What you need to know to make the best choice:

SOUTHBOUND ITINERARY: Choose a "southbound" itinerary (tour portion is first followed by the cruise) because air flight patterns are better for arrivals into Anchorage or Fairbanks with departures at the end of the trip out of Vancouver (or Seattle).  It has also been found that passengers enjoy the entire trip more by getting the harder, tour portion finished first and then relaxing on the cruise.  
          
FIRST TOUR NIGHT: Since it takes a full day of flying to get to Alaska, the first hotel night on the tour itinerary is only a sleep-over and wasted. Pay close attention to the second day's schedule. You want plenty of time for sightseeing rather than only a day of traveling to the next destination. If Fairbanks is first on your itinerary, choose a tour with a two-night stay.    
           
MEALS:  On most cruise-tours, meals ARE NOT INCLUDED on the tour portion, and food is very expensive in Alaska!  Make sure you budget accordingly.  
         
ESCORTED or HOSTED (tour portion only):  There is a BIG difference in the quality of the experience between a hosted tour and escorted tour. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise-tours are all escorted. They're more expensive, but in the end, the better value!

• ESCORTED:  A tour manager or director is with the group from beginning to end – recommended. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruise-tours are ALL escorted. 
• HOSTED:  A cruise line representative (host) is available along the way to offer help and guidance. Most Princess tours are HOSTED, however, they do offer a small selection of escorted tours.

MOST POPULAR ITINERARY:  The Mt. McKinley - Denali Corridor
The Mt. McKinley-Denali corridor with Fairbanks to the north and Anchorage to the south

is considered the heart of Alaska. To most folks, seeing Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, is most important. So all of the cruise lines plan their tour itineraries to maximize the time spent in this area - Denali National  Park. The best tour itineraries will have at least a 2-night stay. The Alaska Railroad connects these areas of primary interest. Denali National Park is so large that it has two distinct tourist-hotel areas: (1) northern entrance area, commonly called ‘Denali’ where you will find the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge; (2) Talkeetna, the town with closest proximity to and best views of Mt. McKinley. The Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is located close by.     

TRANSPORTATION: Choose a tour with at least one rail experience
       

• RAIL: The Alaska Railroad connects the corridor areas - Fairbanks-Denali-Anchorage - and is an attraction unto itself, ambling along the scenic route.  Surprising to some, each cruise line does not operate its own train in Alaska. Each company only has custom-designed rail cars, pulled behind the same Alaska Railroad Company train. In 2005, Princess began rail service between Whittier (ship port) and Denali (via Anchorage), allowing them to go seamlessly from ship to Denali in one day, albeit a very long, 8-hour day. Princess, therefore, can offer shorter tours with more nights in Denali. Dining in the cruise lines’ rail cars is an additional cost.
• MOTORCOACH:  You will find that many tours use motor coach in part or whole as transportation between the areas of interest. Make sure at least one rail experience is included.

SIGHTSEEING in Denali: Tundra Wilderness Tour or Natural History Tour
While most sightseeing excursions during your tour are options and not included in the tour price, one sightseeing excursion is included, either the Tundra Wilderness Tour or Natural History Tour. The superior and longer tour (about 6 hours) is the Tundra Wilderness Tour which you will find on many Celebrity and Royal Caribbean tours.  The shorter (about 3 hours) Natural History Tour is found on most Princess tours. All Denali Park sightseeing excursions are operated by the National Park Service and use re-constituted school buses - rugged but not comfortable. The engaging ranger-guides, though, make up for the lack of comfort with expert wildlife-spotting capabilities and wilderness stories. Whenever possible, choose an itinerary with the Tundra Wilderness sightseeing tour.

CAUTION:

    TRANSFERS: Make sure ALL transfers have been added to your booking, coordinated

    with your air and ship schedules, and paid in full. Cruise lines today usually offer

    transfers as an add-on option at an additional cost. Make sure you have transportation

    throughout the entire cruise-tour.

    AIRFARE and AIR SCHEDULES 

• The best air at the lowest rate: Because of what is called an "international open jaw" (Anchorage/Vancouver), it is usually less costly to use the cruise line’s air program than doing it through other sources. When using the cruise lines' air program, it is ALWAYS recommended to request their CUSTOM AIR PROGRAM (additional cost), allowing you the ability of selecting specific flights and securing seat assignments in advance. Each cruise line’s air program differs – consult your AAA travel agent.
• Forced hotel overnight: Because of limited air lift to/from Fairbanks, Anchorage and Vancouver, the cruise lines may require a forced hotel overnight before or after the trip – this is always an additional cost for passengers.
• Vancouver-Seattle: If your cruise begins or ends in Vancouver, the cruise lines reserve the right to substitute Seattle as the air arrival or departure city, which requires a 3-hour transfer between the cities (not an additional cost).   While the ride might be scenic, it's unnecessary if you use the cruise line's CUSTOM AIR PROGRAM.
  
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