Cruise Tour AK - suggestions welcome

[WaggesAZ]

Hi there, we are self employed and cannot be away longer than 10 days comfortably so the land tour time is limited.  We wish we could do a longer tour, it's not possible at this time. That said, when looking at cruise tours, we knew we wanted to go to Denali as a priority. We also knew we wanted to take the train straight to Whittier believing it would offer a more comfortable way to get to the ship vs a longer bus ride.  The tour originates in Fairbanks, and will start by putting us on a riverboat tour, followed by a bus ride to Denali.  We changed our tour from 1 night at Denali and 1 night at Mt McKinley and have decided to do 2 nights at Denali, rather than moving.  It seemed like too much rushing otherwise.  So input I am seeking from those who have done tours.

 

1.Are we going to look back and feel that we were remiss to not move?  

 

2. 1st afternoon is at leisure...should we rent a Jeep and go drive around that night or will we be ready to relax?

 

3. We are scheduled to do the Natural History Tour but I read yesterday there may be an option to upgrade to Tundra Wilderness Tour.  Is that something we should consider?  It looks like it goes further into the park, so maybe there are less stops?  Does my TA do that through Princess?

 

4.We currently have a Jeep rented after our tour into the park, and have also booked the Jeep in order to go to Jeff King's Husky Homestead.  However on our Riverboat tour, there is a visit to Trail Breaker Kennel and we are not necessarily Iditarod followers/fans so I was thinking we may want to find something else to do or just go explore in the Jeep.  

 

Any tips or input is welcome and appreciated!!

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by WaggesAZ
I tried to use numbered questions but they didn't appear

[Thrak]

The Tundra Wilderness Tour is much preferable to the Natural History Tour. To me it's a no-brainer to upgrade. 2 days at a lodge is always preferable to one but... If you want a chance to see Denali (the mountain itself) your best bet is from McKinley lodge. When we were there on a Connoisseur tour there was a couple in our group who was visiting for the 5th time. Our visit was the first time they ever actually saw the mountain as it is usually hidden behind clouds. (There were a number of staff in the lodge who had never actually seen the mountain before.) The day we were leaving the mountain came out from behind the clouds.

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by Thrak

[JoRoy218]

We took this exact itinerary in ‘18. Honestly wasn’t impressed with Fairbanks Princess Lodge, our plane landed late, along with many others. They have a very small restaurant and after arriving late, we were all very hungry. After check in (very basic rooms) we attempted to eat dinner. We were told there was at least a 2 hr wait and restaurant closed at 8, which was earlier than expected. It was suggested to go to a local place, about a mile down the road, we did go, was ok. River tour was pretty good, informative, relaxing.  Anyway…the train ride to Denali and then onto McKinley was breathtaking and comfortable, they had a dining car which was lovely. Yes, upgrade your Denali tour, will go deeper into park. McKinley was my favorite spot. There is a huge deck off the main lobby where everyone hangs out waiting for Denali to appear. We were fortunate in that we experienced it both days and got awesome pictures.

if you feel like exploring in your Jeep there is a cool little town south of McKinley Lodge, Talkeetna, maybe about 12 miles away. Might check Google maps.  It’s eccentric, funky, fun…might enjoy it. 

 

[caribill]

Tundra Wilderness Tour

The Tundra Wilderness Tour is the premier tour of Denali National Park and Preserve! This tour offers wonderful diversity for visitors. Incredible scenery, a narrated history of the park road, and some of the best opportunities to view the park’s wildlife inhabitants await you on this tour.

The Tundra Wilderness Tour will guide you along the spectacular road corridor, promising different experiences every day, as Denali’s wildlife moves at its own pace and according to the seasons. Travel to the Murie Cabin near the East Fork River to experience where Adolf Murie lived while conducting his famous research inside what was then known as Mount McKinley National Park!

A bottle of water and a snack pack are included with this tour.

 

Bus Tours | Denali National Park & Preserve AK | ReserveDenali.com

[Thrak]

14 hours ago, JoRoy218 said:

Honestly wasn’t impressed with Fairbanks Princess Lodge, our plane landed late, along with many others. They have a very small restaurant and after arriving late, we were all very hungry. After check in (very basic rooms) we attempted to eat dinner. We were told there was at least a 2 hr wait and restaurant closed at 8, which was earlier than expected. It was suggested to go to a local place, about a mile down the road, we did go, was ok.

 

With the Connoisseur tour we were served a multi-course dinner that included several types of wine (or beer). It was a really good meal. We were also served a good breakfast. We thought the River Boat tour would be stupid but we actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

[WaggesAZ]

We arrive in Fairbanks at 2:30. so hopefully we will not have the same occurrence for food.  I have contacted our travel agent to upgrade our tour to the Tundra Tour.  At this point, we are doing 2 nights at Denali as it is not advantageous to change as it would be considered a cancellation and rebooking so our grandfathered upgrades are available now only with Princess Premier packages.  It would be significantly more money to go back to BB3 from the CB3 tour we're on.  We will have to hope the sun will be shining brightly on our visit and hope to see her in all her glory! 😉  JoRoy your photos are beautiful.  Thrak may I ask what month and year you were there?

[Restless Feet]

We have done four Alaska cruise tours between 1991 and 2018 - always spending time in the area of the Princess Denali Lodge. I guess we were just lucky, but we have seen the mountain each time ( always late May/early June). In my opinion, the Tundra Wilderness Tour is an absolute ‘must do’. Even in the pouring rain, it is a great opportunity to see the wildlife. Have a fabulous trip! 

[Thrak]

4 hours ago, WaggesAZ said:

Thrak may I ask what month and year you were there?

 

Our land portion was June 23 - 29. The morning of the 29th was our last day at McKinley lodge and that was the morning the mountain came out from behind the clouds. We were sooooooooooo happy. 😁

[WaggesAZ]

Nice, my friend lives in Anchorage and she and her sister had great views of Denali several times in July 2022 while staying in the area so I just wondered if the timing lined up.  Hope wherever you go next is full of beauty too!

[WaggesAZ]

12 hours ago, Restless Feet said:

We have done four Alaska cruise tours between 1991 and 2018 - always spending time in the area of the Princess Denali Lodge. I guess we were just lucky, but we have seen the mountain each time ( always late May/early June). In my opinion, the Tundra Wilderness Tour is an absolute ‘must do’. Even in the pouring rain, it is a great opportunity to see the wildlife. Have a fabulous trip! 

We have upgraded and are looking forward to the Tundra tour. We will be there late July, but I will remain hopeful we get a peek at her in all her glory!