oaktreerb

Go to nps.gov and look at the information for Denali National Park. The tours are shorter because of the reconstruction of the road. You can follow the progress on the road and see which busses and tours are available.

The shore excursion credit and the specialty dining credit show up so that you can book these before you board the ship. You need to do that as soon as you know what you want to do. The OBC can only be used onboard. Take your proof of OBC just in case you need to justify the amount. It should show up automatically on your onboard account statement.

If you are offered and accept an upsell!

I thought your plan was perfect for people who chose the 3 day cruise from Vancouver to Skagway the White Pass RR to the Yukon (Whitehorse and Dawson City) then Fairbanks/Denali/Anchorage/ and 7 day cruise back to Vancouver. You created a perfect round trip Vancouver with the land tour in the middle. I think HAL should make your itinerary a standard offering! We’ve done the Yukon itineraries at least four times and it has changed a lot through the years. Every trip felt like a unique adventure!

Definitely include the Yukon. There are 3 day, 4 day or day cruise options. Book for as many days as you can. The best would include the 7 day cruise. Next would be the 4 day cruise with an overnight in Skagway, two in Dawson city, Denali, and Fairbanks. You’ll have a great time.

How much time do you have for this vacation? The cruise will be 7 to 14 days. The land portion can include Seward and the Turnagain Arm area up to Anchorage. A train ride to Denali to hopefully see bears, moose, and other animals at a distance on a minimum two night stay at the national park is offered by most cruise lines (Princess and HAL have the most inclusive facilities). The park road is under construction for probably the next two summers so the tour has been shortened. You can read about the park on the national park web page. You can research all of these options online. There is a lot to see and do. That’s why most people make repeated trips to Alaska.

Glacier Bay is the ‘Not to miss”. It’s guaranteed glacier viewing inside the national park. As far as ports go the usual are Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway or Sitka. Haines is a less visited port and less touristy. Skagway is a national park (Gold Rush history) and the road/railroad can take you into Canada, BC. Ketchikan centers on native culture, early Alaska culture, and fishing. The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour is informative and lots of fun. Sitka is amazingly beautiful and a center of Russian/Alaska history. Also a great fishing port but many excursions will be based on animal/sea creature experiences. Juneau is best for “getting out of town for whale watching or Tracy Arm small ship excursion”. Mendenhall Glacier is popular but other experiences are better. There will be a lot of ships in Alaska in 2023 and Princess and Holland America will be in prime docking locations, closer to town, in most cases. Whittier is closer to Anchorage and offers a glacier cruise experience. Seward has more activities but isn’t that far away, either.

Cooking shows have not been offered on recent cruises but there have been some “rumors” that they may be coming back. When, I have no idea.

Ballroom dancing is not promoted as an activity onboard but where there is a small dance floor in the music venues people will be dancing. Line dancing was promoted as an activity on several of our recent cruises. HAL promotes pickle ball for active people of all ages.

Party on the aft!

I have a favorite photo from our visit to Kodiak looking up at the mountain through the open retractable roof. It may be open on a beautiful sunny day in port, otherwise it will be closed.

I’m pretty sure it would be the current VH rate. If the ship os sold out, CO is probably sold out, too. There are a fixed # of reservations available.

I book with a PCC. I tell him what stateroom # I want (VB) and ask him to add Club Orange. He calls a co-worker to confirm that CO is available and he books my stateroom at the VH (obstructed veranda) price. Club Orange is added to my booking and I pay the deposit and Club Orange fee at that time. If you know you want Club Orange it’s easier to get it added with your original booking. I suspect that if you add CO later your stateroom would he billed at the VH rate on that date. It would not revert to your original booking date VH rate. They only book a certain number of slots for CO so no point of waiting since it seems to be getting more popular on the Pinnacle ships.

iF you book a cabin at the top of a particular category you will be billed for the cheapest in that category. If I book any veranda from VQ though VF and I add Club Orange I will be billed for a VH (obstructed) veranda and the Club Orange upcharge will be added. If you add Club Orange after you have been billed for the higher category veranda you should ask to have the stateroom fare adjusted.

Bennett Lake is beautiful. There is a lot of Gold Rush history that takes you to Bennett Lake. The Chilkoot Trail starts in Dyea near Skagway and ends at Lake Bennett where the gold rushers prepared for the continuation of their journey to Whitehorse and Dawson City. Enjoy the journey.

