Arctic Cruise Tour

[ShelbyAD]

Hello everyone. My husband and I are thinking of taking the 15 day/ 14 night cruise tour to the Arctic Circle. You cruise from Vancouver to Seward. Then your land tour starts in Anchorage, fly up to Prudhoe Bay, to Coldfoot, to Fairbanks, Denali and back to Anchorage.

Has anyone ever done this cruise tour? If so, can you give us some feed back? We are thinking of going in the middle of August. It leaves on Aug 16th and ends on the 30th.

Thank You

[fti]

If you do a search by title for "arctic" or "circle" you will find some threads about trips to the arctic circle. Greatam has some good experience going there for example.

 

I would post your detailed itinerary by day here so people can get a feel for it. Hard to say if it is good, bad or indifferent without that info. Generally cruise tours are more hurried with quite a bit of travel time and one night in many places. Hopefully that won't be the case with yours.

 

John

[Momj47]

My daughter, SIL and I did a similar tour with Princess. We loved it. We figured we'd never have this opportunity again, so we made the most of the trip. Alaska is an amazing place, and there's so much more to see than the coast from a ship.

 

We liked the tour better than the cruise, actually. Ours was the reverse of yours, we went up by bus and flew back to Anchorage. I think the best way to get to Prudhoe Bay is on a tour, it's a tough trip, as you'll find as you head down the Dalton Highway from Prudhoe Bay. It's beautiful, wild, rugged and like nothing you'll see anywhere else.

 

Enjoy

[ShelbyAD]

We are looking into the cruise / land tour with Princess and having them provide all of the transportation. We like doing everything through the cruise line. Don't really want to have to worry about getting lost, wondering if we're going to make it in time, etc.

 

I like the land tours better than the cruising also. We did a cruise tour to AK in 2003 and LOVE IT!!!! Our land tour was from Anchorage to Fairbanks. 2 nights in McKinley, 1 Denali and 1 Fairbanks. Didn't get to see much of Fairbanks - we did not arrive until 8pm.

 

I always wanted to see more of the interior and with the Arctic tour we will. Any time we travel, no matter what happens (good or bad) we just think of it as part of the experience and go with the flow.

 

Question: Being in such a higher elevation (on the land tours) does it affect your body in any way? Such as breathing, headaches, anything?

[greatam]

We like doing everything through the cruise line. Don't really want to have to worry about getting lost, wondering if we're going to make it in time, etc.

 

Obviously, you have made up your mind to take the cruise tour, so suggestions for BETTER tours to Prudhoe will fall on deaf ears. Just remember, there are BETTER ways to tour and save a LOT of money.

 

Lodging is limited in Prudhoe and Coldfoot, so whether you take the expensive, overcrowded Princess tour or take a better tour, you will stay in the same place-Caribou Inn in Prudhoe and the motel in Coldfoot. There are no other options. Both are the old construction camp trailers-twin beds, shower, no carpet on the floor, 13" B/W TV. Very clean but not even Motel 6.

 

And it is pretty darn hard to stop a bus with 40/50 people on it to see "special" stuff. And you wouldn't want to. There is a Muskox herd that stays VERY close to the road about 40 miles South of Deadhorse. With a small van and a few people, the muskox will stick around. I personally have been within 4 feet of them-weird looking animals. That isn't going to happen with a bus load of people. The muskox are going to take off with everyone getting off the bus and making noise.

 

One of my trips to Prudhoe, a northbound truck driver told us via CB radio that there was a HUGE grizzly just off the road. We had passed the area, but turned that van around, headed back north and had one of the most spectacular bear interactions of all my bear interactions in Alaska (and I have had quite a few). The bear was on his hind legs rubbing against one of the poles along the side of the road. I was trying to find him on the video. Just couldn't see him. I was getting very frustrated.

 

He dropped on all fours, looked over his shoulder as if to say "you didn't get that did you", walked to the opposite side of the pole, and started scratching his back again. It was absolutely priceless and one of my favorite memories. You would NOT be able to do that on the Princess bus-you absolutely COULD NOT turn the bus around on the road just anyplace. And with 30-50 people getting off the bus and making noise, the bear would have taken off. And on top of that, loading and unloading the bus with all those people takes quite a while (you ALWAYS have the "dwaddlers"), so the bus driver can't make a lot of stops because he is on a tight schedule. Small tours are not.

