First timer - cruise plus land - best options

[lissie]

First time to Alaska - new to cruising ( doing the first one next month) - not new to travel. We are a couple 50/60s - my partner's had health issues so we are looking at cruising as an "easy" option compared to our normal independent travel mode. 

 

I've always wanted to cruise Alaska - but given the distance from home it would make sense to spend time in Alaska itself as well. We want to start or end in Vancouver rather  than the States because a) I want to return to Vancouver and b) I get seasick so I want to do the inside passage.  

 

Looking at options and have discovered the Princess "cruisetours" with add-ons into Fairbanks and Denali including a train.  We love trains. Not so sure about bus tours though!  We are confident in driving ourselves if thats a better option - driven 35,000km in outback Australia - we are familiar with long distances in the heat - not the cold so much! 

 

Must dos on the way are definitely Glacier Bay - which seems to restrict us to Holland America and Princess? Is that right?  We're about to cruise on Cunard so I'm sure we can deal with either of those. 

 

If we don't book a cruise tour how long would you recommend for the land portion  - wanting to get as far as Fairbanks and Denali - most of the tours seem to be only 4 days - that seems rushed to me? We have the luxury of time as he's retired and I can work with an internet connection. 

 

Any preference for  cruise north then land or land then cruise south. I'm looking at doing flight out of Honolulu both directions as I can can get a reasonable flight to Honolulu from NZ and it breaks up the long trans-Pacific flight.  

 

Best month - preferably avoiding school holiday crowds,  and rain -  I  know its an unpredicatble part of the world!  I'm currently leaning towards June? Is 5 July worth avoiding in terms of crowds? 

 

Any input is welcome. 

 

[Cruise Suzy]

I would do the land portion first, especially if you plan to drive. Here is what we did:

 

Day 1: Flew into Anchorage late evening, rented car and stayed overnight near airport.

Day 2: Walked around Anchorage (whale sculpture) until Alaska Native Heritage Center opened. Stopped in Eklutna (spirit houses & church) and Talkeetna (good views of Denali) on way to Fairbanks.

Day 3: Discovery riverboat (several passengers from our cruise were doing the cruise-tour - good to see familiar faces once onboard ship), drove to pipeline exhibit and North Pole (I'm a Christmas nut. )

Day 4: Drove to Denali, stopping at every overlook. Checked out Visitor Center area - did short hikes.

Day 5:  8-hour Tundra Wilderness Tour

Day 6: Drove to Anchorage, visited Anchorage Museum (had combo ticket with Heritage Center), turned in car at airport, joined cruise line bus to ship- southbound to Vancouver.

 

There are more things to do in Fairbanks and the Denali areas if you have more time. Also you can explore the Kenai Peninsula. We only had so much vacation time then. Hope to go back in 2022 and do what we missed on land and take another southbound cruise. (In 2021 we're doing a round-trip from Seattle with our children and their spouses.)

 

While it may sound better time-wise to fly into Fairbanks, the fee for renting a car there and dropping it off in Anchorage was HUGE.

 

[oaktreerb]

Late May or Early June would have fewer children and reasonably good weather.  Look at some of the trip reports at the top of this forum.  Look online at the visitor information for the state of Alaska and Anchorage.  There are different seasons for different experiences...bears, salmon, etc.  Denali should be visited in June after the road into the park opens around June 1.  Holland America does have a 14 day D3 and D4 with time in Fairbanks and Denali. Princess also has longer land and cruise packages.  Do the land tour first so you can rest on the cruise back to Vancouver.  Holland also has Yukon + Denali land and cruise packages, the longest is 18 days.

 

There are lots of options and driving in Alaska is easy if that is your choice.

[masterdrago]

We did 8 days land mid May, then 7 day south cruise. Car rental in Anchorage. Four days in Denali area. More would have been better. Need a lot more time in Kenai. Just now have the appetite to go back for longer land tour in late August, early September.

