Looking for a Denali add on package, pre or post cruise...suggestions?

[BeadBabe]

My group wants to do an Alaskan cruise this summer. I'm familiar with the packages that Princess, HAL, Carnival etc put together that offer a cruise and stay in Denali. We are pretty faithful NCL cruisers and would prefer to do NCL and do our own Denali post or pre stay package.

 

Has anyone done something like that? Or do you know of a company that offers this type of multi day "excursion" if you will to cruisers either going on or getting off a cruise from Seattle?

 

Thank you!

BeadBabe:D

[CruisingGoddess]

We're doing a rail/bus & lodge package with Princess cruises:

 

http://www.princesslodges.com

 

You do not have to be a Princess cruiser to use them. There is a 2 for 1 coupon in the TourSaver book too!

[Texas Tillie]

My group wants to do an Alaskan cruise this summer. I'm familiar with the packages that Princess, HAL, Carnival etc put together that offer a cruise and stay in Denali. We are pretty faithful NCL cruisers and would prefer to do NCL and do our own Denali post or pre stay package.

 

Has anyone done something like that? Or do you know of a company that offers this type of multi day "excursion" if you will to cruisers either going on or getting off a cruise from Seattle?

 

Thank you!

BeadBabe:D

 

One "minor" problem for 2010, NCL is doing only round trips from Seattle. You won't get out of Alaska panhandle! So, if you want to go to Denali, you'll need to pick a line that's doing one ways!

[jetta]

We are doing a cruistour with celebrity, its #14 on the milinieum. Post cruise from seward to anchorage overnight then alaska RR to

Talkeetna overnight, bus to Denali 2 overnights and end up in Fairbanks overnight then home. We have never done a cruistour before so we are giving it a try. We are a group of 3 women so we didn't feel comfortable doing an independant tour this time.

[Budget Queen]

If you stay with a round trip Seattle cruise, then you need to fly round trip into Anchorage/Fairbanks.

 

You will see more going independent, and it's extremely simple to arrange. Necessary is time and understanding time and distances involved. Many people underestimate this greatly.

 

Key for any interior Alaska visit is to do your homework. Most people are unaware of the details of itineraries and make inaccurate assumptions.

 

Some features to consider- budget 50% more for meals than you do at home. Go for as long as you can afford. Spend two nights in Denali Park and ONLY get a cruisetour with the Tundra Wilderness tour, included. This is the main feature of cruisetours, and the highlight for scenery and wildlife is getting INTO the park. The Natural History tour does not. Going independent, consider the 1/3 cost, farther Eielson shuttle bus.

 

Princess rail, is assigned table seating, 2 people ride backward. Do not mix up the Denali Princess and McKinley Princess, 100 miles apart. McKinley is out in the middle of no where, the mt. is rarely viewable, and you are 50 miles from the nearest town. Have plans that only make the shuttle once.

 

Seward requires time for the Kenai Fjords boat tours, most cruisetours have no option for this. You need 6 hours on the water.

[BeadBabe]

Thanks for the tips.

 

NCL is offering a land portion now. You fly yourself into Anchorage, and they handle everything from there...including flying you to Seattle to catch the boat.

 

I'm going to look further into it though.

 

BudgetQueen...would luv info on do it yourself though...if you can.

 

thanks!

[1Alaska]

If you have the time to do your research, please consider a land tour on your own. The cruise tours are way more pricey than going independent. It is not difficult to drive from Anchorage to Denali and then to Fairbanks. We stayed in cabins, not sleek hotels, and felt more a part of the Alaskan experience. You can book bus tours into Denali on your own. You can book flightseeing and river raft trips. You are not on someone else's time schedule. The roads are fine for driving on your own and you cannot get lost. For a family of 3, our total cost for a 10 day land trip was $1200, give or take.

[LA_FadeAway]

I agree, do it on your own. I honestly can't figure out why everyone does these pkg tours in Alaska. It's not like it's a foreign country with complicated logistics or anything. I mean, if you can go to Florida or California or anywhere else in the lower 48 on your own, then there is no reason you can't plan Alaska on your own too. Very easy, more flexible, and much cheaper.

[Lookingforfacts]

Necessary is time and understanding time and distances involved. Many people underestimate this greatly.

....... Spend two nights in Denali Park and ONLY get a cruisetour with the Tundra Wilderness tour, included. This is the main feature of cruisetours, and the highlight for scenery and wildlife is getting INTO the park. The Natural History tour does not. Going independent, consider the 1/3 cost, farther Eielson shuttle bus.

 

Princess rail, is assigned table seating, 2 people ride backward. Do not mix up the Denali Princess and McKinley Princess, 100 miles apart. McKinley is out in the middle of no where, the mt. is rarely viewable, and you are 50 miles from the nearest town. Have plans that only make the shuttle once.

....

The part I bolded is the major (IMHO) advantage of the cruisetours. It works for people who are willing to pay a premium in order to maximize what you see during a short land tour. Cruisetours are designed to reduce transfer time. To eliminate the luggage handling issues.

 

Princess is now offering a la carte tours. Those passengers can consider booking a shuttle instead of the TWT.

 

One night at the McKinley Princess breaks up the trip to/from Anchorage/Whittier to Denali. Gives you an opportunity for flightseeing.

There is a lot more to do at Denali then at the McKinley Princess. One night at the Mckinely Princess is (more then?) enough.

 

I agree, do it on your own. I honestly can't figure out why everyone does these pkg tours in Alaska. It's not like it's a foreign country with complicated logistics or anything. I mean, if you can go to Florida or California or anywhere else in the lower 48 on your own, then there is no reason you can't plan Alaska on your own too. Very easy, more flexible, and much cheaper.

'

 

The cost to rent a car in Alaska is substantially more then renting a car in the lower 48 states. It costs more to rent a car for one day ,with a pickup at Whittier and a drop off at Anchorage, then it costs to rent a car for a week in Florida. It's much cheaper if you're able to get a good deal on a rental car and are able to take advantage of toursaver BOGO coupons for your hotel. The savings are much more limited if you're not able to get a great price on a rental car and can't get good discounts on your hotel.

 

Princess tours do a better job getting from Whitier to Denali then you can do on your own.

 

I'd be surprised of the NCL tour offers many (any?) advantages over doing your own land tour. The tour begins and ends at Anchorage. There isn't any problem arranging your own land tour that begins and ends at ANC. Price it out. I guess it's possible.

 

JMO but a one way cruise is a more efficient way of doing a cruisetour.

[LA_FadeAway]

There are ways around the high rental car costs. We're booking one for three nights for under $100 total (using a Northern Lights coupon to get one night free) to tour Denali. We're then taking the train from Anchorage to Whittier to avoid the one way drop cost if we were to take the car to Whittier. We're also getting buy one get one free on the train tickets. I really think the only reason to do the tours is convenience and not wanting to do a lot of research and planning in advance. I suppose if someone doesn't mind giving up flexibility and likely more money for the added convenience, then it will work for them.