Best Princess Ship to sail to Alaska?

[LarryF]

We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary next May and have decided to sail Princess to Alaska along with a land tour. Now we're trying to decide which ship to cruise; Diamond, Sapphire, Coral or Island?? Would love to hear opinions from those who have sailed on one or more of them. Also we are planning to do the pre or post Alaska land tour as well....does anyone have compelling reasons to go on the pre versus the post tour?

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

[LeeW]

We've only sailed on Coral (fantastic ship by the way), but one thing we are looking for on an Alaska cruise is a covered swimming pool. Had around four couples in the office sail on Dawn in July and they never went in the pool because that ship does not have a rollback roof over the pool. In fact they never went outside without jackets (and in Colorado we wear shorts down to around 45 in the winter).

 

On Coral there is a balcony at the front of the ship on Baja and Caribe that you get onto through the crew area. For the Panama Canal cruises this is also open to passengers but most don't know about it. Would be great for Glacier Bay - you might want to ask your steward about this. Other ships may or may not have this.

 

Great way to spend an anniversary! Make sure you indicate this on the Cruise Personalizer and let the Maitr'D know when you go in for dinner. The special chocolate cake is really neat but takes a while to arrange.

[TwelveKitties]

Just got back a week ago from a land tour and cruise on the Diamond. Previously did the same trip on the Sun in 2000. Loved both of them ... thought the Diamond was prettier and more spacious overall but the decor in the cabins on the Sun were more to my taste. If I did it again, I would still probably go with the Diamond or the Sapphire, even though the Sun class ships are great, as well.

 

As far as whether to do the land tour before or after - I tell everyone to do the land tour first. That way, when you are putting your luggage out early every morning for transfer - and you are paying for your own food - and walking a lot - you really don't mind because you are early in your journey and the excitement alone carries you along. Then, when you get to the ship, you can get some rest, relax and be pampered. If you do it the other way around, you get all the pampering first, and then wear yourself out!

 

Whatever you choose, it is the trip of a lifetime. I've been twice, and am already trying to see when I can go again.

 

TwelveKitties

[Coral]

I have been on the Sapphire (same as Diamond) and the Coral Princess (same is Island Princess) - I think the Coral/Island Princess are the best ships Princess has. They would definitely be my top choice for Alaska. The Coral and Island are 90,000 tonns which is just the right size in my opinion. They are not as large as the Diamond/Sapphire but seem to have all the amenities (except Skywalkers) of the larger ship but in a smaller version with a better layout.

[Druke I]

Very subjective at best, but I prefer Coral/Island to Diamond/Sapphire.

 

I personally think any ship that is too big to fit through the Panama Canal is too damned big.

[Budget Queen]

Princess has very very nice ships. So go with the one who fits your timeframe best. As for your landtour, also consider going on your own. At least make comparisms and do your homework no matter HOW YOU GO. There are plenty of shortcomings with Princess cruisetours, that many people just do not realize. Go for as long as you can afford as the tours of 5 days or less have too much time in transit and little at the destinations. Realize, distances are vast. You may be tempted to consider their highly advertized Whittier/Denali Park train- very nice- but it's also a 10 hour ride, which you do not see printed anywhere. You need 2 nights at the Denali Princess, the McKinley princess is 100 miles away and NO access to the National Park, and nearest town is Talkeetna 50 miles away. So plan your time wisely and not do the shuttle too many times needlessly. :)

 

A big concern here is the tour into Denali Park. I will continue to say the Natural History tour is completely useless. It's like seeing Disneyland only from the parking lot. The Tundra Wilderness tour is the only one to consider if you want spectacular scenery and wildlife opportunities. But, superior are the park SHUTTLE buses, booked independent that go farther into the park, again farther is more scenery and wildlife- my min. recommended distance in is Fish Creek. http://www.nps.gov/dena for more specific information. IF your choice is the NHT at least you have made that decision, the problems arise when people book these tours- then find out what they purchased after reading these boards- have been some hostile flame throwing. :)

 

If independent is of interest, do read those cruisetour itineraries and pick out of the best and duplicate, then add some more gems. :) Extremely easy to go on your own. Also consider a big moneysaver. http://www.toursaver.com

 

 

So do head to your library and get very very familiar with Alaska touring, it will help significantly in your planning and the ability to make the right choices for your priorities.

