txwriter

You enter at street level, the ramp as noted above will depend on the tides, it can be very steep, almost like going up a ladder at low tide. If you can identify the mobility limits, eg climbing- then you can schedule a flight so it returns at high tide as example.

 

As for getting into the plane, it's a ladder, with usually 3 steps, start with stepping on the float. depending on your seat, you will be bent over getting to your seat. Seating is tight. Flying with another vendor, can perhaps, give you a more accessible plane. '

 

Also don't know about Island Wings (verify) but a vendor I use, does have a ramp to the plane, from the floating, (boarding) dock, that isn't that steep and no ladder involved getting in the plane.

 

It's essential, everything is fully disclosed so that a workable plan can be in place. Another issue, can be people of significant oversize. Keeping the vendor informed helps with a smooth process and flights remaining on schedule.

Thank you. This is very useful information. Mom can do steps, and I believe a ladder would be ok as well. She is actually pretty mobile with some specific limitations (mostly distance but some balance).

I will investigate further.

I am taking my mom to Alaska for her bucket list trip, and she has expressed a desire to take the Misty Fjords trip with Island Wings in Ketchikan.

I need to know specifics on physically getting to the plane. I know that the company will transfer us to the dock where the plane is. I am wondering does the bus drive straight up to the dock or is there a ramp or stairs? If a ramp, how steep is it? If stairs, how many? How long would you say the walk is if going down ramp/steps?

Thank you.:)

My mom and I are booked for Alaska cruise southbound from Whittier June 2, 2018. We booked our outbound flight directly with the airline (had some vouchers I had to use), and booked the return using EZAir. We booked the flexible EZAir option. At one point, I was having some problems getting seats booked, so since I knew the airfare was good, I asked my TA to go ahead and have the fare ticketed. We simply made a payment for the airfare portion. The fare has only gone up since, so I’m happy I booked early.

We did NOT have to pay for the whole cruise—just the airline tickets,

We have booked transfers on both ends with Princess. On the pre-cruise portion, we have booked our own hotel and rental car. I have looked into booking my own transfer to the ship, but the transfer is only costing $54 each which is less than railroad independently and in line with other transfer services. I may change, but I am leaving transfers with Princess for the time being.

In Vancouver, we are staying two nights at the Westin booked with Princess with Princess transfers.

It is possible to tweak your reservation for what works best for you and your plans. Your travel agent should be able to help with this.

The 4 Seasons in Texas:

Hot and Humid

Hotter and more Humid

Blazing Hot and so Humid you might as well be in a pool

So Damn Hot and Humid it'll make ya think you died and went to Hades! (aka Georgia in August)

Umm...you guys must be in a different region of Texas than I am. I would NEVER compare humidity in Texas to Georgia. I've lived both and thought I would DIE in Georgia. I'll take my 100+ summer days over that 80+ and 80% humidity I had in Georgia any day. Plus, when and where I was in Georgia, they didn't all have air conditioners. I was baffled.

We picked the Star for our upcoming Alaska cruise. It will be refurbished soon, so it should be ship shape for the 2018 Alaska season.:)

I bought a bridge/superzoom camera for our trip to Alaska. I’ve taken it a few places and love the pictures I can get with that zoom, but it is heavy and bulky. So it’s a matter of weighing pros and cons for you. I believe a basic point and shoot camera is obsolete with the newer phone cameras. Most of the people who love their DSLR cameras are at least hobby level photographers. I like photography but don’t have time or money for major investments, so I settled on that superzoom with 50x optical zoom. There are others with even more zoom.

I am planning a trip for myself and my mother. Mom is 74 and also has some mobility issues, so I understand your dilemma.

Here is a site that might have activities you or your in laws would enjoy. https://www.blackdiamondtourco.com/

Mom got excited about the covered wagon ride.

Also, as someone mentioned, look up Healy and Denali National Park on TripAdvisor. The company I linked above has been reviewed there. I cannot recommend since I haven't used them, but I do know of their existence, and you asked for info. Hope it helps.

