Discovery Voyages Classic Discovery Voyage

Arrive in Anchorage and transfer on your own to your downtown Bed & Breakfast (included) for a comfortable night stay. Accommodations offer convenient access to the Anchorage Trail System, a network of developed hiking and bicycling trails throughout the Anchorage area. We recommend a walk or bike ride this afternoon or evening, if time allows. The views of the Alaska Range are spectacular! Dinner on own this evening. A great selection of restaurants are within easy walking distance of your B&B.

Van transfer pick up by Discovery staff at 10:00am for the scenic ride along Turnagain Arm, known for its tremendous tidal flats and frequent sightings of Beluga Whales. Continue south through the Chugach mountains to rendezvous with the captain and crew in Whittier for a warm welcome aboard the Discovery. While the crew prepares for departure, relax in the Discovery’s cozy salon and enjoy specially prepared appetizers of smoked salmon or halibut spread with crackers, fresh baked breads, fruits, and a plentiful selection of fine beverages.

Leave Whittier in the early afternoon, enjoying lunch while cruising east and south past lush rainforest-clad slopes and past numerous waterfalls. After lunch, we will launch inflatable zodiacs to take us onshore for an easy hike. Return to the Discovery to find an exquisite dinner waiting of local Copper River Red salmon, roasted rosemary potatoes, fresh vegetables, and elegant desserts. A selection of wine and other beverages are available. Meanwhile, the Discovery travels to an evening anchorage in one of the Sound’s many intimate and secluded coves.

Mornings aboard the Discovery are usually relaxed with a casual open breakfast served from 8:00 a.m. till 10:00 a.m. works well with guests from various time zones and individual morning routines. Enjoy a variety of warm fresh breads, muffins, rolls, fruits, cereals, warm egg dishes, juices, coffee and tea are all available. Underway in the morning, the Discovery sails through Knight Island Passage and Dangerous Passage towards Icy Bay. Keep your eyes peeled for dorsal fins and blow spouts — some of the Sound’s most frequent Orca and Humpback Whale sightings are found along this route.

At midday the Discovery navigates her way through the Nassau Fjord. Several miles of icebergs and brash ice (smaller pieces of glacial ice) lay between the fjord’s entrance and the calving face of Chenega glacier, named after the local native community of Chenega. The massive 200-square-mile Sergeant Ice field funnels ice down a wide mountain valley, forming a mile-long, 200-foot-high wall of ice that topples giant blue chunks into the sea. Calving tidewater glaciers occur in only a few places in the world and Prince William Sound is home to the greatest concentration of them in Alaska. The Chenega glacier, with its daunting size and thunderous sounds, offers a remarkable opportunity to experience firsthand the tremendous natural forces that move these spectacles of nature.

Hundreds of harbor seals make Icy Bay their summer home, using the floating ice as resting platforms and safe places for birthing. The rocky mountainsides around Chenega glacier also support a healthy and frequently visible population of mountain goats. Binoculars serve as helpful aids in sighting these skillful mountain climbers, and the Discovery can provide a pair if you don’t have your own. If conditions are favorable, some guests may enjoy a short hike above the glacier with opportunities to take photographs of the many small ice bergs that have washed ashore. After lunch, the Discovery exits this ice-laden fjord for Bainbridge Passage, where you can try your luck fishing for Pacific Halibut and Rockfish. Late afternoon and early evening provide opportunities for more Orca and Humpback whale watching. If successful, we’ll pass this helpful information on to the local whale researchers of the North Gulf Oceanic Society. Enjoy a relaxing dinner while the Discovery travels along Knight Island, into the uncharted narrows of Long Channel for the evening’s anchorage.

Awake today immersed in a wilderness sanctuary of quiet beauty. This powerful living landscape leaves many of us feeling awed and humbled. Take in the morning light on the deck of the Discovery while enjoying a hot cup of coffee or tea. Look out for one more whale as you relax in the main cabin or keep watch on deck in the salty ocean breeze. Appetizers will be served while taking in the sights of Passage Canal prior to docking in the Whittier Harbor and your van transfer to Anchorage. Overnight in Anchorage.

Enjoy breakfast this morning at your Bed & Breakfast. Transfer on own to the airport for departures home, or you may choose to extend your stay in Alaska.