Alaska tour help!

[RDDC]

Feeling overwhelmed with all the information!

Looking for thoughts comparing 2 different itineraries.

Pros/Cons of:

Princess Sapphire cruise tour--inside passage, glacier bay from only 6am-3pm, ISP,  2 night stay in Denali

Princess Majestic cruise tour-- not inside passage, glacier bay from 9-7:30pm, skagway, 2 night stay in Denali + 1 night in Mt. McKinley

Is the inside passage so great that we shouldn't miss it or is an extra day in Mt. McKinley worth it?

 

[Crew News]

10 minutes ago, RDDC said:

Feeling overwhelmed with all the information!

Looking for thoughts comparing 2 different itineraries.

Pros/Cons of:

Princess Sapphire cruise tour--inside passage, glacier bay from only 6am-3pm, ISP,  2 night stay in Denali

Princess Majestic cruise tour-- not inside passage, glacier bay from 9-7:30pm, skagway, 2 night stay in Denali + 1 night in Mt. McKinley

Is the inside passage so great that we shouldn't miss it or is an extra day in Mt. McKinley worth it?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  ISP has active whales of my many whale watching experiences.  Amazing photo opportunities!!!

 

 

 

 

[wolfie11]

Sapphire.  The extra hour or so in Glacier Bay is nice, but all cruise ships follow the same route.  McKinley is in the middle of nowhere with nothing much to do.  Also, you'll miss going on the inside of Vancouver Island, which is a delight with opportunities to see humpbacks and orca.  
 

If I was picking, I'd skip the land tour this time around because only half the Denali park road is open and I'd do the 11 day cruise on the Crown.  

[Kathscof]

I would go Sapphire as well, if you can constantly look at glaciers for more than 8 hours, you might need to look into a way more intensive glacier focused tour 😉 haha Inside passage is great for a day on the ship (instead of just water to look at) and ISP is a fantastic port 🙂 

[RDDC]

9 hours ago, Crew News said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  ISP has active whales of my many whale watching experiences.  Amazing photo opportunities!!!

 

 

 

 

These pictures are amazing! Do you have a whale watching tour company you recommend?

[RDDC]

8 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Sapphire.  The extra hour or so in Glacier Bay is nice, but all cruise ships follow the same route.  McKinley is in the middle of nowhere with nothing much to do.  Also, you'll miss going on the inside of Vancouver Island, which is a delight with opportunities to see humpbacks and orca.  
 

If I was picking, I'd skip the land tour this time around because only half the Denali park road is open and I'd do the 11 day cruise on the Crown.  

Thank you! I will look into Crown. 

[RDDC]

53 minutes ago, Kathscof said:

I would go Sapphire as well, if you can constantly look at glaciers for more than 8 hours, you might need to look into a way more intensive glacier focused tour 😉 haha Inside passage is great for a day on the ship (instead of just water to look at) and ISP is a fantastic port 🙂 

Thank you!

[RDDC]

1 hour ago, Kathscof said:

I would go Sapphire as well, if you can constantly look at glaciers for more than 8 hours, you might need to look into a way more intensive glacier focused tour 😉 haha Inside passage is great for a day on the ship (instead of just water to look at) and ISP is a fantastic port 🙂 

Thank you!

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, RDDC said:

These pictures are amazing! Do you have a whale watching tour company you recommend?

I usually book all of my excursions through Holland America Line because I earn loyalty points.

 

ISP is small so only a few whale watching companies.  A good analogy would be airlines (both large and small) all going to the same place.  The difference is the size of the boats and their relative amenities (bathroom facilities).  It must be noted that all of the boats go to the same whale feeding spots and when whales are spotted, the boats notify each other.

[Kathscof]

1 hour ago, RDDC said:

These pictures are amazing! Do you have a whale watching tour company you recommend?

Since its a "cruise ship" port, they made it to work in conjunction with the native tribe (I am assuming Tlingit?) in the area, meaning most are through the cruise line.  I do know that Hoonah Travel Adventures and Glacier Wind are the other ones.  

[Italy52]

If looking for a good whale watching company, I highly recommend Glacier Wind Charters.  Wonderful company to work with and will work very hard to ensure your experience is memorable.

Edited April 26, 2023 by Italy52

[Northern Aurora]

I am late to this discussion but I would also go with the Sapphire itinerary.  I would not choose the Majestic itinerary which has the extra day at the McKinley View Princess Lodge.

 

The Denali Princess Lodge and the McKinley View Princess are very different experiences.  

 

The Denali Princess is located a mile or so north of the entrance to Denali National Park.  The park entrance is mile 237 of the George Parks Highway.  Other lodging complexes are located near by, and there are a number  of business (such as flight seeing or river rafting) businesses located in what is termed "glitter gulch" (the businesses located just outside of the park entrance).

