Cruise First or Denali First?

[JPH814]

Six of us are planning an Alaska Cruise in July 2015. We have pretty much settled on the Holland America 11 day cruise which includes 2 overnights in Denali

 

I have always believed that Denali first and then cruise is the better option. I expect the days at Denali - and to and from Denali will be pretty hectic - and I look forward to relaxing days on board to recover.

 

Now I see some promotions from Holland America on the same cruise, but with the cruise coming first. (Apparently the promotion does not apply to the Denali first option.)

 

So here is my question: Am I right in my preference for doing the cruise after the land tour? Does anyone have the opposite opinion?

[sue1898]

We did this very cruise/tour in late June. We did the tour first because I had read you will need the cruise after to recuperate from the busy tour days. Glad I took that advice as the tour days do start very early and since we were coming from the east coast we were also adjusting to the time change. Either way you do it you are sure to have a fantastic time! One hint I would give you is they offer both breakfast and lunch on the train to Denali. We passed up breakfast only to be the last served for lunch at 3 pm so take that into consideration. Have a great time and if you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them!

Edited July 29, 2014 by sue1898

[mapleleaves]

It would help if you posted the land itinerary and is it by train or bus?

 

If the land portion is only 4 days, one day will be transit to Denali and another from Denali, plus one day sitting on a bus thru the park. The travel will likely be broken up by an overnight at Alyeska or Talkeetna. Doesn't sound too hectic to me.

[AryMay]

Although we did the land touring on our own, we debated the same thing...go north?...or go south? There are pros and cons to either way and I'm not sure which direction I would choose if and when we return.

 

Going north (which is what we did) - The scenery just kept getting better and better as we sailed north. More snow, more wildlife, etc. (Although even what we saw on the first day of the cruise was beautiful!)

 

Going south - Getting the longer flight out of the way at the beginning would be the main reason I would choose to go south. Our long, overnight flight at the end of a fantastic, two-week trip was a horrible way to end.

 

Also...after having all of our meals included in the cruise, it was not fun to actually have to pay for food on the land portion at the end. Doing it the other way around would have been better. (Psychological advantage?)

 

For us, the decision was finally made based on flights. We had an airline credit with Southwest that had to be used by a certain date and we worked backwards from this date to figure out all of our other plans.

 

FYI...we went the first week in June and although we missed the salmon season, the snow on the mountains made the scenery spectacular. I have seen photos taken later in the summer and it just isn't quite as pretty IMHO.

[grobma]

We chose to do the northbound on our upcoming trip for two reasons. First, was the itinerary. Northbound on the NCL Sun includes Glacier Bay, but southbound did not. Second, so much of the land tour is sitting on buses and trains, we did not think it would be that taxing. Getting up early is not an issue for us, especially since for some of the port excursions on our way up, we have to be up early, and would want to be up early for the spectacular sunrises anyway.

 

The opinions on this board tend to run to a preference for the southbound trips, including for reasons of the flights as well, but everyone is different and your mileage may vary. We also noticed that the northbound trips were less expensive, perhaps driven my what the market demands.

 

Either way, you're sure to have a fantastic trip!

[Denise_CA]

I agree there are pros and cons to taking the cruise first or last, but I recommend taking the cruise first! Here's why:

 

As you sail north from Vancouver each day gets better and more exciting than the last...with your final stop Denali!

 

You start with a beautiful sail away from Vancouver. Go up on the top deck with your camera. Wave goodbye to the locals at the pier, have a drink, listen to the live band on deck and enjoy the beautiful scenery; mountains, water, city skyline and sailing under the Lions Gate Bridge.

 

The following day you'll sail through the Inside Passage, which makes you feel as though you could throw a stone from the ship and hit the shore! The view offers large trees, cliffs, waterfalls, islands and possibly some wildlife.

 

The next few days you'll stop in Southeastern Alaska; ports like Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan or Sitka. Enjoy some time on shore whale watching, helicopter flightseeing, hiking, biking, taking a train ride, learn about the native culture and more.

 

Then marvel at the glaciers as you learn about the area from a Park Ranger.

 

After the cruise you'll start to enjoy the interior of Alaska. Hopefully your land tour will include a portion on the dome train, a must do!

 

Then your final stop Denali National Park and Mt McKinley. Travel into the park and view wildlife or take a flightseeing tour and see the enormous Mt McKinley from the air.

 

The downside is your longer flight home, but most flights depart from Alaska in the evening so try to get a little sleep to help with the jetlag.

 

With the money you save booking the northbound cruisetour you can buy some shore excursions! ;)

 

Enjoy Alaska! :)

 

Denise Blackmore, MCC