sagsawbag

Several days have passed since my last update and that is completely because we have been busy! AT&T service in ports and ship wi-fi have been great so it isn’t because of a lack of access.

The trip from Denali to Anchorage on the train was enjoyable; long but enjoyable. We are busy on this trip but there is an awful lot of sitting which has been a challenge for us at times. We were assigned to the Westmark Anchorage. We found it to be just as sad of a hotel as the Westmark Fairbanks. It was fine for a night and wasn’t dirty but it is just a tired property. If there is one thing I think HAL should focus on to improve the experience provided on the land tour, it would be to invest in a facelift for the Westmark properties. Besides being a sad looking property, the infrastructure was completely overwhelmed by the arrival of our tour bus. There are only 3 elevators and it took forever to get to our room. I had made reservations for dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse which is well-reviewed on TripAdvisor and right across the street from the hotel. The meal and service were good. It is not a bargain dining experience but I didn’t feel the prices were extreme. Remember that we are from Orlando and appreciate the tourist inflation factor.

We added the Kenai Fjords optional excursion to our transfer to Seward on Sunday. This meant that we skipped another train ride and boarded a bus for a 2.5 hours ride to Seward. The coach driver was awesome. He teaches Alaskan history in Seward and really provided a nice narrative on the ride. The fjord tour was also excellent. We were able to get amazingly close to a glacier, saw seals, whales, sea lions, otters, eagles… The ride was very bumpy even though the weather was great. The crew commented several times that we had amazing weather but several people on the cruise still experienced motion sickness. I think it is just the reality of crossing through small windows of open ocean getting to the different fjords and inlets. It was a great trip.

Kenai Fjords tour

We boarded the ship at about 6:30 pm. Check in lines were present. We were able to enter the Suite check in line so we had no waiting but there were probably 100 people in each of the land and train arrival lines. We were happy to find all of our luggage reunited with us. We are in a Neptune Suite so have access to complimentary laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing services. This was a life-saver for us and we sent a huge amount of laundry and pressing out Sunday evening. Everything was back to us by 8 am Monday morning except one pair of jeans which were found and returned to us on Tuesday. Our cabin steward made sure to let us know that this was not the normal turnaround time for laundry on the first day and my missing jeans were not found until Tuesday because that is when they finally got through the first day’s loads. Since then, all laundry has gone out in the morning and been returned in the evening with turn down service. We ate dinner at Canaletto. This was our first-time dining at this venue and we were pleasantly surprised. We were also tired and hungry.

Monday was a sea day and we rested. With our late arrival to the ship, we were unable to get the massage appointment times we wanted for Monday so we really did nothing but catch up on sleep and watch the seas go by.

Tuesday was Glacier Bay cruising. The scenery was amazing. We strapped our GoPro to the balcony railing and set it to capture time lapse photos every 30 seconds. We had a portable charger that we were able to use so we captured the entire trip into and out of Glacier Bay. The spliced slide show is amazing. I am sure there is some rule about strapping things to the railing but it was secure and we never left the room while the GoPro was running. We went to the bow for a few minutes at the beginning of the cruise but it was crowded and we had already been on several excursions that afforded us similar views. We spent almost all of the Glacier Bay time on our balcony and found those views to be rewarding. We had dinner at Pinnacle Grill and it was very good.

HAL ship exiting Glacier Bay as we entered

Wednesday, we spent the day in Haines. The Takshanuk Mountain Trail 4X4 excursion was great. It is a bumpy ride but the scenery was impressive. The Glacier Point Wilderness Safari in the afternoon was also great. I know I sound like a broken record, but all of our excursions have been amazing. The guides have been wonderful, the experiences have been exactly as described, and the scenery and experiences have exceeded all expectations.

Glacier Point Wilderness Safari

Thursday was spent in Juneau. This was the day of possible excursion disappointment for us. Whale watching was in the morning and we reserved the helicopter ride to mush sled dogs for the afternoon. We knew that the helicopter excursion was likely to be cancelled due to weather but we lucked out. Morning trips on this day were cancelled but we were able to go and it was great!

Whale tale

Dog sledding

Friday, today, was Ketchikan. We had a wonderful time on the Alaskan Fish Camp excursion. We again had a great guide. We all caught fish. We had a nicely prepared lunch which included the fish we caught. And we were back on the ship in plenty of time. We were supposed to leave Ketchikan at 6:00 pm and as I type this at 6:40, we are still in port. Not sure why…

Alaska Fish Camp excursion

Tomorrow is a sea day and we will be packing to disembark Sunday in Vancouver.

