Help planning 2020 Alaska cruise/tour

[puppymama1]

My husband and I are active seniors looking to go to Alaska for first (and most likely only) time next year.  The little bit of information I have seen so far seems to recommend including Glacier Bay, which eliminates Royal Caribbean (the only cruise line we have previously been on).  Our second choice would probably be Princess, so I would like recommendations on which ship might be best and which tours are better than others.  We just returned from 10 nights on RC Serenade of the Seas and loved it, so would like a ship similar to that one if possible.  The main thing we want to see is wildlife, so I would prefer a tour with an emphasis on Denali.  There were tours that had 1 night at Denali Princess and one night at McKinley Princess... is that better or does it not really matter?  Is it better to stay at Denali for 2 nights?  I didn’t see any Princess tours that had that, without increasing the trip to 11 days, instead of 10 days, which we prefer not to do.  Or is it better to tour on our own?  That would require a one-way car rental, which I know can be expensive.... which is why I was leaning toward just doing the Princess tours.  And how far out should we book this trip?  I assume I need to get busy and book it soon for next May?  (Choosing May or early June for lower prices and hopefully less crowds).  Thanks for any help or ideas!

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by puppymama1

[masterdrago]

You'll get the best advise ever on these forums, I think you know. We did our 1st Alaska May 16th. We said it would most likely be our only trip to Alaska. We're in our upper 60s. That concept is now out the window. I'm still working on our Radiance May 24, 2019 trip report but some of it is already here. I would highly recommend doing the pre/post cruise as a DIY. Our rent car Anchorage to Anchorage 8 days was $216.

 

I would increase our 2 days in Denali to more and slide it into June to get a longer transit bus tour (deeper into the park). I would add more time in the Kenai Peninsula. One of my bucket list items was to see a good Bore Tide. We wasted a lot of time on that since the wind was blowing so hard (gusting to 35) that it got delayed more than an hour and turned into a wimpy little surge. Also if in beginning of June, longer Fjord tours possible. I recommend an air flight around Denali and if possible with Glacier landing. Out of Talkeetna or Healy. We might jump ship (RCI) to better be able to get Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm excursions. It might be worth the $600 extra ($350 drop fee) to rent in Fairbanks and return to Ted Stephens airport, Anchorage. Might save a lot of time over Anchorage to Anchorage.

[misguy]

You might look at NCL 7 day either northbound.  Seward is an amazing port, and worth more than the day you get in.  I would also look at the train from Seward to Anchorage, then rent a car in Anchorage.  On my YT channel, I have videos of the train ride,  Seward, and recomendations from experts in Alaska on the best choices. Here is link to a video with Murray Lundberg, who is a retired Alaska tour guide, author, and guest lecturer for the cruise lines in Alaska.

 

[AKStafford]

4 hours ago, puppymama1 said:

 There were tours that had 1 night at Denali Princess and one night at McKinley Princess... is that better or does it not really matter?  Is it better to stay at Denali for 2 nights?  

  That would require a one-way car rental, which I know can be expensive....

McKinley Princess is in the middle of no where and is used by Princess to warehouse people on their cruisetours...

 

Why would a one way car rental be necessary? Take a transfer from the port to Anchorage. Rent the car, do Denali and whatever else fits your fancy and return the car to Anchorage and fly out from there.

[Heidi13]

For a Princess equivalent to the Serenade, I would look at the Island/Coral Princess, with the Grand Princess being 2nd choice. Suggest avoiding the Royal Princess.

 

Is you don't fancy the Princess 4-day extension, I also suggest hiring a car and visiting where you want to go and for the number of days you want. Pick up & drop at Anchorage Airport.

[DoeCO]

We just returned from the Princess Land/cruise tour on the Coral.  While I dearly loved the cruise, the land tour was boring to me and most of the group I traveled with.  We felt like we were on the bus more than really experiencing anything.  If I had it to do over again, I would do the land tour on my own with a car rental!  I agree with the earlier post that said that the McKinley Lodge "is used by Princess to warehouse people on their cruisetours." It was kind of a blah stop.

