1. Day Anchorage: Transfer to the Sheraton Hotel.


2. Day Whittier: Enjoy a tour that includes a visit to the Museum of History and Fine Art. Transfer by motorcoach to Whittier to board the Spirit of Oceanus and begin your cruise, sailing through Prince William Sound. Whittier, Alaska is located at the northern end of glacier-lined Passage Canal in Prince William Sound, 65 miles southeast of Anchorage. This tiny, remote community was established as a strategic military facility during World War II. Whittier’s ice-free port has served various marine activities from freight transfers of sea-train barges heading to Southcentral Alaska to a fishing and tourism port. In 1941, the U.S. Congress appropriated $5 million to construct a 2.5 mile tunnel to penetrate the mountains to connect Whittier to Anchorage. This tunnel would be one of the largest in the world, and two years and two tunnels later, the first train arrived in Whittier on June 1, 1943, forever linking this Alaskan outpost by sea and land. By the year 2000, the tunnel began to serve both vehicles and the train. Two of the largest buildings in Alaska were also constructed in Whittier during the war, with the unique concept of housing all residents under one roof. To this day, most of the population of 185 lives in one of these tall buildings, and its tiny boat harbor remains the gateway to the pristine wonders of the beautiful Prince William Sound wilderness.


3. Day Cruising: The waters between the Alaska mainland and Kodiak Island are filled with intrigue. Be on deck to see the rugged coastline of Kenai Fjords National Park. Your Captain will determine the best spots to explore today based on the local conditions


4. Day Kodiak Island: Visit the Baranov Museum, the Alutiiq Museum and the Fish Tech Center, all in Alaska’s first Russian-American settlement. The modern city of Kodiak is just one settlement on Kodiak Island, a lush landscape known as Alaska’s Emerald Isle. To locals, it is affectionately known as “the rock.” Kodiak was the first capital of Russian Alaska, before it was moved to Sitka. During the Russian period, overharvesting of the sea otter for its precious fur led to its near extinction. The indigenous culture, the Suqpiaq (“the real people”), more commonly known as Alutiiq, was also at risk. Because of the influence of the Russian Orthodox church, the people and their traditional ways were protected. Today, St. Herman’s, a Russian Orthodox seminary, is located in Kodiak.

Kodiak is a community with tremendous cultural diversity, largely due to the fishing industry. The largest U.S. Coast Guard station is located here, fulfilling its mission not only to homeland security, but also patrolling Alaska’s extensive coastline for illegal foreign fishing, and performing life-saving search and rescue operations in some of the most dangerous fishing grounds in the world. While much of Kodiak’s past and present is tied to the sea, a recent focus of the economic diversification of the community has had residents looking toward space. A commercial launch complex was constructed here, bringing high-tech jobs and dollars to this area. Nature has had a tremendous influence on Kodiak as well. Traces of the 1912 eruption of Novarupta Volcano can be still be found in soils on the island, and the entire city had to be reconstructed after the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The coastal environment supports not only one of the most productive fisheries in the U.S., but also one of the biggest populations of LARGE brown bears. These magnificent creatures own the shoreline, and feast on nutrient rich salmon. They are considered the same species of brown bear that you will find in interior Alaska, but are often 500 pounds heavier.


5. Day Katmai: Look for brown bears digging for clams as you explore the remote shoreline of Geographic Harbor, where migrating birds like the Arctic Tern stop. Katmai National Park is on the top of many “Best of Alaska” lists because of its otherworldly landscape and the opportunity to get up-close and personal to the raw beauty of the 15 active volcanoes and abundant wildlife there. Still considered a living laboratory, it was the spectacular eruption in 1912 of the Novarupta Volcano that brought scientists and researchers to this area. The National Geographic Society led a number of expeditions to Katmai, and in 1919, on its last expedition, Geographic Harbor was discovered in the previously uncharted Amalik Bay. Part of the “Katmai coast,” this is one of the prime areas in this region for bear viewing.


6. Day Shumagin Islands: Conditions permitting, “wet land,” to explore tidal pools and the tundra. Look for 8,200-foot Pavlov Volcano and seabirds, seals, and sea lions on Haystack Rocks.  The village of Unga, on the island of the same name, is now uninhabited, abandoned in 1969. Most residents have relocated to the new community of Sand Point, which is on neighboring Shumagin Island. The name Shumagin was given to this group of over a dozen islands by members of Vitus Bering’s expedition to honor one of their own who died there. Unga, like many of the islands in this region, is rich in minerals. Coal and gold mining in this region first occurred on Unga, lasting until the early 1900s. There was renewed interest in Unga’s gold in the 1980s, although no one has come forward to actively pursue mining.

