Land and Sea Alaska Cruise

We have not been on a cruise in about 10 years but did a lot before that. I know things have changed a lot. We want to do a land and sea to Alaska. We have never been there. In the past Princess was our favorite cruiseline. I have many questions but the two that are first is my husband hates the dress up nights and so do I. We have been doing all inclusives and have had no dress up. Is there cruises that are not dress up or is there and option> Next when you pick the cruise you want and the room, I know in the past the extras is what kills you. Do you still have tipping added, drinks added, and of course all the excursions. How much in money would you guess for two people for excursions on a let us say 12 day land and sea? I know I am asking a lot but that is important to know. Thank You.

deleted

.

Yes, Princess still has formal dress up nights. Yes, there are lots of alternatives. Buffet, specialty dining, room service, ultimate balcony dinner, etc

Yes, alcohol, soda, specialty coffees are still extra - Princess offers an "all-inclusive beverage package" per person which covers every drink $10 and under, which is virtually everything, for your convenience if interested. Or pay-as-you-go. Yes, excursions are extra, as is spa, and gratuities which are automatically added to your onboard account.

How much money you'll need is widely subjective - you can prepare many things like beverage package, gratuities, excursions etc - so you'll not have a large bill at the end. Petty cash for trinkets, etc - depends on what you're buying, and whether you'd use your credit cards, etc.

It's an amazing experience - Alaska is simply stunning. Enjoy.

On the ship, if you drink water/tea/coffee only and don't shop, visit the casino, or use the specialty restaurants you can have the gratuity charges ($12.95 per person per day in non-suite cabins) as your only expense. You can prepay that if you want to. We buy a soda card for around $9 per day. You can arrange excursions either through the ship or on your own. Ship excursions can be reserved in advance but do not need to be paid for until about 24 hours before that port. Charges are added to your room account and paid at the end of the cruise on your credit card. We take cash for extra tips, souvenirs and casino.

Most of the land packages do not include food. Food on the train is particularly expensive - maybe $22 for a bowl of chili. Souvenirs in Alaska tend to be quite cheap, especially at the end of the season (Russian shop in Juneau isn't, though). We only eat two meals a day and it still costs a good $100 a day. Most places, including the lodges, take credit cards, so having maybe $200/day in cash is probably enough. Lots of ATMs around, so you need less cash than you did in the past.

Your real question is excursions: They cost a LOT. Bear watch flight in Ketchikan often $300-400pp. Whale watching in Juneau around $150pp. Helicopter flights $400-500pp. Skagway train $140pp. Pick the ones you are interested in and add up the total. You typically only need some cash for tipping on these. Most excursions on land are included in the tour price. By the way, stay two nights at Denali Lodge and take the Tundra Wilderness tour, not the Natural History tour. Former goes 54 miles into the park, takes 9 hours, and generally sees lots of wildlife. Lunch isn't much - pick up a Subway sandwich the night before across the street.

Whatever you do, take a lot of memory cards and batteries. First trip we took 1600 photos and 14 hours of video. And bring binoculars.

By the way, while I wear a tux for formal nights (cheaper to buy than a suit), lots of guys will wear just a nice shirt and long pants in the dining rooms on those nights. A jacket and tie puts you in the top 30% of best dressed. The only time I have seen people denied entry was guys wearing shorts.

deleted

.

Surely you jest? :p

You can choose a budget that fits your needs. Lee mentioned some pretty high costs. We did not see those last week. Yes you can choose a small plane ride to a glacier for approx. $250 -300 booking on the ship. But with some research, you can book all your day tours/trips independently and get more for your dollar. We did not use any ship excursions.

If you book the land portion with Princess you will be paying a premium. We would choose to do it on our own if we visit again. It would be very easy to do, roads are great, pricing is not crazy high at the lodges and certainly to have more time to enjoy the wide spaces is a big plus. We were mostly happy with our land stay.

The train ride to the port from Denali was long, but enjoyable. No we did not pay $22 for a bowl of chili.:confused: Everything we chose for lunch was in the $12-15 range. Only full entree dishes were in the $22 range.

Many cruisers did not dress "formally" on those nights. We saw zero men in tuxes. And we hunted for them.

Agree that the Denali tour Princess offers included must be upgraded (adds about $60) to really experience everything offered in the park...including, if lucky like us grizzlies,moose,caribou and Mt. Denali in all its glory.

It certainly isn't an inexpensive itinerary. But it doesn't have to be crazy high. Lots of suggestions are in these threads.

We have not been on a cruise in about 10 years but did a lot before that. I know things have changed a lot. We want to do a land and sea to Alaska. We have never been there. In the past Princess was our favorite cruiseline. I have many questions but the two that are first is my husband hates the dress up nights and so do I. We have been doing all inclusives and have had no dress up.

Is there cruises that are not dress up or is there and option.

Princess has two dress codes smart casual and formal. There will be two formal nights on a 7 day cruise. You can avoid dressing up by dining in one of the specialty restaurants on formal nights which are smart casual all the time, or dining in the buffet.

Next when you pick the cruise you want and the room, I know in the past the extras is what kills you. Do you still have tipping added

The hotel charge, also called the auto tip is added to your on board accounts each evening. The amount is $12.95/pp/night for most cabins and $13.95/pp/night for mini suites and full suites. This covers the tipping for cabin stewards, food service staff and others you may not see. Of course you can provide additional cash tips if you like.

drinks added

Ice tea, lemonade, coffee, tea, juices in the morning are all included. There is a charge for all alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks such as sodas. Most alcoholic drinks are priced under $10. A 15% grat. is added to the price of beverages which covers the tipping for bar and beverage staff

and of course all the excursions.

Yes, you have to pay for the ship's excursions. On the land portion of the cruise the tours are included. Tips to the tour guides are not included. Some land packages include meals, some do not. You have to research what is included.

How much in money would you guess for two people for excursions on a let us say 12 day land and sea?

This is impossible for anyone but you to answer. You have to work it all out, day by day. Approximate cost of ship's excursions are shown on the Princess website. While on the land portion figure meals will cost at least twice what they cost where you live. Alaska is expensive.

Also, how much you spend depends on how much you drink, shop and spend generally.

I know I am asking a lot but that is important to know. Thank You.

See above

A correction to the above info ...

Excursions are NOT covered if doing a land portion to your itinerary. With the exception of the short version tour into Denali Park, we needed to book and purchase any tours on our 5 day precise days.

Too , I wouldn't say meals will cost double what you pay at home in Alaska.

What we paid, even at our hotel in Anchorage, was little more ( if any) than we expect at home. A delicious full salmon dinner was under $30, burger plate around $15. Definitely not double. Drinks too were comparable.

Yes...the Subway shop in Denali had Alaskan smoked salmon sub, same cost as most of the others. And delicious. We took ours on the Tundra Wilderness tour! We were very pleased with the land tour (2009) and our first cruise ever Whittier to Vancouver. Felt every cent spent was value. Hooked us into taking 8 more cruises, with upcoming in Oct to Hawaii for the 9th. Treat yourselves if possible.