Precruise: Land through cruiseline or tour co? Need help!

[mlbcruiser]

I'm trying to decide whether we should book a cruise tour through the cruise line we sail with (probably Celebrity, Princess or RCI) or choose an outside tour company to handle that part of a pre-cruise land tour in AK. Normally I'd book the components on our own, however there is an issue this time.

 

Background: We have cruised many times to many places and have also done a number of land only trips. Generally I do all the planning and we mostly do things independently. However, things will be different this time on our our first time to AK because my husband, who was always very active, had a medical issue 3 mos. ago and is somewhat physically impaired at present. He can walk, but slowly and aside from inside our home, is still using a cane. He has also lost most of the use of his dominant hand/arm and still cannot drive. Although these issues are improving, it's somewhat doubtful he'll have a huge improvement in the use of the arm and hand by then, though his walking will no doubt be faster and more stable based on progress so far. (He is able to handle stairs, thankfully). Therefore I will be the only one able to carry luggage or other items and it will just be so much easier having things in place and assistance, etc. under the circumstances. Therefore we want to book a precruise land tour for sure. Not sure who to book with, or if the cruise tours include enough- ?

 

My cousin recommended John Hall Tours, but from what I have gathered, their tours are definitely a lot pricier than most. Quality or not, price is definitely a consideration in our situation. I'd love to hear experiences from those of you who have tacked a pkg. land tour onto your AK cruise, be it through the cruise line or through an independent tour co. Recommendations of such companies and itineraries are highly welcome! (Not as interested in the larger cities as we are natural beauties. I'd love to do a scenic train and overnight in Denali and Talkeetna and visit the Kenai Peninsula, but I'm not very well versed on the best places to visit yet.

 

Would an outside cabin be o.k. for AK for those of us who won't spend a lot of time in our room or on a balcony? In May or June I fear it could easily be less than comfy sitting on a balcony when the ship is moving. But I'd still like to be able to get a window so as to at least see the scenery we are passing when we are in the cabin.

 

Any help or info. appreciated!

Edited January 6, 2016 by mlbcruiser

[Alaskanb]

We have gone through similar decisions this year finding that we need more support as we travel. We decided to take southbound Princess cruise tour DB4 that includes 2 nights in Denali and the train from Denali to Whittier. I love having a balcony to make it easier to view scenery and a couch to relax on so we book a mini suite.

[GrizBear]

I second Princess. We did their land tour first then cruised southbound on the Coral to Vancouver. Got very spoiled in a mini suite. In late June to early July last year we had gorgeous weather and sat on the balcony all the time. If you don't mind viewing on the decks a balcony is not needed and you never know your weather. We flew into Fairbanks to start our land tour. Spent 2 days with the tour here. The included tour activities are the Paddleboat and Gold Dredge. They are a good intro to Alaska. Next was the train to Denali. Spent 2 days there. Enjoyed the included Thundra Wilderness tour and dinner show. Added a visit to Jeff Kings homestead to learn about the Iditarod (an optional Princess excursion). Really enjoyed this. Then it was onto 2 days at the Copper River Princess lodge. The ride there was long, but we made several stops along the way. The scenery was amazing. This area was by far my favorite. It was remote and gorgeous. There were no included activities here. We added whitewater rafting - great fun and also took the cheap shuttle to Elias Wrangall National Park. Checked out the visitor center and did some hiking. Very buggy on the trails. Our last 2 days were spent in Kenai. Once again it was a long ride but also gorgeous. Stopped to enjoy a glacier,and for lunch in Anchorage. Kenai did not have included tours either. We added the Princess Kenai Fjords tour. Although expensive it was worth every cent. Saw so many sea critters, whales, and calving glaciers. At the end of our tour They took us to the ship to begin our cruise. We LOVED ever second of this tour and would do it again in a heartbeat. Never had to worry about luggage, our tour guide was wonderful, the lodges were beautiful, and we got a nice taste of Alaska. Will go back to see more. There are many, many ways to see Alaska. Check out your options and choose what is best for you.

