HAL Alaska cruisetours - Southbound

[the2ofus]

I've searched the Ports Of Call board but couldn't find specific HAL cruisetour info. Maybe someone here can help me. There is discussion on the Alaska POC board about Celebrity and RCCI pax being required to pack two suitcases so that one can be stored and delivered to the ship while you keep the other with you for the land portion of the trip. Apparently, the reason is that the train to and from Denali has very little space for luggage. So far I haven't heard of any such restrictions for our HAL cruisetour. Can anyone shed some light on this?

[steverenee]

Hi

 

My wife and I are also doing a southbound cruisetour ( #2) in June and would like to see the responses you get. This is our first cruise so we are looking for all the info / advise we can find!

[the2ofus]

Welcome to CC steverenee. I see that was your first post. There is a lot of useful information on the Alaska section of the Ports of Call board so be sure you go there as well as checking in here. Are you sailing on a HAL ship? There are a lot of great HAL fans on this board with a vast store of knowledge so don't hesitate to ask questions of us.

[jghllnd1]

We did HAL Cruisetour #2 in August 2009.

 

I believe we could only take our carry-on luggage on the train and our larger piece of luggage were trucked to Fairbanks.

 

I had my carry-on size bag packed for the night in Denali and also carried my computer bag. When we arrived in Fairbanks, our large piece of luggage was waiting for us in our room.

 

It was not a problem.

[catl331]

We did the southbound C-T #14 starting in Fairbanks, and we could send luggage on ahead to the ship if we wanted, but were not required to. Our large bags did not go with on the bus or train, but went on ahead by truck and were waiting for us in our room at Denali and cabin when we got to the ship.

[Sunshine91]

Please don't quote this as fact, but double check with your TA.

 

In Sept 2009 John & I did a HAL AK cruise-tour that included 2 nights at Denali. A year or 2 before, my folks went, but their tour only had 1 night at that glorious national treasure.

 

Our trip was southbound & we had the option of sending any luggage ahead to the hotel in Anchorage. Since we had packed a bag w/formals & other clothing needed just onboard the ship, we did send that bag on the truck, but kept the others with us.

 

My folks however, were only allowed to keep a small overnight bag each for the Denali overnight stop. They had to send the large luggage on the truck.

 

Sooooo, I think it all depends on your cruisetour - how many nights will you spend at Denali? But when you receive your cruise docs, it should all be spelled out for you.

 

Enjoy your trips. Alaska is beautiful. :)

[steverenee]

Thanks for the info - these boards are SO informative !!! We will be on the Zuiderdam, but fly into Anchorage and do our land portion first. We are just starting to plan the details of our trip now that the cruise and plane are booked.

[schoolinmy3]

I believe my parents were on cruise tour 14 on the Ryndam last August southbound. I do remember that before flying to their cruise tour they were searching for a thin carry on. I think they were limited to 4-6 inches wide for the bus portion of the cruise tour. In any case I suggested Marshalls/HomeGoods stores and they were able to find the exact size bag they were looking for.

Diane

[the2ofus]

Thanks so much for the helpful responses. We will be spending two nights in Denali. Fairbanks->Denali->Anchorage->Seward. We are a group of 12, of which only 5 have cruised before and only 3 have been to Alaska. I'm trying to do advance research to make the trip as smooth as possible. I knew my HAL friends would come through with the info I need.

 

Looks like I'll be re-packing my airline travel/first night carry-on with Denali stuff in Fairbanks. I definitely only want one piece of checked luggage on the plane.