Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise

The Canadian Rockies, coupled with an Alaskan cruise, must surely rank amongst the very finest scenic and wildlife holidays on earth! Combining Canada, the world’s second largest country, with a cruise to Alaska, the largest state in the US, our tour has been designed to showcase the very best that such an enormous area can offer.

The magnificent Rocky Mountains are Canada’s crowning glory: home to bears, majestic elk, moose and beaver, with vast forests that seem to go on forever. Opaque lakes of stunning emerald green and turquoise reflect the magnificent scenery like no other place on earth. Carpets of wild flowers bedeck the green meadows spread beneath the towering glaciers - huge expanses of brilliant white ice and snow, contrasting with the muted greys and pinks of the jagged peaks. We stay in Banff, the very heart of the mountains, then travel along a monument to man’s engineering prowess, the ‘road of steel’ that is the great Trans-Canadian railway, on the incredible Rocky Mountaineer train. Crossing high passes, deep ravines and innumerable spectacular bridges, places that can only be seen by rail, the Rocky Mountaineer is acknowledged as the ultimate way to travel through the beautifully rugged terrain of Alberta and British Columbia.

Finally, we arrive in Vancouver, nestling beside the immense majesty of the Pacific Ocean, which ranks alongside Sydney, Cape Town and San Francisco as one of the world’s most naturally beautiful panoramas. With its gleaming glass skyscrapers reflected in the azure-blue ocean, Canada’s third largest city is a fascinating and cosmopolitan metropolis encircled by water and mountains.

Our seven-night cruise with Holland America Line to Alaska is available as an extension on all departures. The cruise includes two days at sea sailing the calm, sheltered waters of the famed Inside Passage. In Alaska, we visit the historic ports of Skagway and Ketchikan, where the prospectors of the 1890’s Klondike gold rush took their first steps towards riches or heartache!

We spend a whole day cruising the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, travelling through a landscape that was completely covered by a 20-mile wide glacier just 200 years ago! The park contains eight tidewater glaciers, extraordinary twelve-storey walls of ice in countless shades of blue and white, creaking and groaning their way to the sea where huge blocks up to 200 feet high break loose and crash into the chilly waters.

On board you will enjoy unparalleled service and extraordinary sights coupled with exciting and unique experiences via the many shore excursions on offer. So, come join us on this wonderful tour and explore one of the most exciting places in North America, located in truly awesome scenery, with enchanting wildlife and welcoming people. You are sure to return with some amazing lifelong memories!

The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a room, flights to Calgary and returning from Vancouver, seven nights on room-only basis, staying in superior three-star hotels (medium class in Kamloops, arranged directly by the Rocky Mountaineer), two breakfasts and lunches plus selected drinks and staff gratuities on Rocky Mountaineer train, all transfers and hotel porterage of one item of luggage per person, the services of a Riviera Travel tour manager, single rooms are subject to availability at the relevant supplement.

Included excursions are a tour of Vancouver, guided visits to Lake Louise, Peyto Lake and the Athabasca Glacier plus ride on the Snocoach.

Alaska Cruise

Your cruise includes seven nights in an inside K-category cabin with daily breakfast, lunch and dinner; transfers on return to Vancouver and all port taxes. Numerous other cabin categories are available at a supplement. Cruise itinerary is subject to change depending on weather conditions. On-board currency is the US dollar.

Extras

US$12.50 per person per day (US$13.50 in suites) will be added to your on-board account for cruise staff gratuities and a 15% service charge is added to all drinks bills.

MS Nieuw Amsterdam

For 2019 departures. The Holland America Line Vista-class ship, launched in 2010, the 2106 passenger MS Nieuw Amsterdam has more outside ocean view staterooms and verandas than most other ships in Alaska. The promenade deck goes right round the ship with plenty of classic teak deck chairs to relax in, whilst its stunning 8-deck atrium and spacious public rooms are adorned with a wide variety of art and antiques. 

Dining options include the Vista dining room, serving five-course meals with impeccable service. A more intimate option is the Pinnacle Grill (US$29pp supplement), which features sterling-silver beef served on top of the range china and linens, The Canaletto Italian Restaurant ($10 pp supplement), and the Pan-Asian Tamarind Restaurant ($20pp supplement). The informal Lido restaurant has free seating and buffet-style service for lunch and breakfast and waiter service for dinner. You may also enjoy daily afternoon tea, complimentary hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour and late night snacks. There is also the chance to go to the B.B. King's Blues Club, a vibrant blues musical experience. There are two formal evenings when gentlemen are requested to wear a jacket and tie.

