Just Returned from D3L Alaska Land Tour on Westerdam: Any Questions?

Hello all--I just returned from a 14 day trip with HAL, 7 day land tour (Fairbanks/Denali/Anchorage/Seward) and a seven day cruise on the Westerdam (Seward to Vancouver). I will be writing a full review soon, but wanted to offer assistance to answer any questions I could in the meantime. I had a ton of questions about the land tour prior to leaving and board searches did not answer all my questions. I learned a lot from this board and would like to pay it forward. So please ask away if you have any burning questions.

Overall, we had a great time. I enjoyed the land portion more than the cruise.

Hello,

I am supposed to make a decision on cruising on the Westerdam or Royal or Golden Princess today "yes I have to deposits at this point on all of them " to Alaska and a cruisetour. Why did you pick the Westerdam over any other choice and are you happy with your choice?

Thank You !

We picked mainly based on itinerary and cost. We took another party as a "gift" for a significant life milestone so cost was a factor since we were paying for four. HAL was a little less expensive than Princess on most land tours/cruises. Note they share resources on land so you often get the same of everything (excursions/buses/etc.) no matter who you book. We often rode in Princess buses on our HAL tour. The Denali resorts are literally next door with a walking path between them and dining shuttle that takes you to each resort to eat at both.

I wanted to see Fairbanks (really enjoyed that town) and did not want to stay the Princess McKinley resort in Talkeetna (too far from Denali) so with those requirements it really narrowed down our options. We chose the Westerdam over some of the other HAL ships since it was recently renovated in dry dock. If it was just us going again I might go with Princess, I was a little disappointed with the food on the Westerdam (and we enjoyed the food on RCI's Oasis, so you know we are not that picky). It was by no means inedible and if you have traveled with HAL before and liked it then it may just be personal preference. I haven't traveled on a Princess ship so I can't compare it to that, unfortunately. I did like our cabin on the Westerdam (inside, Deck 10) and the staff was great. We enjoyed the ship's size and activities, although everything kind of closed down around 10/11 pm.

Also, if you are doing a longer land tour, consider adding a food plan, either with a land dining plan or the Princess Connoisseur tour. We spent a fortune on food on land, you leave very early most mornings so traveling off the resorts without a car to a cheap breakfast is not a great option, so unless you want to eat a bagel from the coffee shop, you will be dropping at least $20 per person for the breakfast buffet to fill up before your daily excursion or trip to your next city. I did not spring for the land tour dining plan and now I wish I had really crunched the numbers and seriously considered it. The food at the Westmarks/land hotels was all pretty good, too. They have breakfast buffets for efficiency in the AM and nice dinners in the evening and we had no complaints there.

I'm not doing that itinerary but am doing a cruise tour on the Volendam (Skagway-Fairbanks-Denali-Anchorage) and returning to Vancouver on the Westerdam the next day. What I'm wondering is about the transfer from Anchorage to the ship. Where did your transfer meet and what time.

Thanks

Roy

I'm not doing that itinerary but am doing a cruise tour on the Volendam (Skagway-Fairbanks-Denali-Anchorage) and returning to Vancouver on the Westerdam the next day. What I'm wondering is about the transfer from Anchorage to the ship. Where did your transfer meet and what time.

 

 

Thanks

Roy

We overnighted in Seward prior to boarding, but if you are not doing that, it is likely that you will be transported via coach bus to Seward from the Westmark Anchorage. It is a scenic drive that takes about 3.5 hours with a rest stop included. We left in the late morning around 10:30 and arrived in Seward in the early afternoon. I would imagine you would have a similar schedule to board the ship at the same time.

Thanks for quick answer... seems like I read either " ship rusting, service lacking, but great food or beautiful ship terrible food and service" so much on the different ships and lines kinda scares one in finding the overall best pick. I realize that you go to Alaska to SEE ALASKA but lines are similar in ports, land seems closely matched from what I read.

Thank You again,

Wayne

Hi/

About to depart on D5 something- so glad to hear your details. Since you do kindly offered-questions!

