Cruise tour question

[cruiselvr04]

If you’ve been on a cruise tour I have a question about what you can keep with you during the day on the tour part.  We’ve really been given very little info except we may check a bag at the start that will be stored until we get to the ship. We will do a bag with dress clothes that way.
 

Otherwise we will have one or two ( packing now, so not sure) 25 inch suitcases, two 22 inch carry on size suitcases, and two under the airplane seat size bags. I have 2 packable very lightweight, thin back packs to take.  These fold down into a pocket to give you an idea what they are like.  We will have iPads, kindle, prescription meds, other valuables in a small amount to carry around plus of course raincoats and maybe a jacket.  Will we be able to keep the under the seat size suitcase with us on the bus and the train? Or do I need a more substantial back pack for the day?  
 

 

 

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, cruiselvr04 said:

If you’ve been on a cruise tour I have a question about what you can keep with you during the day on the tour part.  We’ve really been given very little info except we may check a bag at the start that will be stored until we get to the ship. We will do a bag with dress clothes that way.
 

Otherwise we will have one or two ( packing now, so not sure) 25 inch suitcases, two 22 inch carry on size suitcases, and two under the airplane seat size bags. I have 2 packable very lightweight, thin back packs to take.  These fold down into a pocket to give you an idea what they are like.  We will have iPads, kindle, prescription meds, other valuables in a small amount to carry around plus of course raincoats and maybe a jacket.  Will we be able to keep the under the seat size suitcase with us on the bus and the train? Or do I need a more substantial back pack for the day?

I carry a camera backpack on the bus and train to/from Denali.  In addition to my camera gear, I bring meds, jacket, and snack bars, My backpack fits in the bus overhead rack and under the seat on the train.

 

If whatever bag you bring with you does not fit in the overhead rack on the bus or under the seat in front of you on the train, it will ride on your lap.  The contents of your "carry-on" bag are those items that you will need on the train/bus ride.  No roller bags unless pre-approved to carry medical devices.

 

Here is a quote from the HAL Alaska Tour Tips, "The hand carry tote should be a size that is comfortable to carry and able to be stowed under a seat. Soft sided tote bags or backpacks no larger than 17”x14”x4” with a zippered enclosure are recommended."

 

Your luggage for Denali will not accompany your on either the bus or train rather it is moved by truck to/from Denali.  It will arrive before the slow train or bus that makes a number of restroom stops. 

 

Here is a link to the current tour tips guide:

 

Alaska Tour Tips (current)

Edited July 5, 2023 by Crew News

[cruiselvr04]

22 minutes ago, Crew News said:

I carry a camera backpack on the bus and train to/from Denali.  In addition to my camera gear, I bring meds, jacket, and snack bars, My backpack fits in the bus overhead rack and under the seat on the train.

 

If whatever bag you bring with you does not fit in the overhead rack on the bus or under the seat in front of you on the train, it will ride on your lap.  The contents of your "carry-on" bag are those items that you will need on the train/bus ride.  No roller bags unless pre-approved to carry medical devices.

 

Here is a quote from the HAL Alaska Tour Tips, "The hand carry tote should be a size that is comfortable to carry and able to be stowed under a seat. Soft sided tote bags or backpacks no larger than 17”x14”x4” with a zippered enclosure are recommended."

 

Your luggage for Denali will not accompany your on either the bus or train rather it is moved by truck to/from Denali.  It will arrive before the slow train or bus that makes a number of restroom stops. 

 

Here is a link to the current tour tips guide:

 

Alaska Tour Tips (current)

Even though we’re not on HA this information is helpful.  I had forgotten about the CPAP machine which we really can’t check either.  
 

I guess we can carry our crossbody pac safe bags for the valuable stuff, then use the cheap back packs for jackets, raincoats and umbrellas.  I don’t want to look like a pack mule but this is helpful information. 

[Paula_MacFan]

5 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

If you’ve been on a cruise tour I have a question about what you can keep with you during the day on the tour part.  We’ve really been given very little info except we may check a bag at the start that will be stored until we get to the ship. 

You didn't say what cruise line you're on, but for our Princess cruisetour we received detailed info at booking.  They also have a FAQ page that answers a multitude of questions on the cruisetour.  Have you looked at the cruise website for whichever line you're using?  

 

Here is Princess':  https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/cruisetours/alaska-cruisetours/

See the 'Luggage' section, and others, regarding packing and bags.  

