Question re "join me in Fairbanks/Anchorage" bag

[fletcher57]

Hi, I'm trying to sort out the luggage situation for a Princess cruisetour. Under the heading "Join me in Fairbanks/Anchorage bag" is the following information:

 

"Passengers who cruise prior to their land tour should pack all the items they used on their cruise and will not need on land in this piece of luggage. After disembarkation from the ship, these bags will be inaccessible until delivered upon your arrival in the final destination of your itinerary."

 

So, assuming you end up in Anchorage for your trip home, where would see this bag after finishing your tour?

 

Does anybody go crazy trying to figure out what to put in the various bags (Hand carry tote, Join me tonight bag, join me on board or join me in Fairbanks/Anchorage bag) so that you end up at the airport with all the stuff you want in your carry-on and your checked bags in the right place?

 

While I'm at it, is it easier to pack for cruise first or land tour first?

 

Thanks. Joyce

[DrivesLikeMario]

Oh boy, that sounds like a packing nightmare! It's hard enough to do for a simple land pre-cruise stay and a cruise. I couldn't imagine doing it for your trip! I hope you get some good help.

 

For me, it's easier to pack for the cruise first. I make a list of every day on the ship (or on land) and what I plan to wear during the daytime and for dinner at night. I add an extra line for each day if I plan to go to the pool or go on a tour that requires different clothing. It helps to have it all written down. Good luck!

[2278]

Do not sweat it too much. The land portion of the tour is very casual. Clothing selction will be mostly jeans or slacks, choice of shirts and a jacket, shoes and a bathing suit.

 

If you are touring, the "meet me" luggage should contain any formal attire, souviners and any other items that will not be needed.

 

Each person can have one bag the is picked up each travel day that is not available until you reach your accomodations. Then you carry a small bag that has your essentials, meds, camera, glasses, games, book, snacks and such, this has to be carry on size.

 

When you reach your final destination, your bag will be in your room or delivered shortly.

 

The laundries on the ship and land facilities are good, so do not pack to much if you plan to do some laundry, also pack the all in one sheets, they work great.

 

I think it is easier to figure out what you do not need if you have been on the cruise first, touring first, you tend to feel like you might forget something.

 

This is one of the many things that Princess has down pat!

[Toto2Kansas]

I agree, the clothing for the tour can be quite a bit different then what you will use onboard the ship.

I would pack the tour bag first, and the carry on as usual, then the cruise bag. Land tours are very casual in Alaska so there is no need really to dress up. Pack layers for those days it may warm up a bit as the day goes on but be quite cool/cold in the morning and evenings.

[Loonbeam]

I'll assume you have already booked cruise first? If not, might I recommend land first for a variety of reasons luggage being a small one of them..

 

We did land first. Bag A was follow me. Enough shirts, pants, underwear, etc for the land tour as well as our toiletries, chargers for camera, etc. Bag B was to the ship - formal wear, reload of underwear, shirts, etc and extra space for purchases. Carryon had electronics, meds, etc and stayed with us the whole time.

 

If you are doing cruise first you just pack normally for the trip then separate out land supplies before you leave the ship (you will have all bags on the ship)

[fletcher57]

Do not sweat it too much. The land portion of the tour is very casual. Clothing selction will be mostly jeans or slacks, choice of shirts and a jacket, shoes and a bathing suit.

 

If you are touring, the "meet me" luggage should contain any formal attire, souviners and any other items that will not be needed.

 

Each person can have one bag the is picked up each travel day that is not available until you reach your accomodations. Then you carry a small bag that has your essentials, meds, camera, glasses, games, book, snacks and such, this has to be carry on size.

 

When you reach your final destination, your bag will be in your room or delivered shortly.

 

The laundries on the ship and land facilities are good, so do not pack to much if you plan to do some laundry, also pack the all in one sheets, they work great.

 

I think it is easier to figure out what you do not need if you have been on the cruise first, touring first, you tend to feel like you might forget something.