 

As for southbound/northbound, the cruisetours can be very rushed with the "relaxation" descriptions of the cruise valid. The key here is to NOT go with a rushed marathon interior Alaska trip, there is so much to see and do, take your time and enjoy it. Alaska still is not usually a frequent trip for most.

[zagmom03]

I prefer the Island Princess. She is a beautiful ship. If she is still sailing Alaska in 2008, she will be the ship of choice.

[Pat&Tom]

BudgetQueen is right about staying at least 2 nights in the Denali area and doing the Tundra Wilderness Tour instead of the Natural History Tour. I am a travel agent and lived in Alaska for 5 years and I always tell my clients that if they don't do the Tunda Wilderness Tour they should skip Denali completely. Until recently a lot of the cruise tours only had 1 night in Denali.

 

Also, no matter what the cruise lines tell you about Denali being open in May and September this is only partially true. The park IS open year round however the buses that take you into the park where most of the wildlife is usually run from June to August. It is dependent on the amount of snowfall the winter prior, so if Denali is important to you be careful when you book your tour.

 

Pat

[LarryF]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I have booked us on the Coral Princess 12 day Heart of Alaska cruise/tour sailing on May 21 from Vancouver to Whittier.

 

BudgetQueen....neither my wife or I can take any more time than the 4 night, 5 day tour. Right now we have chosen the Natural History tour because it ends in Anchorage, while the Tundra Wilderness tour ends in Fairbanks. The only way we can go on this trip is by using frequent flier miles and Anchorage has a lot more flights home than from Fairbanks. When we can acutally make our reservations in about 2 weeks and do find a flight back from Fairbanks, I will consider changing to the Tundra Wilderness tour.

 

My main question for Pat and BudgetQueen is ......If we can only get our fflight home from Anchorage. which means we couldn't take the Turdra Wilderness tour, should we just do the cruise instead and just skip the land

tour? Could I do justice to doing a land tour on our own if we only have 4 or 5 days?

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

[SingerEsq]

You'll have a wonderful time on the Coral. We sailed to Alaska in 2004 on her. Great ship.

 

Longwood, FL? Do you attend Northland CC by chance? I know several people on staff there.

 

Steven in LA

[FLACRUISER99]

Sailed Alaska on both the Coral & Island. Coral wins hands down.:D You made the right choise.

[Richard Stein]

The Coral is a good choice.

[NancyIL]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I have booked us on the Coral Princess 12 day Heart of Alaska cruise/tour sailing on May 21 from Vancouver to Whittier.

 

BudgetQueen....neither my wife or I can take any more time than the 4 night, 5 day tour. Right now we have chosen the Natural History tour because it ends in Anchorage, while the Tundra Wilderness tour ends in Fairbanks. The only way we can go on this trip is by using frequent flier miles and Anchorage has a lot more flights home than from Fairbanks. When we can acutally make our reservations in about 2 weeks and do find a flight back from Fairbanks, I will consider changing to the Tundra Wilderness tour.

 

My main question for Pat and BudgetQueen is ......If we can only get our fflight home from Anchorage. which means we couldn't take the Turdra Wilderness tour, should we just do the cruise instead and just skip the land

tour? Could I do justice to doing a land tour on our own if we only have 4 or 5 days?

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

 

Larry, Larry, Larry...you have almost a year to make arrangements for the land portion of your trip, so don't give up on seeing Denali just because a Princess cruisetour doesn't combine the Tundra Wilderness Tour with a return flight out of Anchorage!

 

Since your cruise ends on Monday morning, could you extend your land trip through the following weekend? That would give you 6 full days plus one (Saturday red-eye or Sunday a.m.) for traveling home.

 

I am planning our first Alaskan cruise for June 2007 on the northbound Pacific Princess. (Bet you didn't consider that ship, did you? ;)) The PP sails Wednesday-Wednesday - so we will probably spend 4 days pre-cruise in Victoria and Vancouver, and 5 days touring Alaska after the cruise. We will also use American Airlines frequent-flyer miles - flying into Victoria and returning home from Anchorage. I considered returning home from Fairbanks to save driving time, but it will be a wash considering the longer flying time out of Fairbanks.

