Coral Alaskan Cruisetour Long Review 6/14-26 (with tips)

[fsugator]

First off, we had an amazing time celebrating our 10 year anniversary. We are very active and in are mid 30's. We loved Alaska very much. Such a beautiful state. Princess did an amazing job with the cruise and tour.

 

We flew into Vancouver a day before our cruise and stayed at Sutton Place Hotel. Love the location downtown, close to restaurants, shops, and local landmarks. We ate at Kingston's Tap-house and Grill. Excellent! The salmon sandwich was the best I ever had (then again I'm from the south). DH loved his steak. The service was great and the manager was very welcoming and down to earth. He treated us to the best dessert which was the chocolate lava cake. We highly recommend this local pub. Hotel was nice but noisy at night and early morning due to the location downtown. My husband took this day to explore Stanley Park by foot and loved every step.

 

Embarkation - We left the hotel and 11:15 and we were in our room by 11:45. No lines, very smooth process. Cab fair was about 13 Canadian dollars. We checkout out our cabin (D314) and went to the Horizon court. Not busy. Then went to our room and sat on the balcony watching the people on the pier watching us, enjoying the view, and the watching sea planes landing and taking off. We left port late due to a late bus arrival, around 5:15pm. Had dinner at the buffet, nothing spectacular, but not horrible either. Went to bed early.

 

Sea Day 1 - I was up at 3:30, ran 5 miles on the promenade deck enjoying the beautiful scenery and the fact that only 1 other person was on the deck. (I did this every morning but as the week went on the time got later, I'm used to being up at 7:30 in Florida with my kids, this is also why I went to be at 8:30-9:00 in Alaska). We at at the Horizon court every morning about 5:30 when they opened. This was nice because it wasn't very busy and we got to sit at the front of the ship and watch as we went into port. The rest of the day we sat on the balcony and relaxed. I also went to the gym later on in the day. It was pretty crowded but I was able to get some exercise in. We went to the Anytime dining room for formal night and sat at a table of eight. The food and conversation were great. Went to bed, didn't go to any shows.

 

Ketchikan Day 2 - Same morning routine. Left boat as soon as we were allowed (about 6:30). If your active and can handle uphill hikes, and don't care for any of the excursions offered you can hike through creek street, do married mans trail, then up to deer mountain trail. We did this very early and it was beautiful. There were waterfalls, streams, the forest was still misty, and we saw only one other person coming off the trail. Warning: the sidewalk to get to this trail head is steep! But you get to really see the city neighborhoods. We even passed a house with a little farm with donkeys, miniature horses and goats :) Got back to the ship, enjoyed the pool and hot tub, sat on the balcony as we left port. Ate at the Horizon Court for lunch and dinner.

 

Juneau Day 3 - We had the Bike and Brew excursion planned around 9:15. Wish they could have offered it earlier because I had been up since 4:00 and it just felt like we were waiting around forever. But that's my problem not theirs. The tour guides were young but very knowledgeable about the town and wildlife. They provided gear, water and a short lesson on the brakes and rules. We thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride, it wasn't grueling but it was good exercise. The 3 sites we stopped at were breathtaking. At the 2nd stop they provided hot drinks (instant coffee, hot chocolate, and tea) and snacks (granola bars, breakfast bars, natural gummies). The last stop was Mendenhall Glacier. Amazing! We had plenty of time to enjoy it and take pictures before our transport to Alaskan Brewing company. We did not have enough time to hike any of the trails which was a little disappointing but we got our fix throughout the trip. The brewing company was small but DH loved it. I accidentally took the glass with me. Ooops! We ate at Sabatinis that night to celebrate our anniversary. Very good, tons of high quality food and worth the price. We had reservations for 6:30 when they opened. They offered me seconds on the brie when I asked.

