Thoughts on this 14 Day HAL Cruisetour for 2024

[katmu]

I am looking at cruise tours for my mom and I for next June, primarily with HAL and Princess.  We really want a cruise than includes Glacier Bay. I am aware of the road closure in Denali.  My mom has previously been to Denali about 20 years ago but she would like to go again.  She is 83 but very active.  I however was in a serious accident in 2018 and shattered my right leg so I walk with a cane.  We enjoy wildlife, beautiful scenery and history.  We were looking at June as I’m hoping to do a whale watching small ship excursion.  We are focused on cruise tours that have Seward as a stop. 

 

 I had also researched the possibility of arranging independent travel for the land portion but I think we might be limited to the Alaska rail company packages as I would prefer not to drive due to my leg.  So far, I like this option from Holland America on the Nieuw Amsterdam the best as it has less backtracking than some of the other options from the cruise lines.  The Alaska rail company option looks to be very scenic but doesn’t give a lot of details on hotels and meals and it’s a bit more money. The drawback with the HAL option is that the trip from Denali to Anchorage is the only section that is on the glass dome train, everything else in done on motor coach.

 

I have done ballpark pricing for airfare from Minneapolis to both Anchorage and Fairbanks using this summer to gauge prices, and while there were more nonstops to Anchorage the prices from here were not substantially cheaper and there is still 1 nonstop per day to Fairbanks.

 

I would appreciate some feedback from Alaska veterans.  I’ve cruised before and I’ve planned plenty of independent trips but it still feels like a lot to consider with planning a trip to Alaska.  Plus, I really want to make this an extra special trip for my mom.

 

 

DAY

1 Fairbanks, Alaska Jun 16, 2024

2 Fairbanks, Alaska Jun 17, 2024 

3 Denali National Park, Alaska Jun 18, 2024

4 Denali National Park, Alaska Jun 19, 2024

5 Anchorage, Alaska, US Jun 20, 2024

6 Seward (Anchorage), Alaska, US Jun 21, 2024

7 Seward (Anchorage), Alaska, US Jun 22, 2024

8 Whittier, Alaska, US Jun 23, 2024 8:00 PM

9 Cruising Hubbard Glacier Jun 24, 2024 4:00PM - 6:00 PM

10 Glacier Bay Jun 25, 2024 8:30AM - 6:30PM

11 Skagway, Alaska, US Jun 26, 2024 7:00AM - 8:00PM

12 Juneau, Alaska, US Jun 27, 2024 8:00AM - 5:00PM

13 Ketchikan, Alaska, US Jun 28, 2024 11:00AM - 7:00PM

14 Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage Jun 29, 2024

15 Vancouver, B.C., CA Jun 30, 2024

[donaldsc]

One thing that worries me is how long are you really in Denali.  I would like to know the arrival time on day 1 in Denali and the departure time on day 2.  In many cases you get into Denali around 12:00 noon on day 1 and leave Denali around 2 PM on day 2.  In my book this means that you really have 1 day in Denali - a short end of the day on day 1 and a short beginning of the day on day 2.  This is not enough time in Denali.

 

Another thing to consider is that first of all with that schedule you don't have enough time to get into the really good parts of Denali.  Even if you theoretically had the time the only road into the park is closed at mile 43 so you can't  get to the good parts anyway.  IMHO going to Denali under the circumstances that I have described may not be worth doing.    Is it possible for you to find a cruisetour that does not go into Denali and makes better use of your time.

 

One final thing.  You really need to look closely at the port times for all the places that you will visit.  The cruise lines can be really sneaky about port times.  

 

DON

[Coral]

The other option you have is to fly to Anchorage and then go to Seward for a few days. You can rent a car, take a train ride or bus. Spend a few days in Seward and then go back to Anchorage and take a shuttle (train or bus) to Whittier to catch a cruise on HAL or Princess.

 

I get why you would want to spend time in Seward. It is a gem! I would be hesitant to spend that much time in Denali with road closure and that is a lot of travel from Fairbanks.

 

If the goal is to spend time in Seward - see Seward! You don't even need a car when in Seward.

 

This is what I would do rather than a cruise tour.

