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Alaska Cruisetours


hughdm
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Have been to Alaska 3 times, once with Cunard in'84 then twice with Princess more recently. Princess really does Alaska properly. This last time, we did a cruisetour with them and it was managed very well. Now our thoughts are turning to going back. We were in the 2/3 that missed seeing Denali due to weather. We prefer the Celebrity shipboard experience but are having difficulty getting much information on the quality of their land part. Nowhere on their website can I even find what hotels/lodges they use! Searching here on CC has yielded little unless I'm using the wrong search words. I certainly see very little discussion on the Celebrity board about it.

 

Can anyone please share their Alaska land portion experiences?

 

Thanks in advance!

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you probably don't realize it but you chose the "thumbs down" symbol, I'm guessing you were looking for a question mark. In any case, specific hotels are generally not specified on Celebrity's descriptions, so you are searching correctly but one place you might not have looked is in the reviews section -- perhaps you can find out from those who have recently taken a cruise tour what hotels Celebrity used this year by looking there.

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you probably don't realize it, but you chose the "thumbs down" symbol, I'm guessing you were looking for a question mark. In any case, specific hotels are generally not specified on Celebrity's descriptions, so you are searching correctly, but one place you might not have looked is in the reviews section -- perhaps you can find out from those who have recently taken a cruise tour what hotels Celebrity used this year by looking there.
You're right, I mistook that for a "?". I saw one review of a land portion based on a search. So they don't do specific lodges in the interior?
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I used the roll call and went with private tours...I never use ship tours....

Clear to Denali? I know you can do your own land stuff in the interior, but we like the guided "mostly-inclusive" mode for multi-day extensions involving buses, trains, etc.

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Get on the Alaska forums here and you'll get a wealth of information.

 

Really, I'd rent a car and do the interior yourself. You'll be able to stop when you want without waiting for a busload of people to get off and on and only stop when and where the "schedule" says. You can stay in the Princess hotels if you want to but you can stay in whatever place you want to (and there are some very experienced people on the Alaska forum who can recommend many). You can take a better tour and go further into Denali National Park when you go, much further than the cruise tours go. You can see more, spend much less, and have a better time. Can't get lost really, there is only one road basically anywhere.

 

It's the way we're going to do it next time.

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Get on the Alaska forums here and you'll get a wealth of information.

 

Really, I'd rent a car and do the interior yourself. You'll be able to stop when you want without waiting for a busload of people to get off and on and only stop when and where the "schedule" says. You can stay in the Princess hotels if you want to, but you can stay in whatever place you want to (and there are some very experienced people on the Alaska forum who can recommend many). You can take a better tour and go further into Denali National Park when you go, much further than the cruise tours go. You can see more, spend much less, and have a better time. Can't get lost really, there is only one road basically anywhere.

 

It's the way we're going to do it next time.

 

Everyone I've talked to and everything I've read about Denali is that it's best seen on your own. You can do it, of course!

Yeah, I'm lazy. I don't want to have to plan or worry about multiple vendors. I want them to haul our bags around while I sit in the dining car and watch the scenery go by. They even stopped the train for wildlife photo ops. I was hoping for something similar from Celebrity.

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Hotels that Cruisetours will use:

. In Seward, we use the Seward Windsong

. Anchorage is the Anchorage Marriott

. Denali is the Denali Village or the Grand Denali

. Fairbanks is the Pikes Waterfront or Sophie's Station

. Talkeetna is the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge

Confirmation is made approximately 30 days prior to sailing

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Hotels that Cruisetours will use:

In Seward, we use the Seward Windsong

. Anchorage is the Anchorage Marriott

. Denali is the Denali Village or the Grand Denali

. Fairbanks is the Pikes Waterfront or Sophie's Station

. Talkeetna is the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge

Confirmation is made approximately 30 days prior to sailing

 

Thanks, Curt. Have you done this? Any personal observations?

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We've done 2 cruise tours with Celebrity and stayed at every hotel Curt listed except Seward. The only one we were disappointed in was in Denali on our 1st trip but I can't remember the name of it but it was not one of the ones Curt listed. The 2nd trip the hotel was fine.

