rooms at princess denali, mckinley and kenai lodges

[creel5857]

can someone staying this summer at either of these lodges update me regarding pros and cons of the rooms that are typically used with cruise line tours.....TV's, size of beds, comfortable beds, cost of foods in resturants.....thanks

[Budget Queen]

Have you also looked here? http://www.princesslodges.com/

 

Overall, budget 50% more for food than you would at home.

[DentoAlaska]

We were at the Denali and Mt. McKinley lodge in July. They are both at beautiful locations and have multiple buildings with rooms, restaruants, etc.. A shuttle service is available that will take you from building to building and runs about every 10 minutes or so.

 

In both lodges we had a queen sized bed and both had flat screen tv's. The bed's were comfortable, the rooms were clean and there were many walking paths on the grounds. The only thing we found a little strange was at the Denali lodge the sink for the bathroom was in the main room beside the bed.

 

As far as the cost of food, that can range greatly by what you choose to eat. Each location has at least two places to eat. One is reasonable (Hamburgers, soups, sandwiches) about $15 to $20/person and one more "upscale" where prices can range up to $50/plate. Of course that cost depends on what you order. We never felt that the food was that expensive. I guess it just depends on what you order and what you are used to paying at home for a meal.

Edited August 8, 2015 by DentoAlaska

[creel5857]

thanks for reply....although we stayed at one of the lodges in past it has been many years and just didn't know what to expect now....thanks again

[mek]

We liked the McKinley lodge better than the Denali Lodge. Our room was larger and nicer at McKinley, the deck and views are spectacular, and they have a Starbucks!;) Both are nice and Denali has some shops and places to grab a bite to eat across the street from the lodge. Do be prepared for the cost of food - we had two coney dogs and a soft drink at a place across from the Denali lodge and our bill was close to $25. (And that was the cheapest meal we had between Anchorage and Fairbanks.) We did have lunch at Fred Meyer in Fairbanks the day we flew home and spent $15 - a real bargain!

Edited August 8, 2015 by mek

[travgurl]

Just got back from our trip. Loved the McKinley Chalet! Lovely grounds, kept well. We were in one of the lower buildings, lovely view out our window of the mountain and trees. The room itself was very nice. There was a sitting room nice size with table comfy chairs and a tv. The bedroom was another room where we have a very queen size bed and night table. We felt very comfortable and safe there. The lodge itself was very nice. We ate breakfast at Starbucks and the lodge dining restaurant. Both had great food. For dinners we ate at the Salmon bake and Prospectors Pizza, both had great food. Loved the Tundra wilderness tour and white water rafting. Best shopping is at the stores located right near the Prospectors pizza or gift shop at the Chalet. Hope you enjoy your trip, we certainly did!!!

[ericosmith]

In order of preference, the Kenai, then the McKinley, then the Denali as of last month. The rooms at Kenai are great with wood burning stoves and a small deck. It is a small lodge so dining choices are limited but the view is terrific.

 

McKinley was nice but if it's cloudy there's almost no view and nothing to do in the area.

 

Denali had the smallest rooms, was a huge lodge. The major benefit was there were places across the street to eat. Recommend Prospectors Pizza, much better than the Princess place.

[TW6cruiser]

We leave next week for a cruise tour that includes stays at four of the Princess lodges. I found a lot of information on each lodge at Trip Advisor in addition to the Princess lodges site.

[Glaciers]

We stayed at the McKinley Princess Lodge on Friday night. More than one night would have been too many as there’s not much to do. $12.50 for a hamburger and fries and $5.75 for a beer which is cheaper than many places in Anchorage. Computers and WiFi in the main lobby, none in the rooms.

 

We stayed at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge Saturday night which is located just up the road from Talkeetna and a much better location. The view of Mt McKinley is superior from here as well, when it’s out.

[creel5857]

thanks for all the responses......particularly some of the specific differences

[Northern Aurora]

We stayed at the McKinley Princess for one night this past May and then were at the Denali Princess for two nights in June. We also have stayed at both properties before.

 

The only reason we ever stay at the McKinley Princess is that the location is closer to home than any property in Talkeetna. For example, when we stayed there last May we were returning home from Seward, and it is a convenient place to spend the night. But it often as a somewhat disorganized feel to it, particularly the restaurants. Also the rooms in the older section don't seem to be well sound-proofed.

 

The Denali Princess certainly has more food options near the property. And while their free wi-fi is supposedly just in the lobby we actually had wi-fi in our room last June; we suspect we received the wi-fi as the room was close to one of the on-property businesses.

 

We've also stayed several times at the McKinley Chalets, including their rooms with the separate sleeping area as described by "travgurl." But there doesn't seem to be much quality difference between the McKinley Chalets and Denali Princess in terms of either the quality of the construction or room furnishings.

[mapleleaves]

This photojournal is from the 2014 trip report list. It's a cruise tour that stopped at the Kenai,McKinley and Denali Princess Lodges. There are photos of each lodge ... grounds, exterior, rooms.

http://www.thepreismans.com/alaska_island_14.htm

[creel5857]

oh my Mapleleaves thank you so much for the pictures and narrative ....wow....this was some of what I needed. THANKS