Pre-cruise hotel stay in Anchorage for 2023

[hapster85]

On the Princess website, they have one night at the Captain Cook with rail transfer to Whittier, listed from $279, with additional nights from $129. Sounds good. But when we called, we were told that is the price per person, not per room. Does that sound right? The price we were quoted was $696 ($348 each), for one night for the two of us. I know Anchorage hotels can be expensive, but that was a bit of sticker shock.

 

Just wondering what others have experienced, if it is indeed per person, as the rep stated. Not looking for recommendations for other hotels, or anecdotes about booking your own transportation right now. I know, we could call back, and get a different answer, but that wouldn't really answer the question, as we wouldn't know which answer was actually correct. Lol.

 

Thanks.

[disneyochem]

Yes, through Princess it is usually per person on those pre- and post-cruise stays.  We also got sticker shock when we booked Princess for one night pre-cruise in Vancouver.  I initially thought it was a good deal ($325 for one night) but then I saw the confirmation listing the total price, I called back to get clarification.  It was over $600 for the two of us!  (We didn't use Princess, booked directly through Pan Pacific and paid $350 total.)

 

The rail transfer is worth probably about $100 pp--the Alaskan Railroad charges an adult $94 for the same route but Princess usually uses their own train cars for this transfer.  The rail is a great way to get to Whittier.

[SiliconCruiser]

39 minutes ago, hapster85 said:

On the Princess website, they have one night at the Captain Cook with rail transfer to Whittier, listed from $279, with additional nights from $129. Sounds good. But when we called, we were told that is the price per person, not per room. Does that sound right? The price we were quoted was $696 ($348 each), for one night for the two of us. I know Anchorage hotels can be expensive, but that was a bit of sticker shock.

 

It may be pretty close to being correct.  The Captain Cook is a luxury hotel in Anchorage, and will generally run around $350-400 or more per night double occupancy.  Add in the transfer costs, then an additional markup for Princess, and you'll probably be close to $700.

[Steelers36]

54 minutes ago, hapster85 said:

On the Princess website, they have one night at the Captain Cook with rail transfer to Whittier, listed from $279, with additional nights from $129. Sounds good. But when we called, we were told that is the price per person, not per room. Does that sound right? The price we were quoted was $696 ($348 each), for one night for the two of us. I know Anchorage hotels can be expensive, but that was a bit of sticker shock.

 

Just wondering what others have experienced, if it is indeed per person, as the rep stated. Not looking for recommendations for other hotels, or anecdotes about booking your own transportation right now. I know, we could call back, and get a different answer, but that wouldn't really answer the question, as we wouldn't know which answer was actually correct. Lol.

 

Thanks.

You should check out the Alaska Ports forum and may find good ideas there. 

 

That aside, I would look up the hotel website and see what I could book for on my own for the same dates and compare to Princess.  Don't forget to include a taxi fare for the transfer.

[voljeep]

Rail transfer? - way back in the day we stayed at Captain Cook for a night , then took a bus the next morning...

[hapster85]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

Rail transfer? - way back in the day we stayed at Captain Cook for a night , then took a bus the next morning...

That was our original plan, to book a random hotel, and use the Princess bus transfer from the airport. Then I saw on their website that they have a hotel package that includes rail transfer.

 

We were disappointed this year after I got covid on the land tour, because we not only missed the cruise, but the train ride from Talkeetna. It won't be quite the same from Anchorage, but beats the bus any day.

 

Anyway, we talked it over with my parents, who are also part of the trip, and they also agree it's a better option. Plus this way, it's covered with FCCs that we might not otherwise get to use before they expire next September. Now if flights would just come back down to where they were this time last year, we'd be set. Right now they are still crazy high.

 

Thanks for the replies everyone!

[Coral]

Here is the website and the prices are per person:

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/cruise-ports-and-hotels/ 

[hapster85]

33 minutes ago, Coral said:

Here is the website and the prices are per person:

 

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/cruise-ports-and-hotels/ 

Lol yep. Right there at the top of the page, and despite having looked at it multiple times before, I completely missed it until now. A coworker keeps telling this stuff only gets better with age. Lol

[azbirdmom]

The Princess prices are always high but the Anchorage hotel prices in season are pretty high too.  We did book the Princess rail + hotel package for our first cruise from Whittier and it was easy.  Note that the rail cars will likely be the single decker version but it is still a pretty ride down to Whittier.  Since then we've also done Princess cruise tours twice staying at the Captain Cook (one time booking an extra night directly through the hotel) and most recently did a DIY pre-cruise tour staying at the Anchorage Hilton.  There's always sticker shock when it comes to pricing in Alaska but it sounds like this is the best option for you.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Yes, unfortunately that is correct. The added value is a Princess rep to greet you in the airport, handle your luggage, a bus transfer to the hotel, a Princess rep at the hotel throughout your stay to answer questions, and then the train transfer to Whittier. The tracing transfer is often not available through Princess without booking a package, so that is the best added value I see. That train ride is beautiful and takes you through a section that cars don’t get to see. 
 

To save some money, though, you can book independently, take an Uber to your hotel, and book the Alaska Railroad train independently. 
 

It really comes down to how you prefer to travel.