rjeffler

Loved your review. I also just got off the Radiance (right after you) and we also had room 8102! I LOVED it!! So convenient.

Just got back from our trip to Alaska. After reading the comments, I was a bit worried that we weren't spending a day or more at Denali NP. I can say, I didn't miss anything! I think we got extremely lucky, but I'm OK with that. The day we drove north to Fairbanks it started as rain, changed to snow and then back to sunny weather by the time we reached the shops at Denali. Stopped there for lunch and then back on the road.

On the return trip, we got really lucky!! :-) The mountain was out for all to see and we were nearly by ourselves on the road. We left Fairbanks at 4:30 am (not unusual for my family) so that my husband could get to a work meeting in Anchorage that afternoon. We were able to see the mountain from all kinds of angles along our ride. We were also almost totally by ourselves most of the time. So, if we saw something, he would hit the brakes and put the car into reverse on the highway. Saw a moose that way as well. Got so many great pictures of Denali that I don't regret anything we did!

I did a full review (links in my signature) while we were in Alaska if anyone cares to read it.

In the airport on my way home from Alaska now. We had a Nikon and our friends had the Canon xs50. Their camera was GREAT. We were able to take pictures of Dall Sheep from the road and zoom in enough to see them. We will be trading ours for the canon soon. The zoom is fantastic and it is nice and compact. It also has a burst mode foe when you see wildlife. It will take 3 photos in succession so you don't miss anything!

I would second the Lumberjack show and the funicular on Creek Street. We were just there 2 days ago and enjoyed both!

Just off the Radiance yesterday. There is no chapel on our boat, but there was a catholic priest traveling and he did a mass each day!

We did the Quest last night. It was our first time participating in it. We had planned on just watching but somehow became a team. We finished in 2nd place!! I've heard lots of good and bad about this game, but if you want to have a few minutes of laughter and fun and you aren't shy, give it a try!

This morning we were docked in Ketchikan. We got off the boat and started walking. We hit 10-20 stores before we made it to Creek Street. After wandering he creek, we toured Dolly's House (whore house). It was A VERY short tour, but we enjoyed it just the same.

After Creek Street, we took the Funicular to the Cape Fox Lodge for lunch. The funicular is in the middle of Creek Street. It costs $4 for unlimited rides for the day. Lunch at the Cape Fox Lodge was great. We had 6 different items (2 appetizers and 4 meals) and they were all great!! We could have taken the funicular down but decided to walk. We checked out the totem poles in their front yard and walked down Married Mans Trail. If you visit Dolly's House, you'll know why they call it that!

Did a bit more shopping and then headed to the Lumberjack Show. We had 8 in our group (from age 40-68) and they all enjoyed it. A few corny jokes here and there but it was very entertaining. We did he 3:15 show, so after, we had just a few minutes for last minute shopping and tour get back to the ship.

Tomorrow is our last day on the ship. We have had such a wonderful vacation that I don't want to go home!! I'll update again from Vancouver this weekend!

I know there are always questions with which side of the boat is better. We choose port side as we thought it would give us more time to see things. Really, it doesn't matter. I did keep track of which side we were docked on, though. My room was port side so we had:

Arrival day - away from dock

Juneau - Dock

Skagway - Dock

ISP - away

Ketchikan - Dock

I will say, though, our room/balcony is the best! It is an E1 balcony, but has a balcony twice as big as our friends that have a GS. You could easily fit 20 people on our balcony! We are in 8102. I thought we might have issues with noise but we have had none. We are right at the top of the stairs, so it extremely convenient.

Great review! What nights are the formal nights and did a good percent of the passengers dress for it?

For our southbound, formal nights were the first full day at sea and the day at ISP. They said it world normally have been the night at Juneau, but the on board time was much later that night.

We saw about 5-10 tuxes, a few suits and the rest were just slacks. Our group all wore slacks and either a polo or button up shirt. The ladies in our group did slacks and a blouse. None is us felt underdressed at all.

I'm currently on board Radiance and have been doing a report almost daily. Link is in my signature.

The weather in Juneau was less than stellar. Our helicopter tour with Era was supposed to be at 10:30 and it got cancelled because of visibility. We rebooked with them for 2:45 and wandered town. We were back on board for lunch and called them at 2:00 (when the weather seemed to be changing) and were told we were going. They picked us up in front of the tram and we were off. We were weighed and checked in our bags. We asked one of the employees if we should wear our rain pants and she told us the temp out there was only about 10 degrees cooler and we should be fine without them....she was wrong. On that note, you do not need special shoes for this excursion. They give you rubber boots to put over your shoes.

