Just Back: 8 nt connoisseur land plus Coral Princess

We are just returned from our land/cruise. We had two nights each in Fairbanks, Denali, Copper River and Kenai followed by 7 night southbound on Coral stopping at Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan.

We had unusual fantastic weather with bright blue skies and temps in the 60s and 70s. The trip was fantastic.

I'll be happy to try and answer any questions but want to post a few short notes for anyone taking a land tour.

We learned that inland Alaska is a desert and it was very try. And Princess did not provide body lotion in any of the lodges. Very disappointing. (And there was a small tube on board ship ... this is going into my comments to Princess.) Also no pens or notepaper.

Fairbanks: Nothing very special about the lodge and can't report on the restaurants as all of our meals were private as a group (of 42).

Denali: We were among the first to arrive at Denali for the season. That showed in my luke-warm lunch the first day. After that things improved. Our pkg included the Music of Denali theater. Not a big fan of dinner theater to begin with, it was OK. Food in the restaurant is very expensive.

Copper River: We were the first to arrive here and the manager greeted us which still on the bus. Inside our rooms we found a personal note from the manager thanking us for our visit, plus two bottles of water and some dried fruit snacks. On departure, we were given little pkgs of chocolate for our trip. Nice touch. Dinner that first night had a bunch of mishaps but both staff and pax handled it well ... after all, we were the first meal of the season.

Kenai: Probably the one with the most beautiful location, close behind Copper River. Again, among the first there. Rooms are in outbuildings and each set up like a little private cabin with private balcony and wood stove.

All of the main restaurants had a couple of items unique to that lodge. Most of the items were same lodge to lodge.

If I had to do it over again, I would have skipped Fairbanks. Enjoyed our visit there but not like the other lodges. Copper River and Kenai I would visit again in a heartbeat just for their beautiful settings. Denali I would visit again for the park.

We felt the connoisseur tour was well worth the price we paid. We had a fantastic guide and were kid-gloved all over the place. We had rooms facing the best views. No price limits on entrees for breakfast or dinner (and that included $49 crab legs). We didn't have to worry about tipping local guides or bus drivers. The only people we tipped was our guide who had been with us the whole time, and the bus driver who was with us the last 3 days.

Thank you for posting your thoughts. It looks like you had a great time.:):):)

Glad the weather was awesome.

Thanks for posting your comments. :)

Thank you for posting your thoughts. It looks like you had a great time.:):):)

We did. We really lucked out on the weather. A lot of warm weather clothing and rain gear that we had brought went untouched.

Thanks for the information.

We are doing an independent land tour followed by a southbound sailing on Coral in July. Looking forward to your impressions of the ship.

Which nights were the formal nights on the cruise?

 

We learned that inland Alaska is a desert and it was very try.

Really? And who told you this? A tourist guide up for the summer from Michigan?I suppose you could say we have low humidity, but desert? Hardly.

Thanks for the information.

 

We are doing an independent land tour followed by a southbound sailing on Coral in July. Looking forward to your impressions of the ship.

 

Which nights were the formal nights on the cruise?

The first formal night was the evening we cruised Hubbard Glacier which didn't make a lot of people happy .... incl us. We stayed on deck and ended up eating at the buffet.

The second formal night was Juneau which worked out fine for us since we departed relatively early.

Really? And who told you this? A tourist guide up for the summer from Michigan?I suppose you could say we have low humidity, but desert? Hardly.

Well, very little rainfall on the North Slope and around Fairbanks

Anyway you look at it, it was DRY!

:)

Thanks for posting your review. What did you do in each place? What excursions were included in the land portion and did you do optional ones?

The first formal night was the evening we cruised Hubbard Glacier which didn't make a lot of people happy .... incl us. We stayed on deck and ended up eating at the buffet.

 

The second formal night was Juneau which worked out fine for us since we departed relatively early.

Thanks Diane. We will probably do the same as you and skip that first formal night. I don't want to miss any great views outside and I'm looking forward to Hubbard Glacier. I hope that's the formal night where they serve the 50th anniversary menu, because it doesn't really appeal to me.

I know this is subjective, but how did you like the food? Any standouts in the MDR, buffet, specialty restaurants? Did you do Anytime or Traditional dining?

Thanks for posting your review. What did you do in each place? What excursions were included in the land portion and did you do optional ones?

Including in Fairbanks was a riverboat cruise. I thought it would be pretty boring but it wasn't. We passed a sled dog kennel and learned about the dogs and saw a demo. Also passed a native American 'village' that we stopped at on the way back for some presentations. Also interesting. Lunch served family style once back was very good and no shortage of food.

And I found the gift shop there very nice, with good price/quality ratio.

In the afternoon we went to see an old gold dredge. Also there is part of the Alaska pipeline, Personally found that more interesting. But we all had a chance to pan for gold which was fun.

