Amazing Review of Alaska from a Client!

When clients return from a trip and tell you it was the absolute best vacation they have ever taken, you know you’ve helped create something truly special.

I recently helped a wonderful family plan their dream Alaskan adventure. They experienced the ultimate Princess Cruises Land and Sea Cruisetour, journeying from the heart of the wilderness in Fairbanks down to the breathtaking waters of Glacier Bay.

Here is a look at their unforgettable journey - in their own words - along with the insider details that made it a seamless success.

"First, let me say that, by all accounts, this was the best vacation we have ever taken! Alaska is breathtakingly beautiful. Words simply cannot describe the magnificent views we experienced."

Many travelers wonder whether to cruise first or do the land portion first. I always recommend land first, and our clients agreed! Doing the busy land touring while your energy is high allows you to completely unwind on the ship during the second week.

Their land adventure kicked off with immersive local excursions and incredible weather that completely defied expectations. In Fairbanks, the family stepped back into gold rush history and experienced Alaska's seamlessly choreographed tours.
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Only about 30% of visitors to Denali National Park ever get to see the summit of the mountain due to persistent cloud cover. Our clients got to join this exclusive club! ​

"Right at the perfect moment, the clouds parted to reveal a magnificent view of Denali's southern peak." 

From the park shuttle, they spotted grizzly bears, elk, and caribou. The bus's interior TV screens allowed the driver to zoom in with a camera so the whole family got a crystal clear, close up look.

After days of exploring, the scenic train ride to the McKinley lodge offered the perfect chance to rest. The family enjoyed a completely free day in the charming town of Talkeetna, eating lunch while listening to local musicians and doing a quick refresh of laundry before heading to the ship.

"Vanessa, our tour guide, was absolutely fantastic. She kept us apprised of every activity, made advance reservations so we could experience the best restaurants, secured great rooms and had them ready at each stop so we didn't have to wait, and was just an all-around wonderful person."

After a week on land, it was time to board the Princess cruise ship for unmatched ocean views, massive glaciers, and coastal wildlife.

The absolute highlight of the cruise portion took place right from their own private stateroom balcony in Glacier Bay National Park. They spent the day surrounded by towering ice walls, soaring eagles, and playing sea otters.

• Insider Tip for Next Time: Princess offers a specialized excursion where a smaller sightseeing boat meets the cruise ship in the bay to take you right up to the face of the glacier wall. It fills up incredibly fast, so booking early is essential!

At Icy Strait Point, the family checked off two major bucket-list items in a single day: watching a giant brown grizzly bear feed on salmon right out of a stream, followed by a spectacular whale-watching session.​

​"From the time I checked my bags at Newark until the time we returned home, I did not lift a single suitcase. Princess handled all that grunt work seamlessly—from lodge to lodge, lodge to cruise ship, and cruise ship to the Vancouver airport."

Pro Packing Tips from Our Clients
Living out of a suitcase on a multi-stop land tour can be tricky. Our clients shared two genius pieces of advice for anyone planning this trip:
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1. Split Your Bags Early: Princess allows you to designate certain bags to go straight to the cruise ship. Pack your formal wear, dress shoes, and swimwear in those bags so you don't have to lug them through the wilderness lodges. Keep your casual clothes, jeans, and layers with you for the land tour.
   
   
2. Use Daily Packing Cubes: To avoid digging through suitcases every morning, use packing cubes or vacuum bags to group individual daily outfits together (socks, underwear, pants, and shirts).

Ready to Write Your Own Alaskan Story?

Alaska is a vast wilderness, and planning a seamless land-and-sea itinerary requires matching the right lodges, trains, and cruise lines to your family's style.

Whether you want to pan for gold, watch grizzlies in the wild, or view glaciers from your private balcony, I handle all the logistics so you don't have to lift a single suitcase.

Read the full review here:
First, let me say that, by all accounts, this was the best vacation we have ever taken! Alaska is breathtakingly beautiful. Words simply cannot describe the magnificent views we experienced.

The weather was exceptional. We had just one day of rain, with all the others ranging from partly cloudy to clear blue, sunny skies. From what we heard from the tour guides, this type of weather was almost unheard of for the season. Most of the time, we wore just light pants and a long-sleeve shirt, and some days even that was too much. At one stop, we actually had to buy T-shirts! I certainly never used the hats and gloves we packed but was glad we had them if needed.
Princess was a great choice. From the time I checked my bags at Newark until the time we returned home, I did not lift a single suitcase. Princess handled all that grunt work seamlessly—from lodge to lodge, lodge to cruise ship, and cruise ship to the Vancouver airport.

