Expedition 3: The Alaskan Experiment (Featuring NICOLE OLIVER)

(CAN'T MAKE THESE DATES? Please consider becoming a sponsor (http://seabronies.com/tiers/)! Sponsors (http://seabronies.com/tiers/) get awesome swag (including many exclusive items), and sponsors (http://seabronies.com/tiers/) who do not attend the cruise get $40 in extra store credit instead of their cruise dues.)

(READY TO BOOK? PLEASE CLICK HERE! (https://www.meetup.com/SeaBronies/messages/boards/thread/50640039))

SeaBronies once again ups the ante: This time, we’re heading NORTH TO ALASKA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSt0NEESrUA)! Our longest (7 days) expedition yet, and the first departing from a foreign port (Vancouver), this northern trek is sure to produce beautiful photos and even more beautiful memories!

This cruise departs from Vancouver, BC on May 25th, 2018 and concludes in Seward, AK on June 1, 2018. We will be taking a bus or train back from Seward to Anchorage airport, from whence we will all travel home.

We're delighted to announce a truly “stellar” VIP guest for our upcoming cruise from Vancouver in May: Ms. Nicole Oliver (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0646955/)! That’s right— last time (https://www.meetup.com/SeaBronies/events/227805188/) we partied with Peter New and Jenn Blake; this time, we’ll soirée with the voice of the Princess of the Sun herself! (Not to mention everypony’s favorite teacher, Cheerilee!) Everyone will have the opportunity to attend meals, events, and even an epic shore excursion with Ms. Oliver, but our generous sponsors (http://seabronies.com/tiers/) will get access to even more (including a sponsors-only panel (http://seabronies.com/tiers/) and swanky high-tier cocktail parties and dinners (http://seabronies.com/tiers/)). Plus, every level of sponsor (http://seabronies.com/tiers/) gets awesome SeaBronies swag, much of which is not available anywhere else! Please consider becoming one of our amazing sponsors (http://seabronies.com/tiers/).

Just like last time, this Expedition was far-and-away the favorite in this year’s poll (https://www.meetup.com/SeaBronies/polls/1239655/). Apparently, everyone loves Alaska-- and why not? It’s truly stunning. Our staff has been on similar itineraries before, and this is truly set to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all.

This incredible 7-night cruise aboard the lovely Celebrity Millenium (http://www.celebritycruises.com/ships/celebrity-millennium) will take us from Vancouver (home of the amazing team that created MLP:FiM, incidentally!) to a number of awesome Alaskan ports of call. After traversing the Inside Passage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_Passage) the first day, we will arrive at the quaint fishing town of Ketchikan, “the salmon capital of the world (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchikan,_Alaska)” and Alaska’s southernmost city. Following that, our voyage will take us to Icy Strait Point (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icy_Strait_Point), a tourist destination owned by a company held by Alaskan Natives which preserves the history of the local Tlingit peoples (and is a jumping-off point for a number of exciting shore excursions, including the ZipRider (http://ziprider.com/rides/icy-strait-point/), claimed as the longest and highest zipline in the world). For the full itinerary, click here (http://seabronies.com/images/expedition-3-itinerary-bw-padded.png)!

And that’s still just the halfway point!

The next day, we take the fun to the state capital of Juneau (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneau,_Alaska), Alaska’s third-most-populous city and also the third-largest city in the United States. What? That’s confusing? You see, it’s the third-largest in terms of area, with its 3,255 square miles making the city itself larger than Delaware or Rhode Island! (Did we mention Alaska is BIG (http://www.alaska.org/maps)?) An “island city”, Juneau is unique in that all people and goods must arrive by air or sea-- the city is not connected to the North American road network at all.

After Juneau, the next day takes us to Skagway (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skagway,_Alaska), a historic former Gold Rush town (you didn’t know Alaska had a gold rush? You do now! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klondike_Gold_Rush)) with a lovely downtown shopping district and massive Gold Rush-era advertisements painted right on the surrounding cliffs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skagway,_Alaska#/media/File:Kirmses_advertisement_Skagway_2009.jpg). This is also the starting point for our first planned shore excursion, a trip on the incredible White Pass & Yukon Route (https://wpyr.com/) heritage railway. Truly not to be missed if you can spare the dosh (approximately $100 per person), this “railway made of gold” travels over a breathtaking route on restored tracks dating back to the 1800s, featuring jaw-dropping views of mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and more. Climbing 3000 feet in just under 20 miles and billed as Alaska’s #1 shore excursion, our staffers have been on this one before, and we’re incredibly excited to return!

The following day, we depart from the realm of cities and towns altogether, to visit one of Alaska’s many great natural wonders, Hubbard Glacier (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbard_Glacier). Hubbard routinely calves off icebergs the size of a ten-story building, and is so large and slow that it takes 400 years for ice to traverse its 76-mile span.

Finally, the cruise ends in scenic Seward, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seward,_Alaska), a fishing village surrounded by several of Alaska’s gorgeous wildlife refuges and national parks including the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai_National_Wildlife_Refuge), the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Maritime_National_Wildlife_Refuge), the Chugach National Forest (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chugach_National_Forest) and the Kenai Fjords National Park (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenai_Fjords_National_Park). Stay tuned to this space, for we’ll work on planning at least one excursion into the surrounding natural majesty that day. (Note that we’ll find a place to drop off and store our luggage; Seward is the final stop on this cruise.)

Transport from Seward home will be available via several options (details will be provided soon, and we will assist in planning at least one optional group departure): Trains and buses are available to Anchorage (home of the Anchorage International Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Stevens_Anchorage_International_Airport) with plenty of flights back to the “lower 48”), or for a more adventurous option, air taxis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_taxi) are available for charter from little Seward Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seward_Airport) to Anchorage.

WHEW! What a trip!

Ship is the CELEBRITY MILLENIUM (http://www.celebritycruises.com/ships/celebrity-millennium). This will be our first group voyage on a Celebrity vessel (although at least one of our staffers has traveled with Celebrity before.) Our complete cruising itinerary (with ports of call) is below; note that the times listed for Hubbard Glacier are for a scenic cruise-by, NOT a disembarkation.

OUR CONVENTION HOTEL IS THE "ENGLISH BAY HOTEL (https://englishbayhotel.com/)". Just a couple miles from the docks, yet far enough out of the way to provide an authentic local experience, this West End (https://www.tourismvancouver.com/vancouver/neighbourhoods/west-end/) hotel is convenient to beautiful Stanley Park and bustling Davie Village (Vancouver's LGBT hub). Rooms are terrifically affordable, so please book now (https://englishbayhotel.com/) while there is still availability!

More information on the cruise is available HERE (http://seabronies.com/e3cruise).

READY TO BOOK? GO HERE FOR INSTRUCTIONS!!! Please FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO BOOK. (https://www.meetup.com/SeaBronies/messages/boards/thread/50640039) Anyone who books using any other method, we cannot guarantee will be able to obtain our group benefits!

IMPORTANT PASSPORT INFORMATION:

A passport is REQUIRED for this voyage. Information on applying for a passport is HERE (http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html). Please note that OBTAINING A PASSPORT CAN TAKE WEEKS. Don't put this off: If you're interested in traveling with us, start the process TODAY (http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html)! If you need to obtain a passport at the relative "last minute", we have worked with the excellent folks at Travel Visa Pro (https://www.travelvisapro.com/) in San Francisco; they can get you your passport in less than a week, but it's not cheap and it IS highly stressful.

So get your passport the slow way (http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html) today!