2023 Alaska Cruisetour

[eurodl]

We are about to book a 2023 Alaska cruisetour - 15 day Off the Beaten Path - for May 2023.  We have cruised Alaska before (RT from San Francisco) but it was several years ago.  I have some questions since we have never done a cruisetour before.

 

1.  Sapphire or Majestic?

2.  Mini-Suite or Club Class Mini-Suite?  ($265.00 per person difference)

3.  How bad/good are the open balconies on Sapphire vs Sky Walk on Majestic (i.e. privacy issues)?

4.  Is it worth purchasing a meal package for the land portion?  ($729.00 per person for 8 days)

5.  Mt. McKinley Lodge vs Copper River Lodge?

6.  Has anyone done a Connoisseur cruisetour?  Is it worth the extra expense and why?  ($800 per person)

 

TIA for your assistance.

 

[EMS8]

We booked a 5 night Connoisseur cruise tour and 7 night southbound cruise on Majestic yesterday.  When we did the Denali Explorer cruise tour and cruise in 2019, we considered the meal plan but realized we wouldn’t come close to spending that kind of money, and we didn’t even come close.  My McKinley was a nice lodge but a number of people say that Copper River lodge is very nice as well.   
Every review I have read from people who have done the Connoisseur tour, have nothing but good things to say.  I can tell you that the Connoisseur tour we booked yesterday is around $1000 more than Denali Explorer cruise tour.  Hope this information helps.

Edited August 21, 2021 by EMS8
This cruise is in August 2023.

[mtnesterz]

Did not know you could purchase a meal package for the land portion. This must be new. We did the Denali Explorer and had only one regret, that we didn't buy the Connisseur package. But, if you have your excursions planned already, then go ahead with Off the Beaten Path.

If you don't buy a meal package or go Connoisseur, figure on either fasting or going broke, because when they say "wilderness" lodges, they aren't kidding! Maybe ten years ago, a hamburger was US$25 and nothing across the street as a dining option.

The Majestic Princess holds roughly 1000 more passengers than the Sapphire. When you go to Skagway for example, the disembarking passengers of the Majestic outnumber the town residents by quite a bit, plus other ships in port.  Some people want what huge ships offer. Not us. Just a thought.

[geoherb]

I'm going on the Majestic in two days. It's the only choice of a Princess ship this year. I'd prefer a smaller ship. The good news is that the ship will not be fully booked yet for my cruise. The bad news is that it's still missing a fully functional outside Promenade area.

 

Only you can decide what the extras you get with Club Class are worth it to you. Some people love it. We had Club Class dining just once (when in a full suite). The waiters are attentive, some of the extra dishes were very good, and it's nice to be able to walk in without a reservation and be seated immediately most of the time. But it's not something I'd generally pay $37.86 a day to do. 

 

Princess used to have menus for the restaurants at the lodges on their website. I don't see them anymore. But when we did our cruise tour, I knew that we would not eat enough to make the meal package worthwhile. It would be for some people. For instance, we never ate breakfast in one of the restaurants. I brought along granola bars and other things we could eat in our room and not have to take the time to eat in a restaurant. 

 

For us, the Mount McKinley Lodge was a nice rest day. Our cruise tour started in Fairbanks, and we were going full steam both previous days before our bus ride to it. We did a free nature hike with a naturalist and went to bed fairly early. The next morning, we walked some trails a little bit on our own before it was time to catch our bus to Anchorage.

[caribill]

6 hours ago, eurodl said:

6.  Has anyone done a Connoisseur cruisetour?  Is it worth the extra expense and why?  ($800 per person)

 

 

 

Here is my report of the land part of an Alaska Connoisseur tour. It is several years old, so some details probably have changed.

 

Food in Alaska is expensive. Most meals are included in the Connoisseur tour. It is nice to go into one of the restaurants and not have to pick items based on being affordable.  The extra cost you listed for the Connoisseur tour is not that much more than the meal package price you quoted.

 

 

 

[TRauppius]

Have done 3 cruise tours in in AK on Princess, 2 regular and 1 Connoisseur; the latter was worth the added cost for the following reasons.

 

1. Dedicated expert tour guide and driver who remain with you full for the full duration of the tour. This guide and driver team have years of experience and contacts throughout Alaska to facilitate special requests and handle all problems. For example, I left stuff behind at one stop and the tour guide got it promptly recovered and forwarded ahead to a rendezvous location.

2. The best hotel rooms are preassigned carefully with choice locations and best views. Bus usually greeted on arrival by hotel manager. Rooms always ready and dinner reservations phoned ahead by tour guide.

3. Inclusive breakfast and dinner at hotels, plus bonus special lunch stops on longer coach legs. Sometimes the tour guide picks up the tab.

4. Preferred train seating assignments as applicable.

5. Included reservation and upgrade to Denali Full Wilderness tour. These are hard to get if booked at the last minute as they are capacity limited.

