Worldtraveler 4727

On 10/8/2018 at 11:10 AM, WisCruiser2 said:

 

Copper River was our favorite lodge, not as big and "busy" as the others. I've read where people have said it's "in the middle of nowhere" and there's "nothing to do" there -- that's exactly why we wanted to go there! We did the Copper Country Discovery Tour and got a wonderful tour of the area.

If we ever get back to Alaska, I'd like to to spend some time on the Kenai Penninsula!

The Kenai is such a beautiful area! And the Kenai Princess individual lodges with their little fireplaces was one of our favorite stops on the whole trip. They, too, are in the middle of nowhere, but so are a lot of places in Alaska one visits, and the whole point for many of us! 😉 But as far as "nothing to do," well, sometimes it is best to just "be." 😊

On 10/8/2018 at 10:12 AM, CruzinNoony said:

I loved your review!! We have been to Alaska numerous times and are going again next July/August. You mentioned Sheep Creek where they deposit salmon. I looked it up and Sheep Creek is 4 miles southeast of Juneau. Can you get there by car? I thought that might be something different to do in Juneau. :D

Thanks for your kind comments.

I believe you mean STEEP CREEK. Steep Creek is a Forest Service fish viewing site, with runs of sockeye and coho salmon that start in mid-July and continue into October. The site is very easy to visit. It is adjacent to the Mendenhall glacier visitors' center about 10 miles from downtown Juneau. There are no permits, fees or restrictions for the visitation. There's a 1/3 mile loop trail, part of which forms an elevated boardwalk.

I finally got around to reading your great review -- it was fun to compare your experience to our Off the Beaten Path (non-Connoisseur) 7-day tour that we did at the end of May/beginning June. We started in Anchorage, went to Copper River, Fairbanks, Denali, and Mt. McKinley. We also were on the Coral and enjoyed it very much! We chose the regular cruisetour partly due to the cost, and also wanted more flexibility with meals on the land portion. That worked for us -- the two nights we were in Fairbanks, we had dinner at other restaurants, and chose to eat dinner in the grills at the other lodges. Some people on our tour paid extra for meal vouchers but I'm glad we decided to just do "pay-as-you-go."

Despite seeing a lot of comments on these boards about DIY landtour, we really didn't want to hassle with driving, and knew we would have two long bus days going into it. We really liked the Copper River Lodge, it is worth the travel!

I also agree with your comments about the Riverboat "cruise" and Gold Dredge in Fairbanks. They were included in our tour otherwise wouldn't have done them. We figured it would be a cheesy tourist thing but found we enjoyed it more than expected and learned quite a lot!

This was our second Alaska trip (the 1st was in 2002 with a 4-day land portion) with both doing the land part first. It was nice after living out of the suitcases for a week to unpack once on the ship, as well as having those two ship days to chill before the ports. Just my two cents worth.

Glad you enjoyed the review. :D

There are so many great ways to see Alaska. We certainly enjoyed seeing inland and the coast. They are very different. I would love to take in Copper River next time.

If it's not ticketed, the airlines will not handle it. Before then, it's a Princess issue.

This happened to us too last summer, and I certainly recognize your slightly panicked feeling. I called Princess and got a great rep. It took a while on the phone, but she was able to re-book us on acceptable flights and allowed us to keep the original price. I'm sure it will work out for you. :)

These comments are on the late side but here goes:

 

We agree about pairing up at dinner. It turned out to be great each time and we got to know folks in our tour group who we would later see on the cruise portion of the trip.

 

Your original cabin was B731 on Coral Princess. We had that cabin for a 17 day Panama Canal full transit in 2015 and have booked it again for an upcoming 19 day Partial Transit of the canal. We love the location. As for the window mini-suite: We also took an upsell (on a different cruise where we didn't have B731 booked) and had C702. No balcony but the balcony space is included in the room dimensions so it's quite big. We had no idea these window mini-suites existed but loved the size of the cabin. There is a difference between the aft viewing deck and the forward viewing deck however. As shown in your photo there is no furniture on the forward deck. The aft viewing deck has loungers all across the deck which were very under-utilized so it was like having a huge semi-private balcony with furniture.

 

Many thanks again for your excellent review. I'm certain it has helped many people make their decision to go with the connoisseur tour.

 

Note: We agree with you about the Music of Denali Dinner Theater. We found the show to be totally hokey and the dinner disappointing. For our 15 day connoisseur tour next May we will be requesting a refund of the $70 each and will skip that particular "treat" and use the money for a nice dinner in the restaurant.

I think I read your comments on B731 before I booked that cabin. We were happy enough with it until the second upsell offer came in. We LOVED the window mini-suite! We would not have used a balcony. Although we had fabulous weather, it was still too chilly to sit on a balcony. In addition, the forward viewing deck was just steps away, and when it was sunny (docking in Ketchikan) we enjoyed being out there watching all the float planes come in, and that area was not crowded on glacier viewing days either.