[NancyIL]

I second Princess. We did their land tour first then cruised southbound on the Coral to Vancouver. Got very spoiled in a mini suite. In late June to early July last year we had gorgeous weather and sat on the balcony all the time. If you don't mind viewing on the decks a balcony is not needed and you never know your weather. We flew into Fairbanks to start our land tour. Spent 2 days with the tour here. The included tour activities are the Paddleboat and Gold Dredge. They are a good intro to Alaska. Next was the train to Denali. Spent 2 days there. Enjoyed the included Thundra Wilderness tour and dinner show. Added a visit to Jeff Kings homestead to learn about the Iditarod (an optional Princess excursion). Really enjoyed this. Then it was onto 2 days at the Copper River Princess lodge. The ride there was long, but we made several stops along the way. The scenery was amazing. This area was by far my favorite. It was remote and gorgeous. There were no included activities here. We added whitewater rafting - great fun and also took the cheap shuttle to Elias Wrangall National Park. Checked out the visitor center and did some hiking. Very buggy on the trails. Our last 2 days were spent in Kenai. Once again it was a long ride but also gorgeous. Stopped to enjoy a glacier,and for lunch in Anchorage. Kenai did not have included tours either. We added the Princess Kenai Fjords tour. Although expensive it was worth every cent. Saw so many sea critters, whales, and calving glaciers. At the end of our tour They took us to the ship to begin our cruise. We LOVED ever second of this tour and would do it again in a heartbeat. Never had to worry about luggage, our tour guide was wonderful, the lodges were beautiful, and we got a nice taste of Alaska. Will go back to see more. There are many, many ways to see Alaska. Check out your options and choose what is best for you.

 

Your Princess cruise tour was one of the few that included the Tundra Wilderness Tour, as most of the Princess land tours include only the Natural History Tour. Yours also didn't spend time at the McKinley Princess Lodge, between Talkeetna and Denali, as so many tours do.

 

To the OP: I have also looked at John Hall's tours. While their itineraries have given me great ideas, they cost a lot more than I care to spend!

I've read good things about Premier Alaska Tours: http://premieralaskatours.com/

[GrizBear]

Yes NancyIL you present good points. I spent months reading this board and several books. In addition we attended Alaska presentations given by our local AAA. Then I gathered all the cruise lines brochures and we carefully picked what was best for us. Many people would not choose our tour because it was remote, but that's what we wanted to see. The AAA presentations were very helpful!

[portiemom]

My husband and I chose to do a cruise tour with Princess in July 2012. There are lots of good reasons to do a cruise tour, and it was the right decision for us. We had a blast, and still call this trip our best ever. We started in Anchorage, then spent 2 nights at the McKinley Lodge, which was a great way to start out. Next we rode the train to Denali and spent two nights there. We upgraded our tour from the included Natural History Tour to the Kantishna Experience Tour, which was fabulous. Next was a train ride to Whittier to board the Island Princess for a southbound cruise. Loved the train. Loved the cruise. Loved our balcony. This was our first cruise and we will never forget it.

 

I research and plan like crazy. Typically we do not take tours and we are frugal people. I had carefully priced out the trip doing it on our own vs. doing the cruise tour. There was not a big price difference. This trip was worth every penny.

[oaktreerb]

Your easiest solution is to stay with the cruisetour. Decide what you want to see and do and find the cruiseline that can take you there.

 

I have only toured with HAL but each time we have had a great time. I would stay away from any tour that takes you on a bus to Seward or Whittier from Denali in the same day (or vice versa) as that would be a long day on a bus. As far as luggage handling on a cruisetour all you have to do is get the luggage outside your door at a specified time. It will be delivered to your room at the next location.

 

We added a land tour one year with graylinealaska.org. It is owned by HAL and Princess Tours. They coordinated with the cruise lines so we felt right at home!

 

The seamless option is to do the cruisetour through the cruiseline.

 

With HAL you can get a veranda on the Noordam that is more reasonable than a

suite price so that you can sit on the couch and enjoy the view. You will probably not be on your veranda when the ship is moving (except for Glacier Bay). HAL ships have lots of inside public viewing areas.

 

Talkeetna was mentioned as a stop but you may want to do some more research as it is most often not recommended unless you are interested in rafting or flights over and around Denali.

