Alaska cruise tour on-your-own

[ClaudiaB]

Has anyone ever taken an Alaskan cruise and then planned their own interior of Alaska tour? We are having second thoughts about a Celebrity cruise tour we have booked for next year. I think there's going to be a lot of mixed transportation and schedules which eat up time we could be doing this ourselves.

 

I'm in the process of researching this, and it seems like it would be a lot of fun to rent a car and do some time in Kenai, Anchorage, and drive up to Denali.

 

My question is: has anyone here done that? I'm interested in your opinions, reviews, recommendations, etc.

 

Thanks in advance!

[mainecruz52]

We did a week in Alaska before our cruise. We worked with an Alaska tour company and was able to choose our time, place, and activity we wanted. Did not rent a car. We took a train from Anchorage to Denali, then bus, to Talkeetna, and Seward. Two nights at each location. All connections were smooth. Hotels great.

We did see some people who were doing a week through the cruise. They seemed rushed and tired, and did not get to see the things we did.

[rhlaw]

We did do it thru the cruise and enjoyed it very much. We had a wonderful tour leader, learned a lot. But saying that, we would do it on our own next time. I think if you do a lot of research you would do well. There is so much to learn from the people who live there, it is not just the sites that are interesting. But really do your research or talk to people who where there. A wonderful State.

[bplazo]

I think that is what we want to do but it is all so confusing.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've done it twice with Celebrity and enjoyed it both times because we did not have to drive. But, if we go to Alaska again we will do it on our own to explore some areas we have not spent much time in.

 

Mary Lou

[kelmac]

We did a 23 day Alaskan adventure!

 

I would take a Princess or Holland America ship northbound; spend 3 -- 7 days in mainland Alaska (we did Kenai, Anchorage and ocean areas off the coast); then take a Celebrity ship southbound. One night pre/post cruise in Vancouver.

 

No open jaw flights and our trip cost less than a 12 day Land/Cruise offered by the lines. We stayed at three different hotels in Alaska, including a Princess Lodge. The car rental was a bit expensive, but one way cruises north and south are less expensive compared to the R/T's out of Seattle.

 

You can do the train, shore excursions, Denali…, all on your own for less money.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[diesel1973]

If you end your cruise in Anchorage there would be no problem in renting a car and touring yourself. Just keep in mind that rental cars are a lttle pricey($9oo a week and up) and must be booked early. If you end up in Whittier or Seward there are no rentals that I know of so you must get to Anchorage to rent. I just returned after 6 weeks of fishing up there as I have been doing for the past 15+ years and have been down just about every road up there. Alaska is the best kept secret and just when you think you see something great you turn the corner and see something greater!! Good luck with your plans and if you do tour on your own purhase a book called Milepost. I have never cruised up there but have been on plenty of ferrys and probably have seen more. Good Luck:):):)

[CanWeGoYet?]

To the OP, if you post this question on the Alaska forum I bet you will get so much valuable advice. I have seen Budget Queen and others advise people on how to arrange their schedule & what not to miss, how much time to allow to make for the best experience.

 

Even if you go for the cruise tour through the cruise lines, some offer a better itinerary than others. I know nothing about cruise tours but have seen incredibly useful, detailed advice on the Alaska forum.

[micruiser12]

I agree that if you post to the Alaskan boards it will help.

 

We did a week on our own last August. Flight into Anchorage, stayed a night there and picked up rental car there for 4 days. One highway up to Denali so it's an easy drive and stayed in Denali area for 3 nights. Took bus tour in Denali one day and then just did everything else on our own including returning to Denali to hike, etc. Returned to Anchorage for another night and took gold dome train from there to Seward where our ship sailed from. After talking to several that had taken the cruise tours we felt we had seen (and paid a lot less) for our experience. It does take more research on your part though, but not bad. Alaskan boards really helped encourage us that we could do it on our own!

