Planning Report Pre-Cruise & RCI Excursion Plan

[masterdrago]

We have finally firmed up our planning stage for our first Alaska cruise. I've now decided to share what we have learned from reading the many trip reports, TripAdvisor, and much here on CruiseCritic. We are now a month away and are getting so excited, that it's hard to sit still while wondering if anything needs tweaking.

We've taken several Caribbean cruises and in fact booked the Alaska cruise while in the Next-Cruise office onboard Liberty of the Seas in early June 2018. We had originally booked a 13 night escorted Mountain Marvels for July 5, 2019. After getting back home and doing more research, we switched it to May 24. The reasons were rain and insect population. We then, after a lot of reading here on CC, decided to drop the escorted pre-cruise tour and DIY. On the escorted, we felt that much of our time would be dictated by the tour director with too much time boarding and riding the train.

One thing that we did not take into account was that travel in Denali is somewhat impeded by weather. In late May, one can only take the transit or narrated tour bus as far as Taklat River (mile 53). I've been advised many times here on CC how much of a flaw in planning that is.

We had decided last summer that $$$ were not going to be a determining factor. Not that we wouldn't heed advice on finding deals. Just that we may not get another opportunity to travel Alaska again. I hiked the area out of Anchorage for a couple of weeks in August '95 so know first hand what it looks like real-time. My sweetheart has never been.

First up was figure out what we wanted to see. The ports of call are Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Pt, Ketchikan, & Inside Passage to Vancouver. Flights in for a DIY pre-cruise tour were either Fairbanks or Anchorage. Anchorage was an easy win due to departure being in Seward. Flying into Anchorage and renting a car there would work well. We knew we wanted to have some time in Denali even though the park road only went to Taklat River in May. Having a rent car was going to give us a huge boost in freedom.

Top on our list to see was snow, glaciers, whales, & spectacular scenery. Any other wildlife would be a bonus. We used CC for whale watching advise and contacted Glacier Wind Charters in Icy Strait Point/Hoonah. Teresa and Shawn McConnell are absolutely awesome to deal with by email and phone. I spent a huge amount of time talking with many others to get a feel for the operations of excursion providers. Many, many hours have been spent on CruiseCritic, gaining pointers from those who have not only experience but local knowledge.

We started looking at flights to and from embark and debark locations. We don't fly often so signed up for the Alaska Mileage Visa card last July. Used Companion fare for flight to Anchorage and DW found a fantastic price on a 1st class back from Seattle to home. Used miles for it. That took a lot of waiting, looking, monitoring and jumping when right. Web pages like Google, Flyer Talk, Matrix - ITT Software & AirtoSea helped immensely. Reserved cars with Enterprise (8 days) Ted Stephens and back - was $415, then $248, now $217. Vancouver International to Seattle 127CAD.

We started looking at methods of transfer from airports, hotel, rent can drop offs, terminals, etc. Alaska Railroad, Park Connection, Quick Shuttle, & Alaska Cruise Transportation became good sources. Their are also private van transports with narrated tours to check out. Royal Caribbean provides shuttles to and from airports by reservations. They're doing ours to Vancouver International.

We also discovered that since we are going by van into Canada and rent car from Vancouver to Seattle, there is no need to upgrade our passport cards used in the Caribbean.

DIY land tour excursion planning was jotted on a notepad while DW chose to make Excel spreadsheets. I'm a simple guy. When we added up all the figures, the DIY was only a few hundred over what the cruise line was charging. With the DIY giving far better excursions and enormously more freedom with our time.

When we get into Anchorage, rent car, and find some lunch - Moose's Tooth Pup & Pizzeria, we will  then check in at Lakefront Anchorage. Next day, we'll have some exploring time b4 we snag a very good Bore Tide at Beluga Point. Then off to the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge for 2 nights. Have reserved the next day a midday Grand Denali w/glacier landing out of Talkeetna Air Taxi. DW was adamant about the glacier landing even though she is a "white knuckle" flyer! She has been responsible for all accommodations.

