Alaska Cruise Tour "Double Denali" Noordam - YVR to Whittier

[TxSweetThang]

We leave Vancouver for 7 days to Whittier, then we have the Double Denali land tour. Noordam on June 23rd.

This is our first land portion and we have no idea on what to expect. I am a planner and it drives me crazy that I haven't a clue as to what to expect regarding the land portion.

 

When the ship docks in Whittier, will we need to have our luggage with us to the buses? or will they be forwarding to the Hotel in Denali? Do they tell you which bus to take? we are traveling with another couple and want to be sure that we know where to go?

 

What time does the buses depart from Whittier to Denali? (We scheduled a 900 pm ATV tour).

 

There is a Wilderness and Tundra tour on the full day were are there, is that varied over different times?

 

When do we depart Denali on the train? I want to try to plan our evening in Anchorage.

 

Do we even know which hotel yet?  (I keep seeing Westmark, which someone told me on another forum, but it appears to be shuttered up).

 

Last question, I promise. Do you know if there will be a service to forward our luggage the next morning to the airport? Will the hotel possibly store until we are ready to leave for the airport? (Our flights are at 9 and 11 pm. Thanks for all your patience!!

 

[dfilpus]

You should receive detailed luggage handling and luggage tags in your cabin two days before the end of the cruise. You will get two different luggage tags - “Meet me tonight” for luggage that will go to your first hotel and “Meet me in Anchorage” for luggage that will go to your last hotel. You can take a day bag on the bus and train, Your luggage will travel separately. You leave the luggage outside of your cabin/room early in the morning. It will be delivered to your hotel room. If you have the Holland transfer to the airport, you will leave your luggage outside your room in the morning. Holland will store the luggage and deliver the luggage to you in the airport terminal. If you handling your own transfer, you will need to arrange your own storage as well.

when we did the cruise tour, we had two large suitcases. We packed all of our laundry and cruise specific stuff into one suitcase and tagged it for the last hotel. The other suitcase was tagged for “Meet me tonight”. The last day we sent all of the luggage to the airport except for a daypack, gored the city for the day, returned to the hotel for a 9 pm transfer bus to the Airport for a 11:45 pm flight. It all worked well.

You will receive detailed info on the ship, on the bus, on the train and at each hotel, On our tour, there was a presentation in the theater in the morning of the last sea day for all folks on cruise tours. The presentation was generic, but very informative. There was a cruise tour manager who held office hours to handle questions and problems, but the line was long that last day.

[Btimmer]

We've done the double and triple Denali in each of the last two years and are doing another one later this summer which will be a northbound out of Vancouver on the Koningsdam for 3 days and then a land trip through the gold country to Fairbanks and then down to Denali.  After Denali, we're taking the train to Anchorage, spending a few nights, and then catching the Grand Princess out of Whittier back to Vancouver.

 

In prior years, from Denali to Anchorage we traveled on the train with the dome cars which we really like.  The train does leave relatively early in the day.As shared above, the detailed information you are requesting will be provided at appropriate times during your trip.

 

Re: the Tundra tour, there are multiple departure times that are assigned and some of them leave fairly early. A box lunch and water is provided. The buses are a bit spartan (a little bit more deluxe than a school bus) but not like an over the road coach used between Denali & Fairbanks.

 

While we have always stayed at HAL's lodging in Denali, we really liked eating at the Princess facility which can be reached by walking or taking a free shuttle.  At the HAL site, the dinner theatre is worth doing for a light hearted look at local history. We've also eaten at the strip mall across the highway from the lodging in Denali.

 

In Fairbanks, we've always stayed at the Westmark and it was okay.  In Anchorage, we've stayed at the Captain Cook which is quite nice.

 

 

Edited June 10 by Btimmer

[Crew News]

Just a few more additional comments to those posted above:

 

While onboard, there will be at least two briefings where you can ask questions. 

 

Here is a link to the HAL Cruise Tour Brochure for 2024:  HAL Alaska Cruise Tour Brochure - 2024

 

It must be noted that roller bags are not permitted on the train unless they contain per-authorized medical equuipment.  Only a small backpack (brochure has dimensions) for those items you need while enroute to the next destination (meds, camera stuff, water bottle, tablet, etc.) are allowed.  Any larger carry-on bags that don't fit in bus overhead bins will be riding on your lap.  There is a bit of room at your feet on the train for a small backpack.

 

Bus seats are not assigned but train seats are assigned. 

 

There is a dining area on the first level of the train and you are allowed to dine when your seating row is called. The train food is great with good prices.  Nice bathrooms, too.  My train ride from Denali departed at 9:00 AM and arrived in Anchorage around 6:00 PM.

 

The Karsten's House restaurant in the middle of the resort is within walking distance, or shuttle bus ride, and serves large portions.

 

As a hobby photographer, I spent a large amount of time on the train platforms since photos through the thick train windows cause color bands on every photo.

 

Here are some resort photos:

 

 

 

 

 

Karsten's House Restaurant