To Connoisseur or not in Alaska?

[quilter49]

My husband and I are trying to decide if we should take a Princess Connoisseur Land Tour of just a basic land package. If you choose the basic package, are there other restaurants near the Princess lodges? Also, are there good hiking trailhead the lodges? Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2019 by quilter49
Misspelled

[reedprincess]

We did Off The Beaten Oath and thoroughly enjoyed it. And spent way less on food and drink than it would have been to be Connoisseur for same stops.

We ate out and about in Talkeetna (shuttle ride from lodge, $10 roundtrip when we went, about 45-1 hour maybe?)  And lots of options across the road in Denali.  We ended up having to eat at the lodge in Copper River as the limo shuttle to the town (run by the diner there) was out of commission. At least by then, we hadn't eaten at the lodges for every meal, so the menus weren't repetitive. It was also amongst the most expensive meals we ate during the trip.

Personally, there's no way I'd pay for the Connoisseur tours.  We had great info from our guides/drivers, got fab room locations, and ate and drank to our heart's content and came out way less expensive, and lots more variety, than if we'd gone Connoisseur.

YMMV

[WisCruiser2]

We did not do a Connoisseur tour and were happy with our choice. From what I understand, there are more perks than just the dining with it but we were ok with what we got. We also did the Off the Beaten Path tour to Copper River, Fairbanks, Denali, and Mt McKinley Lodges. In Fairbanks, we splurged and ate at the Pump House and then the next night went to Chena's Alaskan Grill. At the other lodges we ate dinners in the bar & grill venues. There are other places (including a Subway) across the road from the Denali lodge. 

As to your question about hiking, there are trails around the property at Copper River, Denali, and McKinley. 

[TW6cruiser]

Try searching in the Alaska forum as well as this forum, there are many reports on the Connoisseur tours in Alaska.  We did one in 2015 with a start at Fairbanks, Denali, McKinley and then Kenai. Then cruise after.   We loved the connoisseur tour and thought it was well worth the money.  We had the best views in the lodges (in Fairbanks that's not much of an issue as there is not a lot to see there), we never had to make dinner reservations (our guide took care of that and processed our requests...did we want early dinner/late dinner/dinner on our own/dinner with others?) and we always got the time and table size we requested.  We had the longer, more inclusive tour in Denali included.  The food was excellent and the more expensive meal items were all included.   Our bus was only 2/3 full so we had a lot of room when we were traveling.  It's totally up to you of course.  I just wanted to put in a good word for the tour we took.  Our guide was excellent. 

[Mflem1278]

We did Connoisseur and felt it was worth the money.  We enjoyed having someone who "looked after us" so to speak.   There were some excursions included in the price also. Yes we ate at all Princess restaurants but that was not a problem.  Food was very good and there was variety on the menus.  We could have eaten somewhere else if wanted to.  She told us lots of history and interesting things about the areas we traveled through, helped me set up some additional excursions that weren't included in the package, ect.  She was just very helpful all the way around.   I would do it again if we ever go back to Alaska.    

[nukesubsailor]

We first did a tour in Alaska on our own in a rental car and staying at hotels.  We next did a 4 or 5 day unescorted Princess tour before our cruise.  The next time we did the 8 day Connoisseur Escorted tour before our cruise.  We are going back next month to do the 8 day Connoisseur Escorted tour again as it is the best way to get the most out of Alaska with the least amount of worry and inconvenience.  

[Thrak]

Check out this (older but still relevant) thread by caribill.

 

We've done a 13 day connoisseur tour to Alaska and just recently finished a 15 day connoisseur tour in Alaska. We loved them both. The connoisseur tours aren't for everybody and many will enjoy the other tours more. However, for us, this was the way to go and we are happy we made that choice. We have also taken a 10 day round trip to Alaska from San Francisco and did a 7 week camping trip from Northern California all the way up to Fairbanks and spent a couple of weeks in Alaska. That is another really fantastic way to visit.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Thrak

[Cruisen Elf]

We did a regular cruise tour with Princess in Alaska in 2016, and enjoyed it very much.  When I priced it out, the regular tour was at least $1,000.00 less than the connoisseur tour, and I found that we spent much less on our food than that, so for us, we made the right decision.  We were also able to plan out our own activities in and book some things on our own.  There were plenty of nearby places to eat near the lodge at Denali, right across the street.  In Fairbanks, I believe there was a restaurant at a nearby hotel, or you could take the shuttle into town, or eat at the lodge.  There was nothing nearby McKinley Lodge, so you would have to eat there or take the shuttle into Talkeetna, about 45 - 60 minutes away. 

 

It all depends on how you like to travel, as there are advantages and disadvantages  to both ways.  We don't feel we missed out on anything by taking the regular land/cruise trip, but you may prefer the convenience of having everything pre-arranged and paid for.  Regardless of which route you take, you will love Alaska!

[Micahs Grandad]

Friends of ours did the connoisseur tour and love it so we have booked it for this September,  Will be the most expensive trip we will have taken to date but they were certain we would love it.

