Trip Report - Diamond Princess Alaska Cruise Tour

[Ontario Traveller]

Just returned from a Princess Cruise Tour (Anchorage (Hotel Captain Cook), McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge, and then a 7-day Cruise Southbound from Whittier to Vancouver on the Diamond Princess).

 

Weather was a bit cooler than we were hoping, but overall it didn't deter us from a thoroughly enjoyable time.

 

Anchorage is a beautiful city with friendly people and lots of great restaurants. Try the Halibut at Simon and Seaforth's.

 

McKinley Princess Lodge has a number of new buildings. They were doing some landscaping but did not detract from enjoyment. We did get a good view of Mt. McKinley - You can sign up so they will call you in your room if the skies clear to see the peak. With midnight sun, we were able to see it clearly just after midnight, and then the next day it was clear all day.

 

Denali Princess Lodge has new wing - Canyon Station - we'd recommend these buildings especially if can get a water view.

 

Recommend Husky Homestead Tour out of Denali -- they have an excellent welcoming party - all their puppies.

 

The Princess glassed rail cars give a great all around view for everyone.

The train ride can be a bit tiring after 8-9 hours though.

 

On the ship - College Fjord and Glacier Bay National Park are quite spectacular. The glaciers sound like a thunderstorm as they crack and calf icebergs. The icebergs then crackle like Rice-Krispies. It was a bit cold and a bit rainy as we toured these areas - the naturalist on board (who gave commentary) called it "Glacier Preserving Weather".

 

Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan provide good port stops. They really are set up well to cater to a large number of cruise ships in port each day. (They also have brought in lots of shopping -- local stores, plus Diamonds International, and all the Caribbean stores too.)

 

Whale watching in Juneau brought us up close with a group of humpback whales fishing together - it was really something to see.

 

On the trip overall, we did see a couple of bears, many eagles, and some moose.

 

Diamond Princess was well maintained. Staff was friendly. We did find the common rooms bars and casino quite smoky -- restrictions on board aren't as tough as we're used to. Food was excellent. Alaska dinner includes crab legs as meaty as a lobster tail. Of course lobster is also served on the second formal night. Buffet selections in the Horizon Court were varied and quite excellent. At dinner, the dining rooms all serve the same menu items -- no more variation between them as on some other ships. Specialty restaurants on board, of course, have own menus, and the Horizon Court has a good buffet menu for those who prefer dinner there too.

 

You can sign out deck blankets on the 14th floor at the transition between covered and outside pool areas (and leave in your room when you leave at end of week).

 

The trip down the rest of the inside passage was also very beautiful, as the channel is somewhat narrow, and the trees and mountains are beautiful all the way down to Vancouver.

 

Vancouver itself is also a beautiful city and many of the passengers chose to take city tours, etc. We've been to this city before so we went direct from the cruise ship to the airport. We disembarked the cruise ship just prior to 8:30am and were at the airport before 9:00 (about $28 for taxi).

 

Do take your binoculars, and do be prepared for the high cost of the shore excursions. But demand for the shore excursions is very high. You may want to book in advance of your trip as a number of the excursions were fully booked up -- especially the more expensive ones.

 

Take clothing for a range of temperatures -- lots of layers - and you may need shorts if it's hot (we didn't but folks who went to Fairbanks during the same week saw very high temperatures).

 

You'll see some things that you likely have never seen before. Alaska is a beautiful state, and Princess did a good job showing us Alaska. We had a great time and we're sure you will too.

[travelin'suzie]

We leave on July 9th for our first Cruise aboard the Island Princess. Thanks so much for the review. We are really looking forward to the trip.

 

We are taking the land portion of the tour first, then SB to Vancouver.

 

Now, I just have to get through the next week and 1/2 at work :rolleyes:

 

Suzie

[lilly707]

Thanks for the great trip report! We're leaving next Thursday for the exact same Land Tour and Cruise on the Coral.

[Coolmama_1]

Great report! Thanks for sharing. Sounds like you had a great time.

[tripman]

I have a question. Could you explain which meals are included and which are not on the land portion of the tour? It is very ambigious everywhere I try to find the answer.

[BillMcAnally]

I have a question. Could you explain which meals are included and which are not on the land portion of the tour? It is very ambigious everywhere I try to find the answer.

 

Hi Tripman. It all depends on what tour you are taking. Only tours 19E, 20E,21, 22, 23, & 24 include meals. Those meals are Breakfeast and dinner with one lunch on the train. All other tours you have to eat on your own. If you have a Princess Cruises ALASKA 2006 CRUISES & CRUISETOURS BOOK YOU CAN FIND THIS ON PAGES 45THROUGH 69. What tour are you making?

[LisaH]

Thanks Ontario Traveler for your review. We will be doing this cruise on the Island next July. We are really looking forward to it.

 

How were the busses between Denali and Mt. McKinley? Nice with restrooms or the not so nice kind? We also hope to see Mt. McKinley but know it is a roll of the dice.

 

Thanks again!

[cruisingfreak]

Thanks so much for the review.

 

Can't wait to finally leave for Fairbanks in 5 1/2 wks.

 

 

 

Minette

[HRM]

Thanks Ontario Traveller! We will be SB on the Diamond on Saturday so we are happy to get a review from someone on the previous sailing.

 

Does anyone know if there is somewhere near the cruise terminal in Whittier to pick up water and soda?

 

Thanks,

HRM

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review sounds like you had a wonderful time. :)

[Ontario Traveller]

- For us, on the land portion, the only meal that was included was one dinner at Denali (Music of Denali Dinner Theater) -- This was a booking bonus for us from Princess. There is a cold-box type lunch for the Tundra Wilderness tour -- we opted out, but people said it was not much to eat, and recommended bringing along your own supplies.

