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Alaska DIY Land and SB Princess Star 9/8-9/15 Review - Destination Focus


Tippyton
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Consider ages, itinerary, time of year in some of my observations. Similar review focusing on Princess and the Star are posted on the Princess page. This focuses on Alaska and the ports and not the ship/line.

 

About us... I (53) and wife (48) travelling with her parents (early 70s). 1st time Princess for us. We have previously travelled HAL 1x with kids and family, NCL 1x just the 2 of us, and 7x Carnival with kids and family.

 

We travelled Alaska DIY Land for 5 days (Fairbanks, Denali,Anchorage), then Whittier to Vancouver on the Star Princess 9/8-9/15 (Whittier,Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sea Day, Vancouver), preceded by a DIY land tour. We had previously done a Seattle RT to Alaska on CCL about 10 years ago in late June. (Aside – we stayed at the Moore Hotel in Seattle previously. Great location and neat little older hotel. Recommend.) We chose SB due to the idea of cruising/relaxing on the back end vs the front end. Sage advice. The DIY portion was based off a lot of research.

 

We arrived Sept. 3 in Fairbanks at about 10:30 PM. We saw the northern lights during our approach to Fairbanks before we dropped below the clouds. We called our hotel shuttle and they showed up shortly after. (We booked a day inFairbanks due to travel times.) We stayed at the Wedgewood Resort which we booked ourselves. We chose it for the fact that they have a shuttle that will tootle you around town, and we did not want the expense of renting a car for our layover day. Additionally, they had multi-room suites which allowed us to book only one room vs. two. AND the suites had kitchens. A plus was the adjacent nature area.

 

September 5 was overcast with some light rain on and off and temps in the upper 40’s, low 50’s. We had breakfast buffet there at the hotel. A bit pricey but we filled up for the day. We got on the shuttle and the first stop wasthe Museum of the North at the U of Alaska. There was a $14 admission fee but it was a nice museum with quality exhibits. The shuttle runs its route hourly, so in an hour we got back on. Could have spent a little more time at the museum but oh well – we had al ate start to the day anyway. Second stop was the Fred Meyer shopping center. (I may have stop 2 and 3 backwards). We took advantage of the stop and decided to buy the wine for our cruise, and buy dinner to cook back at the hotel. It was cool so we weren’t worried about spoilage or anything. The downside was that we would have to lug a total of 6 bottles with us until we got on the ship. The cruise allowed two PP plus I added one as did the in-laws for the $15 corkage fee. That gave us 20% off on six bottles as well. The opportunities for buying were slim on our itinerary.

 

Next stop was Pioneer Park. In the afternoon there is an hour break in the shuttle service, which means we would be there for 2 hours. Unfortunately, Pioneer Park shuts down after Labor Day. There were a few shops open, and I found aknife shop with lots of really neat inventory. One advantage to an end-of-season trip is the discounts. Nobody wants to box and store inventory so shops were willing to bargain. I bought 3 knives that I am happy I purchased for a steal. We wandered the open shops at the Park, went over to where they have the Salmon Bake on various tours (smelled like a trap), had a cup of coffee. We also went to the air museum there for a small donation. Jam-packed building with lots of cool stuff. Worth the visit. We took our time and didn’t rush, and our bus pulled up as we got back to the front.

 

Downtown was the last stop. Various shops and restaurants, but it was close to 400 PM and nothing drew us to get off, so we stayed and got off back at the hotel complex. It was 5:00 by the time we settled. We made dinner and all went to bed early. I went to the nature trails and walked around. It was really pretty.

 

September 6 our shuttle provided by the hotel picked us upat 700 AM and took us to the train depot for our scheduled 8:30 departure. We booked our train and Denali hotel through Alaska Tour and Travel. Looking at the individual sites availability was not shown or guaranteed. AK T&T had many options at the stop cities for hotels, tours, etc. and were very helpful. They did not have Wedgewood on their list which we picked for the reasons mentioned. Anyway, we had booked the Gold Star Fairbanks-Denali-Anchorage. This options is the priciest, but gives youyour own seat on the top of the tallest cars (you see a lot more!!), a private open-air deck, 2 free cocktails per segment, sit-down meals, and complimentary other beverages. First class service all the way. Do not do the motorcoach, and do not do the train regular fare. You are spending the $$ to do all the other stuff that got you here – the upcharge is a bargain! I spent most of both segments on the open deck and loved every minute of it. Regarding the cars, the windows were spotless and allowed 360 degree visibility. The seats were very comfortable. There is no overhead storage on these cars, but we managed our backpacks. A very nice breakfast was served in the separate, designated diner car. Weather on this segment was partly cloudy and cool – low 50”s. It was evident that fall was underway and winter not far behind. The colors were gorgeous.

