18 nite Ultimate(Alaska) Cruisetour on the Millie

[MozRocks]

My DW and I are looking at this for next year! Has anyone out there been on this? Was it indeed the "Ultimate Cruisetour"?

 

MozRocks

[jschutz]

I looked for this cruise on the Celebrity web site but could not find it. What is the date and port of departure?

[Lsimon]

Without even looking at it, I'd encourage you to consider what you'd like to see in Alaska and do a little research on the Alaska port of call forum here on Cruise Critic.

 

In our case, we really wanted to see Denali park. We found that all of the hotels the cruise lines use at Denali are by the park entrance where there is little to see and that most of the tours only allow enough time for a very short excursion, in terms of both time and distance, into the park. We ended up making our own arrangements which included three nights at the park with one night at a lodge at the end of the park road deep inside the park near great views of wildlife, Mt. McKinley and the Alaskan Range. We talked to may cruisers on our cruise who had spent as much time in Alaska as we did and saw comparatively little.

 

Of course the flip side is that we were responsible for taking care of our own arrangements and transportation. While it was a bit more work there are some independent tour companies that you can find on the internet, including a division of the Alaskan Railroad Company that book both through travel agents and direct.

 

The information we found by searching through the Alaska port of call forum and asking questions there was a huge help in understanding what there is to see in different places and in making our plans.

[Cruiser Susie]

I looked for this cruise on the Celebrity web site but could not find it. What is the date and port of departure?

 

I think this is the tour the OP is talking about...

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/vacationItinerary.do;jsessionid=0000CTfZ6KkCKWHN7YgbqXFK5hD:12h3rnd1c?packageCode=ML18A105&backPageName=Itinerary+Search+Results

[2ndsailing]

Without even looking at it, I'd encourage you to consider what you'd like to see in Alaska and do a little research on the Alaska port of call forum here on Cruise Critic.

 

In our case, we really wanted to see Denali park. We found that all of the hotels the cruise lines use at Denali are by the park entrance where there is little to see and that most of the tours only allow enough time for a very short excursion, in terms of both time and distance, into the park. We ended up making our own arrangements which included three nights at the park with one night at a lodge at the end of the park road deep inside the park near great views of wildlife, Mt. McKinley and the Alaskan Range. We talked to may cruisers on our cruise who had spent as much time in Alaska as we did and saw comparatively little.

 

Of course the flip side is that we were responsible for taking care of our own arrangements and transportation. While it was a bit more work there are some independent tour companies that you can find on the internet, including a division of the Alaskan Railroad Company that book both through travel agents and direct.

 

The information we found by searching through the Alaska port of call forum and asking questions there was a huge help in understanding what there is to see in different places and in making our plans.

 

We're thinking about making our own tour after we get off the Millie next July. Did you rent a car? How did you get to Anchorage from Seward?

[Lsimon]

We're thinking about making our own tour after we get off the Millie next July. Did you rent a car? How did you get to Anchorage from Seward?

 

We took a Southbound cruise on a different line and sailed out of Whittier - took a hired limo there. We did take a train ride to Seward as part of our pre-cruise touring. You can take a private car or van, bus, cruise line transfer, or train to/from Seward. The trip from Seward to Anchorage is fantastic. It is a long trip but with great views. We didn't do any driving on our own - I wanted to be enjoying the views not concentrating on the road.

[MozRocks]

My DW and I are looking at this for next year! Has anyone out there been on this? Was it indeed the "Ultimate Cruisetour"?

 

MozRocks

I posted this a couple of years ago and we have not yet gone to Alaska! We are once again in the planning stages and would like to hear from anyone who has taken this specific cruisetour with Celebrity or RCCL. It begins in Calgary and ends in Fairbanks and is 18 nites long.

[islandchick]

IMO I think doing any cruise tour is a big mistake unless you are elderly or need help for other reasons. You will spend very little time at the destinations and really miss out on wildlife and the true Alaska. There is a lot to see! I have done my own independent tours after an Alaska cruise and am doing another after my Millie cruise this July .

Stay in Seward for a few days and do wildlife cruise, kayaking. Rent a car and drive to Denali- stay at least 3 nights and get tickets ahead of time for the shuttle bus that goes to wonder lake (hop on hop off). Drive to Matanuska glacier (beautiful area and you can hike on the glacier on your own spending as much time as you want). If you have the money go to Brooks Falls Lodge in the Katmai National Park (Lots of Bears _July). There are tons of things you can add on, the list is endless. Rent a car from Hertz post cruise and you can return it at the Anchorage Airport (only one I can find that will do this) For lodging do a internet search for lodges, bed and breakfast, or cabins based on your own style. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time in each area so you will actually enjoy your trip!