txwriter

It's a tough choice, but you've already narrowed down to two so are doing great I think. I know your son's enjoyment is a primary concern. Is he more interested in glaciers or the ports? If glaciers, then you could google some videos of both and compare them.

If ports, then look at excursion opportunities in Sitka vs Skagway. Maybe there is something more appealing in one town or the other?

Every trip report I read with families, the kids always enjoy it no matter the ship or glaciers or ports of call. Another thing is to look on the cruise line boards. Some people post their trip reports there instead of the Alaska boards.

Just logged into Princess account and was notified that Princess has updated shore excursions policy and prepayment is no longer required. We are scheduled for Alaska May 2017.

Interesting.

Thanks for posting. If it helps me then I am sure it is helping other readers. As I said before there seems to be more detailed info on the Connoisseur but not a whole lot on the others.

Yes, I am one of those that is being helped. I found the same thing...many more threads about the connoisseur tours. But we also found that the difference in prices were not worth it for us either.

Just as there are different types of cabins that work for different travelers, there are different types of tours available. I hope I am not too lazy when we return to write up a review to help others, because the more information available, the easier it is to make a decision.

I wonder why they don't typically include Denali-Talkeetna as rail anymore? They used to..... In fact there was a time where Fairbanks-Denali, Denali-Talkeetna, Talkeetna-pier were ALL rail segments. I wish they still offered that!

My upcoming tour in May shows rail transportation from Denali to Talkeetna.

Thanks all! I have put a hold on a Denali Explorer cruise tour for July 1 2018. It will be a 6 day tour with 2 days each in Fairbanks, Denali and Mckinley then a southbound cruise. It will be on the Golden which we were on for our first Princess cruise which was a rt to Alaska. Decided not to do Connoisseur (as great as it would be ) and to save the $$ so we could do a Window Suite (which we were in before in Alaska and two other times). Airfare appears to be expensive (I could only check for summer 2017) so that is a consideration.

 

Question - Anyone have ideas as to how far out one should book airfare to get better rates? In general I have heard 4 months out (not specifically Alaska) but I would probably want to do it further out than that. Have you found EZ Air to be better than doing it on your own? I have heard that Internationally it is a better deal. In this case only one way is international. When I checked for this summer it was a little bit less expensive to do it yourself.

Congratulations on making your choice of tours! First decision made. Check.:)

Airfare becomes available 300 days out on EZAir. Here is what I did: on first day flights were available, I booked a flexible air through EZAir. I got some of the best flight choices this way. I checked regularly afterwards both EZAir and the airlines themselves. I read that Alaska residents get their pipeline checks around October and that was a good time to book airfare and cars since there were a lot of incentives around that time. I found the flights I wanted at a lower price than I had seen them on the airlines' sites and booked directly with them on Oct. 15th and cancelled my EZAir flights. I have not seen the flights go lower since (and yes, I check because I used to work for an airline and if I see a massive drop it may be worth paying a change fee if possible).

I decided to come in a day early and stay a day late and booked through my TA with Princess add on packages. This set the EZAir dates up to my stay (not to the tour dates). The Fairbanks add on was not available when I first booked my tour but was available a short while later and was easy to get.

Thanks for the info. Every little bit helps! When not on a connoisseur tour how do you know what time and where to be for either your excursion or to leave to go to the next lodge either by bus or train?

Once you book, there is more detailed information in your cruise personalizer. When you book the excursions, they also show up in your itinerary. Also, from all I've read or heard from people who've done the tours with Princess, they give you detailed info at each stop about what will happen next. This is our first time to travel with Princess. We booked through a local travel agent, and we were able to go in and ask several questions from someone who has been on several trips with them and has the benefit of feedback from other travelers as well. I had it narrowed down pretty well before going in, but asking the questions really helped. For this trip, having a TA has been beneficial for us.

Caribill - sorry if I worded it poorly. I meant that we don't know the real value of the food, tips and the few excursions etc included to know how much extra we are paying for the services of the escort.

We are going in May on the MB7 tour which is the NB7 in 2018. The closest connoisseur tour for the same timeframe was over $1000 more per person. The differences were that many meals were included, an upgrade to the TWT (which costs $66 per person if you go regular and upgrade) and a tour guide that stays with you the entire time as well as one extra night (at the McKinley lodge I think). Our TA explained that there will be s tour guide with us on the regular tour as well but that the guide will likely change at each stop. So, Princesss is not just leaving you on your own without a Princess rep to guide you. The tour guide on the connoisseur tour will act more like a concierge at times, but for $2000 difference it wasn't work a few small perks and the higher level service. Instead, we chose to fly in a night early and stay over a night in Vancouver and still come out ahead. If you want to check prices for food, you can look at the menus for the lodge restaurants here: https://www.princesslodges.com/princess-alaska-lodges/.

