What is included for free in Denali?

[JPH814]

We will be on the HAL Oosterdam in July and our trip includes two nights in Denali.

I am not clear on what - if anything - is included with the package.

 

Obviously Lodge accommodations are.

 

What about the Tundra Wilderness Tour? Any other tours?

 

Are any meals included?

[Mumsysailor]

We will be on the HAL Oosterdam in July and our trip includes two nights in Denali.

I am not clear on what - if anything - is included with the package.

 

Obviously Lodge accommodations are.

 

What about the Tundra Wilderness Tour? Any other tours?

 

Are any meals included?

 

When we did a land tour with HAL, when at Denali the Tundra Wilderness Tour was a paid excursion. Very well worth it though.

[catl331]

The Tundra Wilderness tour was included in our Double Denali package price, but that was 7 years ago. We got a "free" lunch at the Gold Dredge in Fairbanks and a "free" buffet in Wasilla mid-way on the bus ride from Denali to Seward. All other meals and excursions were out-of-pocket.

Edited January 25, 2015 by catl331

[oaktreerb]

We will be on the HAL Oosterdam in July and our trip includes two nights in Denali.

I am not clear on what - if anything - is included with the package.

 

Obviously Lodge accommodations are.

 

What about the Tundra Wilderness Tour? Any other tours?

 

Are any meals included?

 

Which tour are you on. If you are on a land tour it will include either the Tundra Wilderness Tour or the Natural History Tour and the snack that goes with it.

 

You will have an opportunity to go to the dining car if you are on the train but you will pay for your own food. Drinks are offered on the train but I think only coffee and tea and water are free.

 

You will purchase your own food and there are plenty of dining options at Denali as you will be staying in the area where most eateries are located. You can eat at the lodge, go over to the Princess lodge, or go across the highway to eat.

 

There are plenty of excursions available but if you want to do the free activities head for the national park visitors center and tour the museum, walk the trails, watch the movie, listen to a ranger talk, go to the free dogsled demo. Look on nps.gov and select Denali for the options at the park. I think there will be a free shuttle to take you from the Chalets to the visitors center.

[Dave in NJ]

I did Double Denali just last year and the Tundra Wilderness was included in the package. And very worthwhile. If in doubt just check with your TA or HAL.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Dave in NJ

[marym933]

What cruise are you on? We are doing July 19 Northbound on the Oosterdam.

 

 

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[thinfool]

We will be on the HAL Oosterdam in July and our trip includes two nights in Denali.

I am not clear on what - if anything - is included with the package.

 

Obviously Lodge accommodations are.

 

What about the Tundra Wilderness Tour? Any other tours?

 

Are any meals included?

 

Somewhere in your cruise information from HAL or your travel agent, you have this information.

 

I suggest you contact HAL or your Travel Agent for specific answers to your cruisetour. There are many iterations and variations to cruisetour itineraries and any answers you get here are well meaning, but likely 'guesses' that may or not be accurate.

 

To specifically answer your "Free" question, there is little free in Alaska for a tourist. Even Denali has an admission fee...it is a National Park. Meals on the land portion of most (not all) cruisetours are "out of pocket" rather than prepaid/included.

[jt58203]

I booked the 12-Day Double Denali Cruise/Tour (D5C) and it includes the Tundra Wilderness Tour (snack included) and Riverboat Discovery (lunch included). The 12-Day Double Denali Tour first, then cruise (D5L) has the same included excursions.

[JPH814]

Thanks everyone.

 

Our package description includes the Wilderness Tour. But when I look at our itinerary (I have already "checked in " on line) it does not mention it.

 

I guess one problem I have is that I do not know what other tours to schedule in Denali since I do not know what day or time our Wilderness tour will start or end.

 

Any thoughts? Maybe it is just too soon. We leave in early July

[JPH814]

We will be on a HAL tour in July. It includes one night at a Hotel in Anchorage before heading to Denali.

 

We will be coming in a day earlier. So we will need two nights in Anchorage. When will we be informed of what hotel we will be staying? Will we be given an opportunity to purchase the earlier night through HAL or will we need to do this ourselves?

