Stealthdog

Late morning, we boarded the bus to Fairbanks. This was one weird experience. We got on about 10 minutes before departure and all the window seats were taken with all the aisle seats open. I guess people were either tired of talking to the people they were with or they thought it was going to be an empty bus and they would get a whole aisle to themselves. Either way, most couples and families seemed split up and sat with complete strangers. Was an awkward 2 hour drive, albeit quiet. But along the way……Moose!!!!!! We had a scheduled stop at Kenana. I don’t know if Princess has some kind of deal with them, but alot of buses were stopping there. There were a couple of small stores and we had about a 30 minute chance to get off the bus and reunite with those we were traveling with. I used this opportunity to get a root beer float (I have never had one before) - was quite the sugar rush! A short time later we loaded back onto the bus for a short ride to the Riverboat excursion that’s included in the tour.

The morning of our transport from Denali to Fairbanks, we stopped at Fannie Q’s Saloon to check out breakfast. They had a buffet style breakfast for $23/person. We poked our heads in there and saw some people we saw the day prior coughing and throat clearing, now handling the buffet utensils and just turned around and walked out without even saying anything to each other. 😂 The selection didn’t seem great for $23, so even if we didn’t care about the communal serving utensils covered in pestilence we probably wouldn’t have stayed anyways. Attached is the buffet sign from Fairbanks, but it looked similar with a few differences. A short walk across the street from the lodge we went again. We decided on the Black Bear Coffee House. Inside they had a large pastry section, fresh coffees, and a breakfast menu. We ended eating there a picked up few pastries to go for the ride to Fairbanks. The pastries were great, coffee had free refills, and the breakfast was ok. If we go back to the Denali lodge again, we’ll just grab breakfasts at Black Bear or River Run (lower level of Main Lodge). From Black Bear you can see the Princess Lodge (pic below).

Ok - caught up on sleep, all laundry is done, so time to finish this up! Second night at the Denali lodge we decided to go off lodge for dinner. There were 2-3 places we were interested in, but several staff at the lodge recommended Moose Aka’s and it was highly rated on tripadvisor, so off we went. it’s an Eastern European restaurant right across from the lodge, and they don’t take reservations so first come first serve. We had about a 5 minute wait while they cleaned off a table for us. It was a pretty good restaurant and I understand the hype. We got the Meze Platter (was half off with a bottle of wine), Meat Stuffed Pepper, Sarma, and Grandmothers Chocolate Cake. Everything was great - was just as good as the King Salmon Restaurant at less than half the price, and you are supporting a local business. I definitely recommend checking out this restaurant when at the Denali lodge. They also had 2 Serbian wines by the bottle to check out.

In transit and almost home (had red eye last night). Have a couple more Princess Denali Lodge posts, some Princess Fairbanks posts, still have a post for the casino and medallion on board, and will wrap up with some overview thoughts on both the cruise and land tour portions. Will try to wrap this thread up by the end of the weekend.

Someone was getting hangry and disagreeable and his name was not Eric. 😂

Our 2nd trail we took was the meadow view loop. We picked it up behind the Visitor Center and the trail takes you up a very steep incline (much more than the Horseshoe Lake) to some stunning views of the meadow with mountains in the background. It’s worth the effort. At the overlook there are some benches to sit down and take a break if needed, or enjoy the views. On the other side is an equally steep decline down and you hike parallel to a road that takes you to Visitor Center. Eventually we crossed the road and what do you think we saw? Moose! We finished the remaining short walk back to the Visitor Center and waited for the Princess Shuttle to arrive and bring us back to the lodge. The total time for the hike for us was 45 minutes. We could have lingered longer at the top.