I also read that you are doing another Connoisseur tour that includes Copper River this time. I would have loved to have experienced that one as well. I wish a tour included all four lodges.

Having been on a Connoisseur tour before, you know about the Music of the Denali show. What a great idea to ask for a refund for it and use that money in the lodge restaurant! I hope they honor your request. I certainly would do that next time around too.

Thanks for reading along and commenting, Thrak. My hope in writing the review was to update caribill's review from 2012, (which really helped me) and to help readers decide whether or not the money for the Connoisseur tour would be worth it for them.

I hope Denali comes out for you again like it did for you last time. You definitely have the BEST photo of it I've ever seen.

Happy Travels.

There are pay stations with very large signs in the parking lot and there are park rangers in a booth that you can also pay. Whether you choose to walk by them is your choice.

We did not "choose to walk by" anything.

I've stated before--as have many others--last June we arrived at 9am and there was no where to pay for parking, nor to walk in the the glacier/falls, nor for the Visitor's Center. We had our National Park passes in hand and did not use them/show them to anyone. There was no one taking money or checking for passes, nor charging for parking. I had read before we went that there was a $5 charge for parking and that we needed our park passes. It was unclear WHERE we would need to show them and to whom. Someone said you must pay or show your pass to get into the Visitor's Center. Again, there was no where to do that.

**Someone who is planning on visiting Mendenhall this spring/summer, please take photos and post them for us all if you see the areas where there are charges for parking, visiting the glacier, or entrance into the Visitor's Center. Thank you.

We did this tour in reverse June 2016. I loved all the lodges. Denali theater was the only thing I didn't like; the kids did a great job, but the food was mediocre at best. We were seated in the middle and didn't get the salmon until the 3rd platter was passed. One group of 4 were really piling on the food as if it were their last meal!

However, all my crab dinners were excellent and hot.

I agree, the food in the theater--compared to the lodges--was not the best. I would have much rather have had dinner in the dining room. The kids in the show worked hard serving, then dancing and singing, but I could have done without the dinner/show as well.

Thanks for the detailed review. Been trying to figure out which cruise to take for our 50th anniversary in 2020 and this solved that dilemma for me! Hubby was stationed on Kodiak, AK with the US Navy when we got married and we lived there for almost a year. Been on two Alaska cruises and had talked about a cruisetour but this review and caribill's made up my mind. What better way to celebrate 50 years than where it all started! We are thinking about going several days (a week??) early and taking the ferry to Kodiak and back then starting the land tour portion. My TA is probably going to have grey hair before I get all the details nailed down on this...LOL

This would be the perfect way to celebrate your 50th anniversary!

I would recommend spending as much time in Alaska as your budget will allow. It's a long way to go, so make the most of it.

Wishing you a memorable anniversary and Alaskan adventure!

We did a connoisseur tour in 2015 and have another one booked for next May. In 2015 there was a transfer from the airport to the hotel. We didn't fly out right away afterward so declined that transfer at the time of final payment and the fee was refunded.

 

The connoisseur tour for next May clearly shows a transfer to the airport as the last entry on our booking confirmation:Transfer: Ship To Airport

 

The difference between our land tours and those who are saying there was no transfer may be that the ones we booked were both connoisseur cruise tours - which is what caribill was originally posting about.. Those cruse tours definitely do include transfers.

Ours was the 15 day Connoisseur Tour (the longest and most expensive) last June 2018. Transfer from ship to airport was NOT included, which is why we disembarked ourselves and took a taxi.

thanks for that, but I see you took a taxi....did you opt out of the transfer by Princess or was one not included? We will not be doing self disembarkation and usually have them take our luggage off for us. I would like to know if the transfer to the airport is included with the connoisseur tour like it is for just the regular pre cruise hotels. We have done the sky train to the airport and wont mind doing that if their is no transfer included but there will be a group of us so I want to get that answer so our group will know and we can make a decision of what we want to do.

We were on the most expensive of the Princess land/sea tours and transfers were NOT included; HOWEVER, when we flew into Fairbanks, Princess reps and buses were waiting there to take us to the hotel. This was not made clear at all in any paperwork, and my TA never got a straight answer from Princess either.

Caribill I have another question....I looked through the post and don't believe I saw you mention this....did the tour also include transportation to the airport at the end of the cruise or did you have to purchase that transfer separate? I know when we have booked the princess hotel pre-cruise it comes with transfer from airport to princess hotel and then after cruise to the airport...

 

thanks in advance

I wrote a pretty comprehensive trip review of the Princess Connoisseur Tour my DH and I took this past summer. It might help answer some questions you have.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653193&highlight=connoisseur

Renting a car is a great option as you have complete flexibility. I think the charge at Mendenhall was $5 to park. The rental facility (Avis and the other one)' date=' however, is about a mile walk heading away from town as you get off the ship.[/quote']

 

I had read that there was a charge for parking as well; however, we were just there, and there was no charge for parking. I saw no meters, no one taking money etc.