[kelmac]

If you end your cruise in Anchorage there would be no problem in renting a car and touring yourself. Just keep in mind that rental cars are a lttle pricey($9oo a week and up) and must be booked early. If you end up in Whittier or Seward there are no rentals that I know of so you must get to Anchorage to rent. I just returned after 6 weeks of fishing up there as I have been doing for the past 15+ years and have been down just about every road up there. Alaska is the best kept secret and just when you think you see something great you turn the corner and see something greater!! Good luck with your plans and if you do tour on your own purhase a book called Milepost. I have never cruised up there but have been on plenty of ferrys and probably have seen more. Good Luck:):):)

 

Actually, we rented a SUV in Seward for less than $600 for the week. Hertz has a location walking distance from where the ship docks.

 

http://rentacaralaska.com

 

If you were to cruise HAL's Zaandam northbound (May 31, 2015); then spend five days in mainland Alaska; and catch Celebrity's Millennium southbound (June 12th, 2015), that would be a nice schedule. You would get Glacier National Park, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait, as well as the standard stops. You could create various schedules, matching NCL, Princess, HAL, RCL and Celebrity.

 

The only airfare you would need is the R/T air to Vancouver or Seattle (use the train or bus to Vancouver).

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[phoenix_dream]

I highly recommend pursuing your own tour. We did that and for a three day post-cruise add-on we saved $300 per person. That is not an insignificant amount! We contacted an Alaska based travel agent we found through the internet and they arranged everything. We did a bus to Denali, spent a couple nights there at the Princess resort (including a bus tour of Denali and a cute dinner/show combination), then took the Alaska Railroad back with an overnight in Anchorage before our flight home. While the bus was not as bad as you might think (it had comfortable seats, wide windows, and was not crowded) we said if we had it to do over again we would pay the extra $$'s to do the train both ways.

[mundocruiser]

Has anyone ever taken an Alaskan cruise and then planned their own interior of Alaska tour? We are having second thoughts about a Celebrity cruise tour we have booked for next year. I think there's going to be a lot of mixed transportation and schedules which eat up time we could be doing this ourselves.

 

I'm in the process of researching this, and it seems like it would be a lot of fun to rent a car and do some time in Kenai, Anchorage, and drive up to Denali.

 

My question is: has anyone here done that? I'm interested in your opinions, reviews, recommendations, etc.

 

Thanks in advance!

We did two days in Anchorage before our cruise. There is so much to do in the Anchorage area, museums, national parks, great places to eat, etc.

We did walks in national parks, all the museums in Anchorage, drove north for just a nice drive, and enjoyed a number of fabulous restaurants in Anchorage. There is a brew pub there, cannot remember the name, but it was fabulous food and beer. There is a fancy restaurant which everyone tells you to go to, been there forever, have to have reservations, DON'T go. It is average food for insane prices and the view is meh. Look at TripAdvisor for restaurant reviews.

Be sure to do the hot dog cart in downtown. The one where the guy abuses you while you order. He is annoying, but the reindeer dogs are worth it.

[kmpjdd]

We rented a car in Anchorage after a Princess cruise 2 years ago. See my review here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1657964

 

We drove up to Denali for 2 nights, it was totally worth it. It was nice to be on our own schedule and also it was important to us to spend as much time as possible in Denali National Park. We took the 8-hour bus ride one day and went hiking both days we were there.

 

I was kind of sad to miss the train ride, but we went on the train in Skagway, so we didn't feel like we were missing anything by driving ourselves.

 

My advice is this: if you are even thinking about doing this, rent a car as soon as possible, the prices never drop, they just keep going up, and the car rental is easy to cancel without losing money. We rented 10 months in advance, so it's not too early to do this for next summer.

[Northern Aurora]

I am one of the Alaskans who posts on the CC Alaska forum, and as someone who lives in Alaska it often seems to me that the folks on cruise tours look rather "herded." There is a bias on the Alaska forum toward DIY land tours, and I have to admit that I share that bias. I don't want to sound sarcastic, but Alaska is part of the US, we speak English, use the US dollar and drive on the same side of the road as the other states!

[HokiePoq]

We rented a car in Anchorage after a Princess cruise 2 years ago. See my review here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1657964

 

We drove up to Denali for 2 nights, it was totally worth it. It was nice to be on our own schedule and also it was important to us to spend as much time as possible in Denali National Park. We took the 8-hour bus ride one day and went hiking both days we were there.