 

[cruiselvr04]

Yes, well Royal doesn’t seem to give that information.  It only says at “each destination we will ensure your luggage is delivered to your hotel room”.  It also states there will be luggage storage available for a bag to go directly to the ship. I have searched everywhere and it doesn’t say a word about our day trip/train travel.  It gives tipping information though!  

 

But since we have 3 trains rides and a bus it’s helpful from the rest of you to know how to plan.  Otherwise we would have expected to keep our wheeled under the seat bag with us which according to those of you with experience won’t work.  

Princess even limits you to one bag on land.  Royal doesn’t state anything like that.  It really does make it difficult to plan. I’m still unsure about what to take. We have waterproof hiking shoes/boots that take a lot of room.  I can’t see wearing them on a 14 hour trip through airports in the summer, even with tsa pre check.   
 

 

[Paula_MacFan]

3 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

Yes, well Royal doesn’t seem to give that information.  It only says at “each destination we will ensure your luggage is delivered to your hotel room”.  It also states there will be luggage storage available for a bag to go directly to the ship. I have searched everywhere and it doesn’t say a word about our day trip/train travel.  It gives tipping information though!  

 

But since we have 3 trains rides and a bus it’s helpful from the rest of you to know how to plan.  Otherwise we would have expected to keep our wheeled under the seat bag with us which according to those of you with experience won’t work.  

Princess even limits you to one bag on land.  Royal doesn’t state anything like that.  It really does make it difficult to plan. I’m still unsure about what to take. We have waterproof hiking shoes/boots that take a lot of room.  I can’t see wearing them on a 14 hour trip through airports in the summer, even with tsa pre check.   
 

 

I am unfamiliar with Royal's cruisetours, but Princess provides a detailed daily itinerary (Travel Summary) at booking that lists daily activities, transportation details, pre-purchased items, excursions, etc.  Does Royal not provide anything like that upon booking or somewhere when you log into their website?  Or you're saying it's just so cursory as to not be helpful?

[cruiselvr04]

They give a rough outline as to what you’re doing each day and how long the tour lasts but no more of a timeline than that. No time to meet. No details.  We get that all upon arrival in Alaska.  Extra excursions are purchased on arrival but I did find what they offer so we could decide before. We don’t know ahead of time what we’ll be near for meals although we purchase those as we go.  I have figured out on my own the train times as there is only one and it has it own website.  We are hoping to catch the Denali free shuttle to do the dogs and maybe the 2 mile hike on our own but it depends on when Royal gets us there and leaves. 

 

  I understand Princess is a well oiled machine.  We’ve done trips with Viking and they have also provided a lot of detail before hand. Transfers from Fairbanks airport is included but since we are flying in a day ahead that doesn’t include us.  We had the same issue with Viking though for that. They will get us to the ship.  
 

I’m not really complaining but more pre trip communication would have been helpful.  I had to search for what I’ve found as we booked on our own., no TA.  A detailed email would have been nice.  We leave in a week.  
 

I appreciate the packing advice from this thread and this has altered what we were planning to take for daytime.  

[Paula_MacFan]

16 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

They give a rough outline as to what you’re doing each day and how long the tour lasts but no more of a timeline than that. No time to meet. No details.  We get that all upon arrival in Alaska.  Extra excursions are purchased on arrival but I did find what they offer so we could decide before. We don’t know ahead of time what we’ll be near for meals although we purchase those as we go.  I have figured out on my own the train times as there is only one and it has it own website.  We are hoping to catch the Denali free shuttle to do the dogs and maybe the 2 mile hike on our own but it depends on when Royal gets us there and leaves. 

 

  I understand Princess is a well oiled machine.  We’ve done trips with Viking and they have also provided a lot of detail before hand. Transfers from Fairbanks airport is included but since we are flying in a day ahead that doesn’t include us.  We had the same issue with Viking though for that. They will get us to the ship.  
 

I’m not really complaining but more pre trip communication would have been helpful.  I had to search for what I’ve found as we booked on our own., no TA.  A detailed email would have been nice.  We leave in a week.  
 

I appreciate the packing advice from this thread and this has altered what we were planning to take for daytime.  

Ugh -- I am a planner and I would hate that!  If I couldn't know those details in advance I wouldn't do it.  But that's just me 🙂  Good luck with your trip!