-were there any reasonably priced options you found in Denali that you liked? We are definitely bringing some stuff from home- trail mix, power bats etc to supplement, is there anything else you’d recommend?

-I’m not quite getting if you did the train from Anchorage to Seward on sailing day or if your experience was different- but that’s what our itinerary has in store. It looks geographically possible to get to a store to buy some wine to take on the boat in Seward- will it be possible time wise if our train leaves Anchorage at 1:00pm?

-Any named entertainers on the ship?

- any ship secrets to share? Better breakfast here- that sort of thing.

THANK YOU

-dt

Looking forward to the details of your land and cruise.

Thanks for quick answer... seems like I read either " ship rusting, service lacking, but great food or beautiful ship terrible food and service" so much on the different ships and lines kinda scares one in finding the overall best pick. I realize that you go to Alaska to SEE ALASKA but lines are similar in ports, land seems closely matched from what I read.

Thank You again,

Wayne

Glad to help. We had a great time, the food wasn't wonderful on the ship (except for gala nights and dinners in the main dining room were good) but we did not go hungry by any means. We noticed a few odd smells here and there on the ship, but it was perfectly fine and we did not let small things ruin the trip for us. HAL runs a tight ship on the land portion, as does Princess, you will be in good hands with them. I would focus on what you want out of the land portion, and if you like to eat, consider a dining plan.

Hi/

About to depart on D5 something- so glad to hear your details. Since you do kindly offered-questions!

-were there any reasonably priced options you found in Denali that you liked? We are definitely bringing some stuff from home- trail mix, power bats etc to supplement, is there anything else you’d recommend?

-I’m not quite getting if you did the train from Anchorage to Seward on sailing day or if your experience was different- but that’s what our itinerary has in store. It looks geographically possible to get to a store to buy some wine to take on the boat in Seward- will it be possible time wise if our train leaves Anchorage at 1:00pm?

-Any named entertainers on the ship?

- any ship secrets to share? Better breakfast here- that sort of thing.

THANK YOU

-dt

Denali: We did not venture over to "Glitter Gulch," aka the shops on the other side of the highway with cheaper options for food, but on the Denali resort there is a Starbucks with breakfast sandwiches (microwaved and kind of meh) and a buffet at Karstens that is around $20 per person that is good (eggs, pancakes, sausage, oatmeal, etc). At some buffets they had a continental only option (cereal oatmeal etc for a little less). I think the Canyon steakhouse has a sit down breakfast. That is all your dining options. You can venture over to Princess's lodge, we did not have time as we had an early departure for the TWT. We ate at the buffet and it was good, filled you up and we usually just had a snack in the afternoon to tide us over until dinner.

Train/Seward: We took the train from Denali to Anchorage (which was awesome, btw) and were bussed from Anchorage to Seward. Seward is very small town and the cruise port is a small warehouse so it should be walkable. The train takes about the same time or longer than the bus, so you will probably be getting there around 5 pm, right before departure. They will probably bus you right to the port. I would suggest getting booze in Anchorage if possible. It's big and very walkable.

Magician was James Cielen (he was pretty good for a cruise ship) and comedian was Mike Siegel (also pretty good). You can skip the Saturday show with the magician, he promotes it heavily during his show but he is just trying to sell a magic kit. He does do a few extra tricks but they are all in the magic kit he is trying to sell for $129.

Tips:

We usually got room service for breakfast via the hang tag on the door the night before or most mornings we went to the Lido. One thing about smaller ships is there are not a lot of food options. We found the MDR had the same food as the Lido but took forever (albeit with a more relaxed atmosphere). We enjoyed eating on the Lido pool deck, they have tables and silverware set up there for you take your plates from Lido out there, it is quieter and you have a nice view. Most nights we ate in the Main Dining Room, did not try the specialty restaurants but heard mixed reviews--rants and raves so who knows. Typically we ate lunch in the Lido on sea days because it had more options. There is a taco bar and burger bar on Deck 9 by the pool but it is only open until 5. Lido has coffee, tea, and water all day.