[zalusky]

We did the connoisseur tour in 2012.  I loved the train ride for Whittier from McKinley lodge.  We did some upgraded lodging from the other level tours.  We also had a regular tour guide.

 

We did the Tundra wilderness tour.  I don't think I would do that again.  Having a whole day on a school bus with only 1 bathroom pit stop in the middle was not enjoyable.

 

I think if I did it again I would take the money I saved and do some flights to the mountain.

[ErLee]

We are in the Seattle airport on our way home from a 13 day Connoisseur tour, and we loved it! I started my review before we left, and I'll be working on it over the next week. One reason I'm doing it is that there aren't enough reviews of these tours, although there are a couple very thorough ones. It'll be linked in the Alaska board in 2019 trip reports and has connoisseur in the title.

 

For the record, I booked all of our excursions myself with independent operators except the Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali (which had 4 bathroom stops in the 8 hours so don't worry about that part!) and the Fairbanks riverboat/gold dredge day. Those two were included but otherwise we were free to do what we wanted about excursions. 

 

We had great views and service at the lodges and liked having most of the meals included. However, we did get an amazingly good deal on our trip, so for us it was a no brainer to take the one that included food!

 

Feel free to ask me any specific questions you have!

 

Edited June 26, 2019 by ErLee

[zalusky]

This was the only bathroom stop on the TWT.  It is only one road.  You go in for many hours and turn around and come back.   So we hit the bathroom stop once on the way in.   We turned around and came back and hit the stop again.   We did it in 2014.   Maybe they added another location to essentially quadruple the stops.

[dickinson]

Zalusky - So it sounds like in 2014 you had TWO bathroom stops... not just one as you previously stated.  Sounds like they must have added another stop (or your driver drove right by it).  Princess' description says you stop every 90 minutes.

Edited June 26, 2019 by dickinson

[nukesubsailor]

On our Tundra Wilderness Tour in July of 2014 we had 4 rest room stops.

[voljeep]

Can you request the general type of room you get at lodge

 

specifically , we prefer a walk-in shower vrs a shower/tub combo

 

Is that something that the tour guide could assist in getting - along with a two-top for dinner reservations?

[c-boy]

On 6/24/2019 at 5:12 PM, zalusky said:

We did the connoisseur tour in 2012.  I loved the train ride for Whittier from McKinley lodge.  We did some upgraded lodging from the other level tours.  We also had a regular tour guide.

 

We did the Tundra wilderness tour.  I don't think I would do that again.  Having a whole day on a school bus with only 1 bathroom pit stop in the middle was not enjoyable.

 

I think if I did it again I would take the money I saved and do some flights to the mountain.

that tundra part  of the tour was about as exciting as watching wet cement dry. 

[zalusky]

4 hours ago, dickinson said:

Zalusky - So it sounds like in 2014 you had TWO bathroom stops... not just one as you previously stated.  Sounds like they must have added another stop (or your driver drove right by it).  Princess' description says you stop every 90 minutes.

 

What I meant was it was only physically one location.  We did do other stops for vista shots and the like.   Either way it was pretty boring like looking at a scenic painting for many hours.  We saw only a few animals which were pretty far off in the distance.  The most interesting thing to me was how scary the road got when two buses had to pass each other.

 

I also have to say that the Fairbanks stuff gold panning and the river boat stuff while enjoyable felt more like Disneyland.  The sled dogs obviously were set to run and race as the boat went by and so were the elk that shushed out of cages behind the trees to look like they happen to randomly scampering through the woods.

 

As I mentioned above the McKinley Lodge, Talkeetna, and the train ride were the highlights.  The train ride alone was worth it all.

[nukesubsailor]

53 minutes ago, zalusky said:

 

 

I also have to say that the Fairbanks stuff gold panning and the river boat stuff while enjoyable felt more like Disneyland.  The sled dogs obviously were set to run and race as the boat went by and so were the elk that shushed out of cages behind the trees to look like they happen to randomly scampering through the woods.

 

Those are reindeer, (domestic caribou), not elk.  They are kept in pastures, not cages.  The sled dog demonstration, like the bush plane demonstration are scheduled as part of the entertainment and education of the passengers of the riverboat.

[zalusky]

2 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

Those are reindeer, (domestic caribou), not elk.  They are kept in pastures, not cages.  The sled dog demonstration, like the bush plane demonstration are scheduled as part of the entertainment and education of the passengers of the riverboat.

 

Mia culpa on the Elk.  That aside I was pretty sure I saw them open a fence door and shush them through down a trail.    Even that aside it just feels fake and like a Disneyland ride.  I still enjoyed it though.

[nukesubsailor]

5 minutes ago, zalusky said:

 

Mia culpa on the Elk.  That aside I was pretty sure I saw them open a fence door and shush them through down a trail.    Even that aside it just feels fake and like a Disneyland ride.  I still enjoyed it though.

I can understand your feeling if you were expecting to see wild animals.  We have done that riverboat tour in the mid 90's and in 2014.  The only difference was that the first time the bush pilot took off from the back yard of a riverfront home and in 2014 the bush pilot had a float plane and took off from the river.  We enjoyed the stop at the Native Peoples village where we got an up close view of the reindeer through the fence of the area where they put them as the riverboat approaches the dock.  By the way----we found reindeer sausage to be very tasty at the Princess lodge breakfasts.

[zalusky]

25 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

I can understand your feeling if you were expecting to see wild animals.  We have done that riverboat tour in the mid 90's and in 2014.  The only difference was that the first time the bush pilot took off from the back yard of a riverfront home and in 2014 the bush pilot had a float plane and took off from the river.  We enjoyed the stop at the Native Peoples village where we got an up close view of the reindeer through the fence of the area where they put them as the riverboat approaches the dock.  By the way----we found reindeer sausage to be very tasty at the Princess lodge breakfasts.

 

Yea that's basically it.  When I go to a zoo I expect a lot of educational and sometimes contrived scenes.  Everybody describes Alaska as untouched and it was a bit touched.   You guys were lucky to see float planes take off.  We saw them in peoples back yards but nothing in action.

 

I have to say if the readers liked Alaska they really need to do New Zealand and the Queenstown overnight.  It was just stunning and memorable.  Here is a quick clip of getting off the boat in Milford sound to start the overnight to Queenstown.  That was a trip I will remember.  The Tundra Wilderness Tour fades in the distance in comparison.

[Roo]

On 6/24/2019 at 12:28 PM, reedprincess said:

We did Off The Beaten Oath and thoroughly enjoyed it. And spent way less on food and drink than it would have been to be Connoisseur for same stops.

We ate out and about in Talkeetna (shuttle ride from lodge, $10 roundtrip when we went, about 45-1 hour maybe?)  And lots of options across the road in Denali.  We ended up having to eat at the lodge in Copper River as the limo shuttle to the town (run by the diner there) was out of commission. At least by then, we hadn't eaten at the lodges for every meal, so the menus weren't repetitive. It was also amongst the most expensive meals we ate during the trip.

Personally, there's no way I'd pay for the Connoisseur tours.  We had great info from our guides/drivers, got fab room locations, and ate and drank to our heart's content and came out way less expensive, and lots more variety, than if we'd gone Connoisseur.

YMMV

Thanks for this info.  re: shuttle bus from Lodge to Talkeetna - was it a school bus or a van?  If it was a smaller vehicle, did you have to choose your return time in advance?  Thanks.

[Thrak]

On 6/24/2019 at 5:12 PM, zalusky said:

We did the Tundra wilderness tour.  I don't think I would do that again.  Having a whole day on a school bus with only 1 bathroom pit stop in the middle was not enjoyable.

 

Weird. We've done it twice and stopped twice - each direction. Plenty of restroom breaks.

[Kingofcool1947]

On 6/24/2019 at 7:20 AM, quilter49 said:

My husband and I are trying to decide if we should take a Princess Connoisseur Land Tour of just a basic land package. If you choose the basic package, are there other restaurants near the Princess lodges? Also, are there good hiking trailhead the lodges? Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are several restaurants within walking distance in the area around Princess Lodge  Denali..  And a couple of casual restaurants across the road.  You will not go hungry.

Plenty of trailheads from Princess Lodge.   To avoid being eaten by a bear,  carry bear repellent.

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[dickinson]

We are in the middle of our Denali Explorer cruisetour.  We started in Fairbanks.  Their restaurants were not too bad.  Choices expensive to medium.  You can also put out on your door that you want to conserve.  They won't make up your room and will give you a $5 credit off food.  

 

We are now at Denali.  Same $5 credit.  Took the Tundra Wilderness Tour.  Definitely stopped at least 4 times.  As for food, there are lots of choices.  As mentioned earlier there are places across the street.  When we got here we at lunch at Subway.  Dinner we ate at the Lodge at the Pizza place.  Today we had a quick breakfast at their quick restaurant where you buy and then sit and eat or leave.  They have cereal boxes, oatmeal boxes, granola bars, fruit, etc.  For dinner we ate at their burger joint.  $11 for a burger and $5 extra if you want fries or onion rings.  Chicken sandwich was same price.  

 

If we were on connoisseur tour we would have eaten at the more expensive places.... but you are paying for it before hand and then some I am sure.  

 

Basically, it seems like people really like the connoisseur tour but if you feel it will bust your budget don't be disappointed to take Denali Explorer.

 

As an FYI - Somewhere on cc I read only one time that someone who took the Tundra Wilderness Tour was told that if they were a senior they could show their senior national park pass and get a partial refund.  We checked into it and discovered we had to take the free shuttle bus from the hotel to the park's ticket office (bus depot).  Ten minute ride.  We showed the pass and our itinerary that you get at each lodge (which also states any excursions).  We saved a total of $30 !!! Well worth it.  They told us it could have been done before we took the tour too not just after.