Trip Review: Connoisseur Land & Sea (RB8) June 19 - July 4, 2018

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.

Thanks so much for writing this review. I really enjoyed it. It sounds like the cruise tour was well organized and enjoyable. I may have to rethink doing one. I agree with you- you go to Alaska and it keeps calling you back.

 

 

 

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Thank you!

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.

We did this same cruise tour in 2016 and our family member is a full time wheelchair user with a manual wheelchair. All of the transportation provided by Princess for the cruise tour was wheelchair accessible.

 

The train was wheelchair accessible. We were on a separate car from the rest of our tour (actually a Holland America Gold Star car), but had great seats and the wheelchair came onboard with us and in our case, went to the seat. Our family member elected to transfer to a seat, but the seats provided had lots of room in front to be able to use a transfer board.

 

Princess provided a bus for our highway travels which was wheelchair accessible with a lift. Our group had fewer participants than some of the other groups, so there was plenty of room for the wheelchair, which our family member stayed in during the bus ride. Since your family member can walk, it may be possible for your family member to transfer to a seat once the scooter gets onboard.

 

One of the shuttles at the Princess lodge at Denali was wheelchair accessible with a lift. There was also a wheelchair accessible shuttle at Kenai. I don't believe there was a wheelchair accessible shuttle at McKinley. We stayed in the cabin closest to the main building, so not necessary.

 

Very few shore excursions were wheelchair accessible at McKinley and Kenai. The only thing we did was take a lift equipped bus into Seward and visit the Sea Life Museum and eat lunch.

 

At Denali, most of the NPS tours were wheelchair accessible. The NPS bus did have a wheelchair lift for the Tundra tour and also we took a Princess bus with a lift to the NPS to see the sled dogs--transferred to a lift equipped NPS bus at the NPS center. Each time we had to specifically request the lift equipped bus. One time we ran into a glitch with the Princess bus to NPS returning to Denali, but another lodge driver was nice enough to take us back (after waiting over an hour for the Princess bus to show up)

 

At Fairbanks, the riverboat and gold dredge were wheelchair accessible. We didn't try to do anything else through Princess there.

 

We coordinated months ahead of time with Special Needs for a wheelchair accessible room with a roll in shower and also for the bus transportation. I checked back several times to ensure everything set up and no changes. The lodge room assignments are not made until May when the lodges open, so I followed up to make certain wheelchair accessible room with roll in shower asisgned (good thing I did because Princess special needs didn't put the roll in shower requirement--some regular rooms are set aside for disabled who can walk but require first floor, but no roll in shower)

 

So you should be able to book this tour with no issues, but you do need to coordinate closely with special needs. Also, realize that this trip requires patience on your part waiting for the lift equipped buses/shuttles which are not already pre-arranged by Princess. It will take you longer for the routine buses and shuttles to go somewhere as only there are only one or two lift equipped vehicles running.

Kathy, when you referenced following up on room assignments, did you follow up directly with the lodges or with the special needs sept?

Great review. Enjoyed all of your photos.

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

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.

Great review. Enjoyed all of your photos.

Thank you so much!

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!

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!

Kathy, when you referenced following up on room assignments, did you follow up directly with the lodges or with the special needs sept?

I actually ended up following up with both. Special Needs just kept telling me that the request had been made and it would be taken care of re the request. But we have had bad experiences with various hotels not assigning a wheelchair accessible room which has a roll in shower and so I ended up contacting the lodges directly. I found out that the lodges don't actually open until around mid May, but I followed up directly with the lodges as soon as they opened. It was a good thing I did because the general Lodge reservations had only considered the roll in shower portion a request, not a necessity, and we had been assigned to rooms at one of the hotels without a roll in shower. This was changed as a result of my call.

I also realized that I didn't include our experience at Kenai on the Kenai Fjords National Park Boat Tour which the OP mentioned in his review. At the time we booked, this tour was a part of the overall tour, not a separate shore excursion. That changed within the two years we originally booked, but our original booking was honored. The bus which took us to/from Seward for this tour was the same one we took the day before and had a lift. There were several buses of cruise passengers who went on this tour. We were assigned a table next to a window where wheelchair passengers were placed and the deck outside of the window was roped off so passengers couldn't stand in front of you. We did have to do a transfer to the seat at the table and the wheelchair was taken away but remained on the boat in case we needed it. There was no room at the tables for wheelchairs and so they were removed and either left at the dock (for passengers who could walk) or put in a front area of the boat. The tour was good except that our disabled passenger was not allowed to go outside on the deck and had to remain at the table. The views were generally good, but if the activity was not on that side of the ship, then we couldn't see it. (although I did go out on deck sometimes for photos).

Kathy, thanks for the great info!!

We too have had issues with hotel rooms. In fact we were just at a Hilton property in ND in June where the ADA room was not compliant at all. The shower head was so high that the water didn’t reach the bench. Also, the shower head would not fit in the bar next to the bench. No one in a chair would have been able to reach up and get the head down. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach it. We got both nights free as a result. The kicker is we had been there seven months earlier and had reported it then. They did nothing to fix it in all that time.

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

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.

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

Thanks so much!:D

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. ;)

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.

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!

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

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

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

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

Thank you so much for this wonderful review and fabulous pictures! We did a 12 day cruisetour in August 2015 (a "bucket list" trip)and your review brought back so many "once-in-a-lifetime" memories. Friends and family thought I was such a terrific photographer, but I found that you cannot really take a terrible picture in Alaska. Just point and shoot...awesome! :D

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.

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

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