Alaskan cruise Aug 29- Sept 8 Seattle to Seattle one night Denali.

[lv2teach]

I haven't found any reviews that do the land portion first.

 

Is anyone else on this cruise with us. I haven't found a roll call and am not sure how to post one!

 

Looking for information on how the flight portion of this cruise goes after arriving in Seattle. 

Are we are on our own to get ourselves to Fairbanks or is there going to be representative with us.

[CruiserBruce]

Without knowing what ship you are on, we can't find a Roll Call for you.

 

Not sure how you can do Denali on a 7 day roundtrip out of Seattle...usually Denali is on the one way trips to or from Seward and Vancouver.

[catl331]

I presume you mean 8/29/2020 since no ships leave Seattle 8/29/2019.

 

Are you on this Eurodam cruise?

Cruise Itinerary: Seattle, Washington (29 Aug d1600); Juneau, Alaska (31 Aug 1300-2100); Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (01 Sep 1300-1800); Sitka, Alaska (02 Sep 0800-1700); Ketchikan, Alaska (03 Sep 0700-1300); Victoria, British Columbia (04 Sep 1800-2330); Seattle, Washington (05 Sep a0700)

 

If so, I don't understand how you are doing "land first" and then going to Fairbanks after ending the sea part in Seattle Sep 5th.

 

When we did a "land first double Denali" starting in Fairbanks we had a guide with us all the way from there to boarding our ship in Seward.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by catl331

[lv2teach]

we are on the Westerdam!
we are doing land first. we fly in and out of Seattle. Seattle one night(hotel) aug 29. then  we fly to anchorage then to Fairbanks(hotel). then on to Denali for a night(hotel) . then on to Seward( Sept 1) where we board the ship for seven days. then bus to the Seattle airport.

it is a one night Denali land portion and a seven day cruise both included.

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by lv2teach

[catl331]

In that case I have no guess where your guide might meet you. Sorry.

 

We flew on our own from FL to SEA to FAI on the same day and met our guide in the Fairbanks hotel.

Edited July 14, 2019 by catl331

[CruiserBruce]

You are right...no apparent Roll Call. You can start one, just follow the naming protocol. Probably won't get much action at this late date, but you never know.

[cruisin'mama]

20 hours ago, lv2teach said:

we are on the Westerdam!
we are doing land first. we fly in and out of Seattle. Seattle one night(hotel) aug 29. then  we fly to anchorage then to Fairbanks(hotel). then on to Denali for a night(hotel) . then on to Seward( Sept 1) where we board the ship for seven days. then bus to the Seattle airport.

it is a one night Denali land portion and a seven day cruise both included.

 

We will be on the Sept 1 Westerdam cruise and will be meeting friends onboard. There is no roll call for our cruise.  I have never heard of your land portion add on but we are doing our own 2 1/2 week land portion prior to the cruise.

[rafinmd]

What exactly is included in your tour by HAL.  It sounds like HAL is providing a flight from Seattle to Fairbanks and a transfer from Vancouver back to Seattle.  Unless you are also staying in a HAL hotel the night before the flight you are almost certainly expected to make you own way to the Seatac gate and will be met by a HAL rep outside baggage claim in Fairbanks.

 

Have you downloaded your final cruise documents yet?  They are normally available about 45 days in advance so that may still be a couple days away.  They should have quite a bit of information.

 

Roll calls are normally organized by the ship.  It sounds like there are at least 2 of you on the Westerdam so perhaps one of you should start it.  Use a title like "Westerdam, September 1, 2019, Southbound Glacier Discovery"

 

You will at least be able to talk about activitires on the ship.

 

Roy

[oaktreerb]

Your roll call will be the cruise roll call, ship name and date of sailing out of Seward.  Westerdam Sept 1 southbound out of Seward.   When you arrive in Seattle you will travel with your group and instructions will be given to you at the hotel in Seattle as to when and where to meet your group for the flight to Fairbanks.  There will be someone to assist the group at each stop long the way.  HAL doesn’t seem to use journey hosts any more to travel with US/Denali itineraries....only with Yukon itineraries.  

 

 

[rafinmd]

I missed your second post.  If your tour includes a HAL hotel in Seattle they should have a hospitality desk in the hotel with a rep that will give you instructions on where to meet a transfer to the airport.  You will be on your own at least from TSA Seattle to baggage claim in Fairbanks and perhaps as well from the curb at seatac through the checkin process.

 

Roy

[lv2teach]

thanks everyone, It sounds like we can expect to have a HAL representative meet us at the hotel in Seattle and may not see another HAL representative until we arrive in Fairbanks.

 

I will look for more documentation when we get closer.

 

Thanks.

[lv2teach]

3 hours ago, cruisin'mama said:

We will be on the Sept 1 Westerdam cruise and will be meeting friends onboard. There is no roll call for our cruise.  I have never heard of your land portion add on but we are doing our own 2 1/2 week land portion prior to the cruise.

 the Holland Cruise we are taking is R8L Seattle Single Denali. 

 

2 1/2 weeks prior to the cruise sounds wonderful . Where are you planning on exploring before the cruise?

[cruisin'mama]

Since this will be my 7th trip to Alaska and since we've done the major attractions at least once before, this time among other things, we are doing some things that we've said we'd do "next time".  Well, it's next time! 