 

Skagway Day 3 - We left the ship as soon as possible to explore and find a good trail head. We went to the rangers station as soon as they opened and retrieved a map. We hiked up to Little Dewey Lake. Terrain was a little steep and rocky. Hiking sticks were of good use. There were breathtaking views of the little city all along the trail. Mosquitoes were vicious around the lake (deet along with long clothing was helpful). Once we finished that trail we decided to veer off onto another one toward lower lake/ice straight. About a 1/4 mile in we saw little bear tracks in the mud along with big bear tracks. Took pictures of them and turned around. Since it was only the 2 of us we knew it would not be safe. Went back to the ranger station and showed him the pictures for verification. He agreed and said we did the right thing. I went back to the ship and DH went on the White Pass Train. He loved it. We ate at the Buffet for dinner, no shows.

 

Glacier Bay Day 4 - Beautiful day! Narrator was great. Saw an orca, a pod of 3 humpback whales, sea otters, bald eagles, puffins, and seals. Also the calving at one the glaciers was active, loud, and thunderous. We were very lucky to catch on our video camera. They had a buffet on the deck which was good. DH liked the fish and crab cakes. Also, DH bought the scenic guide on the first day and he read it everyday. He said it was very helpful.

Sea Day 5 - It was a little overcast and misty throughout the day. A very relaxing day over all. Not much to say about the day. A great day to enjoy the ship. We utilized the jacuzzi early in the morning and sat on the covered deck to enjoy a book and the scenery. The formal night was very busy at the anytime dining. We waited about 1 hour to have a table for two. This was also the lobster night. Our waiter gave my husband another order of lobster. He offered one to me but I declined.

 

College Fjord Day 6 - More rainy and overcast. We still enjoyed the narration of the glaciers and wildlife. It may have been on this day we saw the humpbacks. They were beautiful and very close to the ship. I was on the covered deck at the time and my husband was on our balcony catching them on video to show our kids upon return. There was a pastry extravaganza on the lido deck. It was raining but they had it under the covered section. Packing occurred throughout the day. Luggage was out before dinner. We ate at the buffet.

 

Cruise Tour Day 1 - Disembarktation was a breeze for us since we were boarding the train. We waited in the dining room after eating in the buffet when they opened. I actually had some things from room service I ordered the morning prior and put in the fridge (yogurt, fruit, and cereal). I did however go up and get some eggs. There was a covered breezeway for most of the way to the entrance of the train. The ride was 5 hours to Talkeetna and we had a great tour guide on the train. We saw a moose and some doll sheep. When we got into the small town of Talkeetna we went straight to Mountain High Pizza Pie and got a few slices of the Reindeer pizza. It was pricey but very good. Then we went to the shop across the street and got a few of their famous raspberry cinnamon rolls to eat later. The McKinley lodge was beautiful. I was up running the little paved roads both mornings around 4:15. Then I would go to the coffee shop and get coffee and a banana. We very seldom would eat breakfast at these lodges. We brought some cliff bars and nuts to snack on. I did splurge on the fresh fruit. $1.50 for a banana, orange, or apple!

 

Land Tour Day 2 - Still at McKinley Lodge. The mountain did not come out this day either. It was still overcast and raining. We had a Day Hike excursion planned (Denali Wilderness Hike). It was fun, but wet, muddy and cold. They provided as much gear as you needed. Along with a substantial lunch and snacks. The group we were with ranged from 30 to early 60. Everyone had a great pace and the views were spectacular. We hiked to a certain place with a great surrounding view and ate our lunch. They we hiked back down. We ate at the Lodge Bar that evening. The salmon salad was yummy.

