Cruisetour through cruiseline Vs On your own

[Sunshine827]

I am thinking about doing 5 days pre cruise in Alaska prior to our cruise.  Just looking for pros and cons of doing it through the cruiseline vs through a tour company.  There will be at least 10 of us, so we are not looking to rent cars and do it on our own.  Thanks in advance 😁

[Northern Aurora]

A privately organized tour will allow your group to customize the tour to your own particular interests.  Since you have stated your group is not interested in renting vehicles consider contacting Salmon Berry Travel Tours (google their name to find the their website.  Also Premier Alaska Tours (which is the vendor for Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Regent -- or is it Silverseas -- Alaska land tours) may be able to arrange something since you are a party of at least  ten.

[GTJ]

It depends in part on the relationship of the ten persons traveling together. If there is some common interest among them, such as might be among members of a special interest club (e.g., ten railfans looking to explore the route of the Alaska Railroad and taking photographs of the equipment used, ten mountain climbers seeking to ascend to the peak of Denali), then there is strong reason to charter a bus for the group and tour the various points of interest particular to your group. On the other hand, if there is no common interest (e.g., a family with no connection to one another besides blood), then you're probably best sticking with the standard tourist circuit. Otherwise, you'll start having arguing with other as to which places to visit, and risk decisions being made by group members who don't where they're going. (I know that attempting travel with nine other family members would be a nightmare for me. I would travel in a group that size only if there were some interest common to all, besides being with other. At least on the cruise the vessel is large enough for everyone to do their own thing, but on a bus tour everyone will be having to do the same thing at the same time.) The tourist circuit could done with as a scheduled tour with either the cruise line or an independent company. Generally, the cruise line will charge more and offer less than an independent company.

 

It may be worthwhile--more economical--to charter a bus, rather than buying ten seats on a scheduled bus tour, and the charter bus company can provide either a custom trip or a standard tourist circuit trip. If you do that, do be careful as to the type of bus that is chartered. The most comfortable would be a regular motorcoach (e.g., MCI, Prevost, Van Hool), though it might be expensive. A smaller minibus, or cutaway, would be more economical, but the ride would not be as smooth, there would be no lavatory, and the sightseeing views from the windows not as good. Mention was made elsewhere of Premier Alaska Tours. In addition to the tours the company provides to Royal Caribbean Group and its operating subsidiaries, it operates the "Wilderness Express" private railcars attached the Alaska Railroad's Denali Star train and the "Park Connection" scheduled motorcoach service brokered by Alaska Tour & Travel. In other words, this is a large and responsible company from which you could charter a bus and arrange for a tour.