Just Returned - Will Try to Answer Questions!

[Southern Bell]

denmanja, just noticed you flew in and out of Raleigh. We are trying for those exact AA flights for 8/9/09. AA is not open for reservations yet on this outbound date, but I check daily. We live in western North Carolina, but our dog sitter is in Raleigh.

 

Do you know if any of the hotels in Healy or Glitter Gulch have breakfast available before those early bus tours?

[Budget Queen]

denmanja, just noticed you flew in and out of Raleigh. We are trying for those exact AA flights for 8/9/09. AA is not open for reservations yet on this outbound date, but I check daily. We live in western North Carolina, but our dog sitter is in Raleigh.

 

Do you know if any of the hotels in Healy or Glitter Gulch have breakfast available before those early bus tours?

 

Some B&B's give you a bag breakfast. But, you can easily pick up a 4 pack of Muffins at Safeway in Wasilla, along with snacks to have with you.

[Budget Queen]

Jennifer, I have read many endorsement of the Tundra Wilderness tour on this board so it does sound like a great option for us. We also will have rental car out of Anchorage for 4 or 5 days prior to our cruise out of Whittier. I assume you are referrring to the bus starting at the visitor center inside of Denali when you talk about the driver saving seats! I hope you did have good seats anyway.

 

We are not planning a flight around McKinley, but are still trying to figure out where to stay for the 2 nights we are in that region. Talkeetna sounds like a town we would enjoy for an evening so I have not figured out all the logistics.

 

The Tundra Wilderness tour is the ONLY One to consider with a cruisetour. But the shuttle buses which I always take, have the advantage of distance, which is a priority for me. :) You can not beat the 1/3 price either. :)

 

For clarification, Most TWT buses pick up at lodges with a few at the Access Center, NONE Of the buses leave from the Visitor Center, which is another area.

[I Teach]

denmanja, just noticed you flew in and out of Raleigh. We are trying for those exact AA flights for 8/9/09. AA is not open for reservations yet on this outbound date, but I check daily. We live in western North Carolina, but our dog sitter is in Raleigh.

 

Do you know if any of the hotels in Healy or Glitter Gulch have breakfast available before those early bus tours?

 

Hi SouthernBell. This is off topic but we live in Raleigh and are always looking for a dog sitter for our Golden. We are going to be in Alaska for over two weeks next summer--late June, early July-----does your sitter watch other dogs? We have a wonderful sitter but are always looking for new options.

Thanks!!

[mochaloca]

We were on the same Radience cruise as the OP - and I'm a Jennifer, too! Our pre-cruise itineraries were a bit different though. We were in Denali - on a Wilderness Tour - on Aug. 20. It was an AMAZING trip. Although I was told that "officially" about 30% of the visitors see the mountain, people working in/near the park, said the "real" percentage is much lower. However, on the 20th - it was visible pretty much top to bottom. At the turnaround point on the bus, we were 30 miles away or so, and it was HUGE. And gorgeous. We also saw fox, caribou, grizzly, (mom, cubs, others) moose, golden eagle, ptarmigan, snowshoe hare, artic ground squirrels, Dall sheep...I think that's about it... Our guide and bus driver was Lisa Fredericks: former commercial salmon/halibut fisherman, former Iditerod competitor and current dog team trainer. who wrote a book about her transformation from a lower 48 kind of gal into a competitive dog musher. Very funny, knowledgeable, AND able to back up a tour bus a couple hundred yards over a very narrow gravel road pass when needed! Let's just say, one of the people in the other bus actually REACHED OUT THE WINDOW AND TOUCHED OUR BUS as they passed!

 

That being said, I'd also LOVE to go back and spend time on the Kenai peninsula.

[wolfie11]

Also, just to pass along information: we showed up about 30 minutes early (no easy feat at 6am!) at the center to ensure good seats on the bus on advice from the girl when we picked up our tickets. When we showed up, the lady suggested we drive down to the hotel where all the other guests were being picked up, and we did since we had plenty of time. It turns out the bus driver had sectioned off the front seats on the left side (the best views) for those that were to be picked up at the center. I don't know if this is typical, but wanted to pass this along.

 

I know that some drivers tape off sections of the bus when they are picking up at one or more places (not that most people pay any attention to it!). A driver friend of mine says that this is because on a half-full bus couples will split up and take two window seats and then when they arrive at the next stop there are no window seats left. Not all drivers do this and the sections they tape off may vary from day to day.

[travelbuds]

Bruce - We enjoyed the Comfort Inn. My dad was in the trip for the fishing, and managed to catch an 8 lb salmon in the creek right behind the hotel. We also just missed a moose one morning - saw the wet tracks on the trail. It is an easy walk to the train station, maybe 3 city blocks, all flat (unlike walking to any restaurants or downtown Anchorage, which is up a big hill). As for the Kenai tour, I booked in March for our August tour. We took the early boat and it was probably 2/3 empty, so lots of room to move around and enjoy the scenery. In ISP, I believe they ran the zipline the whole time we were in port. It was so much fun I almost paid to ride it again!

Jennifer

 

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Hoping the zipline does run the entire time while we are in port. We have a whale watching trip in AM, and looking for something to do in PM at ISP.

Bruce

[JeanfromBNA]

What did you think of the Alaska Railroad trip from Anchorage to Seward?

[Budget Queen]

What did you think of the Alaska Railroad trip from Anchorage to Seward?

 

This, by far, is the most scenic portion of the entire line. :)

[denmanja]

We loved the train ride southbound, and to echo Budget Queen, it was absolutely gorgeous scenery. It was also pretty budget friendly compared to a one-way car rental.

 

Jennifer

[JeanfromBNA]

Thank you both for the info.