 

Land Tour Day 3 - We had a coach to Denali Lodge. He was nice and told us the great story of the local trail dredger and Summit climber Dan (?). Very entertaining story and I'm going to buy the book for my dad for his birthday. When we got to Denali Lodge we went to our room (it wasn't cleaned yet because we had arrived a little early but they did it immediately). While waiting for them to clean the room we went across the street to the restaurant Salmon Bake. Great place, very good and the service is great. We highly recommend at least one trip to this restaurant. Our room was ready and we had a great view of the mountains and river. After we put our bags in our room DH took the bus over to the National Park and saw the sled dog demo. He also walked around the visitor center which he enjoyed. We opted out of the History tour about a month prior without reimbursement because I couldn't stand the though of being on a school bus for 5 hours after already being on a 2 hour bus ride. Also we heard the only wildlife they saw as a squirrel :( After the rain started to subside I did a little exploring for the next mornings jog. I asked some employees and locals if they knew of a good trail, they were helpful. I took the lodge trail to the road the goes to the entrance of the National park. There are some marked trail-heads about 1/4 mile before you get to that road. The paved trail from behind the hotel to the road has breathtaking scenery. I highly recommend you take this stroll. You can also follow a branch of it down underneath the second bridge to the river beach. There was still un-melted snow under the bridge and you can get some great pictures here.

 

Land Tour Day 3 - DH went to the Music Theater at Denali Lodge for their buffet breakfast and presentation. He loved this. The buffet was only $14 and the food was great. He talked to the local who presented a slide-show and tidbits from his life when he climbed the Denali summit a few times. He also recommended that we go to the National Park and climb the Mt. Healy Overlook trail to get a glimpse of the Denali summit since the mountain was covered while we were at McKinley Lodge. So that's what we did before we had to board our train at the Park entrance train station at 3:15. This was our favorite hike of the trip. It was free and beautiful. However it was very strenuous! We had to stop a few times to catch our breath and rest but every time we stopped we were snapping pictures of our surrounding. On our way up we only saw one other couple as they were coming down. Once we got to the top we did see the Summit! It was far away but because it was such a clear day she was out and shimmering. I bet McKinley lodge that day was in AWE! The climb down at first was very difficult because there were many rocks and steep descents but as we got further down it got much easier. We had lunch at the onsite cafe. While DH went back to the lodge to get his checked backpack I sat at the coffee shop, drank coffee, had a scone and read a book. Then we boarded the train and headed to Fairbanks. We sat with the same couple on this train too. When we got to Fairbanks it was a 15 minute ride to the Lodge. We were surprised with a king suite the had 3 large windows overlooking the river. Hotel was nice and roomy. It was late so DH got a hamburger from downstairs and I went to bed.

 

Last Day We had nothing planned this day so we stayed at the hotel until 11 checkout. Oh and the fruit at this hotel 2$ for a banana! DH checked his backpack and we walked 3 miles to the movie theatre. (silly me wore flip-flops! What was I thinking?) We watched a movie then walked back 3 miles. It was great because we really got to see the town. A little observation. We saw at least 5 drunks (12 pm) during our walk. One I saw passed out a few times while standing in line at the concession stand at the theatre, they had to call 911. That was a little interesting. We heard that Alaska has one of the highest rates of alcoholism but didn't really think about it until that day. We went back to the hotel, had an early dinner at the pub restaurant and waited for our transfer to the airport at 6pm. Our plane left at 8:45pm. Long trip back to Orlando.

 

Long review but I hope it's helpful. Any questions just ask. We are planning to take a kids in a few years when they are old enough to appreciate it's beauty.

[mii]

Great review: What also might help is if you also post this to the alaska board. Lots of people ask about CruiseTours over there.

 

Marilyn

[texkan]

What cruisetour did you do???

 

Sailing Coral southbound after cruisetour in Aug. Tell me about the food you had to purchase on the land portion - cost and places to eat.

 

How was Princess train???

[Pia1913]

Thank you for your review (I'm exhausted reading it :D), since we'll be doing an eight day tour prior to our cruise in September.

[NMCruiser55]

Enjoyed your review. We like to hike also. Makes me excited to go in August.

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a great time!

[fsugator]

Texkan,

 

There were different options at the lodges.