 

One part of the land tour that was very nice was the train ride to Anchorage: beautiful ride, wildlife to enjoy, and a fantastic tour guide made it a wonderful! Good luck in your planning.  Also, we got a balcony for the cruise portion and enjoyed it very much!  Definitely recommend, especially during the glacier tour!

[Northern Aurora]

Just some random thoughts:

 

There is no reason to do a cruise line sponsored cruise tour.  A DIY tour will allow you to customize the trip to your wants and tastes.  

 

We have stayed at the McKinley Princess a number of times as it is a good place to stop for the night when we are driving back to our home in Fairbanks from either Homer or Seward.  It really is a place to "warehouse" folks on a cruise tour.  

 

In Denali I suggest timing your time there to ensure a trip into the park, using the air-conditioned and narrated park shuttles, to at least Eielson Visitor's Center.  Go to the NPS website for Denali for tons of information.

 

Please take the time to read the trip reports, organized by year, at the top of this forum page.  A number of them have photos, and the information in them will make it easy to prioritize what you wish to do and see.

[Jimbo]

6 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Suggest avoiding the Royal Princess.

 

I

Interesting almost booked that ship for Alaska, what makes you say avoid it?

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Interesting almost booked that ship for Alaska, what makes you say avoid it?

Way too big for Alaska, with the pilots also questioning her handling characteristics. Doesn't have a Prom Deck. Island & Coral have 2 excellent fwd deck below the Bridge.

[puppymama1]

Thank you all for the suggestions... we will plan to do the land portion as a DIY... I will look into what the difference in cost is for the car rental to do a one way rental and we will decide if it's worth saving the driving time... Two more questions - which month is better May or June?  We were thinking May because it might be cheaper and there might be less children since they might still be in school, but if we won't be able to go as far into Denali or weather might affect other excursions, we will plan for June..  Also, for our one and only trip to Alaska, is Glacier Bay a must do or could we do Royal Caribbean to Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm?  Our only 2 previous cruises were on RC, so we are a little familiar with them, so we were leaning towards sailing with them again... But if Glacier Bay is that incredible, we can go on another cruise line... Is Princess the best choice for active seniors, or is another one better?  Thanks for your help!

[AKStafford]

22 minutes ago, puppymama1 said:

 which month is better May or June?  We were thinking May because it might be cheaper and there might be less children since they might still be in school, but if we won't be able to go as far into Denali or weather might affect other excursions, we will plan for June.. 

If Denali National Park is a priority, you need to wait until after June 1st. That's the earliest that the shuttle buses go to Eielson Visitor Center.

In addition to the advice you'll get here, you might also do some research on the TripAdvisor forum for Alaska: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, puppymama1 said:

Thank you all for the suggestions... we will plan to do the land portion as a DIY... I will look into what the difference in cost is for the car rental to do a one way rental and we will decide if it's worth saving the driving time... Two more questions - which month is better May or June?  We were thinking May because it might be cheaper and there might be less children since they might still be in school, but if we won't be able to go as far into Denali or weather might affect other excursions, we will plan for June..  Also, for our one and only trip to Alaska, is Glacier Bay a must do or could we do Royal Caribbean to Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm?  Our only 2 previous cruises were on RC, so we are a little familiar with them, so we were leaning towards sailing with them again... But if Glacier Bay is that incredible, we can go on another cruise line... Is Princess the best choice for active seniors, or is another one better?  Thanks for your help!

If going to Denali, I would opt for early June. If you are only considering a single Alaska cruise, personally I would only consider cruises that visit Glacier Bay. Ships rarely get into Tracy Arm, especially early season.

 

In Glacier Bay, in addition to the scenery you have the Rangers aboard the entire transit with commentary, presentations, etc.

