Trip Report

[tonymsrad]

I planned my entire 10 day trip to Alaska with these boards. The information was incredibly helpful. I'm back, and ready to report.

We flew to Vancouver to catch the Coral Princess on June 19. Our plane landed at 1:40. Due to the 2 (yes, TWO) HOUR lines getting through immigration, we did not arrive onboard until 4:15, with departure time of 5. I will never fly into Vancouver again.

Monday the 21st: Ketchikan. Record breaking 90+ degree temps. Kayaked for 4 hours in Orca's Cove with Southeast Sea Kayaks. This was very nice, but if I had it to do over, would do the Misty Fjords seaplane.

Tuesday the 22nd: Juneau. Record breaking 90+ degree temps. In the morning we went on Captain Larry's Orca Enterprises. This was a very nice tour, and Captain Larry is a delightful character. He obviously has the respect of everyone on the water, and was frequently asked by other Captains for advice as to where whales were. However, Orca Enterprises is another story, the only glitch in our trip. See next post for details. I am writing to BBB about them.

In the afternoon my husband and children did the Northstar Glacier trekking. This was a wonderful experience, very professional outfit, can't say enough about it. It turns out I could have done it as well, but the "good to very good shape" requirements held me back.

Wed the 23: Skagway--our favorite little town. My husband and children went glacier dogsledding with Temsco, another very professional outfitter. They thoroughly enjoyed it. And, as others have said, it is a 30-45 minute walk to their offices. I went horseback riding with Southeast Tours. We were driven up past Carcross, into the Yukon, for a beautiful 2 hour ride. Another unforgettable experience.

Thursday the 24--Glacier Bay. What can I say---unless you've seen it you can't believe it. Princess did a very nice job with plenty of view time.

Friday the 25--College Fjords--another wonder of the world.

We booked the trip through Buycruises.com, a pleasure to deal with. Princess was our least favorite of our three cruises, mainly because of the food. The buffet line food was usually dried out. The staff was very friendly. I doubt I'd go Princess again because of the food.

Saturday the 26th--Princess bus to Anchorage, to pick up minivan through Payless. No problems, on the road to Denali by 11 or so. Spent the night in Denali Bluffs Hotel. It was ok, nothing special, no airconditioning, probably as good as you'll get in that little town.

Sunday the 27th---caught 5:15 shuttle to Wonder Lake. It is hard to believe that you can spend 11 hours on a school bus and not be bored, but it is true. The drive was beautiful, we saw lots of wildlife. The driver, Mike Dyas, obviously loves the park, and talked freely about it. He has eagle eyes as well. Incredibly, Mount McKinley was unobstructed by clouds, and we clearly saw it all the way from Anchorage, and frequently in the park as well. We expected the mosquitoes, but they were not nearly as bad expected.

Then into the car for trip to Fairbanks. The closer we got the smokier it got because of forest fires. We were so lucky the smoke had not gotten to Denali yet. Spent two nights in the Wedgewood, a former apartment complex. This was dated, a little shabby, but the staff was so nice, and it was very clean. Plus, there is a free airport shuttle. We dropped the car off at the airport, rode the shuttle to the hotel. The next morning we took Alaska Air to Barrow (another free ride to airport and back).

We booked the Barrow trip through Northern Alaska Tour Company, but it is identical to the Barrow tours offered by other companies, including Alaska Air. We took a 1 1/2 hour plane ride to Barrow, where we were met by Eskimo guides. We spent the entire day with the guides, and really got a feel for the culture. The town is incredibly ugly, shabby and poor, but these people are proud of it and don't leave. The day was capped when my family jumped into the Arctic Ocean (42 degrees) and became members of the Polar Bear Club!! I will never go to Barrow again, but am glad I went once. It was one of the highlights in a trip full of highlights.

Thank you all for your help.

[Elliern]

I was unable to locate your post about problems with ORCA. Could you please elaborate. I have reservations with them for Capt. Larry in August. We did have difficulty getting confirmation for our trip but after a 2nd phone call did receive it.
ellie

[Mezzaluna]

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