landtour???

[lindasuej]

My brother went to Alaska last year on Celebrity. He did a land tour first and then cruised. He said if he had to do it again he wouldn't do the land tour. He said it was very hectic. Rush rush rush. On one tour the bus used for a long tour was more like a school bus so it was very uncomfortable. He hardly saw any animals even on the train. I am so disappointed to hear this. Is this the norm?

[mapleleaves]

I think you are referring to the bus trip thru Denali. Which Denali bus trip did he take? There are several options .... from 17 miles to 100 miles. And there are TOUR bus trips and SHUTTLE bus trips; the shuttles are 1/3 the price and are converted school buses altho most have been upgraded from bench seats to bucket seats. The TOUR buses are primarily used by cruisetours and are supposedly more comfortable. I don't know as I have only used the shuttles

 

I've never found the shuttle bus to be uncomfortable, and I've ALWAYS enjoyed the scenery and wildlife. I can't think of any activity that EVERYONE agrees on. Just because your brother didn't enjoy it, doesn't mean you won't.

Denali is not a zoo, so of course it's possible that you might not see animals.

 

the Denali reservation page has info about the TOUR/SHUTTLE trips under PLAY. http://www.reservedenali.com/

 

Feeling rushed is a common complaint about the shorter cruisetours. People don't realize how large Alaska is and the travel time required to get around. On short cruisetours you can spend a lot of time in transit and have little time to enjoy the destination. With a cruisetour it's imperative to know what you are buying .... RESEARCH the details of it. OTOH, plenty of folks enjoy their tours. Look at last summers trip reports ( in STICKY above). It's also easy enough to plan your own land tour and have more control over your schedule and destinations. You can travel DIY by car, bus, train, or RV .....

Edited March 29, 2015 by mapleleaves
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[onefishtwofish]

We are doing a land tour through the Alaska Railroad after our cruise and they can help you with everything from hotels to excursions.....AND you can tailor the tour to your pace as the trains leave at the same time daily.......we called a number of times and the ladies with the railroad were SO nice and helpful! We took a basic tour (not realizing we could tailor it) and with their help, created a great (and less hectic!) tour. ;)

 

The other reason we decided on this way to do our land tour is because we, as a family, didn't want to do any buses - just the train for each leg.

 

Just my 2 cents!:D

[Budget Queen]

We are doing a land tour through the Alaska Railroad after our cruise and they can help you with everything from hotels to excursions.....AND you can tailor the tour to your pace as the trains leave at the same time daily.......we called a number of times and the ladies with the railroad were SO nice and helpful! We took a basic tour (not realizing we could tailor it) and with their help, created a great (and less hectic!) tour. ;)

 

The other reason we decided on this way to do our land tour is because we, as a family, didn't want to do any buses - just the train for each leg.

 

Just my 2 cents!:D

 

Have you already done this "tour"?

[Budget Queen]

My brother went to Alaska last year on Celebrity. He did a land tour first and then cruised. He said if he had to do it again he wouldn't do the land tour. He said it was very hectic. Rush rush rush. On one tour the bus used for a long tour was more like a school bus so it was very uncomfortable. He hardly saw any animals even on the train. I am so disappointed to hear this. Is this the norm?

 

I am going to be blunt. It appears to me, this "tour" was purchased without, knowing the DETAILS of what was bought? Wrong assumptions and expectations that weren't reality based.

 

some points I will suggest for basics.

 

Go for as long as you can afford- bottom line, Time is your best friend in Alaska. If you don't have the time for at least a 5 day add on. I'm of the belief it would be a poor choice, if you aren't going to be a frequent Alaska visitor.

 

Second- know the details of WHERE you are going. This is a common "mistake" I see over and over. Precious days wasted at locations that aren't of interest, and at the expense of being in places you would have many more activities and interest.

