McKinley Village Lodge pictures or thoughts?

[utseabee]

We'll be doing a Celebrity Cuisetour in July and so I looked at pictures of the lodge on tripadvisor. There were some not-so-good reviews, which I am concerned about.

We will be here on our actual anniversary, so i would like some reassurance. We were planning on touring on our own, but after looking at the costs of a one-way car rental or train tickets from fairbanks to anchorage, it is more cost effective to take the cruisetour. But now I'm worried about the accomodations!

[sparky-elpaso]

We stayed at McKinley Village Lodge on our RCI cruisetour in 2008. It's not fancy but our room was clean, the bed comfortable and the restaurant was pretty nice - had a good breakfast buffet. The location is beautiful - right on the Nenana River where we went on a float trip arranged thru the cruise line.

 

 

For pics:

 

 

I didn't think to take any shots of the inside but there are a couple of the outside.

[Budget Queen]

Is there a reason, you want a one way?? Most cruisetours, have very little time in Fairbanks, and I always recommend at least an extra full day with a car rental.

 

An alternative, unless you are very short on time, is to consider a round trip Fairbanks. The bonus is all the possible stops along the way that are missed with cruisetours. Independent travel can be extremely cost effective.

 

Independent I think the Denali Bluffs is a very nice lodge- needing your OWN transportation.

 

McKinley Village- is not 5 star. :) It always had looked like a decent property, I've only been through the lobby. But with it being more remote and away from Glitter Gulch is a bonus.

[utseabee]

sparky-elpaso

Thanks for the pictures, I can't wait until this summer!

Budget Queen-

Thanks for the advice. We are actually planning on flying into Fairbanks a few days early to tour on our own before we meet up with the cruisetour.

Why a one way from Fairbanks...its kind of a weird reason...Several years ago, my father in law bought my husband some land off of ebay in Alaska, in a town that bears our last name. So we figured before we start our cruise, we can go check out our property!

Our time is a bit limited, as my mom is using her vacation time this year to take care of our kids while we go on a cruise for our anniversary.

After looking online, it doesn't look like anywhere in Alaska is 5-star... but we aren't really 5-star kind of people. I am just a little nervous, some of the reviews were complaining that the resturaunt is unprepared for the guests in the morning, and being in the middle of nowhere, there is really no other option.

What would you put on the "don't miss" list for the Fairbanks area? I am looking forward to going to the hot springs and seeing the ice museum, and hopefully sending the kids a postcard from North Pole!