Since Mom and I often split plates at restaurants, there is no way we'd be spending anywhere close to the price difference for the connoisseur tour. Also, since Mom is diabetic she cannot skip the meals that aren't included, so we'd still be buying some food out of pocket.

I believe those who enjoy connoisseur tours most are the ones who are not worried about the price difference and just like the more inclusive aspects. I admit it is appealing, but for us not the right choice. I will also say that the connoisseur tours do tend to book up the fastest.

Hope this helps.

The ability to fit that together with my intention to stick with ship excursions raises the question I have had whether the ship will let me book a 4 hour excursion starting at 10:30 am and another excursion starting at 2:30 pm, with some level of assurance that they will make sure I get from "A" to "B".

I have been booking my excursions for my May 2017 cruisetour and using primarily Princess excursions. They will not let you book anything that overlaps. I have two that are basically back to back and had my TA call Princess just to make sure it was okay, and they confirmed if they let you book it, then it will be okay. Otherwise, they will block you from booking conflicting excursions. I'm not certain how it works on other lines.

I'm admittedly an overthinker/overplanner sometimes. I bought something like 4 different guidebooks. They all have sections that tell about the different historical information, tidbits, etc. I actually think that might be why I have so many. :)

My suggestion is to go to a local bookstore and peruse and see if one or more strike your fancy. Milepost is a great comprehensive choice and has a particularly nice map I enjoy. But the Fodor's has a map as well and is also good as is the Lonely Planet book. You get the picture? Enjoy and happy reading. Also, there is a post somewhere from about a year ago when someone asked about Alaska based books. I think they were searching for novels, but you might find some suggestions there as well.

We are thinking of doing an Alaska cruise tour in 2018. Previously we did a rt from Seattle so no land portion. How do we choose? What have you picked and why? I do know I want two days at the Mt McKinley lodge so we can do the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali. Other than that not sure.

 

Thanks for any help!

We are going on a cruisetour in 2017 and the chart showing the comparison between trips really helped us solidify which tours we were most interested in, and we narrowed it down from there. This post shows what will be offered in 2018. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2425278

They have changed some of the cruisetours names, so what someone references this year or for 2017 may be a different cruisetour number. (We are on MB7 in 2017 but it is called NB7 in 2018. :confused:

If you would like to do the longer tour in Denali, then definitely look for a cruisetour that has two nights at the Denali Princess Wilderness lodge (not the McKinley lodge). The connoisseur tours includes the Tundra Wilderness tour, but it is easy to upgrade for a small fee if you choose a different type of tour. If it is a priority to do the TWT, then you will want to make sure to go late enough that it is offered as it is not offered before May 20th. See: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/bus-tours.htm

Another useful link is: https://www.princesslodges.com/princess-alaska-lodges/

You can look at what types of accommodations and even the types of excursions that are available at each location. Sometimes that will help you decide as well.

I hope this gives you some information that will make your choosing easier. :)

You people need to read Princess Cruise rules on their site. It states, Excursions will not be released until 180 days before your cruise. Why don't you read it before raising Hell with Princess. September is more than 180 days away by Okie math even.

I booked my May 2017 excursions a couple of weeks ago which is more than 180 days out. It seems some are available early. I did notice that some would show sold out and then not be and then be. I would keep checking. If you have a TA, let them do the work but keep watching. I have literally seen it change within my lunch hour.

Mine are all booked now, and I still have more than 180 days to go.

We did a connoisseur cruise tour last summer with Princess and I posted a review on the Alaska cruise section. In Fairbanks, we were there early and did not do any Princess add on tours. We took the bus (easy, picks up at lodge) to the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska one day. It was an excellent museum and well worth the time. We also went into downtown Fairbanks on our own one day for lunch and just to walk around.

 

At the Denali and McKinley Lodges we did not book any optional excursions.

 

At the Kenai Lodge (our favorite) we did a "scenic river float" one afternoon and loved it. It was very well done. It is a calm ride it is not like white water rafting. That was what we wanted. Our guide was excellent and we saw a good bit of wildlife in addition to the beauty of the river.

We are also doing the river float on the Kenai River, but I was wondering if it will be too much as we are doing it the same night as arriving at the lodge from the McKinley lodge. Do you have thoughts on how long the ride to the Kenai lodge is?

:)

 

Princess does offer some expensive tours in a vehicle with a driver such as the four-hour "Private Hummer Adventure" for $599.95. Is this what you mean by "private tours?"

Yes. I am speaking of those tours that Princess labels as private not actual private tours booked outside of Princess.

