Got my Anchorage Hotel

[MudderBear]

And yup, it's The Westmark.  Oh well, I was expecting that.  At least it's only for one night.  My first night will be at an airport hotel since I am coming in late and used rewards points to save money.  I'll take an Uber up to The Westmark on my first actual HAL "land/tour" day.  I am actually looking forward to the McKinely Chalet in Denali though!!!

[Tom O.]

Have a good time. I am one of the people who bad mouthed the Westmark on one of your previous threads.

I think the reason it seemed so bad, was that on a cruise you expect top notch accommodations. If I had booked the Westmark on my own, and knew ahead of time that it was cheap and not so great, I would have been OK with it. I have stayed in worse places. In fact, just a couple of months before our Alaska tour last August, I went on a salmon fishing trip with a friend, and stayed in an airport motel in Anchorage. It was terrible, made the Westmark look like the Ritz.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You will have to report back and tell us about the Westmark.

[CutieKakes]

Godspeed...

 

It seemed clear to us that someone had been murdered on the couch in our room at the Anchorage Westmark.  LOL  The bathroom was clean tho!  

Edited January 29, 2020 by CutieKakes

[TiogaCruiser]

We stayed there years ago, through HAL. We were assigned to a room on the top floor. It was rather a strange room. There were spotlights ( not the recesses lights common now) on the ceiling above the bed, aimed downward. When the staff member took us to the room he said they use it for conventions and sales events, so the lights were for the displays. Hmmmm....

[MudderBear]

Thanks Tom.  LOL, I had a plane cancel due to mechanical  at Miami last year and they put me in an ungodly hotel a gazillion miles away.  Thank God I was with my husband.  I would have freaked out had I been alone.  Checking in at 1:00am I remember my husband saying to me "Just don't really look at anything......"  LOL LOL LOL.  😁

[SightCRR]

Never mind. sightcrr

Edited January 30, 2020 by SightCRR
they already knew info about Denali.

[TheEmerson]

Goto Snow City Cafe for breakfast.  

[Hlitner]

Last year when we returned to AK, we decided not to play the cruise line hotel/tour lottery.  We simply flew into Anchorage (we could have also opted for Fairbanks, rented a car, and drove to Denalii.  We chose our own hotels/Inns, and the convenience of a car, and did not waste any time waiting around for tour buses.  We later dropped our car back in Anchorage, took the wonderful train to Seward where we embarked on our cruise.  All this for much less money then through the cruise lines.  I only post this to point out that there are some great DIY options in AK.

 

Hank

 

[slidergirl]

If you don't want the Westmark, why not book a second night at the hotel you have and just take a taxi/Uber/Lyft to the Westmark to meet the tour?   Is it worth that money be unhappy?  Doesn't seem like a good way to get your Alaska vacation started.  

[PSR]

3 hours ago, slidergirl said:

If you don't want the Westmark, why not book a second night at the hotel you have and just take a taxi/Uber/Lyft to the Westmark to meet the tour?   Is it worth that money be unhappy?  Doesn't seem like a good way to get your Alaska vacation started.  

 

The only problem with that may be that when you check in to the Westmark you get a packet with tour information and your bus assignment for the train the next morning. There is more than one bus, and they are staggered to get to the train to Denali. Not sure how you would get that paperwork if you do not go to your assigned HAL hotel.

[slidergirl]

1 hour ago, PSR said:

 

The only problem with that may be that when you check in to the Westmark you get a packet with tour information and your bus assignment for the train the next morning. There is more than one bus, and they are staggered to get to the train to Denali. Not sure how you would get that paperwork if you do not go to your assigned HAL hotel.

You could go to the hotel, pick up your packet, go sight seeing, whatever, and go back to the other hotel.   You could even check in - you paid for it, but they can't force you to use the room...

 

[PSR]

I wanted to make sure the OP understood the procedure for getting the bus to the train, since he/she hadn't been there before...you can't just appear at the Westmark and get on one of the buses. Anyway, we enjoyed our room at the Westmark, but appear to be in the minority....

[BeeIslandGirl]

How far in advance do you know what hotel HAL has booked in Anchorage for our cruise?  We sail in August 2020 ~ Triple Denali first

[MudderBear]

We start the end of May.  I called last week and they told me the hotel over the phone.  I will stay there since basically I already paid for it.  My other hotel on the first night is near the airport and I'm using points for that one night.  Saving my money for excursions!

[RocketMan275]

Some videos:

 

 

 

[Cruising-along]

On 2/2/2020 at 12:46 AM, PSR said:

Anyway, we enjoyed our room at the Westmark, but appear to be in the minority....

We must be in the minority too.  We had no problems with the Anchorage Westmark.  The Fairbanks Westmark was much worse.