- The Princess arranged coaches between sites are full size newer comfortable coaches. (Bathrooms are in coaches - though not guaranteed to be in-service -- as we found on one of our trips).

- Whittier is a very small town, and we arrived in a bit of a rain storm and did not have a chance to check things out. Seems to be a new small hotel adjacent to the ship dock, but it may not be big enough to have a convenience store. Better off to pick things up in the city you fly into or are in prior to getting to Whittier.

[meselibibob]

Ontario Traveller, thanks for such a great report from your cruise and cruise tour. Happy to hear you had such a great time. My question - at the Princess Hotels in McKinely and Daneli, is there any entertainment in the evenings, such as a louge/s for dancing, or shows that are included in the land package? My DH seems to think the entertainment from the ship will continue in the Princess Lodges. I am not so sure. Thanks!

[jkfreeman33]

Thanks for the post - we are doing the same trip in September. I'm hoping for "decent" weather.

[lbyarbro]

Ontario Traveler -- What time did you actually arrive at the Diamond in Whittier after the 8-9 hour train ride? We have a booked a private reception for our large family reunion group, starting at 4:45 p.m., on Saturday (sail-away day). We have several family members who will be coming in from this land tour, and we're afraid they will miss the reception. Just trying to get an idea of timing.

[ljtinney]

- For us, on the land portion, the only meal that was included was one dinner at Denali (Music of Denali Dinner Theater) -- This was a booking bonus for us from Princess. There is a cold-box type lunch for the Tundra Wilderness tour -- we opted out, but people said it was not much to eat, and recommended bringing along your own supplies.

- The Princess arranged coaches between sites are full size newer comfortable coaches. (Bathrooms are in coaches - though not guaranteed to be in-service -- as we found on one of our trips).

- Whittier is a very small town, and we arrived in a bit of a rain storm and did not have a chance to check things out. Seems to be a new small hotel adjacent to the ship dock, but it may not be big enough to have a convenience store. Better off to pick things up in the city you fly into or are in prior to getting to Whittier.

 

Since the meals were not included, what was the cost of your meals like and was there ample time provided to eat during your tour?

[Ontario Traveller]

Re: Night time entertainment - In Denali, there is a Music of Denali dinner theatre. It is family style dining, and the show is ok. You can also walk next door to the McKinley Resort (for Holland America folks) and join in their programs. There are bars and music playing at the resorts for those who want, and lots of peace and quiet for those who prefer just to listen to nature.

 

Re: Price of Meals -- Actually quite reasonable -- we are pleased to say. With a more or less captive audience, we were a bit concerned, but food and drink prices were "normal".

 

Re: Time Princess train gets into Whittier on Saturday: We were supposed to be in Whittier at 5:30pm, but due to train delays, waiting at the tunnel, it was 6:30pm when the train pulled in, and about 7:00pm when we got up to our room. (There's quite a line up to get on to the ship -- with a whole train full of people arriving all at once, but it seemed to be well orchestrated, and thankfully for us, well covered (it was raining).) On sail-off night, all the dining rooms are open-seating and we were quickly seated in the International Dining Room and joined by 6 other people from all over the world to enjoy a sail off dinner together.

[cactusrose]

Ontario Traveller, thanks for such a great report from your cruise and cruise tour. Happy to hear you had such a great time. My question - at the Princess Hotels in McKinely and Daneli, is there any entertainment in the evenings, such as a louge/s for dancing, or shows that are included in the land package? My DH seems to think the entertainment from the ship will continue in the Princess Lodges. I am not so sure. Thanks!

 

Unless your package specifically includes it, no lounge type entertainment is provided at the lodges. As with many hotels there may be some piano music in the lobbies or lounges but I don't recall any places to dance. The dinner theater is not usually included and will run about $49 for dinner and show and $20 for show only. You will receive this information in your package.

[Dena]

.

 

The Princess glassed rail cars give a great all around view for everyone.

The train ride can be a bit tiring after 8-9 hours though.

.

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Does everyone get a seat in a glassed car or does it go by what cabin class you have? Or is it only the dining car that is glassed. Do you have breakfast on the ship or the train (assuming you did the cruise portion first)? Do you get 3 meals and snacks on the train. Besides dining what else is there to do for 9 hours. Is there an bar car or an entertainment car?

[florida lover]

O.T.,

 

Thanks for the nice trip report. We are going on the Diamond in August. Which nights were formal nights?

 

Thanks

[crusdiva]

Thanks for the review.

Does everyone get a seat in a glassed car or does it go by what cabin class you have? Or is it only the dining car that is glassed. Do you have breakfast on the ship or the train (assuming you did the cruise portion first)? Do you get 3 meals and snacks on the train. Besides dining what else is there to do for 9 hours. Is there an bar car or an entertainment car?

Hi Dena,

I did this tour last year and I think I can help answer a couple of your questions.

The rail cars have table seating for 4 - think booths - during the journey.

Two couples per table, everyone has a great view as the windows are huge and domed. As far as we could figure the seat assignments were random. On the Fairbanks to Denali run we opted for breakfast in the dining car and were called downstairs to eat, it was very special and delicious.

There is a bar in each car (try the hot chocolate mint moose) and there are also "Princess Outfitters" onboard who were "tourguides" as it were. There are rest rooms and a small gift shop. There is also a small outdoor platform for viewing the scenery.

From McKinley to Whittier the rail cars belong to ARR and we found them to be a little smaller, but still everyone had a great view. On that run there was a Club Car to go to for snacks and drinks or you could be served at your seat (service will be a little slow).

We traveled in September and the scenery is spectacular and you shouldn't need much entertaining beyond that. ;) Here's a link to our photos.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cpebmw/album?.dir=9787&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cpebmw/my_photos