When we checkout at Talkeetna, next is Grand Denali Lodge for 2 nights. We have a late evening SideXSide ATV with Black Diamond with a supper in the back country. Next day we may try the Transit bus to Taklat River b4 we do a Denali Jeep Excursion 50 miles onto the Denali Highway from Cantwell towards Paxton. It's also a 6:30 tour that runs ~4hrs so dinner will be late. Good thing sunset is at 11:17pm!

Still looking for good suggestions for eateries near Denali. I see Lynx Creek Pizza, Black Bear Coffee House, Prospectors Pizzeria & Alehouse. Up the road in Healy, I see The 49th State Brewing Company and Rose's Cafe.

Next stop will be Alyeska Resort after cruising from Denali which will be an all day trip with my desire for more than a couple of Fuji Photos 🙂  We will do dinner @ 7 Glaciers. I ate there in '95 in backpacking attire. The 6 of us were seated next to a table of 12 all of whom ordered in Japanese. DW wants a great steak and wine to go with it. Next day - full day with Lazy Otter Best of Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise. Sad to say that Columbia Glacier is not on that tour. They will do Surprise Glacier in Harriman Fjord.

Next day, on to Seward where we have a 1:00pm Major Marine Orca Quest Cruise booked. 4 hours hunting the Orca Whales, then overnight at Seward Windsong Lodge. With the DW booking lodging, I never have to worry about the views. All of our accommodations along I-4 George Parks Hwy have great views of Denali. If the mountain spends any time "out", we'll have the chance to see it.

Cruise day could be a bit hectic since I sometimes need to push the DW to get moving in the AM. Have to get the rent car to Enterprise (Ted Stephens Airport) and catch the scheduled 11am shuttle back to Seward cruise terminal. Miss that and it could really get scary.

So much of our help in finding these tours came from folks here on CC. Thank you all. Please excuse grammar errors.

Next stop: Radiance of the Seas. More to come.

 

[masterdrago]

Boarding Radiance of the Seas

Last June, when we signed up for this cruise, one of the perks was to sign up for the Royal Caribbean Visa card. Using it earned On-Board-Credit (OBC). And, I think we got $200 OBC just for getting the card. Kind of the same as when we got the Alaska Mileage card (30,000 miles immediately).

Should be on the ship by 2pm. Spend some time doing a photo shoot on ship. Figure out when the "Meet & Mingle" is and learn our way around. Sail time is 8pm. DW has this thing about nice accommodations. Again, I’m a simpler guy. Give me a sleeping bag and a tent and I’m set. DW found us a Grand Suite on deck 10 starboard side near the Card Room opposite the elevators. I found pix of the room next to us here on CC and the balcony looks outstanding. It should be a quiet spot but it’s hard to tell from the deck plan what is directly above on 11 which shows empty space with the Windjammer Café Veranda just aft. Anyone have ideas on that?

We do Hubbard Glacier in afternoon next day. Lighting should be excellent with sun up ~48 degrees in the SSW - a good angle to light the face. Next day - Juneau 9a-9p.

2nd full day on the ship (Juneau dock), we have a morning whale watch with Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska. In the afternoon, a short 5 Glacier Sea Plane tour which is the only excursion we've booked through Royal. I just never found any compelling reason to book through the cruise line. I really wanted to do the Tracy Arm tour with Allen Marine but it isn't offered due to us getting into port late. Even Adventure Bound Alaska starts too early. Next stop will be Skagway 7a-8:30p.

DW wanted as much train as she could get and Skagway was reported to have the awesome scenery up into the Yukon via the historic White Pass & Yukon Route rail line. When looking in late summer of 2018, their schedule had not posted for 2019. The 2018 schedule indicated no service on Mondays (day our ship is in port). After a number of emails, it became clear that we were not getting a full day train ride. I thought a full day jeep rental into the Yukon would make the cut at just $300 with Alaska Green Jeep Tours. Then we heard about Dyea Dave Tours. After numerous emails and phone conversations with Dave and Kathy we went with a van tour up to Carcross and back to Fraser. Then ride the last 30 miles back to Skagway via train. Dave even makes sure you make it to pick up the train tickets b4 leaving Skagway and gets you dropped off at station in Fraser. Things are looking good. I even bought a GoPro at Christmas. Learning to use it is one thing. Learning to edit video is a whole different animal! Icy Strait Point/Hoonah is the next port of call 6:30a-3p.

