Trip Report - Radiance (1 July) + Land - VERY LENGTHY!

[alaskamasta]

We're back from our Alaskan adventure and wanted to share our trip notes with you since we earned so much valuable information from this site.

It's a little bit (lotta bit) lengthy - so be warned! There is a summary at the end if you want the cliff notes:

Note: We’ve given each trip/hotel/restaurant a rating between 1-10 as follows:

1-4 = We did not enjoy this part of the trip and do not recommend

5-7 = This part of the trip was just ok, do it if you have nothing better planned

8-10 = This was a highlight of our trip – do not miss!

Day 1: Sunday, June 25th

We arrived in Anchorage at 4PM (63 degrees outside!) and took the free shuttle to our hotel, the Anchorage Aspen hotel (now ExtendedStay) (rating: location = 8, accommodations = 6).

We walked a few blocks to the downtown area and checked out the “Alaska Experience Theater” which provides a 180 degree screen movie of Alaska’s highlights. This was just ok, but we figured it was a good way to kick off the trip (rating = 6).

After the movie, we ate dinner at Phyllis’ Crab & Salmon Bake and treated ourselves to a feast of fresh King & Snow Crab. The King Crab was amazing and it turns out that this was the best meal we had on the entire trip! (rating = 10+).

Day 2: Monday, June 26th

We woke up early for an 8 hour ride on a domed train to Denali National Park. The commentary on the train was a little cheesy, but we enjoyed in nonetheless. We recommend sitting on the left side for best views. Breakfast and lunch was available for purchase on the train but is pricey and not that great – we brought our own snacks. (rating = 8).

We arrived at Denali and checked into the Denali Bluffs Hotel. The location of the hotel was great, but the accommodation were not anywhere close to what we were expecting at $200+ per night (rating: location = 9, accommodations = 5).

We ate at the “World Famous” Salmon Bake for dinner and tried the salmon and halibut. Ironically, the halibut was outstanding, but the salmon was overcooked. (rating = 6).

We also walked around the Princess & Holland hotel “complexes” and shops – these are nicer areas but we’re not sure how much they cost.

Day 3: Tuesday, June 27th

Bright & early, we were picked up for our 13 hour bus tour of Denali National Park – the Kantishna Wilderness Tour. All buses that go into the park are literally “school buses” but not one person on our trip wished they had taken one of the shorter bus tours. We recommend sitting up front and on the left. We found that the tour guide answered a lot of questions without the microphone that we would have missed in the back of the bus, plus on dry days we’ve been told the back gets pretty dusty. Our tour guide was a little weird at first, but grew on us – she told us lots of “Band Camp” stories (American Pie reference). We were not lucky enough to see Mt. McKinley, but for the most part it was pretty good weather. Heading out we saw a bear on the road which was awesome – but that was it. Coming back, we saw: Dall Sheep (lots – on the hilltops and also crossing the road; also banging horns), Caribou (we saw a herd of 100+ crossing a stream – which we’ve heard is rare), Moose (2 adults and 1 calf), a Golden Eagle eating a fox, Magpie Birds, Bald Eagles, Artic Squirrels, Rabbits, Beaver lodges & dams, and a bear eating a moose. Quite a day! At the Kantisha Roadhouse (half-way point) we took a guided nature hike and had lunch which was pretty good. (overall rating: 9.5).

We kept it simple and had pizza for dinner at Lynx (rating = 5.5), and then finished up with drinks on the balcony of the hotel. Amazing that it was still bright out at 11PM.

Day 4: Wednesday, June 28th

Started the day with breakfast at the hotel (rating = 4).

Then, we went whitewater rafting on the Nenana River Canyon run. The guide did all of the rowing and hit the Class III & IV rapids in the right spot so they weren’t bad at all. All we had to do is hold on! Water was 38 degrees, but they put you in dry suits and only your hands/head get wet. (rating = 8).

We tried the Caribou Caramel ice cream in town for lunch (rating = 5).

Then we hiked over to the Park Entrance from our hotel and up to the top of Mt. Healy. It was a very, very steep hike and about 10 miles round trip – but the views from the top were amazing and well worth the sore feet and legs! (rating = 9).

To keep it simple, we had dinner at the Salmon Bake again, this time we had a Halibut Burrito – not bad! (rating = 7).

Day 5: Thursday, June 29th

We took the Alaska Tour & Travel Shuttle Bus from Denali to Seward (rating = 9), stopping off for lunch at Anchorage (where else but Phyllis’ for King Crab??!). We actually booked lodging, transportation and most of the activities through Alaska Tour & Travel as their rates were virtually the same as doing it yourself and they did a great job of packaging everything together for you. We also caught a glimpse of Mt. McKinley on the way back!