I had also read that there was a charge to get into the Visitor's Center, and I was armed with our National Park Passes, but not only were we not charged, I never saw anywhere to pay....:confused:

 

The reason I mentioned the Juneau Self Drive site is that they advertise they will bring the car to your cruise ship for you and pick it up. That takes a lot of extra fussing out of the picture, especially for those who cannot --or don't wish to--walk a mile. We did not see a ready line of any cabs at the port. That would make getting to car rental companies easier.

I would like to suggest the 4 of you rent a car in Juneau. My husband and I did last summer, and it was great! We did what we wanted and on our own time schedule. Here is a link to my CC report on our day in Juneau

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653193&highlight=connoisseur&page=7

 

HOWEVER, as I noted in my report DO NOT rent a car from Juneau Car Rental! We had a bad experience. (Detailed in my report)

 

I wish I had known about this company:

https://www.toursinalaska.com/juneau/juneau-self-drive/

They say they will bring the car to you at the cruise ship and also pick it up. I would give them a try.

 

My trip report (page 7) also tells about a WONDERFUL place we found for a lunch! Driving in Juneau is super easy. There is basically one road. ;)

AND when you consider the White or Blue Bus (also called the Shuttle) is now up to $45 per person, and you ONLY go to the glacier and back, renting a car is much more cost effective and efficient than that. You can park downtown at the library for free and walk around town, and you can enjoy any or all of the multiple hikes and places (and great lunch!) mentioned in my review.

We will be in Alaska next summer for the fourth time. I don’t want to do the ship tour again, because we are at the site too long and hiking is getting harder each time. We are going with a friend who has never been to Alaska. I found a shuttle company from the ship to the glacier and back running every 30 minutes. Has anyone used a shuttle and were you able to do a little nature walk on your own?

I would like to suggest the 4 of you rent a car in Juneau. My husband and I did last summer, and it was great! We did what we wanted and on our own time schedule. Here is a link to my CC report on our day in Juneau

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2653193&highlight=connoisseur&page=7

HOWEVER, as I noted in my report DO NOT rent a car from Juneau Car Rental! We had a bad experience. (Detailed in my report)

I wish I had known about this company:

https://www.toursinalaska.com/juneau/juneau-self-drive/

They say they will bring the car to you at the cruise ship and also pick it up. I would give them a try.

My trip report (page 7) also tells about a WONDERFUL place we found for a lunch! Driving in Juneau is super easy. There is basically one road. ;)

So true! You can't take a bad picture in Alaska!

great review thanks a lot we are planning a similare tour next year

i agree with you on michael he is really great he was our tour director 3 years ago in hystoric america cruise tour

Thanks for reading!

Yes, Michael is the best. Wish everyone could have him as a guide.

What a fantastic review! (And I now have a new bucket list item...)!

Thank you! It is, indeed, a bucket list trip!

My Husband and I traveled to Alaska twice, once for 2 weeks on our own and again in 2006 on our very first Princess cruise. My sister and I (both widows) just booked this exact tour for June 25, 2019. Reading your review helped us decide that since this will be a once in a lifetime trip, we would do it up and opted for the Connoisseur tour. Thanks for the great review and pictures.

Pat, I'm so glad my review was able to help you make this important decision. I'm sure you and your sister won't be disappointed. The food in the lodges is phenomenal; the sights on land and at sea are unparalleled.

Wishing you wonderful weather and the making of many new friends!

We are both widows who traveled extensively before we lost our husbands and miss travelling and this one really appeals to us. We thought of 2020 but I am not getting any younger so will splurge for 2019.

We had two ladies on our tour in the exact situation. They had a grand time! We had dinner with them one evening in the lodge. They loved the tour! I’m glad to hear you’ll be doing it sooner rather than later. ;)

Wonderful review. We did the same tour 2 years ago and loved reliving it with you.

Thanks so much!:D

My sister and I are planning a trip to Alaska next year and are thinking of this particular trip. Reading you excellent review has helped up make up our mind that this is definitely the one we would like to do.

That’s great! You won’t regret this trip of a lifetime! Land and sea and for as long a time as you can afford, is the way to go! Happy Travels!

Fantastic and informative write up. Thank you very much. We are leaving in 10 days for a northbound connoisseur tour on the Star.

Thanks so much! Have a wonderful trip!

Great review. Enjoyed all of your photos.

Thank you so much!

wonderful and detailed review. Thank you so much! While I have sailed SB twice, I honestly couldn't remember the process when we arrived in Vancouver. I guess I'm always exhausted and rushed to get out that it slipped my mind. Your report definitely helped so I could level set our traveling party (2 who have not been before) and to make sure we allow enough time to go through all the steps before getting to a taxi to catch our flights out. The airlines moved both of our flights up earlier than we originally booked. Not too early, but we don't want to diddle daddle.

So glad I could be of help!

And yes, they do run out of cabs. Best to disembark asap.