[Alberta Quilter]

We will be on a HAL tour in July. It includes one night at a Hotel in Anchorage before heading to Denali.

 

We will be coming in a day earlier. So we will need two nights in Anchorage. When will we be informed of what hotel we will be staying? Will we be given an opportunity to purchase the earlier night through HAL or will we need to do this ourselves?

 

I would let HAL or the TA know as soon as possible that you want an additional night in Anchorage, and inquire about the cost of booking through HAL. You may do better booking on your own. (Watch for HAL's pricing as they often price per person rather than per room.) I believe HAL typically uses the Westmark and maybe the Hilton.

[thinfool]

I do not know what day or time our Wilderness tour will start or end.

 

 

While it is vital to know which day you have this tour, I would offer that when you take this tour, you are not likely to take another that day.

 

The TWT is an 8 hour tour, so it takes most of the day. Our TWT began at 6:40am and we were back about 2:30-2:45pm.

 

There are some nice Visitor Center things you can do when you return from your day on the tour.

 

Have a great trip!

[Darrell6t]

We have recently booked the Double Denali with HAL. So far I am surprised at how little information the HAL website provides for this trip. Maybe when it gets closer to departure they will let us know more information.

[janmcn]

"In Denali" is a bit of a misnomer when cruise ships offer the package. The hotels are outside of Denali National Park, so to get in, you will need to use a shuttle that will take you to a Visitor's Center...from there there will be other shuttles that do various tours into the park. (There may be shuttles directly from the hotels, but nevertheless, you are not IN the park at your hotel...i.e. can't walk around, etc.) If you look on a Google Map you will be able to see the relationship of where you will stay at any of the hotels to the park proper. I'd advise anyone to take the "longest ride" into the park that they can (whichever tour that is.) Many tours go only a short way into the park, whereas the "end" is almost 90 miles into it, but there is a lot to see. However, keep in mind, they are school bus types of transportation that is used in the park (no private vehicles.) Bumpy ride, no facilities until you reach a few rest stops. The long ride is worth it. We actually stayed at the end of the road in the park for 3 nights on our own trip and were glad we did it "privately." If you can arrange your own trip to Denali, it will be MUCH more rewarding. However, it IS expensive, compared with the ship's program. (FYI:The train from Anchorage or Fairbanks stops right at the Visitor's Center...and buses from the "deep into Denali lodges" pick passengers up from there, so no need for a car if you choose to do it that way.) The Denali packages are an inexpensive way to at least see part of the park, but if you do...try to go for the whole day trip into the furthest part to really experience as much as you can.

Link to photos from a Fall Trip to MP88 in Denali:http://quiltingjan.smugmug.com/Travel/2012/Denali-National-Park-Aug-Sept/

Edited January 29, 2015 by janmcn

[summersigh]

We have recently booked the Double Denali with HAL. So far I am surprised at how little information the HAL website provides for this trip. Maybe when it gets closer to departure they will let us know more information.

 

We found a lot of information about things to do in Denali from the actual Denali National Park website.

 

I ended up copying/pasting the info that we were interested in and sort of made my own "personalized" Denali guide :D

[chris45ny]

Thanks everyone.

 

Our package description includes the Wilderness Tour. But when I look at our itinerary (I have already "checked in " on line) it does not mention it.

 

I guess one problem I have is that I do not know what other tours to schedule in Denali since I do not know what day or time our Wilderness tour will start or end.

 

Any thoughts? Maybe it is just too soon. We leave in early July

We are doing tour D1 with Hal in August 2015. On my print out from our TA it shows us doing the Tundra Wilderness Tour in the morning with the afternoon listed "at leisure."

 

If you go to the HAL website and put in your booking # maybe you can get the info you seek??

[chris45ny]

JPH814

 

I just went to the HAL website and got to where I entered our booking #-not the check in box-and up came our itinerary. For Denali it didn't show any info on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Since I knew we were supposed to be doing it on morning 8/13 I checked the shore excursions box for that date on the itinerary. The ones that came up as being available for us to book were all evening departures so I can then deduce that our TW Tour is indeed that morning. I suggest you first find your itinerary and then click each day Denali shore excursion box and could then figure out time of your TW Tour??