Here are a couple of experiences that address questions or observations that others have had. We upgraded the Explore 4 Signature Beverage package to the Elite package for $10/day/person on day 1 with no problem. The drink steward at Canaletto took care of that for us. We have never come close to consuming 15 beverages per day but we like to have expanded choices. We had the $200 internet credit that was a part of Explore 4. The package options available are 1000 minutes for $250 or maybe 500 minutes for $150. I will confirm that. We chose the 1000 minute package which had been plenty to keep us connected and our 14 year old happy with his Snapchat addiction and we paid the $50 difference. Our weather has been amazing the entire 2 weeks but we packed for everything and I am glad we did. We are from Florida and we used our base layers several times-especially every time we did something that included the word “glacier”. We used our rain gear. We used our hats and gloves. I was glad to have all our choices. For the most part, temperatures were in the 60’s during the day. The never-ending daylight in Denali gave us a run for our money from an adjustment perspective. The best advice I can give on the luggage packing thing is to use the “Land & Sea” information pdf that is on the HAL website. I just should have used the packing cubes that I bought for this trip and actually have with me. I never got around to sorting things at home and putting them in the cubes and that would have made things SO MUCH EASIER! Our portable charging sticks have been life savers several times-phones, GoPro, camera. I think we have used them every day we have been out and about.

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We were in Denali again on Friday. So glad we had 3 days because there is so much to see and do here! This morning we went rafting with Denali Raft Adventures. We did the 2 hour Canyon Run paddle trip. We booked directly with the company because HAL didn't offer a paddle rafting trip option for kids under 16. It was awesome-well run, great guides, and some true class 3 rapids. Our son even went swimming in the Nenana river for a few minutes. The dry suits they provide really do keep you dry.

This afternoon we took a flight seeing trip with Fly Denali booked through HAL. It included landing on a glacier on Denali. The entire trip was fantastic. If you have a chance to do an excursion like this, I can't recommend enough that you do it. Skies were cloudy, we hit some rain both ways, and it was still amazing. Denali's peak

. We spent about 20 minutes on the glacier

Tomorrow is our train ride to Anchorage.

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We haven't noticed anyone with viral-like symptoms. We've spent a fair amount of time on buses with people the last 2 days and there hasn't been noticeable coughing or people talking of not feeling well.

We have the Canon T6 with 2 lenses-18-55mm and 75-300mm. The larger zoom lens really makes a difference when photographing the animals. The other great feature about this camera is that I can instantly push the photos to my phone using a wireless direct connection which makes sharing the higher quality camera photos simple.

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We arrived in Fairbanks 2 days in advance of the start of our HAL land tour. We rented a car and one of the activities we experienced was spending 2 1/2 hours with Jane and her reindeer at her home about 25 minutes outside of Fairbanks. This was an amazing experience. My husband, our 14 year old son and I went in this tour. Our son wants to become a veterinarian so we tend to seek out animal experiences when we travel. The time we spent at the ranch did not disappoint. Jane's home is the permanent residence for a herd of 8 reindeer. They roam free during the tour and you have the chance to pet them and photograph them the entire time you are at the ranch. They put face harnesses on 2 or 3 of the reindeer and lead the herd through Jane's property on a short walk. Throughout the tour Jane and her staff share information about Alaska, Fairbanks, and reindeer.

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Tundra Wilderness Tour

Not many words are needed to share this information. This is the tour that is included as part of the stay in Denali. It is approximately 8 hours in duration and the entire time is spent on a school bus that has had upgraded seats (extra padding, not leather reclining [emoji6]). If you are up for 8 hours on a bus traveling bumpy roads that should be one lane but function as 2 lane-DON'T MISS THIS EXPERIENCE! Weather and skies were amazing and the wildlife was plentiful.

Denali before the clouds stole the peaks completely

Moose

Bears-obviously

Caribou

Amazing-all day long!

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Tuesday and Wednesday Updates

Most of Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning were spent sorting the luggage. If there is one thing I didn’t spend enough time doing before we left, it is packing. We have everything we need and I did not approach packing from a minimalist view point. Where I could have spent more time is in the organization of how things were packed. We just wanted to get everything to Fairbanks so didn’t give much thought to baggage placement and that meant we got to move everything around to get to the “meet me on the ship” and “meet me tonight” configuration that had to be in place by 6:30 Wednesday morning. But it got done and the instructions from HAL were very clear. Bags had to be outside our room at 6:30 am.

