MercedMike - Would like help?

[phabric]

I have looked at your pictures and site. I noticed that you have taken Holland for a cruisetour. I would like your help planning our cruisetour for Aug 2011.

 

We have done 14 cruises, Princess, RCI, Carnival, NCI. Princess has been our favourite. So I think, we would like Holland. Both will be 60 and don't like to drive.

 

We have done roundtrip Alaska on Princess and Carnival from Vancouver so would like to take a cruisetour this time.

 

I have Princess booked with 1 night Anchorage, 2 nights Mt McKinley, 2 nights Denali with TWT tour, 2 nights Copper River then 7 day cruise to Vancouver.

 

I noticed that some of Holland cruisetours have more land part tours then 3-4 day cruise. The one I like (tour #6) is 14 days. Anchorage, 2 nights Denali with TWT, Fairbanks, Tok, 2 nights Dawson City, 2 nights Whitehorse, Skagway, and board the ship at Skagway, Glacier Bay, Ketchikan, at sea, Vancouver. You only miss Juneau. We have done salmon bake, helicopter tour, whale watching in Juneau.

 

We would like to see as much as possible. Holland would be cheaper and a couple of days which have tours includes lunch. They also have a meal plan for $409 (8 breakfast, 1 lunch, 5 dinners).

 

There are so many cruisetours available from the different cruiselines, you get confused. We only take 1 vacation a year.

 

Would like your opinion. I know it is only your own opinion.

[Yukon]

I'll butt in uninvited because I was driver-guide on those extended cruisetours for 17 years. What you're looking is dramatically different than what is usually discussed here, but gives you a really in-depth look at the real Alaska, and the Yukon. Throughout most of the route you stay at Westmark hotels which are very nice 3 star, and a wide variety of transport is used, including riverboats and trains. If there's a downside it's that there are some long days, and the cruise portion is short. The vast majority of people I dealt with over the years, though, loved the experience. Dawson City in particular is a place you'll never forget - it's certainly not a cookie-cutter cruise-port town! There are a handful of other folks here at CC who have taken that cruisetour and hopefully will chime in.

[phabric]

This the type of information I need.

 

I think you get alittle bite of both. I like cruising but my DH is tired of it so I think with this, we both would be happy.

 

I would like any information/help, I can get.

[Tafky]

There is another thread on this forum called "planning cruisetour for parents" You might want to check it out.

Our cruisetour we are taking in less than 2 weeks, is 10 days. Only 3 cruising and 7 on land. My #1 suggestion, and we haven't even left yet, is plan the cruise last and tour first. Ours is opposite and even though I am sure we will enjoy all of it, I believe the cruising will be more appriciated after all the packing and unpacking. Again check out the other thread. Lots of good advice. Have fun!!:)

[Yukon]

I would like any information/help, I can get.

 

If you have specific questions I can probably help.

[phabric]

There is another thread on this forum called "planning cruisetour for parents" You might want to check it out.

Our cruisetour we are taking in less than 2 weeks, is 10 days. Only 3 cruising and 7 on land. My #1 suggestion, and we haven't even left yet, is plan the cruise last and tour first. Ours is opposite and even though I am sure we will enjoy all of it, I believe the cruising will be more appriciated after all the packing and unpacking. Again check out the other thread. Lots of good advice. Have fun!!:)

 

Can you come back and tells us about the land tour you took.

[phabric]

I'll butt in uninvited because I was driver-guide on those extended cruisetours for 17 years. What you're looking is dramatically different than what is usually discussed here, but gives you a really in-depth look at the real Alaska, and the Yukon. Throughout most of the route you stay at Westmark hotels which are very nice 3 star, and a wide variety of transport is used, including riverboats and trains. If there's a downside it's that there are some long days, and the cruise portion is short. The vast majority of people I dealt with over the years, though, loved the experience. Dawson City in particular is a place you'll never forget - it's certainly not a cookie-cutter cruise-port town! There are a handful of other folks here at CC who have taken that cruisetour and hopefully will chime in.

 

The Holland land tour seems to take you to places that the other cruiselines don't seem to get to. Do you see sights/animals as you go by or is it mostly trees after trees. We want to see as much as possible of Alaska. We loved the scenery while cruising the inside passage.

