Tundra Wilderness Tour - 2 different prices?

[julieawill]

After careful research on the nps.gov site and recommendations from previous cruisers, I opted to switch our Princess Natural History Tour (NHT) for the Tundra Wilderness Tour (TWT). Princess offers the tour for $149pp, but the NPS site quotes $107.50 + $10 (park fee) for the exact same thing (same company - everything). No brainer - we're going with the NPS price.

 

Imagine my surprise when I logged in to the Doyon/Aramark site to book the tour and found that the price was $149 - the same as Princess. I went back to the NPS site to double-check my prices - sure enough, it clearly stated $107.50 for 2011. This time I clicked on the little hyperlink that said "click here to book". It took me to the same Doyon/Aramark site, but this time the price came up as $117.50 (incl the park fee). That's a difference of $63 for two for the exact same tour.

 

Description for the $149 tour: Tundra Wilderness Tour RR (maybe Regular Rate?)

Description for the $117.50 tour: JV Tundra Wilderness Tour (maybe Joint Venture?)

 

I even took screen shots - I couldn't believe it.

 

Also, my research indicates that the buses are different for the NHT and TWT. The NHT and shuttle buses use the green school buses. The TWT uses motor coaches, which was another consideration for a 7-8 hour tour.

 

Just thought I'd pass along this interesting info.

 

Julie

[PennyAgain]

If you have a National Park Service annual pass or a senior citizens lifetime NPS pass( one time fee of $10), or a pass for a permanently disabled person (free) you can get a refund of that $10. http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

 

The TWT is not on motor coaches. If you are thinking 'luxury' they are not.

 

The primary difference is the on board tv system on the TWT and the cameras that work with those.

 

Neither bus catagory has on board toilets.

[mytime53]

I must need more coffee...I can't get the $149 price to come up except through 3rd party vendors (like Princess).

[wolfie11]

The Aramark website now says the TWT price is $149. I suspect the tour price has been very recently raised due to the increase in the price of gas - currently $4.08 a gallon in Fairbanks and expected to keep going up. It is likely that all the websites don't yet reflect the change in price.

[agabbymama]

The buses aren't that much different, trust me. They are not the lovely coaches for cruisetours that Princess and HAL both use.

 

The seats barely have an cushion, and barely fit two people. You will feel every single bump!

[wolfie11]

The price for the DNHT has also gone up ~$10.

[Budget Queen]

 

Also, my research indicates that the buses are different for the NHT and TWT. The NHT and shuttle buses use the green school buses. The TWT uses motor coaches, which was another consideration for a 7-8 hour tour.

 

Just thought I'd pass along this interesting info.

 

Julie

 

Nope, you are wrong about the buses. The NHT and TWT buses are the same, the tan buses. There are NO motor coaches, not sure where you even got that information. ALL shuttle buses are the green buses. Actually the seating is pretty similar, with split back high back seats, on both. The tour buses have the video screen. Even at your "bargain" price, it is still over double what a shuttle bus is, and the distance is less. In Denali, it is ALL about distance in. Further always equals more. :)

[frugaltravel]

Further always equals more. :)

 

Except for you to Wonder Lake before mid August :D.

[grandma*knows*best]

The TWT uses motor coaches, which was another consideration

 

As others have stated, no, they don't. They use converted school buses.

[PennyAgain]

I found the phrase motor coaches in a travel promotional piece that has been copied and passed around. Many people who book the cruise tours to Denali NP have the mistaken idea that they will ride the luxury motor coaches into the Park and on the Park road.

 

It surely does give people the wrong idea.

[travelingmom37]

I did the exact same thing when researching the TWT.

When i told the Aramack rep. this she aknowledged this was the "other price".that they also honor.

I ended up booking the Elison Shuttle based on suggestions on cc.

[Budget Queen]

Except for you to Wonder Lake before mid August :D.

