Gold-seekers stampeded through the Klondike more than 100 years ago and built Skagway as their lawless outpost of brothels, saloons, and gambling dens. Today, the town is a time capsule from the past, with carefully preserved buildings and streets brimming with history. Live the final chapter of America’s Wild West on a Skagway cruise.

• Stroll the boardwalks among historic buildings from the Klondike Gold Rush
• Explore restored period buildings in Klondike Gold Rush National Historic District
• Board quaint, antique passenger cars for a breathtaking mountain train ride
• Follow the trail of the sourdoughs who risked their lives climbing Chilkoot Pass
• Fly into awesome mountains by helicopter and experience the ice fields by dog sled
• Ride through stunning scenery on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad
• Marvel at the lovely flowers of Jewel Gardens
• Whoop at the can-can dancers at the amusing Days of ‘98 Show
• Take a glacier point wilderness safari
• Make your way up the Takshanuk mountain trail in a 4x4

• Soapy Smith, whose criminal career stretched from Colorado to the Pacific, tried to take over Skagway and was shot by Frank Reid
• To keep order during the wildest period, the United States Army deployed black soldiers and stationed them in nearby Dyea, now a ghost town
• The winter winds called ‘williwaws’ can be so strong that ropes are strung across the streets to help pedestrians stay on their feet

The capital of the Land of the Midnight Sun, Juneau offers a wide selection of delicious dining and Native art shopping. Carnival cruises to Juneau also show you the most beautiful setting of any capital city in America, with options for once-in-a-lifetime shore excursions that include walking on glaciers, whale watching and hikes through the country’s last old growth forests.

• Explore the historical dioramas and art displays at the Alaska State Museum
• See the remains of what was for a long time the biggest gold mine in America
• Touch glacier ice that’s thousands of years old
• Stroll beneath the mystic green canopy of a Pacific Coast rainforest
• Take the tram up Mt Roberts for food, Native art and sensational views
• Visit beautiful Mendenhall Glacier and lake, then raft back down the river
• Sip an award-winning beer brewed with Juneau’s pristine water.

• A waterfront statue near the cruise terminal honours Patsy Ann, the beloved terrier that once greeted every arriving ship
• Alaska’s 1945 Anti-Discrimination Act, passed in Juneau, predates America’s Civil Rights Act by 19 years
• Forty miles north of town, the road ends. Juneau is the only capital city on the North American mainland with no road to it

Ketchikan cruises dock along the famed historic waterfront where a flourishing art scene and spectacular totem poles that have made this former frontier town a popular southern Alaskan port of call. Along the streets are totem poles considered among the finest ever carved, and numerous shops selling works by Alaska’s best-known painters and craftsmen. Adventurous tours lead into the rainforest, along the beaches and onto the ocean waters teeming with marine life. Experience the sights, atmosphere and excitement of the Last Frontier as soon as you cross the Alaska border on Carnival cruises to Ketchikan.

• Visit the Totem Heritage Center, where ancient totem poles, rescued from decay, are preserved
• Catch a demonstration of lumberjacking skills by adroit woodsmen – and women
• Cheer on competing log-rollers at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
• Explore Creek Street, a waterfront where sailors once came ashore to find some fun
• Take in contemporary Native culture in the nearby Indian village of Saxman.

• Dolly’s House, on Creek Street, is said to have been the last legal bordello in Alaska, closed down when World War II broke out
• Ketchikan can get a foot of rain in a month in winter. Annette Island, the rainiest spot in North America, is just south of the town
• The diving eagle sculpture near the docks was made by Tlingit master carver Nathan Jackson. Residents have dubbed it ‘Old Tailfeathers’

Packed with reminders of its rich British heritage, Victoria is fronted by water, filled with gardens and set against mountains. All the finest sights on Victoria cruises are clustered around the Inner Harbour, from a world-class museum, to scenic waterfront parks, and when tea time rolls around, be sure to have a reservation at the Fairmont Empress —a classic Victorian indulgence.

• Enjoy a brief orientation of Victoria to enjoy the city lights, sights and sounds when you experience Victoria by double-decker bus
• Stroll the trim grounds of the Parliament buildings
• Ride the birdcage elevator in the Maritime Museum of British Columbia
• Squeeze down Fan Tan Alley, in North America’s oldest Chinatown
• Climb the tower in Scottish-style at Craigdarroch Castle
• Hop on a whale-watching tour from Victoria’s Inner Harbour

• The British tradition of afternoon tea is carried on not only at the Fairmont Empress Hotel but at a handful of tearooms and gardens around town
• Victoria is frequently known as the City of Gardens, for its profusion of green spaces
• The birdcage elevator in the Maritime Museum of British Columbia is the oldest one in existence, and one of the few still in operation