Connoisseur Tour

[Luvtoteachell]

Has anyone done the Connoisseur Tour? Did you enjoy the tour? What is included that is not included in a Cruise Tour? How expensive is food at the lodges? Does Princess handle our luggage? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[geoherb]

The Connoisseur tours include your meals at the lodges. We did a regular cruise tour and purchased our meals on our own. The menus for the restaurants are available online. Here's a link to the Denali Wilderness Lodge's King Salmon Restaurant. You can determine if the difference in cost is worth it to you.

[zalusky]

We did the southbound connoisseur tour in 2014. We had a dedicated tour guide that followed around until the final train ride at McKinley lodge to the train. They also gave us slightly better rooms. In addition to the better meal options we also had included the 8 hour tundra wilderness tour with a different back country guide.

 

That being said I think if were to plan it again I might want to do the helicopter flights to the mountain and skip tundra tour. Which means one of the other tours. It’s a long time on a bus and it’s hit or miss if you see wildlife.

[caribill]

My report on an Alaska Connoisseur tour several years ago may be found at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

Unfortunately the web site hosting the photos no longer allows them to be displayed, but the text should help answer the OP's questions.

 

You can see many of the photos in a book form at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Acs2rVy0csnmA Click on "VIEW" to see them.

[cheeseclan]

We did the connoisseur tour last year for my sons HS graduation present. Nice since i only got a pen when i graduated a 100 years ago:p. It was after our great NB cruise on the Coral.

We loved it. We were in the dome car up to Denali and we had a nice lunch and drinks included. Our guide met us on the train and went over everything for the day and evening. He was there throughout the entire trip.

All of our luggage transfers were taken care of. We had meal vouchers and we could go to any of the restaurants and get: non alcoholic beverage, appetizer, meal, dessert and hot beverage. I would always get the salmon or the crab!! It was not cheap at all if you had to pay out of pocket. Nice to know that it was already paid for in advance so I did not have to worry about it.

Our bus was a nice big bus that was not full at all. Plenty of room to spread out.

We did have to pay for some of our lunches as they were not all included. The breakfasts and dinners were.

The only thing extra we had to pay for was our guides and the drivers tip.

 

I would do this again in a heart beat.

[diane.in.ny]

We did this tour and I highly recommend it.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that we got the better rooms with the most scenic view. All luggage was handled by Princess. (Have to mention here that sometimes the luggage didn't get to our rooms as quickly as some people liked. We had a small rolling bag that we handled ourselves and, the night before, put into it what we wanted immediately the next day.)

 

As already said, nice to know we didn't have to look at the prices on the menu. Very expensive in the dining room. That said, I seem to remember there being something like coffee shops at the hotels and you could grab a less expensive meal there.

 

We did the tour that went to Copper River. We got very lucky and had a gorgeous clear day during the drive across the state and it was one of our best experiences.

[LibrarianMonroe]

I'll add that we also did connoisseur and it was awesome to have everything done for you. Most meals are covered, most tourism items planned, etc. Your tour guide is also quite helpful if you wish to book extra tours or have an unusual request.

 

That said, I'm not sure I'd do it again for a *second* Alaska tour, as it would be mostly the same stuff and I might want to try different things. But for a first (or only) cruisetour? Absolutely the way to go.

[JudyD222]

My report on an Alaska Connoisseur tour several years ago may be found at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

Unfortunately the web site hosting the photos no longer allows them to be displayed, but the text should help answer the OP's questions.

 

You can see many of the photos in a book form at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Acs2rVy0csnmA Click on "VIEW" to see them.

 

I was very appreciative of your review. It is what helped us decide what we wanted to do in Alaska. We are doing the Connoisseur tour in July! :D

 

Thanks so much!

 

Judy

[Thrak]

We did the connoisseur tour last year for my sons HS graduation present. Nice since i only got a pen when i graduated a 100 years ago:p. It was after our great NB cruise on the Coral./quote]

 

I had to laugh. I got a wallet with a $5 bill inside when I graduated high school. ;p We did the connoisseur tour and absolutely loved it. Part of what convinced me i wanted that type of tour was caribill's thread he referenced above. I would urge you to read it and to check out the pics he linked to. (It's a drag that photobucket stopped letting their pics show on third party sites such as this unless you pay them something like $300. I switched to shutterfly for this reason but older threads obviously lost their pictures.)

[jagoffee]

Has anyone experienced the Connoisseur Escoted Tour PB5? The tour is a total of 12 days with 5 days for the Land portion. I have booked this for June 2019 for a party of six including my two Grandchildren. (They will be 11 and 13 at that time.)

 

The tour starts in Anchorage, then Mt. Mckinley Lodge (2 nights), Denali Lodge (2 nights),and then the train ride from Denali to Whittier to board the Golden Princess. It seemed like a good overall start to our adventure. We plan to arrive one day early.

.

I am starting to question my decision as I realize that we have to travel by bus from Anchorage on the way up.

 

For those that have taken this trip, I was wondering if it is an excessive amount of bus time? I know we will also be taking and enjoying the Denali Tundra Tour. Do the tours that start in Fairbanks involve less bus time, more train time, or less train time? If I could I would do all the traveling by train.

 

I have no doubt that the Connoisseur version is best for us. It is just a question as to if I picked the best one. It is everyone’s first trip to Alaska. (Except my fishing trip) My extended family really enjoys the outdoors, the Wilderness, and the Wildlife.

 

Thank you for your feedback in advance and all the great information posted that has aided my research.

 

Caribill, a special thanks for a great review that gets better with age.

[Thrak]

Alaska is big. No matter what you do there will be a fair amount of travel time. I wouldn't worry too much about it even though you will have kids along. We didn't do the same tour but one that is similar. Having the connoisseur tour helps as you travel with your tour group and have a guide who is on the bus/train with you. The bus was quite comfortable and the trip, while a bit long, was not onerous. Relax. Enjoy your land tour and your cruise. Try not to stress or worry. Like I said above, any trip in Alaska will involve travel time as it's just so big so you don't worry that you may have chosen the "wrong" tour. There are some that do Denali, McKinley, Copper River, and Kenai. Those have much more travel time involved.

[jagoffee]

Alaska is big. No matter what you do there will be a fair amount of travel time. I wouldn't worry too much about it even though you will have kids along. We didn't do the same tour but one that is similar. Having the connoisseur tour helps as you travel with your tour group and have a guide who is on the bus/train with you. The bus was quite comfortable and the trip, while a bit long, was not onerous. Relax. Enjoy your land tour and your cruise. Try not to stress or worry. Like I said above, any trip in Alaska will involve travel time as it's just so big so you don't worry that you may have chosen the "wrong" tour. There are some that do Denali, McKinley, Copper River, and Kenai. Those have much more travel time involved.

 

Thank you for your quick reply. I feel better already and I appreciate the input.

My wife and I will with you on the October 28 day cruise. I see you are very active on CC. I was the guy having issues charging my IPad for some odd reason.

We certain had a great group on that cruise.

 

Jim

[Thrak]

Thank you for your quick reply. I feel better already and I appreciate the input.

My wife and I will with you on the October 28 day cruise. I see you are very active on CC. I was the guy having issues charging my IPad for some odd reason.

We certain had a great group on that cruise.

 

Jim

 

We visited your suite on the Cabin Crawl. I ate a lot of your M&Ms. :D

[tamsocal]

Has anyone experienced the Connoisseur Escoted Tour PB5? The tour is a total of 12 days with 5 days for the Land portion. I have booked this for June 2019 for a party of six including my two Grandchildren. (They will be 11 and 13 at that time.)

 

The tour starts in Anchorage, then Mt. Mckinley Lodge (2 nights), Denali Lodge (2 nights),and then the train ride from Denali to Whittier to board the Golden Princess. It seemed like a good overall start to our adventure. We plan to arrive one day early.

.

I am starting to question my decision as I realize that we have to travel by bus from Anchorage on the way up.

