Alaksa Cruisetours

[mamaday]

Looking for recommendations on a land tour to add to our cruise for June 2009. Any suggestions on what not to miss?

[Nancyquilts]

Have you posted this on the Alaska board too? That way you'll get answers from passengers on all the ships. Nancy

[kaudrey]

The response to your question will overwhelmingly be one of 3 things:

 

1) You should ask this on the Alaska board - AFTER reading a lot of posts over there and getting an idea of what you might want to do.

 

2) What are your interests/abilities? We have no idea what you should not miss because we know nothing about you.

 

3) You should do the land portion yourself because it will be cheaper and tailored to your interests.

 

For example, I have planned our 6 day land portion myself, and I have picked what I don't want to miss, but unless your idea of seeing Alaska means tent camping and backcountry hiking in Denali, my "don't misses" won't help you very much! :)

 

Karen

[jlc0773]

I'm not sure what you mean by "land tour" , if you mean shore excursion from the ship then you can get advice from those who have been. If you are trying to at a Princess cruisetour to an existing cruise you must rebook as a particular cruisetour. Call Princess is my advice.

[cruiserjcp]

Does anyone know if there are any tours to Emerald Lake? Leaving Aug 9 on Sapphire to Alaska.

[whale-watcher]

Looking for recommendations on a land tour to add to our cruise for June 2009. Any suggestions on what not to miss?

most important...do NOT book any cruise tour that visits Denali and only includes the Natural History Tour. The tundra wilderness tour and the inexpensive park shuttle busses are much better options. I personally would not call princess for advice about land tours until you have had a chance to study the alaska boards, or you may end up purchasing a land tour you regret later.:)

[Trash Queen]

Cruiserjpc, So far as I know, there aren't tours to Sapphire Lake. Reserve a car from Avis, walk the two blocks from the pier to the rental office, and have a great trip on your own. The road is good; if you see bears alongside the pavement, you'll be able to stop and take photos. It's a great drive. We did a dogsled tour in the morning, ate lunch aboard ship, and then drove to Emerald Lake in the afternoon.

 

Charlotte

[thinfool]

Does anyone know if there are any tours to Emerald Lake? Leaving Aug 9 on Sapphire to Alaska.

If you meant Wonder Lake, yes there are, but I don't know if Princess includes them in any of their cruisetours. Even the popular Tundra Wilderness Tour is in very few of the Princess cruisetours.

 

You can check into making your own arrangements here.

 

http://www.reservedenali.com/tours/index.cfm

 

Be aware that many or all of these may be booked already. We asked about cancellations and were able to book a cancellation in the 8 days before the date that we wanted last August.

[margord]

We did the cruisetour for the Canaidan Rockies. It was awesome. I would do it again in a minute.

[Crusin Karen]

We just booked a cruise to AK a few weeks ago. This was the LAST thing I ever thought we would do since we are Caribbean beach cruisers! ;)

I started visiting the AK board and you can't even imagine all the info you get over there. Trek on over and enjoy the planning! :)

[Sea and Me]

We just booked a cruise to AK a few weeks ago. This was the LAST thing I ever thought we would do since we are Caribbean beach cruisers! ;)

I started visiting the AK board and you can't even imagine all the info you get over there. Trek on over and enjoy the planning! :)

 

Karen:

 

I was like you (give me the beach) but we did Alaska last May it is spectacular!!! No photo can do it justice. In fact, we are looking into going again. I know you will enjoy your cruise:)

 

Carol

[jrw]

Does anyone know if there are any tours to Emerald Lake? Leaving Aug 9 on Sapphire to Alaska.

 

Emerald Lake is reached via the Skagway port. If this is what you are referring to, check out Chilkoot Charters. They do a bus/rail combo tour that goes to Emerald Lake.

[Crusin Karen]

Carol, thanks for that! I am really excited and almost wish we could leave tomorrow, but kind of "overwhelmed" by all I have read. We are locked in to 3 Caribbean cruises before AK and we will have to "tighten our belt." I am sure we are going to go out there and wonder why we spent so much time relaxing on beaches lol. I love palm trees and torquoise water, but I think my jaw is going to drop open when I see the beauty of Alaska. :)

[travellover3]

We did a cruisetour last year. Through warnings on this board, we substitued the Tundra Wilderness Tour for the Natural History Tour. Glad we did. Did it through our TA with an added charge, but worth it.

[mamaday]

I was asking about the specific cruisetours that Princess offers. My parents have booked us on an Alaska Coral cruise for 6/29/09. I was looking for recommendations from others who have used Princess for a land tour to add on to your cruise. Are they worth the extra $?

 

Thanks!

[margord]

I was asking about the specific cruisetours that Princess offers. My parents have booked us on an Alaska Coral cruise for 6/29/09. I was looking for recommendations from others who have used Princess for a land tour to add on to your cruise. Are they worth the extra $?