 

This is one of the many things that Princess has down pat!

 

You say "When you reach your final destination, your bag will be in your room or delivered shortly". But what if you have already cruised and you do your land tour second. What, then, is considered your final destination?

 

I'm thinking seriously of forgetting the land cruise and just do a one way cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage and keep things simple. Thanks everybody for your replies.

[scranger]

We were were allowed to keep all of our bags with us on the land portion of our Alaskan cruisetour on the Coral in Jul 2009. Maybe it was just a glitch in the Princess system.

[Pia1913]

When we did our cruisetour last year, it was 8 days land prior to 25 days on ship. ( Yes, it was a long cruise.) We packed for our cruise separately, so that the bag was never opened until we saw it on the ship. Our land bag went with us to each of our 4 Princess lodges. I didn't find this at all difficult, since what we didn't have with us were clothes and shoes, etc. which we certainly didn't need for Alaska.

[Loonbeam]

If you end on land, your go ahead bag will be delivered to your last lodge prior to flight. It's very easy. Just pack one suitcase on ship with all the dirty laundry you won't want to see until you get home plus purchases and tag that as to go ahead. You will have a chance at the lodge to repack if needed since the bags arrive early.

 

You say "When you reach your final destination, your bag will be in your room or delivered shortly". But what if you have already cruised and you do your land tour second. What, then, is considered your final destination?

 

I'm thinking seriously of forgetting the land cruise and just do a one way cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage and keep things simple. Thanks everybody for your replies.

[MustangGT]

As stated earlier, if you haven't already booked, I highly recommend the land tour before the cruise. The land tour can be intensive and then you have a week to relax on the cruise. We packed casual wear for the land portion - nothing fancy. Layers are the key as the weather can be ever-changing. You will love Alaska but you won't experience the best by just cruising!

[starboardcruiser]

I completed a cruise tour a few years ago, and did not find the packing situation to be too difficult (other than Princess tore the handle off of one of my suitcases on Day 2 of my vacation). I also recommend the land tour prior to the cruise portion due to logistics. It is also much more relaxing on the cruise portion than the land portion, so you get a more relaxing vacation before you have to return to reality. The dress in Alaska is casual (though, it was very warm when we were there in July, so I second the "bring layers" suggestion). It was very convenient for Princess to arrange for the luggage for each portion of the vacation. My advice is not to overthink it. Just bring things you think you'll need on land in your land bag and things you'll need on the ship in your ship bag. If there are things you'll need every day, make sure they go in the bag you'll use first on your trip. Though, it sounds as though you'll have both bags on the ship if you do the cruise first (as I did the land tour first, I only had my "land" bag, so I can't comment whether that would be the case). For what it's worth, we stayed in the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage as part of the cruisetour, and that is one of my favorite hotel experiences, so hopefully you'll get to experience that as well.

[2278]

Don't give up on the land tour!

 

It really is not a big deal with the bags. The information from the posts on this site clear up so many things that little is left to be surprised about.

 

As for touring before or after, who really knows. We did it after the cruise and found that we saw more of the "real" Alaska on the tour then on the cruise.

 

We have completed a southbound and a northbound cruise. on the southbound we spent 3 days on our own in Anchorage, taking some bus tours and other things and really enjoyed it. The last one was a northbound with 1 night in Mckinly, 2 nights Denali and 2 nights in Fairbanks.

 

Would have liked to had another day in Mckinly, and an additional night in Fairbanks. Denali seemed OK, but another day would have been nice. It is tough to keep adding days!

 

We did the train from the ship to all three destinations. Very relaxing and comfortable, a little slower than bus, but certainly enjoyable.

 

This is where the difference is in luggage, on the train, the luggage is trucked to your next stop. If taking a Princess bus, it goes with in the luggage compartment.

 

All said and done, we love Alaska, however our next visit will be without the cruise, just poking around Anchorage and moving up the state. So do not give up on the "real" Alaska!