A few other things--if you like to party and mingle, we loved the mixology classes, beer tasting, and pub crawl. You get a lot of booze for the money, they are fun and all ages attend them. The bartender who hosts them, Michael, is really fun, too. The trivia games are fun, too. Pools are heated and fine to swim in right now.

We also thought the aft pool deck was a great place to view Glacier Bay. Everyone was crowded on the bow in the wind but there was lots of space on the aft pool deck (Deck 9), with access to shelter from wind, a bar, snacks from Lido and bathrooms. Also the gallery bar does not have a view but lots of comfy couches and is usually not very crowded. We liked the Ocean Bar as well (and of course Crow's Nest).

Thanks- that is all super helpful! I just looked at the weather and saw that we will be getting rain. We expected some, but it looks like a lot of days, so I don’t know how that will affect things.

Still- adventure of a lifetime, right? If the hubs has any questions I may ask again. Thanks again!

dt

We picked mainly based on itinerary and cost. We took another party as a "gift" for a significant life milestone so cost was a factor since we were paying for four. HAL was a little less expensive than Princess on most land tours/cruises. Note they share resources on land so you often get the same of everything (excursions/buses/etc.) no matter who you book. We often rode in Princess buses on our HAL tour. The Denali resorts are literally next door with a walking path between them and dining shuttle that takes you to each resort to eat at both.

 

I wanted to see Fairbanks (really enjoyed that town) and did not want to stay the Princess McKinley resort in Talkeetna (too far from Denali) so with those requirements it really narrowed down our options. We chose the Westerdam over some of the other HAL ships since it was recently renovated in dry dock. If it was just us going again I might go with Princess, I was a little disappointed with the food on the Westerdam (and we enjoyed the food on RCI's Oasis, so you know we are not that picky). It was by no means inedible and if you have traveled with HAL before and liked it then it may just be personal preference. I haven't traveled on a Princess ship so I can't compare it to that, unfortunately. I did like our cabin on the Westerdam (inside, Deck 10) and the staff was great. We enjoyed the ship's size and activities, although everything kind of closed down around 10/11 pm.

 

Also, if you are doing a longer land tour, consider adding a food plan, either with a land dining plan or the Princess Connoisseur tour. We spent a fortune on food on land, you leave very early most mornings so traveling off the resorts without a car to a cheap breakfast is not a great option, so unless you want to eat a bagel from the coffee shop, you will be dropping at least $20 per person for the breakfast buffet to fill up before your daily excursion or trip to your next city. I did not spring for the land tour dining plan and now I wish I had really crunched the numbers and seriously considered it. The food at the Westmarks/land hotels was all pretty good, too. They have breakfast buffets for efficiency in the AM and nice dinners in the evening and we had no complaints there.

We are doing the 11 day land/cruise on Westerdam in a couple weeks. We looked into the meal plan for the land portion. $559 for 2 people included 2 dinners, 2 lunches and 3 breakfasts. Seemed a little high to me as neither of us eats a big breakfast ever

We are doing the 11 day land/cruise on Westerdam in a couple weeks. We looked into the meal plan for the land portion. $559 for 2 people included 2 dinners, 2 lunches and 3 breakfasts. Seemed a little high to me as neither of us eats a big breakfast ever

I think it comes down to convenience and your eating style. All of the hotels have a buffet breakfast that will run you about $50 total for two people after tax, tip, coffee/juices, etc. I believe the dinners in the plan include an appetizer, entree and dessert, if you eat at the steakhouse in Denali, for example, that will easily run you about $75-$100 per person for a three course meal. Food in Alaska is expensive. Many of the hotels, like the ones in Denali and Seward, do not have many options within walking distance so unless you want a coffee and bagel from the coffee shop you are going to be spending quite a bit. Of course, if you are satisfied with a light breakfast and perhaps only order an entree at dinner then obviously a meal plan may not be the best option. But I would suggest for those who are considering it, look at menu prices via trip review photos/Google and meal plan options and see what works for you.