We also stopped off at the Alaska Museum of History & Art after lunch, but it wasn’t anything memorable (rating = 5).

We finally got into the Seward Windsong Hotel around 5PM (ratings: location = 7.5, accommodations = 8).

We took the quick shuttle ride to town and had dinner at Ray’s Waterside by the small boat harbor. We had the salmon entrée (cooked with brandy glaze on a wood plank) and fresh oysters from Prince William Sound. Both seafood items literally arrived at the restaurant ½ hour before we did and were wonderful (rating = 10).

We eventually made it back to the Winsong and had Chocolate Mousse for dessert (rating = 7).

Day 6: Friday, June 30th

We went on the Kenai Fjords Northwestern Glacier Boat tour which was 9 ½ hours but very enjoyable. We saw a ton of wildlife on this trip to include: Humpback Whales, Harbor Seals (on ice blocks), Stellar Sea Lions (tons of them), Sea Otters (putting on quite a show…), Bald Eagles, Puffins (lots – both in the water and on the rocks), and a ton of other birds. Food was served on the boat and was pretty good. Don’t get wrapped up about where to sit – you’ll be moving around the whole time looking for wildlife (we sat up top). Several people did get seasick, but when asked, none of them took any pre-emptive measures. We both took Dramamine and Ginger pills and were completely fine. (rating = 10+).

We had dinner at the Resurrection Diner at the Hotel – Halibut fish & chips (rating = 6.5).

Day 7: Saturday, July 1st

We started off the day with one of our most anticipated events, the Godwin Helicopter & Dogsled Tour. The picked us up at the hotel and we took a very beautiful 10 minute helicopter ride to the Godwin Glacier Dog Camp. We spent about 40 minutes at the camp and took the dogsled on a 1-2 mile loop which was fun. We were the second group to go so we didn’t get to go for a snowmobile ride because we ran out of time – so we recommend if you go, to volunteer to go first. They provide overshoes and heavy jackets, so you don’t need to waste packing space with that. This was fun and we got some wonderful pictures, but we felt a little unfulfilled after spending $800 for a 1 ½ hour adventure that seemed a lot shorter than that. Also, as we found out on our Heli-Hike (see below), this ride was more of a means to get from point A to point B, where the other ride was more like an IMAX movie. It was night & day. (rating = 6)

We had some extra time before boarding so we went to the Sea Life Center which was $15/each and can easily be toured in 1-2 hours. It was fun to see the animals close up, but not as exciting as the previous day – seeing them in the wild. (rating = 6.5)

We had a quick lunch at Chinooks, which was also highly recommended along with Ray’s. We had a crab stuffed portabello and a grilled halibut and they were excellent. (rating = 9.5). Only (minor) regret is that we soon realized that the cruise ship was serving a lunch buffet for *free* so this was an unnecessary expense.

We boarded the Radiance of the Seas at 2PM and literally walked right on. We had filled out the boarding information online and all they did was scan the boarding pass, our passports and told us to have a nice day. Apparently 90% of the ship arrives via bus and train from Anchorage between 4-6PM so we really lucked out. Better yet, the Winsong hotel had taken our bags first thing in the morning to the port, so while we were out touring all day, our bags were being processed – and they were already in our room when we checked in! (rating = 10)

Day 8: Sunday, July 2nd

This was a day “at sea” so we slept in a little bit (8AM) and took advantage of the ship’s amenities: mini-golf, casino, art auction, swimming, hot tub, and played pool (self-leveling tables were neat). We gathered on the top deck in the afternoon when we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier – the largest and most active Glacier in N. America. There was plenty of room on the top levels of the ship and was not overly cold (jacket/hat perhaps). Then again, the captain told us that this was the best weather he had ever seen! Many folks swear by Glacier Bay over Hubbard Glacier and we had some regrets in booking a ship that did not go through Glacier Bay. But Hubbard was fantastic – lots and lots of calfing and more than satisfied our Glacier needs. Perhaps the next trip… (rating = 10).

This was also the formal night on the cruise.

Day 9: Monday, July 3rd

We started off the day on the 35 foot rock climbing wall. It was harder than we expected and if you do it make sure to use your legs and not your arms! (rating = 8).

