Princess Cruisetour Review 2022
MB6 13 Days Off The Beaten Path
Update: On May 30, 2022, Princess announced a negative COVID test is required before the Cruisetour.
I’m sitting on board the Majestic Princess docked in Whittier, Alaska. It’s about 5:30 pm Alaska time. We just finished a 6 night cruise tour and I couldn’t wait to share all the details with you even though it’s likely 9:30 pm on a Saturday where you are. We chose Princess cruise tour M because it offered 6 days on land and the chance to visit three of the Princess lodges and two national parks: Denali National Park and Wrangell St Elias - the largest national park in the USA.
If you are flying in, you'll meet your Princess transfer in baggage claim. You'll arrive at Captain Cook and check-in at the Princess tour desk.
If you are already in Anchorage, you can head to the Princess tour desk at Captain Cook. The entrance is on 5th Avenue.
We were already in Anchorage so we headed over to the Captain Cook around noon. We found the tour desk. We got our packet.
The welcome packet contained:
The welcome letter for this stay. This included our instructions for the stay at Captain Cook, instructions for our luggage, our itinerary for Day 2, and our meal vouchers because we pre-purchased the meal plan.
Join me onboard luggage tags - These tags go on bags you don't want to see until you get on the cruise.
Join me tonight luggage tags - These tags go on bags that will meet you at the next hotel.
MPL tag - This tag goes on bags that will meet you at the next hotel and specify what hotel that is. In our case, Mount McKinley lodge.
Usually, room keys will be in the packet, but we were too early. We went to the main lobby of the hotel and checked in our bags with the hotel's bell services.
Tips for Anchorage:
Make reservations for dinner: I recommend dinner reservations at the Glacier Brewhouse. It's a 5-minute walk from the hotel. The casual brewpub menu offers a lot of choices. If you want something more formal, make reservations at Simons & Seafort's Saloon & Grill. You will need reservations if you don't want to wait an hour to two hours for dinner.
Book a tour for the afternoon if you arrive in the morning or the night before: A tour is a great way to make the most of your time in Anchorage. We booked an excellent brewery tour with Big Swig Tours. We saw a lot of frustrated, tired people wandering around with maps. When you are tired from travel, but still want to see a city - I think the best thing you can do is let someone else guide you around,
Day 2 - Talkeetna, AK
Day 2 starts early because your luggage has to be ready to go at 6:00 am. Ours was picked up at 6:20 am so they are serious about it.
Our bus departure time was 8:30 am. A lot of people congregated right by the door. We found a long set of benches outdoors so we relaxed waiting for the bus. It was very organized. It was a short bus ride to the train station. We were assigned a train car and seats in the car. You go up a set of small, winding stairs to get to the dome car.
There is a lift for wheelchairs.
I don't think there's a "good side". Half the journey the right has more scenery. In the second half, the left has more scenery.
There were brochures on our seats including information about gifts that can be bought onboard the train. A bar was at the front of the car with a bartender checking in with each row. The crew will ask who wants breakfast. Then, they come back later to lead you down to the dining room. The first level of the train has the bathroom and dining room.
You order off a menu. If you pre-bought a meal plan or your cruisetour includes meals, you can order an entrée and a non -alcoholic beverage. I'll write more about the meal plan at the end of this post.
On the train, the crew will let you know which bus is yours to head to downtown Talkeetna.
When you arrive in downtown Talkeetna, you'll have the choice to stay in Talkeetna or head to the lodge. Mt McKinley Princess Lodge is an hour from downtown Talkeetna. The jet boat company where the bus parks offers luggage storage for $1 per bag for your backpacks. Your excursions will also leave from downtown. This will be outlined in the packet you were handed as you board the bus. Downtown Talkeetna is cute with some shops and restaurants.
Mt McKinley Lodge has a great view of Mt. Denali on a clear day. I was impressed with the state rangers and their programming. We took a nature walk and attended a presentation on climbing Denali. Both were very good. I wished we'd had one more night so we could do a day enjoying the activities and views at the lodge and a day for excursions and enjoying downtown Talkeetna. Take a tour:
Day 3 - Denali National Park
We left around 9:15 am with bags out at 7:00 am. The bus ride took about 3 hours. We arrived just after noon. The bus stops once to stretch your legs. The only bathroom available is on the bus. It's a very scenic drive with most of the scenery on the left of the bus.
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is large. Across the street is a plaza with several shops, restaurants, and tour companies. Take a peek:
Many of the private excursions still had availability. You can also easily walk down to Mt McKinley Chalet- Holland America's lodge for more restaurant options. The lodges also offer a shuttle between them. We enjoyed the outdoor dining at Karsten's at Mt. McKinley Chalet.
During our visit, the Grizzly Burger was still closed. They refinished the deck. Denali had double the amount of snow it usually gets this past winter.