We did not purchase a plan because we thought we would eat outside the hotel more often, but you have to leave so early and after the day's excursion you are often tired it just didn't happen that much. Also in the middle of nowhere without a car there often are not a lot of options. It was fine and we enjoyed our meals but in hindsight I think we should have gotten the plan. I know many people discourage meal plans on the boards from my research, but perhaps because we are from PA and like to eat like piggies on vacation, I think it might not have been a bad deal for us.

Thanks- that is all super helpful! I just looked at the weather and saw that we will be getting rain. We expected some, but it looks like a lot of days, so I don’t know how that will affect things.

Still- adventure of a lifetime, right? If the hubs has any questions I may ask again. Thanks again!

dt

Aww, I hope it clears up but either way you will have a great time. The weather seems to change all the time there. I wore jeans and hoodies and my two light jackets (both waterproof North Face, one lined with fleece/one unlined) more than I thought I would, so pack some warmer clothes! I also wish I brought gloves and beanie hat, so I suggest you pack those. They take up no space and are nice to have.

Back from the cruise- what an amazing experience! your advice was super helpful. Thanks again

dt

Denali: We did not venture over to "Glitter Gulch," aka the shops on the other side of the highway with cheaper options for food, but on the Denali resort there is a Starbucks with breakfast sandwiches (microwaved and kind of meh) and a buffet at Karstens that is around $20 per person that is good (eggs, pancakes, sausage, oatmeal, etc). At some buffets they had a continental only option (cereal oatmeal etc for a little less). I think the Canyon steakhouse has a sit down breakfast. That is all your dining options. You can venture over to Princess's lodge, we did not have time as we had an early departure for the TWT. We ate at the buffet and it was good, filled you up and we usually just had a snack in the afternoon to tide us over until dinner.

 

Train/Seward: We took the train from Denali to Anchorage (which was awesome, btw) and were bussed from Anchorage to Seward. Seward is very small town and the cruise port is a small warehouse so it should be walkable. The train takes about the same time or longer than the bus, so you will probably be getting there around 5 pm, right before departure. They will probably bus you right to the port. I would suggest getting booze in Anchorage if possible. It's big and very walkable.

 

Magician was James Cielen (he was pretty good for a cruise ship) and comedian was Mike Siegel (also pretty good). You can skip the Saturday show with the magician, he promotes it heavily during his show but he is just trying to sell a magic kit. He does do a few extra tricks but they are all in the magic kit he is trying to sell for $129.

 

Tips:

We usually got room service for breakfast via the hang tag on the door the night before or most mornings we went to the Lido. One thing about smaller ships is there are not a lot of food options. We found the MDR had the same food as the Lido but took forever (albeit with a more relaxed atmosphere). We enjoyed eating on the Lido pool deck, they have tables and silverware set up there for you take your plates from Lido out there, it is quieter and you have a nice view. Most nights we ate in the Main Dining Room, did not try the specialty restaurants but heard mixed reviews--rants and raves so who knows. Typically we ate lunch in the Lido on sea days because it had more options. There is a taco bar and burger bar on Deck 9 by the pool but it is only open until 5. Lido has coffee, tea, and water all day.

A few other things--if you like to party and mingle, we loved the mixology classes, beer tasting, and pub crawl. You get a lot of booze for the money, they are fun and all ages attend them. The bartender who hosts them, Michael, is really fun, too. The trivia games are fun, too. Pools are heated and fine to swim in right now.

We also thought the aft pool deck was a great place to view Glacier Bay. Everyone was crowded on the bow in the wind but there was lots of space on the aft pool deck (Deck 9), with access to shelter from wind, a bar, snacks from Lido and bathrooms. Also the gallery bar does not have a view but lots of comfy couches and is usually not very crowded. We liked the Ocean Bar as well (and of course Crow's Nest).

Hi All

Thank You all for the food info.... I honestly did not know that a "Meal Plan" was available, call me out of the loop. Live and learn.