Edited March 3, 2023 by Coral

[wolfie11]

I find the land portion of the trip a bit weird.  Your tour really starts on Day 2 in Fairbanks when you do the gold dredge and riverboat.  Next day travel to Denali and the day after the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Then an all-day train ride to Anchorage and the next morning in Anchorage with an afternoon bus to Seward via Portage Glacier.  You have all day in Seward with no included excursion. Finally, a bus ride from Seward to Whittier to board your ship.

 

This is a lot of riding around Alaska on busses and trains.  Out of all this you have one day in Fairbanks, one day in Denali, and one day in Seward.  Alaska has some beautiful scenery to look out a window at, but if it's cloudy or rainy the view isn't nearly as exciting.  In addition, excursions other than Fairbanks, the Denali tour, and Portage Glacier are not included.  Meals are also not included and can be a considerable expense in the pricey cruise lined owned hotels.
 

Like many others, I would recommend a renting a car and doing it yourself.

[katmu]

All of the major cruise lines only seem to have tours that include Denali, or at least Talkeetna.  I’m assuming this is because they have a financial interest in the hotels and lodges there?

 

So if I move to trying to plan this myself would it best to do a few nights in Anchorage and then take the train to Seward and stay for 2-3 nights before heading to whichever cruise we decide on.  If it’s only the drive from Anchorage to Seward I would probably be ok as that looks fairly short, but my knee can only handle a drive of a few hours.  

 

I had liked that this tour didn’t include all of the cruise line package tours as I would rather arrange the excursions on my own.

[katmu]

7 hours ago, donaldsc said:

One thing that worries me is how long are you really in Denali.  I would like to know the arrival time on day 1 in Denali and the departure time on day 2.  In many cases you get into Denali around 12:00 noon on day 1 and leave Denali around 2 PM on day 2.  In my book this means that you really have 1 day in Denali - a short end of the day on day 1 and a short beginning of the day on day 2.  This is not enough time in Denali.

 

Another thing to consider is that first of all with that schedule you don't have enough time to get into the really good parts of Denali.  Even if you theoretically had the time the only road into the park is closed at mile 43 so you can't  get to the good parts anyway.  IMHO going to Denali under the circumstances that I have described may not be worth doing.    Is it possible for you to find a cruisetour that does not go into Denali and makes better use of your time.

 

One final thing.  You really need to look closely at the port times for all the places that you will visit.  The cruise lines can be really sneaky about port times.  

 

DON

 

The itinerary did say 2 nights in Denali.  I had posted the scheduled port times for the cruise portion above.  Juneau was the main one where I would possibly like to have a bit more time in port.

[Gardyloo]

I know this is somewhat off-topic, but just as a "what if," what if you scrubbed the cruise tour, booked a flightseeing tour of Denali from Anchorage, spent a day or two in Seward, then added back the additional days in Vancouver when you get off the boat?  No idea how much time you've spent in Vancouver, but there are SO MANY things you could do in that marvelous city that it might more than compensate for "missing" the abbreviated and canned days at Denali.  

 

Check out the marvelous gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park and the tropical plants and birds in the Bloedel Conservatory in the same park.  Enjoy the sights and foods in the Granville Island market.  See a play at the fabulous Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival.  If you're up for it, head to the Night Market at Richmond for an amazing night of Asian food, like in the night markets in that continent.  Do a scenic drive up the drop-dead gorgeous Sea to Sky Highway, or visit some wineries in the Fraser Valley.  Like I say, lots to do.  It's not Denali, for sure, but it's not bad.  

[oaktreerb]

Your mother is 83 and active and has been to Denali 20 years ago.  The Denali experience is not what it was 20 years ago.  The tour into the park is shortened due to the road reconstruction.  There are so,so many more tourists in the hotel area now.  McKinley Chalets has expanded their footprint and does have an upgrade/upsell hotel offering.  We have visited Denali many times over the past 15 years and three years ago I decided not to go back.  We did go back this past year and I did not enjoy the visit.  Too many people, too many changes.  Best for the younger crowd now, I think.  The train ride from Denali to Fairbanks is long and not very scenic.  I prefer the bus on that leg of the trip, shorter and just as scenic, and the HAL bus is very comfortable with a comfort stop along the way.

