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Alaska 2012
(click here to jump to the itinerary)
Thank you for your overwhelming interest in our 2012 Alaska Tour, July 20-Aug. 4. Due to the nature of the trip and some of the areas where we will be going (deep into Denali Park for a two-night stay), we can only take a group of 42 travelers. We are thinking that the seats will fill up quickly so don’t delay!!
NOW is the time to commit to the tour. Call our office and send in your deposit of $1000.00 per person to secure your spot on the tour. Please fill out the enclosed reservation form and mail with your check/money order. We accept credit card (Master Card, Visa, & American Express) payments but do add a 3% convenience fee.
We understand this is rather short notice but final payment is due March l, 2012. If you prefer to make installment payments instead of paying the remainder all at once, one-half is due February 1st and the second half is due March 1st. Just make sure that your final payment is made by the first of March. We know some of you may have money in savings, etc. and that you want to wait for maturity instead of losing interest.
If you are a snowbird and head to warmer weather during the winter months, we request that you give us your email address and a winter address along with when you will be gone. We don’t want any of the letters to miss getting to you on time.
You will need passports for this tour since the cruise ship will be docking at the Vancouver, BC Canada port. We will also go through customs there instead of doing so at an airport. Contact your post office for passport information. In this area, the Sterling, IL or Clinton, IA Post Offices will issue passports. Also, Walgreens will take passport photos. Call before you go so you know exactly what information and documents you need to take with you to the post office to prove identification.
Wiersema Charter has travel insurance available for your protection should anything happen and you would need to cancel your trip OR should you become ill, get hurt, have a hospital stay or need to fly back home while on the tour. In the event a cancellation is necessary prior to May 1st, Wiersema Charter will issue a refund minus any non-refundable deposits or tickets. No refunds are given if cancellation is after May 1st, unless you have purchased travel insurance through Wiersema Charter. If this is the case, a claim should be filed through the insurance company. We have information available as to the cost and what is included in each plan. We strongly urge each of you to consider taking out the insurance to protect your investment.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding the Alaska 2012 Tour. Larry & Jan Wiersema will be your escorts on the tour and both are very anxious to show you our beautiful 49th state. It truly is a beautiful place to visit. Join us for this beautiful tour. Don’t miss out; get your reservation in NOW!!
Prices: (based on double occupancy rooms)
Inside Room: $5,830.00/person
Outside Room: $6,090.00/person
Verandah Room: $6,500.00/person
Itinerary:
Alaska 2012
With Wiersema Charter Service
July 20 – August 4 | 8 days on land, 7 day cruise | 1 evening in Seattle
Highlights
Anchorage ~ Prince William Sound Wildlife Cruise ~ Columbia Glacier Viewing Port of Valdez ~ Copper River Valley ~ Wrangell-St. Elias National Park ~ Kantishna Fairbanks ~ Riverboat Discovery River Cruise ~ Exclusive Trailbreakers Kennel Show Alaska Salmon Bake ~ Palace Theater Saloon Show ~ Alaska Railroad-Goldstar Service Denali National Park ~ Kantishna Wildlife & Wonder Lake Tour ~ 2 Night Stay at Anchorage Museum ~ Kenai Peninsula ~ Hubbard Glacier Viewing ~ Juneau Skagway ~ Icy Strait Point ~ Ketchikan ~ Inside Passage Cruising ~ Vancouver ~ Seattle
Itinerary
Day 1 (7/20): Anchorage - Leave Wiersema Charter Service at 5:30 am. Depart Chicago-O’hare @ 9:30 am, arrive in Anchorage @ 1:30 pm with personal escort to luxury accommodations. Explore downtown shops, Lake Hood or consider a float plane adventure.
Day 2 (7/21): Prince William Sound & Columbia Glacier – Enjoy breakfast with fellow travelers, then board the motor coach for a scenic & narrated tour of Anchorage. Ride along on the Alaska Railroad, through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to Whittier, where you will meet up with the Stan Stephens family who will take you on an escorted adventure into Columbia Bay. Be sure to have your cameras ready to snap photos of whales, sea otters, seals, eagles and icebergs. You will be staying the night in Alaska’s “Little Switzerland”, Valdez.
Day 3 (7/22): Keystone Canyon & Fairbanks – Start your day with breakfast, and then head off to explore Keystone Canyon. Enjoy the rushing waters of Bridal Veil & Horsetail Falls, and then ascend to the top of Thompson Pass and travel into Fairbanks where you’ll spend the next 2 nights.