We had decided back last June that we would book the whale watch with Glacier Wind Charters. The most phenomenal folks to talk with and such great style and patience. Shawn McConnell has written a couple of books - Night Vision and Icy Passage. I highly recommend Night Vision. It was hard for me to put it down. Shawn and his wife Teresa have grown up in the parts connecting Alaska to the Seattle area. Some of their haunts creep into the books. Next port is Ketchikan 9a-6p.

The great reviews both here on CC and at TripAdvisor led us to book a flight with Island Wings Air in Ketchikan. We're doing the Misty Fjord National Monument tour w/lake or bay landing. They will fly us across Revilliagegdo Island. If you go to look that up, there are two, one in the Pacific Ocean off Baja and the other is the Island encompassing part of Misty Fjords National Monument. Apparently, that Spanish explorer liked his own name. We have attempted to get Michelle to add in the glacier flyover (most likely Soule Glacier), but that flight requires 6 people and so far, it is a no-go.

When the ship departs Ketchikan, it passes near the Clarence Trough in water over 1200 feet deep. Farther south (~35 miles) it will pass very near Hassler Reef where the depth goes from over 900’ to less than 50’ just 1 mile east. It should be around 8-9pm and still daylight so I’m wondering how the color of the water will change. I plan on observing. About 90 minutes later, we should pass over Celestial Reef (75-300 feet deep). It should still be daylight. We will then enter the Inside Passage near Dogfish Reef. At this point we should transition from 700+ foot depths to 50-100 foot water and down the Inside Passage. Twilight may be our friend for some good photo ops. 350 miles out from Ketchikan, the ship should enter the portion of the Inside Passage near Scarlette Point ~9am (not sure what time zone we’re in). The sun will have been up several hours. This is the tight and narrow portion of the Inside Passage where it is narrows to less than 1 mile in some places.  . We should dock at Vancouver around 7am the next morning.

We plan on taking their transfer to the airport, renting a car and driving to Seattle where we have a morning flight out the next day.

All this planning is compiled in spreadsheets, scraps of paper, timelines, and a binder that will fit into a pocket of DWs backpack.

Next post: The art of packing or why DW takes way too much stuff

[ddmcruiser]

I'm cruising to Alaska in August and am very impressed by your work!  Looking forward to seeing the next one on packing!

[masterdrago]

2 hours ago, ddmcruiser said:

I'm cruising to Alaska in August and am very impressed by your work!  Looking forward to seeing the next one on packing!

It has been a lot of work but I've found it fun and very educational, especially with all the great folks here on CC. I feel certain that some of the long time cruisers, especially those on this board could plan and throw together a cruise with an attached land tour in as little as a weekend of planning. I'm working on how to get the pile of packing done right now. DW says she has it down pat. I just have my doubts. I'll follow up with some notes in a bit. Here is the basic pile of stuff that DW thinks she can get into 2 large & 2 small suitcases (blue & red in the pix). The carry on pieces are the black backpack w/20# of camera gear and the purple backpack that DW will carry on. I've hidden a few pieces of gear in hers also.

[mac1_131]

Subscribed. Getting ready to book same thing for May 2020 but doing Royal cruisetour 1B. I didn't want to go DIY first time to Alaska.

 

Same issues with fights, will probably take Southwest nonstop to SEA and spend the night then use Alaska to Anchorage and back from Vancouver.

 

I hope you keep up this thread with your adventure it would help us out a lot.

 

This stuff is pricey though [emoji50]

 

 

[masterdrago]

I've discovered, but with fair warning from other cruisers, that Alaska is just way more $$ than anything Caribbean. After I get through the packing process and add learned experience in here, it might take me a bit of time after we get back to home.