 

For those that have taken this trip, I was wondering if it is an excessive amount of bus time? I know we will also be taking and enjoying the Denali Tundra Tour. Do the tours that start in Fairbanks involve less bus time, more train time, or less train time? If I could I would do all the traveling by train.

 

I have no doubt that the Connoisseur version is best for us. It is just a question as to if I picked the best one. It is everyone’s first trip to Alaska. (Except my fishing trip) My extended family really enjoys the outdoors, the Wilderness, and the Wildlife.

 

Thank you for your feedback in advance and all the great information posted that has aided my research.

 

Caribill, a special thanks for a great review that gets better with age.

we have done about 6 land tours-- the tour you picked sounds like a good option for your family. I agree that I favor the train but the bus is ok.

If anyone in your group wants more wilderness or possibly wildlife- Kantishna would be an upgrade to consider vs tundra wilderness tour. my kids were 3yrs & 7 when we went out 60+ miles on bus beyond the tundra wilderness tour. But the Tundra wilderness tour is a good option. If anyone wants the longer distance consider tickets thru the shuttle bus vs tour- tour is not really necessary. and shuttle bus so much cheaper. (they refunded the TWT back to us and we did shuttle bus to eilson)

we have done the con issuer tour DIY and standard princess & HAL land tours. All were enjoyable. Just take advantage of all the food you are prepaying for. FYI I was able to get a refund for the Denali princess theatre since we had gone before and no desire to return. several hundred back.

On any tour you pick it just varies re bus & train-- you have to be careful-- my girlfriend inadvertently picked a tour with all bus and that would make me sad.

the tours are usually clearly marked with bus vs train. I have done train from Denali to Fairbanks and bus.

you will at least ride the train one way

[cruises42]

We did the connoisseur tour last year for my sons HS graduation present. Nice since i only got a pen when i graduated a 100 years ago:p. It was after our great NB cruise on the Coral.

We loved it. We were in the dome car up to Denali and we had a nice lunch and drinks included. Our guide met us on the train and went over everything for the day and evening. He was there throughout the entire trip.

All of our luggage transfers were taken care of. We had meal vouchers and we could go to any of the restaurants and get: non alcoholic beverage, appetizer, meal, dessert and hot beverage. I would always get the salmon or the crab!! It was not cheap at all if you had to pay out of pocket. Nice to know that it was already paid for in advance so I did not have to worry about it.

Our bus was a nice big bus that was not full at all. Plenty of room to spread out.

We did have to pay for some of our lunches as they were not all included. The breakfasts and dinners were.

The only thing extra we had to pay for was our guides and the drivers tip.

 

I would do this again in a heart beat.

I know a lot of time is spent on the bus. Does it have a bathroom?

[Thrak]

I know a lot of time is spent on the bus. Does it have a bathroom?

 

If it says "bus" it is basic. If it says "motorcoach" it has better seats, restrooms, etc. For the long trips a motorcoach is the way to go.

[Thrak]

we have done about 6 land tours-- the tour you picked sounds like a good option for your family. I agree that I favor the train but the bus is ok.

If anyone in your group wants more wilderness or possibly wildlife- Kantishna would be an upgrade to consider vs tundra wilderness tour. my kids were 3yrs & 7 when we went out 60+ miles on bus beyond the tundra wilderness tour. But the Tundra wilderness tour is a good option. If anyone wants the longer distance consider tickets thru the shuttle bus vs tour- tour is not really necessary. and shuttle bus so much cheaper. (they refunded the TWT back to us and we did shuttle bus to eilson)

we have done the con issuer tour DIY and standard princess & HAL land tours. All were enjoyable. Just take advantage of all the food you are prepaying for. FYI I was able to get a refund for the Denali princess theatre since we had gone before and no desire to return. several hundred back.

On any tour you pick it just varies re bus & train-- you have to be careful-- my girlfriend inadvertently picked a tour with all bus and that would make me sad.

the tours are usually clearly marked with bus vs train. I have done train from Denali to Fairbanks and bus.

you will at least ride the train one way

 

Was this the Music of Denali Dinner Theater? If so I would jump at the chance to not pay for that! We found it totally hokey and the food wasn't very good.

