FEATURED EPISODE: Episode 5: Alaska Goldrush on Regent Seven Seas Cruises

In this Season 1 episode of World's Greatest Cruises, we cruise back in time to 1898, the year of the Yukon / Klondike Goldrush. Our Regent Seven Seas cruise takes us up the Pacific Northwest coast, embarking in Vancouver and disembarking in Alaska.

Lynn Elmhirst tries out the tree-friendly Treewalk in the botanical gardens of the University of British Columbia to get a flavor of the region’s temperate rain forest. Then, we board our Regent ship to get the best views during our sail north up the Inside Passage.

At Skagway, Alaska, we re-live the Goldrush in a preserved frontier town complete with an historic downtown, boardwalks, spectacular mountain and coastal scenery. Even the goldrush-era brothel is back in business – so to speak! We visit ‘upstairs’ to get a sense of what the town was like when it was considered the most lawless city in Alaska.

And we ‘get outta Dodge’ on one of the continent’s most historic train rides. On our steep climb up the pass to the Yukon border with Canada, we learn from the train’s conductor about the train’s role connecting a U.S. seaport with the goldrush in Canada.

Fast forward to modern day, and we meet a family of entrepreneurs in Skagway who are distilling vodka and gin from the town’s ultra-pure glacier water.

And onboard our ship, we trade the rustic history and wilderness of our Alaskan ports of call for a pampered, luxury lifestyle.

We go behind the scenes to learn about the life of a cruise ship butler in one of the most extravagant suites at sea. And we get a taste of cruise history when a Regent pastry chef shares the secrets of a classic cruise dessert in its namesake destination: Baked Alaska!