Advice about Princess Cruise tours

[dickinson]

We have never done a cruise tour but are thinking about doing Alaska in 2018. We went there in 2012 as a rt out of Seattle but this time want to do a land tour. Possibly a connoisseur but not sure. What advise would you give us? Once we book can we take advantage of price reductions? If so is it only on the total (cruise + land tour) or can we take advantage of cruise price reductions?

 

Any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

[hpeabody]

To see the true Alaska you really need to get inland. A cruisetour is a nice way to do it. If the one you choose involves the train I advise that you really check on what kind of train car you will travel in. (I was once stuck riding backwards in an old Alaska RR dining car that was jam packed and it was a miserable 9 hours) You want the special glass domed train car. Holland America is also an alternative to check out.

[satxdiver]

You usually can take advantage of price reductions on land based tours in AK but don't expect one. The land tour will be listed as a separate line item on your cruise like any excursion and can be altered if needed.

 

I agree with the other poster to be sure you are not on one of the old AK RR cars. The dome cars that Princess and HAL uses are much much better. It took 9 hours to go from Anchorage to Fairbanks. The train travels about 25 MPH due to the condition of the tracks so plan ahead for a long ride. When we disembarked from the ship we took the train to Anchorage which was much better than the bus.

 

Denali NP is the best attraction but expect wilderness. Definitely take the trip to the Denali peak visitors center (was Mt McKinley). The river boat trip in Fairbanks was interesting as was the exhibit of the AK pipeline. North Pole, AK is nearby and interesting mostly to say you have been to the North Pole!

[paul929207]

Meryl & Richard,

 

We did one of the connoisseur trips in July. We customized it, so, we did a week Northbound cruise on the Coral. Next was a 5 day tour to the Princess Denali and McKinley Wilderness Lodges for 2 nights each and one night in Anchorage. We added two extra nights in Anchorage, and then took the Southbound cruise on the Star. It was wonderful.

 

BTW, calling the facilities "Wilderness Lodges" was an understatement.

 

Let me know if you have more questions, or we can talk about it in April.

[xlxo]

Also research the Yukon Denali options on HAL.

[Potstech]

If your cruise is booked as a "cruise tour" package then NO you can not take advantage of any cruise only price reductions as it is not broken down in the package. I tried this for our May 2016 cruise tour and when I tried for a reduction I was told the "package" had not been reduced in price. If you book them seperate then that might be a different story.

 

Check on the price difference between a Connnesuer (sp) tour and a regular one. We figured it was not worth the price difference and found out we spent far less on meals than what they had built in.

 

Good luck and have fun. It was a great cruise tour for us in May and hope you have one also

[geoherb]

We enjoyed our cruise tour four years ago. I wouldn't count on price reductions once you've booked. From what I've seen the past few years, the big ones are after the final payment date.

 

We had a 12-day cruise tour--five nights on land followed by seven on the cruise. We had two nights in Fairbanks, one in Denali, one at the Mt. McKinley Lodge, and one in Anchorage. I had our travel agent upgrade us from the Natural History Tour included with the cruise tour to the Tundra Wilderness Tour. It was worth the small difference in price. If we had an option, I would rather have spent two nights at Denali to take one of the shuttles from the National Park Service. They go even farther into the park than we did. You can find lots of opinions over on the Alaska board. But I booked our cruise tour last minute and did not have an affordable option available to do that.

[Viv0828]

You have many options for a land tour in Alaska besides booking with your cruise line. There are private tour operators that you can find on TripAdvisor or other travel sites, or if you like planning, you can rent a car for a custom trip.

 

We got a good guide book, rented an SUV for the 5 of us and had a blast!

 

 

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Edited November 29, 2016 by Viv0828

[dickinson]

Thanks everyone! I didn't realize there were different types of train cars. How would I figure out which tour had which? Which cruise tours use the dome cars?

 

I didn't realize a cruise tour could be booked separately from the cruise. How would I go about checking into that?

 

I have heard that the Tundra Wilderness Tour is better. I thought I read that you would have to be in Denali two nights but geoherb says they were there one night. Is that correct?

 

Paul - Was your "customization" the fact that you added extra nights and then the southbound cruise?