[AKStafford]

My preference is a DIY trip with a rental car over the pre-packaged tour from the cruise lines. There's no place the cruisetours go that you can'y book independently. Going DIY lets you set your schedule at our pace to see what you want.

And don't use a "tour" at Denali. Book on the shuttle buses. Same road, same views. Much cheaper: https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

[strickerj]

In answer to one of the OP's questions, I'd definitely avoid the weekend surrounding July 4 (Independence Day in the U.S.), along with the 4th Sunday in May (Memorial Day) and the first Monday in September (Labor Day). There's been a renewed interest in the parks here, and the popular ones are packed during holidays.

 

Regarding the Denali transit buses, do you have to book these in advance? I've noticed the weather there is frequently cloudy, so I'd rather wait until I get there to decide what day we want to take the bus to Eielson Visitor Center to try to see the peak.

[mapleleaves]

I agree with AkStafford  ... DIY with a rental car.  And you are are correct about the short cruisetours being rushed. They spend most of their day in transit with little time to enjoy a destination when they arrive.

Driving in Alaska is quite straightforward as there are few hwys and once you get out of Anchorage, they're 2 lanes.

(Look for youtube video to get a first hand look at the drive from say Anchorage to Seward. )

 

But if you'd prefer to travel by train, the Alaska Railroad offers package tours. 

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

 

And the bus company offers train tours as well as bus/train combo tours. There services seem more comprehensive so might be a better place to start for a train pkg.

https://www.alaskatravel.com/vacations/packages/

 

 

 

[lissie]

Thank you all - this is very helpful and I'll look further into our DIY options. 

 

There seems to be a consensus of doing the land  portion first ? Why is that? For context we're be flying out of NZ with a few days in Hawaii in both directions. The flight time Honolulu to both Anchorage and Vancouver are about equal and time zone change is pretty good. 

 

Either way we'd be in and out of Anchorage so could dump a bag of cruise clothes there and just travel with a small bag each. 

[knicola11]

IF you do select a Princess land tour, be aware that some of them do not give you enough time to take a shuttle at Denali into the park. We are leaving May 30th out of Vancouver, then doing a 4-night land your. We are now skipping the Princess bus from Denali, and making our own way to Fairbanks via train so we can take the shuttle into the park that day. Lessons learned...

[mapleleaves]

2 hours ago, lissie said:

 

 

There seems to be a consensus of doing the land  portion first ? Why is that? For context we're be flying out of NZ with a few days in Hawaii in both directions. The flight time Honolulu to both Anchorage and Vancouver are about equal and time zone change is pretty good. 

 

. 

Why  so people suggest the land portion first ?  Just an educated guess, but as you already noted, the cruisetour itineraries are rushed to begin with ! Add to that, your bags need to outside your room by 6am each morning.   I think it's just too much for most travelers.  If your itinerary is planned appropriately, you won't be exhausted and look to the cruise as your relaxing time. 

Plan your own land travel so you have control over your schedule, you avoid the 'hurry up and wait' that comes with traveling with a herd.  

 

I've only done DIY ... by rental car or rental RV.  Couldn't imagine being stuck on a cruisetour.

[maltoose181]

We did a combination of things going the first weekend in September.  We flew to Fairbanks and rented a car for 5 days. The pilot on Alaska Airlines flew us around Denali as it was a bright gorgeous day.   We went to Valdez, Copper River, North Pole, and pipeline, etc.  We bought a small styrofoam cooler at Walmart so we always had food - things are a long way apart in Alaska.  We joined the Princess tour in Fairbanks with sightseeing there and bus to Denali.  Be sure to do the 8 hr. tour at Denali.  Took train to join the ship then 7 day cruise, finishing in Vancouver.  

This year we are doing 7 days cruise ending in Vancouver and then taking Rocky Mountaineer train with stops in Banff, Lake Louise, and ending in Calgary.