The first trail we did was the Horseshoe Lake Trail. We took the longer way to get to the lake. The trail is easy to follow at the beginning - the sign posts help point you in the right direction. I think I saw a red fox in the area between the visitor center and the rail road tracks, but it went so fast I couldn’t get a picture. It definitely wasn’t a squirrel. Shortly after passing the railroad tracks you will come to some nice overlook areas of the lake below. The trail to the overlook isn’t difficult and mostly flat. Once you reach the overlook, you will have a steep decline down to the lake (that you will have to go up on the way back). At the base of the decline you will have a fork and need to choose to go around the lake clockwise or counterclockwise. We went counterclockwise and were soon rewarded with a large female moose sighting. She was about 30-40 yards off the trail, munching away and didn’t really care about our presence. After the moose encounter we got to the beaver dam area, but sadly no beaver sightings. We continued on and ran parallel to a river where we saw some animal dropping - too small for bear or moose, so not sure what it was. Continuing past the river, we looped back to the lake and the cliff side. We saw some some interesting cave-like structures and had some great views of the lake. Completing the loop with some wetlands to the right and the lake to the left, we walked on a path made of boards and were treated with an Eagle vs Crows and Gulls aerial show that went on for about 20-30 minutes with the eagle continuously getting chased away. This portion of the lake also had about a half dozen ducks. After the loop, we were tempted to go look for the moose again, but it was already 2 hours in and we had that big incline back to the overlook to climb. After 30 more minutes we were back to the visitor center and deciding on our 2nd trail. Not unique to the Horseshoe trail, but we saw wild blueberries everywhere. They are still in their flowering stage, but will probably start fruiting in the next couple weeks. There will be some happy hikers munching on blueberries in less than a month. Overall, took about 2.5 hours and the only difficult part was the climb down and up that leads to the river. Even if we didn’t see the moose, the Horseshoe Lake Trail is great for the beauty, sites, and tranquility. If you have a half day in the park and want to do a trail, this one was a nice one. Take your time and enjoy it.

Every line we have been on since COVID has been weak in the MDR. Food is always subjective. Just got off Majestic Princess and were not very impressed with the MDR - it was a little better than Royals MDR and a little worse than Disneys. On Celebrity we ate in Blu (or speciality dining) every night, so not an equivalent comparison to Princess MDR.

The back-to-back (some call it side-to-side) on different ships can be exhausting too. We did one last year - by the time we figured out the first ship and got to relaxing we were on the next and had to start all over again. I’d consider a longer sailing (10-12 days) or back to back on same ship.

For the afternoon of our full Denali Day we did two trails - the Horseshoe Lake trail and the Meadow View Trail - we took about 2.5 hours for the Horseshoe and about 45 minutes for the Meadow View. The trails in Denali are mostly easy to follow. Occasionally there are Wooden post signs at forks that give trail name, direction, and distance. There are times where you will come to a fork, or see a small trail lead off. Always stay on the main trail - it will always the bigger, wider, and probably clearly man-made compared to the smaller and usually dirt paths that lead off. You will probably see lots of people on the trails - if you don’t you probably wandered off the main trail. The next two posts will provide information and photos of the two trails we took. Lots of wildlife on both. Below is another general trail overview, some safety information they post, and an example of the sign posts you will see on the trails.

Here are all the posted information about the Park and Shuttles that can be found outside the National Park Visitor Center. Not sure what much of it is, but might be helpful for some planning - looks like good information if you are doing the Denali park on your own. And some looked like programs available for the next week - but gives a good idea of programs that may be available when you go to the Park.

The day after arrival in Princess Denali we wanted to do the complete day at the National Park. We didn’t have time for breakfast at the lodge so we picked up a couple of pastries to go at the River Run Expresso, which is in the lower level of the Main Lodge next to the gift shift (pic below). It was fairly quick and they will heat up the pastries if you want. It was a good option for a quick service. We got on the 830 shuttle from the lodge to the National Park because we wanted to go to the first dog showing. At the Visitor Center there will be a number of signs outside that post all of the shuttle information, presentation times, and other details about the park. The day we went, a naturalist was giving a guided tour on one of the trails (not sure which one), which may be a nice option for solo travelers, people in the park by themselves, or those who just want to participate in a guided tour. Inside the Visitor Center is a gift shop, museum, and help stations where park employees will give more maps, help develop your itinerary for the day, and answer any questions you want. The person helping us warned us that there were moose sightings at the Horseshoe Trail. Below is a 1 page snapshot of all the trails, distance, time it takes, and difficulty of the trail. I’m not sure how accurate the time information is - we took our time doing the Horseshoe and spent about 2.5 hours doing it, but the sheet says 1 hour. There are also seasonal pamphlets and general pamphlets that both include more detailed maps you can receive inside the Visitor Center.

