Alaska--land portion

[rachel0]

We're booking Alaska for July '12 (Princess, southbound) and thinking of doing a land portion. We're a family of 4, 2 boys that will be 3 and 6 and huge animal lovers (the turning 3 yo has already logged 4 whale watching trips in his young lifetime!) And may have my inlaws, parents and siblings, who are also huge nature & animal lovers. So, I kinda know what direction to go in for the port excursions (although if anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them!) And as they've both been on multiple cruises, I feel pretty confident in planning the cruise portion.

 

My question: cruisetour, book Princess land/lodges separately & do our own thing, or go completely on our own. I know cruisetour is the most expensive option and more inflexible in terms of how many days at what lodge, but then everything is taken care of. So if we decide just to do other hotels, have rented cars, don't need a car and just use hotel shuttles to get around (are they adequate?) and the rail to get to the hotels?

 

Also, where to go and what to do? I was thinking Denali seems to be important and originally thought we wanted Kenai but maybe Fairbanks is a better kid choice? Again, they're huge animal lovers but ultimately are just little boys so their patience will only stretch so far so very long excursions are probably out! Also, are there nice shorter hikes around the lodges? Help!

[cruisincarly]

My husband and I went to Denali before kids and it was FANTASTIC. There are a ton of hiking opportunities in and near the park that range from very easy to very difficult. You will likely see a lot of animals on the bus ride in the park, and you can get on or get off whenever you feel like it. I think it sounds perfect for your kids!

 

We went on our own -- rented a car in Anchorage and drove out, stayed in a cheap but fantastic little cabin a few minutes down the road from the park entrance. I definitely think its doable this way, and saves a lot of money.

[lmg1230]

Our family did the Princess cruise tour when our daughters were 10 and almost 4. Our tour stopped at Mt. McKinley Lodge, Denali Lodge and Fairbanks. We were also traveling with my in-laws. I think there are positives and negatives to doing a cruise tour or traveling inland on your own. Without a doubt you would be able to travel on your own for less than the cost of the Princess tours. On the other hand, it's convenient to have everything handled for you by Princess. We chose to go with the convenience on that particular trip and in the exact same circumstances I would probably do it the same way even though it was less than ideal. With just my family of 4 we would rather tour independently but adding my in-laws who prefer organized tours into the mix meant that it was far easier to have a set itinerary.

 

My kids loved the Princess kids' clubs and I was very impressed that they had a lot of Alaskan themed crafts and activities. They even had a park ranger in talking to the kids while we were sailing in Glacier Bay which made it an educational experience for the kids as well.

 

Lisa

[Keith1010]

While it may cost more I think there are lots of benefits doing the Princess Land Tour for the entire family and that actually includes the benefit of being with other families who are taking the land program in addition to sailing with Princess. I think it just provides more of a seamless land and sea program.

 

Keith

[rachel0]

Thank you guys so much! I think we will try doing it through Princess.