By the time we made it out to the glacier, it was pouring. we met our guide (Gus Gunther, I think) and he gave us a short explanation of how the sled worked. He put the last few dogs on the front and we were off. We stopped a couple of times and switched positions so that we could stand like a musher or sit in front. We were supposed to do a 2 mile run, but the weather started to get worse and the clouds were rolling in, so we had to cut it a bit short. When we arrived back at the camp he introduced us to the dogs one by one and we got to pet them and take photos. We didn't get to meet any of the puppies as he helicopter came for us pretty quickly.

While we were on the glacier, they took a photo of us. As we were sledding, they printed a photo collage of us. They didn't show us these until we were back at the base. Other than that, there was no asking for tips or trying to sell us things. Except for the weather and being soaked to the bone, it was a once in a lifetime experience!!

We did go to the show this night before dinner and enjoyed it. It was 'Piano Man' and most if us sang along. It was he first time we've done anything in the big theatre.

Yesterday was Skagway. We had scheduled rental cars to drive to Emerald Lake. We rented our cars from Avis (the only rental place here). We reserved the car about 8 months ago. I would strongly suggest doing that as early as you can as the prices went up closer to sail date by almost $30. We bought Murray's Guide and it was well worth the $5! We stopped about 10 times between Skagway and Carcross for photos.

Once in Carcross, we parked near the visitors center and wandered. There were quite a few food choices but we ended up at 'The Bistro on Bennett' which is a new place behind the shops. It is a large brown wood building. They just opened 2 weeks ago but you wouldn't know it with the food. They had a menu of burgers (beef and bison), caribou smokies, fries, wraps, soups, etc... We all enjoyed our meals and the large fries were enough to feed 4-5 people.

One other note here...my mother is in a wheelchair and not very adventurous. We had to take her over gravel quite a ways here and she didn't enjoy it. The restaurant, though, has a ramp and very accessible bathrooms. We were even able to move a vehicle closer to the ramp when we left for easy access.

Then we were on our way to Emerald Lake. It was only 10 miles past Carcross. We made one stop on the way at the Carcross Desert for the requisite photos the smallest desert in the world. It was great to be able to take photos of the desert with snow packed mountains over it!

Driving back to Skagway we stopped at a few more photo places along the way. One of the neatest was a waterfall that ends right next to the road. They give you the miles marker in Murray's Guide. You could get in if you were brave enough but it was COLD!! It was a great photo stop.

Back in town, we dropped some off at the boat and returned one car. We drove the other car back to Dyea Road to go to the lookout and take photos of the boat. We filled up the car with gas (there are now 2 gas stations in town) and dropped it back at Avis. We wandered town and took lots of photos. Important lesson here...always keep a hold of your bags. Our friend took off her camera case to have a photo taken. It had her passports in it. We left that spot and were walking down the street when she realized her bag was gone. You cannot imagine the panic that ensued. Thankfully, she ran back to the last 2 places we had been and it was sitting there. After this stress, we stopped into the Red Onion Saloon for a drink!! We also had some nachos and they were very good.

Beware that the walk back to the ship was quite far. As someone else said, it seemed like an oasis in the desert as you could see the ship but it just didn't seem to get any closer. We were parked behind Rhapsody of the Seas so we were he furthest out. There is a shuttle from town to the boat for $2 so take this if you don't feel like you could walk 2 miles.

At dinner tonight our waitress told us they would dance after dessert. It was kind of late. We stayed to watch them but were a little disappointed. Only 5 waiters danced and they did it on the stairs so most of the dining room couldn't see anything. I've heard lots of opinions that here shouldn't be dancing in the dining rooms but we enjoy it. I just wished they would have all participated so that those of us in the back could have enjoyed it.

In Icy Strait Point we had a whale watching tour with FISHES. We got off the boat around 10 to do some shopping before they were to pick us up. Amazingly enough, a large humpback was bubblenet feeding right off the shore. Every time he came up, you could hear oohs and aahs from all down the shoreline. After a bit of browsing we walked through the port area to meet Marjorie for the ride to the dock. After meeting Floyd, we pushed off pretty quickly. He took us over to the whale that was in the harbor. He put a sonar/water microphone in the water so that we could here it. He told us they make a noise before they breech. It was quite cool to hear it and then see it come up.

