Best Cruise Line for Land/Cruise Package

[Bridge Maven]

My husband and I took a round trip cruise from Vancouver to Alaska on Celebrity's Infinity in 2001 and are now thinking about taking a cruise that goes further north and includes a land package.

 

What cruise line would you recommend for Alaskan Land/Cruise packages considering their hotel accommodations, land destinations, and quality of land based tours..

[agabbymama]

You'll get lots of opinions on this one.

 

I prefer HAL. Did the 7 day cruise Southbound in 1999, then when we decided to go back, started checking other cruiselines. I wanted to do the Yukon and there aren't many that go there. I looked at Princess, but you still do the 7 day cruise + 8 days on land and only 1 overnight in Dawson City and the price I was quoted was $4300 pp, whereas the one I found on HAL was $2720 pp (including airfare from LAX). HAL did the most of what I wanted to do, which was to see the Yuon and interior Alaska.

 

We flew to Vancouver, boarded the ship there, sailed Northbound to Tracy Arm, Juneau and Skagway. We were only on the ship for 3 days, then on land for 8 days. From Skagway up the Whitepass Yukon RR to Fraser, bus to Whitehorse (overnight), bus to Dawson City (2 nights), riverboat on the Yukon River to Eagle Alaska, bus to Chicken and on to Tok (overnight), on to Fairbanks (overnight), domed railcar to Denali (overnight) and domed railcar to Anchorage (overnight), then flight home.

 

I would check Princess and HAL. They have been doing Alaska the longest and both have quite an infrastructure there.

 

Others on this board advocate independent travel (renting a car or RV). After a little research (and buying the Milepost), I knew I didn't want to do this. Bus tours aren't for everyone, but I do enjoy them. Tell me where to be and what time to be there, and I'll sit back and let them drive, and I'll enjoy the sights.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your cruisetour.

[Budget Queen]

You might want to find out about interior Alaska, decide WHERE you want to go, then look at cruisetours that offer it. Otherwise, the basic Denali Park/Talkeetna/Fairbanks runs are very similar.

 

You need to FULLY understand what Denali Park is all about, most people do not, and get on the right access INTO the park, if you wish to see it. This is a highlight of most of the cruisetours. So do your homework prior so you'll know a good cruisetour itinerary vs a bad one.

 

Seward is another gem, few cruisetours offer enough time, same with Princess's Copper River location, you don't see Valdez, and in my opinion- you have to get to McCarthy/Kennicott, when there, otherwise, you are missing the entire feature of being there. Which adds considerable expense.

 

Then theres Whittier/Seward.

 

On the cruise portion- find out about the ports, there are only 6 Alaska ports on the inside passage, find out specifically about the glacier differences- a big point of the cruise for some people.

 

THEN find the cruiseline that fits those lists you have made.