Alaska Cruisetour - HAL or Princess?

[Savoyard]

Has anyone done a cruise with packaged land tour on both Holland America and Princess? If so, can you comment on particularly the land portion?

 

Background: We are 70ish, reasonably healthy, moving slower than we used to but still without canes or walkers. We were on the Celebrity Millennium Vancouver-Seward a few years ago and loved it. We like nature and culture (e.g. Native) more than either high-speed excursions or glitzy entertainment (though we don't mind an occasional corny dinner show). We've cruised with NCL, Celebrity, RCCL and HAL. We like the 2,000 passenger ships and loved the slightly smaller Rotterdam VI.

 

I'm looking at June 2022 for our 35th anniversary. HAL and Princess appeal because they've been in Alaska long enough to have it down to a system, they both go to Glacier Bay, and they both have several options for Denali. We're pretty good at DIY, but after reading reviews of the lodges by independent travelers, I'm really tempted by Princess's Connoisseur option, where you reportedly get the best rooms everywhere. Also, after looking at meal prices, the Connoisseur price doesn't look outrageous considering all breakfasts and dinners are included. The only thing I don't care for is that most of the Princess options seem to include only one leg on the train; we'd much rather ride a train than a bus any day. (We visited Anchorage on our own once and took the train RT to Seward for a Kenai day cruise; we also opted for the rail transfer after our Celebrity cruise.)

 

So... is there anything I should know about either HAL or Princess tours that I might not have learned from the company literature or recent trip reports?

[AKStafford]

I would suggest neither. I think DIY is a much better option for Alaska. There's nothing on a cruisetour that you can't book independently, often for much cheaper. DIY allows you to pick what you want to do at your pace. Cruisetours are being herded like cattle. I drove tour bus for two years for Holland America and in most cases felt sad that my passengers were traveling that way.

But, this is just my opinion. It's your trip. Choose what suits you best. Either way, it's Alaska and it's awesome.

[Savoyard]

AKStafford, I appreciate your input, especially since you've seen the packaged option firsthand. Do you have any favorite portals for choosing and booking one's own components, particularly lodging? The TripAdvisor reviews of properties near the Denali entrance are more negative, on average, than I'd expect from folks in a holiday mood.

[oaktreerb]

We’ve enjoyed the Holland America cruisetours.  HAL and Princess work together in the interior but the tours operate separately.  Holland America no longer use a “journey host” on the Alaska itineraries but the tours whether bus or train are all narrated and you still travel with a tour group with HAL reps to greet you at each stop..  Your luggage is taken care of and you do not have to wait to get your room key.  You will be given your itinerary and room keys before you get off the bus.  Your luggage will be in your room soon after you arrive, or maybe before.  Both have their own rail cars.  HAL’s seating is very comfortable with forward facing seats and great all around viewing as well as narration and a bar tender.  You will be invited to the dining car for lunch.  The choices and food has been excellent.  The prices are reasonable.  

 

HAL has a nice resort, McKinley Chalets, at Denali with the Princess accommodations nearby.  The biggest difference I have noticed is that HAL includes the longer Tundra Wilderness tours in Denali and Princess offers the cheaper and shorter Natural History Tour which I think you can upgrade.  The Connoisseur tours probably have the TWT.  You can purchase a dining package from HAL but it limits you to eating at HAL and Princess hotels and while it’s very inclusive it is expensive unless you eat a lot.  We like to keep our dining options open.

 

Princess has in the past used the Captain Cook hotel in Anchorage which is much nicer than the Westmark (HAL) however HAL has also put us at the Captain Cook and the Hilton.  All are centrally located.

 

Take the longer itinerary to give you enough time for individual activities.  HAL also offers some wonderful Yukon cruisetours which do provide you with a “journey host” to travel with you.  The longer Yukon itinerary starts and ends in Vancouver and includes planned activities and also enough free time for your own choices.  Two nights at each location gives you enough time that you won’t feel like you are being rushed.

 

Whatever you choose be sure to have enough free time to enjoy each location.

[oaktreerb]

As far as hotels go....you will be in Alaska.  Most places are pretty rustic.   Probably the nicest place we have stayed is at the Alyeska Resort.  

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Savoyard said:

The TripAdvisor reviews of properties near the Denali entrance are more negative, on average, than I'd expect from folks in a holiday mood.

 

My 2019 DIY Alaska land tour (because of visiting with family who are Alaska citizens), I found the hotel options closest to the Denali entrance limited.  One very expensive hotel perched high up on a mountain, the Princess and HAL hotels, and a scattering of motels/RV parks.  I chose a motel in a strip mall type area across the street from the HAL hotel.  My choice cost more than the type of accommodation provided, but....it's where you are.  It was clean, OK beds and linens, front desk staff helpful and friendly,  but spartan.  The morning I left to return to the Anchorage area, I had breakfast at the HAL hotel.  The menu offered had many choices, some Alaska themed as well.  Service was very good; food was very good.  I looked around the hotel property while I was there and was impressed with what I observed.  

[AKStafford]

11 hours ago, Savoyard said:

 Do you have any favorite portals for choosing and booking one's own components, particularly lodging?

I would avoid the more expensive hotels near the park entrance and look at Healy or south of the entrance. You can see plenty of options here: http://cca.denalichamber.com/Accommodations-__9391_category.aspx

 

This is assuming you'll have a rental car. Train travel will limit your options to those places that have a shuttle from the rail depot. But I wouldn't use the train to get to Denali anyway. Too slow and the scenery is repetitive. If you want a train trip, do the Glacier Discovery Train from the Alaska Railroad to Spencer Glacier or Grandview.

Booking: I always prefer to book directly with the property or the tour operator. Cuts out the middle man and third parties. For more advice & info for trip planning, some research on the TripAdvisor forums for Alaska travel may be helpful: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

 

And again, all this is my opinion.... Others may disagree. It's your trip, you know how you like to travel..

[georgiacat]

We did a Princess cruisetour in 2011 and have another one planned for 2022 (pray that it will happen).  We did not opt for the connoisseur version, but we will be staying 2 days/nights in each place.  We do not wish to drive ourselves, preferring to let someone else do it.  We ate in places other than Princess hotel restaurants all the time and found some great food.  It is not hard to locate other places to eat; I do not guarantee they are much cheaper, as Alaska is expensive.  We had 2 rail trips and one bus trip and enjoyed every one.

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, AKStafford said:

I would avoid the more expensive hotels near the park entrance and look at Healy

 

Healy would be a good option for a DIY visitor to consider.  Really don't recall the hotel/motel options there, but had dinner twice at a restaurant there that was a better option than anything reasonably priced where we were staying near the entrance to Denali would have been.