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Alaska Cruise Travel Question

stonebroke

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We are taking an Alaskan Cruise Tour this coming August. I am looking at purchasing the airline tickets that will get us to and from since we start in Vancouver B.C. and end in Anchorage. The question has to do with the end of the cruise. It says the tour (after visiting Fairbanks, Denali, etc) ends up in Anchorage August 18 and 19th. - Looking at airline tickets out of anchorage most of them seem to depart in the middle of the night and the one that leaves in the afternoon doesn't get me home until the next morning. Is that last day (in this case the 19th) the deperature day and people just start leaving anytime after the end of the activities day on the 18th?
 

beejaybeeohio

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You might want to pose your question on CruiseCritic-join so you can post there. There are 2 threads that would be helpful-under your cruiseline and in the Ports of Call Alaska. Also, once you are a member, you can join your sailing's "Roll Call"- a great way to get to know others onboard with you, sign up for a ship-sponsored meetngreet gathering, and learn about non-ship sponsored shore excursions.
 

Timeshare Von

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If you're going to Fairbanks & Denali, that would actually be a land tour and not the actual cruise. I am assuming you purchased the added land component and you will be tied to their scheduling which they should be able to give you specifics in terms of when you get into Anchorage.

FYI the termination of the sea portion of your cruise will have you landing and most likelly starting your land tour from either Seward or Whittier as Anchorage proper does not dock the cruiseliners.
 

Art

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The OP really needs to read the cruise and tour description and timetable. It would be rather presumptuous for anyone on this board to make suggestions if that information is not known.

I will say that we did a cruise tour which happened to arrive (c0nclude) in Anchorage around 8 PM. The tour was officially over, but the package included a hotel stay that night in Anchorage. It was up to the individual participants to schedule their flights home - a red eye that night, a regular flight the next day, or a flight several days later.

There is no right flying schedule to follow; it is just a matter of what meets the traveler's needs.

Art
 

stonebroke

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Land Tour Correct

Yes...it is a post Cruise Land Tour (but with the cruise company - Holland America). The itinerary (which I have looked at) isn't really clear and so I was soliciting advice here. It says we arrive in Anchorage (from Denali) on 18th and next day says Anchorage...but nothing more. So the tour is over...but I was wondering from other experience in leaving Anchorage if most of the flights are in the middle of the night or are we just buying late and getting those. The other choice is to leave in the afternoon but then the arrival is the next day (yes I also realize we are several timezones west). I did go sign up at cruise critic only to discover i had signed up years ago....no group yet formed for our trip.
 

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A middle of the night flight is likely an early AM flight East Coast time, and would get you in late on the day you leave. A daytime flight would be later in the day East Coast Time and probably wouldn't get home until after your airport shuts down for the night.

Check out Alaska Airlines, you should be able to find a timetable on their site.
 

Paumavista

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Really?....no rollcall yet?

I'm really surprised there is no rollcall group for your trip.....groups usually form a year or more ahead of time.... I know that Princess; RC; and Carnival groups are usually pretty active and certainly within 6 months of travel - but it really surprises me (you didn't say what date or ship you were traveling on so I couldn't check for you).

Make sure you are searching properly......Look under "BOARDS"; "Rollcalls"; Choose "Holland"; look for your ship; then look for the date of your trip. Also, make sure you are logged in properly (since this is a member feature)...it won't show ANY groups unless you're logged on.

Alaska was my favorite cruise!

Have a great trip.
 

Passepartout

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Whenever we have found 'difficult' air schedules to/from cruises, we have found that booking it through the cruise line's own air booking service got us the best schedules and lowest price. They have the experience. They know when/where passengers will be able to fly. They have the clout with the airlines of booking thousands of passengers a week.

Good Luck- I don't know that an Alaska cruise/tour is a life-changing experience, but it's sure worth seeing up close.

Jim
 

Art

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I'm really surprised there is no rollcall group for your trip.....groups usually form a year or more ahead of time.... I know that Princess; RC; and Carnival groups are usually pretty active and certainly within 6 months of travel - but it really surprises me (you didn't say what date or ship you were traveling on so I couldn't check for you).

Make sure you are searching properly......Look under "BOARDS"; "Rollcalls"; Choose "Holland"; look for your ship; then look for the date of your trip. Also, make sure you are logged in properly (since this is a member feature)...it won't show ANY groups unless you're logged on.

Alaska was my favorite cruise!

Have a great trip.

I am not surprised. For whatever reason, HAL cruisers do not participate in roll calls. On average, the HAL passenger cohort is older and less technically savvy.

We've done 3 HAL cruises, and the biggest roll call had 10 members and 50 posts. The Celebrity TA we are doing in December has 60+ people on the roll call already and over 1400 posts so far. On the other hand, based on the roll call, I assume that Nancy and I will be on a deserted ship when we go on the HAL Statendam to Alaska this coming August.

Art
 
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Art

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Whenever we have found 'difficult' air schedules to/from cruises, we have found that booking it through the cruise line's own air booking service got us the best schedules and lowest price. They have the experience. They know when/where passengers will be able to fly. They have the clout with the airlines of booking thousands of passengers a week.

Good Luck- I don't know that an Alaska cruise/tour is a life-changing experience, but it's sure worth seeing up close.

Jim

Jim

That works with Choice Air for the Royal, Celebrity and Azamara family of cruise lines. As far as I know, there is no equivalent for the Carnival family such as Princess, HAL and Costa.

Art
 

Passepartout

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Jim

That works with Choice Air for the Royal, Celebrity and Azamara family of cruise lines. As far as I know, there is no equivalent for the Carnival family such as Princess, HAL and Costa.

Art

I can't argue that. The last few years, we have pretty much been exclusive Celebrity cruisers- except a HAL Alaska route last Summer and we drove to Seattle and sponged off the DS's hospitality.

Sorry for getting up unreasonable hopes.

Jim
 

hvsteve1

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I just finished a 2 week Hawaii cruise on Oosterdam and, I agree, the roll call was only about 15 or so couples. But is WAS a quality group. :p And HAL is good about sponsoring a meet and mingle party for cruise critic members. The Oosterdam also keeps a "Cruise Critic" banner which we hang off the front of the ship and pose for a photo on the port cam located on a building across the street. Someone on CC records the photo off the cam for posterity.

I would also look into HALs air package. If you are gong to be on their busses and their hotels, they will probably work out the timing for the flight, maybe using an extra hotel night or dropping you at the airport at the correct time of day. I usually make my own air connections, but there is really no budget way to fly the open jawed flights to cruise between Vancouver and Anchorage. Cruise Critic does have a forum on cruise air as well as Alaska cruising and Holland America.
 
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