Day 4 (7/23): Fairbanks – After an Alaskan Style breakfast, you are off on a full day of touring the highlights and history that make Fairbanks a star city. The Riverboat Discovery will provide a 3 hour narrated tour along the Chena and Tanana waterways. With a stop in an authentic Athabascan village you will learn about the natives and visit the Trail Breaker Kennels for an educational show and luncheon. Supper will be a dinner show, serving Alaska Salmon Bake.
Day 5 (7/24): Denali National Park & Wonder Lake – Board the Alaska Railroad in 1st class style for a 4 hour journey to Denali National Park. At the entrance you will board a bus which will take you 95 miles deep into Denali to Kantishna, which will be your home for the next 2 days. During this 5 hour ride, keep your eyes open and cameras ready for moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, brown bears and Mt. McKinley. You will also pass by the reflective waters of Wonder Lake.
Day 6 (7/25): Denali National Park & Wonder Lake – Wake up to nature this morning! You are one of the lucky few who actually get to go face to face with Mother Nature. A day to do as you choose, make it one of relaxation, hiking, mountain biking, gold panning, or flight-seeing.
Day 7 (7/26): Denali National Park & Talkeetna – After breakfast, you will board the bus for a 5 hour wildlife tour back to the park entrance. This afternoon you will journey down the Parks highway which will allow for more opportunities to view Mt. McKinley. This evening’s lodging will be in the quaint town of Talkeetna.
Day 8 (7/27): Kenai Peninsula & Seward – The beautiful Anchorage Museum is today’s destination after breakfast. After lunch, you’ll head south on the Seward Highway to meet up with your luxury cruise ship where you’ll embark and get ready to sail through southeast Alaska for the next 7 days. Sail at 9pm on Royal Caribbean’s ‘Radiance of the Seas’.
Day 9 (7/28): Hubbard Glacier – Todays voyage takes you to Yakutat Bay and alongside the Tongass National Forest to Disenchantment Bay and the ice wall of Hubbard Glacier. Hubbard is the 2nd most active tidewater glacier in Alaska and has a face that extends 6.5 miles.
Day 10 (7/29): Juneau – Maneuver into the Gastineau Channel and dock in Alaska’s Capital City. Another day to choose your destination! Options include touring the Mendenhall Glacier, helicopter aerial tours, salmon hatchery, and a trip on the aerial tram to the top of Mt. Roberts.
Day 11 (7/30): Skagway – Welcome to the “Gateway City to the Klondike Gold Rush”! This historic community still has the feel of an 1898 boomtown. You can take the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad on an incredible 2500 foot climb to the top of the “Dead Horse Trail” or spend time touring the town on foot.
Day 12 (7/31): Icy Strait Point – Just 22 miles southeast of Glacier Bay, Alaska’s largest Tlingit village is the only wilderness port in Alaska and has been home to the land of the Hoonah Tlingit Natives for thousands of years. Its beauty, grandeur, history and people offer you a glimpse into the real Alaska.
Day 13 (8/1): Ketchikan – The “Salmon Capital” of Alaska and the 1st city for those traveling from the south, this brilliant seaside community offers a number of adventures for its visitors. Some choose to flightsee the beautiful Misty Fjords, while others elect to keep their feet on the ground and visit the totem displays of Saxman Village and Totem Bright Park. The historic Creek Street District and Southeast Discovery Lands are also popular choices.
Day 14 (8/2): Inside Passage – Tidal waters permitting, you will hug the coastlines of Alaska and stunning British Columbia. The scenery offered is far different from that found in other cruise destinations around the world. Keep an eye open for humpbacks, orcas and dolphins during your day at sea.
Day 15 (8/3): Vancouver, British Columbia – Seattle, WA – You will arrive in the clean and beautiful city of Vancouver this morning. Here you will be bused to Seattle as a group where you will spend the remainder of your day. You’ll be staying at the Double Tree by Hilton, close to the airport. While in Seattle for the evening, you will visit the Pike Place Market with rows of fresh veggies, fruits and flowers, and several vendors selling locally made items. When visiting the market, you are only about 1 mile away from the Seattle Space Needle, another option for your evening.
Day 16 (8/4): Seattle, WA – You will board your flight for home at 8:40am from Seattle, arriving in Chicago at 2:45pm. Here you will be greeted by your Wiersema Charter driver for your ride back to Morrison. As you sit back and enjoy the ride through Illinois, you can reflect back on all the things you’ve seen and enjoyed and the friends you’ve met during your Alaska adventure. Thank you for joining us to our 49th state!
Prices include: 21 meals on land, all meals on ship, transportation to & from airport, airfare, attractions and corresponding gratuities, accommodations, fully guided service, luxury land, rail and cruise transportation, port charges and taxes, baggage handling (1 bag per person) and corresponding gratuities.
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