recommendations for a land tour for a few days prior to a cruise

My husband and I are new to cruising and would like to do a combo land tour followed by a cruise ship tour in Alaska but have no idea how to plan or book. Leave alone which tour company or cruise line. From my brief study of Alaska vacations everything seems available and beautiful. Please, suggestions of tour companies and cruise lines would be great. We are 57+ and have no health issues. We would like to a cruise ship that has some bells and whistles but the biggest and best parties are not a must. As far as the land tour we don't mind moving everyday but we want a bed everynight, no sleeping on the bus. Would like to fit in the train at some point. So much to do so little time. Where would a person go dog sledding, salmon fishing. i think you probably all get it, we need assistance. Thank you

I am a little in same position but daughters in mid 20s are coming with us - trip is very much their idea. I hope that you don't mind me listening to your replies.

I love cruising but we tend to see the ship as a means of transport and somewhere to stay. Girls are backpacking fans so are not into organised tours. I am looking at cruises but cannot get a sense of whether or not we should just book a 7 day north bound cruise out of Vancouver and then make our own arrangements for a couple of pre-cruise days in Vancouver and perhaps a car hire for the end of the trip.

My husband and I are new to cruising and would like to do a combo land tour followed by a cruise ship tour in Alaska but have no idea how to plan or book. Leave alone which tour company or cruise line. From my brief study of Alaska vacations everything seems available and beautiful. Please, suggestions of tour companies and cruise lines would be great. We are 57+ and have no health issues. We would like to a cruise ship that has some bells and whistles but the biggest and best parties are not a must. As far as the land tour we don't mind moving everyday but we want a bed everynight, no sleeping on the bus. Would like to fit in the train at some point. So much to do so little time. Where would a person go dog sledding, salmon fishing. i think you probably all get it, we need assistance. Thank you

I haven't taken a land tour that was in conjunction with a cruise but I did do a fairly extensive road trip in Alaska this past June - two weeks. Alaska is not at all difficult to get around in - fairly simple. From what I've read here a lot of people are satisfied to do their own land tour instead of being on a group bus. I'm not going to try to tell you where you need to go, how long to stay or what you need to do. Just trust me, there is so much to see that I wouldn't want to be whizzing by it all on a bus and only stopping at pre-determined points. You need to anticipate it will take much longer to get between points than you would normally expect. There could be construction, a wreck or just because you're finding so much you want to stop for a better look. A good example is on our trip, the portion from Fairbanks to Healy (Denali area) was only about 110 miles long. It took from about 1 PM to nearly 7 PM. There was just that much to see! We didn't try to stay on too much of a daily schedule either. Normally that trip would only be a couple hours. Depending on where you would want to go and what you want to see I would allot at least 4-5 days for your land tour - that won't really be enough but that's the minimum. (We stayed two nights at Healy with the full day devoted to a Tundra Wilderness tour at Denali.) You will most likely want to go back anyway! Hit the high spots this time, get more in-depth on subsequent visits. Our two weeks on the road WAS NOT ENOUGH. Good luck and enjoy Alaska! You're going to be amazed!

I am a little in same position but daughters in mid 20s are coming with us - trip is very much their idea. I hope that you don't mind me listening to your replies.

 

I love cruising but we tend to see the ship as a means of transport and somewhere to stay. Girls are backpacking fans so are not into organised tours. I am looking at cruises but cannot get a sense of whether or not we should just book a 7 day north bound cruise out of Vancouver and then make our own arrangements for a couple of pre-cruise days in Vancouver and perhaps a car hire for the end of the trip.

It's only my opinion: Yes, make your own arrangements. It sounds like your daughters would love it more. :D You will too. (y)

It's only my opinion: Yes, make your own arrangements. It sounds like your daughters would love it more. :D You will too. (y)

Thanks for that SuperCrew ... is Bear your name? It is our family name - and so the girls want to see relatives (we loved that when we went to Berne)

Sorry, there 's no easy answer, and not even one answer. You need to do the research to find which cruiseline/ship best meets YOUR needs and priorities. There are some books specific to Alaska cruises ; Fodor has Alaska ports of call and Ann Vipond has Alaska by Cruiseship. Borrow from your library or buy. I also encourage you to read thru the many trip reports posted in STICKYs near the top of the page. There are some very detailed photojournals that provide lots of info and photos of ports, activities, the interior and exterior of various ships, even the meals. The reports include cruisetours and DIY land travel.

I think you'll find that the major lines are more alike than different. However, do you want a covered pool? a naturalist? open to leaving from Vancouver instead of Seattle? is Glacier Bay a priority? anytime dining? As you look at itineraries look closely at port times ... are you in port long enough and at the right time of day for planned activities? Lots of whining about 7am -1pm in Ketchikan or the 6pm-midnight stop in Victoria BC.

I nearly always encourage people to consider DIY over a cruisetour. DIY allows you to travel to places YOU want to visit, at your own pace, to make random stops for wildlife sightings or other points of interest , to have access to lodging options other than the large cruisetour hotels, and there are no early wakeup calls to get luggage in the hall by 6am. It's very easy to get around on your own. There are few hwys and for the most part they are only 2 lanes so it's impossible to get lost.

