Seaturtlelady55

Greetings from Georgia...

I was hopng for guidance concerning shore excursions, the "must-see/must-do" variety. Do folks tend to book with the cruise line or is it cheaper to do this independently??

Also, what would you suggest for overnight in Anchorage, Denali, Mt. McKinley, and Fairbanks??

Finally, very concerned on how to get out of Fairbanks via airplane to get back to Atlanta without 3 or more stops!! I've only looked at Delta flights but no help there.

Thanks a bunch!
Seaturtlelady

John

If you book excursions independently, you run the risk of not making it back to your ship in time for sailing. If you book with the cruise line, the ship will wait if by chance you are late. I've done it both ways and I find that normally independent bookings are smaller groups and a little less expensive. I've never been "late" using them. Excursions booked through the ship are usually not very flexible but fine.
For more info go to Cruisecritic.com or click on cruises on this site.
For flights try Alaska Air to Seattle
Bon voyage

longhorn55

I've booked excursions both ways--independently and through the cruise ship. If the tour is going to be a local one where the chances of being back late to the ship are slim, then I book independently. Independent tours tend to be less expensive and more personal, so that's why I prefer them. However, if a tour is taking me some distance from where the ship is docked, then I choose to go with the ship's tour so that I don't risk being left behind due to traffic delays, etc. This happened just this summer on a Black Sea cruise. Our ship-sponsored tour was late returning to the port city, but we had no worries because we knew the ship would be waiting for us.

As John recommends, look at Cruisecritic.com. They have a LOT of good information on excursions of all types.

longhorn55

Also, have you checked sites such as Orbitz for flights? Choosing a random day in July, I see that Frontier, Delta, United and Alaska Airlines all offer 1-stop flights from Fairbanks to Atlanta. You can find a flight that suits you and then book on the airlines own website.

Seaturtlelady55

Wowwww...thanks guys for the pertinent info. Didn't think of either website! What was your favorite outdoor activity?? I want to see the wildlife up close, both in the sea and on land.

Oh, and did y'all book your cruise direct through the cruise line or use something like vacationstogo.com ???

Thanks again for all your help!
Seaturtlelady

longhorn55

I've booked my cruises both through a travel agent (not vacationstogo.com) and directly through the cruise line. There are pros and cons to both methods. The main "pro" for me was getting a discount from the travel agent. The main "con" was having to go through the travel agent whenever I wanted to change or add anything to my cruise. It was just an extra level that I found annoying. I find that I will only book through a travel agent when I get a significant discount.