First night in Denali lodge we had dinner at the King Salmon. We were lucky to get a 730 reservation. There weren’t any desirable reservation times on the 2nd night, and because we wanted to try on lodge one night and off lodge another night, we went with the King Salmon first night. it was really busy in the restaurant - almost every table was full even at 730-800, and it seats alot of people. The menu is very similar to the menus we saw at Kenai and McKinley, so it wasnt exciting. We shared the Scallop Caprese, I got the NY strip and Eric got the Salmon. It was an ok dinner, nothing great and the quality of food was fine. But, the prices approach prices you pay at a top end steakhouse at home…..depending on where home is - it is almost the price we pay at a high end steakhouse in DC or a good steakhouse near Disney in Orlando (aside - if you to Disney, the further away you go, the lower the prices are). Given the cost, it was a disappointing experience with just ok-good food - should be excellent or best ever for that price. Do yourself a favor in Denali - eat outside the lodge property. You will save yourself the hassle of not being able to eat at a time you want and save your pocketbook. I’ll repeat this sentiment in another post for our breakfast for our departure day. Unlike the other lodges, you will have a number of places to eat, that will be just as good and much cheaper, right outside the lodge. If you have vouchers because your landtour package includes food, call the restaurant ahead of time and make reservations. Don’t wait until you arrive - Princess Denali is just too busy.

All three lodges are much different from each other. The Denali lodge has a Caribbean resort feel to it (minus the heat and beaches) - there are many 2-story buildings that have the lodging rooms, 4 restaurants plus the coffee/pastry cafe on the property, several little shops, and little shuttles that will take you around the property. You will stay in hotel-like rooms at Denali, just like McKinley. Kenai was different with its cabin-like rooms. Just like all of the other lodges, you will get your welcome package with your keys, map, information, etc. On the information package will include a phone number to reach guest services. When we got to our room, it hadn’t been cleaned. There was a white powder all over the desk (was probably sugar…we hope) and the floor was dirty and clearly hadn’t been vacuumed. We texted guest services, so no need to physically go to the lodge and stand in line to guest services, and they sent someone to clean the room while we went to dinner. Below are pictures of what the room looks like, the lodge map and information, and some pics of the lodge. Denali was by far the biggest lodge, which also means more people and busier restaurants.

The Princess Denali provides free shuttles to the Denali Park Visitor Center (plus other stops in the Park) every 30 minutes and returns back to the lodge every thirty minutes. Below is the shuttle schedule. One of the major complimentary events the Park does is the Sled Dog Demonstration, 3 times a day. There is a Park Shuttle for the sled dog event at the same spot where the Princess shuttle drops you off in front of the Visitor Center. You will see a sign for the dog shuttle - this is where the line to board the dog shuttles will be. If you look at the Princess shuttle schedule the 3 times with the stars on the left are the recommended shuttles times to take to the Visitor Center to get the Park shuttle to the dog kennel. Once you get to the kennel a Park Ranger will give a overview of the rules with the dogs, rough timeline, and some additonal information. Try to get on the first dog shuttle from the Visitor Center to the kennels (there will be 3 or 4 buses) because that will give you more time with the dogs. Once you enter the kennel area, you will see dogs inside the rope and those behind the fences. Dogs will come up to you in both locations if they want you to pat/scratch/rub them. After some time with the dogs, you will move to a seating area will the rangers will give a presentation on the dogs and demonstration of the dogs pulling a wheeled cart. Once this is the complete, the Park shuttles will take you back to the Visitor Center, where you can stay at the park or wait for the Princess shuttle to bring you back to the lodge. The kennel and dog demonstration is worth it - highly recommend you take advantage of this free activity. You can visit the kennels without the Park shuttles and show - from the Visitor Center there will be sign posts you can follow to hike to the dog kennels.

Wow, do I alot of catch-up to do. We are in the for the night tonight, so have time. Tomorrow we are going to go to the North Pole and The Museum of the North before heading to the airport for an evening flight.

Looking at googlemaps and the photos I took, it looks like that is the place that has the wine sign in front of it.

Maybe. We didnt walk in that direction but I think I saw that name when we drove by on the bus. The one I saw had a big white sign in front that specifically advertised their wine selection. It was in the cluster of store across the from lodge and to the right. Having significant internet issues today - it’s taking a minute just to upload a page and don’t want to waste my battery, so will look through my photos again tonight.