Finally, don't take the entire burden of planning on yourself. Present the group with some options and let them help you. I agree if spending time together is important, you will want to do as many things as you can with each other, but I believe there may be times when your in laws are ready for down time that you might be able to go do an activity or have an adventure separately as well.

We are booked on a 2018 cruisetour to Alaska. We were able to get the price reduction offered in the current 3 for Free promo. It was not a huge reduction, but it was a reduction, and the added bonus of free gratuities was even better.

Best way to know is to do a mock booking for what you have now then compare new booking to what you paid. If lower, call Princess or your TA to get better price.

Although I understand your concern, I would just like to say not everyone with a hacking cough is contagious. Some have lung problems. Or others have allergies. My mom used to have a cough for years that turned out to be a combination of allergies and a side effect from medicine. We'd go out to eat, and she'd start coughing (often sounded like she was choking she'd cough so hard), and people would stare at me like why wasn't I helping her. But I was so used to it, that I ignored it most of the time.

I know there are times when people are coughing because they are sick, but there are also times when they are not.

That said, I definitely think being proactive in our own health is a good idea. Masks might be one way, avoiding crowds, antibacterial lotions, washing hands, anything that helps a person stay well. It is an individual decision though.

Thanks so much for all the feedback. I decided to leave the choice to Mom since it is her trip more than mine. She really felt like we should stick with the May/June dates, so that's what we will do. As I said, we were planning a similar timeframe for 2017, so it was never originally meant to be a birthday trip. It would have been fun, but it still will be fun. 😄

I really felt like it should ultimately be up to her.

Here's what I think might be happening...first, I'm on this cruise (different cruisetour), and the only other person signed up for the roll call so far has said she is part of a large group from a 55+ community on that same tour you are on (the EB4). She doesn't post much on the roll call, and the last post I saw from her on the Princess boards said she might need to cancel due to flight prices. So, there definitely is at least one block of available spaces booked for a group on that tour.

Also, last year when I was planning on going but had to change I watched prices and availability like a weirdo, so I noticed a pattern after a time. Each time a sale would be introduced (Red, White & Blue, Sip N Sail, etc), it seemed there were only a certain number of slots available for each sale for each tour. There were different allocations it seemed for the cruise itself. So, a tour might show sold out under Sip N Sail but then show available again after that promotion had ended.

The only way to see approximately how sold out the ship was, was to do a rather tedious deck by deck search of available cabin types on the cruise only (and yes, there were days when I'd be just bored enough to do that).

Come over and join the roll call. It's very slow right now and would be fun to have more chatter! :D

I love the late May-June time frame for the longer daylight hours. Most of my cruises have been in this time frame. Generally drier and snow on the mountains. Vendors have just opened up for the season and are still glad to see people, by Sept they just want to leave again lol.

Thanks, Doug. These are some of the reasons we originally picked this time. We simply changed from 2017 to 2018; I hadn't thought much about doing it for her birthday until recently which is when I started wondering 🤔. She spent her 50th birthday on top of the Matterhorn with my grandmother who just passed away in March this year. I was thinking it might be a fitting bookend for her to be in Alaska (though not atop a mountain).

I started thinking so much that I'm liable to spring a leak! So, I'm relying on the kindness of strangers to help me sort through what the differences might be.

Mom is happy either way.

. Other than that May to June would be very nice.

 

When is your mom's birthday? It would be really nice to celebrate on the ship.....just let the cruise line know that you will be celebrating a birthday while onboard.....with a serenade from the dining stewards and a cake (on HAL). I'm sure other lines also celebrate birthdays. Even if you are not onboard on the exact day tell them you will be celebrating on your cruise!

Thank you.

Mom's birthday is July 26th. We will be at the Princess Kenai Lodge that day (not on the ship), but I suspect I'd be able to acquire some birthday cake and ice cream for her.:D

I would not limit my 'trip of a lifetime' and that of my mom by going during a time that could be limited by weather or park schedules.

 

I would take the July dates, no question.

Thank you for your reply. :)

Well, the problem is that the weather seems to do what it wants when it wants...I have read more than one report of snowstorms late while also reading many reports of perfect weather earlier in the season.

So, we have been planning for a LONG time. We were supposed to go this summer, but due to circumstances with my grandmother, we are going in 2018 instead.