[lissie]

4 hours ago, mapleleaves said:

Why  so people suggest the land portion first ?  Just an educated guess, but as you already noted, the cruisetour itineraries are rushed to begin with ! Add to that, your bags need to outside your room by 6am each morning.   I think it's just too much for most travelers.  If your itinerary is planned appropriately, you won't be exhausted and look to the cruise as your relaxing time. 

Plan your own land travel so you have control over your schedule, you avoid the 'hurry up and wait' that comes with traveling with a herd.  

 

I've only done DIY ... by rental car or rental RV.  Couldn't imagine being stuck on a cruisetour.

6am??? Yeah not happening then - particularly when its light for so long!  That's the most compelling argument yet to organize it myself. 

[Gardyloo]

I would actually suggest cruising first, hence northbound, because even with a couple of days in Hawaii you're still going to have jetlag effects to deal with, and jumping into a car with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side might not be the best idea.  The ship is the ideal place to rest up (even with shore visits) while minimizing logistical headaches.

 

I wouldn't worry about being in Alaska (or cruising there) around the 4th of July.  My one cruise to Alaska (having lived there for many years) included a stop in Ketchikan on the 4th.  It was remarkable (to me) because in all my visits to that city (numerous) I'd never been there in full sunlight, and we actually had some during the Independence Day parade that took place. 

 

 

 

Sadly, my (unbelievable) opposite luck - I'd always had sun in many visits to Juneau, even in the winter - ran out a couple of days later.  

 

 

Re Glacier Bay - it's spectacular but one can see plenty of tidewater glaciers on day cruises from Whittier, easily reached by road or rail from Anchorage.  On the cruise, I'd try to find a route that includes Hubbard Glacier, which offers a somewhat different (IMO more spectacular) experience than either Glacier Bay or College Inlet (the glacier complex near Whittier.)  I believe Norwegian has departures from Vancouver that visit both Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier.  

 

Hubbard Glacier, same cruise (early July)

 

 

One thing I'd urge is that you look for a rental car that will allow use on gravel roads.  The major companies don't, and this can limit your routes in Alaska.  At least I'd check to see how prices compare.  Google "gonorth" to see one.  Google the points on this map, which includes the Denali Highway (gravel thus off limits for most rental cars.)  https://binged.it/35YoGiA

 

I'd allow at least a week, ten days better, for this drive.  Of course you could shorten it.  

 

Happy planning!

 

 

[lissie]

12 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

I would actually suggest cruising first, hence northbound, because even with a couple of days in Hawaii you're still going to have jetlag effects to deal with, and jumping into a car with the steering wheel on the "wrong" side might not be the best idea.  The ship is the ideal place to rest up (even with shore visits) while minimizing logistical headaches.

 

 <snip> 

 

One thing I'd urge is that you look for a rental car that will allow use on gravel roads.  The major companies don't, and this can limit your routes in Alaska.  At least I'd check to see how prices compare.  Google "gonorth" to see one.  Google the points on this map, which includes the Denali Highway (gravel thus off limits for most rental cars.)  https://binged.it/35YoGiA

 

I'd allow at least a week, ten days better, for this drive.  Of course you could shorten it.  

 

Happy planning!

 

 

I think you are right about cruising first. Last time I drove in the US I spent several days as a passenger first with friends and my brain and switched to driving on the wrong side.  I'm also thinking if we go early June - then  going south to north would be better weather wise 

 

Good tip re rental cars. Still not sure if I'd rent or go by train and maybe rent a for a few days at destinations. 

[lissie]

OK getting quite keen on the idea of doing this trip May/June.  My problem is this - I've never cruised - I don't actually know a) whether I like it (I've never done an organized tour  that lasted longer than a day) and b) I don't know if I can control my seasickness.  So I really don't want to commit until after our upcoming cruise - which would see me booking early March.   

 

What we're thinking is HAL northbound and then train to Anchorage, a couple  of days there, train to denali , 3 days there doing the tundra tour, train to Fairbanks couple of days there. Fly out of Fairbanks to Honolulu. 

