Alaska Cruise Tour Review

7 Nights - 8 Days Anchorage to Fairbanks

plus a 7 day Voyage of the Glaciers Cruise

by Raye & Marty Trencher

Why Alaska?
Up north there's a land without fences. Animals outnumber people, sunlight shines at midnight and nature reigns. Life is different. This northern frontier still boasts pristine landscapes, majestic wildlife and a coastline that is one of the most enthralling waterways in the world. Beyond Alaska's fortress-like glacier walls lie scenic ports of call, treasured national parks, and abundant wildlife, Including Wolf, Moose, Caribou, Eagles, Whales and Bear. With more than 1,400 miles north to south and 2,400 miles east to west, Alaska is truly a land of epic proportions.

If you are planning to cruise Alaska, adding a land tour offers you the ultimate experience and greater insight into the wonders of Alaska. The opportunity to take advantage of a range of enriching options to see the Great Land's glaciers, frontier towns, wildlife and national parks from the perspective of spectacular ships, exclusive rail service and wilderness lodges.

The cost to add a 3 day land tour can be as little as $399 per person above the cruise fare, so it can be most affordable. More costly and longer land tours range from 4 to 8 days, and you can choose from hosted or fully-escorted, meal included Alaskan adventures.

So let's get started with our review.

Our journey began in Anchorage. We arrived mid-afternoon at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport and were greeted by Princess representatives in the baggage claim area. Porters moved our luggage out to the transfer bus and off we went to the celebrated Hotel Captain Cook. Located in downtown Anchorage, 3 blocks from the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, this sophisticated hotel is a 6-minute walk from the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Spread across 3 hotel towers, all of the rooms and suites feature free WiFi, satellite TV and views of the Cook Inlet or Chugach Mountains. The hotel has 4 restaurants and lounges, a health club with fitness facilities and an indoor pool.

To our surprise the hotel had a very special guest staying at the hotel at the same time we were in residence; The President of the United States. President Obama was in Alaska for a series of visits centered around the environment. So, there was a huge security presence and some adjustments guests had to make like going through security similar to what you find at the airport. The inconveniences were minimal and we were able to get around the hotel and surrounding streets with ease.

Before dinner we paid a visit to the "Log Cabin", Anchorage's Visitor Information Center downtown.  Friendly and helpful guides can assist you in finding just the right things to see and do during your visit in Anchorage and it's surroundings.  We learned that Anchorage is a place where floatplanes are almost as common as cars. And, if you travel at the peak of summer, total daylight lasts as long as 18 hours a day!

Our three favorite things to do in and around Anchorage;

Prince William Sound
Boasting more tidewater glaciers than anywhere else in North America, this gorgeous deepwater sound is home to a host of rich marine life.
Portage Glacier
This giant wall of ice is one of Alaska's most popular and exciting attractions. It's your chance to witness glacier calving and hear the thunderous roar when a huge block of ice crashes into the sea.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Dedicated to preserving Alaska's wildlife through public education, this refuge for injured and orphaned animals includes moose, elk, caribou, bears, musk oxen, bison, deer, lynx and eagles.

The following morning, we had breakfast at Anchorage's well-known Snow City Cafe. The restaurant is famous for serving the freshest ingredients available and they buy from local vendors whenever they can. Most everything they serve is made from scratch. They also offer a range of healthy choices, such as egg whites, fat-free cooking spray, or a side of fruit instead of hash browns. Try the reindeer sausage. This Cafe is a must see-and-do visit when you are in Anchorage.
After breakfast, we boarded our transfer coach headed for the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. On our three-hour motorcoach trip from Anchorage to the lodge, the landscape is dotted with long stretches of valley and wetlands populated with daisies, black and white spruce, cottonwoods, aspens and red fireweed, the state flower.

When you are on a Princess cruise tour, your luggage is transferred from one hotel to the next via truck, and is there in your room when you arrive at your next destination. The system worked to perfection. You need only carry a small carry-on bag for your medicines, camera and incidentals on the buses and on the train.

The ride up to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge** took a little over 3 hours. Along the way, we were treated to an entertaining and informative commentary from our Drive/Guide Penny. In her 70's, Penny was a treasure trove of facts and stories about Alaska. The weather along the way was as near perfect for Alaska as you can get. Bright blue skies, and nary a cloud to block the spectacular scenery. As we approached our destination, we were treated to numerous sightings of the 20,320-ft.-high Denali, North America's tallest peak.

Formally known as Mt. McKinley as of August 30, 2015, the name reverted back to the moniker indigenous Alaskan Athabaskans referred to as the "High One" : Denali.  From now on, the mountain will be known as just Denali: there is no "Mt." in front of the name Denali.

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is just 40 miles from the peak of the mountain. On the day we arrived the mountain was in full view. That's a rare occurrence, due to the mountains changing weather patterns, and it only happens about 30% of the time. It's a spectacular view -- when you can get it. The lodges' back deck faces the mountain, and offers one of the most inspirational views of the mountain found anywhere.  The "Great Room"  features floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on Denali and the Alaska Range.

