Alaska pre-cruise activities. Need Help! Land Tour? Denali? Length?

[LeftatGator]

Hi,

We're in the pre-planning stage of a one way (probably southbound) Alaska cruise for Sept. 2019. I've been reading tons of threads and I'm trying to figure out anything about pre-cruise in Alaska. Any and all thoughts appreciated.

 

1. What are "Land Tours?" What are the options? Are they cruise excursions / trips? Are they through separate companies or is that something is better done as a DIY?

 

2. What are some suggested things to do in Alaska Pre-Cruise? Is Denali worth it? We're not into long drives or bus trips.

 

3. How many days do people typically go before the ship leaves?

 

I'm just trying get the planning going. So, any and all wisdom is gratefully appreciated.

 

THANK YOU!

 

Jim

[celoplyr]

Hi,

 

We're in the pre-planning stage of a one way (probably southbound) Alaska cruise for Sept. 2019. I've been reading tons of threads and I'm trying to figure out anything about pre-cruise in Alaska. Any and all thoughts appreciated.

 

 

 

1. What are "Land Tours?" What are the options? Are they cruise excursions / trips? Are they through separate companies or is that something is better done as a DIY?

 

 

 

2. What are some suggested things to do in Alaska Pre-Cruise? Is Denali worth it? We're not into long drives or bus trips.

 

 

 

3. How many days do people typically go before the ship leaves?

 

 

 

I'm just trying get the planning going. So, any and all wisdom is gratefully appreciated.

 

 

 

THANK YOU!

 

 

 

Jim

 

 

 

1) I feel like land tours are longer shore excursions. I did not go on one last year, but I’ve never heard anyone regret that they did one. The DIY vs added to cruise discussion would have me ask how confident are you at planning trips. I routinely plan trips with many moving parts, and would rather DIY. I would send my parents on a land tour :)

 

2) the railroad in Alaska is awesome as opposed to bus trips and drives. I have heard Denali is amazing. We rented a car and went around anchorage.

 

3) as much as you can. Alaska is wonderful, you won’t regret any time there. I will say I had fatigue by day 10, but I had to keep 3 very needy adults in line with about 10,000 moving parents. (My parents and uncle). Give yourself some down time, but it is amazing.

 

A lot of what is the must see things will depend on your personality. I’m a photographer, and went through almost 100gb of pictures. Some people will hike at every stop. What’s your reason for going to Alaska?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[AKStafford]

Hi,

Sept. 2019.

 

When in September? Make sure it's early, early September. After the mid-way point things in Alaska begin to wind down.

 

 

1. What are "Land Tours?" What are the options? Are they cruise excursions / trips? Are they through separate companies or is that something is better done as a DIY?

"Land Tours" or CruiseTours are offered by the cruiseline as a pre-packaged trip. Some people like the convenience. I drove tour bus for two years doing these tours and to me it just seemed like being herded along like sheep. I personally would recommend DIY with a rental car. Reserve your car in November and then watch for price drops.

 

 

2. What are some suggested things to do in Alaska Pre-Cruise? Is Denali worth it? We're not into long drives or bus trips.

There is a lifetime worth of things that can be done. But you've got plenty of time to research; both here and at the TripAdvisor forum for visiting Alaska: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html . The most popular option is Denali National Park. But this does involve some driving. Alaska is a huge state so it takes time to get anywhere. So plan a day to get from Anchorage to the Park. And then at least one full day at the Park to take the shuttle bus to at least the Eielson Visitor Center. You'll see a lot of people that were dreading the long day on the shuttle bus, but afterwards said it was worth every minute. Do your research and decided if it works for you.

 

 

3. How many days do people typically go before the ship leaves?

I would recommend at least 3 days. But again, you could fill up weeks and weeks worth of time. So if you could do 10 days before the cruise, that would give you a lot of bang for your buck. But at least 3 days. (In my opinion...)

 

 

I'm just trying get the planning going. So, any and all wisdom is gratefully appreciated.

Fortunately you've plenty of time to plan if you are looking at late next year...

 

 

 

Jim, I've shared some thoughts above in blue.

[mapleleaves]

I get that you're in pre-planning mode, but it appears that you're trying to piece together an itinerary without doing the research first. Research will help you determine what to do, where to go and how much time you'll need.

 

A cruisetour can be a great option! It still requires research or you may find yourself sitting on a bus or train most of the day with no time for activities when you arrive. This is especially true with short cruisetours. You've already said you don't want to sit on a bus or drive for hrs. Do you feel the same with a train? It's all sitting and looking out windows....... If you read thru trip reports you'll see a lot of early mornings with setting out your luggage by 6 or 7am. Are you ok with that?

Denali probably isn't a good option if you don't like to travel. Denali is 240 miles north of Anchorage so 5 hrs by car/bus or 8 hrs by train. And to see the wildlife and scenery you take an 8hr RT bus ride thru the park. Basically it's a commitment of 3 days.

 

Maybe you would prefer the coast and sea-based activities found on the Kenai Peninsula. If that's the case, you could take the train to Seward and spend 2 or 3 days. OR with more time, rent a car and visit Girdwood, Seward, Cooper Landing, Ninilchik, Homer. All are within a few hrs of each other so no long travel days.

OR if you want something more physical, go to Matanuska Glacier for an ice trek and white water rafting; hike around Independence Mine; go dog carting at Iditarod Headqtrs.

 

If you want to travel by train, tshe Alaska Railroad offers pkg tours. Or use Alaska Tour and Travel for train and/or bus pkgs.

 

Lots of options, lots of places to visit. You just need to figure out which area best supports your interests.

 

Read past trip reports, here and on the Alaska forum of tripadvisor. Borrow Alaska travel books from your library. There are evcn books specific to Alaska cruises. Use web sites like http://www.kenaipeninsula.org/ or Alaska Tourism https://www.travelalaska.com/ Download their Visitor Guides or send for them. Every town/port has a web site. http://www.alaska.org is another good resource.

 

Learn as much as you can about Alaska destinations so you can make the most of your time. Your itinerary doesn't need to be planned within the next 2 weeks! Take your time and do it right.

Have fun with your research and planning!