Alaska Cruisetour Question

[WisCruiser2]

We're doing an "Off the Beaten Path" cruisetour at the end of May, involving bussing from Anchorage to Copper River, then Copper River to Fairbanks. I'm guessing there will be a stop for lunch somewhere on both of these legs -- can anyone who's done this trip in the past couple years give me a ballpark figure to budget for these days? Also, we bus from the McKinley Lodge to Whittier, with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Is there also a lunch stop that day, or do you just have to wait until boarding the ship? I'm just trying to get an idea of how much cash I need to plan on for the land portion.

[fishywood]

It is about a 3.5 hour drive from the McKinley Lodge to the Wildlife Center. Unless you are departing the lodge at breakfast time there could be a lunch-on-your-own stop in Anchorage on the way. From what I have read on here most pre-cruise land tours do not arrive at the ship in Whittier until near dinnertime, just in time for the muster drill.

 

To be safe I would budget between 2 to 2.5 times the amount you normally spend at a fast-casual restaurant for each meal. Or just use credit cards--no foreign transaction fees in Alaska. ;)At least I hope not--I'll be in Anchorage for three days in May on my own between a two ship B2B.

[geoherb]

On our cruise tour, we went from Anchorage to the ship with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. There was not a stop for lunch along the way. We boarded the ship around 1:30 and ate at the International Café. I took along several prepackaged snacks--granola bars, dried fruits, nuts, etc. We used them throughout our cruise tour when we needed a little something to eat.

[WisCruiser2]

It is about a 3.5 hour drive from the McKinley Lodge to the Wildlife Center. Unless you are departing the lodge at breakfast time there could be a lunch-on-your-own stop in Anchorage on the way. From what I have read on here most pre-cruise land tours do not arrive at the ship in Whittier until near dinnertime, just in time for the muster drill.

 

To be safe I would budget between 2 to 2.5 times the amount you normally spend at a fast-casual restaurant for each meal. Or just use credit cards--no foreign transaction fees in Alaska. ;)At least I hope not--I'll be in Anchorage for three days in May on my own between a two ship B2B.

 

Thanks - our info says the "tour" from McKinley to Whittier is about 7 hours, including the time at the Wildlife Center. So I'm guessing we may have a lunch stop in Anchorage, as we're "scheduled" to reach the ship around 3:00.