 

 

I always wanted to see more of the interior and with the Arctic tour we will. Any time we travel, no matter what happens (good or bad) we just think of it as part of the experience and go with the flow.

 

Question: Being in such a higher elevation (on the land tours) does it affect your body in any way? Such as breathing, headaches, anything?

 

You are not high enough to get AMS (Altitude Mountain Sickness) almost anyplace in Alaska except climbing Denali. You have to be consistently over 8000 feet to have AMS symptoms. You will be crossing Atigun Pass on the Dalton, but you will only be about 4800 feet. Prudhoe is at sea level.

 

Your choice, but there are FAR superior touring opportunities than the Princess tour. Easily booked and a MUCH better adventure. I have seen the people get off the Princess bus in Prudhoe. Quite a few look like they are shell-shocked. And then when they see the accommodations, most look like they want to go home IMMEDIATELY.

[greatam]

dup post-sorry

[ShelbyAD]

Do you know of any tours that we can book (have someone else drive/fly) that would be less than Princess? Or do we have to do all of the driving ourselves?

 

We dock in Seward and take a bus to Anchorage for the night, then fly up to Prudhoe Bay and work our way back down to Anchorage. I think driving all the way to Prudhoe would be very tiring and long. Getting a local air plane to take us up there would be very expensive. We do like to "play it safe".

 

I looked up pictures of both Prudhoe Bay & Coldfoot. It is primative, but that's part of the experience. We're not expecting a 5 star hotel or even a 1 star motel. We're only in Prudhoe & Coldfoot for 1 night. So long as there is heat in the room, I think we can survive. We also know that it will be very cold.

[greatam]

Do you know of any tours that we can book (have someone else drive/fly) that would be less than Princess? Or do we have to do all of the driving ourselves?

 

We dock in Seward and take a bus to Anchorage for the night, then fly up to Prudhoe Bay and work our way back down to Anchorage. I think driving all the way to Prudhoe would be very tiring and long. Getting a local air plane to take us up there would be very expensive. We do like to "play it safe".

 

I looked up pictures of both Prudhoe Bay & Coldfoot. It is primative, but that's part of the experience. We're not expecting a 5 star hotel or even a 1 star motel. We're only in Prudhoe & Coldfoot for 1 night. So long as there is heat in the room, I think we can survive. We also know that it will be very cold.

 

PLEASE don't even think about driving to Prudhoe. NOT a trip for the average traveler.

 

There are a variety of ways to do this-depending on your comfort level.

 

I'll throw out suggestions. Please pick them apart and ask questions.

 

My first choice-run the trip backwards. Take the bus, shuttle or train (best option, IMHO) to Anchorage. Spend the day in Seward, maybe even overnight. A lot to see and do in Seward. Somehow, get to Anchorage and rent a car. Drive yourselves to Denali. Lots of info on this forum about places to stay, things to do in and around Denali.

 

After a couple of days in Denali, drive yourselves to Fairbanks (easy drive). Then take your Prudhoe tour with Northern Alaska. They have small vans (8 people MAX) and the most efficient use of time is the fly/drive. http://www.northernalaska.com/arctic-ocean.htm

 

IF you are REALLY LUCKY, you will get on the "milk run" to a couple of small villages before you get to Prudhoe. Tour Prudhoe (and stay in the same hotel as Princess), then head south back to Fairbanks. ABSOLUTELY a great trip and the "little touchs" they provide are really special. A picnic with table clothes and mosquito candles along the Yukon River under the Pipeline is really special (won't get that on Princess-they go to the restaurant). Don't MISS the Ranger presentation in Coldfoot. Northern Alaska is even offering an flight over Anaktuvuk Pass as an additional cost option out of Coldfoot. But I would suspect your trip from Prudhoe to Coldfoot would be cut a little short, so you can fly, UNLESS you fly in the morning BEFORE you leave for Fairbanks. I don't know the answer to that.

 

Once you get back to Fairbanks, you can fly home from Fairbanks, fly to Anchorage on a separate ticket (which is a waste of money, IMHO) and then home or drive yourself BACK to Anchorage to avoid one way drop off charges and see anything you missed when you were in Denali before (like the mountain).

