Denali Cruise Tour Y3C

[mrparkland]

Any opinions on this cruise tour?

10 Night Yukon & Double Denali Y3C (Tour # Y3C)

3 Nt Cruise + 1 Nt Whitehorse + 2 Nts Dawson City + 1 Nt Fairbanks + 2 Nts Denali + 1 Nt Anchorage - Northbound: Vancouver to Anchorage

 

We cruised Alaska with Celebrity (Seattle-Seattle). We want to see

Denali this time. And the Yukon is a plus. We enjoyed watching the Klondike miniseries on the Discover Channel which takes place

in Dawson City.

[oaktreerb]

It should be fine. You are doing 2 nights in what I consider the most important places, Denali and Dawson City. The Y3C means that you are cruising first and will have a port in Juneau. I've taken a similar tour twice and soon will take it a third time (Y2L). We tour first so we start in Anchorage and get four days on the ship and end in Vancouver. Each time we have taken this itinerary it has changed. The first two had the bus to Tok and then Dawson City and this time we will have the flight to Dawson City instead.

 

We enjoyed the miniseries on the Klondike, too.

 

Holland America does a good job on the cruise tours. If it is like our previous tours you will hear a lot of stories about life during the Klondike gold rush. There are several reviews on cruise critic.

[mrparkland]

have you taken the flight to dawson city before? What size plane etc?

How are the hotels in Denali and the other locations?

[oaktreerb]

have you taken the flight to dawson city before? What size plane etc?

How are the hotels in Denali and the other locations?

 

This will be our first year to take the flight. Our cruise documents say that the flight is on Air North and I think it will probably be a chartered Boeing 737-200. Air North has a contract with HAL, otherwise Air North seems to fly only in Canada. All transportation will be handled by HAL. Your tour guide will tell you when to have your luggage out and when to be ready to board the bus each day.

 

The hotels are good by Alaska standards. Holland America owns the Westmark hotels in each location and they cater to their cruise customers. In Denali you will be staying at the McKinley Chalet Resort which Holland America took over last year from the park service and they have been steadily making upgrades. All the hotels are centrally located.

[Browser495]

We are taking Y1L 20 day triple Denali. It's great to hear all the positive feedback!

[sotiris]

We are in the middle of the Y2L tour. We flew into Anchorage, had 3 spectacular nights in Denali, bussed to Fairbanks and arrived in Dawson today. The flight from Fairbanks to Dawson on the 737 was wonderful. Got to see mountains, and rivers. Even had time for a snack and a drink. We were the only tour on the flight but some summer trainees joined us.

 

The temperature in Dawson is a very unusual 29C or 84F. Off to Diamond Tooth Gertie's tonight.

[pmjnh]

We did an Alaskan cruise one way from Vancouver 2 years ago. We are budget minded travelers and priced out the cruise tour vs DIY post cruise tour. We were amazed to discover that while our traveling companions opted for a 4 day post cruise tour, the same amount of money that they paid for their tour, bought us a 10 day self drive tour. We visited Kenai peninsula and drove up as far as Denali, spending several days in Denali. Car rentals are very reasonable in Anchorage if you book way in advance. Enterprise delivered the car(SUV) to us at the Princess drop off station for luggage collection and we were off.

 

If you are adventurous people , seriously look at this option. We were on our own time schedules, wonderful. The highlight of our tour was a flightseeing tour over Mt Mckinley on a crystal clear day.

 

By the way, at Denali, be sure to take the bus system into Eielson if you can as the landscape and wildlife sighting opportunities are amazing!

 

Also, if your cruise stops in Skagway, it is easy peasy to rent a car there and drive into the Yukon. We drove as far as Emerald Lake near Carcross..gorgeous. Several people that we know took the White Pass Railway which was totally clouded in and no scenery opportunity as hoped for (a risk anywhere in the mountains. We saw so much more than our traveling companions by renting a car.

Edited May 22, 2015 by pmjnh

[agabbymama]

DIY or Cruisetour comparisons are always made on this board. DIY isn't for everyone, the same as a Cruisetour isn't for everyone. We did a 7 day cruise our first visit to Alaska and loved it. SO when we started looking to return, I purchased a Milepost (magazine) and went to each town's travel bureau for brochures. We wanted to see more of interior Alaska and the Yukon.

