Cancel Natural History Tour? But can't do Tundra

[adverb]

We're going on an Alaskan Cruistour in September, I've been reading on these boards all about how people recommend cancelling the Natural History Tour and taking the Tundra tour instead. Unfortunately, because I only spend a day in Denali, there is not enough time for me to take the Tundra tour and get back in time, according to princess.

 

If I decided to cancel the Natural History Tour, what other options do I have as far as other tours options? I would like to see wildlife. I don't mind going outside of the cruise line, but I need to be back by 3 PM since that's when we leave for McKinley. Either that, or I need a tour bus that will take me directly to my next hotel.

 

Thanks for all your help, I need to let the cruiseline know as soon as I can if I'm cancelling.

[nana nancy]

We did the all day into DNP last summer, but saw our first moose at the beginning of the tour and a wolf and grizzley up on the mountain, so it might be worth your while when you can't do the others. Bring binoculars! Also the dog sled demo was great, the museum and movie are very interesting, it's one of our countrys best NP's, we think.

[ellbon]

I did not cancel my tour and it was a big waste of money. I saw nothing and i mean nothing. i switch the times at the lodge but did not switch tours.

 

i think if you can not switch just cancel and spend your money white water rafting or see jeff king's home and race dogs.

 

you can always go back and see the park on another cruise

[negc]

If I were you, I wouldn't cancel the TWT. It may not be as good as the longer tour that goes deeper into the park (we won't have the opportunity to compare the two tours until we get to Alaska next June) but I think the shorter tour is better than none. When we went it was late May and we saw a large number of wildlife varieties (caribou, foxes, Dall sheep, ptarmigans, etc.:) - but no bears:() and a brief but not very good view of Denali. Use your own judgement but in my opinion, some time inside Denali National Park is better than none.

[PennyAgain]

When are you going to be at Denali in September. The Park Road shuts down when it snows. The tours stop on a specific date.

 

The Rangers are really serious about pushing people out when it snows. I was awakened in the middle of the night from a sound sleep and told to pack up my tent and depart immediately one September. They wouldn't let me go back to sleep at all. I had to move out right then.

[adverb]

Here's an update!

 

When I originally called Princess they said "no way no how" for the Tundra tour because it got back too late.

Then when I called again they said it wasn't even offered and there was another tour I could take instead.

So then when I had my travel agent call, she was able to switch us to the Tundra tour for the upgraded price. It leaves at 7 and gets back at 3. She confirmed with the cruise line that even though our bus leaves @ 3, we'll be able to make it back in time.

 

I love how I call 15 different people and get 15 different answers.

[kittyspite]

Here's an update!

 

When I originally called Princess they said "no way no how" for the Tundra tour because it got back too late.

Then when I called again they said it wasn't even offered and there was another tour I could take instead.

So then when I had my travel agent call, she was able to switch us to the Tundra tour for the upgraded price. It leaves at 7 and gets back at 3. She confirmed with the cruise line that even though our bus leaves @ 3, we'll be able to make it back in time.

 

I love how I call 15 different people and get 15 different answers.

 

I am glad that you got on the TWT. I am surprised that Princess told you that if wasn't offered. I will be there on September 5th and we are booked on the TWT at 7am.

 

Smiles........Kitty (Nan)

[adverb]

My only concern is that the tour gets back at 3, just when our bus is supposed to depart. The travel agent assured me that even if the bus gets back late, they can radio in the coach to wait for us. A friend of mine says that the TWT usually lasts longer than they say and that the cruise line doesn't have to wait for us.

 

I figured since it's all going through the cruise line, I'm covered - right?

[Lookingforfacts]

My TWT bus driver radioed ahead and asked someone to have Princess hold a 3p bus. Most of the morning TWT got back between 2:30-3p. I don't think Princess has to hold your bus. You booked TWT through Princess. I think you have a better chance of Princess holding a bus for you then the passengers who booked a Denali shuttle bus on their own.

 

The driver asked who had a 4p train reservation and who had a 3p motor coach reservation. This must happen on a daily basis. It wasn't a big deal. Don't put anything in storage at your hotel. Assume you might not even have time to use the bathroom in the hotel before you board your bus.

[adverb]

Will we even have time to go back to our room or will we just hop from one bus to the other? How prompt is the bus leaving @ 3?

[kittyspite]

Will we even have time to go back to our room or will we just hop from one bus to the other? How prompt is the bus leaving @ 3?

 

If you booked the tour through Princess, the bus should wait for you. They will call ahead and let them know how many to expect. I find that when I do tours or shore excursions through the ship, the ship will wait for you as it is a ship sponcered excursion.

 

When I was in the Mone Carlo, our tour was 1/2 hour getting back and the ship did wait for us. Those that went on their own and were late, the ship did not wait. The ship will usually wait for 15 -30 minutes for those that booked on their own and they will call their names out on the PA system to be sure they are on board. Anything, except for a Pricess Sponcered Excursion, the ship leaves.

 

We had a couple do that in Monte Carlo, they had to take a train to the next port. They said that was the highlight of their trip once they got over being afraid. The train was full of young people back packing and everyone shared food and drink. They were up all night and had a ball.

 

Just be sure to tell the tour director or bus driver that your bus from the Lodge leaves at 3. You should be ok.

 

Smiles........Kitty (Nan)

[vbmom87]

Will we even have time to go back to our room or will we just hop from one bus to the other? How prompt is the bus leaving @ 3?

 

You will need to contact your tour bus guide about this I believe. My guess is that you will not be able to get back to your room. Your guide will tell you what you have to do about your luggage.

 

Also, your other comment about 15 different answers seems to be very common with other cruiselines too. It seems like phone staff is not trained well and my guess is that their is a high turnover of employees. People need to do exactly what you did. Keep calling to see if you get the same answer or not. I used to call and use email. I would email a few days apart and see what answer I would get. I often got different answers, which was very confusing. I went with HAL.

 

Enjoy your cruise and cruisetour. I believe you will not regret your choice to switch tours. However, there have been quite a few people who went on the Natural history tour and did enjoy it. Others did not. I went on the Wonder Lake Shuttle and as far as wildlife, all we saw in the distance the Natural History travels was one lone caribou. So, if wildlife is your priority, you will probably be happier with the TWT.

[zoethesailor]

If you are taking the train:

 

I would let the tour bus driver know you need to get back on time. Hopefully the transfer bus will wait if he is a little late, but I would not count on it.

 

The transfer bus gets to the train station early (about 1 hour), but I would not count on the train to wait. Unlike cruise ships, Princess has an attached car to the train, along with another cruise company.

 

I suspect that Princess did not want you to miss your train. My experience with the lodges/train/transfers is that they run a very tight

schedule. I was quite impress how very organized they were.

 

The Natural History Tour is just okay, did not see any animals. One of our stops was to visit an Indian who told us about her life, only to find out she was just a park ranger, the real Indian needed the day off for personal reasons. With that said I was very relaxed through the tour knowing I probably would not miss the transer/train. DH and I tried to find other things to do instead but settled on what was already scheduled and paid for.

 

Good Luck.

[derrick22]

It leaves at 7 and gets back at 3. She confirmed with the cruise line that even though our bus leaves @ 3, we'll be able to make it back in time.

 

My 2 cents. Big IF's.

 

I just did the tour and we were over 8 hours in the park and passed a bus that had broken down for over 2 hours. Bus was still sitting on the side of the road when we departed.

 

I would be careful.

 

Denise

[gaylenhazel]

We did the NHT and the Eilson shuttle last week. We took the 6 a.m. shuttle and were back at 2 p.m. It was so awesome. Saw 24 grizzley bears! Lot's of other critters as well. The next day we went back into the park on the NHT. No animals but we enjoyed the ride and talk from a local Indian.

 

The hotels are great about getting you to the 6 a.m. shuttle if you ask at the desk.

[Lookingforfacts]

Will we even have time to go back to our room or will we just hop from one bus to the other? How prompt is the bus leaving @ 3?

 

Irrelevant. Check out time is 11:00a. You won't be able to go back to your room even if you get back to your hotel 2-2:30p. You'll have to get all your stuff out of your room before you leave. The bus might even leave before 3, if everyone is on board. Your TWT bus might get back at 2:30 but it could also get back at 3 (or a few minutes after). You must plan on hopping from one bus to the other. Don't plan on having time to buy something to eat, go to the bathroom or get stuff out of bell services storage.

[gaylenhazel]

Your tour director will let you know what time to place your luggage outside your door. They take it from there. It is always early. Just take what you need for the day.

