Fairbanks Riverside Lodge

[mes531]

Well - I think I will cancel the Hummer tour and give my DH a restful evening.....sit around a lodge will definitely be something he will love...me...I'm all for walking!! We will be seeing the pipeline, I am sure, more than once!

Thanks for all the help!

[Budget Queen]

Well - I think I will cancel the Hummer tour and give my DH a restful evening.....sit around a lodge will definitely be something he will love...me...I'm all for walking!! We will be seeing the pipeline, I am sure, more than once!

Thanks for all the help!

 

You will see the pipeline all along the Richardson, on your way to/from the Copper Princess.

[Northern Aurora]

So great to hear from someone that lives in Fairbanks. I originally posted, and my concerns dealt with the Princess Fairbanks, having read reviews that there was not any restaurants near that hotel, and also noting that the hotel was not near the center of Fairbanks. Thanks, :) for your information. I had originally planned on the evenings in the city area, but was told it was not near our hotel.

 

 

Unless the food has suddenly improved, the Fairbanks Princess is not a place locals go for dinner. They can do very nice food for events, but locals just don't eat there for dinner, lunch, etc.

 

However, Pikes Waterfront Lodge and its stand-alone restaurant, Pikes, is beside the Princess complex. Pikes is a lovely restaurant, with more formal inside area and casual dining on a deck overlooking the Chena River.

 

Also within walking distance of the Princess is the River's Edge resort with its stand-alone restaurant, Chena's Grill. Chena's Grill is only open in the summer, but is actually one of my favorite restaurants in Fairbanks. They are reasonably priced and have a wide ranging menu. Again, they also have a deck overlooking the Chena, and we enjoy sitting outside on a warm summer evening.

 

The Sternwheeler Tanana Chief is located between the Princess complex and the River's Edge resort. Their dinner cruises are very enjoyable, and are another option for dinner for someone staying at the Princess. The Tanana Chief is frequently chartered for events, so one would need to make reservations.

[travellover3]

Sorry for the misspelling-Lavelle's. And, yes, I did mean the waterfront park across from the downtown district. The food at any of the Princess Lodges is OK, not great. Sometimes one chooses for convenience

[geoherb]

I'm currently at the Princess Fairbanks Lodge. The location is fine. I enjoyed the trails, although they're not very extensive. The setting along the river is pretty. The rooms are comfortable, and the public areas clean and attractive. We did have slow service at the bar and grill restaurant tonight for dinner. And the Wi-Fi wasn't working this morning.

 

Overall, though, I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again. We had a great time on the sternwheeler and gold dredge tour today. I was thinking it was going to be hokier than it was. Our bus driver did have a great joke, however, about how there is a state law that every stop has to include a gift shop. And lots of folks were buying. We purchased four postcards and five stamps at the riverboat gift shop.

 

We leave in the morning on the train to Denali. The forecast isn't hopeful, but I still am.

[Pia1913]

I'm currently at the Princess Fairbanks Lodge. The location is fine. I enjoyed the trails, although they're not very extensive. The setting along the river is pretty. The rooms are comfortable, and the public areas clean and attractive. We did have slow service at the bar and grill restaurant tonight for dinner. And the Wi-Fi wasn't working this morning.

 

Overall, though, I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again. We had a great time on the sternwheeler and gold dredge tour today. I was thinking it was going to be hokier than it was. Our bus driver did have a great joke, however, about how there is a state law that every stop has to include a gift shop. And lots of folks were buying. We purchased four postcards and five stamps at the riverboat gift shop.

 

We leave in the morning on the train to Denali. The forecast isn't hopeful, but I still am.

 

Enjoy the ride; we did. And, hopefully Denali will be viewable. Unbelievably, we saw it three times.

[mes531]

I'm currently at the Princess Fairbanks Lodge. The location is fine. I enjoyed the trails, although they're not very extensive. The setting along the river is pretty. The rooms are comfortable, and the public areas clean and attractive. We did have slow service at the bar and grill restaurant tonight for dinner. And the Wi-Fi wasn't working this morning.

 

Overall, though, I wouldn't hesitate to come back here again. We had a great time on the sternwheeler and gold dredge tour today. I was thinking it was going to be hokier than it was. Our bus driver did have a great joke, however, about how there is a state law that every stop has to include a gift shop. And lots of folks were buying. We purchased four postcards and five stamps at the riverboat gift shop.

 

We leave in the morning on the train to Denali. The forecast isn't hopeful, but I still am.

So glad to hear this...I hear there are also restaurants near by. What is wrong with your weather..I am wondering if I really need rain pants?? Also, how much room for your carry on?? Thanks...:):)

[Pia1913]

So glad to hear this...I hear there are also restaurants near by. What is wrong with your weather..I am wondering if I really need rain pants?? Also, how much room for your carry on?? Thanks...:):)

 

When we did this, I carried on my regular 21" wheelie. Other than a handbag, that was it. We were seated at a table for four; bench seats for two on each side with a table in between. There is space underneath the two seats for the 21", but it must be placed vertically - will encompass underneath both seats. Works fine, no matter what you hear. But nothing else is going to fit under there, so your purse or camera bag will need to stay on your lap. Or on the window ledge.

[geoherb]

The space under our seats was large enough for our two stuffed backpacks with room to spare. I saw some people with larger pieces that they checked and stored down below. Of course they did not have access to these pieces of luggage on the train trip.

 

The weather turned out to be great. We had a few views of the mountain from the train. According to our lecturer, that was a treat. The views on the train were most spectacular as we went through a canyon near the park. We also got to see the mountain that afternoon on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. We also saw a lot of wildlife on that.

 

Right now, however, it's a drizzly morning in the state park at the Mount McKinley Princess Lodge. This is the lodge in the middle of nowhere. The other lodge near the national park has the shops and restaurants across the street, which gives you options. The good thing is that the price at Princess's restaurants are about the same as the other options.

[Kyislandgirl]

We loved Bear Lodge where Princess placed us in May.

 

framer

 

We are going to Fairbanks and have been placed at bear lodge, we thought we were going to Fairbanks princess lodge..... I've never heard of bear lodge and wondering about it.... I haven't found any information on it.....don't understand how princess can just place us there. Very interested if you could give us some information on this lodge and what you liked about it? Where it is and what's close by?!! Thank

[Kyislandgirl]

We are going to Fairbanks and have been placed at bear lodge, we thought we were going to Fairbanks princess lodge..... I've never heard of bear lodge and wondering about it.... I haven't found any information on it.....don't understand how princess can just place us there. Very interested if you could give us some information on this lodge and what you liked about it? Where it is and what's close by?!! Thank

 

Also any ideas on what to do in Fairbanks we are going to be there 3 nights.

[MVPinBoynton]

Also any ideas on what to do in Fairbanks we are going to be there 3 nights.

 

Here is a link to a thread that was very helpful to me about what to do in Fairbanks. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1989923&highlight=fairbanks

 

Our cruise starts next week!:)