 

The fights will be fine there is  heaps of availability (Im using miles). The cruises don't seem to be booked up. My question is - will the train and accommodation in Denali which has shuttle service book out by then?  I'd still be a good 2 months clear - that should be fine surely? 

 

 

[masterdrago]

Unless you are very prone to sea sickness, you will not find it an issue - you mentioned cruising inside passage. We had spectacular weather on our mid May cruise and all the mountains and some other areas had good snow cover which was what we expected to see in Alaska. Renting the car pre-cruise out of Anchorage worked very well for us on the 8 day land portion. It gave us so much more freedom. We had originally booked land portion with RCI but after seeing how much time we would be on the rail or standing in line, we cancelled and planned our own. Much better accommodations and we ate when and where we wanted. Stopped when and where we liked for scenery, etc. I had never planned anything like it but DW was a spreadsheet queen and that helped immensely. One of our mistakes was not being in Denali when we could take the full transit bus tour. That's on our bucket list next trip. Did I read correctly that you will be booking a May/June trip sometime in early March? Take a close look now at the availability of any excursions that really interest you since they may begin to get booked up for the May/June time frame. 2021 or this year?

[lissie]

8 hours ago, masterdrago said:

Unless you are very prone to sea sickness, you will not find it an issue - you mentioned cruising inside passage. We had spectacular weather on our mid May cruise and all the mountains and some other areas had good snow cover which was what we expected to see in Alaska. Renting the car pre-cruise out of Anchorage worked very well for us on the 8 day land portion. It gave us so much more freedom. We had originally booked land portion with RCI but after seeing how much time we would be on the rail or standing in line, we cancelled and planned our own. Much better accommodations and we ate when and where we wanted. Stopped when and where we liked for scenery, etc. I had never planned anything like it but DW was a spreadsheet queen and that helped immensely. One of our mistakes was not being in Denali when we could take the full transit bus tour. That's on our bucket list next trip. Did I read correctly that you will be booking a May/June trip sometime in early March? Take a close look now at the availability of any excursions that really interest you since they may begin to get booked up for the May/June time frame. 2021 or this year?

 

I am VERY prone.  If there is one person sick its me - and that's usually after taking the drugs.   Yes looking at a HAL cruise arriving in Seward 31 May 2020 

 

I hadn't even thought of excursions - I would expect to book  most of those independently from the cruise line -  I thought the towns (Juneua, Skagway, Ketchikan) were tourist towns were I would find it easy to book independent tours. One of the appeals of that cruise line is that they have good long days in town.  

 

I just did a  3 week solo independent travel in Western Sichuan, China - organizing a few days in an English speaking country is not beyond my skills 🙂

 

We'd be able to do the full Tundra tour - if we are there early June - depends on what happens with the road issues I think. 

[Canuker]

When it comes to "land tours":, most people think of Denali, Fairbanks, etc.
Not surprising, since that's where the packaged tours go.
We are booked on our first Alaska cruise in July, out of Vancouver  and have decided to:
1. Put together our own 'land' cruise.

2. Go South, not North.

Vancouver (which we know) is not the start of the Inside Passage. The Seattle area (which we don't) is, in Puget Sound.
So here's what we are doing, pre-cruise:

Day 1. Arrive Vancouver. Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Evening brewery tour. Overnight Vancouver.

Day 2. Ferry to Vancouver Island. Butchard Gardens. Downtown Victoria. Ferry to Seattle. Seattle by night. Overnight in Bremerton (across the Sound from Seattle).

Day 3. Tour city of Seattle, incl. coastal boat tour. Train, Seattle to Vancouver. Overnight Vancouver.

Day 4. Stanley Park. Board ship.
The train hugs the coastline for much of its journey. So we should have a good feel for the south end of the Inside Passage before we head north on the big boat.
Looking forward to it.

Edited January 25, 2020 by Canuker

[lissie]

9 minutes ago, Canuker said:

When it comes to "land tours":, most people think of Denali, Fairbanks, etc.
Not surprising, since that's where the packaged tours go.
We are booked on our first Alaska cruise in July, out of Vancouver  and have decided to:
1. Put together our own 'land' cruise.

2. Go South, not North.

Vancouver (which we know) is not the start of the Inside Passage. The Seattle area (which we don't) is, in Puget Sound.
So here's what we are doing, pre-cruise:

Day 1. Arrive Vancouver. Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Evening brewery tour. Overnight Vancouver.

Day 2. Ferry to Vancouver Island. Butchard Gardens. Downtown Victoria. Ferry to Seattle. Seattle by night. Overnight in Bremerton (across the Sound from Seattle).

Day 3. Tour city of Seattle, incl. coastal boat tour. Train, Seattle to Vancouver. Overnight Vancouver.

Day 4. Stanley Park. Board ship.
The train hugs the coastline for much of its journey. So we should have a good feel for the south end of the Inside Passage before we head north on the big boat.
Looking forward to it.

 

I actually lived and worked in Vancouver for 10 months back in the 80s - I've never been back, and my partner hasn't been to Canada. We are going to spend a few days in Vancouver pre-cruise and will hop over to Victoria (might even float plane it - as its such a scenic flight one way).  I  have no good memories of Seattle - I remember it as boring and run-down with little to do.  Has it improved over the years? 

[cruisin0218]

Regarding the timing of the dates, one thing which may impact your visit to Denali this year is the landslide that has occured within the park. There is only 1 road within the park to access the park. That road usually opens partway in May & completely early in June. The park service does not know at this time exactly when the road will be open completely but their goal is to have it open to Mike 43 in May & completely (mile 92) by June 15. You must ride park service buses to access anything further into the park than the first few miles. Going further into the park greatly increases your opportunities to see wildlife. So if you plan to maximize your time in the park, then you may want to plan your arrival after June 15. You can also avoid crowds with school aged children at the end of August & in September. Also in August you may see Salmon running & bears in the areas where there are Salmon.

 

We had already made our airfare reservations when the news of the landslide was announced and we are flying into Anchorage May 16. We will do 2 weeks in an RV followed by a southbound cruise leaving Whittier on May 30. We have toured Denali twice and been in Alaska during the Salmon runs so we will just focus on other experiences. If you are not particularly interested in exploring Denali park or seeing the bears going after the Salmon, then you will still find lots to experience in Alaska in May & early June.

[AuroraRose]

To add some thoughts, we did a Northbound cruise out of Vancouver this past August, and then a DIY land tour from there. Our cruise ended in Seward, where we spent a few days and went to the aquarium and Exit Glacier. We took the train from Seward to Anchorage, spent the night in Anchorage, and picked up a car rental in Anchorage the next day. We rented from Alaska 4x4 rentals, which does allow you to drive on gravel roads. We got a discount using a coupon book as well (toursaver book I think). After we picked it up, we drove straight to Denali, stopping for lunch in Talkeetna. We rented a cabin for a few days in Healy and enjoyed Denali NP and went white water rafting on the Nenana River. We then drove up to Fairbanks where we rented a house on AirBNB. We went to Chena Hot Springs for a day while there, and flew out of Fairbanks. We saved a lot of money this way since we booked private rentals that were cheaper than hotels and had kitchen facilities, allowing us to cook our own meals if we didn't feel like eating out. 

[AKStafford]

On 1/24/2020 at 1:57 AM, lissie said:

What we're thinking is HAL northbound and then train to Anchorage, a couple  of days there, train to denali , 3 days there doing the tundra tour, train to Fairbanks couple of days there. Fly out of Fairbanks to Honolulu. 

I wouldn't spend a couple of days in Anchorage. And I would use a  rental car to get to Denali National Park. Having a car in the Denali area gives you a lot more options on lodging, dining & activities.