We were in the lobby at 8:00 to meet the bus to head to the Riverboat Discovery attraction. We are from Orlando and therefore organized, scripted, predictable, and purposeful tourist activities are commonplace for us. I will add that we also found this activity to be sincerely delivered by all of the staff. Although we probably would not have planned this activity on our own, we enjoyed it. I think there should be some consideration given to the fact that this activity fulfilled several purposes for HAL; it allowed them to corral all of our tour group participants and gave them time to find any stragglers before the group headed to Denali and it also consumed 4 hours of time needed for the hotel in Denali to turn over the rooms to prepare for our arrival. The Riverboat trip lasted about 3 hours. We saw a float plane take off and land, learned about the riverboat history of the Chena River, learned about the native Athabascan culture, visited the Trailbreaker Kennels from the shoreline and saw a mushing demonstration (be on the port side for the best view), and spent time in the created “Chena Village” where we exited the riverboat and learned even more about the native American culture of the Athabascan people. We then re-boarded the boat and returned to the starting point where we had a family style lunch which was included in the activity. You can purchase beer and wine on the riverboat and at lunch.

View from the riverboat

After lunch, we boarded the tour coach for the drive to Denali. It is a 3 ½ hour drive. We saw a bear crossing the road. There is a 30-minute stop in Nenana which allows for a bathroom break and some shopping for Alaskan-made souvenirs. I think there were 5 tour buses stopped at the same time so 30 minutes turned out to be reasonable.

We are staying in the Cottonwoods building at the McKinley Chalet resort. The room is basic and comfortable. We did the Husky Homestead excursion at 7:00 and that was enjoyable. We had lots of time to cuddle puppies and learning about the details of sled dog racing was very interesting. The tour is well run and a good pick for families, especially if there are kids who like animals. We ate dinner at Prospector’s Pizza which is across the street from the resort. Dinner was very good.

McKinley Chalet Resort

Today we will be on the Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park.

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I have been a Cruise Critic member for over a decade and while I have never posted before now, I have learned a great deal from all who contribute to this site. In an attempt to return the favor, I am planning to share the details of our family’s Alaska Land & Sea Journey.

A little bit about us: My husband and I are in our mid-40’s and our son is 14. We have cruised once previously as a family and that was a Disney Cruise in 2007. My husband and I have cruised together on 3 previous Caribbean itineraries. All 3 of our cruises were on Holland America and included time on the Zuiderdam, the Ryndam, and the Veendam. We have always sailed in Neptune Suite category cabins. We enjoy smaller ships and quieter experiences and feel that the size of the cabin and the graciousness of the staff, combined with itineraries that interest us, make Holland America and good choice and a great value for us.

For this trip, we are headed to Alaska and it will again be a family cruise. We selected the D1L journey which officially begins today, 6/20, in Fairbanks and will move to the cruise portion of the tour on Sunday, 6/25, when we board the Noordam in Seward. We booked this land and sea cruise last September and we have the Explore 4 package as part of our fare. We will be in stateroom 7068.

Our plans are tentatively set to include:

Sunday, 6/18-Flight from Orlando to Fairbanks; check in to Hampton Inn & Suites, Fairbanks

Monday, 6/19-Trip to Running Reindeer Ranch, Fairbanks

Tuesday, 6/20-Drive to Chena State Recreational Area for a hike; begin Holland America land tour; check in to Westmark Fairbanks

Wednesday, 6/21-Riverboat Discovery Tour, Fairbanks, included in land tour; bus transfer to Denali; check in to McKinley Chalet; Husky Homestead Tour in Denali

Thursday, 6/22-Tundra Wilderness Tour, Denali National Park, included in land tour

Friday, 6/23-Denali Raft Adventure Canyon Run Paddle Tour; Denali Flightseeing with Glacier Landing by Airplane

Saturday, 6/24-Denali to Anchorage transfer by train; check in to Westmark Anchorage

Sunday, 6/25-Anchorage to Seward tour upgrade to include Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise; embark MS Noordam

Monday, 6/26-at sea

Tuesday, 6/27-Glacier Bay cruising

Wednesday, 6/28-Haines; Takshanuk Mountain Trail by 4x4; Glacier Point Wilderness Safari

Thursday, 6/29-Juneau; Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest; Dog Sledding Adventure by Helicopter

Friday, 6/30-Ketchican; An Alaskan Fish Camp

Saturday, 7/1-at sea

Sunday, 7/2-disembark Vancouver; check in to Pan Pacific

Monday, 7/3-return to Orlando

I will work to share details as our trip progresses as time and wireless access allow. Clearly, almost 3 days of this trip have already been completed so I will share that information now.