Edited January 7, 2016 by oaktreerb

[cruisin0218]

Another thing you might want to consider is rental of a scooter for at least the cruise portion. There is a lot of walking aboard ship and in the ports of call. A scooter can be delivered to your cabin and can be used on the ship and in port. Wheelchair assistance is also available for boarding and disembarking the ship if arrangements are made ahead of time. You would need to check the special needs department with whichever cruise ship you choose to see which vendors provide rentals to the ship and also check with the vendor and cruise ship to determine the width of the scooter and the width of the opening in the doorway to see if a handicap accessible room would be needed to accomodate the scooter. Most cruise lines require the scooter to be kept inside the room and not in a hallway when not in use.

 

It is also possible to rent a scooter and have it delivered and returned to your home therefore having it available for use at the airport and during the land portion of your tour. The rental prices are in my opinion pretty reasonable particularly given the wonderful convience to use it as you find you need it and save his energy for enjoying the trip.

[Budget Queen]

With any tour you choose- which as you state is a great option for you, you need to be very careful about the itinerary. I do not find Princess has the better tours. They most always include the NHT and the McKinley Princess.

 

Better could be HAL/Celebrity/RCI, IF you find one with an overnight in Seward- which is a gem. Anchorage also has attractions of interest that could be superior to a down day at the McKinley Lodge, Girdwood is also a highlight, and finally staying IN Talkeetna- grossly maxes out the options compared to being involved a 2 hour round trip transit.

 

Princess rail cars, are table seating- 2 people ride backwards.

 

Be very selective and informed. Do your homework so you know what you are looking at. Go for as long as you can afford, and avoid short cruise tours. 2 night at Denali Park is a must. :)

[mlbcruiser]

Thank you ALL for your replies. Some great info.! I'm going to add some comments/ask more ?s. (I'll TRY to reference your posts in order.):

 

Alaskanb, I noticed you added the tour # which is helpful. I did see some interesting Princess ones the other night and noticed they go by #s. One thing I noticed about Princess tours is they seem to use only their own lodges, which I am sure are nice. However, RCI and Celebrity use the Nat'l. Park lodges and some of them look really cool!

 

 

Grizbear, that sounds like a great trip and from a quick look at cruise tours, it did appear to me that Princess had the most comprehensive, but I'd need to look at them some more. First off, I am not crazy about the Coral P., having been on her once before, but she's "o.k." (I know it's about the itinerary but still . . And I've noticed the various cruise lines don't use their newish ships in AK.) We are Diamond Level on RCI so get a nice discount on balconies and there are several other really good perks we like. We get grandfathered into the same level on Celebrity, but we like RCI's perks better. Still, any of those 3 lines would be fine.

 

NancyIL, what did you think about the various lodges? Also, thanks a bunch for the link but it seems Premier Alaska Tours are for for groups or the trade. They don't seem to take individual bookings. I agree about John Hall's prices, though my cousin did stress how they worked w/the ships and travel/connections, etc., and things went extremely seamlessly. Still, too expensive for us! The one thing I didn't like was they advertise "small group tours". Yet I believe they said "only 43 people" per bus. THAT is NOT a small tour to me! We have only ever done 2 pkg. tours: One to China (had about 17people) and one to Morocco (about 19 people). I am a travel addict and usually do LOTS of research and planning, and arrange everything myself. Guess I'm a bit of a control freak. A cruise tour would be fun in that we'd likely meet people from our same ship before boarding.

 

portiemom, your post almost sounds to me like I wrote it (except for having done a cruise tour!), lol! Sounds like we plan/think alike. I am sure all cruise tours have a fair number of people on them, but do you recall about how many were on your Princess tour? I could see us doing the same one as you. It's a rare person who doesn't LOVE their first cruise. I was SO depressed when our first one (3 nts.) ended. Seriously! Thought I'd died and gone to heaven on that cruise!

 

oaktreerb, Was graylinealaska.org all via bus? I have heard HAL is a very nice line and I love their itineraries. However, from all I have been told and read, I don't think that line would be quite the right one for us. Normally we would absolutely be interested in whitewater rafting (and even flightseeing). I don't think my dh would be able to go rafting now, though. We went once in Costa Rica and had hoped to do it again in the U.S. but I fear that chance may be lost for us now. Maybe the flight seeing would be fun, though likely pricey. Talkeetna Lodge looks pretty cool!

