12 day Alaska cruisetour on the Sun

We are thinking about taking the 12 day Denali by rail cruise tour next summer and have received different advice from NCL reps. so would like first hand information from CC patrons who have been there and done that.

We plan to start in Anchorage then travel by train to Denali then coach to Aleyska and then by coach to Seward.

My first question is about the luggage requirements for the land portion. I know Princess and HAL both have size restrictions on the carry-on luggage for the train portion. NCL has told me 1-absolutely no restrictions and 2- all your luggage goes by bus so NO carry-on allowed . Neither representative explained if you separated cruise luggage from tour luggage. Also no clear information about if or not your luggage was picked up in the wee hours of the morning for each leg of your tour.

Secondly. what were the rooms like in the various location: views, comfortable beds, showers or tubs etc.

and lastly was there any mention of an option at the end in Vancouver of having a transfer by bus to the Seattle airport rather than to the Vancouver airport? (see how spoiled I am by Princess...but I do like NCL Sun better for Alaska.

We are booked on the north bound 12 day denali by train trip June 25th 2018 (sun). We can't answer any of your questions.. but we did have some questions ourselves.. I will include some updates we were provided in case it may be of value to you. Good luck.

The Denali By Rail was going to not have the Cruise Train Transfer for 2017 but this has CHANGED and the Denali by Rail will have the Cruise Train transfer from the ship to Anchorage. We are working on getting this corrected at all levels.

B- Any time on the last day of the tour a flight out of Fairbanks can be booked.*

C- 30 Days prior to the start of the Cruise guests will be provided a link to NCLEdoc’s for a full itinerary.

D- NO MEALS are included on the land tours – Hotels are assigned 30 days prior to the start of the tour. Denali by Rail has deluxe hotels assigned.

E- Pricing for meals is based on the guests desires. Meals are typical to any large city. Breakfast – $10-15 per person, Lunch - $10-15 per person, Dinner $30 and up.

F- Optional activities are booked and discussed with the Tour Director once the guests are on the land tour. In the Edoc’s there will be a few suggestions but all is booked with the Tour Director.

G- Tipping on land is not included and we suggest $5 per person per day for both the Driver and the Tour Director.

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thanks wilsonhold.... I will post as well if i receive any info from NCL.

The hotels used in Alaska by cruise tours, are just fine in my opinion. Not sure what you are expecting, but, it will not be any 5 star with the exception of Alyeska. I find the question about hotels to be a fraction of giving more preference to the itinerary, and making sure you are going where your interests are. Unfortunately some cruise tours are extremely lacking and see little. This is true of cruise tours and Seward, which is a gem and missed by a lot of people, Denali is another problem area unless the TWT is included.

For meals I always recommend budgeting 50% more than you would at home. A good ball park consideration.

There are multiple ways to get between Vancouver and Seattle. I'd suggest looking at Quick Shuttle since that is closest to what a cruise line transfer would offer.

Not attempting to hijack the original post..but hopefully gain some info. what is TWT and was there any optional tours offered? Why was Denali a problem area?

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Not attempting to hijack the original post..but hopefully gain some info. what is TWT and was there any optional tours offered? Why was Denali a problem area?

 

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Tundra Wilderness Tour. It is the least distance you should consider. Denali Park is about getting INTO the park. Distance is about 90 miles. The problems are with uninformed visitors. Some cruise tours only include- the worthless, Natural History tour- this does NOT get into the park. Would you go to Disneyland and only walk up and down Main St and leave? That is what this tour is. The TWT isn't ideal and nothing I would ever consider but at least it gets you 63 miles in. My minimum is at least Eielson mile 66. I'll again be at Wonder Lake, mid June mile 85. The farther you go the more you see.

It pays to do your homework and get to know all the details of Alaska travel. I've encountered way too many people, who just made big mistakes with their assumptions and bookings. Time is your best friend. Sorry but 5 days is going to be a lot of time in transit, and not much at destinations. Go for as long as possible. http://www.nps.gov/dena http://www.reservedenali.com

We booked our cruise on the Sun for last September early with NCL, at that time there were no cruise tours available. Later cruise tours were available, so I called to add one that included Denali. NCL would not simply let us add a cruise tour. Cruise tours are not separately price, but bundled with the cruise. In order to book the cruise tours we would have needed to cancel our cruise and rebook. That was not good, since I had booked when prices were good.

Instead, I booked our pickup at Seward, then Denali and later hotel in Anchorage with Alaska Tours and Travel. It was excellent.

Only problem was that we had a scenic train ride from Denali to Anchorage booked on the way back to Anchorage and the train was cancelled due to a rock slide. We rode the bus instead, which was a cheaper cost. I asked for a partial refund, but the railroad said no. So we paid for the expensive rail trip and were stiffed. I understand an act of nature was not the fault of the railroad, but we should have received a refund.

We booked our cruise on the Sun for last September early with NCL, at that time there were no cruise tours available. Later cruise tours were available, so I called to add one that included Denali. NCL would not simply let us add a cruise tour. Cruise tours are not separately price, but bundled with the cruise. In order to book the cruise tours we would have needed to cancel our cruise and rebook. That was not good, since I had booked when prices were good.

 

Instead, I booked our pickup at Seward, then Denali and later hotel in Anchorage with Alaska Tours and Travel. It was excellent.

 

Only problem was that we had a scenic train ride from Denali to Anchorage booked on the way back to Anchorage and the train was cancelled due to a rock slide. We rode the bus instead, which was a cheaper cost. I asked for a partial refund, but the railroad said no. So we paid for the expensive rail trip and were stiffed. I understand an act of nature was not the fault of the railroad, but we should have received a refund.

We booked our Sun 9/4/17 cruise back on 12/31/15 when prices came out. Like you we could only book the cruise at time and our price was much lower than cancelling and re-booking with the tour when they were available. We opted to book the land portion with Princess, spending 2 nights in Denali. Hoping that it turns out to be a good decision. I did look at Alaska Tours a while back but had Princess on the brain so I stuck with that choice. They have a special now where you buy 1 get 1 free for the 2 night+ land tours.

We are booking the 12 day southbound Denali by rail Cruisetour. I agree with you, it is difficult to get much information about the land portion.

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