 

How true!!! :)

 

Have sympathy for me- with my "bug" problems. :) :) :)

[PennyAgain]

BQ, ExOfficio has a line of bug repellent clothing that really works for me. All natural and no poison is used. I wear their socks, pants, shirt and a neck scarf. The items are light in weight and make good travel clothes.

 

After 40 or so washings, the bug repellent wears off but you still have nice clothes to wear.

 

 

http://www.exofficio.com/search/Insect%20Shield

 

 

Give them a look.

[julieawill]

Nope, you are wrong about the buses. The NHT and TWT buses are the same, the tan buses. There are NO motor coaches, not sure where you even got that information. ALL shuttle buses are the green buses. Actually the seating is pretty similar, with split back high back seats, on both. The tour buses have the video screen. Even at your "bargain" price, it is still over double what a shuttle bus is, and the distance is less. In Denali, it is ALL about distance in. Further always equals more. :)

 

Budget Queen, you are correct. I mis-spoke about the NHT buses being the green buses; they are tan.

 

Since you weren't sure about where I got the information on the buses, I thought I'd include it here for your reference. This comes from the Aramark site:

 

The Tundra Wilderness Tour (PDF) offers the opportunity to bring the wildlife and scenery right inside your tour bus through drop-down video screens. This video footage is added to our award winning DVD "Windows Into Wilderness" and can be purchased on your tour or after returning home so you can relive your tour again and again! For more information about this DVD, please send questions to denalidvd@aramark.com.

 

•A boxed lunch and hot beverage are offered on this tour.

•Morning or afternoon departures from area hotels. The morning tour departs between 5:00 AM and 9:00 AM. The afternoon tour departs between 1:30 PM and 3:30 PM, allowing you to arrive on the train from Fairbanks or coach and take a tour the same day. Please note: Exact departure times are not guaranteed and are based on availability - it is possible to be ticketed for any time during the departure windows.

•7-8 hour tour; 53 miles one-way into the park.

•Tour is on an upgraded bus similar in style to a coach.

•Tour stops approximately every 90 minutes for a restroom break.

 

Here's the link: http://www.reservedenali.com/play/tours/tundra-wilderness.aspx

 

As you can see, they state that the tour is on an upgraded bus similar in style to a coach. I hope that is accurate.

 

I was really just trying to point out the difference in prices between the two different ways of booking the SAME tour. I'm not trying to convince anyone to take the TWT over a shuttle bus; it's a personal choice. I'm just trying to help those that have already decided to take the TWT.

 

Julie

[wolfie11]

As you can see, they state that the tour is on an upgraded bus similar in style to a coach. I hope that is accurate.

 

It's a school bus with nice seats. They evidently can't use coaches on the park road because of the width and the curves on the road. School buses can make the turns (better turning radius) that coaches can't. None of the lodges use coaches either, and motorhomes over 22' are also prohibited past Tek.

 

BTW, the lunch is REALLY bad. Make sure you bring some food of your own. Last year it was canned chicken salad and crackers, chips, a chewy granola bar and a cookie.

[agabbymama]

I'm surprised nobody has posted photos.

 

The tan bus is the Tundra Wilderness Tour, and the green bus is shuttle. You can see they are very similar, except in color. And the TWT does have the video camera with screens that drop down from the ceiling (like in an airplane).

DENA_2TWT-hdx1.pdf

shuttle-bus.pdf

[grandma*knows*best]

BQ, ExOfficio has a line of bug repellent clothing that really works for me. All natural and no poison is used.

 

Unless ExOfficio has changed the repellent they use in their insect shield clothing from permethrin to something else, the repellent used is hardly all natural.

 

Permethrin is a synthetic chemical widely used as an insecticide and insect repellent. It functions as a neurotoxin. While it is not known to harm mammals or birds, it is toxic to cats and fish. It is classified by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen.

 

As you can see, they state that the tour is on an upgraded bus similar in style to a coach. I hope that is accurate.