[LarryF]

Thanks Nancy, sorry if I sounded like I was panicking!! I Know I have plenty of time to plan the land tour. Hopefully we will be able to get the frequent flier flight home out of Fairbanks and I will switch our tour to the Tundra Wilderness. A friend also told me that they were on the Heart of Alaska tour last year, and after they returned from the Natural History tour that another couple in their group had changed to the all day wilderness tour. She said my TA could made that change with a Princess agent. Has anyone heard of that? I wish we could have more time to do our own thing, but my wife only gets 15 days of vacation and we have to save 5 days for an annual family reunion we do every year.

 

Again, thanks to everyone for your comments. It appears we made a great choice with the Coral Princess!

 

Larry

[Budget Queen]

Larry, many times the Natural History tour CAN NOT be changed because of timing. If you do not have two nights there, probably not.

 

 

Being you have a year- would independent be an option??? Plenty of "hand holding" on the Alaska board with expert accurate planning information freely given. :)

 

 

As a suggestion with 5 days and using Anchorage airport- Northbound. Rent a one way Whittier/Anchorage car and head south to Seward, overnight with a Kenai Fjords boat tour of at least 6 hours on the water. Next day drive to Talkeetna- great funky Alaska town, flightseeing is the forte. Day 3- 4 Denali Park with the SHUTTLE bus to at least Fish Creek- 63 miles in. Day 5 back to Anchorage and over night flight home. (could also drive to Talkeetna day 4 after shuttle bus. Then time for some touring on the short drive to Anchorage??)

 

This offers you plenty of great Alaska touring. You'd be surprised how much time is eaten up on buses, loading and unloading, same with trains. To make the best use of your time, and freedom of your priorities, this option may be a consideration?? Here are some photo samples to look at if you care to, as an example of what you can do on your own. http://community.webshots.com/user/budgetqueen

[LarryF]

We actually are at Denali 2 nights on our land tour and would have the time to switch to an all day wilderness tour.

 

Your suggestion to do our own with your sample itinerary did perk my interest....so I may consider doing our own thing as well...

 

thanks,

 

Larry

[NancyIL]

Larry - this is the most recent of my many possible post-cruise itineraries for after our Princess cruise next June:

 

Wednesday - ship arrives in Whittier; Alaskan Leopard 4-hour tour to Anchorage 9:45-1:45; pick-up rental car at downtown Hertz; drive ~ 2 hours to Matanuska Glacier area for the night (perhaps Sheep Mountain Lodge)

 

Thursday - 10-1 glacier trek with MICA guides at Matanuska Glacier; drive to Talkeetna- stay 2 nights at Talkeetna Chalet B&B

 

Friday - Day trip to Denali with Talkeetna Aero - using Toursaver 2-for-1 coupon. I'll have alternative plans in case we can't fly

 

Saturday - leisurely drive to Anchorage, with stops in Wasilla/Hatcher Pass; afternoon sightseeing in Anchorage - 1 night Anchorage

 

Sunday - church in Eagle River in a.m.; drive to Seward in afternoon (stay 2 nights)**

 

Monday - Kenai Fjords 6-hour National Park cruise

 

Tuesday - leisurely drive back to Anchorage with stops at Ididaride, Exit Glacier, Alyeska, etc.; fly home at 11:40 p.m.

 

Wednesday - arrive home ~ noon (long layover in Chicago)

 

** If my husband has to return home for work on Sunday - take him to the Anchorage airport for 11:40 p.m. flight, and I will continue on to Seward on my own

[LarryF]

Nancy,

 

Your itinerary looks very interesting and exciting. The only challenge I see is that my wife would not be comfortable in the small plane from Talkeetna to Denali and the cost also would be prohibitive. I would really like to go to Denali, though. I'm not familiar with the Geography yet....how could we fit the Denali into this itinerary with out flying there??

 

Also is their a website where I can get a good map to help me view the driving directions for this itinerary?

 

Thanks

[NancyIL]

Nancy,

 

Your itinerary looks very interesting and exciting. The only challenge I see is that my wife would not be comfortable in the small plane from Talkeetna to Denali and the cost also would be prohibitive. I would really like to go to Denali, though. I'm not familiar with the Geography yet....how could we fit the Denali into this itinerary with out flying there??

 

Also is their a website where I can get a good map to help me view the driving directions for this itinerary?

