Booking optional excursions for Alaska Cruisetour

[Jay Bee]

We have booked an Alaska cruisetour and I'm wondering how the optional excursions during free time on the land portion work. I read that the program director will provide information about various options, but the implication was that we then make arrangements on our own. Anybody have experience with this?

[lovetotraveltx]

What ship/cruisetour?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

The tour leader will provide you with a list of optional excursions at each stop on the land tour. You fill out the order form and turn it in. If times are not listed the leader will be able to provide them and will often recommend the best day to do a particular tour if there are options. He/she will schedule those interested and take your credit card information. There will be a central meeting place at the hotel and your guide for that tour will meet you and provide transportation to the tour. You do not need to arrange anything on your own.

 

Mary Lou

[EliseL]

Good to know. I was wondering the same thing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Jay Bee]

What ship/cruisetour?

 

Millennium - cruisetour 8a

 

The tour leader will provide you with a list of optional excursions at each stop on the land tour. You fill out the order form and turn it in. If times are not listed the leader will be able to provide them and will often recommend the best day to do a particular tour if there are options. He/she will schedule those interested and take your credit card information. There will be a central meeting place at the hotel and your guide for that tour will meet you and provide transportation to the tour. You do not need to arrange anything on your own.

 

Mary Lou

 

Thank you. That is very specific. After I posted, I actually did call the Celebrity Cruisetour line and ask, but I wasn't sure I could trust what they said (seeing how my record of getting accurate information from Celebrity isn't all that great). And, wouldn't you know, they said the exact opposite: they said, you arrange all optional activities on your own, period. They also said you can't arrange your own excursions ahead of time because there might be delays of one sort or another.

 

Looking at the itinerary, there do seem to be a few blocks of time that are relatively safe bets, and if an independently arranged tour has a good cancellation policy, I don't think that would be a problem. So now I'm wondering, even with the procedure Mary Lou described, if it might be an advantage to book ahead independently for a few high-demand activities--maybe doing it through the cruisetour people costs more, maybe there would be a larger group, maybe you'd get closed out.

 

Opinions and/or experience with this?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We did not run into any delays on our land tour but one of the other tours on our cruise had to take a bus from Fairbanks to Denali because of a rockslide that happened on the tracks. I don't know if this delayed their arrival in Denali or got them there earlier. You take the same chance booking independent excursions on the cruise portion of the trip.

 

We did cruise tour 8B this July on Millennium.

 

 

Mary Lou

[lovetotraveltx]

Millennium - cruisetour 8a

 

 

 

Thank you. That is very specific. After I posted, I actually did call the Celebrity Cruisetour line and ask, but I wasn't sure I could trust what they said (seeing how my record of getting accurate information from Celebrity isn't all that great). And, wouldn't you know, they said the exact opposite: they said, you arrange all optional activities on your own, period. They also said you can't arrange your own excursions ahead of time because there might be delays of one sort or another.

 

Looking at the itinerary, there do seem to be a few blocks of time that are relatively safe bets, and if an independently arranged tour has a good cancellation policy, I don't think that would be a problem. So now I'm wondering, even with the procedure Mary Lou described, if it might be an advantage to book ahead independently for a few high-demand activities--maybe doing it through the cruisetour people costs more, maybe there would be a larger group, maybe you'd get closed out.

 

Opinions and/or experience with this?

 

 

I'm taking Celebrity Millennium Cruisetour 5B next June. I was confused too! Apparently, (one of the posters here checked it out for me and reported back), the first day of your cruisetour, you have meeting times/orientation times set up in your hotel. You attend one of those and they give you all the tour info. You can then sign up right then and there for any tours you would like. It is first come first served. Also, this is when you can upgrade to the Tundra Wilderness tour in Denali.

 

Are you traveling soon, do you have times? Since the information is minimal, I would be afraid to book on our own as I don't know exactly what time we arrive at Talkneeta, or Denali or Girdwood. Celebrity only says morning or afternoon??

 

I've started booking private excursions on cruise port days but thinking I'm just going to have to go with the flow on the cruisetour portion.