 

Each lodge had a coffee area that offered fresh fruit, cereals, muffins, danishes, and delicious cinnamon rolls. All of these were sold separately. At McKinley you could buy a cup of coffee in the morning for $2 and get free refills throughout the day which was great. This was not offered at Denali Lodge or Fairbanks Riverside Hotel.

 

Each lodge also had a bar/grill restaurant. For 2 people with a main meal, a drink and no appetizers it would be about $35-40 with tip. (we ate at Fairbanks and Mckinley and the bill came out within this range at both places). Each lodge also had a separate more expensive option. We did not choose these places because we had just come off the ship and were trying to switch back into normal life/diet mode. When I did look at the menu the main entrees were around $16-24.

 

Fairbanks and Denali offered a breakfast buffet for around 14.00. My husband like the food at Denali but said Fairbanks was so - so. He loved the Reindeer sausage offered at both.

 

McKinley Lodge was the only lodge that did not have local restaurants to contend with however we found that at the Denali Lodge the local restaurants were taking advantage of their summer season and local tourism. My salad at Subway was 9.00. $5.00 footlongs do not exist at that Subway. In Fairbanks there were many restaurants to choose from if you were willing to walk a mile or so down the road or take a taxi further into town. There was a shuttle that would run you downtown for $5 round-trip.

 

On the train the food was about $12-16 per entree. They offered sandwiches, soups, burgers etc. These also came with sides like french fries and coleslaw or chips.

 

I hope this helps. You will love your trip. Take lots of pictures, it's breathtaking.

[fsugator]

Texkan,

 

Princess trains were great. Great views regardless of where you sit.

 

Usually we had very good service except for one the trains the food service waitress was snappy and stressed out. On the train from the ship to Talkeetna we had food service right at our table. This train was domed but not double decker. The food was ordered and brought to your table. On the train from Denali to Fairbanks, the "restaraunt" car was downstairs, along with the restrooms. People from our tour just couldn't understand at first why we couldn't just come down when we were hungry or have the food brought to our talbe. However, because it was a "restaraunt" car with only about 12 booths that sit 4 each they had to ask everyone at the beginning of the ride who wanted to have dinner downstairs. They would write down whoever wanted to eat and come up and get the tables when they were ready for us. We then went downstairs and ordered like we were at any ole restraunt. A little confusing but it all worked out. I believe this was why the waitress was so stressed out because everyone kept asking her "well, I don't know if I want to eat now, maybe later" or "what's on the menu again" or "why can't you just bring the food up here".

 

Each train had direct beverage service to your table as well as a hostess that would narrate as the train went through local landmarks. The scenery and narration made everything very memorable.

[fsugator]

Texkan,

 

Sorry I keep answering your questions separatley. We did cruisetour GA4.

 

2 nights McKinley, 1 night Denali, and 1 night Fairbanks

[mringenoldus]

We leave on our cruise tour in 2.5 weeeks. You did a great job of painting a picture similar to our itinerary!

 

I applaud your willingness to stay so active during the trip. Now I'm going to feel like a positive slug!

 

The information on the food prices will help us plan. Thanks for taking the time to write the review!

[texkan]

Texkan,

 

Sorry I keep answering your questions separatley. We did cruisetour GA4.

 

2 nights McKinley, 1 night Denali, and 1 night Fairbanks

 

Thank you so very much for your replies. We are doing same tour but southbound.

With the heat here in Texas, looking forward to Alaska. Again thank you.

 

Another question: Did you have any problems with luggage on the landtour?

[Clutterlady]

Wonderful review, tons of great information! Thank you:)

[fsugator]

I have to applaud Princess with the luggage aspect of the cruise tour. It was excellent. We just had to abide by the directions set forth and there were no worries. Luggage arrived when needed and we even had it waiting for us at the airport since we arranged a transfer through Princess. We just set it out the morning our flight left Fairbanks and they had it waiting at the entrance to the airport with attendants to watch over it and offer help if we needed it.