 

The McKinley View Princess is located at mile 133 of the George Parks Highway.  While there are nice views of Denali if the mountain is visible the McKinley View complex is not located near any other business.  The lodge complex itself is located up a hill with a long walk to the highway, but, there is nothing within walking distance.  The community of Talkeetna is about a 45 to 60 minute drive away.  We have stayed at the McKinley View Princess a number of times as it is good stopping place for us when we drive back from Seward to our home in Fairbanks.  I am often struck by how a number of folks look bored as they are sitting in the lobby.  Some folks do find it a good place to do their laundry.

[RDDC]

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

I am late to this discussion but I would also go with the Sapphire itinerary.  I would not choose the Majestic itinerary which has the extra day at the McKinley View Princess Lodge.

 

The Denali Princess Lodge and the McKinley View Princess are very different experiences.  

 

The Denali Princess is located a mile or so north of the entrance to Denali National Park.  The park entrance is mile 237 of the George Parks Highway.  Other lodging complexes are located near by, and there are a number  of business (such as flight seeing or river rafting) businesses located in what is termed "glitter gulch" (the businesses located just outside of the park entrance).

 

The McKinley View Princess is located at mile 133 of the George Parks Highway.  While there are nice views of Denali if the mountain is visible the McKinley View complex is not located near any other business.  The lodge complex itself is located up a hill with a long walk to the highway, but, there is nothing within walking distance.  The community of Talkeetna is about a 45 to 60 minute drive away.  We have stayed at the McKinley View Princess a number of times as it is good stopping place for us when we drive back from Seward to our home in Fairbanks.  I am often struck by how a number of folks look bored as they are sitting in the lobby.  Some folks do find it a good place to do their laundry.

Thank you!

[RDDC]

4 hours ago, Italy52 said:

If looking for a good whale watching company, I highly recommend Glacier Wind Charters.  Wonderful company to work with and will work very hard to ensure your experience is memorable.

Thank you!

[RDDC]

I was really hoping to see Denali on my first,  and potentially only,  trip to Alaska.  From what I'm reading it sounds like most are recommending skipping it for now. 

I'm open to a DIY land tour.  Is there somewhere I could look for suggestions/itineraries that would suggest  places other than Denali?

[Kathscof]

Just now, RDDC said:

I was really hoping to see Denali on my first,  and potentially only,  trip to Alaska.  From what I'm reading it sounds like most are recommending skipping it for now. 

I'm open to a DIY land tour.  Is there somewhere I could look for suggestions/itineraries that would suggest  places other than Denali?

I am doing a land tour on my own and yes, going to Denali this year with my parents.....they are getting older, and seeing some of the park is better than none.....

 

We are doing the train from Fairbanks->Denali->Anchorage->Seward to the cruise.....there are general points of interest along that general route (from what I have gathered) if you were to do it with a car too.  There are many places to stop, and I know that your range of options get wider the closer you get to the coast.  Alaska.org is actually a pretty fantastic resource and has a lot of information in one spot, linked to official websites.   

[RDDC]

3 minutes ago, Kathscof said:

I am doing a land tour on my own and yes, going to Denali this year with my parents.....they are getting older, and seeing some of the park is better than none.....

 

We are doing the train from Fairbanks->Denali->Anchorage->Seward to the cruise.....there are general points of interest along that general route (from what I have gathered) if you were to do it with a car too.  There are many places to stop, and I know that your range of options get wider the closer you get to the coast.  Alaska.org is actually a pretty fantastic resource and has a lot of information in one spot, linked to official websites.   

Thank you! I will take a look!

[kamelia]

I highly recommend The Alaska App for both general information about visiting Alaska as well as an excellent source of information for anyone doing self-drive land tours.

Edited April 27, 2023 by kamelia

[Kathscof]

1 minute ago, kamelia said:

I highly recommend The Alaska App for both general information about visiting Alaska as well as an excellent source of information for anyone doing a self-drive land tours.

powered by alaska.org ! haha yay! That's neat!

[GoDucksNation]

Last year we flew into Fairbanks and worked our way south. I would spend time in Denali and skip Talkeetna/McKinley area.  Much more to see/do in Denali. End in Anchorage and then cruise after land portion (more relaxation on the back end)

[portiemom]

I'll offer a benefit to staying at the Princess Mt. McKinley Lodge. You will have more time in Denali. Without the layover at Mt. McKinley, you will have a longer travel day to Denali and arrive with less time to spend there. Just a thought. I agree with maximizing time in Denali, if you will travel all that way.