In addition to mining, fishing was central to the development of Unga. Over the years, however, Sand Point has become the focal point for fish processing in this part of the Aleutians. Cod, halibut, and salmon have been the primary catch, not only for the cash economy, but also for subsistence. Residents supplement their diets with other marine life, including shellfish and a variety of kelp. Visitors of Unga Island may see arctic fox, bald eagles, and seals. This is also a beautiful place to view tundra wildflowers. One of the island’s more unique features is the abundance of ancient petrified wood along the shoreline.


7. Day Dutch Harbour: Here on Unalaska Island see the Museum of the Aleutians, and the World War II Memorial Park. Unalaska and Dutch Harbor are often thought of as two separate communities, and although they are on two separate islands, Dutch Harbor (on Amaknak Island) is within the city limits of Unalaska. Amaknak Island and Unalaska Island are connected by a bridge. Like Kodiak, Unalaska, although small and remote, is a culturally diverse community due to the commercial fishing industry and fish processing activities. The latest estimates suggest the population of this island community is 7% Aleut, 19% Asian/Pacific Islander; 13% Hispanic, and 61% Caucasian. Dutch Harbor provides a natural protection for fishing vessels. The harbor has been ranked  the #1 port in the nation for seafood volume and value for the past 11 years. While thriving as an important port for commercial fishing, fish processing, and related services, subsistence activities remain vital to the community.

It is estimated that as many as 24 separate villages inhabited these islands in the mid 1700's. Many residents were relocated to the Pribilof Islands by the Russian fur traders in 1787. In 1825, a Russian Orthodox priest, Ivan Veniaminov (later, Saint Innocent), constructed the Church of the Holy Ascension of Christ, and began a life’s work that is still evident today. The Church is the oldest Russian Orthodox cruciform-style church in North America, and the prevalence of Russian Orthodox in rural Alaska, and particularly among Native Alaskans, is largely attributed to Veniaminov, who worked with the Aleuts to develop a written language and then translated the liturgy. Native Alaskan myths, legends, and celebrations parallel much of the scripture and feasts of the Russian Orthodox church. Residents of Unalaska were forced to relocate to camps in Southeast Alaska after the island was bombed by the Japanese in 1942. Upon their return in 1945, residents found many homes and buildings destroyed or ransacked. It is considered nothing short of a miracle that the church and its precious historic icons were preserved. The community rebuilt itself, and today serves as a regional hub for transportation, fisheries, and international trade.


8. Day Pribilof Islands: St. George is a prime viewing site for fur seals and reindeer. Also watch for puffins, auklets, and murres. Gerasim Pribylov, a Russian fur trader, is credited for discovering the islands which now bear his name, although an ancient Aleutian legend describes the story of a young man named Igadik, who, after observing the migration of pregnant seals, ventured into the sea to follow the seals and was caught in a storm. He swiftly paddled his badairka in the direction of barking noises and there he found the island inhabited by fur seals. The Pribilofs, as they are now known, consist of five islands north of the Aleutian chain. The community of St. George is on the island of the same name, and is the southern-most of five islands in the Pribilofs. The largest island in the Pribilofs is St. Paul, originally named St. Peter and St. Paul Island, after the two vessels of Vitus Bering’s second expedition. Hundreds of species of birds nest on these islands, and over one million fur seals call the black sand beaches home during the summer months. The first Aleuts to inhabit the islands were relocated from elsewhere along the Aleutian chain during the Russian era in Alaska. During World War II, residents were relocated to Southeast Alaska, where many succumbed to disease and malnutrition. After the war, however, a large number of residents chose to return to the islands, and through their determination, created communities of their own. Although commercial seal harvesting was ended in 1983, residents are still able to harvest seals for subsistence purposes. Commercial fishing and tourism are being developed to diversify the economy. As in much of rural Alaska, the Russian Orthodox church has a significant role in these communities. The weather in the Pribilofs can be extreme and harsh as the islands are not sheltered from frontal systems coming across the Bering Sea. Most trees do not survive the winds. In addition to wind, St. George and St. Paul receive an average of 23 inches of rain and 57 inches of snowfall. This arctic maritime climate ranges temperatures from 19 to 52 degrees Fahrenheit.


9. Day Wilderness Exploration: Go to remote islands such as Nunivak, part of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. You may spot wild musk oxen and caribou. Nunivak Island is home to one of the Earth’s most peculiar creatures, which seems to have stepped into the present straight from the Ice Age.

