Questions about land and sea Alaska

[manteonc]

Many HAL cruises, but our first with a land excursion is coming up and I have a few questions. I hope someone can help 

1. Do your land based accommodations change any based on your ship cabin category?

2.  Do you get mariner credit for your land days (when I log in online I have all the details of the 11 day trip, but it is listed in “upcoming” as a 7 night cruise)

3.  My 3 night Denali starts with the train and ends with the bus. Is it possible to upgrade to the train for the return to Anchorage since the train runs daily?  Maybe the bus is even better, please share your thoughts.

Thank you!

 

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, manteonc said:

Many HAL cruises, but our first with a land excursion is coming up and I have a few questions. I hope someone can help 

1. Do your land based accommodations change any based on your ship cabin category?

No, and your Mariner level has no bearing either. 

2.  Do you get mariner credit for your land days (when I log in online I have all the details of the 11 day trip, but it is listed in “upcoming” as a 7 night cruise)

Yes you will.  For our Triple Denali I got 12 mariner credits. 7 at sea and 5 total on land. 

3.  My 3 night Denali starts with the train and ends with the bus. Is it possible to upgrade to the train for the return to Anchorage since the train runs daily?  Maybe the bus is even better, please share your thoughts.

Sorry, I don't have an answer for this one!  Enjoy your cruise and time in Denali!  I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

 

 

2 hours ago, manteonc said:

 

 

 

[Mary229]

HAL does offer an upgrade for the Denali hotel. It is not based on your ship cabin but is a paid upgrade 

[oaktreerb]

You are best to stay with the itinerary.  You will travel a slightly different route and see more of Alaska from the bus.  It’s a high end tour bus with plenty of leg space and is narrated (as is the train).  The bus will stop every two hours for a comfort break and ours stopped at a scenic area for an included lunch.  For those tours going between Denali and Fairbanks in my experience I thought the bus was definitely better because the area is less scenic and the bus ride is shorter.

Edited May 4, 2022 by oaktreerb

[manteonc]

10 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Thank you both for helpful replys

 

 

[rajkr74]

We did an Alaska  Land-Sea cruise in 2016 and wrote a review of the whole 14 day trip.  We could not find much info on these type of HAL cruises prior to our cruise so we did the review afterward. 

It's  not exactly like your cruise but has  some of the same sites and destinations  so you can pick and choose  things that  will help you on yours.  Who knows how HAL  is handling these  land-sea cruise after the pandemic  but I hope  this helps.

Here is the CC link:

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2295567-alaska-sea-land-cruise-6-29-16-review—y2c/

[DianeLeslie]

Doing a HAL Denali 3 night cruisetour on the Noordam at the end of Aug into Sept with husband and granddaughter. We have added 3 days in Seattle and arrive in Anchorage on the 24.

1.  I got an email about meal plans.Has anyone used the meal plans? What did you think? How did it go?  To me it seems a lot of food, it is expensive and they charge the same for kids as adults. It would be convenient and I know that I will want the box for the tour and a meal on the train. Do you always eat in the same restaurant?  I like to try different places, but, are there different places close to the lodge?  Any info would be greatly appreciated.
2. Also how long is the Nature bus tour this year?  Also the bus to Denali and the train to Whittier?  Do they leave early in the morning?  Do you have time for a restaurant breakfast?  We have also booked rafting and I am thinking that will leave to early for breakfast. 

Any info would be appreciated.     Diane Metzig Schmidt

[dfilpus]

From our Denali cruisetour in June 2019, pre-pandemic:

1. The meal plan is expensive, but food in Alaska is expensive. We found plenty of restaurants around all of our hotels. In Denali, the McKinley Chalet had two main restaurants, which will take your meal plan. The Princess Lodge, which is right next door, has more restaurants, including a pizza restaurant. Across the highway is a strip of gift shops, restaurants and other retail. We liked Prospectors Pizza. It wasn't open last season. Hopefully it will be open this season. There is a dining shuttle that runs between the resorts and restaurants along the highway.

On the tour day, we ate the buffet breakfast at Karstens. The snack box on the tour was sufficient for us. The meal box would have been a waste for us.

The meal on the train is ala carte. 

2. There are two guided bus tours into Denali: the Natural History Tour and the Tundra Wilderness Tour. The NHT is a short tour which is included in a cruise tour when the TWT is not running. The TWT tour normally runs to mile 56 of the Park road. However, part of the road on the side of a mountain has become unstable and is being bypassed. For 2022 and perhaps 2023, the TWT is ending at mile 43. This turns the eight hour tour into a six hour tour, with the lost two hours being the most scenic part of the tour. You will still see wildlife, mountains and Denali. When we got to the hotel, along with our room key and coupons, we were given tickets for the TWT. There were tours leaving every twenty minutes, starting early, before 7 am. Our tour left at 9:20, leaving time for breakfast.

[AZNative2000]

Curious about replies to DianeLeslie and also if there is a restroom on the bus.  TIA

[Mary229]

16 minutes ago, AZNative2000 said:

Curious about replies to DianeLeslie and also if there is a restroom on the bus.  TIA

HAL notes in its Alaska pdf that the tour at Denali is operated through the NPS and is more of a school bus than a typical tour bus.  There are pit stops 

[oaktreerb]

@DianeLeslie. The meal plan will restrict your choice of meals to the HAL and Princess properties.  The TWT snack box has a variety of snacks and a drink.  I’ve never felt like I needed to buy a sandwich.  Breakfast is offered as a buffet, either full breakfast or continental (including oatmeal and fruit).  Breakfast buffet is a hearty one and you can get in and out quickly as opposed to a served meal.  I always have a snack bar with me.  There is coffee in the room.

 

The HAL bus will have a restroom in the back but most people wait for the comfort stop (which may be an outhouse).  The Denali bus will not have toileting facilities but will stop at regular intervals (probably outhouse type facilities).  They provide hand gel.  

 

The Denali train has a dining car with servers and excellent plated meals.  You will be given a menu with a choice of meals like salmon, chicken, etc and desserts if you want.  You will be invited to come to the dining car and you can go then or tell them you would prefer to go later.  

[CATandSQUID]

On 5/3/2022 at 7:09 PM, manteonc said:

Many HAL cruises, but our first with a land excursion is coming up and I have a few questions. I hope someone can help 

1. Do your land based accommodations change any based on your ship cabin category?

2.  Do you get mariner credit for your land days (when I log in online I have all the details of the 11 day trip, but it is listed in “upcoming” as a 7 night cruise)

3.  My 3 night Denali starts with the train and ends with the bus. Is it possible to upgrade to the train for the return to Anchorage since the train runs daily?  Maybe the bus is even better, please share your thoughts.

Thank you!

 

 

Tour_Tips (1).pdf

[DianeLeslie]

11 hours ago, CATandSQUID said:

 

Tour_Tips (1).pdf 1023.98 kB · 3 downloads

Thanks for the tour tips. The luggage info is daunting and confusing.

Our experience has been that on our other Alaska trip is that you do get Mariner credit for land and cruise days but if you add to the cruisetour you don’t get those added days. 
I don’t know any more about the train except that they don’t sell round trip in the tours because the trains are so busy.