I was thoroughly impressed with the organization of the land tour. Everything operated seamlessly. For example, we had packed two suitcases with "cruise only" items. These were collected by Princess at the Anchorage baggage claim carousel and they were waiting for us in our cabin when we boarded the ship five days later. At the airport we were given info packets about our hotel that included our room keys. This was repeated for our second lodge and we obtained our cruise cabin keycard before leaving the train in Whittier.
Our trip began with one night in Seattle at the Doubletree SeaTac (see my May 25 post). We enjoyed a nice day, a great dinner and a good night sleep. The following morning we caught the hotel shuttle back to the airport for our flight to Anchorage.
Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge: after a 3-hour bus ride we arrived at our first lodge. This is located about 100 miles from the entrance to Denali National Park. The closest town, Talkeetna, is about a half hour away. The lodge boasts an outstanding view of Mt. McKinley, North America’s highest mountain. 
Unfortunately the mountain is seldom visible because of persistent cloud cover. We arrived on a rare day where it was at least partially visible, a bright white triangular peak barely discernable above the white clouds. We arrived at the lodge about 5:30. After dropping our stuff in the room we returned to the main lodge where we enjoyed sitting on the wide deck in very warm sun (about 80 degrees) staring out at the mostly obscured mountain.
Unfortunately the mountain is seldom visible because of persistent cloud cover. We arrived on a rare day where it was at least partially visible, a bright white triangular peak barely discernable above the white clouds. We arrived at the lodge about 5:30. After dropping our stuff in the room we returned to the main lodge where we enjoyed sitting on the wide deck in very warm sun (about 80 degrees) staring out at the mostly obscured mountain.The resort consists of 460 rooms arranged in two-story buildings that are scattered around spacious grounds. Rooms were large but not luxurious, 
generally like a Sheraton 4-points in quality. A large lodge building had a nice deck, a large indoor seating area with views toward the mountain, the upscale restaurant, tour desk, a ranger station, and a room where various lectures were presented. We attended three interesting lectures on wolves, Alaskan bush pilots and the salmon life cycle. The casual restaurant was roughly equivalent to an Applebee’s with prices about 50% higher (as is typical in Alaska where almost everything must be shipped in). Overall I was very pleased with this lodge.
I had planned to book a river raft trip but decided to wait to see the morning weather. We awoke to a steady downpour that continued all day. My back-up plan was to take the shuttle bus into Talkeetna ($10 RT) and we spent a few hours. exploring At the visitor center we saw a really interesting film about climbing Mt. McKinley (this climb is for experts, not amateurs!). We had an excellent bacon cheeseburger at the West Rib Pub.
generally like a Sheraton 4-points in quality. A large lodge building had a nice deck, a large indoor seating area with views toward the mountain, the upscale restaurant, tour desk, a ranger station, and a room where various lectures were presented. We attended three interesting lectures on wolves, Alaskan bush pilots and the salmon life cycle. The casual restaurant was roughly equivalent to an Applebee’s with prices about 50% higher (as is typical in Alaska where almost everything must be shipped in). Overall I was very pleased with this lodge.I had planned to book a river raft trip but decided to wait to see the morning weather. We awoke to a steady downpour that continued all day. My back-up plan was to take the shuttle bus into Talkeetna ($10 RT) and we spent a few hours. exploring At the visitor center we saw a really interesting film about climbing Mt. McKinley (this climb is for experts, not amateurs!). We had an excellent bacon cheeseburger at the West Rib Pub.
Denali Princess Lodge: where the first lodge was spread out and tranquil, the Denali Lodge somewhat resembled an army barracks with lots of activity. 
There are 432 rooms also arranged in 2-story blocks but the buildings are much closer together here. The room was small, similar to a Holiday Inn Express. On a positive note, the lodge is only a few miles from the entrance to Denali park and a free shuttle operates frequently. Another positive is a small village of restaurants and shops just across the street from the lodge. The lodge includes upscale and casual restaurants as well as a pizzeria with surprisingly good pizza.
After lunch we took the shuttle to the park visitor center to view their exhibits. While there we noticed a moose just outside so went out to take a few photos.
The moose wandered around for a while, then left. Another highlight was touring the sled dog kennels and seeing a short demo of the dogs pulling a sled around a gravel track. A 21-second video of the demo can be accessed by clicking the link at the bottom of this posting.
There are 432 rooms also arranged in 2-story blocks but the buildings are much closer together here. The room was small, similar to a Holiday Inn Express. On a positive note, the lodge is only a few miles from the entrance to Denali park and a free shuttle operates frequently. Another positive is a small village of restaurants and shops just across the street from the lodge. The lodge includes upscale and casual restaurants as well as a pizzeria with surprisingly good pizza.After lunch we took the shuttle to the park visitor center to view their exhibits. While there we noticed a moose just outside so went out to take a few photos.
The moose wandered around for a while, then left. Another highlight was touring the sled dog kennels and seeing a short demo of the dogs pulling a sled around a gravel track. A 21-second video of the demo can be accessed by clicking the link at the bottom of this posting.Early the next morning (6:40 AM) we boarded a ‘school bus’ for the Tundra Wilderness Tour. The bus is driven by an experienced naturalist who provides an interesting commentary as the bus travels 60 miles into the park. The bus 
stops for all wildlife sightings and the bus windows drop for improved photography. In addition to sighting several moose, caribou and dall sheep, we were fortunate to see a grizzly bear and a wolf. The cruise tour includes a shorter tour (called the Natural History Tour). Based on many reviews on cruisecritic.com I upgraded to the TWT ($60/person additional). It should be noted that the wolf and bear sightings were beyond the point where the NHT ventures. The TWT upgrade is only available on the land tours that include 2 nights at the Denali Princess.
stops for all wildlife sightings and the bus windows drop for improved photography. In addition to sighting several moose, caribou and dall sheep, we were fortunate to see a grizzly bear and a wolf. The cruise tour includes a shorter tour (called the Natural History Tour). Based on many reviews on cruisecritic.com I upgraded to the TWT ($60/person additional). It should be noted that the wolf and bear sightings were beyond the point where the NHT ventures. The TWT upgrade is only available on the land tours that include 2 nights at the Denali Princess.Train to Whittier: Princess promotes the train ride as a scenic experience. However the journey was more than 10 hours which is a long time to spend on a train. The first four hours from Denali to Talkeetna were moderately interesting but the final six hours to Whittier seemed to take forever. It might have helped if the weather was better. For me, the train was not a highlight.
The journey ended at the cruise dock just after 6 PM. Clearing security took about a half hour and we arrived at our cabin to find our main suitcases already there. Thus began our cruise adventure to be documented soon.
At Glacier Bay aboard the Diamond Princess:
Link to the sled dog demo:
I sell a lot of cruisetours but having never actually gone on one myself due to the extra time involved I'm now motivated to try one. It certainly makes for a much more complete and satisfying experience.
ReplyDeleteVelma