 

Do not underestimate time and distance. Most people have no clue- as example that "great" sounding ad for "Direct to Denali"= 10 hours on the train Whittier/Denali, with the scenery stand out, 2 hours, with the rest just about going along the highway.

 

Point to point travel is a negative in Alaska, every mile could offer an opportunity for sightseeing, points of interest or a pause for wildlife.

 

Be VERY informed on Denali Park. A very common wrong assumption made that all it has to say is "Denali" and your ok. There are very specific differences that need to be understood. Denali is many times the highlight perceived of the entire cruise tour. I can NOT see, any value in going all those miles and time to get there and then NOT get into the park. But, many cruise tours do just that. I will always, ask- would you make a trip to Disneyland and be ok with not getting past Main Street?? There may be people who would perhaps??? But at least KNOW what your options are and WHAT you are purchasing.

 

So- with wildlife- time is important. The longer you are in prime areas, the more you can see. The wildlife areas in mainland Alaska, are Denali Park and Kenai Fjords. And meaning you HAVE to have the time and "tours" to get to/from the areas. With Denali this specifically means getting INTO the park. I never consider less than Eielson, or 3 days. For Kenai Fjords, this means at least 6 hours on the water. I do repetitive trips.

 

There is something for everyone. Many people greatly enjoy the cruise tours, BUT- choose the correct one for what your Alaska priorities are. Know the DETAILS of what you are purchasing.

[lindasuej]

Thanks. He is the only person I have ever heard that they didn't like the land tour. I think what he did was take a cruise tour on celebrity. Thanks for your help. We are hoping to do this in 2016. lots of time to research.

[portiemom]

My brother went to Alaska last year on Celebrity. He did a land tour first and then cruised. He said if he had to do it again he wouldn't do the land tour. He said it was very hectic. Rush rush rush. On one tour the bus used for a long tour was more like a school bus so it was very uncomfortable. He hardly saw any animals even on the train. I am so disappointed to hear this. Is this the norm?

 

So sorry your brother had a bad experience on his land tour. We did a land tour with Princess and it was fantastic! I think it all depends on your expectations and how your specific land tour is configured. Here's what we did. Flew into Anchorage and the next day took a very comfortable tour bus to McKinley Lodge near Talkeetna. After 2 days there we boarded a train for the Denali Lodge. This was a comfortable Alaska Railroad train with the domed seating area and a dining area on the lower level. Very scenic, but no we did not view wildlife from the train, although some passengers on the other side did see something - I forget what it was. Our bus ride to the end of the road in Denali was something we will never forget. Yes, it was basically a converted school bus and yes our tour was something like 12 hours long, but we were not uncomfortable and we were not bored. The time passed all too quickly. Saw lots and lots of wildlife. Would do it again in a heartbeat. The tour in Denali that came with our package would not have gone very far into the park at all. If we had stopped at that point, we would have seen no wildlife at all!:eek: Luckily I read on Cruise Critic to upgrade that tour and that is just what we did and it was easy and fabulous. The train to the cruise ship terminal in Whittier was extremely scenic, but again no wildlife sightings. Would I repeat the same land tour again? Probably not, there are too many other places to see but I would certainly return to Denali. And I in no way regret our land tour. It was the right choice for us at the time.

 

Good luck with your planning!:)

[onefishtwofish]

Have you already done this "tour"?

 

No - we are doing it in July

 

We have also booked most of our excursions based on lots of research online and here on cc as well as speaking with some people who did similar tours with the Alaska Railroad. Our schedule is similar to several cruisetours we looked at.

