Leaving in 6 days for Cruisetour to Alaska, what do I need to know?

[potchak]

We leave on Wed for our cruisetour (northbound cruise with Copper River, Denali, and Mt Mckinley), and I cannot begin to explain how excited I am! What are some things we need to know before leaving?

 

Will our luggage be transferred from the ship to the tour, or will we have to do this ourselves?

Will we get an itinerary of when we need to be where for the land portion?

How bad is the trip from Copper River to Denali? I heard it is 9 hrs and unpaved.

How many people should we expect to see on our tour?

We already booked most of our excursions for land and sea, but are there ones that are not to be missed?

Any sights within the 3 ports (skagway, juneau, and ketchikan) that we should make sure to see?

Packing tips? I already plan on bringing a rain coat and another jacket.

My memory card on my camera can take 4K photos, is this going to be enough, or should I have a spare as a just in case?

Any other tips?

 

Appreciate the help!

[DRPWDunIL]

I will try to answer as many questions as I can based on our cruise tour in June 2012 and my parents cruise tour a month ago. Our's were southbound but I am confident that the meaningful answers will be the same.

 

1) They will transfer your luggage for you (except for your day bags which you will carry with you).

 

2) You will get a detailed itinerary every day of your tour, as well as an overall itinerary at the beginning. In addition, you will provided with information about the excursions you have booked.

 

3) Can't answer that question. Sorry.

 

4) Our tours had 50 people (one bus load). YMMV.

 

5) I would post on the Alaska board, but the White Pass Train in Skagway was a don't miss according to my parents. On both tours they did whale watching in Juneau. Make sure you make it to Creek Street in Ketchikan (on your own). It is very interesting. On land, make sure you get the Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali if you can. It is a must to upgrade from the Natural History Tour and well worth it.

 

6) Pack layers. All the way from winter hats and neck warmers for Glacier Bay and other glacier stops, rain gear, and summer clothing. Fairbanks, for example, can get to the 90's in the summer and has been mid-80's this week. Pack sunscreen and bug repellent (may or may not need the latter). A hat for everybody, sunglasses, and binoculars.

 

7) Pack not only a back-up memory card, but a LOT of back-up batteries. You just don't want to take any chances.

 

Have a great time. Hope I was able to help a little.

[JVilleGal]

Took the Skagway White Pass train 2 weeks ago and loved it. The train picks up and drops off right next to the ship

 

We had seats in the bar car with passengers from HAL, Princess and Disney Wonder.

 

 

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[Potstech]

Wonder when they put a bar car on. When we went around 2007 there was none and only old style bench seats. Great trip to take though if it is a clear day.

[JVilleGal]

Wonder when they put a bar car on. When we went around 2007 there was none and only old style bench seats. Great trip to take though if it is a clear day.

Ohhh they still had the old style benches. In the bar car we had the comfy seats, drinks & food :)

[paul929207]

Another vote for the Whitepass RR in Skagway

[Potstech]

Ohhh they still had the old style benches. In the bar car we had the comfy seats, drinks & food :)

 

Sounds like a great idea. May have to do that again just for that experience.

[JF - retired RRT]

Ohhh they still had the old style benches. In the bar car we had the comfy seats, drinks & food :)

Are the bar car seats first come-first serve for whoever runs the fastest? Or are they reserved?

[JVilleGal]

Are the bar car seats first come-first serve for whoever runs the fastest? Or are they reserved?

 

I believe there are 14 or 16 seats which we shared between 3 ships in port. These seats are reserved in advance thru Ship Excursions and billed as Luxury Train Experience. They only seemed to be available on the short trip to the top of the pass a 4 hr round trip. Served heavy snacks, tea sandwiches & desert plus all you could drink from the bar. We took the 1pm train :)

[craftygrandma]

We completed a similar land tour in June and I agree with the comments above. It was the most organized trip we have had. Did not go to Copper River, so can't answer that, but all the buses were very comfortable. Don't worry about anything, just enjoy the trip.

