Alaska CruiseTour

[ImperialLady]

I am trying to get information on an Alaska crusie tour next September. On Princess website once I choose a date, etc and click on cruise details to get info it never shows anything. We are thinking about land and then cruise. Anyone who has done this please share your thoughts, recommendations etc. Some say 10-Day On Your Own, Tour ABX, Anchorage to Vancouver, Canada..what does on your own mean?

 

This is what we are looking at. Sept. 6th 2023 - Land first (3 days), followed by cruise (7 days)

4 Land Destinations: FairbanksDenali Princess Wilderness Lodge Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge Whittier

5 Ports: Anchorage (Whittier), AlaskaHubbard Glacier (Scenic Cruising), AlaskaGlacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), Alaska Icy Strait Point, AlaskaJuneau, AlaskaKetchikan, AlaskaVancouver, Canada

Edited January 25, 2023 by ImperialLady

[cruzfiend]

I was having the same issue. Once I signed on, I was able to get the details.

 

[ImperialLady]

Thanks, I signed on every time and still can't get the cruise details....will wait and try again😔

[Potstech]

On your own means you will get transportation to the hotel/lodge and be assigned a room.  Basically no meals or other transportation to sites are provided. 

[ImperialLady]

2 minutes ago, Potstech said:

On your own means you will get transportation to the hotel/lodge and be assigned a room.  Basically no meals or other transportation to sites are provided. 

thanks...so meals and and anything else is on your own dollar!  

 

[Potstech]

That is what On Your Own means.  There are other more costly Cruisetours with better benefits.

[leck57]

5 minutes ago, Potstech said:

That is what On Your Own means.  There are other more costly Cruisetours with better benefits.

 

Such as one of their Connoisseur tours. We did one of those before the cruise and found it fabulous in every aspect. Everything is arranged and most meals are included. If you can afford the extra I would do it.

[kitkat343]

I booked Alaska last minute, and the cruisetour was full so I booked everything independently.  

 

The directions below are seriously out of date - I was pregnant with my oldest, and he just turned 12.  But here's what we did, which was not difficult and much less expensive than a cruise tour.  The Alaskan board can provide you with up to date tips if you want to take the cruise tour independently.  

 

We took the Alaskan Leopard Comedy Tour from Whittier to Anchorage, which stopped at the lovely Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center along the way. In Anchorage, we picked up the Alaska Park Motorcoach to take us from Anchorage to Denali. Please note that if you want to arrive in Denali on the same day you disembark from your cruise, your only option besides a Princess tour is to take the afternoon Alaska Park Motorcoach bus to Denali. It is a very long travel day, but you may prefer this to spending a night in Anchorage. In Denali, we stayed at the McKinley Chalets, which had very good food (including excellent pizza), is in a great location, and has adequate rooms. The hotels in Denali are only open 4 months a year, so they are all significantly more expensive than a comparable hotel in the continental US. 

 

In Denali, we took the National Park Service's shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center, where we had a very lucky day and we were able to see a family of grizzly bears with cubs, a lynx, a family of gray wolves sleeping, a red fox, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, snowshoe hare, and a golden eagle. You might also consider taking the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake, which is supposed to be lovely and offer more wildlife viewing opportunities along the way. But we arrived in Denali one day before the bus to Wonder Lake started (which is June 8th in 2010). Please be very careful with checking the park services bus schedule, as you may be disappointed if you arrive in Denali before the buses are running (they generally begin shorter routes on June 1st, and add longer routes during the month of June). Private vehicles are only allowed partway into the park, so it is important to be aware of the bus schedule. Denali also has some very lovely hiking trails, and beautiful views of Mt. Mckinley (Denali) if you are lucky. 

 

On the way back to Anchorage, we took the Alaska Railroad GoldStar train back, which was lovely and had an open air platform on the back of the train. They also have less expensive seating, but the views are not guaranteed. You can also save money by booking a ticket on the cruise line's trains, which will guarantee you a seat in a domed railcar. They will sell any extra railroad tickets they have, after seating the passengers on their cruisetours. Holland America's trains were less expensive than Princess', and you also might want to check with Celebrity, since I think that they have a new train car on the Alaska Railroad. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by kitkat343

[nasa1974]

I would suggest the land portion first then the cruise.  The land portion can be hectic at times and once on the ship you get to sit back and relax. We did Alaska twice and started with the land portion. First time in Fairbanks the second time was Anchorage. Potstech is correct. On your own means you pay for all your meals. Princess will provide transportation and lodging during the land portion.

