cruise to Alaska including Denali
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cruise to Alaska including Denali
We are seniors and wish to take a cruise to Alaska incuding a trip to Denali. Which cruise line is best? Princess ,Celebrity, Holland America or Royal Caribbean?
#2
Denali is several hundred miles inland from any cruise port. You should be looking at one way cruises to/from Alaska (from/to Vancouver BC to/from Whittier or Seward AK) then either sign up for a cruise tour inland to Denali, or do the trip to Denali on your own.
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Holland America has the license to cruise into Glacier Bay which is a highlight of the cruise.
I would do the northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward, and from there go to Denali.
In Seward, it is very expensive to rent a car. But you can take a scenic bus tour to Anchorage Airport, rent a car there and drive to Denali. Or you can take the train.
Or you join the excursion of the cruise company (if you feel the need to burn $$$).
I would do the northbound cruise from Vancouver to Seward, and from there go to Denali.
In Seward, it is very expensive to rent a car. But you can take a scenic bus tour to Anchorage Airport, rent a car there and drive to Denali. Or you can take the train.
Or you join the excursion of the cruise company (if you feel the need to burn $$$).
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When my mother went, she took the train and sat in the scenic car. She booked this trip through Carnival, and it was expensive. However, you can book these trips yourself. The difficulty can be availability. The cruise lines book a lot of the train seats and hotel rooms for their guests, so there aren't always a lot of options open to others.
FYI: Carnival owns Holland America, which owns Princess; while Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity. This means that the tour parts of the sister cruise lines are the same.
However, I think the point about Holland America and Glacier Bay is well taken. There is a difference in the kinds of ships and itineraries each line offers, even those that are owned by the same parent company. Holland America and Princess have the most history of Alaska cruising, and therefore have some of the best infrastructure.
FYI: Carnival owns Holland America, which owns Princess; while Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity. This means that the tour parts of the sister cruise lines are the same.
However, I think the point about Holland America and Glacier Bay is well taken. There is a difference in the kinds of ships and itineraries each line offers, even those that are owned by the same parent company. Holland America and Princess have the most history of Alaska cruising, and therefore have some of the best infrastructure.
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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The train from Seward to Anchorage is very scenic. I highly recommend it. We did the land portion on our own-even camped out. Took the train from Anchorage to Seward and cruised back to Vancouver from there. Ready to go again!
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RandyK
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