I'm having a hard time justifying ABD for Alaska (long story)...

[Bete]

I've been to Alaska before and I've seen what companies like Princess and Holland and others have to offer for what they call cruisetours which combines cruising and a land trip. I feel the costs are fair for what you get with them. Also, you can choose the tier level (like value, moderate and deluxe) you want to travel with them. Most excursion tours are costing extra with them, but you get to customize your tours (pick your own) to exactly what you want to. With ABD you have to follow their plan mostly.

I received my Disney catalog for 2009 for ABD and I just can't see the cost for Alaska being worth it. I know this is the first year for this destination with ABD; so, there's no reviews yet for this trip. I would love to hear from all who go there through Disney this year. We aren't going until 2011 and it will probably be a 3 week trip altogether. We will cruise for a week. There will be four of us going. I'm beginning to feel we may be better off pooling our money resources for extra land excursions for Fairbanks to Anchorage on our own. The Princess cruise tour will take us to some of the same places as Disney like Denali; so, we will know the lay of the land somewhat before doing anything on our own or with Disney for more land adventures there.

I noticed one special excursion with Disney on Alaska and that was a rafting trip to see glaciers up close. I find that to be a one of a kind experience and commend Disney for that tour; however, that one tour is not enough to justify the cost of their trip.

Princess Cruises have their own Alaskan Lodges which is really a big plus for me. They have a DVD they have recently done about the sights you see with them, too. You can only get this DVD by cruising with them or staying at their lodges. It's similiar to Disney having their own Cast-Away Island for their cruise to the Bahamas. It's a little more exclusive. Princess and Holland have guided cruisetours available, too which includes most of your meals even on the land portion.

I can see using Disney for the more exotic world destinations, but I'm having a hards time for Alaska. I do want to use them for the land tour of Alaska, but I need to hear more about what is special doing it that way.

I hope all of you who do this in 2009 will share their Disney experiences.

 

[tnkr mom]

thaks for posting; I'm jumping in.... We are thinking about Alaska for next year's vaca but also can't wrap my head around Disney prices compared to the others!! Very interested to see what DIS boards say!

 

[clarabelle]

I haven't been to Alaska or on an ABD yet -so take this with a grain of salt.
But consider the price of your cruise with excursions.
Just glancing at the Royal Caribbean website it looks like many of the Alaska excursions are 200-400 dollars per person. Some of that will already be included in your ABD.

 

[sayhello]

Well, since my Canadian Rockies ABD has been cancelled, I am now signed up for the Alaska ABD (but not until September). Rest assured, if I go, I will post a VERY DETAILED, picture-intensive Trip Report!

That said, I have also done a Cruisetour of Alaska with Princess. Everything you say about the Cruisetour is true (and a piece of advice, do the land portion of the Cruisetour *first*. It really works better that way! Get the running around done first, then RELAX on the cruise! We hear *much* complaining from people who did it the other way around!)

Anyways, Princess' Alaska Lodges are great. The one in Fairbanks was the most spotless hotel I've ever been in! And if you do the land portion that includes the Alaska Railroad, the Princess cars are to die for! Domed windows, spacious, nice seating, dining downstairs, etc.

That said, the experiences on the ABD tour seem to be very different from the ones I took on the Princess Cruise tour. In Denali, most Cruisetours put you on the 7-8 hour Tundra Wilderness tour or the 4-5 hour Natural History tour. (You cannot get into Denali National Park on your own; you must take their transportation). Both of these tours are bus tours; they do not involve any hiking. You get off the bus occassionally to walk around and look at things, but no "hiking". It sounds like ABD has actual hikes planned in Denali, so I'm really looking forward to that. Again, I'll let you know what I think when I get back.

Also, as you said, the rafting to the glaciers is something I think you'd only do on a small ship. I've never seen it offered as a cruise excursion on Princess or HAL.

It happens that the ABD does a couple of things that I did not get a chance to do on my Cruisetour, such as the cruise of the Kenai Fjords, the jet boating on the Nenana river and a salmon bake. You can certainly do those on a cruisetour, but I didn't. And these excursions can also be expensive on a Cruisetour, and are included on the ABD.

To me, it *is* similar to a cruisetour. It is costing me considerably less than my cruisetour, as I traveled solo on the cruisetour, and basically had to pay 100% extra for a "single supplement", whereas ABD only charges around 30%. Although you are talking 8 days (ABD) vs 13 days (Cruisetour), but the Cruise tour was twice as much as the ABD. And prices for Alaska cruises were CONSIDERABLY higher 3 years ago than they are today. The cruise industry is really hurting, and has SLASHED cruise prices lately. Don't necessarily expect next years' Cruisetours to be as cheap. It makes me cry when I see how much cheaper Alaska is compared to when I went!

Anyways, long answer. I'll let you know what I think when I get back!

Sayhello

 

[Bete]

Thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to your trip report.

If I was alone, I think I would go for it with ABD, as well.

I think one advantage may be smaller groups which I like better. The other is if you want to see Inland Alaska only this looks like a good way to go. Everyone doesn't have two or three weeks to go there for vacation. I believe Inland is the best way to see Alakska and this is an easy, no brainer way to do it. I did do some internet searches today and I found companies that specialize in this sort of thing, too. Disney is not the only one.

Also, I still think we could do better with pooling 4 peoples' monies and going off on our own which would be very customized for us and more personalized.

I'm not expecting costs to be the same a few years from now, either. I know this is a very good year to find bargains there.

Good luck on your trip and may you see many bears, whales, mooses, etc.

 

[sayhello]

Thanks for posting and I'm looking forward to your trip report.

If I was alone, I think I would go for it with ABD, as well.

I think one advantage may be smaller groups which I like better. The other is if you want to see Inland Alaska only this looks like a good way to go. Everyone doesn't have two or three weeks to go there for vacation. I believe Inland is the best way to see Alakska and this is an easy, no brainer way to do it. I did do some internet searches today and I found companies that specialize in this sort of thing, too. Disney is not the only one.

Also, I still think we could do better with pooling 4 peoples' monies and going off on our own which would be very customized for us and more personalized.

I'm not expecting costs to be the same a few years from now, either. I know this is a very good year to find bargains there.

This all makes sense. I totally agree that to really see Alaska, you have to go inland as well as coastal. And part of the ABD issue (vs things like a Cruisetour) is that you are paying per person, not per room, and it doesn't get cheaper the more people you have in a room, like cruising does. It makes a *lot* more sense for someone traveling alone.

Good luck on your trip and may you see many bears, whales, mooses, etc.

Thanks! Do you mean like this????

Sayhello