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

In Denali, we took the National Park Service's shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center, where we had a very lucky day and we were able to see a family of grizzly bears with cubs, a lynx, a family of gray wolves sleeping, a red fox, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, snowshoe hare, and a golden eagle.

 

If you saw a lynx (not doubting you at all) you were very lucky.We also saw a lynx on our last Tundra Wilderness Tour and the guide was pretty much out of his mind excited! Count yourselves as among the "very few" to spot a lynx in this area. Congratulations!!!

[georgiacat]

We did the Alaska cruisetour "on our own" (I suppose) last June, 2022.  Enjoyed it very much.  It is not hard to find food and sometimes cheaper than what the connoisseur  tour would provide (even though that food is prepaid.  You paid for it whether you eat it or not.  I would suggest, if you have the time, that you do 2 days at each stop:  Fairbanks, Denali lodge, and McKinley lodge.  You will not be as rushed as only one day, which is not a whole day to explore.  Enjoy!

[ImperialLady]

thanks to each and everyone one of you. I really appreciate all your input, suggestions and recommendations. The Connoisseur tours are not in our budget. As long as the transportation and lodging is paid for in your cruise tour package it looks like food is the only thing not covered? What other transportation? I will take K's suggestion and also check the Alaskan board !

[donaldsc]

15 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

 

 

In Denali, we took the National Park Service's shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center, where we had a very lucky day and we were able to see a family of grizzly bears with cubs, a lynx, a family of gray wolves sleeping, a red fox, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, snowshoe hare, and a golden eagle. You might also consider taking the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake, which is supposed to be lovely and offer more wildlife viewing opportunities along the way. But we arrived in Denali one day before the bus to Wonder Lake started (which is June 8th in 2010). Please be very careful with checking the park services bus schedule, as you may be disappointed if you arrive in Denali before the buses are running (they generally begin shorter routes on June 1st, and add longer routes during the month of June). Private vehicles are only allowed partway into the park, so it is important to be aware of the bus schedule. Denali also has some very lovely hiking trails, and beautiful views of Mt. Mckinley (Denali) if you are lucky. 

 

 

 

You can't get to Eielson now because the road is closed at mile 39.  Considering the problems this causes I am not certain if I would even take the trip into the park now but then I have been to Denali several times.

 

DON

[hapster85]

22 hours ago, ImperialLady said:

thanks...so meals and and anything else is on your own dollar!  

 

Meals on land are not included regardless of which tour you choose. Meal packages are available, but they are overpriced in my opinion. Some excursions will include a meal.

 

If I remember correctly, the "on your own" tours don't have any excursions already included, where tours like the Denali Explorer do. Even then, you can call and request different excursions, if the ones included aren't to your liking. Lots of people do this with the Denali Park tours, for example, opting for the longer outings. 

 

Anyway you go, it's hard to not have a great time in Alaska.

[kitkat343]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

You can't get to Eielson now because the road is closed at mile 39.  Considering the problems this causes I am not certain if I would even take the trip into the park now but then I have been to Denali several times.

 

DON

Thank you for this. My information is completely out of date so the op should listen to you and the Alaska board.  12 years ago it was easy and more affordable to do an independent land tour but that may have changed and the op can ask on the Alaska board if this is still the case.  Is that a permanent closure in Denali or are they just doing work now?

Edited January 26, 2023 by kitkat343

[kitkat343]

14 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

If you saw a lynx (not doubting you at all) you were very lucky.We also saw a lynx on our last Tundra Wilderness Tour and the guide was pretty much out of his mind excited! Count yourselves as among the "very few" to spot a lynx in this area. Congratulations!!!

You can doubt me - I’m not good at  identifying animals but the tour guide said it was a lynx, so that’s good enough for me. The actual highlight was that I was experiencing significant morning sickness, and staring out of the window trying not to throw up and while doing that I actually spotted a mommy cub with her baby cubs.  The guide was really excited about that since it was early June and the buses just started running and the cubs were thin last fall and they didn’t know if they’d make it.  Thankfully the cubs looked really healthy now, and I had been bleeding for most of my of my first timester and took that as a good omen.  And that baby is 12 now, which is why all of my info is out of date.  