 

Edit to say I also think it's crazy that you can't book excursions until arrival.  Some outdoor activities need appropriate gear -- I want to know what to pack.  

Edited July 6, 2023 by Paula_MacFan

[Arkiepig]

I’m thinking about cancelling my RC cruisetour for August 2024 and plan it on my own.    The lack of information is concerning to me.   I don’t feel like I really understand what I am signed up for.    My travel agent hasn’t provided more details either.   

[cruiselvr04]

13 hours ago, Arkiepig said:

I’m thinking about cancelling my RC cruisetour for August 2024 and plan it on my own.    The lack of information is concerning to me.   I don’t feel like I really understand what I am signed up for.    My travel agent hasn’t provided more details either.   

In hindsight we could have gone with Viking 10 night plus add on land 6 night for less then 4K more.  It might have been worth it.  We actually had one booked and backed out with a $200 penalty.  

We got no info until about 3 weeks prior which was buried in our cruise docs in the cruise planner. In there it includes a rough outline of what we do everyday.  I found the optional excursions buried on the website and book marked them months ago.  I did get emails multiple times with offers to back out as they were overbooked on the land portion.  Our airfare is non refundable so that wasn’t an option.  
 

We are committed now of course and I’m sure it will all work out.  I haven’t heard of any terrible trip reports.  As a planner though the lack of information has been hard. We had considered DIY to save money but at the time we were both working full time and just didn’t have the time and energy to put into planning. DIY pretty much has to be done a year in advance.  

 

[ngrund]

15 hours ago, Arkiepig said:

I’m thinking about cancelling my RC cruisetour for August 2024 and plan it on my own.    The lack of information is concerning to me.   I don’t feel like I really understand what I am signed up for.    My travel agent hasn’t provided more details either.   

what details do you need that aren't here?

 

https://www.royalcaribbeancruisetours.com/cruisetours/alaska/#2024_1A

[AKStafford]

16 hours ago, Arkiepig said:

I’m thinking about cancelling my RC cruisetour for August 2024 and plan it on my own.    The lack of information is concerning to me.

Just my opinion, but I think DIY is a better way to see Southcentral & Interior Alaska. Rent a car and you can choose what you want to do, where you want to stay, what you want to eat and move at your own pace. It's pretty easy to plan, Alaska is pretty simple. You'll get help here, and you can also do some research over at the TripAdvisor Forum for Alaska travel: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

[Arkiepig]

7 hours ago, ngrund said:

what details do you need that aren't here?

 

https://www.royalcaribbeancruisetours.com/cruisetours/alaska/#2024_1A

That’s all the information we have until we check into the hotel at Anchorage.   No arrival/departure times, no information or pricing for optional excursions.   I want to be able to budget for the excursions and know what they are.   What excursions I do in Denali and Talkeetna will impact the excursions I plan during the cruise.  
 

I just don’t understand the lack of transparency with the cruisetour.   Very different than the cruise.
 

 

[ngrund]

14 minutes ago, Arkiepig said:

That’s all the information we have until we check into the hotel at Anchorage.   No arrival/departure times, no information or pricing for optional excursions.   I want to be able to budget for the excursions and know what they are.   What excursions I do in Denali and Talkeetna will impact the excursions I plan during the cruise.  
 

I just don’t understand the lack of transparency with the cruisetour.   Very different than the cruise.
 

 

I understand, but you do have the times in general. These land tours are designed so you don't really need to have optional excursions. Not sure which one you are on, but I am on 1b.

 

Wed morning the train leaves about 8AM and doesn't get to Denali until about 4:30PM-Thurs we have the Natural History tour of Denali included, then bus to Talkeetna arriving 5:30PM, Friday bus into Anchorage for a bit, then they take us to the Wildlife Center, then to Seward to board ship.

[Arkiepig]

Thanks for the information-I appreciate it!

[Northern Aurora]

25 minutes ago, Arkiepig said:

.....
 

I just don’t understand the lack of transparency with the cruisetour.   Very different than the cruise.
 

 

 

Another Alaskan chiming in here -- I agree with @AKStafford.  I see those cruise line sponsored land tours and think that it is so easy to DIY.  Your cruise land tour is in August 2024.  There is time to organize a DIY trip.

[Arkiepig]

I am starting my research.  I am liking the idea of adding an extra night in Denali and  a night in Seward so we can do a boat tour of Kenai Fjords.