 

Don't feel you have to do as much as we did. I'm an avid excerciser and I still gain atleast 7 lbs when I cruise (even though I stay active on and off the ship). But I highley recommend any local hikes if you are physically able (in the morning too).

[DaisyRose]

Fsugator,

Thanks for a great review with really helpful info. I am also doing GA4, but on the Island the end of August and now I know exactly what to expect.

 

My only question is about the "Reindeer Pizza" at Mile High Pizza in Talkeetna. Do you remember how much it cost? Also, was it "reindeer" because of meat or cheese? DH tells me that cheese is also made from reindeer, that I didn't know. So, I'm wondering if it was reindeer meat on the Pizza?

 

Anything else interesting to do in Talkeetna? Thanks in advance for your answers.

[fsugator]

DaisyRose,

 

The cost was about $3.50 per slice of cheese and I think $1.00 per topping. DH got two slices of the cheese with Reindeer Sausage on top. That's why they call it reindeer pizza. The cheese had nothing to do with the pizza from what I recall. I got 1 slice of cheese with artichoke hearts on mine and I also got a guiness. So our total was around $20 or so with tip. They only took cash because we arrived the day of the earthquake which knocked out the computer system for credit/debit cards. Otherwise I would give you an exact quote from my finances.

 

There's not much to do in Talkeetna other than to walk around and check out the stores. I highly recommend the bakery across the street from the pizza shop. I can't remember the name but every local can tell you if you just say "I'm looking for the pastry shop that sells the raspberry cinnamon rolls". They have a bunch of other delectables to. You can get them to go or just eat them right there at a table in the shop. Have a great time. You will thoroughly enjoy your trip.

[DaisyRose]

Fsugator,

I will definitely check out the reindeer pizza and the pastry shop. Thanks again for so much great information. The things you wrote in your review were so helpful.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review, thanks. :)

[bandmp]

:)Thanks for the review - we were on that cruise, and enjoyed it so very much. We posted a review on the member reviews section. Sometimes a trip is just so wonderful that you want to share the information.

Mary

[yescruiseplease]

First off, we had an amazing time celebrating our 10 year anniversary. We are very active and in are mid 30's. We loved Alaska very much. Such a beautiful state. Princess did an amazing job with the cruise and tour.

 

We flew into Vancouver a day before our cruise and stayed at Sutton Place Hotel. Love the location downtown, close to restaurants, shops, and local landmarks. We ate at Kingston's Tap-house and Grill. Excellent! The salmon sandwich was the best I ever had (then again I'm from the south). DH loved his steak. The service was great and the manager was very welcoming and down to earth. He treated us to the best dessert which was the chocolate lava cake. We highly recommend this local pub. Hotel was nice but noisy at night and early morning due to the location downtown. My husband took this day to explore Stanley Park by foot and loved every step.

 

Embarkation - We left the hotel and 11:15 and we were in our room by 11:45. No lines, very smooth process. Cab fair was about 13 Canadian dollars. We checkout out our cabin (D314) and went to the Horizon court. Not busy. Then went to our room and sat on the balcony watching the people on the pier watching us, enjoying the view, and the watching sea planes landing and taking off. We left port late due to a late bus arrival, around 5:15pm. Had dinner at the buffet, nothing spectacular, but not horrible either. Went to bed early.

 

Sea Day 1 - I was up at 3:30, ran 5 miles on the promenade deck enjoying the beautiful scenery and the fact that only 1 other person was on the deck. (I did this every morning but as the week went on the time got later, I'm used to being up at 7:30 in Florida with my kids, this is also why I went to be at 8:30-9:00 in Alaska). We at at the Horizon court every morning about 5:30 when they opened. This was nice because it wasn't very busy and we got to sit at the front of the ship and watch as we went into port. The rest of the day we sat on the balcony and relaxed. I also went to the gym later on in the day. It was pretty crowded but I was able to get some exercise in. We went to the Anytime dining room for formal night and sat at a table of eight. The food and conversation were great. Went to bed, didn't go to any shows.