Due to mom's somewhat limited mobility, we have decided a cruisetour starting in Fairbanks and working our way down to the Kenai peninsula before boarding in Whittier will be our choice.

I know one date is "too early for Eilson," but that is NOT a huge factor for us. I also know that there is no way to know specifically what the weather will be, how many animals will be out, etc. I am just looking for some guidance, and generalities are fine.

The dates are: May 25-June 9

Or: July 20-Aug 4

We are already booked on the earlier tour but are considering a change since Mom's birthday (her 75th) would fall during our trip on the later dates. Price is not too much more.

Thoughts???

This is the fine print I found on the Princess website about the Soda & More package specifically in regards to the Sip and Sail promo: Free Unlimited Soda & More Package is valid only for guests 3 & 4 per stateroom. The Unlimited Soda & More Package includes tumbler with straw, fountain soda by the glass, Root Beer in the can, malt and thick shakes at the ice cream bars only, hot chocolate, fruit juices and mocktails, with pre-paid 15% gratuity included for these items.

I am taking my mother who will be 75 next July to Alaska in May 2018. She uses a rollator (one of those fancy walkers with wheels and a seat), because it helps her with stability and helps when she walks distances.

Our travel agent would not book an accessible room for us, because those rooms are intended for people who have true mobility issues and use scooters or wheelchairs.

While it will be some extra effort on our part to collapse the rollator coming and going to and from the room, it is effort we are able to make while someone else who requires more assistance cannot.

I would take the room if Princess changed us because it would provide some benefits for us, but I hate the idea of someone else who has looked forward to their trip as much as we have might have to miss out if we booked it.

I'd love to know two things...

1) Were either of you on the Connoisseur Tour, and

2) Had you previously booked the Princess Shuttle to your Lodge?

When I asked my TA .....like the Princess Lodge Agent online told me to do...about this very circumstance that I originally posted, she said she was told that if we take a cab to the Lodge, we will not see a Princess Rep until the next morning.

1. Yes, we are booked on connoisseur cruisetour beginning May 2018. However, we had originally booked a non-connoisseur tour 2017 but had to cancel just before final payment.

2. Transfers are automatically included in cruisetours, so yes, we had booked shuttle before adding extra night.

You may want to go to Alaska board and search Fairbanks Riverside Lodge, or just ask there. I know I've read people's reports of doing this on there before.

Thanks for the tip! Do you know which operators? Or how I would search for that option?

I can't make any recommendations since I still haven't been, but I have booked a private tour with Beyond Skagway. I also know that I contacted Dyea Dave; and, though it is not advertised specifically on their website, they said they can rent the whole van as well.

Some other vendors do the private tours too, but you'd have to check their websites l, email or call them. More vendors can be found here: http://skagway.com/play/attractions-tours/

I hope that helps.

A thought about Skagway... There are several tour operators who will rent an entire van just for your group. The prices may be comparable to what you already have planned and also will free up your designated driver to enjoy being with the group, take pictures, etc.

These types of trips are highly customizable, so they might be able to throw in some extra activities or stops for the different ages based on interest and activity level.

As I said... just a thought after reading some trip reports and doing a lot of research.

On the tour now...just left Fairbanks today and we are at Denali now. Our tour started July 4th but since our flight arrived at 2AM on the 4th, we booked the night of the 3rd also. Princes reps were at the airport (as were RCCL, Holland America, Norwegian) to greet the flight. We were able to go right to room with our luggage when we got to hotel

Thanks for taking the time from your trip to answer this. :)

Hope your tour is wonderful!!!

We have booked an extra and we have been advised that they will meet us when our plane gets in.

We too booked an extra night. My cruise personalizer shows the transfer is included.

I too am interested in hearing from someone who has done this before for logistics.

It looks like the primary differences in the two are the length of cruisetour, starting point, and the length of train portion.

So, Anchorage vs Fairbanks (this is also where the extra day comes in -- one in Anchorage and two in Fairbanks). Flights to Anchorage are generally less expensive, and they might also have more convienient arrival times. However, there are some included activities in Fairbanks; no activities in Anchorage are included. If the activities in Fairbanks are of no interest to you, then Anchorage might be the better choice. The other big difference between these two will be that you will physically see more of Alaska if you choose starting in Fairbanks.