The spacious, elegantly appointed staterooms all feature complimentary 24-hour room service, fresh fruit daily, flat-panel TVs, bathrobes, Egyptian cotton towels and Elemis bath products. The Deluxe Veranda staterooms are particularly popular and early booking is recommended.

Other ship facilities include a three-tier theatre, the Crow's Nest observation lounge, a piano bar and sports bar, the Explorers Lounge where complimentary newspapers, books and internet are available, the Greenhouse Spa and hair salon with its steam room and 'hydro' pool, a covered pool and a large open observation deck right at the very top of the ship.

To view the MS Nieuw Amsterdam deck plan, please click here.

MS Koningsdam

For 2020 departures. The first of Holland America Line’s Pinnacle-class ships, the 2,650-passenger MS Koningsdam was launched in 2016 and boasts more outside Oceanview and Verandah staterooms than most other ships in Alaska. The Promenade deck goes right round the ship with plenty of classic teak deck chairs to relax in, whilst its stunning three-deck atrium and spacious public rooms are adorned with a wide variety of art and antiques.

Dining options include the two-tier Vista dining room serving 5-course meals with impeccable service and an extensive wine list. More intimate dining options include the Pinnacle Grill (US$30pp supplement), which features cuisine inspired by the Pacific Northwest with king-salmon or prime beef served on top-of-the-range china and linens, the Canaletto Italian restaurant (US$15pp supplement), the Pan-Asian Tamarind restaurant (US$25pp supplement) and Rudi’s Sel de Mer French brasserie The informal Lido Market restaurant has free seating and buffet-style service for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You may also enjoy daily Afternoon Tea, complimentary hot hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour and late night snacks – there’s even a demonstration kitchen featuring gourmet cookery classes. There are two formal evenings when gentlemen are requested to wear a jacket and tie.

The spacious, elegantly-appointed staterooms all feature complimentary 24-hour room service, safe, minibar, flat-panel TVs with on-demand movies, bathrobes, Egyptian cotton towels and Elemis bath products. The Verandah staterooms are particularly popular and early booking is recommended.

Other ship facilities include a two-tier theatre, the Crow’s Nest observation lounge, a piano bar and sports bar, the Explorer’s Lounge where complimentary newspapers, books and internet are available, the Greenhouse Spa and hair salon with its steam room and ‘hydro’ pool, a covered pool and a large open observation deck right at the very top of the ship.

Click here to view the MS Koningsdam deck plan.

Visa/eTA for Canada

Under Canada’s Electronic Travel Authorization Programme, British passport holders are required to obtain an eTA prior to travelling to Canada rather than obtaining a full tourist visa. The application must be done via the website: www.canada.ca/eta.

You will need to provide some basic personal information similar to what was previously collected on arrival into Canada. eTA is electronically linked to your passport, which means you will need to travel with the same passport you used when applying for and obtaining your eTA.

Visa/ESTA for USA (Alaska)

Under the USA Visa Waiver Programme, most British passport holders do not require a visa to travel to the United States if travelling as a tourist for up to 90 days.

Those qualifying for the Visa Waiver Programme must apply online for authorisation to enter the USA, for which there is an administration fee of $14 per person. This is called an ESTA. This may only be obtained online by visiting the official website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and registering at least 72 hours prior to travel.

Those who do not qualify for the VWP will be required to apply for a visa. Please contact the relevant embassy for any additional information. Without authorisation prior to travel, admission may be denied at a US port of entry.

In September 2019, the list of countries travelled to has been updated to now include Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria or Yemen. If you have travelled to or been present in any of these countries on or after 1st March 2011, you cannot travel to the USA on an ESTA and instead must apply for a visa. 

Whilst care has been taken to ensure that the information provided relating to visa requirements is true and correct at time of publication, changes in requirements after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information. Therefore, whilst we strive to provide the most up-to-date information, we strongly suggest that you re-confirm requirements with the relevant embassy prior to application. Other nationality passport holders should check with the relevant embassy.

Mobility

We want to ensure you make the correct choice before you book your holiday with us. If you have any concerns regarding the suitability of the holiday due to reduced mobility we would encourage you to call us to discuss these concerns. General information on mobility in connection with our tours can be found here.

Health

There are no current health requirements for travel to the USA and Canada, however, whilst the travelling schedule shall pose no problems for people of any age in normal physical health, we would point out that we often enjoy walking tours (sometimes over unmade paths) so this holiday may not be suitable for clients of greatly impaired mobility. Please bear this in mind when considering this holiday.

Fact File

• Currencies: Canadian Dollar, US Dollar
• Deposit: £400 per person
• Flight Time: Approx. 8 hrs (outbound) and 9 hrs (inbound)
• Language: English
• Time Zone: GMT -3.5 to -8
• Countries: Canada, USA