 

Ketchikan Day 2 - Same morning routine. Left boat as soon as we were allowed (about 6:30). If your active and can handle uphill hikes, and don't care for any of the excursions offered you can hike through creek street, do married mans trail, then up to deer mountain trail. We did this very early and it was beautiful. There were waterfalls, streams, the forest was still misty, and we saw only one other person coming off the trail. Warning: the sidewalk to get to this trail head is steep! But you get to really see the city neighborhoods. We even passed a house with a little farm with donkeys, miniature horses and goats :) Got back to the ship, enjoyed the pool and hot tub, sat on the balcony as we left port. Ate at the Horizon Court for lunch and dinner.

 

Juneau Day 3 - We had the Bike and Brew excursion planned around 9:15. Wish they could have offered it earlier because I had been up since 4:00 and it just felt like we were waiting around forever. But that's my problem not theirs. The tour guides were young but very knowledgeable about the town and wildlife. They provided gear, water and a short lesson on the brakes and rules. We thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride, it wasn't grueling but it was good exercise. The 3 sites we stopped at were breathtaking. At the 2nd stop they provided hot drinks (instant coffee, hot chocolate, and tea) and snacks (granola bars, breakfast bars, natural gummies). The last stop was Mendenhall Glacier. Amazing! We had plenty of time to enjoy it and take pictures before our transport to Alaskan Brewing company. We did not have enough time to hike any of the trails which was a little disappointing but we got our fix throughout the trip. The brewing company was small but DH loved it. I accidentally took the glass with me. Ooops! We ate at Sabatinis that night to celebrate our anniversary. Very good, tons of high quality food and worth the price. We had reservations for 6:30 when they opened. They offered me seconds on the brie when I asked.

 

Skagway Day 3 - We left the ship as soon as possible to explore and find a good trail head. We went to the rangers station as soon as they opened and retrieved a map. We hiked up to Little Dewey Lake. Terrain was a little steep and rocky. Hiking sticks were of good use. There were breathtaking views of the little city all along the trail. Mosquitoes were vicious around the lake (deet along with long clothing was helpful). Once we finished that trail we decided to veer off onto another one toward lower lake/ice straight. About a 1/4 mile in we saw little bear tracks in the mud along with big bear tracks. Took pictures of them and turned around. Since it was only the 2 of us we knew it would not be safe. Went back to the ranger station and showed him the pictures for verification. He agreed and said we did the right thing. I went back to the ship and DH went on the White Pass Train. He loved it. We ate at the Buffet for dinner, no shows.

 

Glacier Bay Day 4 - Beautiful day! Narrator was great. Saw an orca, a pod of 3 humpback whales, sea otters, bald eagles, puffins, and seals. Also the calving at one the glaciers was active, loud, and thunderous. We were very lucky to catch on our video camera. They had a buffet on the deck which was good. DH liked the fish and crab cakes. Also, DH bought the scenic guide on the first day and he read it everyday. He said it was very helpful.

 

Sea Day 5 - It was a little overcast and misty throughout the day. A very relaxing day over all. Not much to say about the day. A great day to enjoy the ship. We utilized the jacuzzi early in the morning and sat on the covered deck to enjoy a book and the scenery. The formal night was very busy at the anytime dining. We waited about 1 hour to have a table for two. This was also the lobster night. Our waiter gave my husband another order of lobster. He offered one to me but I declined.

 

College Fjord Day 6 - More rainy and overcast. We still enjoyed the narration of the glaciers and wildlife. It may have been on this day we saw the humpbacks. They were beautiful and very close to the ship. I was on the covered deck at the time and my husband was on our balcony catching them on video to show our kids upon return. There was a pastry extravaganza on the lido deck. It was raining but they had it under the covered section. Packing occurred throughout the day. Luggage was out before dinner. We ate at the buffet.