We then left the harbor to try and find some more whales. It was about a 30 minute ride out to the other area. We saw lots of porpoise, sea otter, sea lion, eagles, etc... We were able to find a few more whales and Floyd would tell us exactly when they were going to dive and show their tale. They might come out of the water 4-5 times before the tail came up when they dove deep. We would often think we were seeing whales when they were just sea lions. Floyd knew exactly what we were looking at each time. He even showed us an otter with a baby.

On the way back to shore, Floyd spotted a bear on the shore. We were amazed at his eyesight but he told us he simply knows all of the rocks and things onshore, and if there is something different, he knows it is a bear! The bear he spotted was about a 900lb brown bear eating grass along the shoreline. The Captains in this area talk to each over, so Floyd radioed the others that we saw the bear and another boat came over and joined us. On the way back to the Harbormasters we ran up on an otter that was just sunning himself. He stayed on his back and got within about 20 ft of the boat and seemed to not care that we were there. We did ask about Orcas and were told that a large pod had been there just yesterday.

We made it back to shore with 30 minutes to go before the last tender so we walked through the stores and back to the boat.

Not sure if I mentioned this before, but my family is connected to the American Legion. So, we've been stoping at each one along the way. We visited the one in North Pole, but the one in Anchorage was closed when we were there. The bartender at North Pole told us we had to visit the one in Seward. We are glad we did. They have a FANTASTIC view of the water and mountains and cheap drinks to boot. The bartender as well as the 2 gentlemen sitting at the bar were very nice and gave us lots of ideas of places to eat or see while we were in Alaska.

Friday was the day we finally boarded the ship. We again awoke to beautiful weather. After breakfast, we decided to walk to the Sealife Center (1 mile) so that we could be there when they opened at 8. The shuttle doesn't start until 8 on cruises ship days or 10 on other days. We walked in the door at 8:05 and were the first group in. The Sealife Center was very informative and a fun place. We especially enjoyed the area with the puffins as you can go into the exhibit and stand right next to them...close enough to touch but they ask you not to! If there are any teachers out there, there is a classroom that they do. One of the employes was on a mike and had a camera and was doing a talk with a class from Indiana. We could even hear and see the kids talking to him.

After the Sealife Center, we took the shuttle back to the hotel to check out. They will move your luggage directly to the ship for $2/bag. Definitely worth it. We then wandered back to the train station to wait for the rest of our group. They arrived at 11:15. Small problem here with the train, though. The elevator lift stopped working so they had to almost carry my mother down the narrow steps. It was quite stressful for all of us watching, but they finally made it down. If you or anyone in your group uses a wheelchair make a call to the RR ahead of time to make sure he lift is working.

Rather than checking into the boat and coming back to town, we decided to eat lunch at Rays. It is two doors down from the Holiday Inn. The potato soup was a bit grainy but everything else was great.

We then walked to the Harbormasters office to wait for the shuttle. The first shuttle didn't have a wheelchair lift so we had to wait a few minutes for the one that did. We arrived at the ship between 1:30-2:00 and there was NO line to check in. We were really on board in 5 minutes. Tried to spend some time getting acclimated and then decided to take in a movie. The theatre on board is really nice.

Muster was around 7:45. We had late dinner so we ate after that. This is the first time we've had the late meal. We weren't sure how we would like it, but since it is still so light outside it really hasn't been an issue. I tend to nibble quite often during he day, so I just added a hot dog stop every evening around 5:30 so that I'm not starving by dinner.

Yesterday was our day to cruise Hubbard Glacier. We weren't sure if we would be able to see anything because of the clouds and rain. Thankfully the clouds lifted by the time we arrived...the rain didn't leave, though. We made it right next to the glacier and did a couple of turns for everyone to be able to see. Evidently there was some calving, but we missed it. It was neat to see some of the crew out on their zodiac trying to get a hunk of ice to bring on board. You could tell they had it next the their boat and we're dragging it as they were seriously listing to one side and going quite slow. We were told that they would be carving it in the next couple of days.

We've be eating in the Cascades dining room any time we could so we still haven't eaten in the Windjammer. We did try Boardwalk Dog House and the Park Cafe for cookies/cake/chips. If you need some chips for snacking, they have bags of Doritos and potato chips at Park Cafe.

Today we arrive in Juneau and we are supposed to helicopter to a glacier to dog sled. It is quite cloudy now, so we are hoping it lifts soon!! Wish us luck!!