[Yukon]

The Holland land tour seems to take you to places that the other cruiselines don't seem to get to. Do you see sights/animals as you go by or is it mostly trees after trees. We want to see as much as possible of Alaska. We loved the scenery while cruising the inside passage.

 

There are very few sections where you go through a tunnel of trees, and you stop at lots of truly unique places such as the communities of Eagle and Chicken. Moose and grizzlies in particular are often seen - http://www.explorenorth.com/articles/images/grizzly-top_of_world-5028.html was shot from the driver's seat of my motorcoach along the aptly-named Top of the World Highway :)

[vbmom87]

You might find posts by agabbymama helpful. She has taken the HAL tour that goes to Tok and Dawson City and loved it.

 

Read post #3 and #13 from the thread below:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=11492321&highlight=dawson+city#post11492321

 

 

 

Read post #3:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=12796560&highlight=dawson+city#post12796560

[KAYEF]

Dawson City is really a fun place to see............as is Whitehorse, YK. In Whitehorse you can even see a three story log cabin!

Just remember that on a land tour you don't have the luxury of unpacking just one time as you do on the cruise. If you're prepared to dig through your suitcase each morning and evening you will be fine, but it's more tiring. (After my three week tour in Europe I HATED my suitcase.

People who've done this might have hints (such as a smaller suitcase with "cruise clothes/shoes, etc.).

I've only done the land of AK in our motorhome and once we flew up and rented a car for three weeks................so I'm not really knowledgeable when it comes to the tours.

I DO know those hotels I've seen have been nice.

The meal plan seems high to me, but in some hotels you're a "captive" and can't get to a "Subway" or a less expensive place..............so it's a choice, I know.

When you catch the Shuttle to ride into the park (at Denali) a lot of people bring Subway sandwiches and things like that.

I DO think finishing up with a few days on a Cruise would be the way to relax and recover and feel pampered.;)

[Yukon]

People who've done this might have hints (such as a smaller suitcase with "cruise clothes/shoes, etc.).

 

The norm on the long coach tours is just your regular cruise luggage - the driver and hotel staff get it to your hotel room so you don't have to deal with it beyond putting it in the hallway each night. On the train (and boat with HAL) portions you just take a day bag with you.

[MercedMike]

There are indeed soooo many choices.

 

The particular cruise tour we took was HAL #3 but it is very similar to #6 that you are looking at. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/ct.html

 

Now -- first of all, important information! Why did we choose that particular tour? Because it was what the Travel Agency calls a FAM ... a Travel Agent "familiarization" tour. Since my DW is a Master Cruise Counselor and books quite a lot of business to HAL, they made us a VERY attractive price for this tour and we traveled on a full bus of Travel Agents. This makes the situation just a bit different for us.

 

There really is a lot of interesting stuff in the "interior" portion of the tour. Little places like Minto, Tok, and Eagle are very interesting, the catamaran on the Yukon is lots of fun. Dawson and Whitehorse have quite a lot of interesting things to do, and of course there are several shows which feature dancing girls and Robert W Service enactments!

 

Now, having said that, I will also say that distances in Alaska are vast. We spent LOTS of time on the bus -- so much so that our guide actually ran out of jokes to tell! There was a DVD system on the bus and we whiled away some of the time with historical presentations. And my viewpoint is a bit different from Yukon's -- despite a good number of interesting views, there is indeed a lot of spruce and willow forest to see! Wildlife sightings were sparse for us. We did get a look at the south end of a moose that was going north fast ...:D

 

Accomodations and included meals all along the trip were good. Nothing outstanding but perfectly acceptable. As far as the meal plan -- 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners ... we thought we could do better. The norm on the tour is bags out at 6 AM, on the bus by 7:30 or earlier. That did not give us a lot of time for a big breakfast. The hotel buffet was pretty much the only fast choice. What we did was to take a lot of granola, fruit bars, raisins, nuts and stuff along with some powdered juice and hot choc mix, and have a snack breakfast in our room. In places like Dawson where there is a free day, we walked around town and found a good miner's breakfast. That worked very well for us. But that would have meant we were paying $400 for essentially 5 dinners, or $80 a meal, which is expensive even at Alaska prices!

 

The big disadvantage with this kind of tour is the short cruise. To be perfectly honest, if we ever do it again, we will take a long cruise and a short tour to Fairbanks and Denali. They were definitely the highlights for us.