Hello all--I just returned from a 14 day trip with HAL, 7 day land tour (Fairbanks/Denali/Anchorage/Seward) and a seven day cruise on the Westerdam (Seward to Vancouver). I will be writing a full review soon, but wanted to offer assistance to answer any questions I could in the meantime. I had a ton of questions about the land tour prior to leaving and board searches did not answer all my questions. I learned a lot from this board and would like to pay it forward. So please ask away if you have any burning questions.

 

Overall, we had a great time. I enjoyed the land portion more than the cruise.

I am so glad I found your post!! We are booked for the HAL Triple Denali cruise tour starting in Fairbanks on August 21 and I have a bunch of questions. The HAL website is abysmal so finding details is quite a challenge. I have so many questions, but I will start with this one...

We have purchased a 2 night specialty dining package, however we want to make sure we don't book them on a Gala Night. Which night(s) were the Gala Nights on your cruise? Did you eat in the MDR on the Gala Nights, and if so, did they serve any lobster? Just want to make sure we don't miss out!! :D:D

Looking forward to reading more about your experiences!

Linda & Ron

San Diego, CA

Can't wait for the full review, thanks!

We are doing a similar package starting July 19 in Fairbanks and I am really having a hard time finding info about the land portion, so here goes...

1. What do you suggest doing in Fairbanks? We arrive late on 7/19 and will have until the coach leaves at 9:30 am on 7/21.

2. Once we get to Denali at 1:00, are there things to see/do on our own, or do you suggest booking an excursion?

3. How does one get more info about land dining packages? This is the first I've heard of those?

4. Can you tell more about the coach from Denali to Seward? Is is scenic, exhausting, food choices, etc.

(We kind of booked this on the spur-of-the-moment, and now I am realizing how little I know about what we signed up for!!!)

I am so glad I found your post!! We are booked for the HAL Triple Denali cruise tour starting in Fairbanks on August 21 and I have a bunch of questions. The HAL website is abysmal so finding details is quite a challenge. I have so many questions, but I will start with this one...

 

We have purchased a 2 night specialty dining package, however we want to make sure we don't book them on a Gala Night. Which night(s) were the Gala Nights on your cruise? Did you eat in the MDR on the Gala Nights, and if so, did they serve any lobster? Just want to make sure we don't miss out!! :D:D

 

Looking forward to reading more about your experiences!

 

Linda & Ron

San Diego, CA

We ate in the MDR every night, the Gala nights were the 2nd and the 2nd to last night, I believe. One of the Gala nights was a port day which surprised me. They only had filet and lobster on the second gala night. The first gala night had no lobster, menu seemed rather ordinary to me.

Also, do not order the add on crab trio--they really push it, you get crab bisque, crab legs, and crab cakes for $24 in the MDR. We ordered it one night to share and it was gross. I have sent back food probably less than five times in my entire life and this was one of them. The maitre d' apologized said they cooked the crab legs in fish stock. They smelled really off. They took it off our bill but it was disappointing. It also came at the end of our meal, after we finished our entrees.

Otherwise dinner service was fine, we ate in a group of five most nights and were seated together with no reservations and no wait.

We are doing a similar package starting July 19 in Fairbanks and I am really having a hard time finding info about the land portion, so here goes...

1. What do you suggest doing in Fairbanks? We arrive late on 7/19 and will have until the coach leaves at 9:30 am on 7/21.

2. Once we get to Denali at 1:00, are there things to see/do on our own, or do you suggest booking an excursion?

3. How does one get more info about land dining packages? This is the first I've heard of those?

4. Can you tell more about the coach from Denali to Seward? Is is scenic, exhausting, food choices, etc.

(We kind of booked this on the spur-of-the-moment, and now I am realizing how little I know about what we signed up for!!!)

