Denali TWT or Shuttle Bus

[NHsnowpup]

No, they were not! Ours was the last bus of the day (and we did not finish the tour until nearly 12:30 am due to the heart attack delay and the delay while the bus driver tried to figure out how to fit these extra people on the bus) and these people were leaving Denali the next morning. They did not get to take the tour.

 

Hubby has a rule we try to follow of never reserving the last flight of the day, always leaving a fall back. Looks like somebody miscounted or missed their earlier scheduled trip and bumped down the line. What a bummer for those people!!

 

We rode all the way to Kantishna and loved it! Not sure if we would have loved the return trip, if it was that same day. But two days later, it was pretty cool to go back at a different time over the same area. Caribou herd in the morning mist was captivating.

[RichonCC]

First, I looked at the pictures from the bloggers, and they are VERY impressive!

 

Second, to the person who started this thread. Why did you decide to see Denali through a shuttle, oppose to Princess? ie, I'm booked on a princess tour and want to see Denali through their tour.

 

Third, to everyone, would it be nicer to see the Denali, but NOT go through Princess?

 

thanks in advance...

 

~rich

[vbmom87]

First, I looked at the pictures from the bloggers, and they are VERY impressive!

 

Second, to the person who started this thread. Why did you decide to see Denali through a shuttle, oppose to Princess? ie, I'm booked on a princess tour and want to see Denali through their tour.

 

Third, to everyone, would it be nicer to see the Denali, but NOT go through Princess?

 

thanks in advance...

 

~rich

 

I am not the OP, but as I mentioned in the thread you started, most of the time Princess includes the Natural History Tour which just doesn't get you far enough into the park. If your cruisetour has enough time in Denali, you can possiblly cancel your NHT and either upgrade to the Tundra Wilderness Tour which will get you further into the park, or just book your own shuttle to Eilson or Wonder Lake. These options will get you much further into the park. However, depending when you are going, these options may not be available. The full park road opens on June 8. You can go to Eilson beginning on June 1. The Tundra Wilderness Tour begins on May 20.

[Texas Tillie]

First, I looked at the pictures from the bloggers, and they are VERY impressive!

 

Second, to the person who started this thread. Why did you decide to see Denali through a shuttle, oppose to Princess? ie, I'm booked on a princess tour and want to see Denali through their tour.

 

Third, to everyone, would it be nicer to see the Denali, but NOT go through Princess?

 

thanks in advance...

 

~rich

 

Think that you're confused about who operates the tours within the park. All the tours - NHT, TWT, shuttle are operated by Aramark, the concessionaire that has the contract from the Park Service. (Yes, the same people who operate the food concessions at many of the sport stadiums around the country.)

[Budget Queen]

First, I looked at the pictures from the bloggers, and they are VERY impressive!

 

Second, to the person who started this thread. Why did you decide to see Denali through a shuttle, oppose to Princess? ie, I'm booked on a princess tour and want to see Denali through their tour.

 

Third, to everyone, would it be nicer to see the Denali, but NOT go through Princess?

 

thanks in advance...

 

~rich

 

You have an error in thinking. Princess does not run any "tours" in Denali park.

 

Denali Park, is about getting INTO the park, via the Park Road which is 90+ miles. The farther you go, hopefully you realize the more you see of scenery and wildlife. Aramark, who operates the buses, offer two, the tours buses and shuttle buses. BOTH go on the same road, just different distances. For many, far more important is the distance, few would rate the "commentary" as the highlight, in my opinion.

 

Princess has a nasty habit of including the Natural History tour- which does NOT get into the park and goes the public road to mile 17, little chance of wildlife, and so so scenery at best. Kick is the Park Service offers this same distance for FREE, and offers park activites as well. In my opinion, this is a completely worthless tour, and for those who take it, you are all the way there and missing out completely- IF this matters to you.

 

The Tundra Wilderness tour, goes to mile 53, and sometimes to mile 63. They do have a video on board the tour buses that is very good, for those who need help tracking.

 

The Shuttle buses go all the way to the end. Cost 1/3 the price. You do have to bring in all your own food and drink. I have taken many shuttle buses over many years, and, Never did I not have an excellent well informed driver who know Denali Park extensively. My min. distance in is Eielson, mile 66, but I go to Wonder Lake outside of the bug season. :)

 

Hopefully, this may clarify some of the details that I hope people, take with them, when making the decisions about cruisetours. It usually is the biggest feature of cruisetours.

[jeanad]

To Quote BQ: My min. distance in is Eielson, mile 66, but I go to Wonder Lake outside of the bug season.

 

We reserved the shuttle to Wonder Lake on July 27th. Is this during "bug season." How bad are they?

 

Thanks,

Jeana

[PennyAgain]

Some people find the bugs absolutely awful.

[NHsnowpup]

We reserved the shuttle to Wonder Lake on July 27th. Is this during "bug season." How bad are they?

 

Thanks,

Jeana

 

We were there last July, week before your time. There were a few bugs on our hike on Blueberry Hill, at other end of Wonder Lake, but not enough to bother me to break out the headnet. Hubby wore his bug net cause he is a skeeter magnet and hates seeing even one. Maybe we were lucky. It was rainy/drizzly most of the time. Didn't notice any/many at Kantishna the two days we were there.

[Budget Queen]

To Quote BQ: My min. distance in is Eielson, mile 66, but I go to Wonder Lake outside of the bug season.

 

We reserved the shuttle to Wonder Lake on July 27th. Is this during "bug season." How bad are they?

 

Thanks,

Jeana

 

This is peak, be WELL prepared and hope for wind. At the least, stop at Walmart and buy a bug hat, and full strength Deet.

[jeanad]

Thankfully I do know how to prepare coming from Missouri where some consider the mosquito the STATE BIRD! They love me and leave the hubs alone.