 

Well, I wanted to sort of give you the pros and cons. Whichever way you decide to go I know you will have a GREAT time in Alaska!

[phabric]

There are indeed soooo many choices.

 

The particular cruise tour we took was HAL #3 but it is very similar to #6 that you are looking at. Check out our trip report and pictures at http://www.bully4.us/ct.html

 

Now -- first of all, important information! Why did we choose that particular tour? Because it was what the Travel Agency calls a FAM ... a Travel Agent "familiarization" tour. Since my DW is a Master Cruise Counselor and books quite a lot of business to HAL, they made us a VERY attractive price for this tour and we traveled on a full bus of Travel Agents. This makes the situation just a bit different for us.

 

There really is a lot of interesting stuff in the "interior" portion of the tour. Little places like Minto, Tok, and Eagle are very interesting, the catamaran on the Yukon is lots of fun. Dawson and Whitehorse have quite a lot of interesting things to do, and of course there are several shows which feature dancing girls and Robert W Service enactments!

 

Now, having said that, I will also say that distances in Alaska are vast. We spent LOTS of time on the bus -- so much so that our guide actually ran out of jokes to tell! There was a DVD system on the bus and we whiled away some of the time with historical presentations. And my viewpoint is a bit different from Yukon's -- despite a good number of interesting views, there is indeed a lot of spruce and willow forest to see! Wildlife sightings were sparse for us. We did get a look at the south end of a moose that was going north fast ...:D

 

Accomodations and included meals all along the trip were good. Nothing outstanding but perfectly acceptable. As far as the meal plan -- 8 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners ... we thought we could do better. The norm on the tour is bags out at 6 AM, on the bus by 7:30 or earlier. That did not give us a lot of time for a big breakfast. The hotel buffet was pretty much the only fast choice. What we did was to take a lot of granola, fruit bars, raisins, nuts and stuff along with some powdered juice and hot choc mix, and have a snack breakfast in our room. In places like Dawson where there is a free day, we walked around town and found a good miner's breakfast. That worked very well for us. But that would have meant we were paying $400 for essentially 5 dinners, or $80 a meal, which is expensive even at Alaska prices!

 

The big disadvantage with this kind of tour is the short cruise. To be perfectly honest, if we ever do it again, we will take a long cruise and a short tour to Fairbanks and Denali. They were definitely the highlights for us.

 

Well, I wanted to sort of give you the pros and cons. Whichever way you decide to go I know you will have a GREAT time in Alaska!

 

Thanks for the helpful information.

 

So you are saying, that you bought your own meals. Where did you eat at the hotels or places close by? Four lunches would be included in the day's trip. I am wondering, if we did take the meal plan, how do they tell who took it as most passengers would buy their own meals - do they give you vouchers? I wonder if the Cabin Night Dinner Theatre (optional) would be included in the meal plan?

 

We are both early risers so that won't bother us.

 

I thought the HAL tour was interesting as it went to places with different types of transportation that most tours don't go to and still visit Denali. With Princess I had to upgrade to TWT and pay the difference but with HAL it is included. HAL works out to be cheaper.

 

Since we would only be on the ship 4 days, would it be worth it to get a balcony or an oceanview.

[agabbymama]

Even though vbmom posted some of my previous posts, but I'm going to chime in anyway.

 

We did the Northbound cruise with the cruisetour after. I really don't see a big difference. And we only had two nights at Dawson City (which we did absolutely love, so much so we have talked about flying into Dawson for a week stay right there).

 

If I were to go again, I'd definitely select the longer cruisetour with 2 nights at more locations (Denali, Whitehorse, etc.), but I still work and really had to stretch to get the 11 days. Eagle was also a very interesting little town.

We did enjoy the Yukon II Riverboat from Dawson City up the Yukon River to Eagle. And the Prime Rib on the train from Fairbanks to Denali was to die for. The best I've ever had!

 

We didn't purchase the meal plan, thinking we could eat cheaper, but by the time we got into town in the evening, we were ready to eat, so usually went to the hotel restaurant and paid off the menu. Didn't save a dime, and the vouchers do include the tip. If I were to go again, I'd purchase the meal plan.

 

I won't cruise without a balcony, but that's just me. HAL actually holds the balconies for cruisetour folks, as that is what most people want.

