Grand Alaska report
We did the Grand Alaska tour in May 23. We can't say enough about the marvelous tour director, Michael Furillo. The land journey week was exceptional. We were early in the touring year so the weather was sometimes chilly. I bought one of the fleece lined rain repellent jackets available at the Princess Lodges for...24.95. The help at the lodges were new and young people from all over the world so sometimes we had to be patient with service but they will be up to speed now! The buses are very comfortable and while traveling the tour director will keep you fascinated by his history knowledge and great sense of humor. Some people put a couple of "Tide pods" or a baggie of detergent in their luggage. At the resort, we had washing machines but not soap. We had enough clothing that we did not need the laundry. Your camera will be your best friend; the views are magnificent. If you are thinking of upgrading your iPhone this would be the time to do it. People share their photos on "WhatsApp" and the pictures taken with the iPhone 13 and 14's were amazing. We were not as impressed with Princess as a cruise line. This was the Grand Princess and I think one of the older ships. Our main complaint was the constant hawking of souvenir drink cups, the wine-tasting event, and the cocktail program. The cocktail program allowed for 15 drinks a day per person...you would miss Alaska if you drank that much! The food in the two specialty restaurants was wonderful and our tour included dinner in those two venues. Essentially the tour group stays pretty much together on the cruise so you are sort of a "cruise within a cruise"...Michael always had a space set aside for our dinners and we got to know each other as great travel mates and friends...Have a fabulous time!
Comments
Thank you for sharing your feedback about this trip. I have been concerned about the Princess experience. I am taking the June 24th trip.
I did not like the Princess experience, our least favorite Tauck tour.
Did this tour on Princess with Tauck several years ago and loved it. Michael Furillo was our guide and among the top 3 Tauck guides in our 24 tours.
Yes...Michael Furillo is amazing...he made the best out of the Princess experience. Princess is a C level line and Tauck is an A plus level trip so it is hard to combine them. That said, the rooms were lovely and the service staff top notch...skip the high tea...it is NOT a high tea.
Thank you so much for this review! We are also on the June 24 trip, Cordillera!
What does the $250 shipboard credit cover, ie drinks or drink pkg and/or wifi OR are these already included? Is it a $250 credit/person or per couple? Also when did you receive your Medalian app login info?
I heard the ship stays rather chilly. Did you find this to be true?
Question: are there USB ports for charging electronics in the hotel rooms?
USB ports in Denali Princess, not sure about Captain Cook hotel or McKinley princess hotel.
Agreed - Michael was a great tour director! He spends a lot of time learning the history of the areas we visited and establishing relationships with all the right contacts at each location which helps the trip run more smoothly. I did like that he set up optional dinner reservations for us as a group each night on the cruise. I was a little chilly in my balcony room on the cruise, but no issues with the temperature in any of the other indoor areas on the ship. Bring binoculars. I had a pair, but they weren't very good.
Goes to show how much difference a tour director makes. Just came off of the trip and had a director other than Michael. The history was almost non-existent, was craving for information that Tauck tours present. I will say no more, but it was the worst tour I have ever experienced. Been traveling my whole life.
Just completed the Grand Alaska tour and we were fortunate to have Michael Furillo. Mike is the best tour director we've had on our 20+ Tauck tours!
Mike Furillo was my first Tour Director, on the Treasures of the Aegean, Wind Star, tour when in included Istanbul, back in 2011. Mike’s Dad, Bud Furillo was a famous sportscaster in the LA area.
Just returned from the Aug 9-23 Grand Alaska. Ernst Mutchnick did an excellent job as Tour Director. Did a great job with the myriad daily details. The float plane and the jet boat excursions and Glacier Bay were great. Agree with earlier comment "Princess is a C level line and Tauck is an A plus level trip so it is hard to combine them". This was our first cruise ever, and our last. Just not our thing. The Princess McKinley lodge was pretty average: crowded, food issues. The Princess Denali and Copper River were better. Did laundry at these latter two, Tide pods are helpful. Sure easier than trying to cram 2 weeks of clothes into one large bag. Be sure to share pix on WhatsApp. The Denali Park Service bus now has view screens and an outside zoom camera that the driver can use to share wildlife with everybody, worked well. Ernst had reservations at various restaurants during the cruise, so the group stayed together. For formal nights, I was business casual, several men had jackets or suits. Did fine with just hiking shoes and nice Skechers that I wore with business casual. Saw no real need for athletic shoes too, so maybe can leave out if space is tight. Puffy lighter weight down coat should be fine, especially since can layer over with raincoat. Never used our umbrellas, but it can be very rainy. Had shorts but never warm enough to wear them. Really enjoyed all the great folks on our tour.