[misguy]

We sailed the end of May this year and were able visit Tracy Arm and Sawyer glacier without any issue, and we got very close to the glacier.  Hubbard is an amazing glacier.  The largest tidewater glacier and is about 6 miles wide where it meets the ocean.  In an interview with Murray Lunberg who is a retired Alaska tour guide, and a guest speaker for cruise lines, he said that he thinks that Hubbard is more impressive than Glacier Bay.

[puppymama1]

Thanks again for the information... We will plan to travel in June so we can see as much of Denali as possible, since it is definitely a priority for us.. well, mostly me, LOL... Any suggestions on where to stay in/near Denali?  I know the accommodations in that area aren't 5-star, but we are seniors so we would like something not too rustic.. It looks like RC will be sailing to Glacier Bay in 2020, but they haven't updated their itineraries yet to show that... so, should we book with a different cruise line and then cancel and rebook with RC if/when they have Glacier Bay on their itinerary? Should we just book with a different cruise line and stay with them?  Any suggestions on which cruise line is better for seniors?  Thanks!

[Coral]

Look at Coral Princess. Also, a much smaller ship - Pacific Princess will be in Alaska next summer and people love that ship.f

 

Oddly - I have spoken to 2 people in the past 2 weeks who stayed at McKinley Lodge and absolutely loved it. They loved staying there - they liked the trails, the tree house, the fire pit, what Princess offered at the hotel. By no means am I saying skip Denali but I was surprised at how much they liked that hotel for what it offered.

[puppymama1]

Just did some research and Princess is having a deal where you get a free Premium beverage package if you book a Balcony or higher cabin... If we choose the Southbound voyage on Coral Princess, the available dates in June, 2020 are June 10 and June 24th.  The prices for the 24th are $330 total higher ...would the weather or anything else be that much better to justify the higher cost, or should we just go with June 10?  I found a hotel near Denali that looks nice - Denali Bluffs Hotel.. expensive, but looks very nice.  It doesn't look like their website has 2020 bookings available yet, since every day in every month is showing as not available, so I will call the hotel and see if they do have availability.  Their website says they have a shuttle that picks up at the train station, so we wouldn't have to rent a car.. just take the train up from Anchorage and then back down there... How comfortable or uncomfortable would that be, or should we just rent the car and drive?  Thanks!

 

[Coral]

On 7/4/2019 at 2:21 PM, puppymama1 said:

Thank you all for the suggestions... we will plan to do the land portion as a DIY... I will look into what the difference in cost is for the car rental to do a one way rental and we will decide if it's worth saving the driving time... Two more questions - which month is better May or June?  We were thinking May because it might be cheaper and there might be less children since they might still be in school, but if we won't be able to go as far into Denali or weather might affect other excursions, we will plan for June..  Also, for our one and only trip to Alaska, is Glacier Bay a must do or could we do Royal Caribbean to Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm?  Our only 2 previous cruises were on RC, so we are a little familiar with them, so we were leaning towards sailing with them again... But if Glacier Bay is that incredible, we can go on another cruise line... Is Princess the best choice for active seniors, or is another one better?  Thanks for your help!

You need to hit Denali after June 1 for getting into the park further. You can sail first and then do land last.

 

Yes - IMO, Glacier Bay is a must do. I think Princess does a  much better job than RCCL in Alaska. Princess has a ton of enrichment programs in Alaska on their ships and RCCL had none when I was on. Also, Princess you will hit 2 glaciers. Glacier Bay is almost always accessible. Can't say that about Hubbard or Tracy Arm. 

 

If you do Northbound Princess, you can go to Tracy Arm out of Juneau with AdventureBound - this is a much raved about glacier. You have a much better chance getting to Tracy Arm with a small boat. A lot of ships are not even going to Tracy Arm next year because it is missed so much, it ends up in Endicott Arm instead.

