Alaska post cruise tour ?

[Oldlab]

What is the post cruise tour like? Is the post cruise tour worth doing or would you book a longer cruise without the tour? What are the accommodations like while on the tour? Thank you very much for any insight, Oldlab

 

[bouhunter]

We did 8 days in Alaska in August.  If you're planning on spending some time up there post cruise I'd recommend renting a car and doing your own thing.  You can drive NE up to Glacier View, North to Talkeetna for Jet Boating on the River, South to Seward for a boat trip to the Fjords, take a day on the railroad, etc.  Can't see any good reason to do things in Alaska with cruise ship tours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[cruisequeen4ever]

I definitely recommend extending your time in AK with a land tour. If you prefer to have everything stress free and organized for you, go with a Royal Caribbean CruiseTour. If you like to be independent, you can rent a car and plan your own itinerary, or you can take the Alaska Railroad independently. 

[Crazy planning mom]

I agree with cruisequeen3ever.   Alaska is a beautiful place and its worth exploring on land after or before your cruise.   Our favorite place was Seward.  However, we also enjoyed Talkeetna and Denali.

As to whether to take the tour or diy, that is up to you.   Doing it independently is cheaper and gives you more control while the tour is easier because everything is planned for you.  I also suggested you visit the Alaska board for more feedback.

Edited December 1, 2021 by Crazy planning mom

[gauchotex]

We did our last Alaska Cruise (and tour) with Celebrity, and I am 99% sure the land portion is the same provider.

Our experience was that we hated doing it as part of the Cruise tour. The hotels were really run down properties and we found ourselves spending the majority of the time on a bus with another 38 people (might be a different number post-covid). But we felt that we missed out on enjoying a lot of the actual beauty. I'd definitely recommend if you can to do it on your own, or find a smaller tour operator to do it with.

One thought we also realized would have been better was if we had started our trip in northern Alaska, made our way down to the port and THEN cruised back, since the cruise itself was magnificent.

[AshleyDillo]

The land tour and cruise are two completely different ways to experience Alaska. I would highly suggest that you give both a try. We did the land tour prior to the cruise and I'm glad we went that route because it was nice to get on the cruise and not have to pack up each night as you do for the land portion.

 

The land tour is a combo of bus and rail trip between the different cities. There are several different land tours offered, so without knowing which one you are looking at it's difficult to really go into detail. Basically your transportation and accommodations are covered in each city. There may be a standard excursion included for everyone depending on which city you visit, but there is also explore on your own time where you can purchase additional excursions or spend the free time in what ever way you see fit. The big noticeable difference between the cruise and land tour is the food isn't included on the land tour unless it is provided on a specific excursion that you end up taking.