How to add land travel to Alaskan cruise?

[Surgie2]

Since Disney cruises are RT rather than one way as some other cruise lines, do people just start all over in Vancouver to begin a land vacation? Looking to add a trip to Denali to a 2022 cruise so not sure where to begin with planning (multi generation family trip...not sure all will want land travel after the cruise but some do so I’m trying to gather options and cost estimates for the land portion.

 

[Dug720]

Since Disney cruises are RT rather than one way as some other cruise lines, do people just start all over in Vancouver to begin a land vacation? Looking to add a trip to Denali to a 2022 cruise so not sure where to begin with planning (multi generation family trip...not sure all will want land travel after the cruise but some do so I’m trying to gather options and cost estimates for the land portion.

Several lines - RCCL and Princess I know, maybe HAL - have land-sea Alaska trips. If you want both, that is likely the way to go (and what most people who want land-sea Alaska) rather than Disney - especially to keep all the billing and details together.

 

[Surgie2]

Several lines - RCCL and Princess I know, maybe HAL - have land-sea Alaska trips. If you want both, that is likely the way to go (and what most people who want land-sea Alaska) rather than Disney - especially to keep all the billing and details together.

Yes, when we did a Celebrity cruise a few years ago, they offered a (very expensive) land package after the cruise. We didn't have the vacation time to add anything on then so we did the cruise only. I have always been a DIY traveler so I'm happy to put the time into planning the land portion in order to save money and to have the flexibility being on your own gives. And I know DCL is definitely not the most cost effective or "best" way to cruise Alaska but that's what we are going on.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Adventures By Disney does Cruise Add-ons for Alaska Cruises you could look into.
https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/north-america/7-night-alaskan-cruise/

 

[lilsonicfan]

Princess might be worth looking into, if you’re not set on DCL. They have lodges all over Alaska and their land/sea trips look amazing (and not insanely priced).

I don’t think most DCL Alaskan cruisers turn around and go back to Alaska after arriving in Vancouver. It would be quite pricey to do so with the airfare, plus, very few non-stop flights if any from Vancouver to Anchorage etc.

 

[AngelDisney]

When we sailed with Disney to Alaska in 2015, we stopped at Banff then Vancouver. Banff was beautiful and we would love to return for another trip in the future. If Disney offers a one way cruise to Alaska, we would like to do a land vacation in other Alaskan cities as well. However it’s not the case for now. Perhaps visiting other cities in Canada can be an add-on to the cruise unless your heart is set on only Alaskan cities.

Have fun planning!

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

We did the land and sea with Royal. The best part about the trip was what took place on land. Otherwise the sea portion was a bunch of shopping areas with no real history of Alaska. We saw Denali, we saw part of the pipeline. We took a plane over the arctic circle into coldfoot where there was a population of 25. We took several trains and saw the most beautiful land in my life. Do the land package.

 

[Surgie2]

We did the land and sea with Royal. The best part about the trip was what took place on land. Otherwise the sea portion was a bunch of shopping areas with no real history of Alaska. We saw Denali, we saw part of the pipeline. We took a plane over the arctic circle into coldfoot where there was a population of 25. We took several trains and saw the most beautiful land in my life. Do the land package.

I am beginning to think DCL is not for us for Alaska. but also Our kids and grandkids really want to do a Disney cruise. They also want to go to Alaska. I thought this would be a great way to do both. But the one-way cruise is so much more conducive to following it with a land tour - either through the ship or on our own. Of course I can't see beyond 2020 so who knows if DCL will offer a one-way when we are ready to book.

 

[kaseyC]

I am beginning to think DCL is not for us for Alaska. but also Our kids and grandkids really want to do a Disney cruise. They also want to go to Alaska. I thought this would be a great way to do both. But the one-way cruise is so much more conducive to following it with a land tour - either through the ship or on our own. Of course I can't see beyond 2020 so who knows if DCL will offer a one-way when we are ready to book.

Adventures by Disney offers a full Alaska land tour (not just the cruise add on). That will give your kids and grandkids a bit of Disney with their Alaska vacation.
https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/north-america/alaska-vacations/

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I don't think Disney has the port agreements they'd need to run a one-way Vancouver to an Alaskan port (and return). It's one thing to dock as a port of call, it's quite another to do a full turnaround of the ship and reload with new passengers.

 

[gatordoc]

On our DCL Alaska cruise, we flew into Anchorage a week before the cruise. Stayed a night, then embarked on a package tour we booked with the Alaska Railroad that included the train to Denali, two nights in Denali, and the train back to Anchorage. The train was fantastic, with great views, and food was included. The accommodations in Denali were good, and we were able to do quite a bit of sightseeing, including the bus tour all through the park and flightseeing around the mountain.
We then flew from Anchorage to Vancouver, we we spent a few fabulous days before boarding the Wonder for our 7-night cruise. After returning, we flew home from Vancouver.
It's a trip I'd highly recommend. There are some other areas in Alaska we'd like to visit if we ever return, but I feel like this really gave us some great highlights.