cancel land part of cruisetour to do our own?

[booklover12]

Just wondering if I can cancel the land part of our cruisetour so we can rent a car and do our own. Will princess let me cancel that part and still keep the cabin I'm in or will I have to cancel it all and rebook just the cruise part?

[Pam in CA]

I don't really know but just the driving distances would make me think twice. They are vast... plus the driver would be keeping his/her eyes on the road and miss a lot. We spotted eagles, moose, and other wildlife that the tour gruide spotted but you might not.

[compozer]

The cruisetours are different packages from the regular cruise. We had originally wanted just to book a cruise but everything was booked. TA asked if we would be interested in a cruisetour because there were a few slots available (AA cabins). I asked if we could just get one of those cabins but TA said they were a package and would not release just the cabins. We wanted to go on a certain date so we went with the cruisetour and had a wonderful time.

Pam hit it on the head!

[sunsetbeachgal]

We are "do it youselfers" but for our first trip to Alaska we were very happy that we did a Princess cruisetour. As Pam stated, if someone is driving that person really does not get the opportunity to look around and appreciate the scenery. The train is great and on the trains, buses, you always have a guide giving commentary about the flora and fauna. Next time (hopefully!) we will rent a car and do it on our own, but for the first trip it was nice sitting back and appreciating Alaska!

[BobT172]

I missed where you said it was an Alaskan cruisetour but if it is, Pam is right. The Princess land package is fantastic.. you see everything there is to see in a relaxed, comfortable manner....everything is done for you...

 

The train part itself is a memorable experience with everyone having great dome car seats......great dinner on board too.

 

 

 

 

 

[Budget Queen]

I have an opposing view of the "greatness" of cruisetours. It is inaccurate to state a driver, missing everything and has to keep their eyes on the road. I have driven the Parks Highway repeatively, and ALWAYS spot stuff the buses wizz by on and train can't stop in time, or the noise scares away wildlife. I simply pull over and stop when and where I wish. A great advantage. Group point to point travel is also restrictive and not having your own transportation is as well.

 

Add to the mix, the inclusion of the Natural History tour, which Princess seems to do most of the time. A VERY poor choice, if you are going to Alaska for wildlife and scenery.

 

So, an independent tour is very very easy to do. I have been posting on this board for years, and NEVER has a first time independent traveler ever come back and reported, they wished they had been on a cruisetour- but some cruisetour people have said they had wished they had gone independent. :)

 

 

Clear advise is to do your homework. Cruisetours can be canceled, many in the past have done so. Consult your booking agent.

[gooch47]

We've been on the cruise tour twice and to be honest, I have to agree with the original poster. The noise of the train especially must have scared the wildlife because we saw very little. The scenery, of course, can't move but we were there for the animals more than the mountains.

[Talisker92]

We had a discussion about renting a car vs. having someone else drive. We agreed that one of us would miss the scenery and maybe get lost. We opted for a car and driver.

[Budget Queen]

We had a discussion about renting a car vs. having someone else drive. We agreed that one of us would miss the scenery and maybe get lost. We opted for a car and driver.

 

Sorry, this is totally inaccurate. There is only ONE two lane road, so no chance of getting lost. FULL expansive view right in front of you, with very light traffic. It isn't what you think it is.

 

Where is your "car and driver" taking you? All the way to Denali?

[Loonbeam]

To the OPs question, it will depend on how you booked your trip and if you are past final payment date (not likely).

 

That said, the key question is do you prefer less work/organization/stress versus more flexibility. With a cruisetour, you don't really have to do much except relax and enjoy yourself. The tradeoff is a lack of flexibility, you can't adjust the schedule or divert.

 

On the flipside, to get the flexibility you have to do all the planning yourself, and handle any issues that arise yourself, as well as the physical effort of driving, luggage hauling, etc. It's also worth noting you can probably save a little money this way.

 

To me, the best possible scenario is actually a private tour guide (which is what we usually do overseas) but that can get pricey, quick.

