Denali Explorer pre cruise extension

[SantaFe1]

We are booked on the Denali Explorer pre-cruise extension for our Alaska and Inside Passage Cruise.  We fly to Anchorage next Thursday, May 25.  Denali has been on my bucket list for years.  We have done an inside passage cruise 18 years ago.  But my question is this:  the Denali Park Village hotel sounds just awful!  Everything I read about it gives it a one star.  Filthy, noisy, no food options.  I am VERY picky about hotels. I realize this is in a National Park, and I am prepared for that, it doesn’t have to be a Four Seasons.  But this just sounds so bad.  Not much I can do about it now, but at $3300 pp I would hope for better.  Anyone done this extension?  I don’t think I would book it again if I knew what I know now.  TIA. 

[Tas353]

Don’t worry! I also read poor reviews. It is basic but it’s at a national park. It was clean. Some rooms faced the river and some faced the parking lot. We faced the parking lot but it was ok. The lodge where you eat breakfast was very good! They had delicious fresh fruit and the coffee was great. I am gluten free and they gave me gluten free bread to toast. One night we got drinks and sat outside looking at the river. I was very skeptical but it was fine. The hotel Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge was great. Rooms were very nice. We ate outside on the deck off the restaurant and it was wonderful.We had great weather.  Their breakfast was just so so.
The train ride up to Denali from Anchorage was wonderful. The breakfast and lunch was delicious. We had several beautiful views of Denali. The train would slow down for pictures. 
Anchorage was ok. We ate at the same place a few times. I think it was a brew house. 
The bush pilot excursion was really interesting. 

We really enjoyed this extension. We met some very nice people on this extension. There were 2 buses. It was nice seeing them later on the ship. 

[SantaFe1]

7 minutes ago, Tas353 said:

Don’t worry! I also read poor reviews. It is basic but it’s at a national park. It was clean. Some rooms faced the river and some faced the parking lot. We faced the parking lot but it was ok. The lodge where you eat breakfast was very good! They had delicious fresh fruit and the coffee was great. I am gluten free and they gave me gluten free bread to toast. One night we got drinks and sat outside looking at the river. I was very skeptical but it was fine. The hotel Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge was great. Rooms were very nice. We ate outside on the deck off the restaurant and it was wonderful.We had great weather.  Their breakfast was just so so.
The train ride up to Denali from Anchorage was wonderful. The breakfast and lunch was delicious. We had several beautiful views of Denali. The train would slow down for pictures. 
Anchorage was ok. We ate at the same place a few times. I think it was a brew house. 
The bush pilot excursion was really interesting. 

We really enjoyed this extension. We met some very nice people on this extension. There were 2 buses. It was nice seeing them later on the ship. 

Thank you so much for this!!  I was just starting to dread it.  We’ve never had a really bad extension from Viking.  I will continue to look forward to a bucket list destination!

[SantaFe1]

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Linda.  I know you lived in Alaska.  

[LindaS272]

Christine, I can’t speak about the Denali Lodge because I’ve never stayed there—but have stayed near the park entrance a few miles away. My advice is to just remember where you are and focus on the grandeur of Denali (beyond the Memorial Day crowds 🫣). The hotel in Anchorage is a good one, also in Talketna—we’ve stayed in the latter.

 

The park accommodations make me think of the time (1987) that we stayed in the tiger preserve of Corbett National Park in northern India. The rustic cabin had peeling wallpaper over the bed, and I was shocked when I went to brush my teeth (with bottled water) in the bathroom sink and realized the sink just drained onto the bathroom floor! So you should be okay 😉🤞🤦‍♀️.

[duquephart]

It's a bit spartan but it is wilderness Alaska. The Alaska government wants to leave as small a footprint on it's natural beauty as possible.If you are looking for golden arches 200 feet in the air you will be disappointed. You will also most likely be disappointed if you think you are going to see Denali. The train ride is stunning.

[Tas353]

6 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

Thank you so much for this!!  I was just starting to dread it.  We’ve never had a really bad extension from Viking.  I will continue to look forward to a bucket list destination!

No problem! I felt the same way before we went last year. We really enjoyed this extension. We also were lucky to see Denali from Anchorage and along the train ride. We were very lucky, in that respect. I hope you are also! The down side for us was that we all had to be COVID tested before we could get on the ship. Seven people from our bus had to leave us in Anchorage and not continue to the ship because they tested positive. Be thankful you don’t have to deal with that. Luckily we were ok. 