Edited March 30, 2015 by onefishtwofish

[dondiane]

So sorry your brother had a bad experience on his land tour. We did a land tour with Princess and it was fantastic! I think it all depends on your expectations and how your specific land tour is configured. Here's what we did. Flew into Anchorage and the next day took a very comfortable tour bus to McKinley Lodge near Talkeetna. After 2 days there we boarded a train for the Denali Lodge. This was a comfortable Alaska Railroad train with the domed seating area and a dining area on the lower level. Very scenic, but no we did not view wildlife from the train, although some passengers on the other side did see something - I forget what it was. Our bus ride to the end of the road in Denali was something we will never forget. Yes, it was basically a converted school bus and yes our tour was something like 12 hours long, but we were not uncomfortable and we were not bored. The time passed all too quickly. Saw lots and lots of wildlife. Would do it again in a heartbeat. The tour in Denali that came with our package would not have gone very far into the park at all. If we had stopped at that point, we would have seen no wildlife at all!:eek: Luckily I read on Cruise Critic to upgrade that tour and that is just what we did and it was easy and fabulous. The train to the cruise ship terminal in Whittier was extremely scenic, but again no wildlife sightings. Would I repeat the same land tour again? Probably not, there are too many other places to see but I would certainly return to Denali. And I in no way regret our land tour. It was the right choice for us at the time.

 

Good luck with your planning!:)

 

What was the tour you actually upgrade too?

[Budget Queen]

What was the tour you actually upgrade too?

 

The descriptions are listed here. http://www.reservedenali.com IF you are on a cruiseotour- it is VITAL you understand every detail- which I posted above.

 

There are TOUR buses and SHUTTLE buses. A LOT of wrong assumptions are made.

 

It does require added planning for the shuttle buses.

 

In the past Princess was the only vendor who refunded- which is what I ALWAYS recommend, don't have them "upgrade" for you. Get the money back, and start over. There may be "upgrade" options that are limited to the tours with other lines. None will "upgrade" to the shuttle buses.

[portiemom]

What was the tour you actually upgrade too?

 

I was referring to the Kantishna Experience tour in Denali National Park. I've noticed that most people here only discuss the Natural History tour and the Tundra Wilderness tour or the shuttles. But there is another option - the Kantishna Experience tour which goes the full length of the road in Denali. Because I found so little information about it, I wrote a review when we got home.

 

This is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1683604&highlight=kantishna

 

I hope that works because I never tried posting a link here on the message boards.:)

[LABCHICK]

The descriptions are listed here. http://www.reservedenali.com IF you are on a cruiseotour- it is VITAL you understand every detail- which I posted above.

 

There are TOUR buses and SHUTTLE buses. A LOT of wrong assumptions are made.

 

It does require added planning for the shuttle buses.

 

In the past Princess was the only vendor who refunded- which is what I ALWAYS recommend, don't have them "upgrade" for you. Get the money back, and start over. There may be "upgrade" options that are limited to the tours with other lines. None will "upgrade" to the shuttle buses.

 

You seem very knowledgeable about Denali. I have a question for you about the tour buses. My DH is very tall with long legs. We are going to book the Tundra Wildness Tour. I am quite concerned that we will not be comfortable on the tour bus. He had back surgery many yrs ago, but still has pain at times. On a regular tour bus he is fine as long as there is plenty of leg room.

Hope you can give me some info on this subject.

Thanks

Edited April 20, 2015 by LABCHICK

[Budget Queen]

You seem very knowledgeable about Denali. I have a question for you about the tour buses. My DH is very tall with long legs. We are going to book the Tundra Wildness Tour. I am quite concerned that we will not be comfortable on the tour bus. He had back surgery many yrs ago, but still has pain at times. On a regular tour bus he is fine as long as there is plenty of leg room.

Hope you can give me some info on this subject.

Thanks

 

There isn't a lot of leg room on any of the buses, into Denali Park. Same with the tour buses, in my opinion. Hopefully you are driving or taking the train on your mainland portion.