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, puppymama1 said:

Just did some research and Princess is having a deal where you get a free Premium beverage package if you book a Balcony or higher cabin... If we choose the Southbound voyage on Coral Princess, the available dates in June, 2020 are June 10 and June 24th.  The prices for the 24th are $330 total higher ...would the weather or anything else be that much better to justify the higher cost, or should we just go with June 10?  I found a hotel near Denali that looks nice - Denali Bluffs Hotel.. expensive, but looks very nice.  It doesn't look like their website has 2020 bookings available yet, since every day in every month is showing as not available, so I will call the hotel and see if they do have availability.  Their website says they have a shuttle that picks up at the train station, so we wouldn't have to rent a car.. just take the train up from Anchorage and then back down there... How comfortable or uncomfortable would that be, or should we just rent the car and drive?  Thanks!

 

May is historically the driest time in Alaska with every month after having more rain. September has the most rain (historically). Any time in June is good. Though June is not a good month for salmon running - that is end of July and August. Make sure you book by July 16th for that sale. June has a ton of daylight.

 

If you are doing land on your own - consider spending some time in Seward, AK. Small town with a lot of options.

Edited July 5, 2019 by Coral

[puppymama1]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

May is historically the driest time in Alaska with every month having more rain. September has the most rain (historically). Any time in June is good. Though June is not a good month for salmon running - that is end of July and August. Make sure you book by July 16th for that sale. June has a ton of daylight.

 

If you are doing land on your own - consider spending some time in Seward, AK. Small town with a lot of options.

Thank you Coral... we will book by July 16!  We were thinking about doing the land portion first, so we would have the cruise to relax after having to drive so much!

 

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by puppymama1

[Coral]

While I have not done this trip (I would love to) - the reviews of Uncruise are amazing. They are more expensive but it maybe worth looking into:

 

https://www.uncruise.com/destinations/alaska-cruises

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by Coral

[Coral]

1 minute ago, puppymama1 said:

Thank you Coral... we will book by July 16!  We were thinking about doing the land portion first, so we would have the cruise to relax after having to drive so much!

 

Everyone says that but oddly - my cruise days are very active in Alaska and I don't "relax" on the ship. I do 9 hour boat rides and drive into the Yukon, etc... I am out all day on glacier days. I would do whatever works into your schedule but don't go to Denali before June 1.

 

There are so many really cool excursions in Alaska such as ice trekking, snorkeling, kayaking and hiking to a glacier, landing on a glacier - you get the point. 

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, puppymama1 said:

Thank you Coral... we will book by July 16!  We were thinking about doing the land portion first, so we would have the cruise to relax after having to drive so much!

Princess allows discounting on the cruise fare (up front). Book with someone who doesn't charge a cancellation fee. Often there are specials after which include OBC and free gratuities. If your TA is willing, you can often rebook later at a different promo (you give up sip and sail but get something else). 

 

The Serenade and Coral Princess are almost the same size.

[Coral]

On 7/1/2019 at 9:14 PM, Heidi13 said:

Way too big for Alaska, with the pilots also questioning her handling characteristics. Doesn't have a Prom Deck. Island & Coral have 2 excellent fwd deck below the Bridge

 

Yea - she is not sailing on the inside of Vancouver Island (so less scenic) and has to approach different getting to Ketchikan. Also agree about the lack of deck space for viewing glaciers. Royal Princess would be the last ship I would pick.

[puppymama1]

4 minutes ago, Coral said:

Princess allows discounting on the cruise fare (up front). Book with someone who doesn't charge a cancellation fee. Often there are specials after which include OBC and free gratuities. If your TA is willing, you can often rebook later at a different promo (you give up sip and sail but get something else). 

 

The Serenade and Coral Princess are almost the same size.

I already told my husband that we need to warn the TA that I will be checking the rates every week and will be calling him if I find a better deal!  That's what I did on our Baltic cruise with RC and we saved almost $1500....

[Coral]

11 minutes ago, puppymama1 said:

I already told my husband that we need to warn the TA that I will be checking the rates every week and will be calling him if I find a better deal!  That's what I did on our Baltic cruise with RC and we saved almost $1500....

Though, once the promo is over, if you take the price reduction, you get what the new promo offers. If you don't drink that much, a lot of people like the OBC and free gratuities promo (often 3 for free or anniversary sale). Yep - I check prices also!