 

cruisin0218, what helpful info! I am actually mulling over whether to try a cruise in very early March or late Feb. with my dh as a test run. (Plus that's always been a big cruise time of yr. for us.) Not sure he'd want to yet, though. A scooter would be great (as I know ships require LOTS of walking). I'd already figured we might have to ask for a wheelchair during the boarding process. He isn't very easy to talk into using anything "helpful", though. We were given a "transport" chair when he came home from the hospital (like a lt. wt. wheelchair that must be pushed), but he was adverse to riding in it and has only agreed to ride in it maybe 3 times since Sept! It certainly helped speed up our movements, but :rolleyes:! I will definitely look into the scooter if I think he might need it and use it at times. Thanks!

 

Budget Queen, I take it the NHT isn't "all that" as you are the 2nd one to mention that tour and the first poster upgraded to another! Talkeetna Lodge appeals to me for sure. I have to check out Girdwood as that is one place I truly have no idea about. Thought I for sure wanted to visit the Kenai Peninsula, but not too many of the cruise tours offer it. (Princess does.) Not sure which sights we would enjoy the most yet so really need opinions and have a lot of research to do for sure. It seems starting out IN Alaska is best rather than Vancouver. Any thoughts on that?

 

Thanks again to everyone for all the input. Please do not hesitate to add anything else you feel might be helpful! I really do appreciate the input. Also, I'd love to hear what place was your favorite on your land tour and which port you liked best.

[Alaskanb]

Thank you ALL for your replies. Some great info.! I'm going to add some comments/ask more ?s. (I'll TRY to reference your posts in order.):

 

Alaskanb, I noticed you added the tour # which is helpful. I did see some interesting Princess ones the other night and noticed they go by #s. One thing I noticed about Princess tours is they seem to use only their own lodges, which I am sure are nice. However, RCI and Celebrity use the Nat'l. Park lodges and some of them look really cool!

 

.

I was not aware that the National Park Service ran lodges in Alaska and I cannot find that information when I search on-line. Are you sure that they are or just named for the park?

There are several helpful tour reviews on CC this is one of them http://www.thepreismans.com/alaska_island_14.htm

Edited January 8, 2016 by Alaskanb

[NancyIL]

Thank you ALL for your replies. Some great info.! I'm going to add some comments/ask more ?s. (I'll TRY to reference your posts in order.):

 

NancyIL, what did you think about the various lodges? Also, thanks a bunch for the link but it seems Premier Alaska Tours are for for groups or the trade. They don't seem to take individual bookings. I agree about John Hall's prices, though my cousin did stress how they worked w/the ships and travel/connections, etc., and things went extremely seamlessly. Still, too expensive for us! The one thing I didn't like was they advertise "small group tours". Yet I believe they said "only 43 people" per bus. THAT is NOT a small tour to me! We have only ever done 2 pkg. tours: One to China (had about 17people) and one to Morocco (about 19 people). I am a travel addict and usually do LOTS of research and planning, and arrange everything myself. Guess I'm a bit of a control freak. A cruise tour would be fun in that we'd likely meet people from our same ship before boarding.

 

 

My two land trips in Alaska were booked independently. When we went to Denali, we spent 2 night at the Denali Lakeview Inn in Healy: http://www.denalilakeviewinn.com

 

A land tour through the cruise line will probably have ~43 people per bus.

[oaktreerb]

Re: your questions from my comments. i did have some computer issues in the previous post so I'll try again.

 

Look up http://www.graylinealaska.com. They have a wide variety of tours and are well organized. The tours are mostly not guided tours but they have people at each location to assist you. The tours include the Alaska railroad as well as the bus.

 

You will receive the most assistance on the cruisetours offered by the cruise lines. Holland America and Princess coordinate some of their programs in Alaska which gives them a very big footprint. HAL has a nice variety of cruisetours including overnights in Seward at the Windsong Lodge and Girdwood at the Alyeska resort. At Denali they have have purchased the Mt McKinley Chalet Resort (which was run by the National park) and have been renovating the cabins and grounds. It is centrally located at the entrance to the park near the Princess Lodge and has busses to the Denali visitor's center.

 

Holland America also has their Yukon itineraries which we enjoy. Look on the website.