 

I have read that it is better to do land first and then relax on a southbound cruise so this is what I figured we would do. I'd love to do what Paul did but I love summer and don't want to spend so much time where it could be cold and rainy. Was thinking about doing this beginning of July 2018.

[TW6cruiser]

We did a connoisseur tour with princess last year southbound then a cruise. I can't say enough good things about it. The Fairbanks lodge was just ok but McKinley, Denali and Kenai were great. Kenai was our favorite. Tour guide took car of diner reservations. Never had to deal with luggage. Land excursions were well done. Check out the princess lodges website for more info on the lodges. Having the meals included was nice

 

 

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[dickinson]

Thanks everyone! I didn't realize there were different types of train cars. How would I figure out which tour had which? Which cruise tours use the dome cars?

 

I didn't realize a cruise tour could be booked separately from the cruise. How would I go about checking into that?

 

I have heard that the Tundra Wilderness Tour is better. I thought I read that you would have to be in Denali two nights but geoherb says they were there one night. Is that correct?

 

Paul - Was your "customization" the fact that you added extra nights and then the southbound cruise?

 

I have read that it is better to do land first and then relax on a southbound cruise so this is what I figured we would do. I'd love to do what Paul did but I love summer and don't want to spend so much time where it could be cold and rainy. Was thinking about doing this beginning of July 2018.

 

Another question - Those who have taken these cruise tours have you found that the best pricing was when they were first released? Or it varies.

[TW6cruiser]

If you see the tour you want and the dates I'd book it. The tours can sell out. They limit the number of tours by type and date. You can't tell by ship availability what the cruisetour availability is.

 

 

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[Kinkacruiser]

We loved our 2015 Alaskan connoisseur cruisetour. Being totally unfamiliar with Alaska, we chose the upmarket option for the following reasons:

* it was fully escorted

* 2 meals were provided (and they are huge so you can easily survive on that)

* all excursions were included

* the accommodation at the lodges was 4-star in my opinion

* groups are around 20 pax

 

 

If you only plan to see Alaska once (like those of us from Australia :)),then choosing the connoisseur option would be best.

 

Alaska is definitely unforgettable.

[paul929207]

Thanks everyone! I didn't realize there were different types of train cars. How would I figure out which tour had which? Which cruise tours use the dome cars?

 

I didn't realize a cruise tour could be booked separately from the cruise. How would I go about checking into that?

 

I have heard that the Tundra Wilderness Tour is better. I thought I read that you would have to be in Denali two nights but geoherb says they were there one night. Is that correct?

 

Paul - Was your "customization" the fact that you added extra nights and then the southbound cruise?

 

I have read that it is better to do land first and then relax on a southbound cruise so this is what I figured we would do. I'd love to do what Paul did but I love summer and don't want to spend so much time where it could be cold and rainy. Was thinking about doing this beginning of July 2018.

Yes, we added the extra nights in Anchorage to connect with the SB cruise.

[diane.in.ny]

We also took the connoisseur tour. We had the best accommodations at all the lodges ... facing the mountains or river. We had a private railway car from Fairbanks to Denali.

 

No need to look at pricing on the menu. Plenty of food. Special dinner in Fairbanks.

 

Could we have done it cheaper? I'm sure we could have. But I feel it was worth it.

[caribill]

You can read about our connoisseur tour from several years ago at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

By the way. No matter which tour you may choose, pick one that has two nights at each lodge. If there is only one night there it means you travel the day of arrival and travel again the next day. This limits your enjoyment of Alaska with travel taking much of your time.

Edited November 30, 2016 by caribill

[diane.in.ny]

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By the way. No matter which tour you may choose, pick one that has two nights at each lodge. If there is only one night there it means you travel the day of arrival and travel again the next day. This limits your enjoyment of Alaska with travel taking much of your time.

 

Excellent advice

[thinfool]

Princess cruisetours use Princess branded domed viewing cars.

 

On a northbound Princess cruise tour, you exit the ship and immediately board the train for a 10 hour, somewhat spectacular and mostly slow and excruciating trip to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.