You can also take the shuttle to the Denali National Park Visitors' Center. This is the starting point for all the trails. The Park offers a tour of the sled dog kennels with admission to the Park. Schedules and details are available at the Visitors' Center.
Day 4 - Denali National Park
All Princess cruisetours include a tour in Denali National. Park. This cruisetour included the Denali Natural History Tour. Our assigned time was 6:30 am. Be sure to pack your binoculars.
We boarded the infamous "school buses" and were pleasantly surprised to find actual seats.
The green shuttle buses that transfer you around the park still have bench seats. The tan buses used for the tours have been retrofitted with bus seats.
The tour started with an 18-minute video of the history of Denali National Park. This tour was modified to go to Mile 17 due to some road issues. The tour had a bathroom stop halfway through and we could walk a short trail at the original Savage Camp. Then we went to Primrose Ridge for a scenic overlook and a short talk from a native interpreter. The park was still snow-covered during our visit.
We were able to see some birds up close, a relatively close caribou, and a couple of moose very far away.
We returned to the Lodge around 10:45 am. You have the option when you book to upgrade to a Tundra tour. This is a longer tour that goes further into the park and includes a box lunch.
For our visit to Denali, many tours were canceled because the snow had not melted. Denali got twice the amount of snow it usually gets this winter.
Day 5 - Copper River
Another early day. Bags had to be out by 6:00 am. The bus pick-up was at 7:15 am. This is a very long day. You'll travel north to Fairbanks, through Delta Junction, and down into the Copper River area. We left at 7:30 am and arrived at Copper River Lodge at 5:30 pm due to road construction. The drive is very scenic. The route follows the Alyeska Pipeline. We watched a movie on the bus about the pipeline. I was very excited when our first stop was the Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska. It has a great gift shop, a 40-foot-tall Santa, and a coffee/sweets shop.
Lunch was at a local drive-in burger place in Delta Junction. It had a good menu with options for beef, bison, seafood, and chicken. It also has ice cream. We had about an hour there. It is cash only.
We stopped two more times on the way down to Copper River. The last two stops were scenic stops. One had a simple rest stop bathroom.
Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge is much smaller than the other two lodges - only 85 rooms. It has one restaurant and a bar/grill for more informal dining and lunch. Take a peek:
A 1.5-mile trail circles the lodge. The Lodge offers a shuttle for $5 to downtown Copper Center and the visitor's center for Wrangell St Elias National Park.
I highly recommend completing your COVID testing upon arrival if still required and if that timing meets the current requirements. Testing took place in a conference room on the Mezzanine. We got our email around 10 pm. People in our tour group did test positive. They were immediately quarantined at the Lodge. The next morning they transfer to Anchorage to complete a 5-day quarantine and then fly home.
Day 6 - Copper River on your own
I recommend an excursion for the day on your own. We did the 2-hour UTV tour. We spent about two hours at the Wrangell St Elias visitor's center. We looked at the exhibits, watched the movie, and walked the trails around the visitor's center. We spent about an hour walking the trails around the lodge.
Your bags will need to put placed outside your room by 10 pm. You should print your luggage tags at home. Take the luggage tags you printed down to the front desk. They will staple it to another luggage tag you can easily place on your bag.
Day 7 - Transfer to Whittier
The views on this day are amazing. The bus left at 7:30 am. We needed to be in Valdez by 10 am. We had one stop at a waterfall. The stops do not have bathrooms on this route so you'll use the bus bathroom if needed. The views on this drive are terrific.
We arrived in Valdez and boarded the boat to Whittier.
It's more of a shuttle than a sightseeing cruise, by the views are still great.
This would not duplicate a 26 glaciers sightseeing cruise if you are considering that for your time in Copper River. The seating was very comfortable.
The bathrooms were nice. A snack bar with beer and cocktails was available.
We docked right next to the ship.
We walked off the boat and right into the line to check-in. The check-in process took about 30 minutes.
Overall, I was very impressed with the tour’s organization. The luggage service was seamless. Getting the packets at arrival in each city worked very well. We had one snafu in Copper River getting our meal vouchers, but they fixed it right away. It's important to know wifi isn't widely available at the lodges. It's also good to know that if you go at the beginning of the season, staff are still training. A little patience goes a long way.
Meal Plan Analysis - I purchased the meal plan for $489. It included breakfast each morning and 5 dinners. Dinner in Anchorage is not included. I kept track of my bills. My dining checks totaled $488.15. I don't think the meal plan is a great value. I do think there is a great value in the convenience of it and having it all prepaid. Meals are expensive at the Lodges. At the Denali Lodge, you had other options across the street. At Copper River and Mt McKinley Lodge, you had fewer options. Here are the menus from the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge restaurant Two Rivers. The breakfast buffet is $20.99 per person. We opted for the buffet to make breakfast faster versus ordering a la carte. Dinner entrees were between $20 - $40.
Please let me know if you have any questions.