Alaska Cruisetour - Both Kenai and Copper River?

Looking at the Alaska cruisetours it seems that the only ones going to both Kenai and Copper river are connoisseur tours. I don't mind that but the only ones I see at all are for this year. Since there are some this year (sold out of course) I thought surely there would be at least one next year but I can't find any. GAH!!!

Has anybody done a cruisetour that included both Kenai Wilderness Lodge and Copper River Wilderness Lodge? I'm wondering about the transportation time involved and thinking that they might not offer this combination much due to lengthy bus rides or something. If anybody has done this combination I'd be interested in anything you can tell me about it. We've done a connoisseur tour that went to the Denali and McKinley lodges. We have no problem repeating one or both of those but haven't toured with the other two and really want to hit both on a single cruisetour if possible. (I'm still wondering why they offered that combination this year but don't show any for next year.)

We did that tour two years ago. The bus rides were not as bad as they sound. Both lodges were excellent and we took excursions from both of them. From Copper River we did an excursion to Valdez which turned out to be one of the better ones we have done. Lots of whales and wildlife.

Weird. After looking at every one of the listings for next year and not finding any that worked I now see several that go to both lodges. Oddly enough they only go to both of those lodges if they sail first and do the land portion afterward. While not at all ideal in that regard at least I am now seeing some listed. Perhaps if I wait longer there may be some listed later that are in the desired order. If not, I may well decide to book one that does the cruise first and see how that goes.

Weird. After looking at every one of the listings for next year and not finding any that worked I now see several that go to both lodges. Oddly enough they only go to both of those lodges if they sail first and do the land portion afterward. While not at all ideal in that regard at least I am now seeing some listed. Perhaps if I wait longer there may be some listed later that are in the desired order. If not, I may well decide to book one that does the cruise first and see how that goes.

Thrak,

I have booked a connoisseur escorted cruise tour that tours first and goes to both the lodges you mentioned. It is tour TB8 and begins in Fairbanks July 19, 2019. The ship for the southbound cruise portion is the Royal Princess. This tour is hard to find on the Princess website. It seems the more search criteria you enter, the less likely it will show. Try listing only Alaska for the destination, the month of July and one other cruise tour criteria such as tour length 6 or more days and see if it shows up. You will have to scroll through about 20 or so cruise tours until you find TB8. It will be the one with a photo of a cow elk and calf.

That's the same tour I want to do someday. It's the only one that will take me to three new (to me) national parks. I hope they're still doing this tour in two or three years when I'll have the budget for it and hopefully by then it will be scheduled on a different ship. I'm not a fan of the Royal class.

That's the same tour I want to do someday. It's the only one that will take me to three new (to me) national parks. I hope they're still doing this tour in two or three years when I'll have the budget for it and hopefully by then it will be scheduled on a different ship. I'm not a fan of the Royal class.

It will be worth the waiting and saving. I have done a connoisseur tour before and it was great. It went to McKinley lodge instead of Copper River lodge. This tour will let me experience this new lodge and the area around it. Also we are going with some friends who have never seen the interior of Alaska. Watching their reaction should be a lot of fun.

Thrak,

If you end up booking the TB8 cruise tour, there is already a roll call started for it. Look under Royal Princess roll calls.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2608552

You need to be aware that there is little to do in Copper River but fly to Mccarthy and drive to Valdez. If it’s their first time to interior AK, I’d stick to the Denali Corridor.