There's a rustic feel to the lodge with a number of accommodation buildings in a campus-like setting surrounded by woods and hiking paths. The lodge, with over 400 rooms sits on 147 acres overlooking the Chulitna River. Rooms are comfortable, nicely sized and rustic themed with two comfortable queen size beds. Decorated with framed prints of bear, moose and other wildlife and colors that highlight a natural palette of light and dark brown, forest green and umber. Each room has a TV, phone, alarm clock, hair dryer and coffee maker. However, there is no air conditioning or room service available.

A variety of exciting Denali tours and outdoor adventures await you with over 25 options including fishing tours, a glacier walk, and a backcountry wilderness adventure, river rafting, a jet boat safari, and even a thrilling flight that takes you to the base of Denali. WiFi is free in the main lodge. A shuttle service makes daily hourly trips to and from Talkeetna ($10 r/t charge). There is a regular free shuttle that will take you anywhere you want to go on the property.  Local Denali State Park volunteers are on hand and provide nature briefings.

Restaurants include the more upscale ( and pricey ) Mountain View Dining Room and the less expensive 20,320 Alaskan Grill.  The 20,320 Alaskan Grill - named for the height of Denali and is decorated in mountain-climbing decor with artifacts from actual Denali ascents.  We found this casual restaurant our favorite. The food was really good, choices plentiful and the wait staff quite friendly. Try the Reindeer Meatloaf, Blueberry Salmon or Alaska Crab Dinner.

At the Grizzly Bar you'll find an extensive wine list and a selection of fine Alaskan-brewed beers.

There are a number walking trails on the lodge grounds. Our favorite is the South Loop Trail. It's easy to traverse, and only 1/2 mile in length.
Along the way you will learn about the diverse plant life of Interior Alaska, and the traditional uses of the flora of the Interior. Soak up the beauty of the plants of the Alaskan wilderness and learn about plants from interpretive placards. 25 different plants, from berries to mushrooms to trees, are marked.
The trail is only 1/2 mile (three quarters of a kilometer) and follows fairly even terrain (only one very short steep incline). Interpretive signs tell the stories of these plants, their food and medicinal uses. The Dena'ina (Tanaina) Athabascans inhabited this area, and it is their utilization of the local flora that is presented. Some of the plants you may see on this trail include: shelf mushrooms, high-bush cranberries, club moss, dwarf dogwood, old man's beard lichen, and several varieties of fern. Bring your camera, and use the "macro" setting for great shots of these diverse and beautiful plants. After dinner we especially loved sitting by the fire pits and talking with other guests, making "s'mores" and all. No twitter, no facebook, no email. Just old-fashioned conversation with other guests. So relaxing, with a great view of Denali in the background. The next day, we took the shuttle to Talkeetna, about an hour away.

The historic village of Talkeetna has an outstanding panoramic view of the Alaska Range that can be enjoyed and photographed from several places as you wander through the town, and is the launching point for: flightseeing, fishing, riverboat tours, float trips, hiking, mountain climbing, ATV tours, and zipline tours.  The center of town features art galleries, gift shops, and places to dine. Even unusual "no parking" signs.

Across the street from the shuttle bus drop off, you'll find Shirley's Burger Barn.  Plan to visit Talkeetna around the lunch hour and you will not be disappointed. Our friend Shirley runs this small lunch stand which features seriously good hamburgers and hotdogs.  Shirley is famous. She has been featured with a cover story in Rachael Ray's cooking magazine.   Shirley's friendly, chatty and a great story teller. But what she does best is make great burgers that are thick, juicy, and in our opinion some of the best in the world! She makes her own fries and serves up large portions. She'll cook your burger perfectly from medium rare to well-done... anyway you want it. For desert try the Fireweed Ice Cream.  Naturally, we make it a must stop place to eat whenever we are in Talkeetna. The next morning, we boarded our glass-domed rail car at the Talkeetna Train Depot bound for Denali National Park.

While Alaska land tours offer a more in-depth view of Alaska's interior, the experience is far different. You're on the road every couple of days, and actively sightseeing at every stop. You're living out of your suitcase, repacking and having luggage pick-ups outside your room as early as 6 a.m.   In contrast, onboard your cruise ship, you experience an easygoing pace of activity. So, we recommend doing the land portion first. Start in Fairbanks and make your way to Denali National Park and south to Anchorage, then to Whittier to board your cruise ship. Ports of call include Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau, Alaska.

What differentiates Princess from their competition is not only their own private accommodations,  exclusive rail cars, and driver guides but a well-managed operation that succeeds in large part from years of experience.  At each property, as well as on the train, for example, guests receive a welcome packet with room key, a map of the property, the Princess Patter, and information about the next day's luggage pick-up and departure time. For all hosted tours, meals are on your own. Each lodge has more than one restaurant, with a broad range of dining choices and varied prices. Throughout your land tour, It's casual dress. There is no need for suits or dinner dresses etc. On an Alaska Land & Sea Vacation, you have to pack separately for the cruise and the land tour. Luggage  with a "Join Me Onboard Ship" tag goes directly to the ship while those marked "Travel With Me," along with a tag designating the next destination, are transported to the lodge where you will be staying that night.