[NMCruiser55]

We took the bus trip from Copper River to Denali. We were in regular full size buses. They were comfortable. The road was fine, I've been on worse. We enjoyed the scenery. Think of it as an adventure! :D

[Sea Hag]

How bad is the trip from Copper River to Denali? I heard it is 9 hrs and unpaved.

 

You've gotten some excellent answers, and the only thing I really have to add is on this question. Far from being "bad," I remember that bus trip as the second best thing of the entire tour. The road wasn't bad. The bus stops a lot. And the scenery is spectacular. At one point, we stopped for a long time to admire a mama moose and her calf right on the side of the road. I wouldn't have missed that bus trip for anything.

 

 

Best thing was a full day in Denali when we saw more bears than I'd ever hoped, as well as many other animals.

[potchak]

Thank you everyone! This has been very helpful!

[Elizabeth K.]

Take advantage of the park ranger talks. We found them fun and informative. Even at the Denali lodges there was a fun ranger talk and a talk with photos given by a climber who has reached the peak numerous times.

 

We had a fantastic time.

[indygirl99]

I believe there are 14 or 16 seats which we shared between 3 ships in port. These seats are reserved in advance thru Ship Excursions and billed as Luxury Train Experience. They only seemed to be available on the short trip to the top of the pass a 4 hr round trip. Served heavy snacks, tea sandwiches & desert plus all you could drink from the bar. We took the 1pm train :)

 

Okay I went to book this for our cruise in a month as it sounded really nice.

 

:eek: It is $190.00 more pp than the regular train cars for my sailing. Them must be some special chairs. So no go for this year. Maybe I can budget it in for the next cruise to Alaska.

[donswife]

Okay I went to book this for our cruise in a month as it sounded really nice.

 

:eek: It is $190.00 more pp than the regular train cars for my sailing. Them must be some special chairs. So no go for this year. Maybe I can budget it in for the next cruise to Alaska.

 

We booked a wonderful tour in Skagway through Frontier Excursions. We drove up the White Pass highway and into the Yukon, stopping many places along the way. A highlight was visit the Caribou Crossing complex, which included lunch, a taxidermy museum, sled dogs, and puppies.

 

 

Also, be sure to bring binoculars. My husband got me compact image stabilizing binoculars before my Alaska cruise last summer, and they are wonderful.

[potchak]

We have some awesome binoculars we got in Africa when we were there. Compact and great views!! Plan on bringing them and another pair too!!

[laughing husky]

And, if you get an extra couple of hours, check into the Husky Homestead dog sled demonstration and talk at Jeff king's home and kennel. The bus will pick you up at your hotel....and it is so worth it...there are several tours times each day..

[norwega]

We leave on Wed for our cruisetour (northbound cruise with Copper River, Denali, and Mt Mckinley), and I cannot begin to explain how excited I am! What are some things we need to know before leaving?

 

Will our luggage be transferred from the ship to the tour, or will we have to do this ourselves?

Will we get an itinerary of when we need to be where for the land portion?

How bad is the trip from Copper River to Denali? I heard it is 9 hrs and unpaved.

How many people should we expect to see on our tour?

We already booked most of our excursions for land and sea, but are there ones that are not to be missed?

Any sights within the 3 ports (skagway, juneau, and ketchikan) that we should make sure to see?

Packing tips? I already plan on bringing a rain coat and another jacket.

My memory card on my camera can take 4K photos, is this going to be enough, or should I have a spare as a just in case?

Any other tips?

 

Appreciate the help!

 

Walls of the cabin are made of steel so magnets help to hold some of the paperwork, like the daily paper and our calendar (which I create ahead of time) I use the clip type and also bring baggies to put our tickets and other items on the wall as the desk space is very limited in most cabins.

there are other packing tips on cc, but that is one some people don't know about.

 

Since you'll be in Alaska, I don't see the need for internet if you can access what you need while on shore with a phone.

 

Have fun! Alaska is beautiful!

[Red Rock Feaver]

Ohhh they still had the old style benches. In the bar car we had the comfy seats, drinks & food :)

Which side of the train when going up and which side of the bus when returning?

For best views?