 

We arrived in Denali about 1230. We booked our hotel through AK T&T – the Denali Princess. Great property with agreat location. We got on the shuttle provided by the hotel. Our bags went separately and met us later in our rooms. After settling we went and had pizza at the Lynx Pizzeria. Good pizza. We shared a large. We took the hotel shuttle to pick up our Denali bus tickets ordered online in advance, and wandered around the visitor center. Dinner we went across the road and ate at a little hole-in-the wall called the Black Bear. Had avocado toast with an egg and it was good. The others had the fish and chips and were disappointed. Also wandered the stores around. After getting to the hotel we pre-ordered a box lunch for the morning. At $14 was pricey but eliminated a logistics issue with other options. We also mailed the 3 knives to ourselves back home (from the hotel gift shop) as we were concerned about getting them on the ship.

 

Thursday we were up early to take the 630 shuttle to the park to get in line for our 730 departure. We ate a quick snack at the coffee shop in the hotel and picked up ourlunches there. Weather was still overcast with on and off spits of light rain, and temps in the upper 40’s. Saw 2 moose on the way in. When we got to the Denali transit bus depot we bought coffee that we didn’t have earlier (trying to keep our bladders in check). We occupied the back of the bus which gave us a little room for our day packs, etc. The windows on the bus were clean and did not fog up at all. We took the un-narrated bus option, however, our driver spoke far more than we expected, and we took care of him in the end. He was helping spot for wildlife the whole time and answered any questions people had. On the way to Eielson there were three scheduled stops – two had toilets, one was a scenic overlook. The sky was gray and overcast, fresh snow higher up, and a palette of colors from the vegetation. Quite stunning in the immensity of it all. On the way we saw a few caribou, one nice and big, a lone grizzly eating berries, another lone grizzly going through the brush and giving us a show, a momma griz with a cub, another momma griz with two cubs, a juvenile wolf right on the road, and numerous Dall sheep. The stop at Eielson was about 30 minutes. Wow views. Temperature was about 40 degrees and the ceiling was dropping. By the time we headed back, it started torain. We saw the same mommas, one of the males again, and three moose. We just missed a big grizzly on the road per reports from the other busses. One of the mommas was rooting right next to the road though. Great show. We got back about 3:30 PM. but not after seeing three moose. After a little more walking around, we ate at the grill there at the hotel. Prices not terribly bad, food decent. While at dinnerI did some sleuthing, and calculated based on NPS data that only 0.05% of trips into the park are all “Big 5” animals seen in a single trip.

 

Friday morning we did some more fiddling and got on the10:30 AM bus to the depot, which is the same stop as the visitors center. We carted our bags over and got our train tickets, and took the extra time to take some pictures and walk a few of the trails. Weather was partly cloudy, breezy, and low 50’s temperature. Sun was out and it felt nice – 1st time we had really seen it so far. We boarded the train and headed south about 12:30. Train ride was wonderful again. Standing on the deck one could feel the temperature rising over time, and see the landscape change. Also, the clouds disappeared,and soon it was cloudless. We had not seen Denali at all up to this point. Then….there it was. Sticking out likea sore thumb. Before we even hit Talkeetna, we saw the entire mountain range, left to right, top to bottom. We heard that only 30% of visitors ever see the mountain, and only 10% of the time at that can you see the whole thing. A great trip on the train again. We pulled in Anchorage about 8:30 and got our bags and off to our hotel. We could still see Denali.

 

We booked the Anchorage Grand Hotel independently due to the location and cost (no car or cab needed) and proximity to dining, etc. It was a bit of a hike up a hill to getthere, but we made it. Sunny skies all day, no AC there, and we were actually sweating at this point. The hotel is older, no nonsense with quite large suites. Breakfast was yogurt, juice, granola bar, oatmeal, and apple delivered in a sack on your door. We cached our snacks and went and had a nice breakfast at a local café. Across from the hotel was a Farmer’s Market we didn’t expect. We killed the balance of the morning there and even bought a thing or two. We weres urprised by all the furriers in town. It was a beautiful day, temp in the high 50s, not a cloud in sight – could still see Denali.

 

At 1230 Saturday we were picked up at the hotel and taken to our coach for the trip. We had booked DIY in advance the ACT Big Bus. I think it cost us $48 PP and included a guide who narrated the whole time. We had a couple of photo stops on our way to Whittier. We also stopped at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage. Gate fee was included in our fare. We were there about 2 hours and got to see all of the different animals up close, including feeding some brown bears. Weather still absolutely gorgeous. Through the Whittier tunnel we went, andt here we were. There is not much to the town, and no real time even if there was. We departed on the ship about 830 PM. Of note, we had ATT coverage for a good spell cruising down the channel. Cell coverage for all the ports was good for us. In laws w/ Verizon had more issues.