 

We choose to do the land trip with Celebrity because of the convenience and their train car. We were not disappointed.

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we did the 4 day cruise tour prior to doing a 7 night southbound out of Seward. The tour was first class, guide and bus driver were incredible. We came into Fairbanks one day early due to flight schedules, spent two nights at he pikes inn. Rather rustic but nice. Next was two nights in Denali, we had an awesome room. Denali was "out" during our visit, I saw it from the air as I did a fly around and also from the ground. Next was Fairbanks, very nice city. The highlight of the trip was the glass domed train from Fairbanks to Seward, incredible experience.

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I too love Celebrity, but I also enjoy Princess. And for Alaska, I would stick with Princess. Their lodges are great, and the land tour portion was extremely organized.

 

We went in June of 2011. The weather was perfect. We saw McKinley clear as day. We were in Denali and saw lots of wildlife.

 

The other reason I prefer Princess in Alaska is that you can go to Glacier Bay. Something that you will not experience on Celebrity.

 

I generally would not hesitate to book either line. But my vote is for Princess in Alaska.

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Curt is correct on the hotels. I know because I am doing a 6 night post cruise tour in May. :) Information is a bit scarce but you can call the Alaska Desk at 888-307-8401 and they are very helpful.

 

Come join us May 27 - Vancouver to Seward and then overnight in Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali 2 nights and Fairbanks. :D

Edited by Jane2357
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We have done Princess and Celebrity's cruise tours. On the Celebrity tour we started the land portion in Fairbanks with a fantastic guide and bus driver and the trip is all train travel all the way to Anchorage then bus to the ship in Seward. We stayed at Sophie Station in Fairbanks for 2 days then to Denali at the Grand Denali for 2 days then Talkeetna for 1 day at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge then to Anchorage at the Marriot and then to the ship. We liked the Celebrity tour the best. The train car was great the staff was excellent and the food and drinks were outstanding. Best bloody mary I have ever had on the train. Excellent food at all hotels we stayed at. We did this tour 2013 and are planning to do it again in 2016. You will have a great time!

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I just completed a 10 day Celebrity Land/Cruise in Jun of this year. We left out of Vancouver and did the inside passage for 7 days. Then the land portion was outstanding. Great driver and tour guide. Taleekana Lodge was the best. Grand Denali was OK. The bus/train ride back to Anchorage was the best. Unbelievable prime rib, best Bloodymary I have had in a long time. We got to see Mt McKinnley (which it was called before the name was changed yesterday) all three days we were there. We were very fortunate according to our guide. Never been on Princess so I can't compare but Celebrity does it right. Food on the ship was outstanding and the scenery/wildlife was unbelievable.

 

Hope this helps.

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Hughdm

 

We just did the five night Celebrity pre-cruise cruise tour in July 2015. We started in Anchorage at the downtown Marriott. The hotel was just fine, in a good location for dining and coffee.

 

Took the Alaska railroad to Talkeetna. The train ride was fun, a great host and lots of great scenery. Saw moose and our first look at Denali as we were getting close to Talkeetna. We were lucky to be in the 30% club as Denali was in full glory. The Talkeetna Alaskan lodge was a nice place to stay. Just remember, food prices in Alaska will be 30-50% higher than what you probably pay at home.

 

We stayed in Denali Park Village 2 nights and that was a very decent place to stay. We were in the cabins. We booked our own Denali park tour to Eliesen visitors center. About an 8 to 8 1/2 hour trip. Saw lots of wildlife.

 

Hotel Alyeska was our last place to stay. It is a VERY nice hotel.

 

Lots of bus riding time which seemed to go by quickly. We had a good bus driver and tour director.

 

I can probably answer any other cruise tour questions you might have.

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I had not seen the stickies. I did a general search and didn't get much.There is never anything here in my current favorite haunt. I have appreciated the informative responses, though. It seems that the Celebrity experience would not disappoint us at all. Thanks to everyone!

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