We got off the ship and met up at 10:30 with our guide for the Heli-Hike and White Pass Railroad excursion. We had an incredible helicopter ride up/around/over mountains and glaciers – it truly was like an IMAX movie. We hovered over Denver Glacier for some great pictures and then landed at the entrance to the Laughton Glacier Hiking Trail. The guide was with Packer Expeditions and he was fantastic – we highly recommend. We went on a 4 mile (roundtrip) hike with some of the best scenery and weather of the entire trip. We saw lots of signs of wildlife in the vicinity (moose & bear) but didn’t encounter any on the hike. The guide pointed out so many interesting plants and other things that we would have walked right by if we were on our own. At the half-way point, we watched glacial runoff water rushing down from Laughton Glacier – it was picture-perfect. The hike was “moderate” but definitely doable if you’re in any kind of shape. We finished the hike at the “Glacier” stop on the White Pass railway and the guides shared some local beer and salmon with us while we waited. The White Pass railroad took us back down to Skagway and our ship, and was very scenic and enjoyable. This was our favorite excursion of the entire trip. (rating = 10+)

We also heard great things from people who rented a car at the port and drove out to Emerald Lake.

We tried some spruce beer at the famous Red Onion saloon in Skagway. The beer, made from spruce tree, has 3 times the vitamin C of orange juice and is not on the beer list – so you have to ask for it (a tip from our hiking guide). (rating = 8)

We had reservations at the Chops Grille that night on the ship. This is a “premium” restaurant and cost $20/person (tax and tip included). This meal was worth every penny. The services was unbeatable and the food was one of the best we had on the entire trip. We were so stuffed with food that they delivered an assortment of desserts to our stateroom at no charge. While the food in the main dining room was pretty good – this food was fantastic. You’re missing out if you don’t spend at least one dinner in Chops or Portofino (on Royal Caribbean only). (rating = 10)

Day 10: Tuesday, July 4th

We spent the first few hours shopping in Juneau since all of the roads were closed down for 4th of July parade activities. Once the parade passed through we hopped on one of many $6 shuttle busses to the Mendenhall Glacier. One tip is to not buy the return ticket upfront – that way you can hop on the first bus that comes to head back into town, instead of waiting for the particular vendor you rode up with. We did the East Glacier hike on our own – it was 3.5 miles and lots of uphill/downhill parts – so be warned. The views were beautiful and we even saw some people kayaking right up to the glacier which put everything in perspective size-wise. (rating = 8)

We stopped by the Red Dog Saloon but didn’t stay long because it was crowded. (rating = 7).

If you’re into whale watching, we heard nothing but rave reviews from people who went with Captain Larry from Orca Enterprises in Juneau.

Day 11: Wednesday, July 5th

We had scheduled a whale watching and fishing charter with F.I.S.H.E.S. in Icy Strait Point this day. We were picked up from the dock and taken to the Silver Spoon, which we were told was only running at half-speed due to engine problems. We had a nice, relaxing boat ride out to the area where the whales had been bubble-feeding all week, but when we got there – they were gone! We spent a good amount of time looking for the whales but came up empty. We then tried our hand at fishing and had bought licenses for $20 each. The first guy caught his fish within the first minute and we were all very excited. I was next and got a bite after several minutes, but the fish got away. No one else got a bite in the next hour or so and we headed back in (by the way, you have to pay the license fee – even if you never touch a pole!). We were told that we’d get extra time for fishing since the engine was out, but that didn’t happen, so we were a little disappointed. Later that night, we found out that other people saw “dozens” of whales on similar trips so that stung a little. However, wildlife is never guaranteed and this was our only “miss” of the entire vacation. (rating = 4)

Some people on board did an excursion where they teach you how to cook different types of seafood and then you eat it – that sounded kind of fun. There’s not a whole lot to do at ISP…

Day 12: Thursday, July 6th

We arrived early into port at Ketchikan and got one of the first shuttle boats to town. We had planned to do the sea kayaking right there at the port because of time constraints, but instead we hopped on an earlier excursion to Orca’s Cove with Southeast Kayaking which was 2 hours longer, but more secluded. We started with a 9 mile speedboat ride to the cove and then were fitted into our 2-person kayaks. They provide you with waterproof clothing and that’s about all that was needed over your clothes (no jackets, etc…). We kayaked around for a while and saw bright orange and purple starfish, seals, dungenous crabs, and some beautiful scenery. The kayaking was a little bit of work going against the current, but not too bad. Better yet, the Orca’s Cove was quiet and serene which was totally worth the small premium. They also provided a salmon snack and drinks after we were done. (rating = 9)

When we got back to town we took the self-guided walking tour to the salmon hatchery (about 1-2 miles). The famous Creek Street section of the hike should have had views of thousands of King Salmon swimming upstream on the “stairs”, but the salmon were 3 weeks late this year so we missed out. The hatchery closed at 4:30PM so we missed that too, but enjoyed the walk. We were told the fishing trips in Ketchikan were fantastic.

