Cruise Land Tour Meal Package

[Louand66]

We are doing a land tour and then cruise to Alaska.

 

The cruise line has offered us a meal package on the land part of the tour.

 

They have offered 6 Breakfast, 1 lunch and 5 Dinners for 2 people for 540$ each so 1080 Dollars so nearly £900.

 

I know things are expensive but this includes tip and gratitudes.

 

I would really appreciate anybody thoughts on this for value or can I get things much cheaper locally.

 

Many thanks

 

 

 

 

[wolfie11]

It's expensive and the food is ok but not great.  Unfortunately, the cruise lines have their own hotels that can be far away from other places to eat, so you're stuck with them.  If you are light eaters, you can probably get away with buying your meals as you go, or ordering dinner in the restaurant and then splitting it.  Or can stock up at a grocery store your first night on snacks, etc.  Not knowing where you're staying, it's hard to know what would be nearby.  

[Louand66]

Thank you.

 

Don't really want to pay that much especially as wife eats very little.

 

Stocking up on snacks and no cooking facilities seems to hard.

 

Looks like we are buying the ships package.

 

 

 

 

[oaktreerb]

If your cruise tour is with Holland America the hotels are near other eating venues.  If you buy their meal package you have to eat at their eateries.  The meal package allows you to choose any items on the menu including dessert.  (not alcohol). Most mornings you will be happy to eat at the hotel because you will not have a lot of time.  Breakfast will be a full breakfast, maybe buffet only,  or continental.  The continental is a lot of food including oatmeal and fruit.  Continental is cheaper and plenty of food.  Lunch may be on the train and you can pay by credit card.  It’s not very expensive by Alaska standards.  The most expensive meal will be dinner and with the meal plan you will have to eat at HAL or Princess (Denali) eateries.  There are also places to eat across the highway.  You can look on Trip Advisor to check out restaurants in Anchorage and eat wherever you want and pay by credit card if you don’t have the meal plan.  

 

 

[VUCruiser]

We were on HAL four years ago and did a land tour to the Yukon and Denali.  We did not buy the meal package.  Hotels were walkable to other eating venues and it gave us flexibility.  Pricewise not sure ended up that far off, but we really enjoyed sampling local restaurants.  We do not have mobility issues but if we had it would have been more challenging.

Edited April 2, 2023 by VUCruiser

[wolfie11]

Perhaps if the OP told us where they are staying each night, we could better advise them as to cheaper opportunities?

[Louand66]

Hi all,

 

We are going with Princess. I have no idea exactly where we are staying but we are in the following areas:

 

Fairbanks 2 Nights

Denail 2 Nights

Mt Mckinley 2 Nights.

 

Many thanks for any help.

 

 

 

 

[wolfie11]

Fairbanks, you will likely be at Princess Lodge near the airport.  I think they might still run a shuttle into town, but there's lots of great restaurants within a two-mile radius.  Denali, you'll be right in Glitter Gulch with lots of restaurants in a couple of block radius.  Mt. McKinley is in the middle of nowhere and you're stuck with their restaurant.
 

 I would skip the prepaid and venture out on your own.  Fairbanks has great restaurants from Thai to steaks and salmon to the furthest north southern bbq (no pasties though).  Denali has great pizza, the Salmon Bake, and a brew pub that will pick you up and drop you off in their van.

[Louand66]

Brilliant....Thank you very much....

20 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Fairbanks, you will likely be at Princess Lodge near the airport.  I think they might still run a shuttle into town, but there's lots of great restaurants within a two-mile radius.  Denali, you'll be right in Glitter Gulch with lots of restaurants in a couple of block radius.  Mt. McKinley is in the middle of nowhere and you're stuck with their restaurant.
 

 I would skip the prepaid and venture out on your own.  Fairbanks has great restaurants from Thai to steaks and salmon to the furthest north southern bbq (no pasties though).  Denali has great pizza, the Salmon Bake, and a brew pub that will pick you up and drop you off in their van.

 

 

 

 

 

[Crew News]

To get a reasonable return on $1000+ in food, you would have to order the most expensive entrees and desserts while being guaranteed massive calories.  My first Alaska cruisetour and unaware of other options, I opted for the Meal Plan.  The next cruisetour, I paid for each meal, saved more than 50%, enjoyed huge portions of the lower-priced items that I preferred, skipped huge desserts that I don't normally eat, consumed fewer calories, opted for the continental breakfast buffet (saved the $15 upcharge for two eggs/sausage) on most days, and had no problem finding places with great food to eat.  It must be noted that Alaska is known for larger meal portions, especially the fish entrees.

 

If I get hungry on long days, I eat one of the granola bar I keep in camera bag.

 

The Meal Plan forced me to buy this dessert to make my meal cost cover the Meal Plan charge.  I remember eating just two bites of this $15 cheesecake.

 

[hapster85]

We've been on land tours twice in Alaska, without a meal package, and we do not regret that decision at all. Yes, the restaurants are all more than what they probably are back home, but nowhere near expensive enough to justify the cost of those packages.

 

$1080 for 12 meals is $90 per meal, so unless you plan to splurge and buy the most expensive things on the menu at every meal, save yourself some money and skip the package. Honestly, I don't think you'd spend that much even if you did splurge at every meal, but YMMV.

[jean87510]

Since we do intermittent fasting and 2 meals a day, we will pack cracker packages and protein bars for one meal and the second meal someplace else.  There is no way I'm paying that much for food per day.  My vacation.  My money.

[kickboxrca]

We did a land tour last summer - there were 41 of us on our tour, and no one bought the meal package.  We were very satisfied with the options for meals in all of the locations ... as well, there are some excursions that include meals - the last thing you want to do is pay for meals you don't get to eat!