RCL cruise tour review

[cruiselvr04]

We just got back from our Royal cruise tour to Alaska.  I had many questions before we went and it was hard to find answers.  I’m hoping this review will help others.  

Many on these boards said not to go with Royal.  There could be some truth to this, however as we are Diamond plus with Royal it seemed more familiar to use them.  Some people said to do it on your own.  This could be true if you’re a great planner and have the time to do so.  Some said to use an outside agency to book the details for them.  We are an almost retired couple that felt overwhelmed at driving and planning.  Now that we’re home, I’m glad we did a cruise tour even though there were some rough patches.

 

We flew Alaska airlines from DFW to Fairbanks a day early.  The time change was a bigger deal for us then we had thought about.  By the time we got to our hotel it was 4 a.m. Dallas time.  We booked Sophie Station as that’s were our cruise tour started.  I had put in the comments when booking that we were part of the cruise tour starting the next day. While not fancy, think 2 or 3 star, Sophie station was clean and we had a 2 room suite with full kitchen.  Our stay was seamless. We rented a car at the airport so we could use the first day wisely. The sunset around midnight was stunning and it never really got too dark.  
 

After a few hours of sleep we forced ourselves to get up.  We used the car to visit a grocery store and buy a few snacks, water and pre mixed alcoholic drinks.  There is a grocery store walkable to Sophie station also.  We then drove out to Chena Hot Springs.  We spent several hours soaking in the springs and hot tub and laying out on the deck area. I was amazed at how warm the sun felt.  Honestly this was the warmest day of our trip! We drove back, about an hour and 15 minutes each way and the jet lag hit us again.  I had trouble keeping the DH awake to drive! We checked in with our tour leader and this is when things got chaotic.  One person trying to tell you what you needed to know as people came and went. Here are your tour options but no you can’t do that one, it’s sold out, etc. Premier travel runs Royals cruise tours. While some lines may let you book extra tours before your cruise tour, Royal does not.  So many things were not offered or were sold out.  We did get to do everything we wanted to do except a 5 hour jet boat ride and we couldn’t choose our times for most things. DH and I went to dinner and then he returned the car while I did a quick load of laundry.  I knew our swimsuits needed washing after the hot springs and it gave me a chance to wash our travel clothes so we could use them again. There are a couple of walkable restaurants to eat at near Sophie Station but most people seemed to eat at the restaurant in the hotel. Our actual tour started the next morning so we made it an early night. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by cruiselvr04

[Arkiepig]

Thanks for the information, much appreciated.  My husband and I are booked on a Royal Caribbean precruise tour next August and are having serious doubts about the keeping the tour.  The  unknowns about the excursions is the main issue.  Did you tour Denali?  If so, were you offered a flight seeing tour?  I am a planner; so the the lack of information is driving me nuts.

 

 Glad you liked your tour  well enough you would do it again.  That's encouraging.    

[cruiselvr04]

Our first cruise tour day we headed out before 8:30 and went to the UAFs museum of the north.  Some things were time fillers like driving around downtown Fairbanks.  Lunch was on our own as all meals were.  We were offered advice on several options but not given much time.  The afternoon was the Riverboat discovery which was fun and informative.  It had been cloudy and when the sun came out we got some slight face sunburn.  It was also our first encounter with swarms of mosquitoes.  We learned to put sunscreen on our faces each morning and bring the bug spray. The mosquitoes weren’t really a problem on the ship excursions but on the land portion they were everywhere.  

In the evening we had chosen the optional salmon bake and show.  Do this.  The food was very good and your other options are hotel food.  The revue show was cheesy but entertaining and we were back to the hotel by about 9:30.  

 

Our bags had to be out by 6 a.m, the next morning although we didn’t leave the hotel until about 7:20.  This was to be a common theme. Bags had to be out early as they were counted and loaded on a truck, not the train.  It’s efficient and our bags were always waiting in our room at the next stop.  But it does mean early mornings.  Only backpacks or large purses are allowed on the trains and buses.  I only found this out pre trip through a lot of searching.  We each had a small packable backpack that we filled each day with electronics, medications, eyeglasses, bug spray, valuables, snacks, passports etc.  This has to be kept on your lap or at your feet. The buses are tight while the trains had a little more room at your feet.

