Land Tour BEFORE Cruise

[Sunny Lady]

My husband & I are looking into an Alaska cruise for next year. Everyone (TA's, etc.) that we have spoken to advise doing more than just a cruise to see the "real Alaska". I have started looking through some of the brochures and most seem to have tours starting after the cruise is over. We would prefer to get to Alaska prior to the cruise (2-3 days) see some things and then do the cruise and then return home. Will this work with a cruise ship and/or should we plan on doing something on our own? My husband does not want to spend a lot of time being shuttled around on buses, etc. What realistically can we see or do in 2 days to make the most of our time? Thanks for any advices

[42trvl]

Two days is really not enough time to see much. But if you have no choice, then I would suggest concentrating on a small area on your own. If you search under my user name, I posted a review of the land portion of our trip this past summer - we had six full days. The cruise lines do have pre-cruise tours also, but as your husband is thinking, a lot of time is spent "in transit." So, if your time is short and you don't mind planning on your own, you would probably see more on your own. We also felt very strongly that the time spent in Alaska before our cruise provided us with a very different feel for Alaska than just a cruise alone would have, so it's worth whatever time you can take.

[Budget Queen]

You are underestimating time- you need at least 5 additional days. I am no fan of cruisetours. Extremely costly for what you get. And you miss plenty going point to point to the large tourist attractions, there is so much more to Alaska. With 5 days you could get to Denali Park ON your own- which would be my recommendation. Ideally get a Seward cruise then add a days worth of wonderful activities there. Extremely simply to go on your own with good planning. Rent a car and stay in some wonderful B&B's, far better experience than "group" travel, my opinion only.

[jrask]

The cruise companies offer an equal amount of pre and post-cruise landtours. So, that tells you that you can do either version on your own (and not be shuttled around with other people...I hate that too) without defying the order of the universe.

As per above, two days is really not enough time (particularly if one of those days is the day that you are flying in to Anchorage). Your choices will come down to (1) time in Anchorage or (2) time in Seward [the latter only with a Seward departure]. If at all possible, you really want to do 5+ days and get into Denali Park (a 5.5 hour drive each way with touring that involves an early morning shuttle bus that lasts about 8+ hours), necessitating the extra days. In Denali, you'll see topography and wildlife that you won't see elsewhere on your cruise (grizzly, caribou, dall sheep, moose, etc) closer than you are likely to see other wildlife. I couldn't bear taking the extra time off of work, but people here convinced me ... and wow.