 

Cruise Tour Day 1 - Disembarktation was a breeze for us since we were boarding the train. We waited in the dining room after eating in the buffet when they opened. I actually had some things from room service I ordered the morning prior and put in the fridge (yogurt, fruit, and cereal). I did however go up and get some eggs. There was a covered breezeway for most of the way to the entrance of the train. The ride was 5 hours to Talkeetna and we had a great tour guide on the train. We saw a moose and some doll sheep. When we got into the small town of Talkeetna we went straight to Mountain High Pizza Pie and got a few slices of the Reindeer pizza. It was pricey but very good. Then we went to the shop across the street and got a few of their famous raspberry cinnamon rolls to eat later. The McKinley lodge was beautiful. I was up running the little paved roads both mornings around 4:15. Then I would go to the coffee shop and get coffee and a banana. We very seldom would eat breakfast at these lodges. We brought some cliff bars and nuts to snack on. I did splurge on the fresh fruit. $1.50 for a banana, orange, or apple!

 

Land Tour Day 2 - Still at McKinley Lodge. The mountain did not come out this day either. It was still overcast and raining. We had a Day Hike excursion planned (Denali Wilderness Hike). It was fun, but wet, muddy and cold. They provided as much gear as you needed. Along with a substantial lunch and snacks. The group we were with ranged from 30 to early 60. Everyone had a great pace and the views were spectacular. We hiked to a certain place with a great surrounding view and ate our lunch. They we hiked back down. We ate at the Lodge Bar that evening. The salmon salad was yummy.

 

Land Tour Day 3 - We had a coach to Denali Lodge. He was nice and told us the great story of the local trail dredger and Summit climber Dan (?). Very entertaining story and I'm going to buy the book for my dad for his birthday. When we got to Denali Lodge we went to our room (it wasn't cleaned yet because we had arrived a little early but they did it immediately). While waiting for them to clean the room we went across the street to the restaurant Salmon Bake. Great place, very good and the service is great. We highly recommend at least one trip to this restaurant. Our room was ready and we had a great view of the mountains and river. After we put our bags in our room DH took the bus over to the National Park and saw the sled dog demo. He also walked around the visitor center which he enjoyed. We opted out of the History tour about a month prior without reimbursement because I couldn't stand the though of being on a school bus for 5 hours after already being on a 2 hour bus ride. Also we heard the only wildlife they saw as a squirrel :( After the rain started to subside I did a little exploring for the next mornings jog. I asked some employees and locals if they knew of a good trail, they were helpful. I took the lodge trail to the road the goes to the entrance of the National park. There are some marked trail-heads about 1/4 mile before you get to that road. The paved trail from behind the hotel to the road has breathtaking scenery. I highly recommend you take this stroll. You can also follow a branch of it down underneath the second bridge to the river beach. There was still un-melted snow under the bridge and you can get some great pictures here.

 

Land Tour Day 3 - DH went to the Music Theater at Denali Lodge for their buffet breakfast and presentation. He loved this. The buffet was only $14 and the food was great. He talked to the local who presented a slide-show and tidbits from his life when he climbed the Denali summit a few times. He also recommended that we go to the National Park and climb the Mt. Healy Overlook trail to get a glimpse of the Denali summit since the mountain was covered while we were at McKinley Lodge. So that's what we did before we had to board our train at the Park entrance train station at 3:15. This was our favorite hike of the trip. It was free and beautiful. However it was very strenuous! We had to stop a few times to catch our breath and rest but every time we stopped we were snapping pictures of our surrounding. On our way up we only saw one other couple as they were coming down. Once we got to the top we did see the Summit! It was far away but because it was such a clear day she was out and shimmering. I bet McKinley lodge that day was in AWE! The climb down at first was very difficult because there were many rocks and steep descents but as we got further down it got much easier. We had lunch at the onsite cafe. While DH went back to the lodge to get his checked backpack I sat at the coffee shop, drank coffee, had a scone and read a book. Then we boarded the train and headed to Fairbanks. We sat with the same couple on this train too. When we got to Fairbanks it was a 15 minute ride to the Lodge. We were surprised with a king suite the had 3 large windows overlooking the river. Hotel was nice and roomy. It was late so DH got a hamburger from downstairs and I went to bed.

