CruiseTour or book tour separately?

[KathyPatterson]

Hello, My husband and I are treating our grown "kids" (3) to an Alaska Cruise in July 2017 aboard Celebrity Millie (southbound). We would like to do a 3-4 day pre-cruise land portion that starts in Anchorage and includes Talkeetna and Denali, ending in Seward. We are trying to decide if it would be better to just do the Celebrity CruiseTour or book separately through a private company for the land portion. Would a private company likely save time, money, or allow us to have more of a customized experience, or would it be too much hassle? Has anyone booked through a private company and been happy with the experience? Who did you use? Thanks for any insight.

[4774Papa]

Hello, My husband and I are treating our grown "kids" (3) to an Alaska Cruise in July 2017 aboard Celebrity Millie (southbound). We would like to do a 3-4 day pre-cruise land portion that starts in Anchorage and includes Talkeetna and Denali, ending in Seward. We are trying to decide if it would be better to just do the Celebrity CruiseTour or book separately through a private company for the land portion. Would a private company likely save time, money, or allow us to have more of a customized experience, or would it be too much hassle? Has anyone booked through a private company and been happy with the experience? Who did you use? Thanks for any insight.

 

Compare with private tours.

 

Alaska Tours and Travel is a good place to start.

 

Another option is to rent a car in Anchorage. Only Hertz has car rentals that from or to Seward and they are more expensive.

[ghstudio]

Our worldwide experience is that with a group of 4 or more you are far better off using a local tour company/guide than booking with celebrity. With 5, you should be able to find a private tour, to the extent you really need one. Fundamentally, you are going to see the scenry, not to learn who leaned against what tree 50 years ago or other tourist guide tall tales. I would check trip advisor and google and see what is offered by the local companies. Then decide. Remember, celebrity just hires a local company to do their land tours/excursions. They are essentially just acting as your local travel agent pocketing a fee to book you with the same people you could book with directly.

[Northern Aurora]

Since you have a general idea of what you want to visit, have you considered just doing the pre-cruise portion on your own? For instance, you could rent a vehicle in Anchorage, drive up to Denali, book your own accommodations, purchase shuttle tickets (into Eielson Visitor Center) for the trip into Denali National Park. A stop at Talkeetna could be done either on the way to or back from Denali. The rental vehicle could be returned in Anchorage. It is easy to either use the Alaska Railroad or one of the motor coach transfers to travel down to Seward. While a car isn't necessary in Seward, if you would prefer one than just book a rental for a day (Hertz is the only vendor).

 

The roads you would be driving are all paved. And you will find that those of us who live here are friendly and helpful. Given the feedback on the Denali area lodge which Celebrity is currently using (the Denali Park Village) you may be much happier selecting your own.

[ClaudiaB]

We will do it on our own when we do the interior of Alaska. No big buses or group tours of any size for us. Our 49th state is so beautiful, and there's so much to see. 3-4 days isn't a lot of time. We will spend 5 or so days on the Kenai Peninsula, then a couple days in Fairbanks and then 3-4 days in Denali. This will be either before or after a one-way cruise. We've done the inside passage twice, but we want to see the interior. On our own, the way WE like to travel.

 

There is only one road going anywhere. You can book the same hotels, or different ones. You can't get lost up there.

 

You can stop your car when you want to - or not. Bathroom stops aren't a major long big deal as with a bus full.

You can set your schedule, and you can arrange to get further into Denali than you can on one of those tours.

You eat when and where you want - or not - and see what you want to see.

 

Oh and you can do it for a whole lot less. Book a rental car in August or September for the next year and save a ton of $$. Get the chamber of commerce in various cities to send you information and read Trip Advisor and guidebooks such as Frommer's Guide and Fodor's.

 

Buy the under $10 book "Milepost" which is a detailed roadmap guide for getting around Alaska. Literally mile by mile of every road, what to expect, etc. etc.

 

The Alaska forums here on Cruise Critic are a wealth of information about cruises there, different ships and the land portions. I learned so much there just reading, and it convinced me that on our own is the best way for us.

 

We've known people who took cruise tours and independent tours and who have set out on their own. Without a doubt the on-your-own people saw more and had a better trip than those who left the driving and planning to someone else.

 

If you're like me and you like to be in charge of your vacation, then read about it on the Alaska forum and ask questions there and make up your mind.

Edited July 13, 2016 by ClaudiaB

[SSAtlantic]

We just returned from southbound on the Millie preceded by 6 days on our own. I highly second the concept of going it on your own. We rented a car in Anchorage, drove to Denali, stopping whenever and wherever we wanted. We followed that with the drive to Seward and spent 3 nights there prior to boarding the ship. Next time, we may go further into the Kenai and skip Denali.

The drive is easy, especially with The Milepost. It was a great trip. I did price returning to Anchorage with the car and using alternate transport to Seward, but decided our time was worth the extra cost. I read a lot of prior year trip reports on the Alaska forum for suggestions.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We did the DIY thing in 2013 and had a great time -- it's so much nicer when you can customize the trip with exactly what you want to see. You can read the detail by clicking on the link "Coral Princess Alaska 6-2013" in my signature.