islands is home to an abundance of wildlife, including orca, mountain goats, bald eagles, bears, puffins, sea otters and much more. During the summer months, the long hours of daylight allow many opportunities for photographing nature your cruise. The sight of 40-ton whales hurling themselves into the air, almost completely leaving the water, is unforgettable. If you're especially lucky, you could see them swimming together to create a bubble net, trapping and eating fish by the giant mouthful.

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

For thousands of years, the Tlingit Indians have called this place home. Located near the city of Hoonah, and home to a historic cannery, Icy Strait Point also offers the chance to view wildlife - including humpback whales, orcas, seals, eagles and brown bears - or to explore monuments to the region's fishing heritage.

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

You'll experience the wilds of Alaska as your ship makes its way through icy waters turning from Yakutat Bay into the narrow Disenchantment Bay to come face-to-face with the towering Hubbard Glacier. The strong currents and riptides that flow between Gilbert Point and the face of the glacier cause calving to occur on daily basis, sending massive chunks of ice crashing into Disenchantment Bay. Witness this awe-inspiring phenomenon onboard through the misty, chilled air of the Gulf of Alaska. Our dedicated onboard naturalist narrates the experience and keeps an eye out for the whales, seals and otters that hunt and play in the waters of Yakutat Bay. 

The Hubbard Glacier itself is located about 30 miles north off the coast of Yakutat and is by far one of Alaska’s most exciting natural treasures. You'l; enjoy incredible picture-perfect views of this glorious mount of ice from about every angle on your ship. Named after Gardiner Hubbard, the founder and president of the National Geographic Society, Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier in the world. At about 7-miles wide, 76-miles long and as tall as a 30-story building above the waterline, it’s the largest river of ice in North America. How this magnificent block came to form begins about 400 years ago from the snowfalls on the slopes of Mount Logan. While most of the world’s glaciers are retreating, the Hubbard Glacier has continued to thicken over the years and on rare occasion will partially block Russell Fjord, temporarily damming its passage.

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

Alaska's small but surprisingly busy capital has the unusual distinction of having no roads in or out, visitors can only arrive by air or sea. It is perhaps best known for the Mendenhall Glacier and the nearby Glacier Bay National Park.  Aside from wildlife spotting and whale watching trips, a range of optional excursions are offered for the more adventurous, from canoeing to dog-sledding to heli-trekking.

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

Known as the 'Salmon Capital of the World' for good reason, Ketchikan is also the ancestral home of the Tlingit people, who have carved the world's largest collection of totem poles. If you're up for an adventure, take a canoe and nature trail excursion through the rain forest or a wilderness exploration followed by a sumptuous crab feast you'll long remember.

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

Today you will travel back south through the fjords, bays and islands of the Inside Passage. There will be opportunities again to view the wide selection of wildlife which resides there in the summer months. 

Stay: Celebrity Solstice

Disembark your cruise ship after breakfast, a private transfer will take you to Vancouver airport for your overnight flight back to the UK.