You should give some thought as to what you should pack in your separate suitcase destined for the cruise ship. That suitcase will not travel with you on land, but will be sent directly to the departure port and will appear in your cabin when you board the ship.  We recommend for the land tour you pack as light as possible.

The train ride up to Denali National Park offered great views and vista's, revealing some of the most spectacular scenery yet. The train powered by the Alaska Railroad has six cars, not all of them belonging to Princess. You will also see cars owned by Holland America and Royal Caribbean/Celebrity cruise lines.   Each Princess rail car has a wraparound glass dome, with unobstructed views. Seating, at four-top banquettes, is reserved by table with seats facing forward and backward. Get in line early to board, so you get seats facing forward. Each rail car has an outdoor viewing platform, where you get some great pictures.
The food and beverage service is divided. Upstairs, where passengers are seated, there's bar service  and snacks. Downstairs, there's fine dining with white tablecloths, fresh flowers on the table and a lunch or dinner menu, depending on the time of travel. Onboard, a Princess "Alaska Host" points out sites of interest and answers all your questions about the trip.

Early afternoon, we arrived at the Denali Rail Depot and were transferred to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, located about a mile from the entrance to Denali National Park on Highway 3, a major roadway.

You haven't fully experienced Alaska unless you've been to Denali National Park. Its boundaries encompass an impressive six million acres - the size of the state of Massachusetts. Home to Denali, North America's highest peak towers an unbelievable 20,320 feet in the sky. The Park hosts an array of wildlife from moose, caribou, dall sheep and grizzly bears to gray wolves and red foxes.
The Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is the closest and most comfortable place to stay when visiting the park. With an expansive deck with views into the park, Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is the ideal spot to relax, and savor the exquisite landscape. Each guest room is comfortably appointed with two double beds, two queen beds, or one king bed, television, and telephone -- just in case you want to catch up with the outside world. Outdoor hot tubs afford commanding views of the Park and Nenana River while you relax and indulge in a soothing soak.

The sprawling campus has over 600 rooms, and feels like a small village with landscaped walkways lined with flowers linking guest accommodations with a unique gathering of gift shops, and restaurants.

Be sure to experience the Music of Denali { next door at the McKinley Lodge ]- a dinner theater featuring a hearty Alaska meal and a rollicking musical comedy that recounts the first ascent of Denali.

Across the highway from the lodge you will find all manner of gift shops, sightseeing tour offices, even a Subway restaurant. If you are booked on the longer Tundra Wilderness Tour of Denali National Park, we suggest you pick up a sandwich at Subway to take with you as the tour is about 8 hours long.  All you get from the tour company is a snack box and water, not enough to satisfy your hunger over the tours duration. We also recommend you pack a small fold-up cooler bag to store the sandwich and perhaps some energy bars.

The highlight of our visit was the longer Tundra Wilderness Tour of Denali National Park. This comprehensive full-day tour travels deep into Denali National Park for the best possible wildlife viewing, Denali viewpoints and a host of magnificent vistas. Travel 53 miles into the park to the Toklat River rest area as it offers a wonderful diversity for visitors. Incredible scenery, a narrated history of the park road, by tour buses featuring a trained naturalist who both drives the bus and narrates during the trip.

Visiting Denali National Park is all about spotting wildlife. Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,320' Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await.

Some of the best opportunities to view the park's wildlife inhabitants await you on this tour. When your tour driver is able, they will take video footage of animals along the road and project the image onto the screen so you can get a close-up look at the action. Dress in warm layers.  You will need a good digital camera with a significantly large zoom lense and powerful binoculars.

On our trip within Denali National Park, we had a Moose cross the road just in front of our bus. Spotted Dall sheep high up on sheer cliffs, and got up close to a brown bear!  We got a glimpse of a caribou, gray-wolf, red-tailed fox and a lynx.  Park tour is approximately 8 hours. Due to Park Service regulations, school buses are used.

Learn more about the Wildlife of Denali from the National Park Service:

The buses do not have restrooms; however, rest stops are made approximately every 90 minutes.  Be sure to check your welcome packet upon arrival to confirm the exact tour departure time. Wheelchair accessible buses are available.

On this tour you will get a good perspective on this wonderful park, and the opportunity to view grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolves and dall sheep. The moose, caribou and sheep number in the thousands, however, mother nature and the weather dictate if you get to see them up close or at all. Wildlife sightings are likely but are not guaranteed.

Did You Know?
Most visitors to Denali, want to see four animals in particular: moose, caribou, wolf and everybody's favorite: the brown, or grizzly, bear. The park is also home to 37 species of mammals, ranging from lynx, marmots and Dall sheep, to foxes and more.

If you want to maximize your chances to see wildlife, take the Tundra Wilderness Tour.  Or consider the shorter Natural History Tour ( about 4.5 hours ). While wildlife viewing may occur, the chances are much slimmer than with other trips. You can learn more about Denali National Park. Visit http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm