Princess Tours (McKinley Lodge,Denali Lodge,Express Rail) are they worthwhile?

[Sunny Lady]

If anyone has done a Princess cruise/tour and stayed at the above-listed locations I would appreciate hearing some feedback.

[stephenandrew]

I stayed at McKinley, Denali, Fairbanks Lodges and took the Princess train this past summer. I thought all of the places were fine---Denali's room was a bit dated, but we were only there for one night and spent little time in the room. The McKinley and Fairbanks lodges were nicer--bit more modern, but the McKinley lodge is in the middle of nowhere. If I were to go again, I would spend the night in Talkeetna--sort of the tourist hub for that part of Alaska. The train ride was ok--not great. We spent two days on the train and did see some nice scenery, but to be honest, if I were to go again, I would rather drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage rather than take the train. We could have stopped along the wat when we wanted, and I think, on the whole, have seen more. The other thing I would mention is that doing a landtour with Princess is a pretty pricey way to go--again, I did not price out doing the trip independently, but think I could have done a comparable trip for less money. If you have other specific questions, I will be happy to try and answer.

[Budget Queen]

Frankly- yes you could have seen more going on your own and at a significant cost savings. Myself- I have taken the train Fairbanks- Anchorage, but it needs TIME, and even split into 2 days worth of train riding- is a long ride- definately have a 2 day stop at Denali Park and ideally one at Talkeetna. If is repeative in my opinion. The Park Highway has similar views.