14-Day Alaska Cruisetour Live Review

[jwatford]

 

Today was a mishmash of excursions. We left the hotel (Denali Park Village) at around 8:00 and went to Husky Homestead. Home of Iditarod champion, Jeff King. We got to play with puppies[emoji190][emoji190] and then we learned a little about the Iditarod. I have been to a few mushing camps and this was bar far the best one. Jeff was awesome and super funny!

 

 

Next we boarded the dome rail train from Denali to Talkeetna. The train is very nice and has very comfortable seats. A little slow, but it was good. We saw two black bears, a wolf and a couple of swans. The bartender on the train was great and kept the drinks flowing. Lunch was also great. You have to pay for your drinks and food. It is not too expensive.

 

 

 

We finally arrived in Talkeetna at around 5:00 and proceeded to our coach bus to take us to Anchorage for the night. We are staying at the Anchorage Marriott.

 

 

 

 

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[jwatford]

 

This morning we left the Marriott in Anchorage around 8:00 am. We stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservatory at around 9:00. We saw tons of animals. Bear, Moose, Wolves, plus many more! We then got on the road to Homer. On the way we stopped for lunch in Soldotna. We finally got to Homer and checked into The Ocean Shores. This place has a great view of Katchemek Bay, but that is all it has. No air conditioning, microwaveable coffee (no coffee maker), and no place to put your clothes. We are here for the next two days, and then off to the boat!

 

 

 

 

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[TSUmom]

Looking forward to more.....I am still trying to decide which land tour we want and your review is a great help.

[jwatford]

Looking forward to more.....I am still trying to decide which land tour we want and your review is a great help.

 

 

 

Honestly, if I had to do this all over again I would choose to do it on my own. I thought it would be nice not to have to figure out all the details for the land portion, but now that I have been on the Cruisetour I would have been able to see more and probably saved some money by doing it myself.

 

 

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[TSUmom]

Honestly, if I had to do this all over again I would choose to do it on my own. I thought it would be nice not to have to figure out all the details for the land portion, but now that I have been on the Cruisetour I would have been able to see more and probably saved some money by doing it myself.

 

 

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OK, thank you. maybe I will re think all of this!

[ikesyd]

Honestly, if I had to do this all over again I would choose to do it on my own. I thought it would be nice not to have to figure out all the details for the land portion, but now that I have been on the Cruisetour I would have been able to see more and probably saved some money by doing it myself.

 

 

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Thanks for doing the review along the way, got the feeling that you were not overly happy with the cruisetour. Just have to convince hubby that we would be better DIY.

[Malemew]

Thanks for this, am on the same trip in September and have been looking for something like this. However I did think that breakfast was inclusive at the hotels, can you remember how much they were in each place? I thought it was just lunch and evening meals you had to pay for.

[jwatford]

Thanks for this, am on the same trip in September and have been looking for something like this. However I did think that breakfast was inclusive at the hotels, can you remember how much they were in each place? I thought it was just lunch and evening meals you had to pay for.

 

 

 

We ended up paying for all our meals as breakfast was not complimentary in the hotels we stayed in. I believe the only location that had breakfast included is the Best Western in Birdirka (which we did not stay in). We paid about $20-$25 per person for every breakfast. We stayed as cheap as possible when it came to food and we still ended up paying on average $30 per person per meal. I thought it was super expensive!!!

 

 

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[jwatford]

We are finally on the ship! Just was able to get internet today as the ships WiFi signal interferes with the Seward communication signal so internet was basically not available. We did not get to the ship until 5:00 yesterday so embarking was pretty seamless since most people were already on the ship.

 

Below is the day 1 daily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[jwatford]

Today (Tuesday) is Hubbard Glacier. Day 2 daily is below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[sue402001]

We ended up paying for all our meals as breakfast was not complimentary in the hotels we stayed in. I believe the only location that had breakfast included is the Best Western in Birdirka (which we did not stay in). We paid about $20-$25 per person for every breakfast. We stayed as cheap as possible when it came to food and we still ended up paying on average $30 per person per meal. I thought it was super expensive!!!

 

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That's sad that none of the pre-cruise stays included any kind of breakfast, even continental would have been better than nothing!

Now we are for sure taking cereal bowls for our breakfasts, just need to find milk once we get their and we'll be okay.

[jwatford]

Day 3 daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[jwatford]

Day 4 daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[jwatford]

Day 5 daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Budget Queen]

That's sad that none of the pre-cruise stays included any kind of breakfast, even continental would have been better than nothing!

 

Now we are for sure taking cereal bowls for our breakfasts, just need to find milk once we get their and we'll be okay.

 

Overall, meals are never included with Alaska crusie tours, unless specifically mentioned in the listing. Sometime, assumptions are made unfortunately. I always suggest budgeting 50% more for meals than you would at home. Don't expect fridges in all the rooms either.

 

Most times, you are very isolated with this group point to point touring. So, with you wanting to purchase mile- do not be shocked at the price you will be paying, at least double what you're are probably used to. Not sure if you are bringing a box of cereal from home? I always travel with the small boxes, and it dry. works perfectly. to tide over. :) So a great cost cutting choice.

[jwatford]

Day 6 daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for sharing.

[jwatford]

Day 7 daily

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Malemew]

Did any one have any tips for the free day in Homer? We aren’t very fond of fishing and the bear excursions do seems like quite a lot of £££’s.

[jwatford]

Did any one have any tips for the free day in Homer? We aren’t very fond of fishing and the bear excursions do seems like quite a lot of £££’s.

 

 

 

Not much to do in Homer outside of fishing or bear excursions. Some people did some hiking in the woods. They said it was great! They did run into a bear and two cubs while hiking.

 

When we were there we just went down to the spit and had dinner and did some shopping.

 

 

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[Weluv2fish]

did you end up in BC and where did you fly out of to fly back home.

[BSR]

Thanks for sharing your review.