Princess Cruisetours

[Buzya]

Can anyone give me opinions on the Princess Alaska cruisetours? I just received an email for 2-1 cruisetours and it's looking tempting.

[Comingaboard]

Some will say don't waste your money but I think the majority will agree that the cruisetour is the easiest way to see the most country. Everything is not perfect but you will have the piece of mind that everything will be taken care of.

[inkmahm]

We've done the Princess cruisetour on both of our visits to Alaska and were very pleased. We just went last year and have other trips planned for this year or I'd be jumping at the two for one offer for Alaska.

[Yukon]

Just a caution to be VERY sure of exactly what you're buying. On some of the short cruisetours you spend the vast majority of your time traveling - you may be okay with seeing Alaska through the windows of buses and trains but if you want to get out a bit they may not be for you.

[Texas Tillie]

Be aware that you really need 2 nights at the Denali Lodge. With 1 night you are generally get put on the Natural History Tour which is less than worthless. You must do the Tundra Wilderness Tour or the park shuttle to begin to see what Denali offers. The McKinley Lodge is in the middle of nowhere - 100 miles from the park entrance. You can take the shuttle into Takeetna - an hour away - but there's nothing around the lodge. From what I've seen the 2 for 1 tours are offering the less desirable tours. (Now, does that really surprise you?)

[scottam]

DH and I are very independent travelers and generally do not choose escorted/guided tours, but with the great distances to travel in a relatively short period of time for the land portion of our trip, we felt a cruisetour was the way to go. Although we enjoyed it very much and would not hesitate to do it again, we found (hindsight, you know :) ), that we could have easily rented a car or arranged our own train transport, etc. However it was really nice not to have to schlep our luggage between stops, and the glass dome rail car was great! It depends on your travel style.

 

I agree with another poster ... it is important to know what you're buying. Our travel agent steered us away from the land tour that we had originally picked because of the amount of bus time it would have required. The one we booked (1 night Denali Princess, 2 nights McKinley, 1 night Fairbanks) was mostly by train, which was fine. We did spend a lot of time on the train but it was enjoyable and the scenery mostly beautiful, if not interesting, and with commentary from our on board guide. Bus time was limited to transport from train to hotel.

 

In summary, we felt the cruise tour was very well done and we had no complaints. Our Alaska cruisetour vacation remains a highlight of our travels over the years, and we wouldn't have done anything differently. However you decide to do it, I definately recommend spending some time inland and not limiting your trip to cruise only. It's an amazingly beautiful place, and we can't wait to go back some day!

 

Sorry this is a bit long. I hope it is helpful. :)

 

Tammy

[arizonaperson]

On A Princess Cruise Tour what would you have done differently or prepared yourself for.(This is to those who have done this recently- 2010 season)

I am in the planning stages for my cruise tour and just thought I would get the inside scoop.

Is there a lot of waiting around time?

About the carry on luggage situation?

How early do bags have to be outside of your room?

Any hints will be helpful.

[Yukon]

Which one (or what length) are you looking at? The answers to your questions vary quite a bit by which one is being discussed.

[LaurieCM]

We went on the exotic explorer- Anchorage, train to Denali (2 nights), bus to Fairbanks, north to Coldfoot, and then Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay), fly back to Anchorage and then the next day a bus to Whittier and the southbound cruise on the Coral Princess. It was all good. We were well treated. Of course Denali was great, but the Brooks Range was spectacular- the mountains, the colors, the wild herds of muskox. We could have rented a car for Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks, but we would never have gone up the Dalton Highway on our own-my parents did it in a motorhome, but not with just a car- any little trouble and you are in deep. We totally reccommend Princess. We saw a lot of great scenary and lots of animals.

[Budget Queen]

It is superior to educate yourself on the segments of cruisetours. MANY wrong assumptions are made.

 

Princess, does include the Natural History tour on a lot of cruisetours. IF Alaska is truely your priority, then this is the WRONG choice. IF you have two days- then it is simple to get an upgrade. But, be also aware you are paying dearly for this portion. There are tour buses and shuttle buses. Shuttle buses go farther, which is what Denali park is ALL about- scenery and wildlife, farther equals more. Shuttle buses are also 1/3 the cost. So, that is an option to also consider- with that- you do need to coordinate with the lodge shuttle buses so as to get to/from the Park shuttle bus. 2 days is the absolute min. here in my opinion. What is also missed by many cruisetour people are the park activities, many don't even know there is a visitor center, free Savage River shuttle bus, dog sled demo etc etc etc.

 

McKinley Lodge as noted is 100 miles away, it is a "holding" area for Princess, in my opinion. :) McKinley is not usually viewable, which is what this lodge is all about. As noted it is a 2 hour round trip to the nearest town, Talkeetna. You can NOT get to Denali National Park from here, unless you fly. Distances are vast and transit times significant. Avoid short cruisetours.

 

Cruisetours are point to point group travel, there are "waits". I see a lot the merits of "having your bags taken care of". :) I find this an odd "priorty" to claim on the recommendations of cruisetours though. Just my thoughts only.

 

Although stated above, you get to "see" a lot on cruisetours, in my opinion and experience, you actually see the least. Independents have all the freedom to pull over all they want and visit any area they choose. :)

 

Budget 50% more for meals than you would at home. With Fairbanks, add a day and rent a car, cruisetours see very little of Fairbanks otherwise. Princess, trains are set up table seating, assigned seats. So 2 people ride backward.

 

Bottom line- DO YOUR HOMEWORK< before you book. This board is way too full, with posters who come on the board- all "happy" they are going to Alaska, only to find out they made some big mistakes with their cruisetour choice. It is much easier to pick the right one from the begining, vs, trying to fix a poor one.

[NHsnowpup]

It is superior to educate yourself on the segments of cruisetours. MANY wrong assumptions are made.

 

Bottom line- DO YOUR HOMEWORK< before you book. This board is way too full, with posters who come on the board- all "happy" they are going to Alaska, only to find out they made some big mistakes with their cruisetour choice. It is much easier to pick the right one from the begining, vs, trying to fix a poor one.

 

And don't always listen to a/your Travel Agent. My DH is a love and I'm not trading him in anytime soon, but a friend recc. a TA that had been extra helpful for them. (Friend and sister recc. always count more than mine for some silly reason) We met, and when I talked about setting up our own independent land portion, she flashed a blank expression and then said, "Why would you do that? I don't know ANYONE that has EVER done that in my ___years!" She didn't know the difference between Natural History and Tundra, and shuttle even though they feature Holland/Princess info. nights with little munchie get-togethers. She was sweet and did our cruise reservations and even tried to strongarm Holland into giving us a balcony without a cruisetour, but we ended up with Princess, who would give us a balcony of our choice. She did do price drops and handled all the cruise paperwork, so she was useful, especially for first-timers.

 

Then I calmly set up our land portion independently (with some reassurances and bribes to DH) using bus, train both regular and dome, and shuttles for our transportation, and booking it all (including accommodations and a few tours) through an online Alaska travel company that set up an organized voucher book, with contacts and times. It was the perfect match for us, since we really didn't want to drive at all. I made changes in our itinerary up until our final payment 45 days out from start, and got published specials and discounts included as they came up. Yes, we spent a little more than the advertised cruisetours, but got EXACTLY what we wanted, and knew WHAT we were getting.

 

 

Thanks BQ, your info was up there for usefulness in my planning.