 

Sunday we were travelling to Yakutat Bay for a 3:30 rendezvous with the Hubbard Glacier. This was astretch of open Gulf of Alaska water and it was….glass smooth. Again, 50’s and not a cloud in the sky. During the trek we were in eyesight of Mt. St. Elias and Mt. Logan – both around 18k feet tall. They were prominent on the horizon most of the day, as was the Malaspina Glacier, even though they were probably over 100 miles away. We arrived on time. Saw some sea lions and seals. We sat for about 3 hours at the glacier – the boat turned 180 degrees halfway through. At first rail space was almost fought for and selfishly preserved once gained (not us), but by the end there was plenty of space. I hate rail hogs BTW. We saw several calving events. Additionally, there were some large cracks we heard without calving. The sound is hard to describe – kind of like the sound of the largest tree you’ve ever seen snapping in half. Also, the dimensional scale is hard to fathom. Saw a whale blow nice and big while in the gym in the morning. Also saw some porpoises. Another great day.

 

Monday had us in Glacier Bay. Although magnificent, it almost seemed anti-climactic. Weather again was perfect. There was a brisk offshore breeze the whole day. We saw sea lions and an otter on the way in. In addition to stopping at the Marjory Glacier, we got to pull up to the John Hopkins Glacier, which is normally off limits due to the inlet being a seal nurserymost of the year – but it had just opened up. That was better than the Marjory. The views!! On the way out we saw mountain goats and more seals and sea lions. We were close enough to hear them chattering as they sunned on a rock outcrop. Later in the evening, the northern lights made a showing.

 

Tuesday put us in Skagway. Broken record – clear, crisp cloudless weather, 40’s AM and 60’s in the afternoon. On our previous trip there we rented a car and drove to the Yukon. This was a great day (sunny and cloudless, 70s), and we saw several bears by the road feeding. This time we pre-booked the ferry for 930 AM to Haines and rented a car through Avis well in advance. We had no real agenda, but research had us target Chilkoot Lake (for brown bears) and Mosquito Lake, the latter up on the Haines Highway. We started on the Chilkoot River towards the lake. We saw some folks by the side of the road waiting on bears. They were staged at a weir structure used for the annual fish surveys. Bears like it because its easy to catch fish. We rolled down the window to chat and were hit by the smell of a fish market. One always sees the videos but nobody ever mentions that the salmon runs smell very fishy. This was not expected and took us by surprise. No bears for the time being, so we went up towards the lake. Beautiful. We saw salmon jumping and bald eagles. Even saw a seal swimming in the lake and then downriver. This is a dead end road so we turned around – on the way back down towards the weir we saw a bear in the trees right off the road. She stood upand rubbed on a tree, then proceeded to the river out of sight. Cool. We parked the car down by the other folks. There were a couple of photographers staked out, a local park ranger, plus a private tour group with people from our boat, and some others. We decided to hang out for a spell, and learned there were up to 28 bears frequenting that location. Not soon after, there was mention of a momma bear with three cubs coming upstream. After a few moments, the group decided to move downriver to intercept the bears. After a very short walk, there they were. One adult and 3 fluffy cubs fishing for salmon. Mom would catch, skin it and eat the skin, eat the roe, and leave the rest for the cubs. We watched for quite a while – they weremaybe 100 yards away. Eventually they started towards us – fairly close now, and we lost them in the brush. We surmised that they bedded down in the trees by the road as they never crossed the road. Time to move on, and after some more sightseeing we made an attempt to go to Mosquito Lake. Unfortunately, one-way road construction had us turn around mid-detour due to looking at the clock and not wanting to missour 430 ferry back. We got back to Haines and had some time still, so we stopped at a local shop and had coffeeand ice cream. We got off the ferry in Skagway and walked to town for some bargain souvenir shopping. On the ship and straight to dinner. The northern lights were supposed to be even better tonight. I stayed up past midnight with a few dozen of my closest shipmates. Beautiful night but only a hint of aurora.

 

Juneau met us on Wednesday with another broken record day weather wise, except I think we broke 70 – I put shorts on when we got back onthe ship. Previously, we had done DIY Mendenhall Lake, the waterfall, etc. on a June day that hit almost 90. We started the today going up the Mt. Roberts tram. On top we watched the film and browsed the sights. Wife and I hiked the loop trail with lots of vistas for pictures. I would have liked to hike more but the in-laws were hanging back at the nature center but we had a good little jaunt. After the tram, we walked to the State capitol – the in-laws have aquest to do all 50. Boooooorrrriiiiiiiiiing! Love them but my wife said the same J. After the capitol, a little window shoppingl ater brought us to the Red Dog Saloon for a snack and a brew. We like that place. On to the boat - I think this was our earliest all-aboard at 330.