 

And HAL does a terrific job with logistics and schedules. I don't think you can go wrong with a HAL cruisetour. Just relax, enjoy and let them worry about schlepping your luggage and driving. Have a great trip!

[phabric]

I enjoyed reading about both your tours MercedMike and agabbymama, very helpful.

 

I am really leaning towards HAL as it seems to have more of the interior of Alaska compared to the other cruisetours that go mainly to Denali and back. My DH likes to drive but I think he would be more rested and see more if someone else does the driving (my opinion only as he keeps telling I can see things as I drive).

 

Tour #6 seems to have some tours that you normally have to pay for,White Pass train (we have done), Yukon Queen, Frantic Follies and it includes 4 lunches. There are different transportation also, bus, boat,train and then finally the cruiseship.

 

We have done 2 roundtrips to Alaska. We have done 14 cruises in the past and my DH is now getting tired of them but I really enjoy them. If we do this tour, we both can be happy.

 

We have taken day tours/ship tours with guides and you learn so much information from them compared to tours on your own.

 

Last year, we did Princess 7 day Scandinavian Interlude. We took a ship tour to Bruges/Ghent and when we returned to the ship, we talked to a couple who did it on their own to save money and they didn't see as much as we did. When we sailed into Oslo, we both said, it reminds us of our Alaska cruises. Princess this year, has a 7 day Norwegian Interlude which we are booked on. I am sure we will again said that it reminds us of Alaska.

That is why I was thinking more of interior than cruising for 7 days.

[agabbymama]

phabric

 

Is that Scandinavian Interlude on the Ocean Princess August 14, 2010 out of Dover? That is quite a coincidence.

 

I was booked on that cruise, but because my friend (80 yrs old) has medical problems and on a limited income, we had to cancel. It's still on my bucket list.

 

I found the only Princess cruisetour that included Dawson City was 8 days on land and 7 days on the ship. Too many days and almost double the money. So it was really a no brainer for me to choose HAL. We went to the Yukon and Interior Alaska (which was what I was looking for).

 

Have a great trip whatever you decide.

[MercedMike]

Thanks for the helpful information.

 

So you are saying, that you bought your own meals. Where did you eat at the hotels or places close by? Four lunches would be included in the day's trip. I am wondering, if we did take the meal plan, how do they tell who took it as most passengers would buy their own meals - do they give you vouchers? I wonder if the Cabin Night Dinner Theatre (optional) would be included in the meal plan?

 

We are both early risers so that won't bother us.

 

AIRC the meal plan was vouchers for the hotel dining room in almost all cases.

 

As I said, on quick start days we just ate snacks in the room. All the hotels had restaurants where you could grab a breakfast buffet or sometimes full breakfast, but I really can't comment as we didn't try them. Time would be limited since the bus leaves early!

 

In Whitehorse we were very lucky to get to meet Murray (Yukon) and his DW, and went with them to an Italian restaurant they recommended around the corner from the hotel.

 

At most of the inland stops we just ate in the hotel restaurant. They were all decent and reasonably priced, remembering things are not cheap in Alaska.

 

In Dawson with a two night stay we walked around town and found interesting places for a miner's breakfast and a decent dinner. I think perhaps if you go to Gravel Gertie's in Dawson dinner is included (?)

 

In Fairbanks there were lots of restaurants close, but we had that special Taste of Fairbanks cooking demo.

 

At Denali, we ate at the buffet at the Lodge for convenience between tours, but there were lots of options available in walking distance including Subway, a highly recommended pizza place, and nice (expensive) restaurants including one at the Lodge. The Cabin Night Theater was not on the meal plan AFAIK. I don't know how they handled that. I really recommend it.

 

We have sort of evolved an approach to meals as we travel. If we can find a cooking class we like to do that. A dinner theater is also always good for us. Or we try to find a specialty restaurant with typical local food. Failing any of those, then a quick buffet will suit us fine. Essentially it is either "special" or "basic" with us. I don't see any real point in going to a transplanted American steak house when we travel. But different people have different approaches. YMMV.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[phabric]

phabric

 

Is that Scandinavian Interlude on the Ocean Princess August 14, 2010 out of Dover? That is quite a coincidence.

 

I was booked on that cruise, but because my friend (80 yrs old) has medical problems and on a limited income, we had to cancel. It's still on my bucket list.