[cruiselvr04]

Monday morning we took the domed train from Fairbanks to Denali.  The scenery started to change and it was lovely.  Breakfast was on the train.  You could bring your own food on the train but we highly suggest eating your meals on the train.  They do an excellent job and the food is really quite good.  They also have a bar.  Drinks run about $12 and meals from $18 for breakfast, $24 for lunch and $34 for dinner.  It was a white tablecloth experience and worth it to us. 
 

We got off the train, onto a bus and headed into Denali.  At some point we also went to the area where the Princess Lodge is.  They’re a strip of stores there and a convenience store where you can buy snacks and drinks.  Our biggest shocker was $4 bottles of water.  So bringing your own refillable bottle is a good idea.  
 

We were given only a brief time that day at the visitor center but would return.  We then headed to the Denali park village.  Denali park village has very limited shuttles running back and forth to the park.  This means you’re basically captive there.  It’s several miles from the park. Food is expensive so if you’re like us you packed some snacks.  We had more than one meal of peanut butter crackers and a mini bag of cookies.  Or we’d share a burger as we’re not big eaters anyway.  
 

That evening we did another optional tour which was an ATV.  It was actually more like a dune buggy, 2 seater.  We had a blast and made several stops to view the scenery.  I do not advise if you have a bad back or neck as we flew over rocky, bumpy paths and splashed through a couple of big puddles.  Our clothes were very dirty so I did another quick load of wash and hung them to dry in the room. Take a gaiter and sunglasses to cover your eyes!

 

Denali park village was the worst room we encountered.  It was more like a 1 star.  Not even a picture on the wall. Poor blinds over the windows that didn’t keep the light out. Poor lighting in the room.  One small mirror over the sink. We were also a walk from the main lobby.  The grounds were nice with fire pits and a place for small meals other than the main lodge. The lobby was nice with big comfortable seating.  Some in our group were put into cabins that they said were even worse. 

Edited August 1, 2023 by cruiselvr04

[cruiselvr04]

Tuesday was Denali!  We had to be on the bus at 5:30 a.m. to go to the park.  I think everyone was grumbling a bit over this but in the end I think this was great as we saw more in the early part of the day.  
 

We transferred onto the old buses for our ride into the park.  A box of snacks and water bottles were provided.  It had been too early for breakfast.  Our ride was about 5 hours and honestly it went so fast.  We are part of the 30% who see Denali!  It literally was stunning.  I’m not adding pictures to this review but just wow!  By the time we left the park it was clouding over so later groups that day wouldn’t see the mountain.  We also saw caribou and from far away a mama bear with 3 cubs!  The park system has also installed equipment on the bus for the driver, if they see an animal far away they can zoom in on it and you see it on small screens on the bus. 
 

Most people in our group went back to the hotel complex after this but we chose to stay in Denali.  We felt that’s what we had come for.  We watched a couple of short films, went to the parks free dog sled show and got a burger in the park.  Be very mindful of shuttle time!  There are very few and there are no Ubers or taxis here! 
 

That evening we went to the optional salmon bake and show at the Denali park village. The food wasn’t as good as Fairbanks but the show was much better.  Since you have to eat anyway you might as well be entertained.  We ended the evening with a drink on the lodge deck swatting those huge mosquitoes away. 

[cruiselvr04]

Wednesday we were able to sleep in a little as our bags didn’t have to be out until 9 a.m.  We left to catch the next train ride from Denali to Talkeetna again stopping for about an hour at the strip of shopping across from the Princess lodge.  
 

Lunch on the train was great and this was probably the most scenic part of our train rides.  This is the highest elevation that the train gets to.  We loved traveling by train rather than the bus.  You’re able to get up, stretch your legs, use the restroom etc.  

 

That evening we stayed at the Talkeetna Lodge.  This was much nicer lodging, newer rooms, good lighting, good window coverage for sleeping, and while we still had to walk outside to get to the main building it was closer and paved all the way.  Town was about a mile and half away and some walked into town for dinner.  We grabbed a burger in the lodge as it was raining.  On a clear day you can see Denali but we weren’t lucky this time.  We did see a moose and her baby on the grounds though. 
 