[SantaFe1]

10 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

beyond the Memorial Day crowds 🫣)

You know, this cruise was originally scheduled for 2020 and was, of course, canceled.  When I rebooked it, I just shot for the cruise that coincided with our anniversary.  It wasn’t until about two weeks ago that I realized that put us there squarely over Memorial Day weekend!  Oh well…

[dd57]

We took the Pristine Alaska extension and stayed at the Denali Park Village hotel.  As our bus was approaching the hotel, our tour guide turned to us and said that the adventure part of our tour was about to begin...  then reminded us that we were in a wilderness area and not to expect a 5 star hotel.  We all wondered what she was talking about until we got to our rooms and then started laughing.  She had a great sense of humor.  But the hotel was clean and comfortable.

[duquephart]

11 minutes ago, dd57 said:

We took the Pristine Alaska extension and stayed at the Denali Park Village hotel.  As our bus was approaching the hotel, our tour guide turned to us and said that the adventure part of our tour was about to begin...  then reminded us that we were in a wilderness area and not to expect a 5 star hotel.  We all wondered what she was talking about until we got to our rooms and then started laughing.  She had a great sense of humor.  But the hotel was clean and comfortable.

 

Our tour guide joked that the showers were within walking distance of the rooms.

[SantaFe1]

So, why on earth does Viking continue to use this place?  ( This is a rhetorical question, as I know the answer).  

[oskidunker]

Princess owns some of the better hotels. 

[SJD117]

I spent quite a bit of time in Denali NP during my 10 years in Alaska. My accommodations included a youth hostel, two campgrounds, a few rustic lodges, the NPS staff dorms, a train caboose, a very remote backpacking site, and a wilderness cabin. I’m guessing that the Denali Park Village hotel is a top-of-the-line place compared to where I bedded down for the night.

Edited May 19, 2023 by SJD117

[SantaFe1]

Well, yes.  I spent years going to Yosemite while in college and first married and staying in the tent cabins.  They didn’t even have bathrooms, just a communal mens and women’s bath building.  I still remember when I went to the women’s bathroom, took out my contacts, which rendered me virtually blind, and all the tent cabins looked alike.  I had to stand out there in the woods and quietly call my husband to come and get me.  But that was 40+ years ago.  On my husband’s 40th birthday we splurged and stayed at the Ahwahnee and never looked back.  I didn’t expect or want to have to rough it on this trip!

[SJD117]

1 minute ago, SantaFe1 said:

Well, yes.  I spent years going to Yosemite while in college and first married and staying in the tent cabins.  They didn’t even have bathrooms, just a communal mens and women’s bath building.  I still remember when I went to the women’s bathroom, took out my contacts, which rendered me virtually blind, and all the tent cabins looked alike.  I had to stand out there in the woods and quietly call my husband to come and get me.  But that was 40+ years ago.  On my husband’s 40th birthday we splurged and stayed at the Ahwahnee and never looked back.  I didn’t expect or want to have to rough it on this trip!

I worked as a dining room waiter at the Ahwahnee for four summers. The list of places where I slept in YNP is as long as your arm.

[SantaFe1]

Oh how I loved the Ahwahnee!  Do you remember the Bracebridge dinners at Christmas?  We went one year and had a ball.  I started going to Yosemite as a child, and went several times a year until we retired and moved.  I would love to go back again one of these days.  However, I’m NOT staying in any tent cabins! But, I’m sure I can manage two nights in Denali Park Village, as long as it isn’t dirty and noisy!

[SJD117]

34 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

Oh how I loved the Ahwahnee!  Do you remember the Bracebridge dinners at Christmas?  We went one year and had a ball.  I started going to Yosemite as a child, and went several times a year until we retired and moved.  I would love to go back again one of these days.  However, I’m NOT staying in any tent cabins! But, I’m sure I can manage two nights in Denali Park Village, as long as it isn’t dirty and noisy!

I have very, very fond memories of YNP in general and the Ahwahnee in particular. As to the Bracebridge, I participated in four dinners: two as a waiter (1973 and 1975), one as a pageant member (1979), and once with Linda as hotel and dinner guests (2019). I even met Ansel Adams at the 1979 event!