 

Thanks!

 

As stated above we did the Candian Rockies tour through Princess. It was worth every penny. It was first class all the way and totally escorted. It was an awesome trip.

[LoveSanibel]

We did 5 day cruisetour ~ 2 in Fairbanks, 2 in Denali and 1 in Talkeetna.

Loved it all. The Princess lodges were very nice and we had great weather. Almost no rain the whole 2 weeks.

 

Other posts are correct Tundra Wilderness Tour is the way to go. It is a full day 9 hours or so, starting at 5:30 AM but so worth it. Do take a lunch/drinks with you. They provide a boxed lunch ~ not so great. We went to the mini mart across the street from the Denali Princess Lodge and got lunchables and canned prepared tuna/cracker sets. The lunch was caribou sausage, cheese, nutri grain bar, bottle of water and I can't remember if it was crackers or a roll that was included. Not great for the then 11 yr old ~ he was much happier with the lunchable. We also loved the Dog Sled excursion at the Park. Very interesting how the rangers handle the winters.

 

Fairbanks was fun too. Went to the gold mine, saw the pipeline and went on the riverboat. Also went to the Alaska Museum at the University of Fairbanks which was great. Showed a lot of history of Alaska.

 

Talkeetna we went to Sun Dog Kennels. They are working kennels and Iditarod racers. Got to ride on the summer sled training that they use and learn about how they plan for and run the race. Also got to play with the puppies! Very educational and tons of fun. Really great hosts.

[Cybercsp]

Hi Mamaday!

I thought we were the only ones already booked on the 6/29/09 cruisetour :) I have never booked ANYTHING this far out! I am hoping that it meets our expectations. i have heard good things about the cruisetours from friends.

[constantlearner]

Mamaday-We are booking the same cruise as you. We're first timers too, from the Midwest. This website has a ton of information. I'm getting alot of information from my Mom who lived in Alaska for 10 years. We're going at a good time. Should be a fun trip!

[jlc0773]

pirincess lodges has a detailed website if you want to visit that to get an idea of the lodges themselves as well...... there are virtual tours on that website. google princess lodges.

[dcl1710]

One big suggestion: if you are doing a land tour do it BEFORE the cruise! There is a lot of moving around so that by the time you are done with the land portion, you get 7 beautiful days on the ship. The Princess Lodge at Mt. McKinley is fabulous. Denali pretty, but the lodge is not as nice.

The land tour was so worth the money.Even my kids who at the time were 19 and 15 loved the beauty of this state. Try to snorkel at Ketchikan!

[figs]

I posted this elsewhere, but you guys might be able to give me a better answer! My parents are doing a Princess Alaska cruisetour (can't remember the number) in a month, and looking over the info packet has been a bit overwhelming (they've never cruised before).

 

I think where we're really confused is about the tour part of the trip---they received a large book of excursions for the lodge stops, but there doesn't seem to be any time built into their days for them. IE, they arrive at a lodge after 5-7 hours of traveling at 6pm, then they have to be up and out for a bus tour (NOT an excursion, part of the "cruisetour") by 9 or 10 the next day. When are they supposed to take advantage of these 1-4 hour booklet trips? At 7 or 8pm, after a full day of traveling? At 6am in the morning, having gotten up at 4am to get ready? We're kinda confused as to why we have a whole book of trips that don't seem to "fit" the schedule they sent us.

 

Can anyone explain this a little better? I'm so confused.

[scmomofboys]

Figs,

The cruise tours already have some excursions built into them (included in their tours). Some cruise tours have more down time than others, which is why the additional tours are offered. There are also a wide variety of age groups that go, and some people prefer more activity, while others need the "down time" to unwind.

 

If there is a do or die activity they want, then they should try to book ahead. Some tours do sell out. Otherwise, they may want to play it by ear and see how they feel on the tour. You can book available tours while on your cruise tour. I don't think Princess would let them book a Princess sponsored tour if it won't fit in their time frame.

[jrw]

Figs,

The cruise tours already have some excursions built into them (included in their tours). Some cruise tours have more down time than others, which is why the additional tours are offered. There are also a wide variety of age groups that go, and some people prefer more activity, while others need the "down time" to unwind.

 

If there is a do or die activity they want, then they should try to book ahead. Some tours do sell out. Otherwise, they may want to play it by ear and see how they feel on the tour. You can book available tours while on your cruise tour. I don't think Princess would let them book a Princess sponsored tour if it won't fit in their time frame.

 

I believe you can also substitute (vs. add on) some other excursion if it is of more interest than the included one. I have read a few posts where people have gotten a credit to do so. Something to consider. Also, some cruisetours have longer stays at a given location, which allows for more excursions.

 

-- Renée