1) We did the Alaska Pipeline Visitor Center--you get something similar as part of your dredge tour, skip it. I really enjoyed the Ice Museum, it's in downtown Fairbanks, it is cheesy but it is really fun and great picture taking opportunities. Going down the ice slide is once in a lifetime opportunity. Takes about 90 minutes. Fairbanks Auto Museum is air-conditioned and fun if you like antique cars, we spent about two hours there. We stopped by the Antler Arch for pictures, walked around the town square, tried to adjust to the jet lag. I wanted to do the Reindeer Ranch, but it is expensive and a little out of town, so we had to skip it this time, but it looked really fun.

2) This will be a big free day for you, definitely plan to do an excursion or explore the park. They run shuttle buses to the Park every 30 minutes, so you can hop on a shuttle and go to the park for a quick hike, explore the visitor center, catch the shuttle bus to Eilson, etc. Or book an excursion. You will only had ridden a bus for two hours that day so you won't be tired. The next day you will be up an ungodly hour for your TWT (ours left at 6 am) and while you may be back at 1 or 2 pm, you probably won't want to go hiking. We did hiking on day one (horseshoe loop trail) and a little more hiking on day two plus the Husky Homestead tour. There is a free dog sled demo at the park at 2 pm, I believe. Not as detailed as the husky homestead and no puppy holding but it's free.

3) You can call HAL or chat with them online. I saw it on their web page. They seem expensive but we spent quite a bit on food. My husband also really likes steak, dessert, and breakfast buffets on vacation, so that doesn't help keep costs down! I can't begrudge him, we work hard all year and it is our chance to unwind. I know the plans aren't for everyone but they would have been a good value for us, that is why I think more people should at least look into them.

4) From Denali you take the train to Anchorage. It is really nice, you have an assigned seat which is comfortable and spacious, they will bring you drinks and light snacks and there is breakfast and lunch served in the dining car below. There is a bathroom on the train as well as an outside viewing platform for fresh air and pictures. It is about eight hours and very scenic. You stay over in Anchorage and drive to Seward the next day via bus, it is about two and half hours. Then you get to Seward right before dinner time and stay in the Windsong Lodge.

You will have a great time!

Thank you for the info! We are going on the Double Denali tour Sept 6th. Can you tell me if there were many electrical outlets in the cabin? Do they furnish hair dryers in the cabin, or can you request one from your room steward?

Thanks for the info on the crab trio...... When the time comes I will pass on that !

Thank you for the info! We are going on the Double Denali tour Sept 6th. Can you tell me if there were many electrical outlets in the cabin? Do they furnish hair dryers in the cabin, or can you request one from your room steward?

If you mean the ship cabin, no. The only outlets in our inside cabin were two--as in for two plugs, not a set of two outlets for four plug--in by the mirror/desk and the enigmatic shaver outlet above the bathroom mirror that fits nothing but a an electric shaver--who uses those anyway? There were other international plug options, so I guess if you had converters you could make that work.

There is a hair dryer, ours was in an angled side cabinet of the desk in the cabin in a little cloth bag, not in the bathroom. I did not use it (brought my own min travel dryer as I have long hair I straighten, it's a Revlon, love it) but another person in group used it and liked it. All of the hotel rooms had travel dryers, so if you are not picky about your hair dryer you don't have to bring one.

We are doing the 11 day land/cruise on Westerdam in a couple weeks. We looked into the meal plan for the land portion. $559 for 2 people included 2 dinners, 2 lunches and 3 breakfasts. Seemed a little high to me as neither of us eats a big breakfast ever

Sorry, I just saw this and wanted to reply--that comes out to about $39 a meal and I think gratuities are included. Which actually is not that bad of a value, the breakfast buffets are about $20-25 per person if I remember correctly. For dinners I believe the meal plan includes an appetizer, entree and dessert of your choice. If you eat at the steakhouse and get an appetizer, steak entree, and dessert, you can easily creep towards $75 to $100 per person including gratuity. Now, if you don't order that much food on vacation this is obviously not a good value for you. But if you do like indulge then I wanted people to look into these an option because it provides the sort of all inclusive feel you get with cruise. Most of the time, in Seward and Denali especially, there are not many meal options so you are captive at the hotel without many meal options.

Like everything else, it may not be a good fit for all, people will have to look into and determine this on their own.