Advice Alaska Cruise & Land Tour

[taylortime05]

Hi,

 

We have been on 3 Caribbean cruises, 2 on RCCL Allure & Oasis and 1 on Celebrity Eclipse. We will be on 2 more Caribbean cruises on the NCL Escape in November and Royal Freedom in January.

 

I would like to plan a cruise to Alaska in 2019 to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I would like to also have some time either before or after the cruise for a land tour. I'm thinking I'd prefer to do the land tour before the cruise because the cruise after would probably be more relaxing.

 

I have quite a few questions. I'd appreciate any feedback. I am going to post this on the other boards for different perspectives. Thanks so much!

[easyboy]

There are also reviews on the Alaska Port of Call forum for added info.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

[Sacto Rick]

Not sure of your itinerary but I think you'll enjoy the cruise on the last leg of your trip. The land part is pretty busy and it's nice to finish up on the ship with no packing, unpacking and bus/train trips. Not that we didn't enjoy the trains or even the bus, but the ship is a nice rest afterwards.

 

Have fun!:)

[Jimbo50]

Been there and done that. Would highly recommend the cruise after, a few reasons (more relaxing, easier to go on the southbound cruise as it lets off either Vancouver, or Victoria, making catching a flight home much easier).

DW and I took the 1 week Guided tour offered by Princess (called the Connoisseur). Started in Fairbanks, worked it way down to Anchorage, AMAF, train dropped us off right at boarding gantry. Disembarked in Vancouver, switched ships, then down to LA.

One of the best cruies we have taken.

[LeeW]

Everyone likes to recommend land first then cruise. We did two trips cruise-first. Couple of reasons: 1. Northbound cruises are cheaper and it is easy to get to Vancouver for a couple of days before the cruise. 2. Scenery gets better as you move north.

 

Downsides: Northbound cruises don't stop at Hubbard Glacier. You get on the train at around 6:30 AM in Whittier. Flying back from Anchorage or Fairbanks is a long redeye.

 

Third trip we did a B2B out of Vancouver and skipped the land portion.

[pklein9747]

Back in 2015 our friends talked us into doing Alaska via the land then cruise. I really didn't want to go...I'm a fan of beaches, warm weather, soft winds...and thought of Alaska as being cold, windy and just unpleasant. I was so wrong and so, so glad we did Alaska. It was truly amazing!! We talked about a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but every time I look at our pictures, I want to go back.

 

We did the connoisseur tour and felt it was well worth the money. The option of having a tour guide travel with you during the land portion and handle all of the room assignments, dinner reservations, tour arrangements and then to add on all that knowledge about areas we were headed to, driving through, made the trip so pleasant. We also liked that out meals were included and there were no limitations. Our friend who loves crab legs had them every night!! There is a great thread on here by Caribill that provides an enormous amount of information about the connoisseur land tour. Her info was invaluable in planning our trip. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858&highlight=Caribill+Connoisseur

 

I, too, would advise doing the Southbound land then cruise. The land portion was very intensive and it was nice to relax a bit on the cruise. Also, Glacier Bay is not to be missed.

 

Enjoy your cruise, no matter what you do! And Happy Anniversary. We celebrate our 40th anniversary tomorrow :)

[Robinsoncruiseso]

First, let me say we are in the Pacific Northwest and flights to/from Alaska are a dime a dozen (frequent and cheap). We are within an hour of Vancouver, so we were dropped off the day of the cruise. Because we drove to port, no worry about luggage weight. We did the cruise first. The buildup going from Ketchkan then to Juneau, Skagit, Glacier Bay and finally College Fjord was awesome. I was exhausted at the end of the cruise and welcomed lounging around our hotel in Anchorage and turning in early. Now we did our own land tour taking the train to Fairbanks then onto the Arctic Circle. If had to plan it again, I would do the Northbound and "relax" once I got on land.

[DRPWDunIL]

Back in 2015 our friends talked us into doing Alaska via the land then cruise. I really didn't want to go...I'm a fan of beaches, warm weather, soft winds...and thought of Alaska as being cold, windy and just unpleasant. I was so wrong and so, so glad we did Alaska. It was truly amazing!! We talked about a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but every time I look at our pictures, I want to go back.

 

We did the connoisseur tour and felt it was well worth the money. The option of having a tour guide travel with you during the land portion and handle all of the room assignments, dinner reservations, tour arrangements and then to add on all that knowledge about areas we were headed to, driving through, made the trip so pleasant. We also liked that out meals were included and there were no limitations. Our friend who loves crab legs had them every night!! There is a great thread on here by Caribill that provides an enormous amount of information about the connoisseur land tour. Her info was invaluable in planning our trip. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858&highlight=Caribill+Connoisseur

 

I, too, would advise doing the Southbound land then cruise. The land portion was very intensive and it was nice to relax a bit on the cruise. Also, Glacier Bay is not to be missed.

 

Enjoy your cruise, no matter what you do! And Happy Anniversary. We celebrate our 40th anniversary tomorrow :)

Ditto. We did the same thing and I have the same advice.

[mkcoombe]

I have not been to Alaska yet (June 2018 can't come soon enough) but I thought I'd share our plans for the upcoming journey. Cruising northbound on the Golden from Vancouver to Whittier. Shuttle to Anchorage to pickup rental car @ Enterprise. Spend the day/night in anchorage. The next morning we will leave for Denali where we will spend 3 nights at McKinley Creekside Cabins. Next is off to Fairbanks for 2 days and possibly a trip to the Arctic Circle (Arctic Ocean would be better yet if I can work it in). Then fly from Fairbanks home to the east coast:(.