Thanks for the detailed report. How is the Holiday Inn in Seward? Also, how did the delivery of your luggage from the train go? Any problems?

 

Lastly, did you buy your fishing license in Seward? Any additional suggestions for the fishing charter? We will be fishing for the first time in Seward. Thanks

Holiday Inn was nice. Breakfast was great. Eggs, sausages, pancakes, cinnamon roles, etc... Getting the luggage to the boat was a piece of cake! No issues. I would suggest removing all old tags though!

We bought our fishing license on line ahead of time but you can do it when you arrive as well. If you are going during June, they are having a halibut tournament, so you can enter that as well!!

Wednesday we were moving from Anchorage down to Seward by train. We choose the Gold Star car and weren't disappointed. Arrived at 5:45 am to check in. They checked our bags all the way to our hotel in Seward. It was really nice not to have to deal with them at the station.

Our train ride was fantastic. The weather was beautiful and we got to see lots of wildlife. First a female, then a female with her 2 babies and finally a male. We also spotted some Dall sheep just on the outskirts of Anchorage up on some rocks right above the train tracks. Lots of eagles flying over as well. The scenery was breathtaking and the guides were great. They were high school seniors but we would have never known it if we didn't start talking with them. If you have the chance to take the train, do it!!

Upon arrival in Seward it was too early to check in to the hotel so we started asking for recommendations for lunch. Three people suggested the railroad car right next to the track and it was pretty good. We had pulled pork, a burger and a burrito.

We weren't sure what to do next to so we walked towards town to catch a shuttle to Exit Glacier. It was $10 round trip per person. They took us there and we decided what time they would return to get us. When we arrived they were just getting ready to do a tour with a ranger so we joined in. It was very informative and I'm glad we did it. On our way back, the shuttle driver agreed to let us off at the hotel and that saved us about a 1 mile walk!

Hotel was the Holiday Inn. It is right on the dock and walking distance to the train. Checked in and asked for ideas for dinner. We were referred to Chinooks for their fresh seafood. I'm not really a seafood eater and there was only item that wasn't fish on the dinner menu. The four of us ate, shared 1 appetizer and 1 drink a piece and the meal was $180 before tip. So, if you go be prepared. It was great though!

This morning we had another early morning - Halibut fishing with Alaska Northern Outfitters. They have a nice program for couples like us...I don't like to fish but my husband does. The fisherman pays full price and you only pay $100 for a companion to go along. I cannot have my own pole but I can fish my husbands any time he wants to take a break.

It is a nice boat and was plenty of room for the 18 fishers and 4 companions plus captain and 2 crew. Initially there were a few lines crossed but then everyone understood the issues and it cleared up. FYI, they do have a coffee machine and hot chocolate as well as a microwave. You have to bring your own food on, so you do have a way to heat things up

Clothing wise, I was in jeans, knee socks, shoes and rain pants on bottom, long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve shirt, Columbia warm jacket and rain jacket. I also had hat and gloves on. My husband had on jeans, socks, and a short sleeve polo and was fine. The reason I tell you this is all of the questions regarding what to pack. I stay cold most of the time so I wear jackets when others aren't.

On the trip to the fishing grounds (2.5 hours) we did see quite a few whales, dolphins and sea lions so it was really 2 tours in 1! Just got back from the boat. Caught our limit of Halibut as well as some Rockfish/sea bass. He crew was great and made sure everyone had caught keepers before we went in. It was a long day, though...started at 6am and didn't get back to the dock until about 7:30. There is a place on the docks (Captain Jacks) that will vacuum pack your fish, flash freeze it and mail it home FED Ex overnight with ice. Our crew had already filleted them on the way back to shore. For pricing purposes, we mailed 25 lbs home. The cost to package them into 1 1/2 lb portions, freeze and box was $65. We have a fed ex prepaid, so I'm not sure how much that might have cost.

If you catch some fish but don't want to mail the home, we were told there is a place in town where you can takre them to be cooked. I think it was Apolla Pizza. They prepare the fish to your specs (fry, bakr, etc) and then give you salad and sides for one price. Make sure to ask your captain if you'd like to do that!!

Back in town, we had dinner at Fish & chips right across from the Holiday Inn. It was a good Halibut Fish & Chips.

Tomorrow is the Sealife Center and getting on the boat!

My pre-cruise planning as well as 'live' review are linked in my signature.

