Included excursions for Alaska cruisetour that aren't?

[dianedebuda]

First time cruiser.  Booked an L tour which I thought included the Denali Natural History Tour and a couple of excursions in Anchorage.  When I tried to upgrade to the (Denali) Tundra Wilderness Tour, I was told none of those excursions were included.  Huh? I'm sure I've seen reports here were they were included in others' packages.

 

Did I make some kind of newbie mistake when I read the listing of Here are some things you can expect on a Denali Explorer Cruisetour on the Princess website?

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/cruisetour-options/denali-explorer/index.jsp

 

[hpeabody]

I am just finishing my CruiseTour, I disembark tomorrow.  Those things listed in the Princess link were definitely included for me.  I opted for the Tundra Wilderness Tour for additional charge (short version) There is limited window for this.  To see what you have included look at your cruise personalizer and open the TRAVEL SUMMARY from the top black area.  This will list all of your inclusions.

[dianedebuda]

No excursions are listed for mine.  But was there a way for me to know this before I booked just a couple of weeks ago?

[t&atravel]

10 minutes ago, dianedebuda said:

No excursions are listed for mine.  But was there a way for me to know this before I booked just a couple of weeks ago?

 

Yes.  When doing a search of cruise tours, choose a date and click on the “cruise details” box.  On the itinerary tab it will list all your stops and land cruise details.  If the tour is included it will mention it in the description.   If it says “optional” you are on your own.  There are many land cruises that say “on your own” in the heading as well.  

[jagoffee]

25 minutes ago, dianedebuda said:

No excursions are listed for mine.  But was there a way for me to know this before I booked just a couple of weeks ago?

Since you are a first time Cruiser, you should make sure that you have a Princess account.  After you set it up, you can add your booked cruise.  After that is included,  you can click on Manage cruise/ browse excursions, click on view excursions for Denali.  On the right hand side you should see a link that says current reservations.  The basic History tour in Denali should be listed depending on your cruise tour.

 

We are also on a land tour and this is the only one included with the tour.  I do not see anything for Anchorage or anything listed on the link that you provided.

 

The bottom line is that you should be able to see the History tour if It is included with the  cruisetour is what you really booked.

Edited June 7, 2019 by jagoffee

[jagoffee]

18 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

 

Yes.  When doing a search of cruise tours, choose a date and click on the “cruise details” box.  On the itinerary tab it will list all your stops and land cruise details.  If the tour is included it will mention it in the description.   If it says “optional” you are on your own.  There are many land cruises that say “on your own” in the heading as well.  

I did not see this before I posted.  

 

Edited June 7, 2019 by jagoffee

[geoherb]

It looks like the Natural History Tour is included according to the description here:
https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details?tourCode=T9ALA6&voyageCode=5923

 

That's the description for the LA6. The LB6 description also includes it. Did you book direct through Princess or through a travel agent? If the latter, your travel agent should be able to handle the upgrade for you.

[dickinson]

I just went to Princess.com.  In July there is a LAZ tour that is called Denali Explorer.  No excursions included.  You have to look at the itinerary.

[dianedebuda]

The Anchorage stuff is listed as Sternwheeler Riverboat Cruise and Gold Dredge 8 Tour in Fairbanks (if applicable).

 

I see now that what I thought was included is actually LA6 and not the LAZ that I booked.  I think where I went astray was reading a fantastic review (JimZim) that I thought was for LAZ, but he never stated that.  I'd read so many reviews before I'd booked... If that's the worst mistake so far as a newbie, ... 😀   I just like to know when/how I've messed up so I can a least make a different one next time. 🤣

[Coral]

I am not sure when you are going but if you are going soon, definitely sign up for the Tundra tour in Denali ASAP (as opposed to Natural History tour). You will need to pay more for it but it will be worth it.

[dianedebuda]

Yes, had planned to do the Tundra tour in Aug and that's what lead to my discovery of my faux pas.  Better to find the goofs now than later. 🙂

Edited June 7, 2019 by dianedebuda

[SeaofStars]

There are also non-narrated transit buses which go further into the park which is what I booked for my upcoming trip in August. (I booked a do-it-yourself Princess land cruise tour so also had to figure out the bus situation.) However, they do NOT pick you up from the hotel so if you’re going early in the morning before the free hotel shuttle you have trek into the park by yourself to the bus pick up point. I obviously can’t yet speak as to how these buses compare, but if you find the Princess ones are sold out, you can see if there are any spaces left on the other ones.

 

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

Edited June 8, 2019 by SeaofStars

[Coral]

6 minutes ago, SeaofStars said:

There are also non-narrated transit buses which go further into the park which is what I booked for my upcoming trip in August. (I booked a do-it-yourself Princess land cruise tour so also had to figure out the bus situation.) However, they do NOT pick you up from the hotel so if you’re going early in the morning before the free hotel shuttle you have trek into the park by yourself to the bus pick up point. I obviously can’t yet speak as to how these buses compare, but if you find the Princess ones are sold out, you can see if there are any spaces left on the other ones.

 

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

Several have indicated that the bus drivers on the shuttles often provide commentary as they love their jobs and want to share Denali with you.

[fishywood]

It appears Tour LA6 (cruise first) and Tour LB6 (land tour first) include the Natural History Tour from the Denali Princess Lodge (with option to just pay the difference for Tundra Wilderness). But Tour LAZ (offered cruise first only) does not. 

