Denali Explorer v. Connoisseur

[KC Dan]

We are booking for a Cruisetour in 2011. We have done the southbound Glacier route on Celebrity but want to do 5 days on land this time. Our first Tour choice is offered as both the Denali Explorer and the Connoisseur. The difference appears to be 11 meals and a Tour Director. Is it worth $500 more per passenger? What are prices like at the Princess Lodges? Are there any other dining alternatives? We will be southbound again on either the Island or Coral which are among our favorite ships. They have nice size and good passenger flow throughout.

 

Dan

[cgoingmom]

Dan - I was wondering the same thing. Glad you asked. Hope someone can help us.

[jeffbrig]

You mean meal prices? 11 meals for $500 is about $45/meal. On average, I think we spent way less than that. In fact, even my most expensive entrees at the lodge restaurants (king crab, fresh caught salmon) were in the $40-50 range. There are menu options for <$20 if you're looking to save.

 

McKinley Lodge has at least 2 restaurants on property - one cheaper (I think it's called 20320), one that's supposedly more upscale in the main lodge (with views of McKinley when weather cooperates). No alternative restaurants near the lodge, but you can eat in Talkeetna when you're in town (it's 1 hour by bus). We ate lunch in town, and had dinner at the restaurant in the main lodge. It was maybe $100 and we both had nice entrees and alcohol. We had breakfast at the other restaurant, because it was closer to our room, about $20 for two.

 

Denali Lodge has a strip of shops including a Subway directly across from it. On property there's a pizzaria, and a couple of restaurants, including one that does a dinner theater show. We grabbed pizza late one night (inexpensive, but just ok pizza), ate at the King Salmon restaurant one night, and had a buffet breakfast at the theater in the early morning before our bus ride into Denali Park.

[caribill]

You mean meal prices? 11 meals for $500 is about $45/meal.

 

The $500 also includes the tour director which other threads have had comments that this greatly enhances the experience.

[jeffbrig]

I'm curious what exactly a "tour director" would add to the land tour experience. You already have someone narrating on the rail cars and coaches. When we weren't traveling between locations, we had more than enough planned activities already - hiking, flightseeing, etc.

[2278]

Not that it makes a difference, we did the land portion after the cruise. by then I was "fished" out. As already stated, there are options for meals at the two locations mentioned, Mckinly and Denali. Fairbanks has a few more options, however a taxi ride will be needed. There is a hotel next to the Princess Hotel that has a very good salad bar and nice menu.

 

Overall, prices were not high, definetly not cheap. We traveled by train from Whittier to Talkeetna, then to Denali, from there to Fairbanks. The food on the train was reasonable and good quality. The bloody mary's were good, however the bartender gal from Whittier to Talkeetna made exceptional ones!

 

The prices for beer seemed high, $5-6 for a glass. In Denali, ended up going across the street and paying $21 for an 18 pack of Miller Lite and icing in the sink. Pack the leftovers in my luggage bound for Fairbanks.

[Gregory67]

I know all about the Princess train because I work on it during the summer. You should try the Denali lodge for sure. They have a dinner show at night, around 7 pm I think.

On the train each rail car has a bar, as well as a tour guide who will tell you all kinds of things about Alaska and the things you see outside the glass dome windows. If you take a Princess ship it will stop in Whitter where only Princess ships can dock no other cruise line can dock there. Others have to dock down in Seward. Train begins boarding between 7:30 am and 8 am, you get to Denali park depot around 5 pm, maybe a little earlier. The Princess Wilderness Lodge is about 1 mile from the train depot. Bus will take you there. Take the train, you will like it a lot. And eat breakfast on the ship before you get on the train because not too many breakfast items on the train menu. Lunch has a much better selection. Go on the train, hope to see you on it next summer.

[2little time]

Having done this land tour with a "tour guide" once before I would vote to go without one. As a previous poster stated, you hear most of the information that you would like during the train ride and the Denali Park tour.