The next morning bags didn’t have to out until 11:00.  At that time we took a jet boat tour on the river there.  It was interesting but we were disappointed we couldn’t do the one that went into the gorge.  After that we stayed in town and shopped until it was time to walk to the train station where we met up with our group again.  Lunch was snacks again and fireweed ice cream ( which is yummy but the way). 
 

We had dinner on the train on our way to Anchorage.  This train ride was less scenic but dinner was lovely as we shared a bottle of wine with table mates.  By the time we got to the Marriott most things were closed.  Our room was lovely with a view of the bay.  

 

[cruiselvr04]

Friday bags had to out by 7 a.m. We walked to a breakfast place nearby and got a roll for breakfast.  We left for the Alaska Native Heritage Center around 8:30.  By now everyone just wanted to get to the ship.  Instead we were dropped off downtown to get lunch on our own and finally at 1 pm we headed to Seward.  I feel they do this on purpose to stagger people getting on the ship but we didn’t get there until 4 p.m.  For us this is late and it was a rush to muster and make some dinner reservations.  Our bags arrived right after we did but there was no time to unpack before dinner.  We didn’t get fully unpacked until the next morning so it made the cruise feel a bit shorter.  
 

We are still happy we did the land portion.  There was wasted time but it was also very busy at times and I wouldn’t want to do the land portion after a cruise. The shuttle times for the lodging to Denali and into Talkeetna are few and non existing in the evening so the lodges can hold you captive for meals. They handled all our bags which makes moving from place to place so much easier. 
 

We had a great cruise after our land tour and then stayed in Victoria a couple of nights after. It was a great trip!

 

I hope this trip report helps others plan for their land tour.  We went into it pretty blind as Royal doesn’t give you much information.

[cruiselvr04]

14 hours ago, Arkiepig said:

Thanks for the information, much appreciated.  My husband and I are booked on a Royal Caribbean precruise tour next August and are having serious doubts about the keeping the tour.  The  unknowns about the excursions is the main issue.  Did you tour Denali?  If so, were you offered a flight seeing tour?  I am a planner; so the the lack of information is driving me nuts.

 

 Glad you liked your tour  well enough you would do it again.  That's encouraging.    

We were offered several flight seeing tours and several of our group went on one.  I know of at least one that was cancelled due to weather.  We don’t like small planes or helicopters so we stayed on the ground.  But they reported it was wonderful!

[cruiselvr04]

One thing I didn’t mention is we were in 2 groups.  Ours was 47 people plus our guide.  This was manageable and we stayed in our group on all the trains and buses. Everyone was very good about being on time everywhere.

[diesel1973]

Am still up here in Eagle River and the bugs are really bad this year. Has been rainy up unto now and all those little buggers are starting to come out. I'm afraid when I leave at the end of this month that I'll be one big mosquito bite !

[MississippiMom]

@cruiselvr04 - Thank you for providing all of this detail.  I have been reading a lot about Alaskan cruises, lately, but was very confused about the “cruise tours”. Now I understand why I couldn’t locate detail on the RCCL website. I’m not sure how I feel about not knowing my full land itinerary before booking.  

[cruiselvr04]

I should mention that this tour was 8 B.  
 

Pre cruise Royal made several offers to re book as ours was over sold. We as well as others were offered some pretty good deals to change to other tours or cancel the tour part altogether.  We weren’t interested as we had non refundable airfare made independently.  If we had gone with Royals air we would have considered it.  In other words this tour with the 3 train rides seemed to be the most popular. 

[Anita Latte]

Info on cruise tours is rare...thank you for taking the time to share.

[jean87510]

Yes thank you so much.  Great info regarding the rental car at fairbanks and stocking up on food and water bottles.  

 

We have 7b booked next September for my 60th so any info helps.  

 

Edited to ask a question.  When you arrived in Fairbanks on the 1st day and rented the car at the airport, didn't you have a transfer included from airport to Sophie station?  Did you return rental car to airport?