Fairbanks back to Anchorage was the drive of a lifetime. The weather was fantastic...nothing like it had been 3 days prior when we were driving north. We left Fairbanks at o'dark thirty (in the light) at 4:00am. We are both early birds and my husband had to visit the AFB in Anchorage that afternoon, so we had a bit of a schedule. Also, if you are driving this route, know that there is construction north of the Princess Lodge at Denali. There are areas where there is a pilot car and you must wait for 20 minutes. We wanted to try and get through those before much traffic. At the beginning of the drive, I wasn't sure if we would be able to see Mt McKinley or not. About 3 hours into the drive, it came into view. It was majestic to say the least. The nice thing about this drive is that there are not many cars. We are from the DC area, so we are used to lots of traffic. On this drive, we would catch a glimpse of the mountain, slam on the brakes and put the car into reverse to get a great photo. (Don't do this if there are other cars around!) We would go miles without seeing another car. My husband even did this for a moose sighting right by the road.

We did stop for a drink at a gas station and picked up the Denali Summer Times (free paper). It has a list of 10 great places to see the mountain. I will add to that list. Our favorite viewing spot (BY FAR) was on the road to the McKinley Princess. This is just south of Denali State Park (south of Denali National Park). I don't remember the mile number, but it is lower than 133. There is a really nice bridge right before the turn. Go up the road about 1/2 mile and there is a turn off. It is spectacular! There is even a huge rock for you to pose on. Our other favorite spot was at the Alaska Veterans Memorial. Again, I don't remember what mile marker this was at, but there are signs. It was a small road that has a lovely memorial to all of the services and has a great opening in the trees to see McKinley. If you are associated with the military at all as we are, it is definitely worth the stop.

For all of the other mushy people out there (I cry at TV commercials), you'll enjoy this. We had my ipod playing and Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw came on during some of the most beautiful views. I had myself a good cry realizing how lucky we were to be able to experience this! It was simply a wonderful day.

Back in Anchorage, my husband had to work and then we met a friend that is local to Anchorage for dinner. He took us to Simon & Seaforts which is about 10 blocks from the Hilton. It was also a great meal. Lots of seafood and other choices as well and the view is wonderful. I would highly recommend it, but I would suggest reservations as the view makes it harder to get in to.

Our hotel was the Hilton Anchorage which is right across the street from the train station. You really could not get any closer. We were only there a night, but it was great.

Next is the train and Exit Glacier!

Glad someone is enjoying and hopefully getting info!

Woke up Monday to a really dreary morning...cold and rainy. We decided to change up our plans a bit and visit the Museum of the North at the university. We really didn't want to stay all day to watch all of the movies, so we wandered the museum and exhibits and were ready to go in about 90 minutes. It could easily take you 4-5 hours if you watched any of the films for a great length.

Before venturing to Chena, we stopped at the Post Office for a box. This was an easy way to mail one box of goodies we've already purchased home. I was able to pack a box and pay/print from the USPS website and leave it at the front desk of my hotel for pick up tomorrow. Very convenient!

We had lunch at Taco King. We were referred to it by some locals. I will say the food was good...the atmosphere was severely lacking. They seem to do a big delivery business, so if you are in the area and want good Mexican, have it delivered! As a side note, I mentioned this to our friend in Anchorage and he agreed that they have great food!

Then it was off to Chena Hot Springs. It was a wet drive the 60 miles there. The ice museum was a lot of fun, though and something that I'm glad we did. The weather was so awful, there wasn't much else to do but eat.

After returning to Fairbanks we decided to try another referral for dinner. Someone we met at the Ice Museum had mentioned The Pump House. Did some googling and it looked pretty good. We were quite happy with it. The atmosphere is wonderfully rustic and the food was fantastic. This was the first meal that we had authentic sourdough (which they are known for up here). My husband had the 'world famous' seafood chowder after a bit of prodding from the waitress and he was glad he did. We shared the Halibut Tempura and loved it. By far, one of the best meals we had in Fairbanks!

Next we're back to Anchorage to catch the train to Seward. Will post in a couple of days.

So, just curious, when is halibut season? We arrive Thursday and cruise beginning on Friday. I was really looking forward to fish and chips. Hopefully the frozen will still be good.

Just asked and it started in May. Guess they just didn't have it fresh yet where we ate.

So detailed! I'm loving your trip so far. How'd the hot springs go?