 

What I would suggest, rather than missing out on this fantastic opportunity- go on the shuttle buses. These sometimes will have some open seats, where the tour buses, frequently are filled completely. Then, I suggest, sitting on the aisle, sideways, if you find the space too tight. With the shuttle bus- get off the bus frequently, walk around and get later buses, when needed. Going to Eielson is highly recommended, with more ability to walk about, decent seating, shelter, running water etc. :)

[donaldsc]

My brother went to Alaska last year on Celebrity. He did a land tour first and then cruised. He said if he had to do it again he wouldn't do the land tour. He said it was very hectic. Rush rush rush. On one tour the bus used for a long tour was more like a school bus so it was very uncomfortable. He hardly saw any animals even on the train. I am so disappointed to hear this. Is this the norm?

 

Couple of points -

 

1) People assume that HAL or Princess set up land tours to give you a good experience - WRONG. They are set up to maximize the profits to the cruise company. Nothing wrong with that but be aware of that. They take you to hotels owned by the cruise companies that are far enough from the action that you have to take a cruise company sponsored excursion to see anything. They stop at shops that are either owned by the cruise company or that give the cruise company a kickback. They take you to tourist restaurants instead of local places because they can serve a set tourist menu to a large group very quickly. They give you the impression that you are going to have more time at places than you really have. For example, 2 days in Denali means you arrive on the train in Denali late morning or early afternoon on day 1 and leave mid day on day 2. Yes, this may be technically 2 days but certainly not 2 days of sightseeing. You need to read the tour description very carefully. Then assume that they sort of lying about everything. If you are unclear about anything, e-mail them and get their answer in writing.

 

2) There are people who love trains. There are people who can tolerate trains. And then there are people who hate them. I am in the last category. That said, how do you expect to really see any wildlife well while you are on the train. If you happen to train past a moose at 40 MPH and you happen to be looking out the window and you happen to have the camera near your eye, you may have 10 seconds to see the moose and 2 seconds to get the picture. That is not wildlife experience that I want. I want to pull over to the side of the road, open the car window and watch the moose until I lose interest or the moose wanders off.

 

3) Re the long bus tour - that is correct. They are or were school buses and are not comfortable. It is a fact of life if you want to go into Denali.

 

I prefer to go anyplace on a DIY tour but if you choose to do a mass market pre-planned guided tour, you get what you get.

 

DON

[Illyria]

I want to pull over to the side of the road, open the car window and watch the moose until I lose interest or the moose wanders off.

You can't drive your own car into Denali, unless you win the road lottery and go during the 3-4 days in September when it's allowed.

 

Which was actually a problem for our land portion last September, since we ended up in Denali *during* the road lottery time, with dozens of cars on the park roads.. The shuttle normally would stop for a couple of minutes when sighting an animal and let people take pictures. But with all those cars ahead and behind us, it just wasn't safe.

[mapleleaves]

LABCHICK, in addition to BQ's advice, keep in mind that the shuttle to Eielson only takes about 4 hours. It will stop twice, every 90 minutes for a 10-15 minute bathroom break where he can have a stretch and walk around. At Eielson the bus stops for 30-45 minutes, so you can have your sack lunch, walk around, fill water bottles, enjoy the exhibits and hopefully the mtn view. The return trip is closer to 3 1/2 hrs .... many people sleep so there aren't as many wildlife stops. If he needs a longer break at Eielson, the bus dispatcher can find you a seat on a later bus back.

 

I'd sure encourage him to give it a try .... if it doesn't work, he can hop off the bus at any point and walk along the road; then flag down a bus to continue, or, to return to the entrance.

[LABCHICK]

Thanks everyone for your quick replies. I don't think we will be able to do the tour. We had to ride on a school bus for 45 minutes for a event. He was so cramped and in so much pain. He said never again.

[Budget Queen]

You can't drive your own car into Denali, unless you win the road lottery and go during the 3-4 days in September when it's allowed.

 

Which was actually a problem for our land portion last September, since we ended up in Denali *during* the road lottery time, with dozens of cars on the park roads.. The shuttle normally would stop for a couple of minutes when sighting an animal and let people take pictures. But with all those cars ahead and behind us, it just wasn't safe.