We got back to the pier a little early and checked out the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show ($30/person). This was a one-hour show that shows all of the lumberjack events such as log climbing, speedsaw, axe throwing, logrolling, etc… The show was a little cheesy, but we were expecting that from our research and were prepared. (rating = 7)

We were told that Ketchikan receives rain over 300 days per year and we had another beautiful day. We were told over and over again by the captain and crew that we really lucked out with weather this week.

Day 13: Friday, July 7th

This was our second day “as sea” as we went through the Inside Passage. This was a stretch with beautiful scenery all around, even though we finally got our first day of rain.

We spent the day around the ship: casino, bingo, bands, and even a very entertaining “Bartender Competition” where they juggled bottles like in the movie Cocktail.

We also spend part of the day packing up, as bags had to be out in the hall before midnight, tagged and ready to go.

Day 14: Saturday, July 8th

We waited in the lounge until our number was called and then it was a very smoothly run operation getting us onto our transfer bus and taking us to Vancouver airport, where we were married up with our bags. We were quickly routed through customs and then to our terminal.

Overall Summary:

Our top three excursion highlights of the trip, in order, were:

1) Heli-Hike & White Pass Railway with TEMSCO/Packer Expeditions (Skagway)

2) Kenai Fjords Northwestern Glacier Boat Tour (Seward)

3) Kantishna Wilderness Bus Tour (Denali National Park)

Our top three culinary highlights of the trip, in order, were:

1) King Crab – Phyllis’ Crab & Salmon (Anchorage)

2) Chops Grille (On-board Radiance of the Seas)

3) Ray’s Waterfront (Seward)

We were very pleased with our decision to do land first and then a southbound cruise. Those people who we talked to that had done the reverse had a good time, but had regrets. Feel free to email me with any questions!

[NancyIL]

Excellent review - thank you! What time did your Kantishna bus tour leave, and when did you return?

[KTimlin]

Awesome review! My husband and I are sailing on the Radiance 9/2/06 and cannot wait!

[alaskamasta]

Excellent review - thank you! What time did your Kantishna bus tour leave, and when did you return?

 

They picked us up at our hotel at 6:30AM and returned us around 8PM. It was a long day, but well worth it IMO. There are other tours (Denali Wilderness Lodge has one) if you don't want to do Kantishna.

[PAISANO]

Sounds like you have a wonderful time. I'm a little courious as to the regrets on doing the reverse, as this is what we will be doing in May 2007.

Did they say why? Thanks for your review.

[alaskamasta]

Sounds like you have a wonderful time. I'm a little courious as to the regrets on doing the reverse, as this is what we will be doing in May 2007.

Did they say why? Thanks for your review.

 

Only that the land part is a little more rough/strenuous and it's nice to finish with being pampered on the cruise ship at the end of the trip. We found the accommodations/service/food to be better on the ship so IMO it would be hard to go from that to the land piece. Don't get me wrong, I don't think you'll have a bad time either way ;) I wouldn't fret too much about it.

[MNmom]

alaskamasta- What a great review!!! I was especially glad to hear about your helihike with PackerExpeditions in Skagway. We are booked with them in 4 weeks and very excited. We have 10 in our group(ages 6-70!) and they will have 2 guides. We are taking the train both ways...because there are 10 of us!! I was a little surprised that you mentioned it was 4 miles round trip as they quoted us 6-8miles. Did you have any opportunity to hike around the Laughton Glacier? How was the lunch? Did you take the 3:15 train back and get back to the ship around 4pm? We have a ton of questions and are really excited for this excursion. Welcome home and again...thanks for the review, it was fun to read!!

 

MNmom

[alaskamasta]

MNmom,

 

You will have a great time on that excursion - they are very professional. Our guide did mention that they do several different hikes in the area, so it's very possible that you're doing a different hike. He said they choose the hike based on weather, etc...

 

We didn't hike right up to Laughton Glacier, but within a mile or two of it. I'm sorry to hear that you're not doing the helicopter - that was one of the highlights - but I understand that can be pricey with 10 people.

 

I don't know what train we caught - wasn't really paying attention. We weren't in any kind of time contstraint as our ship didn't leave till late that night. You should contact Packer and find out - I'm sure they'll be straight up with you.