 

We will start off flying to Anchorage, rent a car, and head to Girdwood. We'll stay overnight at The Alyeska then the next morning do a jet boat trip up 20 mile River to go kayaking in the backcountry around icebergs at Glacier Lake. We continue on to Seward to overnight before we head out to the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge for 2 nights.  When we come back, we head to Anchor Point and take a boat to Lake Clark for bear viewing.  ( My son and I have flown to Katmai previously, but my husband won't fly in small planes so this was his alternative). After 2 nights in Anchor Point, we return to Anchorage.

 

We will exchange our "regular" rental car for one from Midnight Sun that will allow us to drive gravel roads. Our first stop will be near Palmer for the night. The next morning we'll do the all day ATV tour to Knik Glacier then head to Willow.  My husband wants to change it up and fish for trout this trip so he will do that out of Willow while my son and I go to Talkeetna for the day to do a flightseeing trip with the glacier landing with K2. The next day we will drive to Hatcher Pass from the Willow side with the gravel road and end up near Glennallen. We continue on the next day and drive the McCarthy Road.  We'll stay at Ma Johnson's this trip and go white water rafting that we had planned last trip but weather conditions kept us from doing it. After 2 nights in McCarthy, we start heading back for Anchorage with an overnight back near Glennallen.  We hope to bike around Eklutna Lake on our way back as well as hike the Thunderbird Falls. After returning the "gravel road " car and an overnight in Anchorage, we'll take the train to Seward and catch the boat to Orca Island where we will spend the last 2 nights before the cruise.

 

It's not a conventional itinerary, and we aren't doing some of my favorite things or going to some of my favorite places, but we are doing things that have always been pushed aside to do other things before. I'm looking forward to it! And we are returning next summer so I can do some of my favorites then.....

[lv2teach]

cruisin' mama

On 7/15/2019 at 10:10 PM, cruisin'mama said:

Since this will be my 7th trip to Alaska and since we've done the major attractions at least once before, this time among other things, we are doing some things that we've said we'd do "next time".  Well, it's next time! 

 

We will start off flying to Anchorage, rent a car, and head to Girdwood. We'll stay overnight at The Alyeska then the next morning do a jet boat trip up 20 mile River to go kayaking in the backcountry around icebergs at Glacier Lake. We continue on to Seward to overnight before we head out to the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge for 2 nights.  When we come back, we head to Anchor Point and take a boat to Lake Clark for bear viewing.  ( My son and I have flown to Katmai previously, but my husband won't fly in small planes so this was his alternative). After 2 nights in Anchor Point, we return to Anchorage.

 

We will exchange our "regular" rental car for one from Midnight Sun that will allow us to drive gravel roads. Our first stop will be near Palmer for the night. The next morning we'll do the all day ATV tour to Knik Glacier then head to Willow.  My husband wants to change it up and fish for trout this trip so he will do that out of Willow while my son and I go to Talkeetna for the day to do a flightseeing trip with the glacier landing with K2. The next day we will drive to Hatcher Pass from the Willow side with the gravel road and end up near Glennallen. We continue on the next day and drive the McCarthy Road.  We'll stay at Ma Johnson's this trip and go white water rafting that we had planned last trip but weather conditions kept us from doing it. After 2 nights in McCarthy, we start heading back for Anchorage with an overnight back near Glennallen.  We hope to bike around Eklutna Lake on our way back as well as hike the Thunderbird Falls. After returning the "gravel road " car and an overnight in Anchorage, we'll take the train to Seward and catch the boat to Orca Island where we will spend the last 2 nights before the cruise.

 

It's not a conventional itinerary, and we aren't doing some of my favorite things or going to some of my favorite places, but we are doing things that have always been pushed aside to do other things before. I'm looking forward to it! And we are returning next summer so I can do some of my favorites then.....

  this is  our first trip to Alaska , so I am wondering what you would say the must do's are for this trip at each port? also Denali?

 

thanks , your trip sound amazing and jammed packed. Enjoy!

[cruisin'mama]

3 hours ago, lv2teach said:

cruisin' mama

  this is  our first trip to Alaska , so I am wondering what you would say the must do's are for this trip at each port? also Denali?

 

thanks , your trip sound amazing and jammed packed. Enjoy!

Well, everyone has different opinions about what is Must do....  If you are not going to see whales anywhere like in Seward on a Kenai Fjords boat trip, then your best bet to see whales, if of interest will be in Juneau. My first cruise to Alaska, we basically missed Juneau due to a medical evacuation.  The next two times I was in Juneau, I rented a car and drove to Mendenhall Glacier , along with other points of interest, including going to Mass at the Shrine of St Therese. Last time, I took the excursion to Tracy Arm by myself and loved it so much, that I'm doing it again this trip and taking my family and friends along with me this time!

 

In Ketchikan, I've rented a car and driven around to see the sights, rented atv's, flown to Misty Fjords, flown to Anan to see the bears, and done the crab excursion that includes the all you can eat crab at the lodge. this time we are going out on a zodiac tour. Some people enjoy the Aleutian Ballad crab tour, the Lumberjack show, kayaking, etc.

 

In Haines, last time we rented a car ( I've only been there 1 time before, it was always Skagway on my other cruises) and drove to the lake to see bears, across the Canadian border and back along the river and saw more bears.  This time we're doing that again because we enjoyed the freedom, the bears and it's an economical day! 

 

If you have any questions, I'll be glad to try to help.