 

Holland America has a wonderful 14 day cruise in shoulder seasons.  Before Covid it was offered several times a year with a few changes every year and we have taken it 3-4 times.  That cruise was so great I would gladly take it every year.  Now it is offered only in shoulder season (May and Sept).  That May itinerary would be an excellent choice for you.  Seas in September might be rougher.  The ship even goes into the port of Anchorage for a day.

 

Check it out.

[AKStafford]

3 hours ago, katmu said:

All of the major cruise lines only seem to have tours that include Denali, or at least Talkeetna.  I’m assuming this is because they have a financial interest in the hotels and lodges there?

Princess and Holland America have lodges outside the entrance to Denali National Park in "Glitter Gulch". Princess also has their McKinley Princess Lodge about an hour from Talkeetna that they warehouse cruisetour people in to break up the long drive to Denali National Park.

[Northern Aurora]

7 hours ago, katmu said:

All of the major cruise lines only seem to have tours that include Denali, or at least Talkeetna.  I’m assuming this is because they have a financial interest in the hotels and lodges there?

 

......

 

Both Holland and Princess own large lodge complexes at the entrance to Denali National Park.  They also own hotels in Fairbanks with Holland also owning one in Anchorage.  Princess also has the McKinley View Lodge about 45 minutes by road to Talkeetna, the Copper River Lodge and Cooper Landing Lodge.

If my memory is correct last summer Princess at first opened the Copper River and Cooper Landing lodges but closed them in early June due to severe labor shortage issues.  While periodically posters will praise the amount of money these companies have invested in their infrastructure but it also means that they are tied to those lodges.  Note that the single road into Denali is closed 42 or so miles in they are still selling the cruise tours.  Quite frankly I don't think that Denali is worth visiting until folks can reach Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66).  If all goes really well that road will not be open past Pretty Rocks until 2025.

 

As already noted the cruise tour you are considering consists of a great amount of sitting on the transportation.

[Coral]

I would be tempted to fly to Anchorage and then go to Seward. You can take the train (very scenic), bus or rent a car. Spend a few days and go back to Anchorage and then shuttle to Whittier. I personally prefer Seward to Anchorage. Anchorage is a city to me (though there are good restaurants there). You don't need a car in Seward unless you are driving there.

 

I would echo spending a few days in Vancouver also. 

 

I would skip Denali right now and would not go clear to Fairbanks if you are skipping Denali.

Edited March 4, 2023 by Coral

[katmu]

46 minutes ago, Coral said:

I would be tempted to fly to Anchorage and then go to Seward. You can take the train (very scenic), bus or rent a car. Spend a few days and go back to Anchorage and then shuttle to Whittier. I personally prefer Seward to Anchorage. Anchorage is a city to me (though there are good restaurants there). You don't need a car in Seward unless you are driving there.

 

I would echo spending a few days in Vancouver also. 

 

I would skip Denali right now and would not go clear to Fairbanks if you are skipping Denali.

I am leaning towards flying into Anchorage, taking the train to Seward for a few nights and then taking the train back to Anchorage for 1 night before catching the shuttle to Whittier for the cruise.  

 

I did also find this Oceania 10 nt sailing that leaves directly from Seward as an option.

 

May 20 Seward, Alaska Embark 1 PM - 6 PM

May 21 Homer, Alaska 11 AM - 8 PM

May 22 Kodiak, Alaska 7 AM - 3 PM

May 23 Cruising Hubbard Glacier

May 24 Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska 8 AM - 7 PM

May 25 Skagway, Alaska 7 AM - 11 PM

May 26 Juneau, Alaska 8 AM - 6 PM

May 27 Sitka, Alaska 9 AM - 6 PM

May 28 Ketchikan, Alaska 9 AM - 6 PM

May 29 Cruising the Inside Passage

May 30 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Disembark 8 AM

 

 

7 hours ago, oaktreerb said:

Your mother is 83 and active and has been to Denali 20 years ago.  The Denali experience is not what it was 20 years ago.  The tour into the park is shortened due to the road reconstruction.  There are so,so many more tourists in the hotel area now.  McKinley Chalets has expanded their footprint and does have an upgrade/upsell hotel offering.  We have visited Denali many times over the past 15 years and three years ago I decided not to go back.  We did go back this past year and I did not enjoy the visit.  Too many people, too many changes.  Best for the younger crowd now, I think.  The train ride from Denali to Fairbanks is long and not very scenic.  I prefer the bus on that leg of the trip, shorter and just as scenic, and the HAL bus is very comfortable with a comfort stop along the way.