 

For a first timer to AK, I generally recommend a cruisetour to get the lay of the land. I will agree with BQ on the fact that you need to be aware of what the tour includes and does not and what your customization options are. For a repeat trip, I am more inclined to suggest go it alone.

[Budget Queen]

It is not difficult to plan your own interior Alaska touring. And I certainly never advocate "practice trips"- (first timers better off with cruisetour), YOU need to figure out for yourself, how you wish to proceed.

 

This board is complete with accurate first hand triip planning information, if you choose to use it.

[booklover12]

First of all, thanks for your posts. We have been back and forth on our decision to do it on our own or do the cruise tour. We have made up our minds to do it on our own. We have no problem driving and planning and it gives us the freedom to stop as we wish. We hate to be tied into what everyone else is doing. Thank you Budget Queen for your input, that's what I wanted to hear. My original question was, will I be able to cancel just the tour part of our cruise or do I have to cancel all of it and rebook just the cruise. Just wondering if someone else has done this and if it's possible. We haven't made final payment and I know I should call my TA but I'm not sure how best to approach her with this (She gets kind of snippy with me) or should I call princess.

[Budget Queen]

First of all, thanks for your posts. We have been back and forth on our decision to do it on our own or do the cruise tour. We have made up our minds to do it on our own. We have no problem driving and planning and it gives us the freedom to stop as we wish. We hate to be tied into what everyone else is doing. Thank you Budget Queen for your input, that's what I wanted to hear. My original question was, will I be able to cancel just the tour part of our cruise or do I have to cancel all of it and rebook just the cruise. Just wondering if someone else has done this and if it's possible. We haven't made final payment and I know I should call my TA but I'm not sure how best to approach her with this (She gets kind of snippy with me) or should I call princess.

 

You will have to deal with the agent. Just factually state, your plans have changed and you want to cancel the land part of your tour. IF you have to cancel the whole thing, It is very likely the cabin would just go back and you would be able to rebook it at the same time.

 

Then, If you need any trip planning information, you will get a complete, accurate itinerary with the number of days you have from several expert posters on this board.

[ready2travel54]

We are going this summer in August and are planning the land portion on our own. It is a lot of work, but for about the same price we get to spend 3 more days in AK. We will see Kenai AND Denali. I have found the people on Trip Advisor Forum are very helpful. However, I would not delay in making reservations. We have been lucky to get all the reservations we need. Check out the price of rental cars, as the price has gone up $195 since we booked our car.

Overall, I am thrilled that we are going on our own for the land tour. I also read Budget Queens trip report she had good infor

Another thing I bought one of the coupon books for $100. I will save $149 on just one tour we will be doing. Good luck.

[NHsnowpup]

Just wondering if I can cancel the land part of our cruisetour so we can rent a car and do our own. Will princess let me cancel that part and still keep the cabin I'm in or will I have to cancel it all and rebook just the cruise part?

 

Our TA hadn't ever heard of anyone planning their own land portion, but she was nice about it when we were reserving our cabin only.

 

We planned our own, but didn't do a rental. We used Alaska Railroad, cheap from Fairbanks to Denali, dome from Anchorage to Seward, WOW gorgeous!!. Bus shuttle from Denali to Anchorage, long ride!!, and private transfer/taxi around Seward, and Seward to Whittier, our time, great stops where we wanted. We picked only the tours, museums, and spots we wanted to do after reading everything I could find. I used a local Tour and Travel company so most was pre-booked, paid for, scheduled, and vouchered. Hubby felt secure with the blended plan as I worked our schedule around the transportation we picked. It worked for us.

 

Good luck!!

[booklover12]

dome from Anchorage to Seward, WOW gorgeous!!. our time, great stops where we wanted. We picked only the tours, museums, and spots we wanted to do after reading everything I could find.

This is exactly what we thought. Our time and where we wanted. I'm also planning the dome from Anchorage to Seward. I heard the scenery is beautiful. I bought the milepost for planning. It's fabulous. Car rental is pricey but I still think we will save money doing it on our own.