 

Hope this helps. If all else fails a quick TC to your TA should provide you with the info you need. Good luck and have a great trip!

[summersigh]

We actually boarded the bus for our group's TWT around 6am. Folks were sort of quietly grumbling at the early departure until our guide/bus driver told us that the earlier you go on the TWT tours the better the odds of seeing the "big 5" animals.

 

And yes ,,, we did see all of the 5 (except the moose) and more. We saw bears, dall sheep, caribou herds, a mamma wolf and her pups, red fox, and golden eagles plus some smaller critters.

 

We were even lucky enough to see the mountain in her full glory.

 

It was a glorious day to remember.:)

[catl331]

well, we saw many moose (Pl?) and a pack of wolves that were just beautiful. This was in early Sept. and we hit a snowstorm. The day before was heavy, cold rain. Fairbanks was just autumn gorgeous but we were turned back due to the accumulating snow. The buses have engines that do not pollute. We spent more time in the Visitor's center. Just be prepared for everything. Never did see the mountain top. The meals in the lodges are dinners but we found an Italian restaurant in Fairbanks that was good, a bistro at the Princess hotel that offered sandwiches. Of course, food in Alaska and Hawaii is not cheap. We attended a musical dinner at the Denali lodge area. Could've skipped it.

[sue1898]

We did the Double Denali last summer and it was an unforgettable trip. Those of you booked on this trip might be interested in this thread with my LONG report. I would be glad to answer questions you might have. Here's the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2067950

[chrismch]

The beauty of booking the land tour with HAL is that everything is a la carte giving you the opportunity to pick and choose what you want included. Our TA said that made for at least 150 options. You can add a meal package or not, you can book the Tundra tour or not.

 

Last August we were on the Oosterdam and did the "Double Denali" without the meal package. We did include the Tundra tour which includes a snack pack but brought our own meat, cheese (think Hickory Farms where no refrigeration is needed until opened), crackers and trail mix.

 

When you're in Alaska, keep in mind the prices are a little higher. Once you accept that you'll be fine. Remember, this is a once in a lifetime experience.

 

In Denali, go eat at Prospector's Pizza. I thought it was weird that people were raving about a pizza joint in the reviews. However, going there I could see why it was so popular. Had one of the best Caesar salads ever. It came with white anchovies which are much more expensive and less briny than regular brown anchovies and lots of fresh Parmesan cheese. This was enough to feed 2-3 as a first course. We also ordered their "Not your lower 48" pizza which was topped with elk and venison sausage. Fantastic - without a gamey taste. Returned the next night for the Spaghetti and Elk meatballs - another mountain of food! For dessert we had the made-to-order fried pizza balls which were dipped in honey and brown sugar - sorta like beignets. I'm not a donut fan, but loved these.

[nana51]

Thanks everyone.

 

Our package description includes the Wilderness Tour. But when I look at our itinerary (I have already "checked in " on line) it does not mention it.

 

I guess one problem I have is that I do not know what other tours to schedule in Denali since I do not know what day or time our Wilderness tour will start or end.

 

Any thoughts? Maybe it is just too soon. We leave in early July

 

We did this cruise last year. It was kind of annoying because we didn't find out what time our tour was until we got to the hotel. It was so early I didn't go. We had river rafting as soon as we arrived and we weren't done with that until 9:00 at night. By the time we got back to hotel and had something to eat it was really late. We'd been on the train all day and just couldn't wake up so early. It was like 6:00 in the morning or something. It did make it hard to plan other excursions.

[jtl513]

I guess one problem I have is that I do not know what other tours to schedule in Denali since I do not know what day or time our Wilderness tour will start or end.

IIRC there's an early tour (6:30ish) and a late one (Noonish) and we didn't find out that we had the early one until we got to the hotel.

 

We had two nights at Denali. The first day we arrived (from Fairbanks) in early afternoon, had the Tundra Wilderness tour on the second day, and left early on the third. We really didn't feel like doing any excursion on the first afternoon or after the TW tour. The first day we just checked out the area shops, had an early dinner, and went to a very nice Northern Lights movie.

 

I do not recommend the Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. So-so food and a corny show IMO. :)

.

Edited January 30, 2015 by jtl513