Cruise-Tour

[Deenie33]

June 2022 will be our first land tour before our actual cruise and I totally don't know what to expect.  I have read the itinerary description of the land tours and it sounds like we will be spending a lot of time on a deluxe  of motor coach with great viewing opportunities and dragging our luggage around the interior of Alaska from one hotel to another for 7 days.   Will we be on the motor coach more than we will be off of it?  Has anyone  traveled like this bf?  What is the balance of  sitting and riding vs walking and exploring?  Any tips or insights are appreciated.  TIA

[DCPIV]

We've done it twice. What's your land itinerary? 

 

Chances are that you will be on the coach quite a bit. Alaska is enormous (and that's coming from a Texan). It's so very worth it, though. It's staggeringly gorgeous, and you want to see the interior. You really do.

 

Also, it gets light very early in the morning and stats that way very late in Alaska during the Summer, and folks love it up. You have plenty of time to get out and about.

 

Luggage isn't a problem. It's handled very much like a last night on board. Put your bags out before you hit the sack at night. They load them on the coach and deliver them to your room the next day. You can bring a carry on with you, if you like. 

 

I'm not going to lie to you and say that the land tour is a relaxing meander through the Alaskan interior. It's got a bit of a pace to it. Again, though, it's totally worth it. I'd do it again right now. Well, maybe not RIGHT NOW, but next Summer. 😉

 

It didn't hurt that, on both occasions, we had excellent hosts/guides that were with us for the entire time and kept us fired up. I have nothing but fond memories (and the first time we were traveling with young kids).

 

It's smart to do it before the cruise. You get on board, and then you relax. 

 

Pro tip: If you get a chance to take a helicopter up to a glacier, just do it (especially if it's the one that takes you up to the mushers' camp).

 

[DCPIV]

Well, I don't know why that photo came out upside down. That's Alaska, not Australia. 

[Catlover54]

The upside down bit is an intermittent CC bug going on since summer.  Take an upside down picture and it will post upright if the bug is still active  that day.🙄

[Northern Aurora]

@Deenie33:  I am also curious about your particular itinerary.  Our state is massive in size, and some of those motor coach tours do indeed include a tremendous amount of time sitting.  Others include segments on the Alaska Railroad.  

 

Does your itinerary include Denali National Park?  If so you need to be aware that the one road into the park will be closed at mile 42 next summer.  An area called "Pretty Rocks" is sliding down the side of a mountain, and the NPS is evaluating options to deal with this section.  At this time it appears a bridge may be constructed over the area.

[Jim_Iain]

I did the Denali Cruise tour a couple years ago and it was one of the best tours we have ever done.  Depending on the tour there may lots of bus travel (if that is what you call a Motor Coach).  

 

On our tour the first leg we were picked up at our hotel early in the morning and shuttled to the Alaska where we boarded glass domed trains for the fist leg of our journey.  Beautiful scenery and good dialogue.  During this part of the journey Sit Down Breakfast, Drinks and Coffee were available.  The remainder of the tour was via bus. 

 

Hotels were for the most part nice but one was a bit rustic.   You don't have to worry about lugging your luggage.   You are given instructions on when to have your luggage outside your room (with tags on them) and they are pickup and loaded on the buses.   Same when you arrive at a hotel.  You just go to your room and your luggage is delivered to your room.

 

To be honest I really didn't feel worn out and stuck on a bus as there were stops and at a number of sites you did things on your own as side trips (for a fee).  

 

When we came to a town for a lunch break you were given a couple hours to wander and shop and have your lunch on your own.

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, DCPIV said:

It's staggeringly gorgeous, and you want to see the interior. You really do.

Totally agree about seeing the interior. Years ago, before our first Alaska cruise, we rented a car in Anchorage and spent about ten days driving around the state. It was fabulous, and far more beautiful and interesting than the cruise that followed (although we did enjoy the cruise).