 

The Prudhoe trip with Northern Alaska is pretty laid back. Denali is pretty go-go. Doing it in reverse from the Princess trip would allow you a break from the go-go of driving and touring Denali.

 

You will have to carefully coordinate this trip, as the Northern Alaska trips DO NOT run every day. But I do logistics planning for a living, so my help is freely offered. You will have a FAR better experience doing this on your own-stop where you want, when you want. And experience what YOU want, not what someone else plans for you.

 

Questions???

[Budget Queen]

 

 

 

Then take your Prudhoe tour with Northern Alaska. They have small vans (8 people MAX) and the most efficient use of time is the fly/drive. http://www.northernalaska.com/arctic-ocean.htm

 

QUOTE]

 

I have used this company twice on a day trip fly/shuttle to Coldfoot/Wiseman, they were well run and gave an excellent tour. I would definately consider them if I ever go to Prudhoe. :)

[NancyIL]

After a couple of days in Denali, drive yourselves to Fairbanks (easy drive). Then take your Prudhoe tour with Northern Alaska. They have small vans (8 people MAX) and the most efficient use of time is the fly/drive. http://www.northernalaska.com/arctic-ocean.htm

 

Is your preference to fly to Prudhoe and drive back, rather than drive there and fly back? Have you done the fly/drive both directions?

[greatam]

Is your preference to fly to Prudhoe and drive back, rather than drive there and fly back? Have you done the fly/drive both directions?

 

I have driven both ways and flown to Prudhoe and driven back 3 times (once on the Northern Alaska tour, the other times in one of the BP vans). It's really weird, but I have never flown FROM Prudhoe. And I don't think I would like to. I want to get to the STARTING line no matter where I travel, THEN sightsee. Just my personal way of traveling.

 

One of my ex employees now works for BP at Prudhoe. So myself and my other Alaska employees go up to see him. And since we all have commercial driver's licenses and commercial insurance, he has been able to make arrangements for us to drive one of the BP vans that is going to be traded in back to either Anchorage or Fairbanks.

 

Last year, my guys had a great adventure-the van totally broke down and they spent about 38 hours waiting for someone to rescue them. They were totally prepared-sleeping bags, food, water, etc. They thought it was a hoot, but admitted later that is was "kind of spooky" as they knew bears and wolves were in the area. As I have posted frequently, NOT a trip for the average traveler.

 

When DH and I drove both ways, we had made arrangements to fly to ANWR. Really took our time driving North. Camped out two nights, which was NOT to my liking, but DH was having a ball. Even having a whole toolbox and a wealth of knowledge driving in ALL conditions in large vehicles, we still broke down. DH was able to get us going in a couple of hours, but again, driving the Dalton is NOT a trip for the average traveler.

 

My best Dalton Hwy story-BIL was going Caribou hunting (September 2001). They drove to Coldfoot, than had a charter operator take them (4 firemen from Cedar Rapids Iowa) out in the boonies to hunt. The plane was to return on September 11, 2001 to pick them up. We all know what happened that day, but they didn't. Planes were grounded and they had no communication. It was actually Sept. 14 when the plane was able to get to them. Thank goodness, they are all VERY experienced outdoorsmen, as well as being EMT's and paramedics, so they were fine. But Jim has repeatedly stated that if the plane wasn't there by the next day, they were prepared to start "emergency" procedures". Never got into what "emergency procedures" were, but whenever I hear the story, all I ever think of is the plane crash in the Andes-yuck!!!

 

All in all, I still think flying North and driving south is the way to go. You have seen the large mountain passes from the air and the humungous caribou herd. So when you are on the ground, you can relate what you saw in the air to what you are seeing on the ground. I think it would be hard to do it the other way.

[NancyIL]

All in all, I still think flying North and driving south is the way to go. You have seen the large mountain passes from the air and the humungous caribou herd. So when you are on the ground, you can relate what you saw in the air to what you are seeing on the ground. I think it would be hard to do it the other way.

 

That's just what I wanted to know - thanks! Interesting stories, especially about the Sept. 11th delayed pick-up.