The lodges themselves were all good choices. After Fairbanks, they became more spread out, so there was a bit of walking to get around, but nothing too extreme. Denali and McKinley definitely had more of a lodge atmosphere, with outdoor fire pits and live music at night.

Olivia made a friend on the first or second day, a girl from Connecticut. They quickly became best pals and were inseparable throughout the land tour and cruise. We even ended up on the same plane going home.

The land tour excursions were really great. After such a long flight and getting in after 1 a.m. New York time, that first excursion at 9 a.m. was a bit early, but we managed.

Vanessa, our tour guide, was absolutely fantastic. She kept us apprised of every activity, made advance reservations so we could experience the best restaurants, secured great rooms and had them ready at each stop so we didn't have to wait, and was just an all-around wonderful person. We traveled with the same group of about 45 guests, so the buses were never overcrowded and we got to know our fellow travelers a bit along the way.

The Gold Dredge was informative, and we even got to pan for actual gold. Olivia got $19 worth of gold flecks, I got $9, and Lynn found $3. They don't buy the gold back from you, so I'm not sure how much faith I put in those values, but they will conveniently sell you a locket to hold your gold. Olivia now has a locket!

The second part of that excursion was the riverboat, and it was amazing how well choreographed the entire tour was. As we navigated the river, the tour guide interacted with people and attractions along the shore. We could clearly hear what was being said and see on the screens whatever was being explained. They even talked with the pilot of a small seaplane as he took off and landed right next to the boat, and the whole thing was seamless.

A stop on shore allowed us to see sled dogs up close, visit a small Alaskan village, and see a beautiful Native Alaskan fur coat valued at more than $35,000.

The Denali Park excursion was also really good. We got to see bears, elk, caribou, and even had a great view of Denali itself. Even on clear days, the mountain can be obscured by high-level clouds, but at just the right time the clouds parted and revealed a magnificent view of the southern peak. We were told it was quite rare to actually see it.
The park requires visitors to use school buses, so the comfort level was a little lower than on the larger motor coaches, but it wasn't too bad. The buses did have TV screens, so whenever we encountered wildlife, the driver/guide could zoom in with a camera and show everyone a close-up on the screens.

For me, the train ride to McKinley was a nice treat. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife, but it was a great opportunity to relax and take in the scenery. It was a very enjoyable ride, and I was actually sorry when it came to an end.
It was also nice not to have any scheduled excursions in McKinley. We got a chance to do some laundry and take the shuttle into Talkeetna, where we had lunch while listening to local musicians. It was a very relaxing day.

At the lodges, we met people traveling in the opposite direction who had done the cruise first and were now doing the land tour. I think it was a good call to do the land portion first. Everyone going the other way looked and sounded exhausted—and looking back, I can understand why.

The highlight of the entire trip has to be the views from my balcony in Glacier Bay National Park. Absolutely stunning views of the mountains and glaciers, along with numerous eagles and otters. My only regret was not being on the excursion that went right up to the glacier wall. I don't remember seeing this excursion offered by Princess when I was booking. Perhaps it was already full or was offered through a third party, but two small sightseeing boats pulled up alongside the ship, picked up passengers, and took them right up to the face of the glacier. I was definitely envious!

Another highlight was our Icy Strait Point excursions. We got to see a brown grizzly bear up close, feeding on salmon right out of a stream, followed by numerous whales. That was an incredible experience.

Juneau had both a heat advisory and a flood warning while we were there, so access to the Mendenhall Glacier was limited. It was still beautiful, although we had to view it from a distance.

One thing I learned from the trip was to specifically pack one suitcase just for the cruise. The land tour is very casual, with jeans, T-shirts, and shorts being the norm. Keep your warm and rain clothing with you, but there's no need to lug around dress shoes, evening wear, bathing suits, and other things you won't need until the cruise. Princess will actually send designated bags directly to the ship, so you don't have to see them again until you're onboard. Even though Princess is doing the actual lugging, you still have to step over those extra suitcases at every stop!

I would also be a little smarter about packing for the land-tour portion. Living out of a suitcase is a pain. If I were doing it again, I think I would use vacuum packing bags or packing cubes to organize individual days—socks, underwear, pants, and a first-layer shirt together. Then I would keep additional layers in a separate, general-use cube. That way, instead of searching through multiple suitcases every morning looking for clothes to wear, you could simply grab that day's clothes, add whatever extra layers the weather required, and be ready to go.
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Overall, it was an incredible trip. Between the scenery, wildlife, excursions, lodges, cruise, and some unbelievably good weather, Alaska exceeded our expectations. It truly was the best vacation we've ever taken.