Alaska Cruise May 2014 Coral Princess

[sunseeker21]

My first time to Alaska and thinking of booking with Princess on the Coral.

My question is the 4 day land portion to add to cruise is about $700 p/person and starts in Anchorage and ends in Whittmier where ship leaves from. Would I get a better deal to just book 4 days on my own and what city would be better to fly into to to see the real Alaska then get transportation to Whittmier. Basically is the $700 p/person worth it to

book with Princess or better on my own????

Any ideas would be great. Thank you.

[KruzPrincess]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I haven't done a land portion through Princess, so I can't answer you questions. However, you may want to go to the Ports of Call section on the main menu and click on Alaska. You will find a ton of information about Alaska cruising and land trips there.

 

Just want to add I was on a 14 day Alaska cruise on the Coral Princess in July and we had a wonderful time.

[Pam in CA]

My first time to Alaska and thinking of booking with Princess on the Coral.

My question is the 4 day land portion to add to cruise is about $700 p/person and starts in Anchorage and ends in Whittmier where ship leaves from. Would I get a better deal to just book 4 days on my own and what city would be better to fly into to to see the real Alaska then get transportation to Whittmier. Basically is the $700 p/person worth it to book with Princess or better on my own????

Distances in Alaska are huge. If you book on your own, you'll spend a lot of time in a rented car racking up the miles. Plus, the driver won't see much other than the road. You won't have a guide to point out the eagles or moose you'll see along the way, or point out the mountains and the history. You'll have to research and book optional tours. Have I mentioned that the distances are huge? You can book the train independently but I don't know if they have clear glass domed roofs the way the Princess rail cars do. Nor do I know if they have guides on the train.

 

The Princess land tour is expensive, no doubt about that, and it doesn't include food or tours. But transportation is taken care of and the lodges are right in the parks.

 

Do your research and compare costs. Also, take into consideration gas for your rental car and the hours of driving you'll do.

 

FYI, the ship sails from Whittier, not Whittmier.

[margob111]

I booked the land cruise for May 19 on the Coral just so that hubby could enjoy the scenery and not have to worry about driving. It came with the Natural History Tour which I read should be upgraded to the Wilderness Tour. I actually upgraded my tour to the Connosieur tour, which includes most meals on the land portion and the Wilderness Tour I wanted.

[caribill]

I actually upgraded my tour to the Connosieur tour, which includes most meals on the land portion and the Wilderness Tour I wanted.

 

Good choice. You are well taken care of on the Connoiseur tour.

 

And it is nice to not have to look at the price side of the menu in the lodges.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I think you'll be too early in the season for the Tundra Wilderness Tour. You may be able to upgrade to the Kantisha Experience, but this only goes 30 miles into the park.

[Carolina Chuck]

The Connoiseur tour is well worth the money in our opinion. We did a 6-day land before our cruise in June, never have to worry about anything except when to show up, and the food at the lodges was excellent! There were also a few "unadvertised" surprise perks:)

[JimmyVWine]

On your own, figure on $200 per day for lodging, $200 for a rental car for 4 days, and a couple of tanks of gas ($120). Without food, your cost would come to $1120 and you would have a car to take you wherever you want to go and eat wherever you want to eat. You can spend time both in the Denali area and on the Kenai Peninsula. Or spend all your time in one of those areas. It is purely a matter of preference, but I much prefer this type of freedom. But with the freedom comes the pitfalls that Pam mentions. (Though I disagree with her on the point about the driver not getting to enjoy the view. It's not as if the driver stares only at the yellow line in the road.) You have to enjoy planning, researching, and driving. If you are a "sit back and relax" person, this won't be for you. We love road trips, and have driven all over the country including every inch of Route 66. I love to plan and research as I learn so much before I go. But this isn't the style of travel for everyone. And Alaska has its own issues. Distance and weather being chief among them.

[meredemer]

We just returned from a cruise-tour (8 day Connoiseur) and we rented a car & were on our own for 5 days (so we did both options!). I agree with the posters...first, research what you really want to do and see in Alaska. Then research the costs (by the way..our car -economy - was discounted and the price was almost 3x quoted above; not including gas, but free mileage). I agree, distances are huge, Alaska is vast and you must take into consideration weather, as well as road work (done every summer) can affect you arrival times. Most "highways" in AK (and there are very few!) are 2 lanes (1 each way) and the road-work stops can last up to 1/2 hr; can be really slow-going. If you do wish to go on Princess organized tour, then I highly recommend the connoiseur tour, if you can swing it. We had a wonderful time and quite impressed; the tour guide was very knowledgeable and accurate (we used to live in AK) and the meal vouchers were terrific to have - food was great and vouchers alleviated the "sticker shock" (AK is NOT cheap...'cept the liquor is very reasonable;)!). The train trip was one of the highlights. Princess has the land tours down to a science, everything went so smoothly, without a hitch. We really did feel pampered! Again: figure out what you want to see and do and research thoroughly before making your decision. Either way, you'll love it.