6. Special buses used for  tours operating Copper River (highly recommended) route to-from Denali as the road is very long and mostly paved with crushed stone. Smooth and quiet driving with quick-switch spare tires on remote route.... spectacular scenery.

7. Bonus keepsake of neat gold plated "Princess Cruises  Connoisseur Escorted Tours" pin.

 

Yeah, it is a pretty neat experience.

 

 

[eurodl]

10 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Here is my report of the land part of an Alaska Connoisseur tour. It is several years old, so some details probably have changed.

 

Food in Alaska is expensive. Most meals are included in the Connoisseur tour. It is nice to go into one of the restaurants and not have to pick items based on being affordable.  The extra cost you listed for the Connoisseur tour is not that much more than the meal package price you quoted.

 

 

 

Thank you Caribill.  Your review was very detailed and helpful.

[shel003]

I just booked the 15 day off the beaten path tour and sailing in the majestic starting June 10, 2023.  These were the dates that worked for my group and we wanted to do the cruise first so didn’t have a choice of ship.  I upgraded to the tundra tour at Denali when I booked and got the meal plan.  Personally I wanted to know beforehand what I’d be spending on meals.

 

I chose this to our over a connoisseur tour because I really wanted to see St Elias Wrangell NP as well as Kenai Fiords NP.  I heard that the McKinley lodge is ok but more of a rest day.  It does provide you with additional chances of seeing Mt McKinley (the great one) but with only 20% of people getting a clear view, I opted for the Copper lodge instead.  As many have told me though, Alaska is a beautiful state and there isn’t really a bad choice.  It just depends on your priorities and preferences.

[eurodl]

Thanks Shel003.  I think we are on the same page.  By the time we added the upgrade for the Tundra tour and the meal plan we might as well do the Connoisseur.  But I really wanted to do Copper River.  That's my dilemma.  Also if we upgrade to Club Class then that brings our total up even more.  They really get you with the add-ons don't they 😉  Did you get a price for the upgrade to the Tundra tour?  When I asked they said it wasn't posted yet.
 

1 hour ago, shel003 said:

I just booked the 15 day off the beaten path tour and sailing in the majestic starting June 10, 2023.  These were the dates that worked for my group and we wanted to do the cruise first so didn’t have a choice of ship.  I upgraded to the tundra tour at Denali when I booked and got the meal plan.  Personally I wanted to know beforehand what I’d be spending on meals.

 

I chose this to our over a connoisseur tour because I really wanted to see St Elias Wrangell NP as well as Kenai Fiords NP.  I heard that the McKinley lodge is ok but more of a rest day.  It does provide you with additional chances of seeing Mt McKinley (the great one) but with only 20% of people getting a clear view, I opted for the Copper lodge instead.  As many have told me though, Alaska is a beautiful state and there isn’t really a bad choice.  It just depends on your priorities and preferences.

 

[shel003]

3 minutes ago, eurodl said:

Thanks Shel003.  I think we are on the same page.  By the time we added the upgrade for the Tundra tour and the meal plan we might as well do the Connoisseur.  But I really wanted to do Copper River.  That's my dilemma.  Also if we upgrade to Club Class then that brings our total up even more.  They really get you with the add-ons don't they 😉  Did you get a price for the upgrade to the Tundra tour?  When I asked they said it wasn't posted yet.
 

 

My agent said the tundra tour added about $70 (but I can’t remember if that was total or per person). I think it was per person.  I ended up going with a balcony room.  In the ship I’m on the balconies on the minis where the same size as the regular balconies rooms (there were a few larger angled balconies on very few of the minis).  I didn’t think the extra cost justified it.  However, I generally book inside cabins to save money so a balcony will be wonderful as it is.  Typically I don’t spend a lot of time in my room so an inside doesn’t bother me.  I splurged on the balcony because it will be my first time to Alaska.  Also being a wheelchair user, this will ensure uninterrupted viewing space in case the top decks are crowded.

 

I weighed the pros and cons of itineraries and for me, if the two tours are going to be the same price, I chose the itinerary that I really wanted to see.  Sure it doesn’t include a tour operator but since I haven’t been, I won’t know what I’m missing and am sure I’ll still have an amazing trip.  Just my thought process though.

[eurodl]

1 hour ago, shel003 said:

My agent said the tundra tour added about $70 (but I can’t remember if that was total or per person). I think it was per person.  I ended up going with a balcony room.  In the ship I’m on the balconies on the minis where the same size as the regular balconies rooms (there were a few larger angled balconies on very few of the minis).  I didn’t think the extra cost justified it.  However, I generally book inside cabins to save money so a balcony will be wonderful as it is.  Typically I don’t spend a lot of time in my room so an inside doesn’t bother me.  I splurged on the balcony because it will be my first time to Alaska.  Also being a wheelchair user, this will ensure uninterrupted viewing space in case the top decks are crowded.

 

I weighed the pros and cons of itineraries and for me, if the two tours are going to be the same price, I chose the itinerary that I really wanted to see.  Sure it doesn’t include a tour operator but since I haven’t been, I won’t know what I’m missing and am sure I’ll still have an amazing trip.  Just my thought process though.