 

I was kind of sad to miss the train ride, but we went on the train in Skagway, so we didn't feel like we were missing anything by driving ourselves.

 

My advice is this: if you are even thinking about doing this, rent a car as soon as possible, the prices never drop, they just keep going up, and the car rental is easy to cancel without losing money. We rented 10 months in advance, so it's not too early to do this for next summer.

 

I may be in the minority, but I don't think you missed much by not taking the train to Denali. It was surprisingly non-scenic. It was also quite slow with many stops as people living along the line depend on it for transportation.

[leahsdad]

We took a Princess cruise to Whittier and then rented an RV for 10 days---Great Alaskan Holidays is located near anchorage airport so a transfer from the ship was easy (private)--we then departed from anc after our tour

 

Paul

[surgie]

We did a 23 day Alaskan adventure!

 

I would take a Princess or Holland America ship northbound; spend 3 -- 7 days in mainland Alaska (we did Kenai, Anchorage and ocean areas off the coast); then take a Celebrity ship southbound. One night pre/post cruise in Vancouver.

 

No open jaw flights and our trip cost less than a 12 day Land/Cruise offered by the lines. We stayed at three different hotels in Alaska, including a Princess Lodge. The car rental was a bit expensive, but one way cruises north and south are less expensive compared to the R/T's out of Seattle.

 

You can do the train, shore excursions, Denali…, all on your own for less money.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

I checked the itineraries for Princess Southbound and Celebrity Northbound and there are many similar ports. So what am I missing? I am intrigued by the idea of cruises on different lines and like the idea of flying in and out of Vancouver but what would I be missing if I booked north and south on the same cruise line?

[ECCruise]

I am one of the Alaskans who posts on the CC Alaska forum, and as someone who lives in Alaska it often seems to me that the folks on cruise tours look rather "herded." There is a bias on the Alaska forum toward DIY land tours, and I have to admit that I share that bias. I don't want to sound sarcastic, but Alaska is part of the US, we speak English, use the US dollar and drive on the same side of the road as the other states!

 

Could not agree more. Unless you need a lot of hand-holding, doing it on your own is definitely the way to go. Much more flexibility, the ability to linger or move on as you want, and way more economical. You can fairly easily rent a car in Anchorage for $400-500 total including taxes and fees and go where and when you want (although you will want to pre-reserve both the car and the lodgings--things are not THAT flexible).

We've done similar trips twice and would do it again without a thought.

[kelmac]

I checked the itineraries for Princess Southbound and Celebrity Northbound and there are many similar ports. So what am I missing? I am intrigued by the idea of cruises on different lines and like the idea of flying in and out of Vancouver but what would I be missing if I booked north and south on the same cruise line?

 

Hi surg,

 

If you were to book the same cruise line, you may have to wait two weeks before the ship gets back after it drops you off. Most lines only have one ship making the "loop".

Princess and HAL usually take in Glacier Bay and Royal Caribbean and Celebrity usually hit Hubbard Glacier. Both are worth seeing, although I prefer Hubbard. You will duplicate some ports no matter which line you select; of course the same line does the same ports north/south bound.

 

You get a better mix of ports with a Holland America/Celebrity mix; or Princess/Celebrity. I like the HAL + Celebrity combo because they both dock in Seward. Princess comes in north of there in Whittier.

 

Here is an example of a Celebrity northbound and a HAL southbound; this would give you nine days in mainland Alaska, which would be enough to see everything.:)

 

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Fri Jun 5 Vancouver, BC, Canada 4:30pm

Sat Jun 6 Inside Passage (Cruising)

Sun Jun 7 Ketchikan, AK 7:00am 3:00pm

Mon Jun 8 Icy Strait Point, AK 10:00am 8:00pm

Tue Jun 9 Juneau, AK 7:00am 8:30pm

Wed Jun 10 Skagway, AK 7:00am 4:00pm

Thu Jun 11 Hubbard Glacier, AK (Cruising) 7:00am 11:00am

Fri Jun 12 Anchorage (Seward), AK 5:00am

 

 

DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART

Sun Jun 21 Anchorage (Seward), AK 8:00pm

Mon Jun 22 At Sea

Tue Jun 23 Glacier Bay National Park, AK (Cruising) 10:00am 7:00pm

Wed Jun 24 Haines, AK 6:30am 9:00pm

Thu Jun 25 Juneau, AK 8:00am 6:00pm

Fri Jun 26 Ketchikan, AK 11:00am 7:00pm

Sat Jun 27 Inside Passage, AK (Cruising)

Sun Jun 28 Vancouver, BC, Canada 7:00am

 

(Only two duplicated ports)

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[surgie]

Thank you, that makes sense!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Sloop-JohnB]

When it comes to Alaska there truly are lots of options and a variety of cruise lines / land holidays you can explore (thru them, or on your own)

 

For example, my folks did a HAL cruise & land pkg out of Vancouver last year that took them up the inside passage, then they took a train across the top of British Columbia, a bus coach to the Yukon, a riverboat further inland, and finally another bus coach onto Alaska. They saw tons. A real once in a lifetime trip (they also spent an extra week in Alaska itself)

 

So you have lots of options to consider.

 

Also agree with the others...

 

You should post your Question on CCs Alaska Board.

 

Also, whenever planning anything on land I also refer to CCs sister website TripAdvisor... Awesome advice to be got there not only from those who travel to a particular Destination (like ths website is prone to) but TA allows you to post Questions on their Forums and get feedback from Destination Experts & locals alike. A real gold mine of great knowledge !!

 

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Tourism-g28923-Alaska-Vacations.html

 

Cheers!

Edited August 18, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[rhlaw]

I think that is what we want to do but it is all so confusing.

 

I don't know when your cruise is, it is confusing. But if you start to look at what interest you and there is a lot of information on the cruise boards, you can do it.

It is a lot of work, but I am so glad I did the research and booked what I wanted to when it is all over. We are going on an Europe cruise in three weeks and this has taken me 1 and 1/2 years to research. It is confusing in the beginning but it does come together in the end and you learn so much.

I wish you an excellent cruise.

[donaldsc]

 

I was kind of sad to miss the train ride, but we went on the train in Skagway, so we didn't feel like we were missing anything by driving ourselves.

 

.

 

I did that train ride on my first trip to AK maybe 12 years ago. I will not say that I absolutely hated the train ride but it came very close to that. I like to be in control of my own destiny instead of riding on a train where I can not stop to look at stuff because the train does not stop.

 

As a result of that awful trip, I have never taken a train trip to anywhere since with 2 exceptions and I do not regret missing the train experience. Give me a car any day.

 

The 2 exceptions are the train in Skagway and the Ghan from Darwin to Adelaide. The only reason that I did the Ghan was that I did not want to do the 1881 miles through the Australian outback and I needed to get to Adelaide after spending 2 1/2 months in Australia. In hindsight, I should have done the drive.

 

Lots of people seem to love the train trip to Denali and also the train trip from Anchorage to Seward or from Anchorage to Whittier but for the life of me I cannot figure out why.

 

I guess the phrase "different strokes for different folks" applies.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

I think that is what we want to do but it is all so confusing.

 

It isn't confusing. You just have to do some research and make decisions on your own instead of being led around w the rest of the herd.

 

It does take a bit of work but the results are worth it.

 

DON

[SPacificbound]

Has anyone ever taken an Alaskan cruise and then planned their own interior of Alaska tour? We are having second thoughts about a Celebrity cruise tour we have booked for next year. I think there's going to be a lot of mixed transportation and schedules which eat up time we could be doing this ourselves.

 

I'm in the process of researching this, and it seems like it would be a lot of fun to rent a car and do some time in Kenai, Anchorage, and drive up to Denali.

 

My question is: has anyone here done that? I'm interested in your opinions, reviews, recommendations, etc.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

We have not completed this but we are on our way! :D

 

Currently we are in Vancouver, and will board RC Radiance Of The Sea on Friday for seven days Vancouver to Seward. We are then doing a two week DIY tour in Alaska, traveling by rail. :) We will spend a few days along the way in Anchorage, Talkeetna, and Denali.

 

We like to make our own way. :D

 

If you haven't visited the Alaska board yet here is a link.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55