 

This is absolute hogwash. It's a school bus with video screens and slightly upgraded seats.

[grandma*knows*best]

Okay - I have uploaded some photos of the bus used in the Tundra Wilderness Tour. These were taken in June 2010:

 

http://pictures.cruisecritic.com/showphoto.php?photo=19915

[BJs mom]

Trying to change from the Natural History Tour to the Tundra Tour. My TA called the hotel in Denali we'll be staying at and they say we don't have enough time. We're on a Holland America tour and we don't leave until 4:pm on our train to Fairbanks so if we leave at 6:00 am on the Tundra Tour, I don't see why they're saying we won't have enough time. BQ says if you only do the NHT, it's like not leaving the parking lot in Disney World and from everything I've heard, that's exactly right. I don't know if we'll ever get back to do another land tour so I really would like to work this out.......any suggestions? Thank you, thank you.

[BJs mom]

Whoops, that's supposed to be 4:00 pm.

[frugaltravel]

Trying to change from the Natural History Tour to the Tundra Tour. My TA called the hotel in Denali we'll be staying at and they say we don't have enough time. We're on a Holland America tour and we don't leave until 4:pm on our train to Fairbanks so if we leave at 6:00 am on the Tundra Tour, I don't see why they're saying we won't have enough time. BQ says if you only do the NHT, it's like not leaving the parking lot in Disney World and from everything I've heard, that's exactly right. I don't know if we'll ever get back to do another land tour so I really would like to work this out.......any suggestions? Thank you, thank you.

 

AFAIK, you don't pick the time for the TWT, only am or pm. So if you get the 9am vs 6am, you would not have time. The only thing you can do is to book an early shuttle bus. Probably only to Toklat and it might mean walking the 1 mile from Glitter Gulch to the WAC to make it work. Shuttle is great and only costs $25-$30/person to Toklat.

[julieawill]

Trying to change from the Natural History Tour to the Tundra Tour. My TA called the hotel in Denali we'll be staying at and they say we don't have enough time. We're on a Holland America tour and we don't leave until 4:pm on our train to Fairbanks so if we leave at 6:00 am on the Tundra Tour, I don't see why they're saying we won't have enough time. BQ says if you only do the NHT, it's like not leaving the parking lot in Disney World and from everything I've heard, that's exactly right. I don't know if we'll ever get back to do another land tour so I really would like to work this out.......any suggestions? Thank you, thank you.

 

When I booked our tour at Aramark, it specifically said that the morning tours return to allow for departures on the train to Fairbanks.

 

http://www.denaliparkresorts.com/denali-tours/tundra-wilderness.aspx

 

Why don't you contact Aramark directly with your questions; they would seem to be the best source of information. Also, check the cancellation information for both tours. You may be able to hang on to each reservation until you get your confirmation of time (I think about a week before the tour date), then cancel whichever one doesn't work. Just a thought...

 

Best of luck,

 

Julie

[julieawill]

Thanks to all who posted photos (a picture is worth a thousand words), and gave such great advice. I will definitely pack a lunch!

 

Julie

[BJs mom]

Thanks Julie, I did call Aramark and frugaltravel was right, you may end up with a tour between 5 and 9 am and get what is available for that day. If they give us the 9 am it would be too late to make the train to Fairbanks. They do state you can make the tour but that's only if you're arriving from not to Fairbanks that day. I suppose we may try and make the bus if that's our only option. :(

[grandma*knows*best]

I don't know if we'll ever get back to do another land tour so I really would like to work this out.......any suggestions? Thank you, thank you.

 

Keep in mind that you never know what is going to happen to delay your tour. When we went in June 2010, we were on a bus with many very old passengers. A man ended up having a heart attack about 1 1/2 hours into the tour. We had to wait more than an hour for a jeep to come take him to the hospital before continuing on the tour. We did not get back to the starting point until after 12:30 am! (Our bus left for the tour around 2 pm).