Luggage Question - Princess Cruise/Tour

[cowtec]

Thank you so much!!! What terrific information! Joy2Day, it sounds like you were on the same cruisetour we will be on - 19S? We leave on August 9. Are jeans appropriate in the restaurants at Fairbanks, Denali, McKinley, and Kenai or do we need to do a step up and bring Dockers or something less casual than the jeans? :confused:

 

Sue

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

I am glad Princess has it down pat, but how about HAL?! Can I assume the same, or will it be different? We are doing the land portion first as well, and I had planned to pack land tour clothes separate so we don't even have to go near cruise clothes suitcases. There are four of us so there will be two small roll-ons (20" tumi), three back-packs, one briefcase, one small bag like the old-fashioned train case and my big purse for the land portion. Everything else for the cruise will go into two large 22" tumis and one hanging bag. Is my thinking sound or am I in for trouble?

[terrierjohn]

I believe the size of the carryon is 17 X 14 X 4. I am confused also. Going from Fairbanks to Denali to McKinley by train as part of the cruise tour. I know any bags we want to send to the ship will meet us there, but can we take 1 bag and 1 carryon on the train? And will we have access to both at Denali and McKinley? :confused: Thanks!

 

Sue

 

We just did the train from Whittier to Denali with Princess and then also Mt. McKinley lodge. You are allowed one main piece of luggage each and this will ship out ahead of both train & coach journey and should be in your room each time you arrive, anything not needed on the land trip can go ahead and meet you on the ship or your final hotel, dependant on whether it's pre or post cruise. The final 4" dimension quoted on Princess literature for train carry ons is a mistake according to my TA, and we found the space under the train seats would have big enough to take the next size up fom our 21 x 13 x 9 case, we only took one case between us plus a small back pack and my wife's vanity case and cavernous hand bag. There really is no big problem as long as you don't take a truly oversized carry on.

[scmomofboys]

Just wondering how long the bus ride from McKinnley to Kenai was. We're looking at our options for next year and wondered if it was a really long day. We just returned from a 4 night stay at the Princess Kenai Lodge (independent trip) and want to include it in our cruise tour next year. We loved the Kenai area, great fishing! Thanks

[Joy2Day]

cowtec -- You're right. I was on 19S Jun 14-20. It was warm most of the time. Shorts, Dockers, or jeans would be appropriate all the time on land. I wore jeans everywhere and didn't feel out of place in the least.

 

scmom -- The bus from McKinley Lodge to Kenai Lodge takes most of the day. However, it doesn't seem that long. We traveled from the McKinley Lodge to Anchorage where we had a couple of hours of free time around noontime. The bus drivers also do a good job of providing commentary and fun activities on the bus.

[scmomofboys]

Thanks, Joy2Day.

[cowtec]

Thanks Joy2Day! We are so excited about this trip and you have really set my mind at ease about packing. Now when DH starts talking about packing, I'll be ready. Were there laundry facilities at the Kenai Princess and did you have time to use them? You mentioned that you had a couple of hours in Anchorage around noon - on the ride from McKinley to Kenai? Were you responsible for getting your own lunch then? I wasn't sure how that would be handled with the long ride. :confused:

 

Sue

[Joy2Day]

We were on our own for lunch in Anchorage. Most people headed down to one of the microbreweries, then to some shopping. We decided to walk over to the Alaska Museum of Art and History, which was okay, but not great. The exhibit on shaman was the most interesting to me. We originally planned to eat at the museum, but fish chowder and spinach-feta croissants weren't going to fly with an 8-year old. So on the way back to meet the bus, we swung by the Anchorage Mall and hit the food court.

 

I didn't check out the laundry facilities at the other lodges. I talked to some other people who said there weren't many machines. The Kenai Lodge has 2 laundry areas: one (I don't know how big) near the lodge and one down by the RV park. The one at the RV park has 6 washers and 6 dryers. Each load cost $2 to wash and $2 to dry. Detergent is available at the front desk or the RV convenience store. The convenience store has a larger selection of brands, and it is $1/load at both places. There is a shuttle van that will take you back and forth. It was nice to get the laundry done all at once, even though it is more expensive than the ship ($0.75 each).

[cowtec]

Thank you again, Joy2Day!! :D

 

Sue

[Momj47]

I just returned from a Princess Cruisetour, and it's not as hard as it sounds on paper. I agree with WEGRIMES, Princess has this luggage thing nailed (usually). I suggest two "big" bags, one for the cruise, which will stay in Anchorage (or not, mine showed up in Denali, I had them send it back to Anchorage, and it showed up in my cabin as promised) and a second bag for the land tour. You can have a smaller bag that you carry with you, but it doesn't have to be 14x17x4, I think that's a misprint. There is plenty of room under the seats on the train, and in the overhead cargo areas, and usually under the bus, for extra bags. Your luggage travels with you, in a baggage car or under the bus, but you won't see it until you get to your room.

 

We only had one problem, on the trip from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, they didn't load one piece of luggage for a tour member, it went south instead of north. He was pretty cold in Prudhoe Bay in shorts and a t-shirt, but he was a good sport about it and Princess took good care of him.

 

After a week on land, we had a lot of dirty laundry, so we used the laundromat onboard after we embarked in Whittier. That way we had clean underwear for the cruise! Washer/dryer each costs $1, and there are change machines in the laundry room.

 

Enjoy your trip.