The musk ox, known as oomingmak to the Yupik, was indigenous to this region, but was overharvested in the late 1800s. In 1935, musk oxen from Greenland were reintroduced to the island, where a herd of approximately 500 still roams. Today, descendants of the Nunivak Island herd live at the Musk Ox Farm, near Palmer in Southcentral Alaska. This herd is managed for the harvest of the musk ox’s undercoat, known as qiviut. The fiber is processed much like cashmere, spun, then woven into incredibly soft and exceptionally warm scarves, smoke rings, hats, and other garments. Each design is unique to the village where it is woven. This endeavor is an important economic development initiative for this region, whose residents maintain a subsistence culture. It has also helped to preserve and pass down from one generation to the next the traditional ways of the residents. Mekoryuk, with a population of 204, is the only inhabited village on Nunivak Island. Its “backyard” is part of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. In addition to the reindeer and musk ox that inhabit the island, name your favorite migratory bird and you are likely to see it near Mekoryuk or elsewhere on the island.


10. Day Bering Sea / Russia: Clear customs into Russia and take a tour of Provideniya. Search the rugged shoreline of Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula. In three days of exploration, you may also visit these villages: Little Diomede - Seperated from Russia's Big Diomede by less than two miles and the International Date Line. Novoye Chaplino - This Yupik village claims kinship to Alaskan Eskimos. Yanrakynnot - These Chukchi subsistence hunters go after walrus, whales and other sea creatures. Nearby, Whale Bone Alley runs along the shore for miles. Savoonga - Hailed as the “Walrus Capital of the World,” the natives here are subsistence hunters, living off the sea and land. Early Eskimos on the islands were fearless men of the ice and sea, with an advanced culture practicing elaborate whale-hunting ceremonies. They traded with both continents. The islands were named in 1728 by Vitus Bering in honor of Saint Diomede. The 1880 census counted 40 people, all Ingalikmiut Eskimos, in the village of "Inalet."  When the Iron Curtain was formed, Big Diomede became a Soviet military base and all Native residents were moved to mainland Russia. During World War II, Little Diomede residents who strayed into Soviet waters were taken captive. It wasn’t until the 1980s that families have been able to reunite and visit one another.

The City was incorporated in 1970. Some residents are interested in relocating the village, due to the rocky slopes and harsh storms, lack of useable land for housing construction, and inability to construct a water/sewer system, landfill or airport. A federally recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Native Village of Diomede (a.k.a. Inalik). 93.8% of the population are Alaska Native or part Native. Diomede is a traditional Ingalikmiut Eskimo village with a subsistence lifestyle. Seal, polar bear, blue crab, and whale meat are the preferred foods. Mainland Natives come to Diomede to hunt polar bears. Seal and walrus hides are used to make individual clothing items, parkas, hats, mukluks, and furs and skins for trade. Villagers scale the island’s rocky edges and plateau to forage for berries and edible plants. Durable goods are brought in by barge once a year, and if conditions are right, mail can be delivered once a week, usually by helicopter. The closest U.S. community on the mainland is Wales, which is 28 miles across the Bering Strait by boat. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village.


11. & 12. Day Bering Sea / 2 Days of Exploration:
In order to appreciate the Bering Sea, one must have an appreciation for complex relationships and the balance in nature. This harsh, and often deadly, marine environment has devastated coastal communities, yet the indigenous cultures that arrived here as recently as 10,000 years ago survive by the sea, and would likely perish elsewhere.The Bering Sea is teeming with fish, crustaceans, sea birds, and mammals, all of which are essential to the subsistence and cash economy of the region. Here, you will find more of everything: several hundred species of birds, nesting in colonies that number in the thousands; millions of fur seals in centuries-old birthing grounds; the world’s largest concentration of walruses; and one of the world’s richest and most productive fisheries. One of the most dramatic migrations of marine mammals occurs here as this is the summer destination of the gray whales, which winter in the Sea of Cortés between January and March.

The Bering Sea, most scientists believe, stands as an indicator of climate change. Changes in the population of marine life, variations in sea ice, and warming of the ocean itself are noticeable measures of the physical and biological components of the ecosystem, although the effects are not yet completely understood. Each year ice may extend 600 miles south of the Bering Strait. Named for Vitus Bering, a Danish mariner hired by the Russian empire to chart the area between Russia and the west coast of North America, and ultimately to promote Russian trade and industry, the Bering Sea is today as much of a scientific mystery as it was in 1741 when Bering and Georg Steller set out in uncharted waters. The second Kamchatka Expedition, with the vessels St. Peter and St. Paul, covered tremendous territory, and would change the course of history. Bering, commanding the St. Peter, ultimately discovered the Aleutian Islands. It was on this fateful voyage that Bering, sickened by scurvy, landed on an uninhabited island and eventually died. That island is now known as Bering Island.


13. Day Arctic Circle: Cruise far north, perhaps to cross the Arctic Circle at the Date Line. Possible whale sightings include minkes, humpbacks, and bowheads.


14. Day Nome – Anchorage: See the spirit of Nome with a sightseeing tour before leaving on your included flight to Anchorage. Your tour ends upon arrival at the Anchorage airport