The weather was very rainy and cold yesterday, so we only did the Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs. It was lots of fun, though!

So, we have finally arrived in Alaska and I wanted to try and get info out to all that are waiting as soon as I could. I did a pre-planning review (in my signature) detailing everything involved with this trip over the past 15 months. It was a part-time job!

We left DC at 1pm on Friday and arrive in Anchorage at 12:30am Saturday morning. We were able to book first class tickets on points and were quite excited. Once on board, we realized the only perk was bigger seats. We purchased through United and they partnered with US Air. So, we were on US Airways the entire way. No issues, per se, but there wasn't a TV on any of the flights (3) and even the audio played nothing. Two of our flights were quite long, so we expected some sort of entertainment. Who knew?!

At arrival, we went straight to Alamo to pick up our car. As expected it was ready and we were out of the airport within 10 minutes. We ended up reserving the car through Costco as it was the cheapest rate I got. I checked it out once a week in the few weeks prior to get the rate down and saved an additional $100!

We stayed at the Homewood Suites near the airport (about 5 minutes away). It was a lovely hotel with lots of amenities. Upon arrival, right to bed. Sadly, I didn't sleep well (and my husband doesn't sleep much anyway) so we were up at 6:30 showering and getting ready to leave. Sadly, it was raining horribly that morning, but we were on our way to Fairbanks and hoping for nicer weather.

We left town around 8:30 (after breakfast at the hotel) headed up the road. We stopped in Wasilla and shopped a bit and then back on the road. The weather changed a few times during the day. About 2 hours north of Anchorage the rain changed to snow and then it became nearly a blizzard...very quickly. The wind was also blowing around 50 mph. We stopped at the 'Welcome to Denali' sign for a photo and nearly froze to death. Got the required picture (will post soon) and back in the car as soon as we could.

By the time we got to the Denali Princess hotel and the shopping across the street, it was sunny (although still VERY windy). We did a bit of shopping and decided to grab a bite to eat. Ended up at The Great Alaskan Fish & Chip. We had the cod as I tend to be a picky eater. It was quite nice. Then it was back on the road. We were trying to get to Fairbanks for a break.

Our home base for the next few nights is the Hampton Inn & Suites, Fairbanks. It is very convenient to anything you may need. Wal Mart and Fred Meyer right across the street and open 24 hours for anything you may have forgotten. We got a suggestion for Boston's as a local place (very close) for dinner. I would equate it to something like Applebees or Chili's. We had mac-n-cheese and sliders and the mac-n-cheese was fantastic! The ambiance was only so-so, but the food was good. We were back to the hotel by 6:30 and fast asleep by 7:30! :)

Today I had planned a trip to the Running Reindeer Ranch, North Pole, and Eileson AFB. We weren't sure what to expect at the Running Reindeer Ranch as I had seen many different reviews and they went both ways. We arrived to meet Jane (the proprietor), her dog Candy and the other 2 people that were going to tour with us. Long story short, we spend 2 1/2 hours with Jane and 8 reindeer (including 2 5 week old babies). It was so much fun. We walked around her property and took turns on the leash with the lead reindeer, Olive. With Olive close, the other reindeer wandered around on our walk and every now and again the entire herd would run around us. It was exciting and scary at the same time. They were quite funny creatures and reminded us of LARGE dogs. They each had their own personality and Jane knew how they would behave around us. After our walk, we put the reindeer back in their enclosure and then had a visit with Jane and her husband with snacks. It was great hearing her stories about the herd and how they came to be as well as learning about their antlers, breeding, etc... When we left, my husband agreed that it was a once in a lifetime experience and he was as happy as I was that we did it!! Mission accomplished!

Next was our visit to North Pole. The town is cute and keeps in the spirit of Christmas all year long. Candy cane light poles, Christmas lights and street names keep you in the spirit. There are reindeer at The Santa Clause House but you can't get near them like we just had. Did the requisite shopping and postcard for all of our family. They sell stamps here and mail for you as well, so have your addresses ready!

Our last official stop for the day was Eielson Air Force Base. My husband was stationed here back in the early 90's so that was part of the reason we came all of the way to Fairbanks. Right before the gate, I looked to my right and saw my first wild Moose. It was fantastic. My husband did like all good tourists and hit the brakes so that I could take some pictures! On base we checked out some of his old haunts and he also stopped at the Alaska Pipeline so that I could see it. On our way out of the base, I spotted another moose eating near a lake. So, I got to play with real reindeer and see 2 wild moose in one day...I was a happy camper!

