titodewy Posted July 10 #1 Share Posted July 10 Hi all, We have an included land tour through Holland America at Denali National Park. I know it's not mandatory that we go, but I think we get straight off our coach when we get there to take he Denali History Tour Bus That's a lot of time on buses! We would like to do something else like hiking trails. Has anyone gone with Holland America Cruise and been able to substitute this tour with a nice hike or done another active type tour? We don't want to just sit in our hotel room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 10 #2 Share Posted July 10 If you look at your HAL confirmation, scroll down you should find a detail like this picture. It will give timing precisely. You do not have to go on the Denali tour provided but I would recommend it. There won’t be any substitutions . If you don’t you can take a free shuttle from the hotel to the Denali visitor center. You can hike from there and take the NPS shuttle to the kennels or a few other locations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host Kat Posted July 10 #3 Share Posted July 10 28 minutes ago, titodewy said: Hi all, We have an included land tour through Holland America at Denali National Park. I know it's not mandatory that we go, but I think we get straight off our coach when we get there to take he Denali History Tour Bus That's a lot of time on buses! We would like to do something else like hiking trails. Has anyone gone with Holland America Cruise and been able to substitute this tour with a nice hike or done another active type tour? We don't want to just sit in our hotel room. Hello @titodewy Thank you for your new thread on the Ask s Cruise Question forum! However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. Your inquiry was off topic there since it concerns a specific cruise line and their land tour policy. Your thread has been moved to the Holland America Line forum where it will be on topic. Browse through the thread titles in this forum looking for threads of interest. You may find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that may be of interest to you. For further research on information regarding things to do in Alaska, click here: Ports of Call - Alaska The Cruise Critic website and message boards are both great resources for new as well as experienced cruisers and we are so glad you are posting! Please feel free to browse the Cruise Critic Community categories list of the various forums. I suggest you put the page link in your browser's Favorites for quick & easy access in the future. Please read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads (aka stickies) on the top of the first page of threads in most forums. You will find very important instructions or information there. I also suggest you use the Follow feature on any new threads you start or any other threads or forums where you are interested in the new replies. That way you will not have to go looking to see if there are new posts because they will come l👀king for you as notifications! If you need information on how to do it, please click here: How to: Follow Topics & Forums (Subscribed Threads/Forums Info) and here: How To: Change Email Settings/Unsubscribe: Notification Settings If you ever need technical help in regard to using the Cruise Critic message board software, go to the Need Help Using the Forums? Check Here! forum. You will see a large amount of "How to..." pinned threads toward the top of the forum's first page. Also, browse through the threads in the forum looking for threads of interest. Again, you may find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers about using the message board software that may be of interest to you. I sincerely hope this will be helpful! Happy sails, Host Kat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 10 Author #4 Share Posted July 10 42 minutes ago, Mary229 said: If you look at your HAL confirmation, scroll down you should find a detail like this picture. It will give timing precisely. You do not have to go on the Denali tour provided but I would recommend it. There won’t be any substitutions . If you don’t you can take a free shuttle from the hotel to the Denali visitor center. You can hike from there and take the NPS shuttle to the kennels or a few other locations. Thanks good to know! This does give us some options. Unfortunately it appears that we will be riding buses all day if we don't think of something else. Didn't realize this until I started looking closer at our itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalspin Posted July 11 #5 Share Posted July 11 5 hours ago, titodewy said: We would like to do something else like hiking trails. Take mosquito-headnets, long sleeves, and maybe some DEET for your hands and ankles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 11 #6 Share Posted July 11 11 hours ago, titodewy said: Thanks good to know! This does give us some options. Unfortunately it appears that we will be riding buses all day if we don't think of something else. Didn't realize this until I started looking closer at our itinerary. One thing to note is the days are very long. On our first full day we had time to take the NP bus tour, hike 8 miles, then hike to the kennels watch the dog show, shuttle back, wander about the hotel before going for an evening trail ride. Due to the long days we did not feel tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 11 Author #7 Share Posted July 11 9 hours ago, crystalspin said: Take mosquito-headnets, long sleeves, and maybe some DEET for your hands and ankles. What! Umm, now you are starting to scare me ( a little ) we are going mid May when us southerners think it's s way to cold for mosquitoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #8 Share Posted July 11 59 minutes ago, titodewy said: What! Umm, now you are starting to scare me ( a little ) we are going mid May when us southerners think it's s way to cold for mosquitoes. And they are BIG bugs, too! Remember, you could cut Alaska in half and make Texas the THIRD largest state in the US! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 11 Author #9 Share Posted July 11 1 hour ago, SeaMatesNYC said: And they are BIG bugs, too! Remember, you could cut Alaska in half and make Texas the THIRD largest state in the US! Ok, so we will bring out mosquito net clothing. We have hiking boots but may need cramp ons... I guess? We were just planning on hiking a trail from the visitor center but it will be mid May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #10 Share Posted July 11 26 minutes ago, titodewy said: Ok, so we will bring out mosquito net clothing. We have hiking boots but may need cramp ons... I guess? We were just planning on hiking a trail from the visitor center but it will be mid May. I was being hyperbolic! But I do believe you caught on. 😉 But there can be mosquitos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 11 Author #11 Share Posted July 11 17 hours ago, titodewy said: Thanks good to know! This does give us some options. Unfortunately it appears that we will be riding buses all day if we don't think of something else. Didn't realize this until I started looking closer at our itinerary. Mary 229, Our itinerary shows that we don't get to Denali until noon and we leave the next day by train. You seem sure that there would not be any substitutions other than the Natural History Tour, just wondering if you have taken Holland America 11 day signature Denali D91 cruise before? The land part is first. 18 hours ago, titodewy said: Thanks good to know! This does give us some options. Unfortunately it appears that we will be riding buses all day if we don't think of something else. Didn't realize this until I started looking closer at our itinerary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare rafinmd Posted July 11 #12 Share Posted July 11 As I remember, one thing to consider is that if you do that let your journey host know a day in advance so your bus does not wait for you. Roy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 11 Author #13 Share Posted July 11 7 minutes ago, rafinmd said: As I remember, one thing to consider is that if you do that let your journey host know a day in advance so your bus does not wait for you. Roy Yes, we would certainly do that. I wish they would offer some options other than getting on another bus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #14 Share Posted July 11 16 minutes ago, titodewy said: Yes, we would certainly do that. I wish they would offer some options other than getting on another bus. When you write “Natural History Tour” I am assuming you are referring to the standard “Tundra Wilderness Tour” TWT which is the 5-6 hour bus tour into the park to Mile 43. I would urge you not to miss this even though it will make for a long day on the buses. It is the highlight of wildlife and majestic scenery viewing for many. You could catnap on the ride to Healy (McKinley lodge) and use earplugs or noise cancelling headphones if you have a chatty bus driver. For me, no amount of hiking or Visitor center time would substitute. We’ve seen grizzly, moose, Dall sheep, fox, wolf, and the most beautiful landscapes, including, if you have good luck, vistas of Denali (“The Great One”) that you may not see any other time. Just my two cents. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaktreerb Posted July 11 #15 Share Posted July 11 You should have the train from Denali to Whittier to join the ship. The Natural History Tour is the shorter bus tour and you will have opportunities to get off the bus now and then. Since you are not on a Yukon tour you will not have a journey host. There is a customer service desk topside at the Chalets if you want to cancel the tour and do something else. You should have time in Talkeetna and Denali to do some hiking or flightseeing. HAL has broken up the bus ride into two segments, first night Talkeena, second night Denali. You will have time for independent hikes. The daylight hours are long. There is never a reason to sit in your hotel room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaktreerb Posted July 11 #16 Share Posted July 11 13 minutes ago, SeaMatesNYC said: When you write “Natural History Tour” I am assuming you are referring to the standard “Tundra Wilderness Tour” TWT which is the 5-6 hour bus tour into the park to Mile 43. I would urge you not to miss this even though it will make for a long day on the buses. It is the highlight of wildlife and majestic scenery viewing for many. You could catnap on the ride to Healy (McKinley lodge) and use earplugs or noise cancelling headphones if you have a chatty bus driver. For me, no amount of hiking or Visitor center time would substitute. We’ve seen grizzly, moose, Dall sheep, fox, wolf, and the most beautiful landscapes, including, if you have good luck, vistas of Denali (“The Great One”) that you may not see any other time. Just my two cents. The Natural History Tour and the Tundra Wilderness Tour are not the same. The NHT is shorter and is not focused on animal sitings, although we did see 2 Moose close-up on the road just as we got off the bus at one stop. NHT is offered for travelers whose time in the park is limited. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 11 Author #17 Share Posted July 11 Yeah, unfortunately not, that's another reason we want to do something else. If it was the TWT tour we may have been interested. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalspin Posted July 11 #18 Share Posted July 11 2 hours ago, titodewy said: Ok, so we will bring out mosquito net clothing. We have hiking boots but may need cramp ons... I guess? We were just planning on hiking a trail from the visitor center but it will be mid May. You will not need crampons! Those long days melt the snow at visitor level -- may/probably encounter mud! We were there in mid-late June and the mosquitos were out in force! I think they must be a different species that in the lower 48! Big, black, and tough -- would swat and lift my hand and the bug would fly away! We did Denali as self-drive, riding the free NPS bus to the internal Visitor Center. There was a tundra walk (hiking boots not necessary) that we did NOT take, but wished we had. We rode on in to the next lake and my mom and I walked there -- husband did not get off the bus -- the mosquitos there were so thick it did ruin the walk, they hadn't been that thick at the VC. I do not understand the HAL agenda for your tour -- if you can just stay and walk and not do the bus ride, or if the bus riders just continue on to the rest of the land tour! Hope someone comes along with recent knowledge. Or browse here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/33-alaska/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 11 #19 Share Posted July 11 (edited) 3 hours ago, titodewy said: Mary 229, Our itinerary shows that we don't get to Denali until noon and we leave the next day by train. You seem sure that there would not be any substitutions other than the Natural History Tour, just wondering if you have taken Holland America 11 day signature Denali D91 cruise before? The land part is first. I have taken the Denali Yukon tour. We arrived after lunch the first day. There won’t be substitutions but there will be excursions. In other words you will not get a refund to apply to another trip and since there is an expectation that you would be on the NPS tour (about 4 hours) there will be no excursions during that time. Of course you could find a guide yourself. You can book an evening excursion though. Mine started around 7:30pm and we got back around 11pm. Be aware the hikes are right at the visitor center and environs. There is no off-road hiking in the park, none! at least without a permit which must be gotten in advance . . Denali is a very restrictive as to hiking. Having visited and hiked many national parks I was rather taken aback at how restrictive it is. Personally I would not skip the tour in anticipation of the hikes near the center . I agree with the idea of doing a self drive instead of the tour. You can stay at the lodge but do your own driving. Edited July 11 by Mary229 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #20 Share Posted July 11 41 minutes ago, Mary229 said: I agree with the idea of doing a self drive instead of the tour. You can stay at the lodge but do your own driving. Not sure what is meant by self drive: taking the Green bus to stops along the Park Road, or literally self-driving. If the latter in your own rented vehicle, you will not get past mile 15, without campground, backcountry camping or lodging permit reservations. Lacking those, only NPS buses go past mile 15 (Savage River lot). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 11 #21 Share Posted July 11 1 hour ago, SeaMatesNYC said: Not sure what is meant by self drive: taking the Green bus to stops along the Park Road, or literally self-driving. If the latter in your own rented vehicle, you will not get past mile 15, without campground, backcountry camping or lodging permit reservations. Lacking those, only NPS buses go past mile 15 (Savage River lot). I am talking about self driving TO Denali. A walk up person can also pay to be on a NPS school bus tour. That is not exclusive to cruise passengers. If the OP did this he could spend more days instead of being tied to HAL’s schedule. I spoke extensively about park regulations twice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #22 Share Posted July 11 1 minute ago, Mary229 said: I am talking about self driving TO Denali. A walk up person can also pay to be on a NPS school bus tour. That is not exclusive to cruise passengers. If the OP did this he could spend more days instead of being tied to HAL’s schedule. I spoke extensively about park regulations twice Thanks. I appreciate your extensive knowledge here and did not mean to suggest you had missed anything. I was confused about what was meant by self drive and you have clarified that well, so thanks once again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted July 11 #23 Share Posted July 11 17 minutes ago, SeaMatesNYC said: Thanks. I appreciate your extensive knowledge here and did not mean to suggest you had missed anything. I was confused about what was meant by self drive and you have clarified that well, so thanks once again! It is my intention next year to redo and self drive. It is very easy and not at all expensive. The first time we did Yukon and there I did appreciate the guide service as the distances were large but next time will be independent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaMatesNYC Posted July 11 #24 Share Posted July 11 1 minute ago, Mary229 said: It is my intention next year to redo and self drive. It is very easy and not at all expensive. The first time we did Yukon and there I did appreciate the guide service as the distances were large but next time will be independent Yes, we have now done guided twice in 6 years. If/when we do Alaska again, it may be time to try something like you describe. I think I’ve had my fill of Westmark! Where did you look for potential routes/itineraries? For the OP, have you considered D0L (delta zero Lima)? Starts in Fairbanks, two nights Denali, then train to port for southbound cruise to Vancouver. Ample time in Denali. TWT on the full day at McKinley. Tour opportunities on eve of Denali arrival and next day after TWT. Worked perfect for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titodewy Posted July 12 Author #25 Share Posted July 12 Thanks everyone! Your replies have given me a lot clearer idea of what it will be like and what my alternatives may be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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