 

They didn't really serve "lunch" on our tour, but instead some salmon spread & crackers which were really good. I wasn't expecting food - so it was a pleasant surprise. Our guide's code name was "cowboy" and I don't remember his real name - but you should definitely ask for him. He was extremely knowledgeable about everything on the hike.

 

By the way, they offered us hiking poles at the beginning - I would definitely recommend them. I'm in perfectly good shape, but it helps to have another point of contact - more on the downhill parts than the uphill.

 

Hope you have fun - and glad you liked the review.

[bibliobelle]

Alaskamasta -- Our group was on the Radiance Northbound cruise (June 24- July 1) just prior to yours. On our trip, we noticed a couple of problems with the conditions on the ship and were wondering whether they were resolved for the next cruise. Most, if not all, women's restrooms in public areas of the ship had at least one stall locked and "out of service" signs posted. The women's restroom on Deck 5 just outside the Aurora Theater was locked for the entire 7 days. Also, our husbands tried to use the golf simulator during the week but it was apparently broken for the entire cruise. Can you tell me whether these conditions existed on your trip? While these certainly didn't ruin or even dampen our enjoyment of our cruise, we're fairly new to cruising and were just wondering how long it takes problems to be repaired on ships since they are out to sea constantly. Thanks.

[MINIjen]

Great review!!

 

In Icy Strait point - What did the people who did the cooking thing think of it? We're considering it for our June 07 cruise. :)

[tapia]

Wow, it sounds like you had a great time!

 

Was: King Crab – Phyllis’ Crab & Salmon (Anchorage) expensive?

[alaskamasta]

A couple quick responses to your questions:

 

1) I can't report in-depth on the women's bathrooms, but I did notice they were closed from time-to-time for cleaning. I didn't think much of it. I did not try to use the golf simulator, so again, I'm unable to answer your question. Sorry...

 

2) The folks we talked to that did the cooking at ISP did enjoy themselves - they said they literally saw them bringing the seafood in from the shore and it was delicious. It probably won't rank as your most memorable excursion, but it wasn't too pricey, either.

 

3) I think the King Crab dinner was only around $22, which is NOT expensive. You'll see the same in other restaurants (1 to 1 1/2 lbs.) for upwards of $42. If I lived in Anchorage, I think I would eat King Crab at least once a week regardless of the cost - it was that good! :) Phyliss' was good, but I'm sure the crab is good wherever you get it.

[SubH2O]

We were on the same cruise, and have to say that alaskamasta has captured the cruise beautifully!

In the spirit of the original post, I will add our excursions with a similar rating system and my thoughts on what we did differently from the original post. I will rate only the excursions that I did personally, as some in the group did other things along the way.

We were in a group of nine. The rest of the group got there a couple of days before we did and took the opportunity to take a private tour around Prince William Sound. Their guide was a marine biologist (I believe) and they had a great tour out of Whittier before returning to Anchorage to meet up with my family.

 

June 30: We were staying at the Anchorage Grand hotel, and took the train to Anchorage. The hotel was incredibly convenient to the station (just a short walk down a hill). The train ride was spectacular, and the nine of us ended up in a car with no other passengers- it was like having a private train car!) Great views along the way, and several bear sightings. (rating=10)

After ariving in Seward, and took in the Sea Life Centre. The original post was right on about the time to allow for a visit. My niece (7) and nephew (9) and my daughter (2) loved seeing the seals, sea lions and puffins up close, and especially the touch tanks where they could touch the various starfish, urchins and anenomes. My 2yr old especially liked it when the anenome stuck to her ("It nibbled!"). (rating=9)

 

July 1: Took a 6hour cruise with Kenai Fjords. Some in the group had sea-sick problems, but most did not. None of pre-medicated, but those that were sick felt better soon after taking meds and getting fresh air. Saw fin whales, humpback whales, seals and sea lions as well as tons of puffins and other birds. I think seeing them at the sea life centre first was good for the kids since they could put the animals in better perspective. (rating=10).

Windsong Lodge then picked us up and took us to the ship by about 2:30 and check in and embarkation was a breeze. As with the original poster, our bags were already in our room.

 

July 2: see original post.

