CruiseTour Help needed! 5 or 9 hour rail ride????

[NewCruiser10]

Hi! I am so excited :D that I am finally planning my trip to Alaska!!! I have been talking about it for years.

 

 

I have decided to take a Princess Cruisetour, touring first and than cruising. I have already posted this on the Alaska board, but I would also like to hear from the Princess "Pros"!

 

 

I am trying to choose between Tour HB5, which includes Anchorage, Mt. McKinley and Denali and has the 9 hour ride on the Princess Direct to the Wilderness Rail Service (double decker) and Tour JB6, which includes Fairbanks, Denali and Mt. McKinley and has a 5 hour ride on Princess Rail Service (not double decker). The obvious difference is that JB6 has an extra day.

 

 

What will I be missing if I do the 5 hour ride instead of the 9 hour ride? While I can't be disappointed because I am in Alaska, will I be sorry :( if I don't do the 9 hour?

 

 

Any thoughts about Anchorage vs Fairbanks?

 

 

Thanks, thanks, thanks in advance!

[dreaminofcruisin]

We've been to Alaska twice, once on Princess and once DIY. When we did Princess, we did the land portion on our own instead of the cruise tour. However, we did spend time in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. LOVED Anchorage. Fairbanks --- meh. :rolleyes:

 

I would pick Anchorage always over Fairbanks if that is your question. Also, LOVED Denali. Just check your itinerary and be sure you have enough time in Denali to go as far as the Eielson Visitor Center. That, IMO is MOST important. (You can do a shuttle on your own for much cheaper than what is likely include with the tour.)

Have a great trip whatever you decide!

[NewCruiser10]

Thanks dreaminofcruisin! Which rail trip did you take? The 5 or 9 hour one?

[Sea Hag]

Whatever you decide, you should make sure you have two nights at Denali Princess Lodge. That gives you a fully day in the park, which isn't enough, but it's much better than a half day that you'd get with one night at the lodge.

[NewCruiser10]

Whatever you decide, you should make sure you have two nights at Denali Princess Lodge. That gives you a fully day in the park, which isn't enough, but it's much better than a half day that you'd get with one night at the lodge.

 

 

Yes, both tours include 2 nights at Denali and 2 nights at Mt. McKinley. The only difference is the choice between Anchorage and Fairbanks and the choice between the longer or shorter rail trip. That's my dilemma.

[epixx]

What are you going to do for 2 nights at Mt. McKinley? There's really very little to do there even for one night. Are you sure you want 2 nights there?

[Sea Hag]

Yes, both tours include 2 nights at Denali and 2 nights at Mt. McKinley. The only difference is the choice between Anchorage and Fairbanks and the choice between the longer or shorter rail trip. That's my dilemma.

 

This probably isn't helpful, but at a bbq place in Fairbanks, you can get some world-class bread pudding with whiskey sauce.

 

 

I like traveling by train, so the longer train trip sounds great to me. But trains do have some degree of jerking and swaying motion to them. It's not really severe, but it's definitely there. Would you be fine with 9 hours of that? What's your attention span for watching scenery go by? Would you still be enthralled for all of the longer trip or would you be wishing it was over?

[Sea Hag]

Okay. I got off my laziness and went and looked at these on Princess.com. I'd prefer the long train trip for sure. I haven't traveled these routes nearly as much as a lot of folks here have, but on the train I thought the portion between Denali and Talkeetna was much more scenic than Talkeetna to Anchorage. The short train trip option seems to miss that. I've only gone from Anchorage to Whittier by car, and that was wonderful. It must be much more wonderful on the train, since one person isn't stuck driving.

[framer]

When and if in Fairbanks, if you can rent a car check out a town about 10 miles east of Fairbanks. The wife went nuts, North Pole AK. Talk about a Christmas shop. Even the Golden Arches are replace with candy canes.

 

We did the train from Fairbanks, it was a double decker. Every section of the train had an outside platform to watch the scenery go by, perfect for taking good pictures.

 

I agree two nights is needed at Denali.

 

framer

 

They have a huge US Post Office.

[Potstech]

Having done the long train ride from Whittier to Denali I would opt for a shorter one. To me it was very tiring at the end of the ride.

[Traveler808]

I did the cruise tour with the cruise first so I obviously did Whittier to Anchorage and ended up in Fairbanks. Having done that, I strongly recommend the way you are doing it...land first, then relax on the cruise.

 

the HB5 goes starts in Anchorage then heads up to Denali and returns back to Anchorage and Whittier where you embark. That return leg is the extra day.

 

I would prefer flying in to Fairbanks then head down towards Anchorage and Whittier without needing doubling back. Go to Google Maps and check the route.

[satxdiver]

The AK railway is old and the train travels at 25-30 mph with frequent slowdowns due to the condition of the tracks. Denali is closer to Fairbanks than Anchorage so the train trip from Fairbanks is quicker. Talkeetna is located south of Denali and is a small artist settlement on the Talkeetna river with shops for tourists. I have been taken the railroad from Whittier to Fairbanks which was a long day so last time I rented a car in Anchorage and drove the route much quicker.

 

Just outside Fairbanks is North Pole, AK and as you might imagine stakes its claim on the holidays to include a US Post Office with the appropriate cancellation stamp. There is a river boat on the river in Fairbanks that offers a really nice trip to a reconstructed staffed trapper camp. Also nearby is a visitor center on the AK pipeline so that you can see up close what it looks like.

 

The NPS has a tour that takes you from the Denali visitor center near the entrance to the Mount Denali visitor center. I have did this trip several times and was able to not only see Denali Peak but also grizzly bear and her cub, wolves, foxes, mountain sheep, caribou, beavers and other wildlife on the trip to and from the visitor center. The bus driver will stop the bus along the way and point out wildlife allowing you to take pictures. Denali peak is not always visible due to the clouds so hopefully you will have a nice clear day.

 

Anchorage is where they had the massive earthquake back in the 50's. You can see the aftermath in downtown Anchorage and other areas which was interesting to me. There are moose wandering through the city which was interesting.

 

If you decide to rent a car be sure to reserve it ahead of time as they sometimes run out of available autos. There is only one two lane paved road between Anchorage and Fairbanks with stops at Denali and Talkeetna. You simply cannot get lost.

[Potstech]

Bear in mind that if you rent a car you can not drive into Denali National Park.

[Alaskanb]

Have a look at my review it includes the train journey and our day at McKinley. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2371972

I think the tour numbers may have changed this year.

[NewCruiser10]

Thanks for all of your responses. We have booked the HB5 tour and will be on the 9 hour train ride. I'm counting down the days.