 

I believe Don is referring to the Parks Highway and comparing train travel. He doesn't mention Denali park. Another issue with the train, is the noise, and wildlife taking off before the end cars get much of a view. :)

[Budget Queen]

Thanks everyone for your quick replies. I don't think we will be able to do the tour. We had to ride on a school bus for 45 minutes for a event. He was so cramped and in so much pain. He said never again.

 

With the 45 minute limit, this isn't for you. Frankly, I wouldn't even go to Denali Park, then. If you don't get into the park, there is little reason to spend all those hours in transit getting there- just not worth much except a lot of road time.

 

Where is your cruise ending? If Seward- an excellent place to spend several days, with loads of activities. Having a one way rental car- offers, fantastic Arm/Portage opportunities. Well worth the costs of a one way rental in value and great use of time. Alternative- the Alaska RR seats are comfortable. In your case, I would avoid all transit buses- they are all going to be longer than 45 minutes.

[LABCHICK]

With the 45 minute limit, this isn't for you. Frankly, I wouldn't even go to Denali Park, then. If you don't get into the park, there is little reason to spend all those hours in transit getting there- just not worth much except a lot of road time.

 

Where is your cruise ending? If Seward- an excellent place to spend several days, with loads of activities. Having a one way rental car- offers, fantastic Arm/Portage opportunities. Well worth the costs of a one way rental in value and great use of time. Alternative- the Alaska RR seats are comfortable. In your case, I would avoid all transit buses- they are all going to be longer than 45 minutes.

 

We are planning on doing the land part first and then driving to Seward. We are traveling with our DD, SIL and GS. They are doing the TWT and a ATV the day before. I don't know what we would have to do for2 days. Any suggestions?

[Budget Queen]

We are planning on doing the land part first and then driving to Seward. We are traveling with our DD, SIL and GS. They are doing the TWT and a ATV the day before. I don't know what we would have to do for2 days. Any suggestions?

 

You are cruising out of Seward? And doing your mainland touring- which includes Seward, independent? If the case- why on earth would independent visitors ever pay triple the cost for the TWT? Take a look at http://www.nps.gov/dena Sorry, but the reason to go there, frankly is to get INTO the park. Maybe a visitor and consultation with a health care professional, could offer some pain management? Your husband, can't sit sideways on the bus seat? You're not willing to consider trying it? I only recommend, if you want to try it, to ONLY use the shuttle buses.

 

Otherwise- taking a look at the visitor center and a sled dog demo, although not highlights by any means, would occupy some time.

[LABCHICK]

You are cruising out of Seward? And doing your mainland touring- which includes Seward, independent? If the case- why on earth would independent visitors ever pay triple the cost for the TWT? Take a look at http://www.nps.gov/dena Sorry, but the reason to go there, frankly is to get INTO the park. Maybe a visitor and consultation with a health care professional, could offer some pain management? Your husband, can't sit sideways on the bus seat? You're not willing to consider trying it? I only recommend, if you want to try it, to ONLY use the shuttle buses.

 

Otherwise- taking a look at the visitor center and a sled dog demo, although not highlights by any means, would occupy some time.

 

Okay thanks.

[donaldsc]

You can't drive your own car into Denali, unless you win the road lottery and go during the 3-4 days in September when it's allowed.

 

Which was actually a problem for our land portion last September, since we ended up in Denali *during* the road lottery time, with dozens of cars on the park roads.. The shuttle normally would stop for a couple of minutes when sighting an animal and let people take pictures. But with all those cars ahead and behind us, it just wasn't safe.

 

As Budget Queen said, I was comparing wildlife options from a train versus wildlife options from a car. Unless you pull the emergency brake on the train, you can not stop and look at stuff.

 

I have been to Denali many times always to the end of the road. I am aware that you can not drive to the good viewing areas in your private car. Can you imagine how it would be like on the Denali road if they allowed people to drive themselves.

 

DON