Cruisetour Choice Help

[Britboys]

Good morning from England,

 

After posting here a while ago, I have done a lot of research and narrowed down our options for a cruisetour in July next year. There are about 4 or 5 that are now possible and they are with either HAL or Princess. The land portion will be combined with either Coral Princess or Statendam - both of which I think I would be happy with given the itinerary. I would not particularly want to go on a larger ship and am happy with the fact that Statendam is not the youngest ship on the ocean.

 

I would really welcome thoughts and experiences from any posters who have done cruisetours with either or both lines. Are there any particular positives or negatives? How do the accommodations compare? Does one company offer better tours or a wider choice of optional excursions?

 

One particular question I have is about where the lodges are in relation to Denali NP - i.e. Denali Wilderness Lodge and Mckinley Chalet.

 

All thoughts and info will be really appreciated.

 

Thank you,

[agabbymama]

I chose a HAL cruisetour because it went where I wanted to go and I love the smaller ships of the line. My one and only Princess cruise was on a behemoth and we did not enjoy the huge ship.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either HAL or Princess in Alaska. They both do a great job and have a great infrastructure there (hotels, rail cars, tours, etc.).

 

We stayed at McKinley Chalet Resort and thought it was absolutely lovely. It is at what is called "Glitter Gulch", where a lot of the hotels, restaurants, etc are located just outside the entrance to Denali National Park. I can't speak for the Princess hotel as I haven't stayed there. Either google the hotels, or go to tripadvisor.com and search them.

 

A couple of tips that seem to be repeated a lot, is to be sure you know what you are paying for, and spend as much time as you can. We chose the 3 day cruise + 8 days to the Yukon and Interior Alaska, and it still wasn't enough. 2 nights at each stop would have been nice, but I didn't have that kind of vacation time.

 

Have fun planning then taking your cruise. Alaska is awesome!

[Budget Queen]

Either choice would be a good one- but it may give you more information, if you post your top choices. Are you fully aware of your transit times and have any touring priorities?? HAL has the wonderful option for a day in Seward, which is well worth it. Princess is a 2 hour round trip ride away.

 

Both lodges are going to require their shuttle buses, into Denali Park (meaning, if you want to get to the visitor center. sled dog demo, Savage River Shuttle bus, etc) If you don't want to walk at least a mile+++++.

[Britboys]

Thanks for those thoughts.

 

The options we are looking at are:

 

Princess Tour GB5, 1 night Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali & 2 nights Mt McKinley Lodge + 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers

Princess Tour KB7, 2 nights Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali, 1 night Mt McKinley Lodge, 2 nights Kenai + 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers

 

HAL Tour 18, 2 nights Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali, 1 night Anchorage, 1 night Seward + 7-night Glacier Discovery Cruise

HAL Tour 20, 1 night Fairbanks (could arrive 1 day earlier for this independently), 2 nights Denali, 1 night Anchorage, 2 nights Alyeska.

 

BQ - are the 2 lodges about the same travelling time by shuttle from the Visitor Centre? I have looked on their websites and google maps etc but it is really difficult to get an idea of exactly where they are.

 

From reviews I have read, they both seem to be located with quite a few independent eating options 'over the road' - is that the case please?

 

Thanks for taking the time to look at this and give me your thoughts.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for those thoughts.

 

The options we are looking at are:

 

Princess Tour GB5, 1 night Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali & 2 nights Mt McKinley Lodge + 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers

Princess Tour KB7, 2 nights Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali, 1 night Mt McKinley Lodge, 2 nights Kenai + 7-night Voyage of the Glaciers

 

HAL Tour 18, 2 nights Fairbanks, 2 nights Denali, 1 night Anchorage, 1 night Seward + 7-night Glacier Discovery Cruise

HAL Tour 20, 1 night Fairbanks (could arrive 1 day earlier for this independently), 2 nights Denali, 1 night Anchorage, 2 nights Alyeska.

 

BQ - are the 2 lodges about the same travelling time by shuttle from the Visitor Centre? I have looked on their websites and google maps etc but it is really difficult to get an idea of exactly where they are.

 

From reviews I have read, they both seem to be located with quite a few independent eating options 'over the road' - is that the case please?

 

Thanks for taking the time to look at this and give me your thoughts.

 

Overall, HAL tour 18, in my opinion, is the best choice. I am assuming it includes the Tundra Wilderness tour? An EXTREMELY important feature, if you don't already know. Most of HAL cruisetours include this tour, where most of the Princess tours, include the worthless Natural History tour. :( Having two nights is a "must", again, my opinion. The McKinley Lodge was built, (my opinion) to monoplize revenue, taking people out of Anchorage and Denali. The McKinley lodge is no where I would be without a car. :) It is remote with few activities. Flightseeing is the forte, but a 2 hour round trip shuttle to get to Talkeetna. It is important you find out WHAT these areas can offer you, and then go based on your priority. This is especially the case with McKinley Lodge/Talkeetna and Girdwood. IF you don't have a priority to be there, then look at different itineraries.

 

You don't list modes of travel, transits are vast. On the train, Princess has table seating, with groups of 4, seats assigned, 2 ride backwards. HAL is all forward seats. Tour 18 has the two wildlife hot spots, Denali Park, and Kenai Fjords.

 

Both Denali lodges have Glitter Glutch near by- the "shopping area".