That leaves the question of longer train trip or shorter one. That is entirely a personal preference. Do you like train travel? Personally, I'd rather have the shorter trip to get to the ship. You may want to see if you can find some trip reports to see what time they get to the ship in case that makes a difference.

I think either cruisetour could be a good choice, so it's mostly just a matter of what you want. It could also be a matter of budget. Pick the best one for you.

TXwriter, thank you for your post (and bless you for spending time with your mother). I did look at Princess' landtours, but I was having trouble getting a full description for the land tour itinerary. After reading your post, I dug a little deeper.

Thanks again for your v helpful post.

You are welcome. 😊

I can tell you that I think there may actually be one meal more than I said. The cruise personalizer gives more details after you have booked.

Also, one of the best reviews of a cruisetour describing things like how the luggage transportation and meal vouchers work is this one: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

I narrowed it down to either the 13 or 15 day connoisseur tour RB8 or the 13 day Celebrity 13 day Great Frontier Expedition tour 8 B. Haven,t chosen any excursions yet.Both tours are great picks. I just can,t decide which one is better.Anyone who has been on either tour,I would like your input of the cruise tour!

First, have you checked the Celebrity board and the Princess board to ask if anyone there has done these tours? I know that the Princess board has several trip reports (perhaps not the exact same itinerary but ones that are detailed enough to give you more information about what to expect).

Comparing the two, which has more included that you are looking for?

Celebrity includes:

3 rail segments, Alaska Native Heritage Center (Anchorage), Tundra Wilderness Tour (Denali), Fairbanks city tour (Fairbanks), Museum of the North (Fairbanks), and Riverboat Discovery Cruise (Fairbanks).

This tour is escorted but does not appear to include any meals.

Your overall journey will be 13 days. Six of those are on land with your longest stay being two nights.

I did not find what lodges Celebrity uses in each location and only saw mention of the Marriott in Anchorage. I had a hard time with the Celebrity website and decided not to fight it, but you may want to research to see what lodges are used if that's important to you.

Princess includes:

1 rail segment, Gold Dredge 8 & Sternwheeler Riverboat Cruise (Fairbanks), Tundra Wilderness Tour (Denali), Music of Denali Dinner Theater (Denali)

This tour is escorted and includes 15 meals (plus the music theater dinner for 16 total).

Your overall journey will be 13 days. Eight of those are on land with your longest stay being three nights.

Princess has their own lodges. You can view information on them here: https://www.princesslodges.com/

Both tours will involve a lot of transit time. Be aware of that before booking.

In full disclosure, I was scheduled to go on the non-escorted tour MB7 with Princess this past May (will be NB7 tour in 2018), but a family situation forced us to reschedule to next year. When we rebooked for 2018, we decided to change to the RB8 tour. Therefore, I might be a little biased toward that one. :D

We are taking a cruisetour primarily because of our situation. My mother will be almost 75 when we travel, and she needs some assistance. A cruisetour allows me to have someone else do the driving and move our luggage about. I can focus on just spending time with Mom which is what the trip is about for us.

We are very happy with our choice and are excited. I hope you are able to find just the right trip for you(whether it is a cruisetour or a DIY trip) .

It's not such a great deal considering they've raised the prices for cruises that include them. .

I was happy when our 2018 Alaska cruisetour went down by $100 per person. We are booked in oceanview obstructed, so there's no other benefit to the sale, but any time the fare is decreased...even by a small amount, I'm happy.

In contrast, we had originally planned to go to Alaska in 2017, and when the SipNSail promo came out in 2016, the price of our cruisetour did not go down. I think it stayed the same though many others who were on our roll call found great deals at the time. We had better luck with the 3 for Free promo in the fall last time.

My point is to keep watching the fares and if they go down (or in some cases go up slightly but benefits received is greater value than increased cost), make sure you notify Princess or your TA to recalculate your trip. They do have a limited number of spaces available for each sale, and you don't want to miss out. :D