 

[mapleleaves]

4 hours ago, mac1_131 said:

Subscribed. Getting ready to book same thing for May 2020 but doing Royal cruisetour 1B. I didn't want to go DIY first time to Alaska.

 

 You DO realize that 1B only gets you 30 miles into the Park, where there are 100 miles available to travel ?  This greatly diminishes your chances to view wildlife and scenery.   You need a cruisetour that has a 2nite stay in Denali if you want to experience the park.  ALSO travel after May 19 so you can upgrade to the Toklat shuttle which at least goes to Milepost 53. 

1B would be easy enough to do DIY.  I mean it's only 3 nites.  If you don't want to rent a car, just make a reservation on the Alaska Railroad and/or Park Connection Bus, as well as the Princess Lodge.    OR book an Alaska Railroad pkg tour .

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel-planning/packages/summer-packages

 

Or https://alaskatravel.com/alaska-vacations.html

 

 

 

[masterdrago]

Ditto on what Mapleleaves says. I too, only discovered the mile 53 limit b4 June 1 and then to mile 66 after I had made the reservations for the time in Denali. It was most disturbing to discover. Fortunately for us, we have nearly 4 days near Denali - at least in good view of it. Lots of 3rd party ground tours (not inside the park) and the flight around the mountain. I was looking at rain amounts and flying bug intensity - why I booked May. Look at their full schedule at https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/upload/transit-schedule.pdf

[mac1_131]

 

Thanks for that info. However, you apparently can upgrade to the shortened tundra wilderness tour (May) to mile 52 for an additional charge on 1B so we will do that thanks to your heads up!

 

[mapleleaves]

5 minutes ago, mac1_131 said:

1 hour ago, mapleleaves said:

 

Thanks for that info. However, you apparently can upgrade to the shortened tundra wilderness tour (May) to mile 52 for an additional charge on 1B so we will do that thanks to your heads up.

 

 

 

yes, a shoulder season of the TWT is available to Toklat at Mile 53.  (May 20 -31)

But it is only  offered twice a day.   Check your travel  date with the Denali Reservation site to see if either time works for you \.   I believe you arrive at 4pm so Day1  is out.  Hopefully your leave mid afternoon on Day 2.

https://www.reservedenali.com/tours-transits/the-denali-tour-experience/tundra-wilderness-tour/

 

Otherwise look at the Toklat Transit to see if it fits your schedule.  It runs 7am - 1pm.  You'll lose the cost of the History Tour but the Toklat transit is only around $35.  Well worth it to get further into the park.  Of course you will have to find a way to get to the park by 7am.

 

Might be best to re_think your cruisetour choice.......

[masterdrago]

When we began the idea of cruising Alaska, we knew that a bit more warm weather gear might be on the main burner. Little did I know how much. SE Texas residents need cold weather gear 2 days a year. DW always wants to be prepared with nice matching outfits with complementary jewelry. And shoes. Watch out for the shoes! As for me, jeans, a sweater and light rain cover will do for days. Maybe an extra pair in case I get dirty. Thinking ATV adventures.

Not only does Alaska Air have weight limits on luggage ($100 if 51#-100# per bag) but more than 2 each bags adds $100 per bag.

I’ve always been an excellent packer. Being able to take advantage of every cubic inch. On some of our 1^st cruises that became an issue when purchasing trinkets in the ports of call.

The DW wants to do all the packing on this trip. I’m willing to let her under a few provisos. I want to use stuff sacks for some items. The highly compressible things like a light down inner jacket, light rain jacket or pants. Small items like socks, scarves, wraps, gloves, head covers, etc. Mostly to easily keep stuff compartmentalized and sorted, making items easy to locate.

