Talkeetna vs Cooper River/Landing

[sutuz]

I have narrowed our Alaska tour cruise options for September 2015 down to a 15 or 14 day on Coral Princess. It appears the land portion is two similar itineraries that join up for the cruise portion. There are a few differences, but the biggest I can see is that the 15 day goes to the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge while the 14 day goes to Talkeetna and stays at the Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge. Any information you can share regarding these two different locations would be greatly appreciated!

[mapleleaves]

I've been to both locations but didn't stay at the lodge since I was on DIY trips with a car or RV. ( I've camped a few times in Cooper Landing and Talkeetna).

 

Both hotel locations are lovely but VERY isolated.

 

Cooper Landing is drop dead gorgeous .... the lodge is perched on a hill overlooking the Kenai River. BUT it is 5 miles down a small road off the Sterling Hwy. You can walk down to the river, or sit in the Lounge and watch fishing activities on the river, but if you want to do ANYTHING it will have to be a Princess activity off property. There's nothing within walking distance. Check the lodge website for options. It's about an hour away from Seward, which offers lots of activities but it will have to be a Princess package since you have no way of getting to Seward on your own.

 

The McKinley Princess has a shuttle into Talkeetna ( about 1 hr away) so at least you are able to walk around the village and/or enjoy some activities with private vendors. Talkeetna is popular for flightseeing over Denali. The lodge also offers a great view of the mountain if it's visible.

 

I would suggest looking thru the trip reports for reports that include a Princess cruisetour. Those reports will provide info on what the traveller did at those destinations. Some people were content to walk around the lodge property and relax.Others felt like it was time wasted. (If you go to the 2013 reports, start with reply #45 where they are sorted by cruiseline/ship.)

 

I would also suggest that you consider a DIY trip so you can go where YOU choose to go, rather than isolated Princess properties. If you're not comfortable driving you can use the Alaska Railroad and/or Park Connection Bus to reach popular destinations. But driving is very easy in Alaska .... there are few hwys and they're primarily 2-lane roads so it's impossible to get lost. I was confident enough to rent and drive an RV as a single woman. Easy!

Edited September 13, 2014 by mapleleaves

[amymoore]

We did the connosuir tour in July that included Mckinnley. We really enjoyed it. It was more laid back than Denali for sure, but we were ready for that. The grounds are beautiful. Restaurants good. Rooms nice. Talkeetna is quaint and charming if a little overrun with tourists. We did the Devil's canyon excursion one day out of Talkeetna. That was fun. I think it is mainly a beautiful place to catch your breath on the tour and drink in the beauty of Alaska. This was my second trip to this lodge. After the first one, I couldn't wait to get back!

[sutuz]

Thank you so much for the information! I'll do a little more research and then be ready to pull the trigger - can't wait! :)

[mapleleaves]

I remembered a photojournal from this year that includes Cooper Landing and Talkeetna. It's reply #36 in this link, from MVPinBoynton:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2046395&page=2

[AKStafford]

Just to clarify... Princess has a lodge in Cooper Landing and a separate one on the Copper River. These are two different locations, hundreds of miles apart. The names are similar and that causes some confusion.

It's the Kenai Princess Lodge in Cooper Landing and the Copper River Princess Lodge is just outside of Glenallen.

Both are very remote, as is the McKinley Princess Lodge north of Trapper Creek. Activities are limited in these locations.

I did two summers as a tour bus driver for HAL here in Alaska. After that experience and time spent here in Trip Advisor, I recommend that people put together their own land tour using a rental car or RV.

[sutuz]

More great information! We were thinking September, but now I'm wondering about spring. Would you mind giving your opinions on pros and cons of May versus September? June, July and August aren't options for us.

[mapleleaves]

I'd definitely go earlier than later. Weather in Alaska and the Pacific NW is unpredictable, but generally speaking there is more rain as the summer progresses.

 

May/June typically has the driest weather and more sun. However, some vendors don't open until Memorial Day and some sights & activities are not accessible due to snow/slush from winter. And the park road in Denali doesn't open to Eielson Visitor Center until June 1, to Wonder Lake on June 10. The mountain scenery early season is more dramatic because the snowfall hasn't melted away entirely.

 

Mid August is the beginning of shoulder season and after Labor Day some businesses start closing down. Sept also brings a greater chance for a fall storm with strong winds and heavy rainfall which can be brutal for the cruise portion.

 

If you're planning land travel, i'd choose a north-bound cruise near the end of May, so that I would get to Denali after June 1.

[TW6cruiser]

We just booked a cruise tour on Princess for next year. I found the website for the Princess Lodges which helped us pick our tour. I don't know why there is not a link on the cruise site for the lodges site, but here it is: http://www.princesslodges.com. The site shows excursions for all the lodges.

[Glaciers]

More great information! We were thinking September, but now I'm wondering about spring. Would you mind giving your opinions on pros and cons of May versus September? June, July and August aren't options for us.

 

May is our favorite month in Alaska. There is typically less rain and still snow on the mountains. That being said, we just returned from an overnight at the Copper River Princess Lodge in Copper Center this weekend. The fall colors were at peak and the drive along the Glen Highway was the most spectacular that I’ve seen, even though it was raining much of the way.