 

Thursday in Ketchikan. Sigh…..clear and crisp, although there were some high clouds thickening up as the day progressed. Fifties during the day. We started the day walking upthrough Creek Street on up the creek. The salmon were in full swing and we walked upstream to the gravel bars where they were spawning. Pretty cool. We made our way back to the boat for a noon pickup from Ketchikan Outdoors, where we had DIY pre-booked a zodiac boat tour. My FIL was to come with us but we learned at his age of 75, he would not be able to go. They did refund his ticket. We got to the facility, geared up (they supplied everything), and got in our boats. There were just 2 couples and our guide. Skies were clear and the water was smooth. No sooner did we get past the dock then we saw a humpback whale 100 yards from us. What a sight! We tracked it souththrough the sound from afar, and lost it. Suddenly, a huge mouth and head came out of the water – it was bubble-net feeding!! We watched it repeat the cycle of move, disappear, feed several times. We finally moved on, motoring across the waters. I can say it was chilly – I never put on gloves or a hat at this point but you could definitely feel the chill. We saw a seal and a sea lion, plus several eagles. Our guide knewwhere the eagles hang out and she actually fed fish to several by throwing out the fish into the water and the birds would leave their perches and swoop toget the fish. You really get anappreciation for the birds’ eyesight. We returned to town and met up with the in-laws for a snack and a beer, and did alittle more window shopping. There is a guy named Eddie Lee who does carvings and has a gallery there in town. Beautiful work!! A little more $$ and I would have made a purchase – very unique and one of a kind stuff.

 

Last day was a sea day. We did the inside passage and saw lots of sea life – sea lions catching fish, seals, porpoises, dolphins, orcas, and some saw whales. The weather caught up with us as it was cloudy the first half which progressed to steady rain by evening. Still a beautiful day as the clouds/islands/forests/ocean blending together was quite scenic. I think a little weather adds drama and backdrop to the scenery vs clear blue skies, but I’ll take it. Disembarkation in Vancouver the next morning was simple. It was a grey, rainy morning but we never felt a drop as we used the Princess transfer to theairport. Overall, a great trip.

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Hard to tell how much we saved exactly, as there are several factors involved, but I have a number of ~$500 PP in my memory bank .  Add to it the intangibles of not being leashed to a tour group/more flexibility.  Some people who'd rather not mess with details would be happy booking via the cruise line - its all a matter of preference I suppose.

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Great trip report !  Thanks for taking the time to post .

You sure lucked out with the weather.  Due to work, my trips have always been late summer and except for an occassional day or 2, it's always rainy. 

Please add a link to the Trip Report List above .... your report will be a good resource for people in the planning stages. 

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@Tippyton can you clarify the dates/days for me?  Trying to plan for June 2020 and figure out how many days to do the land tour part.  

Sept. 3, late night, you flew into Fairbanks.  What did you do Sept. 4?  I didn't see an entry for that day.

Sept. 5 was Museum of the North at Univ. of Alaska.

Sept. 6 was the train (Gold Star version) to Denali where you stayed at the Denali Princess hotel.  This train trip was four hours??

Sept. 7 was bus tour in Denali Natl. Park.

Somehow I'm missing what happened after the Denali bus tour.  Your review says you did the train to Anchorage, departing at 12:30 and arriving at 8:30, so I guess that took pretty much the entire day.  But then AFTER that was the ACT Big Bus from Anchorage to Whittier, with a two-hour stop at the Wildlife Conservation Center.  

 

Your itinerary is pretty much what I want to do except I also want to see the Alaskan pipeline in Fairbanks.  I'm also leaning toward a DIY land tour prior to the SB cruise because I'm not sure that oldest son would be able to take enough vacation for the land plus the cruise.  He may only be able to do one or the other.

 

Also could you clarify what you booked on your own versus through Alaska Tour and Travel?

Thanks for the additional details!  

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My goof!:classic_wacko:. The 4th we were in Fairbanks, took the train the 5th to Denali.  6th in Denali, 7th Denali to Anchorage, 8th to the boat.

 

We booked the train and the Princess Denali Lodge through AT&T.   Would have booked both independent but the Gold Star service and the lodge showed no availability.  AT&T has or gets access to the "hidden" blocks of rooms and seats.  When I first contacted them they said they would need to confirm availability and we were plenty early.  A couple of days later all was good.  They had a good cancellation policy also.  We didn't like the lodging options they had on either end.  They acknowledged they were working on boosting that part of their offerings.

 

Train was about 4 or so hours on the 5th and almost 8 on the 7th.  

 

On the 8th in the morning we had breakfast and messed around, got picked up at 1230 pm headed to Whittier via the 2 hr stop at the wildlife center, arriving around 430 pm at the boat.

 

Hope that helps fellow Texan!!!  (We're in DFW area!)

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