Prudoe Bay

[susietb]

Has anyone taken this tour pre-cruise offered by Princess. You fly to Barrow and then bus to Coldfoot and on to Denali.

 

Would you do it again or is the conventional three lodge tour better?

 

WE can't decide for next summer.

[vbmom87]

Here is some info on Prudoe Bay that I have saved in case some day I get the opportunity:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1231805

 

I think this might be the company the famous Budget Queen used:

 

http://www.northernalaska.com/arctic-ocean.htm

[amyk757]

Has anyone taken this tour pre-cruise offered by Princess. You fly to Barrow and then bus to Coldfoot and on to Denali.

 

Would you do it again or is the conventional three lodge tour better?

 

WE can't decide for next summer.

 

I've taken the pre-cruise tour thru Princess to Prudhoe Bay, but we didn't fly into Barrow. Starting from Anchorage, we went to Denali, Fairbanks, and then we took a bus up the Dalton Hwy to Coldfoot and then on to Prudhoe Bay.

 

I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had the time. Unbelievable scenery. This time, I am doing the three lodge tour, which is fine, but I sure wish I had the time to do the Prudhoe Bay tour. Really amazing. If you do it, be prepared that the lodging in Coldfoot and Prudhoe Bay is clean but basic. NOTHING like what you have on the ship!

 

Amy

[Budget Queen]

For Prudhoe Bay, you fly into Deadhorse, not Barrow, which is a completely different area. I saw several cruiseline buses, when I was there in June.

 

It isn't a matter of "better", it's all about time and interest. There was, again (third time I have done the Dalton Highway) a fair number of "shell shocked" unprepared cruisetour people. You would see them huddled at the camp restaurants complaining. I saw this at both Deadhorse and Coldfoot. So it's important to be well prepared and know what this tour involves and what to expect. It is excellent, if you are open minded, and have the interest.

[PennyAgain]

As usual, BQ is correct. When I've had work assigments at Prudhoe Bay I've stayed in the same accommodations as cruise/tour people. The complaining can be terrific.

 

Do your research.

 

The cruise/tour people get a twin bed room with a PRIVATE bathroom. Very plain, very basic but PRIVATE.

 

The cruise/tour people have to buy all their own meals.

 

As staff I did not have a private room/bath and got free meals. The staff rooms are not rented out to cruise/tour people so far as I know. But they have the same decorator.....none!

 

Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse is DRY. That means no booze. No booze at all.

[greatam]

Just an FYI. The PRIVATE tours (Northern Alaska) are MUCH better than the Princess tour. Smaller vehicle, more private experience, and no grumbling. People who take those tours KNOW what they are getting and book them specifically BECAUSE of the experience.

 

Budget Queen just went on the Northern Alaska trip a few weeks ago. If she got the same experience I got, the guide/driver was VERY receptive to doing whatever you wanted. We wanted to see the industrial stuff. We spent a lot of time driving around looking at equipment both in Prudhoe and on the way back to Fairbanks at the pump stations. We also stopped for over 30 minutes watching the dall sheep cross the road and jump over/balance on the guard rails. We actually TURNED AROUND and headed back North to see a bear a truck driver had spotted. Can't do that with the huge buses.

 

I have been to Prudhoe quite a few times. One of my ex employees is the safety director, so I get a few "special privileges". He usually makes arrangements for me to drive one of the BP vans they are trading in back to either Anchorage or Fairbanks. So I get to see a lot of stuff most people don't. DH and I have actually driven up and back in a rental.

 

BUT if I was to take a guided trip again, it sure wouldn't be on one of those huge buses the cruise lines run. Something to think about.

 

BQ-how was your trip to Prudhoe??? Did you get the tablecloth dinner on the banks of the Yukon? I thought that was just super special-right under the pipeline, watching the river. The other tours just get the hamburger stand.

[PennyAgain]

greatam! Good to see a post from you. Reduces my worries about where you might be in the world.

 

But I have to ask: at Prudhoe do you get the delux PRIVATE room? You know the one that doesn't look like the inside of a cheap trailer.

 

I've heard rumors that there are some flightly better rooms up there.

[greatam]

greatam! Good to see a post from you. Reduces my worries about where you might be in the world.

 

But I have to ask: at Prudhoe do you get the delux PRIVATE room? You know the one that doesn't look like the inside of a cheap trailer.

 

I've heard rumors that there are some flightly better rooms up there.

 

I'm in Abu Dhabi waiting for my 2:00AM flight to Kuwait City. AA 6005 (Etihad codeshare) was actually almost an hour early after departing JFK 1/2 hour late last night.

 

Didn't even know there was anything that DIDN'T look like the inside of a trailer??? Twin beds, small TV, tile floor, small bathroom with shower only. The only rooms I have ever stayed in. But I always ask for the ones in the front that look out over the parking lot so I can see the bears, the caribou, the store/post office and what is going on outside.

 

If they upgrade the place, it will loose some of its ambiance. And since the MAJORITY of their customers are workers, why would the owners spend the money? I sure wouldn't if it was my business. So long as they have a CLEAN place with a hot shower and TV, plus all the great food that is served, most using the facilities are happy campers.

 

It is 101 degrees at 11:15PM. The dust is starting to blow. Alaska's cool weather and pristine air (no dust) would look good right now. Sure hope my plane gets off the ground in time. I slept very, very well on the flight out of JFK, so am wide awake. But know I will get tired waiting, waiting, waiting for the military to come pick me up in Kuwait City and then start processing at Camp Arifjan for a new badge and clearance. I am only going into Iraq this trip. Have to be back in Alaska around Labor Day to clear out the fish shipping paperwork. Then back to the Sandbox for another couple of months before I start my annual "migration" back and forth to South America.

[PennyAgain]

Travel Well! Greatam, since the old original pipeline days, there have been rumors that a few people had nicer accommodations.

 

My least favorite was at NANA Camp when it was 2 girls to a tiny room with the toilets far, far down a long hall and the dining room further. Squeeky clean and excellent food very well prepared.

 

They tried to room people together if they worked the same shift, but it was pointless as there was no place in the bedroom to do anything but sleep, store a few clothes and no tv's.

 

I got a really bad eye infection and had to leave. The dry air and the constant dust were causes.

 

Be careful out there in the sand box and don't let the same thing happen to your eyes!

[Budget Queen]

At Prudhoe, the cruise tour people stayed at the Artic Caribou Inn, large with a lot of people, it is all private baths. I stayed at Deadhorse Camp, which was just SUPERB. They get few visitors, and the staff was like visiting long lost friends. I sat at a table while our cook made us lunch and breakfast, just enjoying the chat. Full access to the kichen. Perfectly cooked to order steaks in the evening, again, wonderful relaxed conversation. There were only 4 guests in the lodge when we were there, and I would certainly stay there again.

 

In Coldfoot, all the rooms now have bathrooms. I did not expect it, but was told the cruisetours had so many complaints that it had to be upgraded. This was an area I encountered both north and southbound cruisetour people together. I moved to the bar area, since the first 5 minutes of sitting down in the main dining room (one with the "off limits" truckers section) because of all the complaints, how bad the room was, "can you believe etc etc", these prices are outragous and more. And it didn't look like it was letting up.

 

Great Am, I ended up on a private tour, which did have many extra stops. Including a long extended time, I so much enjoyed, watching a wild herd of Musk Ox- made my trip. :)

[PennyAgain]

BQ, I'll keep that information in mind if I ever do a vacation tour in that direction. I've never driven the Road. Always fly.

 

Fantastic sighting of musk ox. I have only seen them once.