[skynight]

Hi,

 

We have been on 3 Caribbean cruises, 2 on RCCL Allure & Oasis and 1 on Celebrity Eclipse. We will be on 2 more Caribbean cruises on the NCL Escape in November and Royal Freedom in January.

I would like to plan a cruise to Alaska in 2019 to celebrate our 40th anniversary. I would like to also have some time either before or after the cruise for a land tour. I'm thinking I'd prefer to do the land tour before the cruise because the cruise after would probably be more relaxing.

I have quite a few questions. I'd appreciate any feedback. I am going to post this on the other boards for different perspectives. Thanks so much!

Tour first

Princess has some of the best cruisetours in the business.

Recommend the longest land package you have time for and can afford.

If you look at the 2018 season cruisetours you can get a pretty good idea of what 2019 will offer.

Book early, cruisetours fill up.

The Island Princess would be my last choice of all the Princess ships sailing Alaska. In my opinion the ship was compromised when they took away the aft public venues and viewing areas and replaced them with cabins for 200+ passengers.

The Star Princess, Coral Princess and Golden Princess have indoor pools. The Island Princess (not my recommendation) also has an indoor pool. The Grand Princess has an indoor pool, but it isn't scheduled for 2018 cruisetours in Alaska. Maybe 2019? unknown.

Princess has not posted the 2019 Alaska season yet. Should be out soon.

You will find Alaska a totally different experience than Caribbean cruises. Alaska is about ports and sights. The Caribbean is about beaches, shopping and pools. Alaska is about layered clothing, Caribbean is about shorts and "T's."

Princess' on board experience is different than NCL. It is more similar to RCL and Celebrity. There are lots of postings comparing the lines. One big difference is that DR food is good on Princess, you do not have to dine in upcharge restaurants to get decent food.

[ckr]

Things may have changed a bit since my cruise tour 5 years ago. Cruised first, toured last. Didn't find the tour more exhausting, maybe less so. Went in September and the weather was great, maybe just got lucky there. Wore shorts most days , except in Glacier Bay where it was downright cold (hat and mittens cold). Only recommendation I would make is to upgrade the included Denali tour they offer. Going deeper into the park is certainly worth it. ok, maybe a second recommendation. Go to all the park ranger talks you can fit in. all the ones I attended were certainly worth the time.

[ridgerunner51]

We did the land portion first and the cruise portion last, and we really enjoyed our trip. As another poster suggested, do the longer Denali excursion; it is much better and you will see more wildlife.

[DRPWDunIL]

We did the land portion first and the cruise portion last, and we really enjoyed our trip. As another poster suggested, do the longer Denali excursion; it is much better and you will see more wildlife.

If you do the connoisseur tour the longer Denali excursion is included in the price.

 

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[Joy and David]

FYI, If doing the land portion in Denali National Park, you have 4 choices for guided tours in the park. The shortest is the Nature tour, 4 hrs, shortest distance into the park and chance of seeing moose and squirrels, birds only. The next three are progressively longer and require a supplementary upgrade charge but is well worth it and increases your chances of seeing wild life (and different terrains) and beautiful vistas by a lot. The next longest, Tundra tour, then Eielison Visitors Center tour, then the longest (10-12 hrs) the Kantishna Tour. We chose the Eielson. More details on the Denali web site. Princess did not advertise for the last two tours this year, but will verify their availability by phone and give you prices. If you are more of a hiker, you can instead, elect to purchase a shuttle pass, price based on how far into the park you want to venture. The shuttles run approximately every hour with on and off privileges. FYI, also amazing how the weather changes during the day. We saw lots of animals but never got to view Mount Denali (McKinley) in all its splendor the entire three days we were there, but did see a few rainbows. Hope this helps in your planning. Happy Anniversary!

[jagoffee]

Tour first

Princess has some of the best cruisetours in the business.

Recommend the longest land package you have time for and can afford.

If you look at the 2018 season cruisetours you can get a pretty good idea of what 2019 will offer.

Book early, cruisetours fill up.

 

I was wondering if I am doing something wrong. It looks like the summer 2019 cruisetours are still not available.

Does anyone know when they are likely to be released for booking?

 

Thank you

[indygirl99]

I was wondering if I am doing something wrong. It looks like the summer 2019 cruisetours are still not available.

Does anyone know when they are likely to be released for booking?

 

Thank you

 

Just booked last week for August 2019.

[GJCruiser]

Last summer we did cruise north, 10 days land, cruise south! We planned our own 10 day land trip, excursions, B&B's, one Princess lodge, etc. Used a rental car out of Anchorage, downtown. It was great! Lots of information out there for things to do. And you get to go on your own schedule, not the bus!

 

Have fun!

[hokiefans]

I was wondering if I am doing something wrong. It looks like the summer 2019 cruisetours are still not available.

Does anyone know when they are likely to be released for booking?

 

Thank you

 

Make sure you pick the "Search Cruisetours" tab, not the "Search Cruises" one.

[jagoffee]

Just booked last week for August 2019.

 

Make sure you pick the "Search Cruisetours" tab, not the "Search Cruises" one.

 

Thank you. I will try again on line.

 

I am such an idiot sometimes. I got it. Thanks, again.

Edited January 10, 2018 by jagoffee

[ErLee]

If you're willing to do cruise first and then land, there is a really good deal available right now on the 13 day connoisseur cruisetour on Coral departing Vancouver on June 12th, 2019. We just booked that one in a mini suite for what I thought was a great price! I'm glad to see others' positive comments about the connoisseur tours; it's our 25th anniversary trip and our first time to Alaska and first time on Princess!

[caribill]

For the land portion, I suggest picking a tour that spends two nights at each location. If you only spend one night, you will be traveling the day you arrive and again the next day leaving almost no time to enjoy that location.