 

July 3: Skagway. Started the day with a walk through downtown. Then "the group" had hired a private tour. We went "looking for wildlife", but saw nothing. A short stop at the gold rush cemetery was kind of interesting. (rating=4)

The tour dropped us ff at the White Pass rail station where we got the last train of the day that would get us back to the ship on time. (rating=10)

 

July 4: Juneau. Immediately after leaving the ship, we took the "Taku Lodge flight and feast" excursion (not offered through RCCL). This was a highlight, and I highly recommend it. The views from the floatplane were spectacular. We landed at Taku Lodge for a grilled salmon brunch that was probably the best salmon I have ever tasted (especially the white-fleshed King salmon). A couple of bears came out of the woods toads the end of our stop. On the return, we got to see the parade from the air! (rating=10+)

The rest of the day was spent wandering downtown Juneau and taking the Mt Roberts tram. My daughter loved seeing the bald eagle at he top, and then we were able to see a close-up view of a wild eagle not 6ft outside the tram window on the way down. (rating=8)

 

July 5: Icy Straight Point: We were on the whale watching cruise that saw all of the whales (Sorry-alaskamasta!). We were in the midst of a group of about 12 humpbacks, and even got to see one breach! There were a few Stellar sea lions tht followed us for a while as well. (rating=10)

We also took some time to wander the old cannery, but the original post was right that there is not much to keep you busy for long here once any excursion is finished. It is scenic however! My wife and daughter took a few minutes to dip their feet in the ocean here.

 

July 6: Ketchikan: I took the opportunity to go scuba diving here at Mountain Point (privately arranged). The dives were spectacular, and I got to see all of the life I was hoping to see, including a wolfeel and an octopus. (rating=10+)

While I was diving, the rest of our group took the Undersea tour, where the kids were thrilled by the touch tanks and the chance to touch urchins, sea cucumbers and other animals. Judging from their pictures, the visibility from the semisubmersibe was so-so, but they did get to see lots.

They also took the "Duck" Tour, but did not seem as impressed. The kids did like the noisemakers they got on the tour!

 

July 7: Saw some orcas from the balcony. Otherwise, see the original post.

 

My top 3 excursion highlights were:

1) Taku Lodge Flight & Feast (Juneau)

2) Ketchikan scuba

3) Whiite Pass and Yukon Rail (Skagway)

 

We didn't do much extra dining beyond the ship (tough to do much fancy dining with a 2yr old!), but the dining highlight for us would also have to be the Taku Lodge salmon from my #1 excursion above.

[fiveparty]

SubH2o - we're thinking of doing the Taku Glacier flight and feast but, need your opinion - we're taking our 3 children ages 16(m), 13(f) and 8(m). My children are active types (we're also doing the Glacier Point Safari excursion in Skagway) - do you think the Taku Glacier is a good excursion for 3 children? It's offered through RCCl for $300 each (CDN) child is $245. By the way, they've sold out of their independent space (already e-mailed them and tried that route):(

 

Thanks

[SubH2O]

There are some short trails that offer some great views and chances to see wildlife. My seven year old neice did not do much of the trails- she liked to stay with her 2yr old cousin. My 9yr old nephew did do the trails with his dad and grandfather and had fun.

It is easy to pass the time at the lodge. You get about ten to twenty minutes to explore before you eat, then longer after the meal until the planes come back with the next group and you have to go back to Juneau.

Even without the trails, you are almost guaranteed to have some bears stroll out of the woods after lunch. There are definitely arguments about the bears. Conservationists will argue that the lodge has made them much to accustomed to people, but it is defintely interesting to see them so close.

In addition, there is a fair bit to see in the lodge building- a big moose head, several kinds of animal skins to touch, dog sleds, lodge history (OK- they probably won't be interested in the history stuff, but there is lots to keep eveyone's interest for the time you have there).

The float planes are fairly small, and if they are lucky, the kids might get a chance to fly "shotgun" in the cockpit. My niece and nephew took turns (one on the flight out , the other on the way back). Of course, our group filled the plane, so they did not have to worry about other passengers wanting the seat.

There are other threads on the board about Taku as well.

The children on our trip were different ages, but I think there is plenty for them to keep busy, either on their own or with the rest of the family.

[fiveparty]

Subh20 - thanks for your response. If I've read your initial post correctly - you booked the Taku Lodge excursion independently? What was the cost per adult (if you don't mind me asking) when you booked it?

 

If our family decides to include this as one of our excursions - it will cost us close to $1500 CDN :eek:

[SubH2O]

I'm afraid I can't answer that as I wasn't the one that did the booking.

The cruise was my parent's way of celebrating their 40th aniversary (to take the family along, including grandchildren). They looked after booking the excursion. They booked it directly about 6 months or more in advance.

It was pricey though & and I am extremely thankful! It was their gift to themselves.