 

I found the only Princess cruisetour that included Dawson City was 8 days on land and 7 days on the ship. Too many days and almost double the money. So it was really a no brainer for me to choose HAL. We went to the Yukon and Interior Alaska (which was what I was looking for).

 

Have a great trip whatever you decide.

 

We did the Scandinavine Interlude on the Grand July 2009 and doing Norwegian Interlude July 31, 2010 (3 more weeks).

 

I can get a HAL 4 day cruise + 10 day landtour (includes 4 lunches) balcony less than Princess 7 day cruise + 6 days landtour (no meals) balcony but when I add the meal plan HAL is over by $400. I can get HAL oceanview + meal plan for less than Princess balcony.

 

Now it is the decide I have to make is it worth a balcony for 4 days or oceanview.

[vbmom87]

 

Now it is the decide I have to make is it worth a balcony for 4 days or oceanview.

 

We were happy with our Oceanview on HAL. I am a thrifty one though. :rolleyes:

 

From all I have read about the cruisetours, I would probably not buy the meal plan. I have read of some who feel it is a good deal, but I have also read of others who felt they could have eaten much cheaper on their own. One poster actually kept tabs on what they ate and how much it would have cost out of pocket. He would have saved a considerable amount on this own. I think a lot depends on what kind of eater you are, which is what he admitted. If memory serves me correctly he had been on a 7 day cruise and overate a bit. Once on the land tour they were ready to start eating more sensibly again. Just another point of view to think about. We are pretty thrifty eaters when we are on vacation. I know many are different than I am, but I don't go on vacation to find all the five star restaurants. I go for scenery. So food is irrelevant to me.

[phabric]

Mike.

 

Where did you stay while at McKinley? Did you do the dinner show? Did you book it through HAL or on your own? Can you walk there or do you have to have transportation to the show?

[MercedMike]

Mike.

 

Where did you stay while at McKinley? Did you do the dinner show? Did you book it through HAL or on your own? Can you walk there or do you have to have transportation to the show?

 

I think all HAL cruisetours stay at the HAL McKinley Chalet. We booked the Cabin Night Dinner on the bus the day before we arrived. The cabin is on the property, but a pretty good walk down hill to get to it (and uphill back). There was a shuttle from the lobby that most people took. We really enjoyed the show!

[roly]

When on HAL cruisetour #1 two years ago we stayed at a different place about five or six miles away from town due to them overbooking McKinley Chalet. It was not within walking distance to anything. In Fairbanks we stayed in the Wedgewood which was an upgrade from their normal Westmark.

What I am saying is not to count on a certain place as it is not a sure thing. Roly

[phabric]

I think all HAL cruisetours stay at the HAL McKinley Chalet. We booked the Cabin Night Dinner on the bus the day before we arrived. The cabin is on the property, but a pretty good walk down hill to get to it (and uphill back). There was a shuttle from the lobby that most people took. We really enjoyed the show!

 

I cancelled my Princess cruisetour and booked with HAL cruisetour #6 for 2011. I was thinking of the Cabin Night Dinner show but didn't want to do it if there was no way of getting there.

 

For the excursions for the different cities you stop for the night/day, do they show under Booked Guests - Excursions or do they give you a list of excursions when you check in at your first hotel and you pick them at time.

[unberwoob]

I cancelled my Princess cruisetour and booked with HAL cruisetour #6 for 2011. I was thinking of the Cabin Night Dinner show but didn't want to do it if there was no way of getting there.

 

For the excursions for the different cities you stop for the night/day, do they show under Booked Guests - Excursions or do they give you a list of excursions when you check in at your first hotel and you pick them at time.

 

May I ask, how did you book your cruisetour? I have been following this thread, and it seems a lot of questions you have asked could be answered by a knowledgeable travel agent.

 

Don't get me wrong. I love all the comments on these boards, and constantly seek their advice. And the posters here have given great advice. However, if I have a question about a specific tour or cruise I have booked, my travel agent can usually answer my question, or she will find out. Asking the cruiseline agents can result in several answers.

[phabric]

My TA answers any questions. I like to hear from people that have done the tour and get their opinions. You learn so much from other people experience. You get a better feel about tours from people that have done them vs just reading about. We took a tour in Oslo sounded very interesting but we would not have recommended after taking it.