[caribill]

I know a lot of time is spent on the bus. Does it have a bathroom?

 

The bus makes appropriate stops to allow visits to real rest rooms.

[caribill]

I was very appreciative of your review. It is what helped us decide what we wanted to do in Alaska. We are doing the Connoisseur tour in July! :D

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

 

Caribill, a special thanks for a great review that gets better with age.

 

You are both welcome. Glad it was of help.

[jagoffee]

we have done about 6 land tours-- the tour you picked sounds like a good option for your family. I agree that I favor the train but the bus is ok.

If anyone in your group wants more wilderness or possibly wildlife- Kantishna would be an upgrade to consider vs tundra wilderness tour. my kids were 3yrs & 7 when we went out 60+ miles on bus beyond the tundra wilderness tour. But the Tundra wilderness tour is a good option. If anyone wants the longer distance consider tickets thru the shuttle bus vs tour- tour is not really necessary. and shuttle bus so much cheaper. (they refunded the TWT back to us and we did shuttle bus to eilson)

we have done the con issuer tour DIY and standard princess & HAL land tours. All were enjoyable. Just take advantage of all the food you are prepaying for. FYI I was able to get a refund for the Denali princess theatre since we had gone before and no desire to return. several hundred back.

On any tour you pick it just varies re bus & train-- you have to be careful-- my girlfriend inadvertently picked a tour with all bus and that would make me sad.

the tours are usually clearly marked with bus vs train. I have done train from Denali to Fairbanks and bus.

you will at least ride the train one way

 

Thank you for the Feedback.

 

We visited your suite on the Cabin Crawl. I ate a lot of your M&Ms. :D

 

Yes, you did. You should have buoyed even more since I kept eating them.

[Thrak]

We visited your suite on the Cabin Crawl. I ate a lot of your M&Ms. :D

 

Thank you for the Feedback.

 

Yes, you did. You should have buoyed even more since I kept eating them.

 

Actually, thinking back (okay, my wife corrected me :o) it wasn't the cabin crawl. I ate your munchies during the Caribe Aft Dwellers Neighborhood Party (Obviously a direct cut and paste from the Shutterfly page we had going for the cruise - which is still available.) One would think I would have remembered as I coordinated the list for that affair. Weren't we an "exclusive" group. :D

[cruises42]

If it says "bus" it is basic. If it says "motorcoach" it has better seats, restrooms, etc. For the long trips a motorcoach is the way to go.

 

The bus makes appropriate stops to allow visits to real rest rooms.

 

Thanks. It would make me feel more comfortable if it was a motor coach just in case the stops were far apart.

[jagoffee]

Actually, thinking back (okay, my wife corrected me :o) it wasn't the cabin crawl. I ate your munchies during the Caribe Aft Dwellers Neighborhood Party (Obviously a direct cut and paste from the Shutterfly page we had going for the cruise - which is still available.) One would think I would have remembered as I coordinated the list for that affair. Weren't we an "exclusive" group. :D

 

Actually we were open for both including the snacks provided by host.

Does the Shutterfly page include our e mail address? If yes, please drop me an e mail.

 

Thanks

[Thrak]

Actually we were open for both including the snacks provided by host.

Does the Shutterfly page include our e mail address? If yes, please drop me an e mail.

 

Thanks

 

The shutterfly site is located HERE. It was edited post-cruise to add some picture links but is mostly intact as it was pre-cruise. As it's publicly available we didn't include email addresses. It does have my list with almost everybody's real names, where they are from, and their cabin numbers though. :p

[jagoffee]

The shutterfly site is located HERE. It was edited post-cruise to add some picture links but is mostly intact as it was pre-cruise. As it's publicly available we didn't include email addresses. It does have my list with almost everybody's real names, where they are from, and their cabin numbers though. :p

Thanks, I had “lost it”. It sure was an active and organized group of cruisers.