spending money for Princess lodges.......

[betmust]

We will be doing the tour cruise for Alaska in August on the Diamond. We will be going from Anchorage to Denali for 3 nights and then back to Whittier to do 7 day SB cruise. I will use a credit card account for excursions and tips and onboard stuff. There are 3 of us. I am trying to decide how much cash I should bring for our 3 land days (not lodging money), and for Port spending. I know we will have a credit card for anything extra but I have no idea what to plan for meals etc.

Any helpful hints from people who have already done this trip?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Bette

[crusdiva]

We will be doing the tour cruise for Alaska in August on the Diamond. We will be going from Anchorage to Denali for 3 nights and then back to Whittier to do 7 day SB cruise. I will use a credit card account for excursions and tips and onboard stuff. There are 3 of us. I am trying to decide how much cash I should bring for our 3 land days (not lodging money), and for Port spending. I know we will have a credit card for anything extra but I have no idea what to plan for meals etc.

Any helpful hints from people who have already done this trip?

Thanks for your help.

Bette

Hi Bette,

DH and I did a Princess landtour in September 2005, staying at the Denali Princess.

Plan on spending about 30 - 50% more for meals at the lodge....our running joke was that it cost $25 just to sit down at the lodge's restaurants.

That said, they were all excellent - food and service - especially the Summit Restaurant. There are other dining choices off site at Denali as well that may be cheaper.;)

Hope I was of some help.

[howard6933]

We will be doing the tour cruise for Alaska in August on the Diamond. We will be going from Anchorage to Denali for 3 nights and then back to Whittier to do 7 day SB cruise. I will use a credit card account for excursions and tips and onboard stuff. There are 3 of us. I am trying to decide how much cash I should bring for our 3 land days (not lodging money), and for Port spending. I know we will have a credit card for anything extra but I have no idea what to plan for meals etc.

Any helpful hints from people who have already done this trip?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Bette

 

Last year we did the Alskan cruise on Diamond Princess but we took the land tour prior to the cruise. We flew to Fairbanks and stayed at a place called Bear Lodge. The we were at the Denali Princess and the McKinley Princess.

We were also on the Princess train back to Whittier to get on the ship. In my opinion, you really don't need much cash at all if you don't mind charging things to your credit card. Most of the time, we had meals in the hotels, but we also had lunch one day at a small restaurant in Fairbanks. I used my credit card all over the place and they even accepted it for lunch on the train. ;)

[thinfool]

Most of the time, we had meals in the hotels, but we also had lunch one day at a small restaurant in Fairbanks. I used my credit card all over the place and they even accepted it for lunch on the train. ;)

 

I found this humor on an Alaskan site:

One little old lady is reported to have said to her companion, "Oh look, they even take American money in Alaska!"

[melodyina]

I found this humor on an Alaskan site:

One little old lady is reported to have said to her companion, "Oh look, they even take American money in Alaska!"

 

 

I love that statement! I live in Alaska and I have worked a retail job during the heavy tourist season during the Summer. The questions just make one smile and i'll share a few.... How much does it cost to mail a letter from Alaska? How do you sleep with daylight all year long? Back home this item would only cost me _ _ _ _ !!! (usually complaining about fruit, cigarette or liquor prices). The general announcement of "I'm from ______ " heard every 5 minutes, can become old though.... just wear your local team ballcap or sweatshirt (my favorite is the MN Twins Jersey).

 

But let me assure you, having two large military bases in Anchorage I have seen debit/credit cards from banks all over the US. They work up here. Travelers checks (especially non-AM Express) make us cringe because of computer software/printers that can duplicate, expect an extra delay at check-out line while we inspect. Some stores take checks from all over the US (Fred Meyer), because they have direct link to your banks checking... Money still works fine and there are ATM machines everywhere, pay the extra few dollars and take out cash as you need it. Wells Fargo is all over Alaska, if its your local bank at home, its your local bank here. Note - some cell phones WONT WORK in Alaska, nor will their be coverage 100% of the places you will travel, even if your cell phone is Alaskan based. We do not have a Walgreen's so your 'nationwide prescription' won't be linked for refills if you should loose your med's. We do have BlueCross providers for medical in Alaska..... I believe I have covered just about everything asked on my 8 hour shifts during a weekend.

 

thanks everyone! I always have a smile on my face.

 

:)

[jean s]

We did the cruise and land tour with Princess and absolutely loved it. We stayed at the lPrincess lodge in Denali and ate at some of the local restaurants in the area. The halibut was the best I have ever eaten. We also stayed at the Princess lodge in Fairbanks. We ate at local restaurants and they were all very nice. I did find that they were a little higher in price than the restaurants in Massachusetts. We also spent cash on tips while on tours and activities. There were plenty of ATM machines available.