[SantaFe1]

I can’t quite remember when we went to the dinner.  Sometime in the 90s I would suspect.  I can’t believe you and Linda know this dinner!  I know this is thread drift on my own thread, but so much fun! And thanks to all who have replied!   I will add that I did this with my first husband, who died 23 years ago at the age of 46.  So carpe diem.  Always do what you love when you can.  My second husband and I celebrate our 20th a week from Tuesday on Orion. Resurrection Bay and Manfredis.  

[SJD117]

50 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I can’t quite remember when we went to the dinner.  Sometime in the 90s I would suspect.  I can’t believe you and Linda know this dinner!  I know this is thread drift on my own thread, but so much fun! And thanks to all who have replied!   I will add that I did this with my first husband, who died 23 years ago at the age of 46.  So carpe diem.  Always do what you love when you can.  My second husband and I celebrate our 20th a week from Tuesday on Orion. Resurrection Bay and Manfredis.  

Congratulations on your 20th anniversary! Milestones are important to remember and celebrate. (We mark my 70th birthday on July 11 onboard the Viking Saturn, far above the Arctic Circle in Tromso, Norway.)

Let’s do the Bracebridge dinner sometime! Linda and I had a blast in 2019. There’s no better place to spend part of the holiday season. And as you say, carpe diem!

 

(BTW, Resurrection Bay is one of my favorite parts of Southcentral Alaska. If you get the chance and the weather is good, try to take an excursion beyond the Bay to Kenai Fjords NP — fabulous! Another option for a great walk is to Exit Glacier just outside Seward.)

Edited May 20, 2023 by SJD117

[SantaFe1]

1 minute ago, SJD117 said:

Congratulations on your 20th anniversary! Milestones are important to remember and celebrate. (We mark my 70th birthday on July 11 onboard the Viking Saturn, far above the Arctic Circle in Tromso, Norway.)

Let’s do the Bracebridge dinner sometime! Linda and I had a blast in 2019. There’s no better place to spend part of the holiday season. And as you say, carpe diem!

Thank you and congratulations to you too.  I would love to do a cruise with you sometime.  We have Hawaii, in Feb 2024, BIE in May 2024, and Pacific explorer in April 2025.  We intend to book Malta for Nov, 2024 while on Orion.  I hope with still the $25 down.   But I read today that there is no Bracebridge in 2023.  But we have also enjoyed, perhaps too much, the vintners dinner at Ahwahnee in Nov.  who knows where time and tide will take us all!

[SantaFe1]

On 5/18/2023 at 10:49 PM, duquephart said:

You will also most likely be disappointed if you think you are going to see Denali.

I’d like to contradict this in the very best way.  Saw Denali 100% yesterday, something, we are told, only 6% of visitors to the park see.  Only 30% see it at all.

 

[philw1776]

Did the extension but with Silversea. Same deal.
The hotel is very basic but clean. A time warp back to the 70s. Our room faced the parking lot but the views from elsewhere on property were great.

Restaurant had great meals with very fresh fish, etc.

The park tour is a hoot. Unfortunately ours was in total rain.

The train ride alone is worth the trip. On that day we could see the mountain. This was the best extension for making pre-cruise friends ever. Hated to leave the fellow guests at cruise end.

Photos on 1st page show Denali pre cruise.

 

 

[SJD117]

42 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

I’d like to contradict this in the very best way.  Saw Denali 100% yesterday, something, we are told, only 6% of visitors to the park see.  Only 30% see it at all.

 

So glad you could see the Mountain!

[duquephart]

2 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

I’d like to contradict this in the very best way.  Saw Denali 100% yesterday, something, we are told, only 6% of visitors to the park see.  Only 30% see it at all.

 

 

You have a 70% chance of not seeing Denali - contradict all you want. Great that you beat the odds.

Edited May 28, 2023 by duquephart

[LindaS272]

7 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

I’d like to contradict this in the very best way.  Saw Denali 100% yesterday, something, we are told, only 6% of visitors to the park see.  Only 30% see it at all.

 

Lived in Anchorage for five years. Every time we went up to Denali, we saw the mountain. Depends on your luck—don’t believe the statisticians. 😎