 

Tour LAZ is offered the same sail dates with the identical lodge stays as LA6. But there is a difference in cost. Making a quick glance comparison between the two tours on the same date LAZ appears to be less expensive by at least the cost of the Natural History Tour, if not more. 

[dianedebuda]

8 hours ago, SeaofStars said:

There are also non-narrated transit buses which go further into the park which is what I booked for my upcoming trip in August. (I booked a do-it-yourself Princess land cruise tour so also had to figure out the bus situation.) However, they do NOT pick you up from the hotel so if you’re going early in the morning before the free hotel shuttle you have trek into the park by yourself to the bus pick up point.

 

Yes, I'm seriously looking at the Eielson Transit as an alternative to the Tundra tour.  When are you going in Aug? We'll be on the Coral departing Aug 21.

 

Checked cost of upgrading to LA6 from LAZ: $447 vs combined cost of $261 for "missing" excursions + allowance for a meal & transport that would be in the LA6 versions.  Not going to do it.  The Fairbanks excursions are not magnets for us, so we'll decide when we get there.  If they're not available then, which I doubt will be the case, no big deal.

[SeaofStars]

We’re on the Coral departing 8/28, so the week after you! We booked the Wonder Lake bus. Kantishna, I think, is a bit too long of a ride for my mother, but we do want to maximum time in Denali so that one seemed like a good option. Fingers crossed Denali will be out and we can snap a good picture at the reflecting pond. I’m also hoping we can make it to the sled dog demonstrations the afternoon of the day we arrive and then we’ll just ride one of the free buses that go around the entrance of the park like the Savage River one for the rest of it. I know some people recommend taking the longer bus rides into the park both days to maximize the possibility of seeing wildlife but we would already have been on a bus traveling there and I think my mom would be very uncomfortable sitting for that long.

 

We’re not renting a car but it seems like if you do rent one in Fairbanks there are plenty of things to see that are pretty easily accessible so you don’t have to limit yourself to the regular offerings. Admittedly, Riverboat Discovery does have good reviews! Gold Daughters is apparently another place that does gold panning if Gold Dredge 8 is full.

[dianedebuda]

You doing southbound then?  We're northbound, so may cross mid-stream ... or would it be mid-track in this case? 😀  Agree about Kantishna. Looked yesterday at Wonder Lake Transit, but seemed like the likelihood of weather providing the perfect setting was slim.  Plus there's not many buses that go there and the additional travel time.  Something that motivated you that I'm overlooking?

 

Edit: The paddleboat's not much of a draw for me.  Looks like really not much time actually on the river when you look at all of the "stops" included.  And it's "in town", next to the airport.  Rather do paddleboat on the Mississippi.  Been to a mine in the Rockies years ago, so not a huge draw either except the panning at Dredge8 uses heated water I hear. 😀

Edited June 8, 2019 by dianedebuda

[SeaofStars]

Yes, we’re southbound right after you!

 

From what I read, the more time you spend in the park the more chances for wildlife sightings and of course, the more scenery, etc. Some days apparently you might not see much wildlife at all. Since we’re only going to do one transit bus on one day, I figured going in a little further into the park would be worthwhile for us. I would hate to miss out on a bear or (extremely rare!) wolf sighting because we turned around just a few miles too soon. Also, I believe with the transit buses you can hop off at any time and do your own hiking, etc. and take any transit bus coming back if it’s not full. You don’t have to stay on your own bus like with a tour. So I figured it would be better to purchase a bus that goes further in and end up NOT go all the way than one that turns around sooner and regret not having the option. But for Kantishna, it’s so much further and longer that I thought it pretty unlikely we would want to spend that much time on a bus. I think it’s different for people staying at the cabins there, of course.

 

Supposedly for the paddleboat, the draw IS the stops rather than actually being on the boat, but I guess I’ll see since I’m only going off reviews I’ve read. We’re also going to Running Reindeer Ranch and are going to try and fit in the Visitor’s Center, Museum of the North, Fountainhead Auto Museum, and Pioneer Park if we can swing it. My mom has no interest in Chena Hot Springs but I think the Ice Museum sounds pretty interesting. We’re not really going at the best time for aurora activity, otherwise I would try and work that in as well.

[dianedebuda]

4 hours ago, SeaofStars said:

the more time you spend in the park the more chances for wildlife sightings and of course, the more scenery, etc. ... I figured it would be better to purchase a bus that goes further in and end up NOT go all the way than one that turns around sooner and regret not having the option.

I've read that you can extend the destination at Eielson, but don't know that it's a fact.  When I first looked at availability, thought I only saw 2 buses to Wonder Lake, but now think that was for Kantishna.  We've definitely decided to do the Transit instead of the TWT after viewing some videos for the same reasons that you gave.  Compared to the costs for the rest of the trip, difference in end points isn't much.  Thanks for your thoughts.

 

Actually looks like my goof may turn out be to a positive thing for us. 😀

[geoherb]

We actually enjoyed the riverboat and gold dredge excursions in Fairbanks a lot. I had low expectations after reading reviews beforehand here on CC. 

[dianedebuda]

Have heard others say same.  🤔 Not completely ruling those out for us to choose on-site; just not magnetic to prebook in case we find something else that grabs us.

 

SeaOfStars: We're now booked for the Wonder Lake Transit too. 😀