We've done Alaska before and a balcony is a real plus IMO.  I wouldn't mind doing the Connoisseur if they had the same itinerary as Off the Beaten Path but I'm thinking Copper River will be a better option for us.  Thanks so much for all your info!

[Thrak]

6 hours ago, eurodl said:

Thank you Caribill.  Your review was very detailed and helpful.

 

Caribill's review is old but it's the one I read before our first cruise tour and it's what convinced us we wanted to do a connoisseur cruise tour. We did a 13 day Alaskan connoisseur cruise tour in 2016 and a 15 day Alaskan connoisseur cruise tour in 2019.  We loved them both and it was great being taken care of and not having to make any reservations for lodging, eating, etc. We were served some really good meals by the cruise tour folks as well as eating in the nice restaurant (included) at Denali Lodge.

[eurodl]

So I've been doing some additional research.  There is a 17 day Connoisseur cruisetour that would include Copper River and McKinley.  It is obviously more expensive but by the time we add the meal package and upgrade to the Tundra tour I'm estimating about a $350 difference but we would be getting 2 extra days.  My main concern with doing this is the 17 day tour is on the Grand which is an older ship.  It is due for drydock in 2022 so I'm wondering if they are planning on doing any refurbishment.  Grand and Sapphire seem to be similar in size.  I've read some reviews that the Grand is on her last legs and some were thinking she would not be coming back after the shutdown.  I would appreciate any opinions.

[Thrak]

Be prepared for a looooong day on the bus getting to Copper River Lodge. If your tour goes on to Kenai Lodge afterward that is another looooong day on the bus. Kenai Lodge and the excursion we had there were both awesome.

[eurodl]

Thanks for the heads up. 👍

[2cat4garden]

I booked a cruise tour for early May 2022 but am now reading on Alaska.org that Denali park doesn't open until mid-June?!  Can anyone confirm if this is correct and why Princess would offer a land portion to Denali if it wasn't even scheduled to be open?  I am really confused by this.

 

[eurodl]

Update:  we ended up booking the 17-day Connoisseur Cruisetour on the Grand in 2023!

[mtnlvr53]

7 hours ago, 2cat4garden said:

I booked a cruise tour for early May 2022 but am now reading on Alaska.org that Denali park doesn't open until mid-June?!  Can anyone confirm if this is correct and why Princess would offer a land portion to Denali if it wasn't even scheduled to be open?  I am really confused by this.

 

Oh, I want to know this too. We are booked for the end of May and are supposed to have a tour into Denali (the lengthy tour). This is really not good if they booked us on a tour that doesn't exist. We have already gotten notice of a ship change....

[mtnlvr53]

5 minutes ago, mtnlvr53 said:

Oh, I want to know this too. We are booked for the end of May and are supposed to have a tour into Denali (the lengthy tour). This is really not good if they booked us on a tour that doesn't exist. We have already gotten notice of a ship change....

I found this on the park service website for 2021: 

Tundra Wilderness Tour	Mile 62, Stony Hill Overlook	7-8 Hours	$162.50	$73.75	June 1 - September 16
Toklat Tundra Wilderness Tour	Mile 53, Toklat River	7-8 Hours	$140.75	$63.00	May 20 - May 31

[eurodl]

This is all making me rethink our May 2023 booking.  Looking at 8/23 or 9/6 2023.  Anyone have any thoughts?

[Thrak]

We did the Connoisseur tour in 2019 in late May. It included the Tundra Wilderness Tour. We didn't go as far as the time before as the road wasn't open as far but, on that trip we stopped to watch a - very close - grizzly for a while and later we saw a lynx - which is a pretty rare sight. It's rare enough that our driver was really excited about it.

[eurodl]

We ended up moving our booking from 5/17 to 8/23/2023.  We were afraid 5/17 would be too early and we really don't want to miss out on the Tundra Wilderness Tour.  Hopefully we will get some fall colors too :-)

[2cat4garden]

58 minutes ago, eurodl said:

We ended up moving our booking from 5/17 to 8/23/2023.  We were afraid 5/17 would be too early and we really don't want to miss out on the Tundra Wilderness Tour.  Hopefully we will get some fall colors too 🙂

I was going to do that until I thought about how extensive the repairs to the Denali Park road will be after the Aug. landslide.

[eurodl]

39 minutes ago, 2cat4garden said:

I was going to do that until I thought about how extensive the repairs to the Denali Park road will be after the Aug. landslide.

We considered that too but thought that would give them almost 4 extra months to finish the repairs.  Hopefully they are done by 2023.

[2cat4garden]

22 hours ago, eurodl said:

We considered that too but thought that would give them almost 4 extra months to finish the repairs.  Hopefully they are done by 2023.

I read somewhere that there was funding for fixing the road but work wouldn't start until 2023.  I got the impression that this was a huge project and would take a long time but I hope I am mistaken.  Who knows now that a true landslide has occurred.