 

If you enjoy RCI and Celebrity you should look on their website to see what their cruisetours have to offer. They are probably similar but their railcars will differ somewhat and their lodges will be different. I think they both offer Alyeska which is a lovely resort. HAL and Princess own their properties at the entrance to Denali National Park and provide bus service from the hotels to the park.

[portiemom]

portiemom, your post almost sounds to me like I wrote it (except for having done a cruise tour!), lol! Sounds like we plan/think alike. I am sure all cruise tours have a fair number of people on them, but do you recall about how many were on your Princess tour? I could see us doing the same one as you. It's a rare person who doesn't LOVE their first cruise. I was SO depressed when our first one (3 nts.) ended. Seriously! Thought I'd died and gone to heaven on that cruise!

 

 

Thanks again to everyone for all the input. Please do not hesitate to add anything else you feel might be helpful! I really do appreciate the input. Also, I'd love to hear what place was your favorite on your land tour and which port you liked best.

 

Hi mlbcruiser,

 

I will take your word for it that most people love their first cruise. All I know is that I resisted and resisted my husband's suggestions for a cruise vacation until finally we were ready to cruise to Alaska. To date, I have been on 2 cruises - both to Alaska. I'm still not ready to try any other destinations. But who knows - maybe someday.:)

 

As far as how many were on our cruise tour, goodness knows. Certainly it was far more than 17 or 19. I am a bit of a loner. I was not especially interested in socializing, so I really didn't on the cruise tour. I hardly paid attention to those around me or even to the people seated with us on the train to be honest. I spent a lot of time out on the train platform photographing the scenery.

 

The other thing is people from different cruise tours travel together, for example on the train. Our train to Denali had cars for HAL, cars for Celebrity, and lots of other cruise lines all connected together. Even within our Princess train car, we had people who had already cruised and now were on the land portion, so a different tour from ours. So it would be impossible to say.

 

By the time we boarded the ship I was feeling more social. I enjoyed our CC meet and greet and the people we sat with at dinner.

 

It was all fun, really but my favorites were the Kantishna Experience Tour (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1683604&highlight=kantishna) in Denali. It was a must-do for us. And the Juneau glacier dogsledding was the best birthday present ever. :D Juneau is my favorite port. So much to see and do and not enough time. We may need to plan a separate trip there at some point.:)

[mlbcruiser]

You guys are all so great to take the time to share your info!

 

Re: the lodges/accommodations - I will admit, I was not totally sure who operated them. I (perhaps inaccurately) assumed the ones INSIDE the parks (not outside the entrances) were run by the Nat'l. Park Service, or, more likely, some company awarded the contract to run them by the park service. (Similar to Grand Canyon or Yosemite, etc.) I thought the Talkeetna Lodge and Alyeska would be IN the parks, while the Princess owned lodges would not be. Shows you how little research I've done so far. I'm just starting and wish I had more TIME to devote to it. My time has been a LOT more limited than before due to my dh's limitations the past 3 1/2 mos. and everything that has entailed. Throw in the holidays, a brand new grandchild and returning to work a month ago after taking 2 mos. off due to my dh's issues, and I have a lot of catching up to do. I went to the library for some books on AK this afternoon, only to find the ONLY one on the shelf was Fodor's AK Cruises. So I went to a major chain bookstore and they were out of all but Nat'l. Geographic and the same Fodor's book! I am an avid user of Tripadvisor, etc., so just need TIME.

 

Just barely had a chance to glance at the trip report link, and it looks really great! Hope to read more of it perhaps later tonight!

 

I have done a bit of checking on a few lines' cruise tours the past couple of nights and I wish they were a bit more user friendly. Just figuring them out. Couldn't find the good descriptive Princess pages I found the first night but managed to get far enough to see some of the cruise tours we'd like are sold out for the dates I'd like!

 

Definitely planning to check out the links mentioned above later tonight. Don't have anymore time to spend on here at the moment.

Edited January 9, 2016 by mlbcruiser

[Alaskanb]

This may help. http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/

[NancyIL]

This may help. http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/

 

Thank you for sharing this link, as it does help to better understand Princess's land tours.

[Alaskanb]

Thank you for sharing this link, as it does help to better understand Princess's land tours.

I think it's a must read before you book page! Would clarify lots of questions --even explains the Denali options.

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/