 

Thanks

The day trip to Denali from Talkeetna is $350/pp, but there's a coupon in the 2006 Toursaver book for buy-one-get-one-free. You can certainly drive to Denali from Anchorage (5-6 hours, I believe, with stops). This particular itinerary du jour has us going only as far as Talkeetna because we wouldn't be leaving the Matanuska area until mid-afternoon, and I'm trying to NOT wear out my husband with long drives!

 

I really, really like Frommer's Alaska by Charles Wohlforth. I saw the 2006 edition at my Sam's Club recently for $11.76, and others have reported seeing it at Costco as well. Besides being a wonderful book, it has a great map of Alaska that I have highlighted in yellow in many places, and will soon have to tape because of the constant handling! You can look at http://www.mapquest.com for driving directions. The Milepost is considered the "bible" for road warriors in Alaska. Mine should arrive from Amazon any day.

[Budget Queen]

It is simple to add Denali Park, from Anchorage, it is a 5-6 hour drive with stops. I highly recommend an overnight in Talkeetna - 2++ hours from Anchorage, then 3 1/2 to Denali Park. Staying in Healy gets you out of Glitter Gulch- many lodging choices. Then take the park SHUTTLE to at least Fish Creek. The problem with cruisetours is they do not include Seward. Some may offer some tours from Cooper Landing, but this is less than ideal compared to just being there.

 

 

So a suggested itinerary- Anchorage, overnight, Sheep Mt. overnight http://www.micaguides.com Independence Mine/Hatcher Pass, to Talkeetna. overnight. Denali Park- 2 nights, shuttle to at least Fish Creek. drive to Talkeetna if not done on the way up, over night if available. Anchorage- overnight. To Seward via railroad, overnight- Kenai Fjords boat tour. Sail out of Seward, or one way shuttle to Whittier day of sailing from Seward.

 

 

I DO NOT recommend mapquest for reference- they frequently are wrong in Alaska. Head to your library and take out THE MILEPOST, pick up a AAA map if a member. Frommer's Alaska and Fodor's Alaska are 2 good concise references, again may be at your library. Request visitor gudes from each area, as well as the Alaska state tourism.

[Katiekakes]

Definitely do the land part of your trip first. It is more tiring, and you will have a great time relaxing and not worrying about bags, etc. once on the ship. You can actually unpack and enjoy. We love the Island Princess. We did not sail Princess in Alaska, but sailed on the Island Princess in Hawaii, and she is just the right size.

[NancyIL]

Definitely do the land part of your trip first. It is more tiring, and you will have a great time relaxing and not worrying about bags, etc. once on the ship. You can actually unpack and enjoy. We love the Island Princess. We did not sail Princess in Alaska, but sailed on the Island Princess in Hawaii, and she is just the right size.

 

You have a good point about doing the land portion first. However, the OP booked the northbound Coral Princess.

[LarryF]

Larry - this is the most recent of my many possible post-cruise itineraries for after our Princess cruise next June:

 

Wednesday - ship arrives in Whittier; Alaskan Leopard 4-hour tour to Anchorage 9:45-1:45; pick-up rental car at downtown Hertz; drive ~ 2 hours to Matanuska Glacier area for the night (perhaps Sheep Mountain Lodge)

 

Thursday - 10-1 glacier trek with MICA guides at Matanuska Glacier; drive to Talkeetna- stay 2 nights at Talkeetna Chalet B&B

 

Friday - Day trip to Denali with Talkeetna Aero - using Toursaver 2-for-1 coupon. I'll have alternative plans in case we can't fly

 

Saturday - leisurely drive to Anchorage, with stops in Wasilla/Hatcher Pass; afternoon sightseeing in Anchorage - 1 night Anchorage

 

Sunday - church in Eagle River in a.m.; drive to Seward in afternoon (stay 2 nights)**

 

Monday - Kenai Fjords 6-hour National Park cruise

 

Tuesday - leisurely drive back to Anchorage with stops at Ididaride, Exit Glacier, Alyeska, etc.; fly home at 11:40 p.m.

 

Wednesday - arrive home ~ noon (long layover in Chicago)

 

** If my husband has to return home for work on Sunday - take him to the Anchorage airport for 11:40 p.m. flight, and I will continue on to Seward on my own

 

 

Thanks Nancy and BudgetQueen for your itinerary ideas. I won't be able to take as many days as either of your itineraries, but wanted to see what your thoughts were on this itinerary (my cruise dates are 5/21-5/28 northbound). The biggest change is driving to Seward in the am instead of pm and taking the Kenai 6 hour dinner cruise and staying 1 night only....your thoughts??