 

The train trip from Whittier to Anchorage is very scenic along Turnagain arm. From Anchorage to Denali, a lot of the trip is in a 'tree tunnel' where visibility is limited.

 

There is only one railroad and one track in Alaska. Every cruise line that offers cruisetours with rail uses it.

[dickinson]

Princess cruisetours use Princess branded domed viewing cars.

 

On a northbound Princess cruise tour, you exit the ship and immediately board the train for a 10 hour, somewhat spectacular and mostly slow and excruciating trip to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.

 

The train trip from Whittier to Anchorage is very scenic along Turnagain arm. From Anchorage to Denali, a lot of the trip is in a 'tree tunnel' where visibility is limited.

 

There is only one railroad and one track in Alaska. Every cruise line that offers cruisetours with rail uses it.

 

If we choose a cruise tour that does not do the train would we be missing something? From your description it sounds like we would not.

 

Cariibill - I have already read your review. Thanks!

Edited November 30, 2016 by dickinson

[georgiacat]

We enjoyed our cruisetour to Alaska a few years ago very much. We added a day so that we had two days each in the Denali and McKinley lodges, and we only had one day (night) at Fairbanks. We went on the riverboat excursion that Princess has all go on (enjoyed it very much), but we got to the hotel in Fairbanks about 5 pm. We had to be up at 3 am to take an early flight out of Fairbanks. So if you want to see any of the city, book at least one extra night there.

 

Our tour was not fully escorted, but we enjoyed it so much. We ate on our own (sometimes cheaper, sometimes same places as Princess). We had the Princess excursions, but also time to explore ourselves. The lodges are first rate. The towns are nice (love Talkeetna). My friend did Holland cruisetour and said their lodges were not so good.

 

We went in early to mid June and the weather was great. Colder than expected, so pack warm stuff. No rain. We did cruise first (on Coral) and then land tour. Next time we will try reverse. Book as soon as you find what you want. They fill up fast. No price reductions.

[TW6cruiser]

We loved our train trip from the Denali lodge to the McKinley lodge. Our group was on a lovely train car with domed top and a first rate lunch was included on the lower level. We walked around Talkeetna and then took a later bus to the McKinley lodge. The train ride was a highlight of the trip. I think it was about 5 hours.

 

 

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[dickinson]

We loved our train trip from the Denali lodge to the McKinley lodge. Our group was on a lovely train car with domed top and a first rate lunch was included on the lower level. We walked around Talkeetna and then took a later bus to the McKinley lodge. The train ride was a highlight of the trip. I think it was about 5 hours.

 

 

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Thanks! I was talking about the 9 hour train from the last place down to where the cruise ship docks (or vice versa if you are doing the land portion last). On the brochure I have (which is for 2017 even though will go 2018) some of the cruise tours show a little picture of a train and others do not.

[dickinson]

Anyone who has NOT done the escorted Connoisseur tour ... how did you handle your luggage? Did you have to carry it all from train to bus to lodge (or however)? The tour I have narrowed it down to (haven't discussed yet with dh) is $1999 total more than the Denali Explorer.

Edited December 1, 2016 by dickinson

[thinfool]

Anyone who has NOT done the escorted Connoisseur tour ... how did you handle your luggage? Did you have to carry it all from train to bus to lodge (or however)? The tour I have narrowed it down to (haven't discussed yet with dh) is $1999 total more than the Denali Explorer.

 

Princess expects that the short land tour that you enjoy can be handled with a small bag for each person...like a carryon.

 

The large bags with more clothes, etc, are collected and shipped by truck to the embarkation site and held until the ship arrives and the owners of the bags embark.

 

"Meet me on the ship" tags are what they give you to identify the large bags that you send to the ship. (I think, it's been awhile)

[georgiacat]

We were not on an escorted cruisetour, just a regular one. We had 3 large (checked) bags and 2 carryon bags. One bag was just for the cruise ship (formal clothes, etc), the other 2 followed us around meeting us in the room each night (handled by Princess). We kept up with the carryons (medicine, important stuff, etc) with us. The third large bag showed up in the final room before we flew home. We did cruise first and land tour second. Their tags are good at explaining what to do with them. No problems with our clothes.