We booked the Denali Explorer (11 days). Got home last night 6/3/2013.The front end land package was exhausting, we were up & running to the bus to hit the road every morning before 8 am. Bussed ANC to Talkeentna, train to Denali at the start-- couple of days there, then bussed to Whittier to the dock. Beautiful! Denali Bluffs hotel sucked big time, rooms are tiny, dirty, food is repulsive. Premier Tours was mediocre at best. Cruise was fabulous, really great job by NCL. We booked a port balcony on return & view was spectacular.

Lessons learned: don't book land pkgs thru NCL, save a bunch & do it yourself. that's about 35-40% more plain & simple. You won't miss the ship if you book independently despite claims to the contrary.

Avoid shopping at stores on shore that are advertised by NCL, it's a series of kickbacks. Shop the locals who are independent of NCL. Aside from the irregularities discussed, enjoyable once we got on board, kudos to the crew, chefs, etc.