In Denali, incl was a wildlife drive. Not the real long one we wanted because the road was closed but a decent one (not the History tour which everyone says is worthless). We did see lots of wildlife and with the clear weather we had, even got a good glimpse of McKinley

At Copper River we just took the shuttle into the park. Not much we wanted to see or do there. Very undeveloped.

At Kenai, we took the optional float trip. It was very pleasant and we saw lots of eagles. Pax who took the optional fjords trip loved it (despite another long day) and also saw lots of wildlife

although no one in our group saw bears anywhere.:(

Thanks Diane. We will probably do the same as you and skip that first formal night. I don't want to miss any great views outside and I'm looking forward to Hubbard Glacier. I hope that's the formal night where they serve the 50th anniversary menu, because it doesn't really appeal to me.

 

I know this is subjective, but how did you like the food? Any standouts in the MDR, buffet, specialty restaurants? Did you do Anytime or Traditional dining?

I think you are right about the menu because I remember looking at it and it was divided into decades. Did not appeal to us either.

As for the food, we had traditional dining. It was supposed to be at 5:45 but when we got onboard, discovered it was 5:15. Not happy it was so early but we managed by pretty much not eating lunch. (During Glacier Bay cruising we just ordered a sandwich from room service. The club sandwich was very good.)

In the MDR, for breakfast, I really liked the pancakes, incl the blueberry pancakes. Salmon, bagel and cream cheese also a favorite of mine.

Nothing stands out for dinner. Many nights I had no or only one starter. The food was basically good but the only thing we doubled up on were the crab legs (second formal night).

The only things we were not happy about was the chilled cantaloupe soup (me) and the beef medallions (my husband) which are available all the time.

Thank you so much for posting your comments and reviews. We will also be in Fairbanks (2 nights), Copper River (doing a flightseeing trip to Kennicott and McCarthy) and Denali.

Your comments help me to understand what to expect and I appreciate you posting them.

I think you are right about the menu because I remember looking at it and it was divided into decades. Did not appeal to us either.

 

As for the food, we had traditional dining. It was supposed to be at 5:45 but when we got onboard, discovered it was 5:15. Not happy it was so early but we managed by pretty much not eating lunch. (During Glacier Bay cruising we just ordered a sandwich from room service. The club sandwich was very good.)

 

In the MDR, for breakfast, I really liked the pancakes, incl the blueberry pancakes. Salmon, bagel and cream cheese also a favorite of mine.

 

Nothing stands out for dinner. Many nights I had no or only one starter. The food was basically good but the only thing we doubled up on were the crab legs (second formal night).

 

The only things we were not happy about was the chilled cantaloupe soup (me) and the beef medallions (my husband) which are available all the time.

Do you know what time the late seating for dinner was? I have the 5:45 for our Coral cruise in July and I had heard that the 5:45 was really 5:15 which seems very early. I keep going back and forth about changing to the later time. 7:30 or 7:45 would be good but not 8:30 - I don't think. Thanks for your review. We are so excited about our upcoming cruise.

Thank you for posting - we are leaving for our cruise tour in two weeks and have been scouring the boards for recent posts on the Coral. So far the reviews on cc have been pretty dismal - how did you find the ship/service on the whole? Did you try any of the Alaskan specialties in the MDR? Do you remember what was offered - is that when you had the crab legs?

What excursions, if any, did you take in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan?

You definitely lucked out on the weather!

I keep going back and forth about changing to the later time. 7:30 or 7:45 would be good but not 8:30 - I don't think. Thanks for your review. We are so excited about our upcoming cruise.

Originally, so I was told, there were suppose to be three sittings. I'm assuming because the ship was not full that they condensed it to 2 seatings. Late seating was 7:45 if my memory serves me correctly.

Keep in mind how long it takes to be served. There were evenings we weren't finished with dinner until after 6:30

Thank you for posting - we are leaving for our cruise tour in two weeks and have been scouring the boards for recent posts on the Coral. So far the reviews on cc have been pretty dismal - how did you find the ship/service on the whole? Did you try any of the Alaskan specialties in the MDR? Do you remember what was offered - is that when you had the crab legs?

What excursions, if any, did you take in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan?

You definitely lucked out on the weather!

We found the ship/service average. I felt our wait staff in the dining room threw the new silverware on the table (rather than gently placing it down) while a table a spit from us obviously loved their wait staff. On the other hand, they always had our iced tea ready for us and replacements when we were done with the first one. So it can be hit or miss.

We had very little interaction with the rest of the staff. We get a balcony cabin and make a point of enjoying our own private space of paradise. Service at the International Café was a bit slow but the specialty coffees were delicious (I get a coffee card).

We had a couple of dinners in the Horizon Court and never found that crowded. We had room service twice and that was delivered in a timely fashion and the food was good.

This was our second Alaskan cruise. In Skagway, once off the pier, we bought the $5 Smart bus pass for unlimited on and off around Skagway and went to Jewell Garden .... nice but not, IMHO worth the $12.50 admission fee. We visited the park service headquarters and took a fee ranger walk. If this is your first time in Skagway, I definitely recommend the train excursion. On the outbound, sit on the left side going to Whitehorse. If you do the bus first and take the train last, sit on the right side.