 

Holland America has a wonderful 14 day cruise in shoulder seasons.  Before Covid it was offered several times a year with a few changes every year and we have taken it 3-4 times.  That cruise was so great I would gladly take it every year.  Now it is offered only in shoulder season (May and Sept).  That May itinerary would be an excellent choice for you.  Seas in September might be rougher.  The ship even goes into the port of Anchorage for a day.

 

Check it out.

I had looked at both the May and September 14 Day Explorer cruises on HAL.  The September sailing will be hard for me as it is getting into our busy season at work, but I slightly preferred that version as it included Glacier Bay.  Neither of them included Seward but Homer and Kodiak might be interesting.  I do wish they offered that itinerary in June rather than so early in May.  Going earlier in May and visiting some of the quieter ports might be good though too.

[Coral]

1 minute ago, katmu said:

I am leaning towards flying into Anchorage, taking the train to Seward for a few nights and then taking the train back to Anchorage for 1 night before catching the shuttle to Whittier for the cruise.  

 

I did also find this Oceania 10 nt sailing that leaves directly from Seward as an option.

 

May 20 Seward, Alaska Embark 1 PM - 6 PM

May 21 Homer, Alaska 11 AM - 8 PM

May 22 Kodiak, Alaska 7 AM - 3 PM

May 23 Cruising Hubbard Glacier

May 24 Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska 8 AM - 7 PM

May 25 Skagway, Alaska 7 AM - 11 PM

May 26 Juneau, Alaska 8 AM - 6 PM

May 27 Sitka, Alaska 9 AM - 6 PM

May 28 Ketchikan, Alaska 9 AM - 6 PM

May 29 Cruising the Inside Passage

May 30 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Disembark 8 AM

 

 

That is a great itinerary! The only negative is that Hubbard Glacier can be blocked early in the season. This would give you access to some less visited ports such as Homer, Kodiak and Sitka. Your Mom would probably enjoy this nicer upscale line. 

 

If you do this - go into Seward 1-2 days earlier. Great boat rides from there to Kenai Fjords.

[Northern Aurora]

I love Homer.  Great scenery and non-touristy.  Sitka is also a plus.

[katmu]

I am going to have to wait on the Oceania sailing for another year, perhaps once Denali is fully open.  The good news is that the trip has now become a multi-generational sailing and my younger son will be joining us.  We have booked the 7 night HAL Southbound from Whittier to Vancouver than includes Glacier Bay leaving on 5/26/24.  We will still add on a few nights at the beginning and end of our cruise.  This will be my son’s first cruise.  We have a balcony, actually a double-width balcony and an inside across the hall so we will have 2 bathrooms.  

[Gardyloo]

That sounds like a terrific solution.

[kickboxrca]

We did an 11 day cruise tour last year on HAL (the Gold Rush - AK/YK).  We are experienced travelers, and I have no problem putting together land portions to go with cruises, or navigate Europe or Asia.  That said, we decided to book the entire thing with HAL.  The itinerary was not the same as yours - but many of the same stops.  We ran into a number of people that were doing a similar trip but booked all their own travel.  I felt super spoiled on the tour. If I had it to do again, I would do the exact same thing - although I might book a couple more days on either end - and do the cruise part 2nd ... we were definitely worn out by the end - the thought of having to do the driving as well as seeing all of those sights is completely overwhelming. 

 

We did 2 nights in Denali - with the Tundra Wildnerness tour bright and early ... we saw many crowded buses - ours was not because it was just our tour group, and although yes, the tour is shorter, we saw all kinds of wildlife, and our guide was fabulous.  The cruise person that accompanied us on the journey gave us lots of tips and tricks, recommendations for what to do and where to eat.

 

It was FABULOUS.