 

There was my husband and myself, my sister-in-law and a male friend of my husband's from work. I started looking at DIY RV rental, then the male friend announced he slept in the nude and wasn't going to change that. EEK, no privacy in an RV. Then I went to van rental and B&Bs. After months and months of research just for transport and hotels, not even starting on what we wanted to see and do, the price was only about $100-120 cheaper than the cruisetour. I gave up the DIY idea and started looking at cruisetours. I found one that went where I wanted to go and knew that HAL would provide a great tour.

 

I knew I had only 10 days off from work, so couldn't do the double Denali (but we really enjoyed our 2 nights in Dawson City). The only additional excursion we booked was the Husky Homestead tour outside Denali. I am an Iditarod fan and wanted to meet Jeff King. On the cruisetour, the driver and tour guide know the area and what is of interest in the area. We saw small places I had never even heard of (Rika's Roadhouse, Smallest desert, etc).

 

Our 3 days on the cruise + 8 days on land was AWESOME! The coach rides are long and sometimes tedious, but oh so much nicer than trying to drive and navigate yourself (been there done that at other destinations). The only thing I would have changed was purchasing the meal plan and doing the two stops (making the tour twice as long). I'm so glad we did it when we did, as my husband has since had a stroke and my heart is acting up, so we won't be able to make such a trip again.

 

OP, go for as long as you can manage (both timewise and financially). Your cruisetour sounds like a good one. We found the Westmark Hotels to be clean and comfortable (check out their website). Alaska is an awesome destination.

 

http://www.westmarkhotels.com/

[oaktreerb]

We did an Alaskan cruise one way from Vancouver 2 years ago. We are budget minded travelers and priced out the cruise tour vs DIY post cruise tour. We were amazed to discover that while our traveling companions opted for a 4 day post cruise tour, the same amount of money that they paid for their tour, bought us a 10 day self drive tour. We visited Kenai peninsula and drove up as far as Denali, spending several days in Denali. Car rentals are very reasonable in Anchorage if you book way in advance. Enterprise delivered the car(SUV) to us at the Princess drop off station for luggage collection and we were off.

 

If you are adventurous people , seriously look at this option. We were on our own time schedules, wonderful. The highlight of our tour was a flightseeing tour over Mt Mckinley on a crystal clear day.

 

By the way, at Denali, be sure to take the bus system into Eielson if you can as the landscape and wildlife sighting opportunities are amazing!

 

Also, if your cruise stops in Skagway, it is easy peasy to rent a car there and drive into the Yukon. We drove as far as Emerald Lake near Carcross..gorgeous. Several people that we know took the White Pass Railway which was totally clouded in and no scenery opportunity as hoped for (a risk anywhere in the mountains. We saw so much more than our traveling companions by renting a car.

 

You do not see much of the Yukon by driving up to Emerald Lake. You do go through the border crossing. The Yukon Territory is huge. The Cruisetours to the Yukon take you to the gold rush areas of Dawson City and Whitehorse and onto the Yukon River. You also spend time in these communities and on the road making stops along the way. While I have read other reports of price comparisons of Alaska Cruisetours (before discounting) and DIY trips I have not seen comparisons of the Yukon Cruisetours and DIY.

 

With the Yukon Cruisetours you also learn from the commentary along the way. I compare it to visiting a community with a host to show you around. YOu can still use your guidebook but nobody has to drive.

[foodlady55]

I am planning the Y3 cruise as well, Anchorage first. We will b e going in 2017. Has anyone done this. Seems like a lot of transportation, but maybe worth all of the bus and train time? Any feedback? Thanks!

[alwaysfrantic]

It should be fine. You are doing 2 nights in what I consider the most important places, Denali and Dawson City. The Y3C means that you are cruising first and will have a port in Juneau. I've taken a similar tour twice and soon will take it a third time (Y2L). We tour first so we start in Anchorage and get four days on the ship and end in Vancouver. Each time we have taken this itinerary it has changed. The first two had the bus to Tok and then Dawson City and this time we will have the flight to Dawson City instead.

 

We enjoyed the miniseries on the Klondike, too.

 

Holland America does a good job on the cruise tours. If it is like our previous tours you will hear a lot of stories about life during the Klondike gold rush. There are several reviews on cruise critic.

 

What do the letters and numbers signify? I know each is a certain combination but did the letters tell you the information you learned.

[oaktreerb]

What do the letters and numbers signify? I know each is a certain combination but did the letters tell you the information you learned.

 

Y denotes Yukon cruise tours and D denotes Denali cruise tours.

Yukon cruise tours also go to Denali as part of the itinerary.

C means cruise first, L means land first.

 

Yukon cruise tours that cruise first will have 3 days on the ship Vancouver to Juneau to Skagway.

