Ber2048

Sounds like a good plan. The locals did give some good information which I hope to use.

That would be nice to see a moose, and some of the other wildlife. We were in Yellowstone in September, we saw wildlife, but not a moose.

Thanks, for your feedback.. Weighing my options. . .

Did anyone take a Fat Truck excursion while they visited Denali! What was your opinion? Did you find it worthwhile, or would you do a different excursion. We will be there mid May before the buses run in the park.

Thank you. I’ll check it out!

We are arriving in Fairbanks on the 10th and renting a car until the 12th doing our little DIY tour of Fairbanks and surrounding area. We start our land tour with Princess on the 12th, and motor coach to Denali on the 13th. We leave Denali on the 15th via the train to Whittier to start our cruise on the Grand Princess on May 15. Alaska is so vast, hard to see everything on one trip. Have a wonderful time, and safe travels.

Thanks, good to know it is traveled. I spoke to a ranger, but it wasn’t clear how much they were on the road in mid May.

Good idea about a bike. I would have to check when Bike Denali opens. I did check with the only two rental car companies that we could possibly use. You do need a car for a gravel road (SUV). Glad to hear the road is good, so you wouldn’t get stuck. Not sure how traveled the road is if you do run into a problem. I understand there is no cell phone reception.

Thanks so much for all the good information.

When are you going to be in Denali in mid May 2024. We will be there May 13 and 14 on a Princess Land tour. We arrive at 1:00p.m. on the 13th and have the rest of that day free. I was trying to figure out how I could get into the park without the buses. I also was thinking about just doing a trail around the visitor center, but was hoping for more. We will not have a car, so I was looking into renting? Someone posted it took them about 45 minutes to an hour to drive to mile 15, and about 1 1/2 hours to drive to mile 30 from mile 15, but you will need a car that you can drive on a gravel road. Not all rental cars are allowed to do that. Since the buses aren’t running then, you can take a personal car to mile 30.

Good info, thank you.

Thanks for your reply. Sounds like a full day, but we should have enough time to see a lot. Should be fun.

Thank you so much for your reply. How much time did it take you to do both loops? Our ship arrives at 10:00 A.M. and leaves at 6:00 P.M.

Does anyone have any favorite excursions in Ketchikan? We were thinking of just doing our own walking tour and enjoying Ketchikan. Any recommendations?

So glad to hear Chilkoot does a good job. I wouldn’t have found them without the recommendations on this board. Looking forward to our trip.

I just booked with Chilkoot for May 18. I guess we were lucky. I see that our cruise ship offers a train/bus tour, so there must be others. Maybe someone else will weigh in and suggest something.

Thanks for the information. I guess we will wait to see what Mother Nature does. Glad to hear it is a drier month.

Thanks so much for your reply. We will go with Chillkoot. We are looking at just the rail and bus tour. We are planning on the bus first that leaves at 8:30. We are on the Grand Princess. What month were you there last time? Hoping for nice weather. It probably will be chilly in May. This is our first cruise to Alaska. Have a wonderful time. BL

Thanks, I’ll check them out.

What excursions has anyone taken in Skagway, or are planning to take. What was your opinion? We will be there May 18, 2024. So many to choose from. White Pass Railroad only excursion. Yukon excursion, White Pass bus tour, etc. Cruise tour or book on your own? I’m sure you can’t go wrong with whatever you choose, but would love to here your choices or experiences.

They did not tell us that the Park activities and buses were not running. I discovered it on my own. I guess to some folks it doesn’t matter. There are back country ATV rides. I would prefer to get farther into the park, though. At lleast we have the history tour. Hoping Mother Nature cooperates.

Thank you for your information. Unfortunately except for the dinner show and short hikes, the other things you mentioned aren’t available mid May. The main visitor center isn’t open either. I think the science Center is the visitor center? The trails look like a plan. I appreciate your information.

Thank you, AK Much to my disappointment, the transit buses will not be running. We will be on a Princess Land Tour, and looking for something for one afternoon/evening. They do have the History tour scheduled for one day. Trying to fill up the other. You can drive your own car to Mike 30. It’s either an excision outside the park or renting a car and driving ourselves. That is why I was looking for excursion reviews. Your information was helpful.

Thank you. So many things to see. Slow seems good to me. Unfortunately, the dog kennels are only open on weekends in mid May when we will be there. We are arriving on a weekday. Good information, though.

Thanks for your reply.That is a good point. I guess weather means everything. I imagine it is the same for an ATV tour, and walking the trails. At least you are enclosed with the bus or car. You never know what Mother Nature will do.