Quick stop in Kenana and realize I didn’t include the photo with the wine store. It’s on the far right (photo take from in front of the lodge).

Our Denali Lodge portion is almost over and will be on the bus to the Princess Lodge Fairbanks soon. The Princess Denali lodge is the biggest of the 3 lodges we stayed at. It almost felt like a resort style lodge that you see in the Caribbean - sprawling areas for 2 story buildings for lodging, several restaurants on the property (pizzeria, a pub/saloon like place, and the nicer sit down restaurant) and several little shops. The lodge offers shuttle buses that will take around the lodge property - there are designated sites where you can get on and get off. There is also a shuttle to the “sister” property McKinley Chalet Resort, where additional restaurants, entertainment, and shops are. We did not go to that resort so don’t have information to share. Attached is the information and map of the property. Right across the street is a strip mall-like (or boardwalk like) row of shops, tours, and restaurants. I’m attaching some photos of the stores and googlemaps screenshots (many of the stores don’t show up on google maps). If you are staying on the resort a couple of days and want to do a tour or a excursion outside of the Princess, it looked like there were some options across the street. There is a stoplight and crosswalk right outside the lodge, so it’s really easy to get to the other side. @AJSkarbo the store to get bottles of wine is across the street to the right of the resort. You can’t see the sign in the photos but there is a white sign off the street that says they have the largest wine selection in Denali. I think it’s the one with the big white grocery and liquor sign, but we didn’t walk down there.

There is so much of Denali to break out, so I will create many Denali posts to better organize and make sure information doesn’t get lost. So far we have done the Dog show in Denali Park, 2 trails, took the shuttles, ate on the lodge property, and off the lodge property, so I’ll have alot of pictures, details on times for shuttles and shows, and some recommendations.

Denali absolutely. McKinnley I don’t think so. There is a fairly big area right across the lodge where you can shop, including a liquor shop. I’ll include that in a post tonight.

I’m going to do an all things internet post (ship, lodges, and transportation) when we get back home later this week. So far with the lodges McKinley seems to be the worst, Denali the best, and Kenai pretty good too.

After putting the luggage out the door for pickup, we had breakfast at the 20320 Alaskan Grill. I had the blueberry French toast and Eric got some egg meal that included Reindeer sausage (which was awesome, but not pictured below). Sadly, we enjoyed the breakfast at 20320 better than the dinner at the North Fork last night, for probably 1/4 the cost. After our designated meetup time in front of the lodge, we loaded onto a bus taking us to Talkeetna Railroad. There was much celebration on the bus when people realized the AC was working. At the Talkeetna station we had about 30 minutes of free time before the train arrived. There is a bathroom at the station and a little building that provided some tourist information. We were separated into different cars, and boarded the train once it was ready onto the 2nd floor (1st was the dining car). This portion had assigned seatings, but our train was only about 1/3 full so people were able to go to left and right to take pictures and look for wildlife. We could also go on the outdoor platforms between the cars like the a White Pass train. The train to Denali was very similar to the White Pass rail - you will see similar scenery, which is really pleasant. There is also a tour guide on the train that narrates some history and help point out some wildlife. The big difference between the Denali train and White Pass is we had a bartender on board (yay!!!!) and the White Pass had no alcohol. The train had electric outlets so you can charge your phones on board, but there is no Wi-Fi and for most of the trip there was no cell service. Along the Denali train we saw a lot of wildlife too - a handful of bears, swans and other birds, and another moose! So far, the train to Denali is one of the big highlights of the land tour portion.

We at dinner at the McKinley Lodge’s North Fork Restaurant. The food at the restaurant was ok, and we liked they there were some unique dishes on the menu, but generally the food wasn’t as good as the restaurant at Kenai’s restaurant. The stars of the evening were the Tavern Style Onion Soup and Crab Fritters. The Onion soup was on par with the MDR on the ship - it was a little salty but had some great flavors. Eric got the Halibut and was disappointed again by the amount of salt on the Halibut. The duck was ok - nothing great, nothing bad. We had the brownie for desert and it was pretty good. Overall, it was an ok meal but definitely not worth the cost. There were 3 choices for dining at McKinley - I would recommend looking at the cheaper options unless you see something on the North Forks menu you really want.