So, what am I packing? Since DW is taking care of all the suitcases which will be two full size and two carry-on. All 4 of them will be checked baggage with a fee of $40/ea for the 3^rd & 4^th bag flying up and free coming back. I have DW convinced to pack as much heavy clothing in the small bags since over 50# incurs a $100 fee. DW is taking an extra pair of boots. Go figure. As many of the heavy jeans as will fit, my spartan toiletries (floss, toothbrush, razor, deodorant, small scissors & mouthwash) and her possibly massive amount will get into the two small bags. DW has pared down her makeup pack, so it will go there if she doesn’t take it in her carry-on purse or backpack. We are taking an assortment of travel sized goods. Disinfecting wipes, Bathroom spray, Banana Boat SPF30 cream, Deep Woods Off wipes, Woolite detergent, surgical tape & motion sickness meds (Meclizine & Dimenhydrinate). We’ll also pack any vitamins, meds, Polysporin, Band-Aids, Advil PM, & Tylenol. All the above will go into the two small suitcases.

[masterdrago]

The two big bags will house cloths for the 16 day trip that are not in the small ones. The list is long but includes 2 thicknesses of socks, sturdy sport tennis shoes, Under Armour, Merino wool thin 2^nd layers, thick & thin fleece layers, thick & thin wool sweaters, cargo style pants, some more dressy clothing for sometimes on the ship, wool head covers, full face covers that have 2 thin layers (fleece & nylon), and Thinsulate gloves. We both have rain pants. DW has finally found a nice 3n1 rain jacket/light down inner jacket that fits her petite but full frame. I’ve decided to not take a heavy coat. Four layers are enough – the outer being a Gortex rain jacket.

[masterdrago]

I’m going to carry a fanny pack on the plane filled with Li-ion batteries, chargers and cables. One of the nice chargers I found is a desktop charger by Digipower. They sell several that have multiple USB ports and plenty of power. Anker also has several. They are the cat's meow for folks that have a lot of gadgets.

[masterdrago]

The pile of stuff in the fanny pack also include a WD My Passport Wireless 2TB portable HDD. It can be used as a charging device (32Wh) in the field for dead phones, etc. It also will serve as the backup for all the daily images that are captured on the memory cards. Simply insert them into the SD card slot and they are copied in short order. It has its own charger.

[masterdrago]

Where DW is going overboard with clothing, I might be doing the same with camera gear. My carry-on backpack will house all my photo gear. Two camera bodies (Nikon D5100 & D7500). Lenses have been reduced to the 10-24 , the 28-300 and the 150-600. Also carried in the backpack will be numerous batteries (4 for each camera including GoPro), memory cards (10 32Gig for the DSLRs, & 8 64Gig for the GoPro). Nikon chargers, an SB-400 flash, cleaning gear and a 3-way 120vac plug adapter round out the pack. My GoPro 7 Black and short Manfrotto tripod/selfie stick will ride in the purple carry-on backpack of the DW. She will also host the small Gorilla-Pod. I may carry a mono-pod walking cane but have not settled on that yet.

So is anything missing? Let me know. I think we are ready but have asked DW to do a trial packing since we should be outa here in just over 2 weeks. Still need last minute tweaks to the car to travel the 40 miles to the airport. Ordered filters yesterday. All the travel documents are in a small binder that fits nicely into a pocket of DWs purple backpack. Passports? Yep. And yes, copies of birth certificates.

[akolasz]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 9:55 AM, mac1_131 said:

Subscribed. Getting ready to book same thing for May 2020 but doing Royal cruisetour 1B. I didn't want to go DIY first time to Alaska.

 

Same issues with fights, will probably take Southwest nonstop to SEA and spend the night then use Alaska to Anchorage and back from Vancouver.

 

I hope you keep up this thread with your adventure it would help us out a lot.

 

This stuff is pricey though

 

 

Hey there! I am also going May 2020 but booked RC cruise tour 3B. I originally wanted 1B however didn't see it listed the day Alaska was released so I went with 3B which is very similar but has an additional night. Now it's not worth it to change as the prices have gone up and pretty much is the same price for me to drop 1 night in the cruise tour! Are you on the Radiance leaving 5/22/20?

[mac1_131]

Hey there! I am also going May 2020 but booked RC cruise tour 3B. I originally wanted 1B however didn't see it listed the day Alaska was released so I went with 3B which is very similar but has an additional night. Now it's not worth it to change as the prices have gone up and pretty much is the same price for me to drop 1 night in the cruise tour! Are you on the Radiance leaving 5/22/20?