If driving isn't an option you can also travel by Alaska Railroad. The train has only a few destinations,is quite slow and one departure per day so it is rather limiting. The Railroad also has package tours on their web site. Another option is the Park Connection Bus.

As for train travel, people enjoy the White Pass & Yukon trip out of Skagway.... you can do it RT, or train one direction and small van tour the other. If you're doing a one-way cruise that starts or ends in Seward, the route with the Alaska Railroad between Anchorage and Seward is the most scenic leg.

Lots of options but only you can determine which options are best for you. Have fun with your research and planning !

:*:*:*That is so helpful to me. I love the thought of not being able to get lost, that is quite a challenge for me. I get lost everywhere, but as long as I have Sat Nav and have enough time - I accept it.

The other advice I needed was of the similarity of the cruise lines.

Now to cope with earning enough money to pay for the trip - I can't get away with wandering around the port like I do on my Med cruises. There are far too many exciting wildlife encounters in Alaska.

:*:*:*That is so helpful to me. I love the thought of not being able to get lost, that is quite a challenge for me. I get lost everywhere, but as long as I have Sat Nav and have enough time - I accept it.

 

The other advice I needed was of the similarity of the cruise lines.

 

Now to cope with earning enough money to pay for the trip - I can't get away with wandering around the port like I do on my Med cruises. There are far too many exciting wildlife encounters in Alaska.

I too have zero sense of direction! Yet, as a 60 ish woman, I'm fine with renting an RV or car and driving around Alaska, even solo.

Inside cabins are a money saver .... take advantage of the public viewing areas and 360 degree views!

Most people can't afford an expensive excursion at every port. When that's the case, budget for 1 or 2 special tours that will provide a special memory of Alaska, like flightseeing or a bear viewing tour. (btw, be mindful that bear viewing tours have specific peak time periods) There are budget friendly options at every port ... check the town web site and download their free visitor guide ( you;ll find the links for each in the HELPFUL RESOURCES thread ).

p.s. This transportation map from www.alaska.org shows you how few hwys there are. (alaska.org is great resource). http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/maps/Transportation_Map.pdf

I too have zero sense of direction! Yet, as a 60 ish woman, I'm fine with renting an RV or car and driving around Alaska, even solo.

Inside cabins are a money saver .... take advantage of the public viewing areas and 360 degree views!

Most people can't afford an expensive excursion at every port. When that's the case, budget for 1 or 2 special tours that will provide a special memory of Alaska, like flightseeing or a bear viewing tour. (btw, be mindful that bear viewing tours have specific peak time periods) There are budget friendly options at every port ... check the town web site and download their free visitor guide ( you;ll find the links for each in the HELPFUL RESOURCES thread ).

 

p.s. This transportation map from www.alaska.org shows you how few hwys there are. (alaska.org is great resource). http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/maps/Transportation_Map.pdf

Ah now I am looking at the cruises with some sort of understanding. Today I looked at Vancouver to Seward. Looking at the prices I could see that booking inside rooms would leave enough money for a bear watch (i do need to check if June is a good time) because it is the only thing eldest has specifically mentioned. I am a bit of a balcony snob but of course we could always go for one balcony and one inside. I do have to check the dates but I am off on a NCL cruise this weekend and I am a bit anxious to see if it is worth me buying a next cruise voucher.

for a bear watch (i do need to check if June is a good time) because it is the only thing eldest has specifically mentioned

Depends on where you plan to do your bear watching tour. Black bear or grizzly or does it matter. I've always seen bears in Denali at any time period. But if the tour is out of Ketchikan during the cruise, June is not peak. Locations and info in the following link:

http://www.experienceketchikan.com/bear-viewing-in-alaska.html

The Alaska Fish & Game web site is a good resource for where and when to view bears (or other wildlife). Look at the bottom of this link for Popular Bear Viewing Sites in Alaska.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.landmammals&species=bears#anchor

I'm only a balcony snob if you count the time I slept on the deck of a ferry from Seattle to Skagway ! Otherwise I've only cruised twice and it was an inside cabin. I'm definitely a budget traveler !

Take a look at Alaskatravel.com. great site to plan your own land tour.

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mapleleaves and petefoss - thanks. I will look up all the advice you have given me. Already my thoughts are so less fuzzy - but first I must finish packing because I have 2 days of work and then 12 hours before leaving for a Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona (and its a balcony :) )

Ollie - enjoy your med cruise! I so wish I was with you but will enjoy hearing about it! Have a great time!

I am a balcony snob, actually my DH is, but I am not going to argue with the comfort or my love of feet up, drink in hand and looking out at whatever scenery, or water is passing by!

For our first trip to Alaska, we chose to go from Vancouver to Seward on the aft balcony. I would love to see Seattle but do not want to take time on a cruise. Same for round trip - why come back? Cost of flying in and out of the same airport is cheaper but not much about an Alaska trip is going to be cheap, but we all enjoy our experiences at different levels. I am so excited for the trip we have to look forward to and am the enjoying the planning process so much! Thank for to all who have added to it!