If your cruise tour is with Holland America the hotels are near other eating venues. If you buy their meal package you have to eat at their eateries. The meal package allows you to choose any items on the menu including dessert. (not alcohol). Most mornings you will be happy to eat at the hotel because you will not have a lot of time. Breakfast will be a full breakfast, maybe buffet only, or continental. The continental is a lot of food including oatmeal and fruit. Continental is cheaper and plenty of food. Lunch may be on the train and you can pay by credit card. It’s not very expensive by Alaska standards. The most expensive meal will be dinner and with the meal plan you will have to eat at HAL or Princess (Denali) eateries. There are also places to eat across the highway. You can look on Trip Advisor to check out restaurants in Anchorage and eat wherever you want and pay by credit card if you don’t have the meal plan.

You will probably want to stop now and then along the way. Most people just go to Emerald Lake. I agree with @wolfie11. There is plenty to see and do without going to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. Even the Yukon itineraries don’t stop there but some do stop in Whitehorse for an overnight. You might consider one of the Yukon cruise tours in the future. Between Seward and Anchorage is the Wildlife Conservation Center in Alaska. If you are spending time in Alaska before or after your cruise you could make a stop there. Have you seen the TV show Michelle Oakley, Yukon Vet? She works the area around Haines, Haines Junction, the Wildlife Conservation Center, and the Yukon Wildlife Preserve. She covers a huge territory! As far as the mileage estimate of 2-1/2 hours, It’s not freeway driving. Take your time and enjoy the scenery along with everybody else. You also will have to get in line to pick up that car. You may not be on the road until closer to 8:30 a.m.

I have purchased the Club Orange robe onboard the Koningsdam, I think it was in March 2022. They were having a “deck” sale and the robes were available. The standard robe was $50 and the CO robe with the orange trim. which I love, was $55. The CO robe is a terry inside and a soft microfibre on the outside. So Cozy! He asked if I wanted it monogramed and I declined. I didn’t even ask how much but later wondered it the monograming would have been free. I purchased it with OBC.

We did Misty Fjords by small ship, wouldn’t do it again and it was a beautiful clear sunny day. Taku Glacier Lodge was a great excursion and includes glacier flight as well as lunch. I chose that excursion primarily for the Seaplane experience, two take offs and landings. The planes take off just forward of the Steamship Dock in Juneau and you can watch them on the PTZ webcam during the season.

The Neptune Suite is included in the Club Orange benefits. So, if you are in a NS you are part of Club Orange. The Neptune Suite also provides the Neptune Lounge (which is not available to Club Orange members). No, CO doesn’t get priority over Neptune Suites. CO does have priority over Signature Suites and Veranda Suites.

There is a picture of 4042 on halfacts.com. Interesting layout!

You can spend as much as you like on food.. I’m happy with the very substantial continental breakfast which includes fruit, oatmeal, etc. We don’t eat desserts on the land portion. There is a snack box included on the Denali tour into the park but some people order a lunch to take with them from the Deli at the Chalets. If you want to splurge, get the package….it covers everything but it is pricey. Only HAL can advise you on vaccines and boosters for your trip. It is on their website and will be specific to your itinerary.

We’ve done the land tours with HAL. The meal package restricts you to eating at the HAL properties and the train. The food on the train is really good so enjoy the opportunity. I don’t know your itinerary but usually you will have breakfast at the hotel with either a full buffet or continental (which is substantial). At the Chalets you can eat at Karstens or at the Canyon Steakhouse. You can also go over to the Princess lodge nearby. There are other places to grab a bite across the highway in Glitter Gulch. In Anchorage there are a lot of places to enjoy good food around town. As far as the small bag…..a backpack size bag is perfect. You will have your essential items in that bag and it will be at your feet on the bus and train. Meds, passport, camers(?), maybe raingear, jacket, valuables that you don’t want to put in your checked luggage, snack, etc. Your luggage will be transported separately and will be in your stateroom upon your arrival.

We sailed to Alaska on the Nieuw Amsterdam last year. The crew was wonderful. The ship is better for the Alaska market. You’ll have a much nicer walk around promenade than you would have on the Koningsdam. There will be 500 fewer passengers on the Nieuw Amsterdam. People like to talk about the Grand Dutch Cafe because it is a fresh concept for Holland America and it’s only on three of their largest and newest ships. The older and smaller ships have a lot to offer for Alaska scenic viewing.

Did you get chocolates in the room every night, only on gala night, or never? Was there any reference to the tiles? Glad you enjoyed the cruise!