 

Last Day We had nothing planned this day so we stayed at the hotel until 11 checkout. Oh and the fruit at this hotel 2$ for a banana! DH checked his backpack and we walked 3 miles to the movie theatre. (silly me wore flip-flops! What was I thinking?) We watched a movie then walked back 3 miles. It was great because we really got to see the town. A little observation. We saw at least 5 drunks (12 pm) during our walk. One I saw passed out a few times while standing in line at the concession stand at the theatre, they had to call 911. That was a little interesting. We heard that Alaska has one of the highest rates of alcoholism but didn't really think about it until that day. We went back to the hotel, had an early dinner at the pub restaurant and waited for our transfer to the airport at 6pm. Our plane left at 8:45pm. Long trip back to Orlando.

 

Long review but I hope it's helpful. Any questions just ask. We are planning to take a kids in a few years when they are old enough to appreciate it's beauty.

 

We are doing this trip September 5th on Sapphire princess and have also booked the cruise tour so this was awesome!!

 

Thank you..

 

Marie and Mike, Tampa

[kellor]

Wonderful review! We have been trying to decide if we want to try the Alaska trips and great reviews like this are a wonderful help so thank you.

 

Lori

[DonahCBrown]

Thanks so much for this review - we're with Pia and Mike and this is very helpful in outlining what to expect!

[cruzzers]

We are trying to plan for our trip and just wondering if anyone had any problem using credit cards at any of the places. We hate taking alot of cash to have to worry about.

[fsugator]

We used our Amex in Vancouver (Amex converted it for us as I saw on our statement) we also exchanged 50$ USD in Toronto for misc expenses and Cab fare. The only place on our whole trip that couldn't take credit card was in Talkeetna because that had a few hours previous experienced an earthquake. This knocked out thei computer system. Other than that every other place was a Go. It was nice to have some extra money for tipping throughout our vacation. Have Fun.

[cindycat]

We're taking the cruise tour in August. I enjoyed your review and have a few questions. This will certainly be a new cruise experience for us. The only other cruise we took was a seven day Caribbean thing on Royal Caribbean's first ship, the Song of Norway, back in 1971 - long before cruising was "the thing to do."

 

Are they serious about that 4" requirement on the carry-on bag? The 14" and 17" dimensions are easy to meet but the only thing we have that's narrow enough is a fabric briefcase. Apparently the bags that have been fitting under airline seats for ten years won't work. Should we be looking for something smaller?

 

I found info about hair dryers and toiletries on the ship but nothing about the lodges. Do they have the same amenities as most hotels?

 

How formal is "formal" really? My husband's tux is too much to carry. Could he get away with slacks, sport coat and no tie?

 

Thanks for your help.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Cindy,

 

You will love your cruise and Alaska. Last year to save room in our luggage and to stay under 50 lbs. we did not take any shampoo, conditioner or blow dryers. In all of the lodges and the ship these items were provided (although not my preferred brand, they worked out just fine). As far as men's clothes for formal night, my husband took nice slacks, a sport coat and nice mock turtleneck tops and mixed and matched. We don't take tuxes or suits-sometimes a shirt and tie but not on this cruise. The crowd on the Alaska cruise was far less formal than on other cruises, so he was just fine! Again, we needed to save space so the nicer dark slacks (he took 2 or 3 pair-with the expandable waist,,,;)) could be combined with casual tops on other nights.