Yukon tours that have the land tour first have 4 days on the ship and begin in Skagway and go to Ketchikan and Glacier Bay.

The land portion either begins or ends in Skagway via the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.

Cruisers going north vacate their room in Skagway and cruisers going south move into the cabin.

 

I have no idea what the number means but it designates cruise tours of different lengths. Y1L and Y1C have a full 7 day cruise and they are 20 day cruise tours.

The longer your trip the more you will experience.

[oaktreerb]

I am planning the Y3 cruise as well, Anchorage first. We will b e going in 2017. Has anyone done this. Seems like a lot of transportation, but maybe worth all of the bus and train time? Any feedback? Thanks!

 

Y3 has two night in Dawson City and Denali which is what I would recommend as a minimum on these Yukon tours. I also recommend land first which would be Y3L which is a day longer than Y3C (an extra day on the ship). The train and the bus are very nice and you will have a journey host to coordinate your adventure.

[alwaysfrantic]

Y denotes Yukon cruise tours and D denotes Denali cruise tours.

Yukon cruise tours also go to Denali as part of the itinerary.

C means cruise first, L means land first.

 

Yukon cruise tours that cruise first will have 3 days on the ship Vancouver to Juneau to Skagway.

Yukon tours that have the land tour first have 4 days on the ship and begin in Skagway and go to Ketchikan and Glacier Bay.

The land portion either begins or ends in Skagway via the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.

Cruisers going north vacate their room in Skagway and cruisers going south move into the cabin.

 

I have no idea what the number means but it designates cruise tours of different lengths. Y1L and Y1C have a full 7 day cruise and they are 20 day cruise tours.

The longer your trip the more you will experience.

 

Thank you so much! I saw all the Trip Tour markings but didn't know what they meant.

 

Would any people be on a 7 night cruise where part of guests were subbing in mid way through for a shorter cruise?

Edited September 2, 2016 by alwaysfrantic

[oaktreerb]

Thank you so much! I saw all the Trip Tour markings but didn't know what they meant.

 

Would any people be on a 7 night cruise where part of guests were subbing in mid way through for a shorter cruise?

 

Yes. The 7 night cruise people are having a day in Skagway. The the cruise first Yukon cruisetour groups are disembarking and land first groups embarking, going through the lifeboat drill and unpacking for their cruise to Vancouver. Most people on the 7 night cruise will not even know the change is happening.

[dgriffel]

We are planning to on going to Alaska this summer on HAL 9 Day - Alaska Alaska Tour Y6C- 10D Yukon & Double Denali.  We sail out of Vancouver.  Is this cruise worth doing vs 7 day ship cruise then double Denali.  Do you see a  lot on the land portion?

Thanks

[dgriffel]

Is buying the meal plan from HAL worth it?

Thanks

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, dgriffel said:

Is buying the meal plan from HAL worth it?

Thanks

 

I bought the meal plan for my Denali cruise in 2017 for $349 and to get my money;s worth, I had to eat the most expensive items on the menu for appetizer, entree, and dessert at the Canyon Steak House.  More food than I could eat.  In 2019, I was on another Denali three-day and did not buy the meal plan.  I was not available for one lunch during the Tundra Wilderness Tour.  I ate all of my meals at the Karstens House and spent around $150 while enjoying the huge portions of lesser-valued meals (no giant steakes or lobster).

 

Across the street from the resort was a Subway and other restaurants but I was happy with the 5-minute walk to the on-property Karstens House Restaurant.

 

My conclusion is to skip the meal plan and spend the savings on cruise excursions.

[dgriffel]

Thank you very much!!

 

[oaktreerb]

3 hours ago, dgriffel said:

We are planning to on going to Alaska this summer on HAL 9 Day - Alaska Alaska Tour Y6C- 10D Yukon & Double Denali.  We sail out of Vancouver.  Is this cruise worth doing vs 7 day ship cruise then double Denali.  Do you see a  lot on the land portion?

Thanks

 

The Y6 is the shortest of the Yukon cruisetours.   The more days on land, the more you will see.  Can you add a day and do Y5 or Y4?  At a minimum you need two nights in Dawson City, two in Denali, and a ride on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.  It really depends on time and money for most people.  Cruise first is cheaper and fewer days on land is cheaper.  Then there is a price difference for staterooms and with so few days on the ship you may as well save money there.  I highly recommend the Yukon tours.   Schedule as much time as you can.

[dgriffel]

Thank you for your suggestions!!  I will look into the longer trips.