[Glaciers]

We did the NHT and the Eilson shuttle last week. We took the 6 a.m. shuttle and were back at 2 p.m. It was so awesome. Saw 24 grizzley bears! Lot's of other critters as well. The next day we went back into the park on the NHT. No animals but we enjoyed the ride and talk from a local Indian.

 

The hotels are great about getting you to the 6 a.m. shuttle if you ask at the desk.

 

The Eielson shuttle doesn't get mentioned enough on these boards. The cruise lines seem to be encouraging folks to take the tours when you can get into the park for half the cost on a shuttle. The nice thing about them is you can hop off any time and then catch another back to the park entrance or just do the roundtrip if you have time. Most of the shuttle bus drivers do a good job at explaining where you're at along the way with landmarks and will always stop for animals.

[wolfie11]

The Eielson shuttle doesn't get mentioned enough on these boards. The cruise lines seem to be encouraging folks to take the tours when you can get into the park for half the cost on a shuttle. The nice thing about them is you can hop off any time and then catch another back to the park entrance or just do the roundtrip if you have time. Most of the shuttle bus drivers do a good job at explaining where you're at along the way with landmarks and will always stop for animals.

 

I love the shuttle, but I don't really recommend it to people who have to be back to catch the bus/train in the afternoon. TWT drivers are used to dealing with people with deadlines, as they have some on every bus. I asked a driver about this a while ago, and he said, as far as he knew, they'd never had anyone miss their Princess connection, but if it happened (bus broken down in the middle of nowhere) Aramark would arrange to get people to Talkeetna.

 

The problem with the shuttle is that if you get off and try to get a ride back to the entrance during "prime time" you may have to wait for a few full shuttles to go by before you get one with seats. The bigger the group you are in, the more this is likely to be a problem.

[Yukon]

The Eielson shuttle doesn't get mentioned enough on these boards. The cruise lines seem to be encouraging folks to take the tours when you can get into the park for half the cost on a shuttle.

 

They don't get a commission on the shuttles - it's just that simple.

[adverb]

I love the shuttle, but I don't really recommend it to people who have to be back to catch the bus/train in the afternoon. TWT drivers are used to dealing with people with deadlines, as they have some on every bus. I asked a driver about this a while ago, and he said, as far as he knew, they'd never had anyone miss their Princess connection, but if it happened (bus broken down in the middle of nowhere) Aramark would arrange to get people to Talkeetna.

 

The problem with the shuttle is that if you get off and try to get a ride back to the entrance during "prime time" you may have to wait for a few full shuttles to go by before you get one with seats. The bigger the group you are in, the more this is likely to be a problem.

 

This was my main concern too. I would have done the shuttles, but it seemed like such a crunch since we had to be back to the lodge in the afternoon. To get the most out of the shuttle, we would either have to wait for the first bus from Princess or walk to the WAC. If we had all day to play with, I wold have definitely considered it.

[Glaciers]

The problem with the shuttle is that if you get off and try to get a ride back to the entrance during "prime time" you may have to wait for a few full shuttles to go by before you get one with seats. The bigger the group you are in, the more this is likely to be a problem.

 

We hopped off at the East Fork Toklat River two weeks ago and the first two shuttle busses back to Teklanika were full and passed us by. We snagged the last two seats on the third. Our wait was bout 30 minutes but could have been longer. Good point.

 

They don't get a commission on the shuttles - it's just that simple.

 

This is a good example of when to research outside of the cruiselines (floating cash registers). Although the info you get from park reservations is spotty sometimes since the reservations office is in Arizona, they seem unbiased when speaking to the different options available.

[Lookingforfacts]

The Eielson shuttle doesn't get mentioned enough on these boards.

 

There isn't a single thread about Denali that doesn't include several posters who all but say the Eielson shuttle is the only way to see Denali. The shuttle is mentioned more then enough.

 

They don't get a commission on the shuttles - it's just that simple.

 

You don't think the lunch is worth the price difference.:)

 

In this case the TWT is the right choice. TWT will get the passenger back in time to catch his bus. The driver will radio ahead and have his bus held if necessary.

 

There is no such assurance with the shuttle. Particularly an issue if several shuttles don't have enough room for their group. I'm not sure how to get from Denali to the McKinley Princess if you miss your bus. You'd be too late for the RR. Too late for the Park Connection bus. I don't know if there is a place to rent a car in the Denali area but I'm pretty sure there isn't any place that will rent a car in Denali with drop off in Talkeetna. I guess you could pay $$$ and one of the flight services could fly you.