Thoughts on 5 day v 6 day Alaskan Land Tour

[emt1958]

I am thinking about an Alaskan cruise next May. What are the advantages or disadvantages between the 5 day vs 6 day land tour. The biggest difference I see is the 6 day tour will take you to Fairbanks. Will the extra time spent in Fairbanks be worth the extra money? Airline flights are cheaper from Anchorage than Fairbanks. At the same time this being my first Alaskan cruise, I would like to do it right. Looking forward to your input on my situation. Thanking you in advance,:)

 

Andy

[AKman2495]

You should also post this on the Alaska board here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

 

I have lived in Alaska 37 years now and I have been to Fairbanks I think 3 times.

 

If you have one chance to go to Alaska (I know that once you come up here you will want to come back) I think it would be worth it to see Fairbanks just to say you've done it. Besides, it might be a place you might like.

 

Of course, if you do come back, you won't have to go back...;)

[mapleleaves]

there's a lot more to consider than just 5 days vs 6, and should you go to Fairbanks. There are many details you need to look into. Especially look into the transit times .. what time do you arrive and depart from each location? will you have enough time at each place for planned activities? do you visit places of interest or are you going to isolated hotels in the middle of nowhere?

IF Denali is a priority do you have 2 nights there? The 1 night stopover doesn't give you enough time to get into the park. Are you in Talkeetna for 2 nights.... what will you do there?

 

There are a few cruise tours written up in the thread called "2013 Alaska cruise review list". Just look down the page for it. Read them over and see which tours are appealing to you .

 

p.s. I like Fairbanks. There's a lot to see and do in the area, providing you have a car to get around. Plus it's the only place I've always found sunshine and good weather

[mapleleaves]

if you want feedback on specific cruisetours, you might want to

post a link or copy/paste the itineraries.

[emt1958]

Here are the two different tours I was thinking about:

 

13 Days

 

 

Connoisseur - Tour OA6

 

Crown Princess

Cruise first (7 days), then Tour (6 days)

From Vancouver, British Columbia to Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska

 

Cruise Ports: Vancouver, British Columbia | Ketchikan, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska | Skagway, Alaska | Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | College Fjord, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska Land Tour: Denali/Fairbanks | Mt. McKinley/Denali | Whittier/Mt. McKinley | Denali | Mt. McKinley | Fairbanks

 

 

 

 

or

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Days

 

 

Connoisseur - Tour NA5

 

Coral Princess | Crown Princess

Cruise first (7 days), then Tour (5 days)

From Vancouver, British Columbia to Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska

 

Cruise Ports: Vancouver, British Columbia | Ketchikan, Alaska | Juneau, Alaska | Skagway, Alaska | Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | College Fjord, Alaska (Scenic Cruising) | Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska Land Tour: Denali/Mt. McKinley | Mt. McKinley/Anchorage | Whittier/Denali | Denali | Mt. McKinley

 

 

 

 

Thanking you for your help,

 

Andy

[frugaltravel]

You have to take a bus in Denali on/after May 20 or you dont get very far into the park.

 

So for that reason the 13-day one is way better.

 

But have you thought about doing ut on your own? You dont need two nights in McKinley Princess and could instead visut a place like Seward.

[agabbymama]

Only you can decide if the 1 day longer cruisetour is worth the extra cost. We did enjoy the Gold Dredge and panning for gold in Fairbanks, but not everyone does.

 

If there is a huge difference in airfare from Anchorage versus Fairbanks, then maybe it wouldn't be worth it.

 

At least both cruisetours include the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali. (and I disagree with mapleleaves) we only had one overnight in Denali arriving at noon, Tundra Wilderness Tour at 3:00 pm, then we left the next day at about 12:30. We felt we saw Denali.

 

And both include two glacier days on the cruise. You really can't go wrong with either one.

 

Have a great trip!

[Carolina Chuck]

We did the OA6 tour that you are looking at except in the reverse order, land first starting in Fairbanks and loved it. We actually got to Fairbanks 2 days early, rented a car and visited the Running reindeer ranch, North Pole, AK, and the museum at the university. Plus a trip to Walmart for inexpensive take home gifts/souvenirs. We have discussed that we could have even used an additional day there because we never really went into downtown and the Solstice festival was being held.

 

Just a note though, the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks is the least desirable of the Princess properties, a bit old and showing some wear (although clean and acceptable).

[frugaltravel]

At least both cruisetours include the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali. (and I disagree with mapleleaves) we only had one overnight in Denali arriving at noon, Tundra Wilderness Tour at 3:00 pm, then we left the next day at about 12:30. We felt we saw Denali.

 

Ah, but that is the deception of Princess cruisetours (along with others). They do NOT both include the TWT. The longer tour includes the TWT (since the itinerary says May 20), but the shorter tour only includes the Tek Tundra Tour, since NO bus goes further than mile 29 until May 20. That is why I said above that I prefer either the longer tour or just going independent.

 

Also, very few people have cruisetours with 1 night that will allow upgrading from the Natural History Tour to the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Yours was the relatively rare exception.