Yes I noticed same thing but then it appeared. Their web page is a little messed up for that first southbound 2020 cruise in the cruisetour section. I tried to tell them but so far it fell on deaf ears.

I'm watching for a roll call but so far nothing. Probably see you on the bus ride to Seward if not sooner.

So far only thing I've booked is whale watching with Jayleen in Juneau at 1pm.

[KansCocoa]

Excellent information here - can’t wait to read more.

 

We are doing the Radiance on a B2B, beginning 6/19/20. Our first time to Alaska, so I am eager to pick up as many tips as possible...!! 

[masterdrago]

Just added a couple of things to the pack last minute list....

Binoculars, lip balm, Kindle (like I'll really have time to read), and sunglasses.

[masterdrago]

Just added to my list of pre trip stuff to do: waterproof the rain jacket. Ours are 3n1 although I'm leaving the inner liner at home, DW is taking hers. If like my Gore-Tex outer liner, yours is dirty, make sure to follow the manufacturers instructions to clean it b4 applying a spray on waterproofing agent. I'm using something called Nikwax TX.direct spray-on. AMZN has it in prime so it can be had quickly if needed. There are many other products around for this task. You might take a look at how to re-waterproof your jacket at gearpatrol ...  https://gearpatrol.com/2019/04/04/how-to-re-waterproof-your-jacket/

[masterdrago]

Another point I'll add to the pre-planning stage is take a look at the airport maps. Make yourself aware of the layout in relation to where your airline is. Where the rent care office/dropoff/pickup is. We are not frequent flyers so this poking around was very useful for me. As an example using www.dot.state.ak.us I was able to see that concourse C (Alaska Airlines) has a couple of walkways crossing W. International Airport Rd. from the rental car center. Most cab and transfer shuttle drivers will know what airlines are where but just make yourself aware ahead of time. DW says I tend to overthink preparation. Hey, I'm not the one making Excel spreadsheets!!

[masterdrago]

From another thread here on CC, I just added to the med pack. Imodium A-D Softgels in a blister pack and Mucinex maximum strength 12 hour extended relief tablets. Again, DW says I'm taking way too much crap! I WAS a Boys Scout😏

[er345]

33 minutes ago, masterdrago said:

From another thread here on CC, I just added to the med pack. Imodium A-D Softgels in a blister pack and Mucinex maximum strength 12 hour extended relief tablets. Again, DW says I'm taking way too much crap! I WAS a Boys Scout😏

Well I wasn’t a BoyScout, but I was a Scout leader and I also bring “way too much crap”.  I’ve been sick on way too many vacations to not be prepared. Gotta have all the bases covered: stomach ailments, digestive problems, flu symptoms, nasty colds, allergies etc. Luckily meds and first aid stuff doesn’t take up much room.

[masterdrago]

I want to mention something while I'm thinking about it. DW booked us in some great places and I'm not complaining... yet. I would like to suggest that folks consider VRBO for housing. Especially if going with a large group. We've done VRBO for near 20 years and have never been disappointed. NEVER! Why we did not look into it for our DIY 8 day adventure in Alaska, I cannot say. Maybe it was because we had originally booked a cruise tour plan with RCI. After we booked all the accommodations, which are all 1st rate, we did look back a bit to reconsider but have chosen to stay how we have it. I think if we were starting the planning today, we would look at VRBO.

[masterdrago]

Well, we're packed and fat. Not one more piece of clothing or even jewelry will squeeze into these bags. DWs large one was right at 50#. We managed to shift 3# into my large one (now 39#). DW got on me for taking too much in my Dopp kit. She went through it and cleaned house. No 1st aide stuff! Hey, I've cut way down on camera gear and her makeup bag is small. The only jewelry she is taking are Brighton charms and one chain with a couple of earrings the charms. It's those bulky sweaters. The pix does not show her Brighton hand bag (purse) that I think quals as a carry-on. Flying out at 6am. More later.