I've searched this thread as well as the Alaska thread and haven't found a resource for people who are looking for information on Alaska excursions specific to those of us who have booked a cruisetour with Princess and are looking for reviews of the land excursions available at the lodges as well as those in port cities.

There especially seems to be a lack of info for tours out of Fairbanks (with the exception of the Riverboat Cruise and Gold Dredge #8), Kenai, and Copper River lodges. Also, there seems to be a lack of information on the private tours Princess offers in some ports.

I am hoping to start a resource here and hope no one minds.

So, if anyone has experience (good, bad, or indifferent) with booking Alaska excursions with Princess, please share here what you did and if you'd recommend it. If you've already done a review, feel free to just post the link with a quick reference of what excursions are included.

So we have decided on doing a Princess Cruise/Tour, doing the tour first & cruising southbound. Now for the fun part...which one? Start in Anchorage or Fairbanks? We are planning on a group, all in our 50's, active/healthy. Can anyone shed a little light on these tours? We do know the cruise needs to have Glacier Bay, but other than that, we're a bit overwhelmed with the choices. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Most of the regular posters on the board will discourage you from the cruisetour option and stress a DIY land portion. Some, like myself, find the cruisetour is the best option for them. Most people doing the cruisetour with Princess tend to post more on the Princess board than here, so you may want to look there for reviews.

I did a lot of research before picking our tour, so maybe I can give some pointers in where to look or what questions to ask your tour mates.

First, know where the Princess tours go. Princess owns their own lodges in Fairbanks, near the Denali National Park, outside Talkeetna (about an hour by bus I have read so pretty remote), on the Copper River, and on the Kenai Penninsula (in Cooper Landing so be careful not to confuse it with Copper River). They generally use the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, but there are reports of them using other properties. Hwere is a link to the lodges: https://www.princesslodges.com.

Next they offer three basic levels of service:

1. On Your Own - includes transportation and lodging but no excursions and no meals.

2. Regular cruisetours - include some excursions (see note below) in addition to what is in the on your own. Meals are not included unless part of excursions included like the riverboat tour in Fairfax.

3. Connoisseur tours - includes everything on regular cruisetours, upgraded tour in Denali (see below) as well as a dinner night theater show while at Denali lodge, and many of your meals. A designated tour director stays with you for the entire land tour as well.

Notes on Denali: the Natural History Tour (NHT) is usually what Princess includes on most tours and does not get you very far into the park. They will allow an upgrade to Tundra Wilderness Tour (TWT) for a fee of around $66 each. They will also allow upgrades to the Katishna tour (I don't know the price difference). There are reports that Princess will refund the price of your tour if you wish to use the shuttle buses offered at the park instead of the narrated tours. However, there are reports this policy has recently changed. Here is a link to explain the difference between the tours offered in the Denalu National Park: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/bus-tours.htm. If doing a cruisetour, it is best to have at least two nights in the Denali lodge so that you can have a whole day to explore the area.

All Princess cruisetours are combined with a one way cruise either from Vancouver to Whittier (northbound) or from Whittier to Vancouver (southbound). Many prefer to have land portion of tour first getting the longer flight over with first. Others prefer to get more and more Alaskaness as they go. It's a personal preference. Only you and your travelmates can determine what's best for your group. All Princess one way cruises include Glacier Bay. They also include another scenic day (Hubbard on southbound and College Fjord on northbound cruises).

Good candidates for cruisetours prefer organized travel and easy planning. They don't mind if others do the driving, and they understand there will be compromises when traveling with a group.

Bad candidates for cruisetours like to go with the flow, like to keep control of their own day, and they hate the idea of traveling with a larger group.

As for deciding to start in Anchorage or Fairbanks, that is largely a personal decision.

I am taking my mom to Alaska next May, and I started out planning a DIY tour, but the cruisetour makes more sense for us, so we picked the MB7 tour which begins in Fairbanks, 2 nights at Denali, 1 night at the McKinley lodge (Talkeetna), and 2 nights at the Kenai lodge. This cruisetour allows us to see more of the different regions of Alaska. Ultimately, it's what works best for us.

Some questions that might help your group:

1. How many days do you have to travel? (Remember you can always do a pre-cruise add on)

2. Is there a specific region you want to see or lodge where you want to stay? (We were set on seeing the Kenai Peninsula, so that narrowed out choices).

3. Is the cruisetour best for us or should we plan a DIY trip?

I hope this helps begin to sort things out.

Going on the Star SB next May. It's been hard finding reviews of this ship, so I'm looking forward to reading this.