[booklover12]

Talked to my TA, she didn't seem very happy but she said she would look into it. Got a call back from her within an hour and she was as nice as could be. She was able to cancel the land part and keep us in the same cabin. Yeah, now I can plan the fun part. I feel so much better about our decision, and we saved about $2400. I'm hoping we can do some sight seeing for less than that.

 

Thanks everyone for your help!!

[jannandjohn]

It is not difficult to plan your own interior Alaska touring. And I certainly never advocate "practice trips"- (first timers better off with cruisetour), .

there has always got to be a FIRST time though;)

[jannandjohn]

I know I should call my TA but I'm not sure how best to approach her with this (She gets kind of snippy with me) .

and you allow her to talk to you that way??

you are paying her, right?

[vbmom87]

Car rental is pricey but I still think we will save money doing it on our own.

 

Book a refundable car, and then keep watching for promotions. Closer to your travel date you could try Name your Price with Priceline if you haven't gotten a decent deal. Just remember that with Priceline an extra driver will not be included. (So bid accordingly) If you belong to Costco, some of the car rentals through their site include the free extra driver. Some find deals on hotwire, but these, like Priceline will be non-refundable and no extra driver. We got a great deal with Enterprise for 2008. We booked about 11 months out and booked a full size for 9 days for under $190. Then we did end up paying the $40 drop off and returned it to the airport rather than the downtown location we picked up from. This was a great deal. Others we met on the ship were paying $600-800 for a week. Pays to book early and be vigilant about checking prices.

 

Talked to my TA, she didn't seem very happy but she said she would look into it. Got a call back from her within an hour and she was as nice as could be. She was able to cancel the land part and keep us in the same cabin. Yeah, now I can plan the fun part. I feel so much better about our decision, and we saved about $2400. I'm hoping we can do some sight seeing for less than that.

 

Thanks everyone for your help!!

 

Of course she wasn't happy, she lost some commission on you. I am very happy you were able to keep your cabin.

 

Even if you don't save money, you are going to see and do so much more if you plan well. I never did the final cost analysis for Alaska like I usually do for my trips. In the end, I didn't really want to know what it cost us. ;) I have a good idea, but I just didn't want the bottom line figure. Cruisetours don't include a lot of food from what I have read, so basically you are getting transportation, lodging and any excursions the tour might include. We opted for B&Bs in Alaska. There are other less expensive options too. We liked meeting the locals and having breakfast included.

 

You will have a great time. How many days will you have for your land tour?

[booklover12]

You will have a great time. How many days will you have for your land tour?

 

Thanks for your great information. We cruise from Vancouver to Whittier so we have as much time on land as we want and can afford, because we fly home after. We are looking at 4-5 days. Car rentals right now are about $100 a day. I have AAA and costco so maybe that will help.

[Colexis Mom]

I second Enterprise. We are going on the Radiance out of Seward on July 1st. Flying into Anchorage on June 25th. By playing with my dates and plans, we're picking up the car (at the airport) on the 26th and returning it on the night of the 29th (taking the dome to Seward on the 30th). I got the rental (full size car) for $226 including taxes and fees. Once you go over 5 days it seems, you go to a weekly rental rate. I was originally looking at prices of $750 for our timeframe, and was quite happy to get it down to this rate (coupons for BJ's and Costco did nothing to bring down the $226 rate for me)! Good luck to you!!

[vbmom87]

Thanks for your great information. We cruise from Vancouver to Whittier so we have as much time on land as we want and can afford, because we fly home after. We are looking at 4-5 days. Car rentals right now are about $100 a day. I have AAA and costco so maybe that will help.

 

I do recommend you spend as many days as you can afford on land. There is so much to see and do.

 

Have you thought of reversing your itinerary? If you have a glacier priority, the Princess SB trips go to BOTH Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. These are the two jackpot areas for glaciers. Also with Whittier, I would suggest you make sure you fit in a PWS tour IF glaciers are a priority. On the NB, you can take a tour after disembarking and then take the evening train to Anchorage. If you go SB, you could take the tour before boarding.

 

Anyway you look at it, you will have a great vacation.