Alaska 2019 cruise land portion meals money

[lineman]

Planning to go on a 9 day Celebrity cruise with 2 day land tour. Are the meals on the land portion included in the cruise package price , or do we pay for them at the different stops including stays at the motel & the lodge? Are the overnight stays at the lodge & the final stay at a hotel before being transported to the Anchorage airport part of the package price?  How much money should I plan per day to cover food costs ( 2 people) if we have to pay for meals?

[Jim_Iain]

Just recently went on the 3 day 2 night Land tour to Denali.   First off I have to say it ended up being one of the best tours we have ever taken.

 

The land tour  include your hotel accommodations but does not cover any meals or even snacks.   In our case we arrive at Anchorage the day before the tour began and were met by Celebrity Reps who took our luggage and then loaded us on busses for a 15-20 minute ride to the Anchorage Marriott (their standard hotel in Anchorage).   Along the way the hotels were very nice.

 

Food is fairly expensive in Alaska (I'm assuming your are taking your land tour of Alaska).   Costs really depend on how much you wish to spend and how much you wish to eat.   Alcohol is also fairly expensive compared to the lower 48.  The night we arrived we could either eat at the hotel where meals ran about $30 pp without drinks or find something locally.   We chose to take a walk and found numerous places to eat and prices rand $10-20 pp depending on your wishes.  

 

Breakfast at the hotel ran $18 for a continental or $21 for a full breakfast buffet.  We don't eat a large breakfast so chose to pick up some fruit and muffins the night before.  Also be aware that you will have some rally early mornings.   If I recall you have to have your bags out at 5:00 AM and you depart at 7:00 AM.   

 

On our first day we took the Scenic Train and you could eat a full breakfast on the train at about $21 pp or order Coffee or drinks.  The train ended in Takenaka and we were bussed to the little town where we had a couple hours on our own.   Lots of places to grab a lunch and they ran in the range of $20 pp.   We departed a couple hours later for Denali Lodge which was probably another 3-4 hours of travel.   At the lodge they have an array of food from a Starbucks to a Dinner Theater.    They also have a burger shack with more moderate prices at about $12 pp for a burger.   The other eating places would run $25-50 pp.    

 

In the morning , we took the expanded tour of Denali so were picked up at 6:30 so chose to grab something at Starbucks for about $6.00 pp.   Breakfast if open would run about $20 pp.  

 

We returned to meet the others in our group at the park headquarters and grabbed a sandwich for approx. $10 pp.  

 

From there we returned to Takenaka Lounge (beautiful property).   They have 2 or 3 eating places running between $20-30 pp plus about $15-20 for some wine.   The bus driver volunteered to take those that wished to Takenaka (about 5-6 miles away) where there were more choices of eating places. 

 

On the way back we left Takenaka at about 8:00 and arrived in Anchorage about noon where we were given a couple hours to be on our own and grab something to eat.   We needed to pick some things up so walked to a supermarket and grabbed a sandwich there.   

 

In conclusion -  it is up to you how much you want to spend on food but I'm guessing  when tallied up will run you $150 a day for 2.

 

 

 

[lineman]

13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Just recently went on the 3 day 2 night Land tour to Denali.   First off I have to say it ended up being one of the best tours we have ever taken.

 

The land tour  include your hotel accommodations but does not cover any meals or even snacks.   In our case we arrive at Anchorage the day before the tour began and were met by Celebrity Reps who took our luggage and then loaded us on busses for a 15-20 minute ride to the Anchorage Marriott (their standard hotel in Anchorage).   Along the way the hotels were very nice.

 

Food is fairly expensive in Alaska (I'm assuming your are taking your land tour of Alaska).   Costs really depend on how much you wish to spend and how much you wish to eat.   Alcohol is also fairly expensive compared to the lower 48.  The night we arrived we could either eat at the hotel where meals ran about $30 pp without drinks or find something locally.   We chose to take a walk and found numerous places to eat and prices rand $10-20 pp depending on your wishes.  

 

Breakfast at the hotel ran $18 for a continental or $21 for a full breakfast buffet.  We don't eat a large breakfast so chose to pick up some fruit and muffins the night before.  Also be aware that you will have some rally early mornings.   If I recall you have to have your bags out at 5:00 AM and you depart at 7:00 AM.   

 

On our first day we took the Scenic Train and you could eat a full breakfast on the train at about $21 pp or order Coffee or drinks.  The train ended in Takenaka and we were bussed to the little town where we had a couple hours on our own.   Lots of places to grab a lunch and they ran in the range of $20 pp.   We departed a couple hours later for Denali Lodge which was probably another 3-4 hours of travel.   At the lodge they have an array of food from a Starbucks to a Dinner Theater.    They also have a burger shack with more moderate prices at about $12 pp for a burger.   The other eating places would run $25-50 pp.    

 

In the morning , we took the expanded tour of Denali so were picked up at 6:30 so chose to grab something at Starbucks for about $6.00 pp.   Breakfast if open would run about $20 pp.  

 

We returned to meet the others in our group at the park headquarters and grabbed a sandwich for approx. $10 pp.  

 

From there we returned to Takenaka Lounge (beautiful property).   They have 2 or 3 eating places running between $20-30 pp plus about $15-20 for some wine.   The bus driver volunteered to take those that wished to Takenaka (about 5-6 miles away) where there were more choices of eating places. 

 

On the way back we left Takenaka at about 8:00 and arrived in Anchorage about noon where we were given a couple hours to be on our own and grab something to eat.   We needed to pick some things up so walked to a supermarket and grabbed a sandwich there.   

 

In conclusion -  it is up to you how much you want to spend on food but I'm guessing  when tallied up will run you $150 a day for 2.

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time answering my questions and the  hints that you gave about the land portion of our cruise!

[Northern Aurora]

Lineman:  Celebrity generally uses the Anchorage Marriott which is located  on west 7th Avenue.  There are a number of restaurant options within easy walking distance, including (but not limited to) Humpys (a casual bar which serves food, with, given that the name is a reference to a humpback salmon, an emphasis on seafood), Glacier Brewhouse, Simon and Seafort's and the Snow City Cafe.  Most restaurants in Alaska have websites so if you google these names you should be able to locate some menus.

 

What Jim refers to as "Takenaka" is actually the community of Talkeetna.  This is the community which was supposedly the inspiration for the old TV show "Northern Exposure."  Talkeetna food options range from food trucks to sit down restaurants.  Some ideas to google for menus and prices would include the Denali Brewing Company and the Wildflower Cafe.  There is a member of Cruise Critic who lives in Talkeetna, and if you post on the Alaska forum they may respond.

 

What Jim refers to as the Denali Lodge I believe is a reference to the Denali Park Village.  This hotel complex is located several miles south of the entrance to Denali National Park, and at least in the past the property has run a shuttle to the area Alaskans refer to as "Glitter Gulch."   This is the area at the entrance to the the national park which has gift shops, food trucks and some restaurants. 

 

The Denali Park Village is located at about mile 231 of the George Parks Highway, and one of the best restaurants in Alaska is named "229 Parks."  It is located (duh) at mile 229 of the George Parks Highway.  We live in Fairbanks, which is a little over two hour drive (depending on road construction) to the entrance to Denali National Park, and we enjoy 229 Parks so much that we periodically drive down just for a meal.

 

 

 

[lineman]

Thanks for the info.