[Jay Bee]

Are you traveling soon, do you have times? Since the information is minimal, I would be afraid to book on our own as I don't know exactly what time we arrive at Talkneeta, or Denali or Girdwood. Celebrity only says morning or afternoon??

 

I've started booking private excursions on cruise port days but thinking I'm just going to have to go with the flow on the cruisetour portion.

 

I only have the day by day outline, but that's good enough for a few of the days. For example, on our last day in Denali it says, "You have the morning and portion of the afternoon free to book an optional land excursion..." I figure it's safe to book something in the morning; they won't alter the departure...more likely an arrival would be off.

 

By the way, even the day by day descriptions of the cruisetours has been missing on the Celebrity site. I got it off the RCI site and had a reservations person read me the Celebrity version: they were identical.

[lovetotraveltx]

I only have the day by day outline, but that's good enough for a few of the days. For example, on our last day in Denali it says, "You have the morning and portion of the afternoon free to book an optional land excursion..." I figure it's safe to book something in the morning; they won't alter the departure...more likely an arrival would be off.

 

By the way, even the day by day descriptions of the cruisetours has been missing on the Celebrity site. I got it off the RCI site and had a reservations person read me the Celebrity version: they were identical.

 

When is your cruise?

[Jay Bee]

When is your cruise?

 

June 2015

[lovetotraveltx]

June 2015

 

Us too! So, how did you get a layout of the days already. All I see is what's on the website that says 1 night here, 2 nights there, etc.

 

I've asked celebrity ie when we get to Denali and they say afternoon and leave in mid morning 2 days later??

 

I would love to know how long I'm at Aleyska cause I would like to do gold panning at some point and thought I could do it there??

 

We are on 5B and the June 12 southbound cruise.

[Jay Bee]

Us too! So, how did you get a layout of the days already. All I see is what's on the website that says 1 night here, 2 nights there, etc.

 

I've asked celebrity ie when we get to Denali and they say afternoon and leave in mid morning 2 days later??

 

I would love to know how long I'm at Aleyska cause I would like to do gold panning at some point and thought I could do it there??

 

We are on 5B and the June 12 southbound cruise.

 

We are on the June 19 8a northbound, but there will be similarities in the land portion. If you go to rccl.com and look at the Alaska cruisetours, you'll see that they have the same numbers as the Celebrity cruisetours. On their site they have detailed descriptions for each day (not exact times though). To make sure these were the same tours, I asked the phone rep at Celebrity to read me the whole thing. It was identical, word for word.

 

Celebrity is aware that this info is not on the web site. They have apparently alerted IT.

[lovetotraveltx]

We are on the June 19 8a northbound, but there will be similarities in the land portion. If you go to rccl.com and look at the Alaska cruisetours, you'll see that they have the same numbers as the Celebrity cruisetours. On their site they have detailed descriptions for each day (not exact times though). To make sure these were the same tours, I asked the phone rep at Celebrity to read me the whole thing. It was identical, word for word.

 

Celebrity is aware that this info is not on the web site. They have apparently alerted IT.

 

Thanks! So you get on right after we get off :)

[Jay Bee]

Thanks! So you get on right after we get off :)

 

Yep. Really looking forward to it. :)

[Lsimon]

I only have the day by day outline, but that's good enough for a few of the days. For example, on our last day in Denali it says, "You have the morning and portion of the afternoon free to book an optional land excursion..." I figure it's safe to book something in the morning; they won't alter the departure...more likely an arrival would be off.

 

By the way, even the day by day descriptions of the cruisetours has been missing on the Celebrity site. I got it off the RCI site and had a reservations person read me the Celebrity version: they were identical.

 

If you will have time to do extra touring in Denali then go to the Alaska forum here on Cruise Critic and research posts discussing the various excursions into the park. For organized excursions there are basically three kinds: the Natural History Tour, the Tundra Wilderness Tour or the Kantishna Experience Tour. Most cruise tour packages just include the Natural History tour which just goes a few miles past the park entrance. The other tours go much further into the park and if you're interested in seeing the sights there it will be very helpful to be familiar with these standard options before your trip and before signing up for other tours.