Edited January 26, 2023 by kitkat343

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, hapster85 said:

Meals on land are not included regardless of which tour you choose. Meal packages are available, but they are overpriced in my opinion. Some excursions will include a meal.

 

Not true. We have done two Alaska Connieusseur Cruise Tours. Most of the meals were included. There were some really great "group meal" as well as included meals at "regular" eating venues - including the nice restaurant at Denali Lodge. (My wife enjoyed the crab legs that were - at that time - a $55 menu item. The meal at that restaurant included any appetizer you liked, any entree you liked, any dessert you liked, and any non-alcoholic drink.

[hapster85]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

Not true. We have done two Alaska Connieusseur Cruise Tours. Most of the meals were included. There were some really great "group meal" as well as included meals at "regular" eating venues - including the nice restaurant at Denali Lodge. (My wife enjoyed the crab legs that were - at that time - a $55 menu item. The meal at that restaurant included any appetizer you liked, any entree you liked, any dessert you liked, and any non-alcoholic drink.

Ah. Thanks for the clarification. Has been a while since I have explored the options.

[Thrak]

2 minutes ago, hapster85 said:

Ah. Thanks for the clarification. Has been a while since I have explored the options.

 

The Connoisseur tours are definitely more expensive but we loved them and liked being "taken care of" rather than having to figure out what we were doing on our own. I can certainly understand the allure of doing all one's own planning and it will be the best choice for many but we opted to go the Connieusseur route after reading a THREAD by @caribill regarding his Connoisseur experience.

[ImperialLady]

Again I am so grateful to all who responded..I am taking notes. I love everyone views based on their personal experiences. 

[kitkat343]

8 minutes ago, ImperialLady said:

Again I am so grateful to all who responded..I am taking notes. I love everyone views based on their personal experiences. 

I'd agree most of all with the poster above who said you can't go wrong in Alaska.  Its a really special destination no matter how you choose to see it.

[georgiacat]

I gave a report on Fairbanks part of the cruisetour that is under Alaska.  Check that out.

[szubieta]

Even though we did the 10-day Connoisseur and LOVED IT and are planning another.  Having 2 days at each Lodge just felt rushed but is doable when getting on the ship at the end.  Our takeaway is that we would never do the 1-night at the lodges tour.  All of these tours are similar to the last night on the ship except your luggage is put out first thing in the morning most of the time before 8a.  So think about feeling rushed getting to you lodge, then doing an excursion, eating dinner, sleeping, luggage out, breakfast and getting on a coach every day.  Not for us, but others still do it.  I'm just glad my sister had done the 1-night lodge thing to steer us with our decision.  Whatever you choose, being in Alaska is worth a try on your terms and budget.  

[Thrak]

We have stayed at all 5 Princess lodges in Alaska - Fairbanks, Denali, McKinley, Copper River, and Kenai. Our favorite was Kenai. We had a wood stove in the room (wood was there and more was conveniently located in small kiosks around the property) and had a nice porch with a great view. We did a fjord cruise excursion there. Lots of Orcas - the tour folks knew some of them by name - and we actually saw glimpses of two other types of whale.

 

[szubieta]

10 hours ago, szubieta said:

Even though we did the 10-day Connoisseur and LOVED IT and are planning another.  Having 2 days at each Lodge just felt rushed but is doable when getting on the ship at the end.  Our takeaway is that we would never do the 1-night at the lodges tour.  All of these tours are similar to the last night on the ship except your luggage is put out first thing in the morning most of the time before 8a.  So think about feeling rushed getting to you lodge, then doing an excursion, eating dinner, sleeping, luggage out, breakfast and getting on a coach every day.  Not for us, but others still do it.  I'm just glad my sister had done the 1-night lodge thing to steer us with our decision.  Whatever you choose, being in Alaska is worth a try on your terms and budget.  

 

Sorry we did the 17-day Connoisseur not a 10-day.  We were on land for 10-day with 5 Lodges/Hotel.