Dinner tonight was a suggestion that I read about on Cruise Critic as well as Diners, Drive-in's and Dives...The Cookie Jar restaurant. Funny thing here, follow your GPS. Ours got us off the highway and made us turn in front of the car dealership. It tells you to drive through the dealership parking lot. We didn't. We should have. The food here was just as expected. I had a beef stroganoff and my husband had shrimp pesto linguine. Make sure to ask the employees for their suggestions. My husband was going to get Halibut and she reminded him that it wasn't yet halibut season (her way of telling us it was frozen)...point taken. Food was great and our server was quite funny. I would definitely go back here if we didn't have more places to try.

Tomorrow we have planned Chena Hot Springs and visiting Fox and then Tuesday we are back to Anchorage to visit a friend and pick up some others that will be joining us on our trip south. We'll see how everything goes. Let me know if you have any questions!

I'm in Alaska now and I brought only jeans (3 pair) and 1 pair of black slacks for dressy night. I wear jeans most of the time back home and I wanted to feel comfortable here. Watch the weather closely though! I checked it a week prior to leaving and packed based on that (some capri's/short sleeves). I'm mailing my short sleeves back in a box with souvenirs. I tend to stay a bit cold, but I'll be in long sleeves for our entire trip, I'm sure. I'll be updating my review (in my signature) so feel free to browse for more info during/after our trip.

I had the same problem. I leave tomorrow and packing has been one of my most stressful events. We are gone for 16 days total including time in Fairbanks, Anchorage, Seward, the cruise and Vancouver. Since I was trying to lessen the weight of the luggage, we have decided to forgo traditional formal meals and will simply be dressier than normal. I'm wearing black slacks (both nights) and brought 2 different blouses. My husband is taking 1 pair of khakis and 2 shirts. The weather variance is so big that I'm taking 4-5 short sleeves, 4-5 long sleeves plus a couple of sweaters. I will wear jeans nearly all of the time, so I have 3 pairs total. I tend to be on the cold side. My husband is taking only 2 long sleeves and lots of shorts. I'll let you know how we did when we return!

I've been to Vancouver in the past and am returning in a couple of weeks post cruise. We, again, have booked Vancouver Trolley. They offer a LIVE commentary during the tour vs the recorded ones on the bus. You can get a lot of different perspectives from different drivers. Always learning something new! Also, being able to go all of the way through Stanley Park is a bonus!

Just want to give a bit of follow up to those that wanted to gift their room steward with a gift from their home city, etc... Consider that each week this person is probably in charge of 20+ rooms. If 1/10 of their clients gave them gifts, they would have no space for anything in their own room. Their rooms are smaller than the cabins we stay in and normally shared between two employees. A gift of food or candy with additional money or just additional money will make them much happier than a trinket they may/may not want. It's a lovely idea, but for their limited space.

For price comparisons, I use a site called Cruise Fish. Google it. It costs $1 per cruise. You tell it what cabin category you got and it will email you if there are any price adjustments up or down. No more having to set up fake bookings all of the time to check the rates. It was amazingly easy and saved my family $198 and I was able to tell friends on the same cruise and they saved as well. For the $1 per cruise, you can choose as many cabin types as you want for notices.

For my really detailed trips (like Alaska), I have a folder that I create to keep all of my important confirmations, etc... I'm a bit OCD (as you can see in the link in my signature) but I want to make sure I don't forget anything. This file carrys EVERYTHING!

 

When did you book your flights and hotel room?

 

Not the OP here, but I would say start booking as soon as you can. I booked my June 2014 flights in June or July 2013. Same with hotels. Depending on where your cruises starts/finishes, there could be limited hotels. We like larger chain hotels and I know the Holiday Inn in Seward was sold out for the 2 days prior to our cruise almost 5 months ago. I put my pre-planning on the link in my signature.

 

Sounds like a great trip. Although my family goes on a lot of trips, we have yet to to a B2B. I really want to do that one day!

I would say check weather.com a couple of days before you leave for the 10 day forecast. As of right now, Anchorage and Fairbanks are trending towards the same temps we are having in the DC area. I know on glacier hikes and out on the open decks it can certainly be cooler as well. I tend to stay cold (always wear pants on an airplane), so I'm bringing short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts and sweaters. Going to have a variety and hopefully I will always have something that works for the weather/occasion!