In Juneau we did the whale watching and it was great. If you are interested in wildlife, which we are, it was well worth it

In Ketchikan we took the coastal wildlife cruise. We had not seen any bears yet and that is the primary goal of that cruise. We didn't see any but saw loads of bald eagles ... even I got a good picture with my little point and shoot ... plus other wildlife.

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your review and for answering questions. We have chosen exactly the same tour you did, and absolutely can't wait. Can you please tell a bit about the 3 bus rides - Denali to Copper River, Copper River to Kenai, and Kenai to the ship? What stops are made for eating or viewing?

Thank you so much for taking the time to post your review and for answering questions. We have chosen exactly the same tour you did, and absolutely can't wait. Can you please tell a bit about the 3 bus rides - Denali to Copper River, Copper River to Kenai, and Kenai to the ship? What stops are made for eating or viewing?

First I have to preface this by saying we had absolutely beautiful clear weather and there was still snow on the mountains. Our guide was speechless that he could see Mt Sanford from the Denali Highway. We made additional stops because it was so beautiful.

Lunch was at a place called McClaren's and it was not very exciting. Not included in the tour pkg, if we had known I would have ordered something to go from the hotel or walked across the street, at Denali, to Subway.

It was a long ride but the beautiful scenery helped.

The drive from Copper River to Kenai included a stop at a glacier and in Anchorage for lunch on your own.

From Kenai to Whittier was relatively short. We made a brief stop at a wildlife sanctuary because boarding was going to be late ....ship was Code Red from norovirus. Interesting going through the Whittier tunnel. We were probably the second or third bus to the port and boarding went quickly but we couldn't get into our cabins until almost 4 pm

We are cruising on Coral in June, then Denali and Fairbanks lodges. Did both lodges have air conditioning? King, Queen, or Double beds?? Coffe pot in room? Elevator? Thanks for info!

We are cruising on Coral in June, then Denali and Fairbanks lodges. Did both lodges have air conditioning? King, Queen, or Double beds?? Coffe pot in room? Elevator? Thanks for info!

I honestly can't confirm the climate control in the rooms. Our weather was mild and we slept with the windows open and climate control off.

The rooms we were in had king sized beds. Yes, there were coffee pots in the rooms, with both regular and decaf coffees and teas. And yes, both lodges had elevators.

We are just returned from our land/cruise. We had two nights each in Fairbanks, Denali, Copper River and Kenai...

Diane,

Thank you for providing the comments about your tour! I'll be on the same Connoisseur Tour in July, only in reverse (cruise first, land tour second).

Question about laundry facilities at the lodges: did you use any of them? Can you confirm that there are none at Copper River? I'm only assuming it has none because their website does not specifically state a laundry facility, whereas laundry facilities are stated for Fairbanks, Denali and Kenai. This information would help me with my clothes packing. Thanks!

At Kenai, we took the optional float trip. It was very pleasant and we saw lots of eagles. Pax who took the optional fjords trip loved it (despite another long day) and also saw lots of wildlife.

For the "Kenai River Scenic Float", what kind of outerwear did you need? Waterproof? What kind of footwear? Do they provide anything (other than the safety vests, of course)? Thanks!

Diane,

 

Thank you for providing the comments about your tour! I'll be on the same Connoisseur Tour in July, only in reverse (cruise first, land tour second).

 

Question about laundry facilities at the lodges: did you use any of them? Can you confirm that there are none at Copper River? I'm only assuming it has none because their website does not specifically state a laundry facility, whereas laundry facilities are stated for Fairbanks, Denali and Kenai. This information would help me with my clothes packing. Thanks!

I am almost positive there were laundry facilities at Copper River. I would suggest emailing them to confirm.

I did not use laundry facilities at any of the lodge. It was so beautiful and so dry that I rinsed out a few things in the sink and hung them to dry. Most of the items dried overnight. And what didn't, dried by the end of our 2nd day.

For the "Kenai River Scenic Float", what kind of outerwear did you need? Waterproof? What kind of footwear? Do they provide anything (other than the safety vests, of course)? Thanks!

Our weather was a bit overcast ... the one day without brilliant sunshine. Being mid May it was cool and we layered. My husband wore heavy chinos and was fine. I had light supplex pants so wore long johns underneath

No waterproof outwear is needed because the few rapids were maybe a class 1. They ask you to bring a second pair of socks to double up on socks and they provide boots. The reason for the double socks is that there is really nothing between you and the ice cold water expect the sole of the boot and the rubber raft. We both had wool socks as our outer socks and we were fine.

Might need to wade into the water a bit to get onto the raft. Depends on the water level. You do not sit on the edge of the rubber raft. There are two boards across front and back and three people per seat.

Try and sit in the front. We were in the back and would have been happier in the front as we floated down the river. Wish we had known this before.

However, when wildlife was spotted, the guide did rotate the raft around.