We flew on Delta and the flight was as planned and expected. We rented a car for 2 days through Hertz. We booked the car in November and the rate was $45/day for a Corolla which was perfect to get us around town. The Hampton Inn on Harold Bentley Avenue was a great location. It was across the street from a WalMart, Barnes and Noble, Old Navy, a liquor store, Fred Meyer, etc. so we were able to get a couple of small things we forgot. And more bug spray! More on that later… The hotel was great. The room size was good, everything was clean, the staff was friendly, and wi-fi and breakfast were included. We would stay here again. Sunday happened to be the day that Fairbanks was hosting the “Land of the Midnight Sun” festival in preparation for the Summer Solstice later this week. Since it really did seem like one of the longest days possible after our plane ride and the 4-hour time change, we figured we would check it out. It is one of the largest festivals held annually in Alaska and the streets of downtown were filled with food stands and local merchants. It was a nice way to spend a few hours on our first day in Fairbanks.

Our son has hopes of becoming a veterinarian and that goal drives many of our activities and excursions. His interest in animals is what helped us identify Running Reindeer Ranch as an activity while we were on our own in Fairbanks. If you have 3 ½ total hours to spare in Fairbanks, I highly recommend this tour. The “Ranch” is really the home of Jane and Doug. Several years ago, they added a pair of reindeer to their family and now are home to 8 reindeer. Their home is about 25 minutes from Fairbanks and easy to find if you follow the instructions they send. Once you arrive, you may have several minutes to watch the reindeer herd walking around the property while you wait for the other members of the tour group to arrive. Once everyone was present, Jane gave an overview of the ranch and introduced us to the members of the herd which currently includes a calf who was born in May. We then headed off with Jane and the reindeer for a walk through the woods. Jane stopped frequently along the path to share information about reindeer. We had plenty of opportunities to pet the reindeer and were able to photograph them and get our picture taken with a member of the herd. At the end of the walk, Jane welcomed the group onto her deck where she offered us refreshments and shared a few more details about her herd and reindeer in Alaska. The tour was fantastic and a great way to start our Alaskan vacation. There were a fair number of mosquitoes and bugs present so I do recommend bug repellant.

Today, Tuesday, we planned to drive to the Chena State Recreation area to explore one of the trail heads. When we exited the car to begin our hike, we were met with a literal swarm of mosquitoes and bugs. That dampened our enthusiasm for the hike and once we defeated all of the bugs that let themselves into our car, we decided we would skip the hike. On our drive back to Fairbanks, we were lucky enough to see a mother moose and her calf in the edge of the river. We parked the car, walked over to the edge of the road, and watched them for about 10 minutes before the headed back into the woods. And on the edge of the road, while the bugs were still very present, they were manageable. This was a really awesome sight!

We returned to Fairbanks, dropped our bags at the Westmark, returned the rental car to the airport, and caught a taxi back to the HAL hotel. We could have waited for the airport shuttle that HAL and Princess run from the airport to the hotel but it would have been an hour before the next trip which is why we opted for the taxi. The Westmark hotel is fine for a one night stay in my opinion. We are in the “B” tower. I am not sure how that compares to the “A” and “C” towers but include that detail in case it is useful to others. The room absolutely needs to be updated. The walls and wallpaper look tired. The TV is sad. The laminate on the furniture is chipped in many places. Everything looks clean but it just seems like HAL and Princess would want a better visual to welcome their passengers when they choose the cruise line to host their land tour as well. I am very glad we stayed at a different property for the first 2 nights. The hotel does have 2 restaurants on site and they look like your average hotel restaurant. However, downtown Fairbanks is a short walk and there are many more restaurant choices there. Since we arrived, we have eaten at Wolf Run, Pump House, Soapy Smith’s, and Banks Alehouse. Only Soapy Smith’s is reasonable walking distance from the Westmark. All venues have been good and what we expected based on our Trip Advisor research.

We head to Denali tomorrow and I will add information to this thread soon.

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