Complicated Alaska Cruise/Land package question

[greatnitz]

Hello All,

 

Need your assistance with a complex situation with an Alaskan Cruise/Land package.   We are looking to book a couple of cabins for the cruise/land package but have some family that want to do only the LAND portion of the trip and not the cruise.   Running into difficulties trying to book two cabins with cruise/land and then just the land package for two others.   We want everyone to be together on the land portion (same buses, trains and hotel) but don't know how we can successfully book this trip.   I've called a couple of travel agencies and while they will book "cruise only", they will not book "land only".   I called HAL last night and spoke with a sales agent and he told me that this can be done by contacting the third party company that handles the land accommodations and having them mimic the itinerary of the land package.  I called that company today and they told me that was false...they cannot do that.

 

So now I'm kind of back at the beginning trying to figure out how to do this.   Has anybody run into this situation before and how did you handle it?

 

Thanks,

Darren

 

[epixx]

This is actually REALLY simple.  There is no need to book the cruise/land package from HAL.  Just book the cruise.

 

If you are committed to a land tour (rather than DIY), then just book the land portion for everyone via the third party.

[rafinmd]

You may not be able to do it.  Are you looking at the cruise starting/ending in Skagway or Seward?  If it’s Skagway you may be pretty much out of luck as I don’t think HAL will do the 3 or 4 day cruise part without a land tour.  If you’re looking at a Seward cruise at least as of a couple of years ago Princess was offering land only packages so you could try booking the land part with Princess and the cruise only with HAL.

A couple of years ago when I was on Crystal’s Northwest Passage cruise their land portion was sold out and I booked with Princess.  Very similar itinerary and the train from Denali to Anchorage was actually in one of HAL’s cars.

 

You might also check with Grey Line.

 

Not perfect but likely possible.

[sammiedawg]

Cruise lines do not book people into land only tours, they have limited capacity in the lodges.  Cruise tours are immensely popular and are a terrific value for the money.  

Princess allows independents to book their lodges, subject to availability but they cannot be on cruiseline bus tour without a cruise.  Holland America uses some city hotels that may allow independents to book rooms, not sure.  

 

I think you need to find another vendor.  Someone mentioned Gray LIne, haven’t experienced it but they send me emails.  Our extended family used Abercrombie and Kent’s fabulous just for you program. They set up a land tour for the dates wanted,   It had nothing to do with taking a cruise. 

 

 

[Cruise_More_Often]

We used Alaska Railroad to book our land tour (including our hotels) last summer, because we knew we wanted to use the train to get to and from Denali.  

[dundeene]

Slightly off topic. . . If I book the land cruise combo and booked a Neptune suite, are my hotel accommodations upgraded or basic? 

[rafinmd]

4 minutes ago, dundeene said:

Slightly off topic. . . If I book the land cruise combo and booked a Neptune suite, are my hotel accommodations upgraded or basic? 

The same as everybody else but you get double Mariner points for the land portion as well.

Roy

[dundeene]

Is there any way to upgrade to nicer hotels?  There are some pretty bad reviews of the Westmarks.

[oaktreerb]

Grayline Alaska is the land tour arm of Holland America/Princess Tours.  Check their website.  Book a land itinerary with them and the cruise with the cruise line.  Grayline can help you with this.  Let them know that some of you will be cruising to Vancouver after the land tour.  

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, dundeene said:

Is there any way to upgrade to nicer hotels?  There are some pretty bad reviews of the Westmarks.

 

Westmark Anchorage is not great but the other Westmark hotels are ok (except Whitehorse which HAL no longer owns).  They did some renovations two years ago but it’s still an old hotel in a great downtown location.  If you do a cruisetour you stay at the selected hotel for your group.

 

[dundeene]

Thank you for the reply.  We are not complainers and enjoy traveling so much that we will have a great time even if we are not in 5 star hotels;)

It is always better to have realistic expectations.