Edited August 6, 2023 by jean87510

[cruiselvr04]

On 8/6/2023 at 4:15 AM, jean87510 said:

Yes thank you so much.  Great info regarding the rental car at fairbanks and stocking up on food and water bottles.  

 

We have 7b booked next September for my 60th so any info helps.  

 

Edited to ask a question.  When you arrived in Fairbanks on the 1st day and rented the car at the airport, didn't you have a transfer included from airport to Sophie station?  Did you return rental car to airport?

We did not have a transfer included because we came in a day early.  I think we could have requested one.  We returned the car to the airport ( it’s only a mile or so away) the night we met with the cruise tour guide.  DH had not arranged it but asked at the Royal desk at the airport and they put him in a shuttle back to Sophie Station without charge. 

[Vagabond Knight]

@cruiselvr04, what a delight to find a description of the exact cruisetour we have booked for this year!  Very glad you recommended the meals on the train since that was what I was thinking we'd be doing. I really wish the start of the trip was more organized (sounds like it's rather messy) and we think it's kind of nuts that you can't just book your land excursions ahead of time, but it is what it is.

 

Were any of the stops on the cruise portion tender ports?

 

Other questions relate to the last day of the land tour, the day we'll board the cruise.  Are we correct in assuming the tour and cruise folks will be checking our bags in and taking them onto the ship so we won't have to schlep them though security and check-in ourselves?  I noticed that you said we'll be dumped in town for some shopping time prior to heading to the ship. On one hand, that's not enticing since we rarely do much in the way of shopping on trips/cruises, but did you happen to notice if there's anywhere we'll be able to purchase a couple bottles of wine to bring onboard during the "shopping time?"

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to provide so much insight into this cruisetour!

[dccruisin]

Thank you so much for this detailed review.  We will be going the opposite direction in May, 7A tour.  The info about meals on the train is very helpful.  

 

Linda 

After taking kids to Disneyworld no meal prices shock me.  🙂

[cruiselvr04]

12 hours ago, Vagabond Knight said:

@cruiselvr04, what a delight to find a description of the exact cruisetour we have booked for this year!  Very glad you recommended the meals on the train since that was what I was thinking we'd be doing. I really wish the start of the trip was more organized (sounds like it's rather messy) and we think it's kind of nuts that you can't just book your land excursions ahead of time, but it is what it is.

 

Were any of the stops on the cruise portion tender ports?

 

Other questions relate to the last day of the land tour, the day we'll board the cruise.  Are we correct in assuming the tour and cruise folks will be checking our bags in and taking them onto the ship so we won't have to schlep them though security and check-in ourselves?  I noticed that you said we'll be dumped in town for some shopping time prior to heading to the ship. On one hand, that's not enticing since we rarely do much in the way of shopping on trips/cruises, but did you happen to notice if there's anywhere we'll be able to purchase a couple bottles of wine to bring onboard during the "shopping time?"

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to provide so much insight into this cruisetour!

Our bags went on a truck from the Marriott straight onto the ship.  They were waiting outside our cabin when we got there.  A few took carry on size bags with them and put them under the bus. We put our ship tags on our suitcases before we put them out in the hall at the Marriott.

 

We found and consumed our own wine along the way.  So yes watch for places. The cruisetour doesn't care if you drink your own purchased alcohol. We didn't drink on the bus or BYOB on the train but enjoyed our own at the hotels. There will be opportunities along the way. 

[Vagabond Knight]

19 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We didn't drink on the bus or BYOB on the train but enjoyed our own at the hotels. 

Oh gosh, didn't even think about BYOB drinking on the bus or the train... is that allowed?  I was mainly thinking about bringing the allowable bottles of wine onto the ship to supplement the four drinks we get a day as one of our Elite perks, but I didn't want to have to buy it at the beginning of the land tour and travel it all through the six days before boarding.

 

Glad to hear that the luggage handling is done for us. With the late arrival to the ship, well past lunch, and not having to worry about luggage check-in, we're going to have to re-evaluate if we want to keep "The Key" or not.  I guess it mostly depends on the price comparison with buying internet alone at this point. I'll have to check and see how much we paid for it, though I know we got it on sale.