 

5/28 - ship arrives in Whittier; Alaskan Leopard 4-hour tour to Anchorage 9:45-1:45; pick-up rental car at downtown Hertz; drive ~ 2 hours to Matanuska Glacier area for the night.

 

5/29 - 10am - 1pm, glacier trek with MICA guides at Matanuska Glacier; drive to Talkeetna- stay 2 nights.

 

5/30 - Day trip to Denali with Talkeetna Aero - using Toursaver 2-for-1 coupon. (What are alternatives to consider if flight is canceled)?

 

5/31 - leisurely drive to Anchorage, with stops in Wasilla/Hatcher Pass; afternoon sightseeing in Anchorage - 1 night Anchorage

 

6/1 - Drive to Seward in morning (stay 1 night). Take Kenai Fjords 6 hour Dinner Cruise (3pm - 9pm)

 

6/2 - Scenic Drive back to Anchorage. Fly home at 5:30pm

 

6/3 - arrive home ~ 7am totally exhausted!

[NancyIL]

Thanks Nancy and BudgetQueen for your itinerary ideas. I won't be able to take as many days as either of your itineraries, but wanted to see what your thoughts were on this itinerary (my cruise dates are 5/21-5/28 northbound). The biggest change is driving to Seward in the am instead of pm and taking the Kenai 6 hour dinner cruise and staying 1 night only....your thoughts??

 

5/28 - ship arrives in Whittier; Alaskan Leopard 4-hour tour to Anchorage 9:45-1:45; pick-up rental car at downtown Hertz; drive ~ 2 hours to Matanuska Glacier area for the night.

 

5/29 - 10am - 1pm, glacier trek with MICA guides at Matanuska Glacier; drive to Talkeetna- stay 2 nights.

 

5/30 - Day trip to Denali with Talkeetna Aero - using Toursaver 2-for-1 coupon. (What are alternatives to consider if flight is canceled)?

 

5/31 - leisurely drive to Anchorage, with stops in Wasilla/Hatcher Pass; afternoon sightseeing in Anchorage - 1 night Anchorage

 

6/1 - Drive to Seward in morning (stay 1 night). Take Kenai Fjords 6 hour Dinner Cruise (3pm - 9pm)

 

6/2 - Scenic Drive back to Anchorage. Fly home at 5:30pm

 

6/3 - arrive home ~ 7am totally exhausted!

 

Larry - looks good to me! I have since cut my plan by one day (just one night in Seward, too), so your plan is the same length as mine - just on different days of the week. I'm glad you're going to get the most out of the week after your cruise. Now that you have a framework and know what dates you will fly to Vancouver and home from Anchorage - you can tweak and finetune your plans for the next 11 months! :D

 

I thought your wife didn't want to fly in a small plane? I hope you realize that Talkeetna is still several hours from Denali National Park. The Denali day trip combines the 8-hour park shuttle with a scenic roundtrip Mt. McKinley flight, thus avoiding about 5 hours of additional roundtrip driving the rest of the way to and from Denali. If the flights are cancelled, we'll still have our rental car, so I suppose we'll call ahead and see if it would be worth it to drive there for a shuttle bus tour later in the day. Otherwise we'd find something to do in Talkeetna that day, and probably try for just a summit flight of Mt. McKinley the next day - before driving back to Anchorage.

[Budget Queen]

It's just my opinion, but I do not see any significant "savings" in flying to Denali Park from Talkeetna. It's a 3 hour drive, but loaded with scenery, having at least an overnight there and a car is superior for the ability to get around and considering driving the Park Road into the park for some "pre" wildlife spotting- big moose area. Last year spent over an hour watching 3 bears. Savage River offers ranger activities etc.

 

To answer your question if the flight is canceled- you probably will miss Denali Park, it's not a day trip, via driving from Talkeetna and shuttle tickets are not likely to be available.

 

As a suggestion for your itinerary. Better use of time would be to rent a one way car out of Whittier and head to Seward, overnight and do a Kenai Fjords boat trip. Then head north and do your northbound activities. A big reason for this is to get to Fish Creek in Denali Park, shuttle do not start until June 1. You will get to Toklat prior to this.