Interior/Denali options

[Cruisin_on_th_net]

*bows to budgetqueen who is clearly "the supreme all knowing one"* LOL you have it in one. They are thinking either canadian rockies or the Alaskan wilderness, BUT have to do a tour!! I do understand that for us (from Aus!) it's such a long way to go to only do a cruise etc, but they are retired and we are still working for a living, so our holiday time is more limited than theirs.

 

I still think this sort of self styled tour would be the G.O. (pronounced "Gee Oh" meaning the go.... :) )

 

just so many great options. :D

 

thanks everyone, please continue, don't let my excited ramblings stop the information flow!

 

*stands back respectfully and lets the Alaskan mob do their thing* :)

[Budget Queen]

 

If you get a chance, please add your recommendations for places along the way to get good but reasonably priced lodging and meals on such a trip. I think there are probably many of us on a budget reading this board who would be very appreciative.

 

I have stayed at the Denali Park Hotel, several times, and it is consistantly, a convenient clean lodging. Basic, but large rooms. I do like, and always stay at the Roadhouse in Talkeetna- BUT only in the upstairs rooms. It's not for everyone, 1 shared spotless bath. The experience is great. I have also stayed at the Latitude, small basic, clean rooms, and the restaurant is usually a stop for me as well. I highly recommend the Talkeetna Roadhouse for breakfast and lunch. At dinnertime, they usually have soup with bread.

 

I also like the Lazy J Cafe in Cantwell, out in the middle of no where along with the Perch. :)

[laurieb]

:) Thank you to everyone who offered suggestions and ideas regarding my questions about interior/Denali options. We've spent the last several days comparing and examining alternatives and we've reached a decision ... we are definitely going the independent route!! Yipppeeee!!

 

Here's what our "rough" 7-day inland plan looks like:

 

Friday: disembark in Seward, pick up rental car, drive to Portage for 1 hr boat cruise; drive to Girdwood for lunch and the Wildlife Conservation Center tour; drive into Anchorage and stay overnight.

 

Saturday: a leisurely day in Anchorage to see the sights

 

Sunday: up early; drive to Talkeetna for lunch; drive to Denali and check into our lodging.

 

Monday: Tundra tour

 

Tuesday: park shuttle, ranger led hike, coal mine tour; dog sled tour; cabin night theatre

 

Wednesday: drive back to Seward (a 5+ hour drive); check into hotel

 

Thursday: Seward Sea Life center; Seavey dog sled tour (both independent tours)

 

Friday: Kenai fjords tour & board ship in Seward for 9 pm depaarture.

 

Whew -- sounds like a full week of activity!! Does anyone see any problems with our proposed schedule?

 

We are planning on buying (in advance) either the TourSaver book or the Northern Lights book. We've bookmarked both websites and are starting to read about the coupons that each offers.

 

Thanks again to everyone who so generously contributed ideas to this post! I sincerely appreciate your assistance with our trip planning.:D

 

Warmly,

Liz

 

do you have room for two more :)? this sounds like a really nice way to spend your days!!

[fleckle]

I have stayed at the Denali Park Hotel, several times, and it is consistantly, a convenient clean lodging. Basic, but large rooms. I do like, and always stay at the Roadhouse in Talkeetna- BUT only in the upstairs rooms. It's not for everyone, 1 shared spotless bath. The experience is great. I have also stayed at the Latitude, small basic, clean rooms, and the restaurant is usually a stop for me as well. I highly recommend the Talkeetna Roadhouse for breakfast and lunch. At dinnertime, they usually have soup with bread.

 

I also like the Lazy J Cafe in Cantwell, out in the middle of no where along with the Perch. :)

Many thanks, Budget Queen. This information will be most helpful for planning our next trip to Denali.

We keep following your advice and you have never steered us wrong. (Skagway drive up to the Yukon, Juneau Orca Enterprise whale watching, Seward Kenai Fjords boat trip and train ride to Anchorage, to name just a few.)

[fleckle]

Liz, the new "Luggage on tour" thread reminded me of one more thing I forgot to mention. You noted that you will be disembarking at Seward and returning there again later to spend a few nights. When we did something similar a few years ago, we pre-arranged with our hotel in Seward to lock up the suitcases that we did not need for the road trip.

 

It was no problem for them and worked out well for us, freeing up room in our rental car. We took one suitcase and a couple of overnight bags with us on the road trip (plus, of course, the usual handy loose odds and ends that are always so easy to toss in when traveling in your own car).

 

Having the extra space in the trunk of the car made maneuverability easy for transferring items back and forth between suitcase and overnight bags. We didn't even need to bother hauling the suitcase out when we stopped for the night, but could leave it in the trunk and take only our overnight bags into the hotel room with us.

 

Just another idea to consider.