Plus, your reviews are always a delight to read.

txwriter: great minds! I am strongly considering booking around July 4th. Unfortunately, it will not be a year where either company will add another day to make or a long weekend, but we do both have holiday flex days we can tack on anywhere and will probably use one of those to be able to get away with extending our vaca.

 

I am soooo glad you shared that about when fares come out, as there were only a very few when I last looked. Did you happen to watch fares enough to know if booking immediately was the cheapest way to go? Obviously, the week we go is priority, but might as well get the best deal we can if possible.

General consensus across the boards is that best fares are early when they first come out (and stay this way for a bit). You also have first pick of cabins if that's important to you. However, if you book early and a better deal comes out, you can usually rebook through your TA or Princess. I did this on the current promo and saved a few hundred. Someone else on our roll call did this for the Sip N Sail; that promo didn't help me. I've seen people on the boards saying similar things. One promo worked better for them than the other. But, again, if you book early and watch the prices, you can go lower with the right promotion. On the Princess board, they always post well in advance with a fare sale will begin, and I always check.:)

You can always use 2017 dates across the different lines you are considering and see how they compare in terms of pricing and perks offered. Do you know which cruise line you want to use? If not, start looking at the boards for the cruise lines. They will sometimes have more information that isn't always available on the Alaska board. Reading trip reports is another fun thing to do to pass time and get ideas. Enjoy your planning!

Web site for communities and activities on the Kenai Peninsula.

http://kenaipeninsula.org/attractions

When you click on get the official guide on this site, it lists all of the different activities there are to do, and you will get a TON of literature from different businesses. It's a great way to start researching. Most of the vendors are super friendly and will answer all of your questions.

Actually, in my mind figuring out how long we can stay is the starting point. Then as we discover what options we have, we can prioritize the time we have. With Danali on my mind, I needed to figure out how much time it would take, to see if it was even possible. We are limited to vaca time. We each have several weeks, however, summer is both of our busy times at work. At one point, it was determined you couldn't take two weeks in a row off where my husband works. So, the amount of days we can take off may come into play. If it was my choice, absolutely would do 5-7 days land, just may not be feasible. I am hopeful we can squeeze a few more days beyond a week out of them!

Have you considered working your vacation around a holiday like Memorial Day or 4th of July? If you get that day off already, then you wouldn't have to use actual vacation time for that day and could use that 8 hours on an extra day for your trip. Of course, those days may be harder to get for you?

If you do that, though, I strongly suggest you book early. My cruise is for next May and includes Memorial Day, and it's already getting very full.

By the way, a lot of people will tell you fares for Alaska come out in Spring, but I know for a fact that Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess all came out late fall last year for 2017 (I know because I was stalking them ;)). I think Celebrity came out first. Both Holland and Princess were out in early December. It could be different this year, but that's how it was in 2016 for the 2017 fares.

In the USA thongs mean a kind of underwear with no coverage on the butt cheeks, that's why people were confused why you would have them on in the shower.

I live in the US and thongs were flip flops when I was a kid. It's only been more recently that that term came to mean a type of underwear. Some people still use the term "thongs" to mean flip flops (my mom for one). So, if you were to run into us onboard and hear her say, "I wish I'd worn my thongs for this," no need to be alarmed.;)

I suffer from motion sickness. I get carsick and even get nauseous floating on a raft in my pool. I only started cruising 5 years ago because of this. I discover Bonine and it works like a charm for me. I have not felt the slightest sickness on our cruises or any of the small boat tours we have taken.

Last summer I did the Kenai Fjords trip and it was one of the best experiences of the trip. I spent most of it taking pictures and we were fortunate to see everything on our cruise. I was able to get this

picture of an orca.

Whatever you choose, I hope it

Works out for you.

 

 

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Is Bonine less drowsy inducing than Dramamine? I've used Dramamine, but it makes me SO SLEEPY.

I'm so glad you had a great trip! Sorry to hear hubby got big afterwards. I'm looking forward to the trip report and will be looking into one of those cushions for Mom.

Thanks for posting the question about excursions. I too am booked on a cruisetour, but we do not depart until next year. I'm interested to see the answers to your specific questions, but I'd love to hear from anyone who has done the cruisetour and had specific excursions they enjoyed or would avoid.

Looking forward to the rest of the review and more wonderful pictures.

Cruisetours are for people who are afraid of their shadow or for people who are not willing to do a bit of planning work. Since you have already done DIY trips, you know how to do it. Go for the DIY.

 

DON

This is not true. I love to plan and spent months planning a DIY trip before realizing that, for us, with our specific circumstances and limitations, a cruisetour would suit our needs better AND allow us to see a bigger area of the state. Also, I am not afraid of my shadow. We (shadow and I) had a talk one night, and I told it to behave...we've been good ever since ;).