Qts on land itineraries - would love your advice!

[travelingla]

Gracious - I've read and compared all day long on HAL and Celebrity sites for itineraries for their land portion of their AK cruise.  I am thinking Fairbanks is one I really want to see and spend the night.  I want at least 2 nights in Denali -- perhaps a third night is better? What do you think -- if you have visited there???

 

I see other towns listed but have no clue which is worth my time and money in comparing one to the other.....some include Dawson and perhaps Whitehorse.....I think I recall HAL naming these inclusions as Yukon & Denali tours. Other Denali only tours include Talkeetna and sometimes Alyeska.

 

I was not impressed with the Celebrity offerings of land packages.

 

I have guide books and will be reading details of these areas but I like to know personal experience from you folks as well.

 

Interestingly, HAL has some 3-night cruises with the rest land -- I actually would like that as we've cruised RT Vancouver 2x in the past. Anyone done the shorter cruises??

 

Thanks so much!

 

[mapleleaves]

If you look thru past trip reports (posted near the top of the page) you'll only find a couple for the HAL cruise that has 3 or 4 cruise days and the rest are land.  Here is one of them. First the land portion, then the cruise.  I don't know if it's the same as the current version but will give you an idea.

 

 

As for Denali, if you have 2 nights that will give you one day, so that will probably be for the bus trip through the park.  If you stay 3 nghts, what would you do with your 2nd day?  another trip into the park to enjoy the scenery and wildlife? hiking? exhibits?  Think about what you want to see and do..... those activities will determine how much time you need.

 

My land travel is by car or RV.    Can't say I've been too impressed with most of the cruisetours I read about  They spend a lot of time getting somewhere but not enough time to enjoy the destination.  And the transit time is often missing from their itinerary. That's especially true of the 3 or 4 day add-ons.

 

There are lots of cruisetours in the Trip Report lists. They're  a great resource.

Have fun with your research and planning !

 

[AKStafford]

Would you be open to not using a pre-packaged tour from the cruise lines and doing your own land trip with a rental car? That way you can do exactly what you want.

[oaktreerb]

If you are interested in a new adventure and learning about the gold rush you would probably enjoy the Yukon cruisetours.  HAL has made a few changes for 2019.  The three day cruise itineraries begin in Vancouver and some overnight in Skagway before taking the White Pass Railroad into the Yukon.  The four day cruises start in Anchorage and you join the ship in Skagway again sometimes with an overnight.  Dawson City for two nights is a must.  Fairbanks and Whitehorse are skipped in a couple of the tours next year.   All have two or three nights and the dome train to/from Denali.   We have done this four times and seen many changes but it is a great itinerary.  Just don’t take the shortest offering....be sure to have two nights in Dawson and Denali at a minimum....Whitehorse is ok for one night.  An overnight in Skagway is fun and gives you time to enjoy this national park.

 

On HAL’s site you will find a link to their e-brochures.  There is a lot of information and a great chart comparing their land/cruise offerings for the 2019 Alaska season.

 

 

Edited October 23, 2018 by oaktreerb
accuracy