Alaska Cruisetour

Hello! Excited for a Cruisetour, starting on June 5th! This will be our first time going to Alaska and our first time sailing with Princess. We will be on the Golden Princess for the Voyager of the Glaciers out of Anchorage!

We are flying into Fairbanks and will have 2 full days on our own. Besides visiting the North Pole and Museum of the North, any other suggestions?

Has anyone been on the Golden and if so, will you please share your experience.

Any experience with the following excursions:

Skagway - Yukon Expedition and White Pass Scenic Railway or Best of Skagway

Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier Explorer - are the trails easy to follow and will we have enough time to see Nugget Falls.

We don't like to do the helicopter or float plane excursions. Any other recommendations?

Appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Thanks!

We are flying into Fairbanks and will have 2 full days on our own. Besides visiting the North Pole and Museum of the North, any other suggestions?

Are you going to be renting a car?

I recommend the Bennett Lake trip in Skagway and yes, the trails at Mendenhall are clearly marked. Princess has naturalists on board who generally have a desk and desk hours at the beginning of the cruise. You could ask for more specific information and current conditions then.

The "North Pole" is hardly worth a stop, it's a gift shop. and small town. :)

I'm assuming you will have a car in Fairbanks? It's really essential you do. Plenty to see and do, http://www.explorefairbanks.com Has plenty of information.

Are these ship tours you are listing?

I too really like the Lake Bennett run.

You need at least an hour for the Nugget Falls trail- if you have a ship tour listed in your question. That is a poor choice in my opinion. Just go independent. Several people with you- just get a cab, or rent a car.

The Riverboat Discovery Tour in Fairbanks was a lot of fun and very informative.

I recommend the Bennett Lake trip in Skagway and yes, the trails at Mendenhall are clearly marked. Princess has naturalists on board who generally have a desk and desk hours at the beginning of the cruise. You could ask for more specific information and current conditions then.

Thank you! I will certainly look into Bennett Lake.

The "North Pole" is hardly worth a stop, it's a gift shop. and small town. :)

 

I'm assuming you will have a car in Fairbanks? It's really essential you do. Plenty to see and do, www.explorefairbanks.com Has plenty of information.

 

Are these ship tours you are listing?

 

I too really like the Lake Bennett run.

 

You need at least an hour for the Nugget Falls trail- if you have a ship tour listed in your question. That is a poor choice in my opinion. Just go independent. Several people with you- just get a cab, or rent a car.

Thank you for your candid feedback. I will be looking into Lake Bennett and also exploring Mendenhall Glacier on our own.

To answer you question, yes, they are all tours available through Princess.

Thank you for your candid feedback. I will be looking into Lake Bennett and also exploring Mendenhall Glacier on our own.

 

To answer you question, yes, they are all tours available through Princess.

Especially with the White Pass option, going independent offers better transits with small buses and vans. The big tour buses take too much time loading and unloading and only have fixed stops. Much nicer options are available.

Mendenhall deserves time in my opinion, so much to see and do. Nothing worse in my opinion, to be on a bus, that pulls up then tells you what time to be back. Your whole time there is magnified with making sure you get back.to the bus. Many times it's too short.

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We are flying into Fairbanks and will have 2 full days on our own. Besides visiting the North Pole and Museum of the North, any other suggestions?

.....

As Budget Queen has noted, North Pole is a "bedroom" community of Fairbanks. Is there a particular reason for going there? Quite honestly, the store named "Santa Claus House" I generally refer to as the "emporium of poor taste."

Will you have a car? If so then a stop at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center fits well with your plans to visit the Museum of the North. You could start at Morris Thompson, and if interested run out to Fox to see the Trans-Alaska pipeline, before heading back to Fairbanks. The Fountainhead Antique Car Museum would be an easy stop before driving along College Road to the Museum of the North. Depending on what day of the week, it would be very easy to swing into the Tanana Valley Farmer's Market before the Museum of the North.

Your Princess cruise tour may include the Riverboat Discovery. The Discovery is owned by the same family who owns the Eldorado Gold Camp, and if your cruise tour includes that as well it likely includes a stop at the pipeline viewing station in Fox.

As Budget Queen has noted, North Pole is a "bedroom" community of Fairbanks. Is there a particular reason for going there? Quite honestly, the store named "Santa Claus House" I generally refer to as the "emporium of poor taste."

 

Will you have a car? If so then a stop at the Morris Thompson Cultural Center fits well with your plans to visit the Museum of the North. You could start at Morris Thompson, and if interested run out to Fox to see the Trans-Alaska pipeline, before heading back to Fairbanks. The Fountainhead Antique Car Museum would be an easy stop before driving along College Road to the Museum of the North. Depending on what day of the week, it would be very easy to swing into the Tanana Valley Farmer's Market before the Museum of the North.

 

Your Princess cruise tour may include the Riverboat Discovery. The Discovery is owned by the same family who owns the Eldorado Gold Camp, and if your cruise tour includes that as well it likely includes a stop at the pipeline viewing station in Fox.

Great advice! Thank you!