Silversea CruisesVancouver to Vancouver - Alaska ExplorerItineraryWednesday - Vancouver, British Columbia In 1792, Captain George Vancouver explored Burrard Inlet during a coastal survey of what is now known as the Inside Passage. But it was not until gold was discovered on the Fraser River in the 1860s that Vancouver actually became a town. At that time, the city was known as Gastown, named for saloonkeeper “Gassy Jack” Deighton, who opened Vancouver’s first bar in 1867. A fire destroyed the settlement two months after it was incorporated. Most of the buildings in Vancouver date to the rebuilding of the small city in 1886. The Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1889, with Vancouver as its terminus, and the city established itself as Canada’s main port for trade with the Orient. Today, the Port of Vancouver is still Canada’s largest port, serving as a gateway to China and Japan. In the early 1900s, Vancouver boomed with the development of the fishing and timber industries. World War II catapulted the city’s economy into the modern era, and successful redevelopment in the past twenty years has made Vancouver a very livable modern city. Several new structures were built for Expo, the 1986 World’s Fair. Canada Place Pier, currently the home of the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, was built in 1985 to house the Canadian Pavilion for Expo. It was modeled after the old sailing ships and from the back looks similar to a Spanish galleon. A polyhedron-shaped building, which looks like a giant silver golf ball, was also built for Expo and is now the home of the Vancouver Science Centre.
Thursday - Day At Sea
Friday - Cruising Sawyer Glacier
Saturday - Juneau, Alaska In 1880, prospectors Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, led by Tlingit chief Kowee, beached their canoes along Gastineau Channel at the mouth of Gold Creek, where they staked out a 160-acre town site and a boomtown was born. After the loose gold in streambeds ran out, Juneau became a center for hard rock mining. By the turn of the century, three of the largest mining operations in the world were located in Juneau (Alaska-Juneau mine, the Alaska Gastineau mine and the Treadwell Complex, comprised of four separate mines). These mines yielded over $158 million in gold between 1880 and 1944. The last of four large mines that operated in the area closed down during World War II. By this time, Juneau had become the capital of Alaska and the business of government had replaced the business of mining. Juneau is the destination with the most diversity of Alaska sightseeing, active adventure and romance. This quaint, yet sophisticated town is rich in native culture and gold mining history. It nestled in the rain forest where the mountains meet the sea amid 17 million acres of Tongass National Forest and a 1,000-square-mile ice field. Today, Juneau is famous for its spectacular scenery of mountains, glaciers, fjords, lakes and wildlife that is unrivaled.
Sunday - Skagway, Alaska
Monday - Sitka, Alaska
Tuesday - Wrangell, Alaska
Wednesday - Ketchikan, Alaska During World War II, Ketchikan was the site of a major United States Coast Guard base and housed over 750 enlisted men and officers. The early 1900s were a boom time for Ketchikan, along with the rest of Alaska. Gold was discovered in the nearby hills and on Prince of Wales Island, and copper was discovered a short time later. Ketchikan became the supply center for all the mines in the surrounding area. By the mid-1930s, Ketchikan had aptly named itself “The Salmon Capital of the World.” In 1936 alone, the city packed more than 1.5 million cases of salmon. Once a quintessential Alaskan logging and fishing town, Ketchikan was a workday place where visitors could wander the docks. But drastic declines in both the logging and fishing industries forced the city to change course. Today, Ketchikan is a typical Alaskan tourist town, catering to cruise ship guests.
Thursday - Cruising The Inside Passage
Friday - Vancouver, British Columbia Cost of This Itinerary9 Night Trip:The least expensive cabin costs: The most expensive stateroom costs: |
