Captain Cook Hotel

[augies]

Hello,

Has anyone stayed at the Captain Cook in Anchorage before the cruise/tour?

 

Was it a good hotel?

 

If we want an extra night prior to the tour is it better to book through Princess or book it myself?

 

Is there a store nearby to buy some wine?

Thanks for your help with this.

:)

[Coral]

I stayed here several years ago before my cruise.

 

It is a nice hotel and I would stay there again. I do have to say that while this is one of 3 top hotels (or so) in Anchorage, it wouldn't compare to top hotels in other cities. You just can't compare Anchorage with other cities in this regard.

 

The hotel lobby is very dark - it is decorated in dark woods, dark leather and nautical items and decor which is why I probably liked it. Service was exceptional. I stayed there on my own (with out going through Princess) and the bell captain said that if I dropped my luggage off in the morning - he would put it with the other Princess luggage and transfer it to the ship. He received a very nice tip for this!

 

The location is great - some very nice restaurants within a block or so.

 

There is no air-conditioning in this hotel (at least a few years ago there wasn't) but it wasn't necessary. There are probably only a few days when you need air in Anchorage.

 

The views from the room were great. If I was to go to Anchorage again, I would gladly stay here again.

[augies]

Thank you Coral.

[Arlened236]

I echo everything that Coral said about the hotel...except do not miss the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel...great food and wonderful views. Easy to walk to the shops and attractions in the area. If you get a chance go to the Earthquake exhibit and demo. Amazing photo's of the big quake.

Friendly staff and a great location.

Have a good cruise.

[Coral]

Thank you Coral.

 

I didn't buy wine so I can't help you there. Hopefully someone can chime in.

[capriccio]

We stayed there at the end of our cruise tour in 2007 and would stay again. As was mentioned, the staff were very accomodating. We had a noon transfer to the airport and asked the concierge for recommendations for the morning. We asked about the museum and they provided us with free tickets (and after all the money we had spent in the previous 11 or 12 days, free was good!). They also recommended the trolley tour where I finally saw a moose (one of my objectives) crossing the street in a local neighborhood.

[compozer]

We stayed there 1 1/2 years ago. We only stayed one night butwere very tired so we didn't do much but it was very comfortable. We asked a family on the street where a grocery store was and we started walking and they yelled back saying they would drive us. It was almost a mile away-good 10 blocks. Very nice family that moved up there from our state. It was a small store with a small liquor section. Very expensive.

 

We found liquor prices cheaper in the port. Junuea had a large store and prices were not too bad but you probably want it for your tour. There aren't many places that sell it. At Denali Lodge, several stores sold some across the highway.

One of the boxes of wine we purchased there was one that we had never heard of and was less expensive - DON"T - it was terrible - stay with brands you know.

Do a search under ports. I remember finding a map of the area with stores, etc marked. There will be people from Princess down off the lobby handing out your packets - they are locals so they can help you.

 

Enjoy your cruise/tour

[BSinPNS]

Very nice hotel. Check out their membership program.

[janina]

We enjoyed our stay there. Booked it ourselves for a much cheaper price than Princess was charging. There are several hotels right in that area, and downtown Anchorage is very walkable.

[cruisenovice]

We did our cruisetour in Sept '09 and synchronized the dates to do b2b in Vancouver to sailhome. Anyway, we stayed at the Capt Cook on the first night. If you go to the hotel entrance on the 5th street side; look accross the street and a block or two to your right, you'll see a small liquor/wine store. It isn't very big; I think it was called "Downtown Wine & Liquor" or something like that. We bought our medicinal supplies (for emergency use) during the land segment of the tour --- into the wilderness. Well, Princess did call it "Direct to Wilderness" and we had to be prepared. It was nice to have a bit of medicine while sitting outside of the lodge enjoying the quiet serenity of nature. Happy cruisetouring........

[augies]

Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it.

[compozer]

We did our cruisetour in Sept '09 and synchronized the dates to do b2b in Vancouver to sailhome. Anyway, we stayed at the Capt Cook on the first night. If you go to the hotel entrance on the 5th street side; look accross the street and a block or two to your right, you'll see a small liquor/wine store. It isn't very big; I think it was called "Downtown Wine & Liquor" or something like that. We bought our medicinal supplies (for emergency use) during the land segment of the tour --- into the wilderness. Well, Princess did call it "Direct to Wilderness" and we had to be prepared. It was nice to have a bit of medicine while sitting outside of the lodge enjoying the quiet serenity of nature. Happy cruisetouring........

 

I forgot about that liquor store - we stopped their first but it was way way overpriced. We needed soda and if I remember right, you could only purchase it by the can - something really odd.

[LaurieCM]

We shopped at the liquor store as well. We had one meal at the Corsair across the street- very nice- we had chateaubriand, but the most memorable food was at the Whale Tail, in the Captain Cook- we went there at the beginning of the cruisetour and after we flew back from Deadhorse- the oysters rockefeller are amazing!!!!! The 1st time we shared an order- we talked about it for a week and got our OWN oysters the 2nd time! Have a great vacation.;)

[Keith1010]

Augies, I also wanted to echo what Coral and others have said.

 

We have stayed there. It is a nice hotel and one of the nicest in Anchorage but it is not comparable to a top hotel in a major city. I would stay there again without hesitation.

 

In terms of booking it directly vs booking it with Princess I would look at the costs associated with both options but be sure to factor in transfers if they are included with the Princess Hotel Package.

 

Keith

[PennyAgain]

The Captain Cook is my home away from home. The rooms vary widely in location, size and cost. I always telephone the hotel when making a reservation to make sure that I get what I want especially concerning the views.

 

The rooms that the cruise tours book are not as nice as many of the other rooms in the CC. This leads to some very mixed reviews for this hotel.

[augies]

Thanks. We will definitely try the oysters at the Whale Tail! Can't wait to go.

[Wildblue]

Have not stayed the night in Captain Cook, but we're local Alaskans and just had dinner in the Crow's Nest restaraunt on the top floor there, a few weeks ago. Quite excellent. Great experience, and will go again.

[JoRoy218]

Just returned from a SB Coral cruisetour and we spent 9/12 at the Capt Cook. We thought it was a lovely, old historic hotel. We were in our room prob. less than 10 hrs (ugh) before being bussed up to McKinley Princess the next day. We felt the room was nicely done, looked to be recently redecorated. I would put it right up there with other 4 stars; very clean, modern with a beautiful bath (granite, tile, etc) and amenities. I would not hesitate to stay there again.

[ROCruiser]

We stayed at this hotel in August on the Princess cruise tour. Classy hotel. What I liked was the coffee maker. Great to wake up to a hot cup of coffee without leaving the room. Walked about three blocks to the river, passing the liquor store across the street. They also have wi-fi in the room.