HAL CruiseTour Report - Dawson/Denali Plus (Y4T) - June 26 to July 14, 2013

[AlohaPride]

I used a Panasonic DMC-FZ200. It is a very nice point and shoot camera.

 

Constant F2.8 from 25-600mm. Takes full HD movies with continuous autofocus and zoom. You can take a snapshot while you are taking videos.

 

Panoramas are very easy to take. The camera does all the work. No more stitching multiple shots together after the fact.

 

I can't believe how great your pictures were. I thought for sure you were using a DSLR! I have a Cannon Super Zoom something or other and the one problem I have with it is that it doesn't take panoramic pictures without a lot of trouble. I think I know what I'm asking for for my birthday ;)

[erewhon]

Thank you for sharing your photos to create such a wonderful review.

[Alphen]

For a daypack I purchased "The North Face Main Frame" since I took along my MAC so I could download all the pictures each day. The pack had a padded compartment for the PC and a separate area for a hoody, or waterproof jacket. It also had numerous other compartments to store stuff in. Nice padded straps.

 

There were laundry facilities in all the Westmark hotels. We did laundry in Dawson and in Denali.

 

I didn't look for any liquor stores. I'm sure you can find them by looking up each location on the internet and finding their business directory. It should tell what is close to each hotel.

 

I didn't purchase the meal plan. It didn't cover all the meals that weren't provided on the tour. I haven't added up what I spent on meals so I don't know yet whether it was a good idea or not to purchase the meal plan.

 

My neighbour Kazu answered your shrimp question. But I do love shrimp!

 

Any particular reason why you are doing the cruise first? The land tour is very intensive. I was glad we did the land tour first.

 

Still many thanks for all the information, since you did not do the mealplan, do you think it is easy to grab dinner after each (exhausting) day?

[Krazy Kruizers]

What a fantastic Alaskan adventure you had.

You were do fortunate to see so many different wild animals.

Pictures are truly great.

Hope you copy and paste this on the Alaskan board.

[margob111]

Thanks for a great review. I'm doing a Princess Cruisetour in May so am reading everything I can so I can compile notes for my trip. Thanks again.

[shrimpboat123]

I can't believe how great your pictures were. I thought for sure you were using a DSLR! I have a Cannon Super Zoom something or other and the one problem I have with it is that it doesn't take panoramic pictures without a lot of trouble. I think I know what I'm asking for for my birthday ;)

 

I originally started out wanting to buy a long lens (100-500mm) for my DLSR. When I got to the camera store and saw how huge and heavy it was (not to mention the price) The sales lady showed me the Panasonic. I was a little sceptical at first because of the slow write time to the memory card and not wanting to miss the next shot. The capability to take multiple shots solved that problem. You can always go back and delete the duplicates later. Needless to say I was extremely happy with the outcome of my pictures.

[shrimpboat123]

Still many thanks for all the information, since you did not do the mealplan, do you think it is easy to grab dinner after each (exhausting) day?

 

In most cases you get in to the city at a decent hour and have time to look around for the recommended places to eat. If it's a little late, you always have the option of eating at the hotel.

 

I did a quick analysis of what I spent for meals. Might have missed a couple but on average I spent $15 per person for Breakfast, $18 per person for Lunch, and $33 per person for Dinner (including cocktails). So I think I saved a little bit by not buying the meal plan. The other advantage to me for not buying the plan is that I could explore other eating establishments rather than have to eat at the hotel. There were a number of occasions when we just ate granola bars along the way and skipped Lunch.

[shrimpboat123]

What a fantastic Alaskan adventure you had.

You were do fortunate to see so many different wild animals.

Pictures are truly great.

Hope you copy and paste this on the Alaskan board.

 

Thank you KK. I did post on the Alaska Board and provided a link over to the HAL Board for the review. It takes quite a bit of time to copy and paste the review. We'll see if many people hit the Alaska Thread. Perhaps later I'll repost on the Alaska Board.

[AlohaPride]

I originally started out wanting to buy a long lens (100-500mm) for my DLSR. When I got to the camera store and saw how huge and heavy it was (not to mention the price) The sales lady showed me the Panasonic. I was a little sceptical at first because of the slow write time to the memory card and not wanting to miss the next shot. The capability to take multiple shots solved that problem. You can always go back and delete the duplicates later. Needless to say I was extremely happy with the outcome of my pictures.

 

The issues you mention are the exact reason we went with the Cannon Super Zoom (the one with 50x's optical zoom?). I needed a camera that wasn't too bulky, and that could take a few pictures all at once (because kids move FAST). I failed to look into the panoramic capabilities and am paying for it now. I'll probably have my husband use the Cannon and I'm going to get the Panasonic! LOL

[shrimpboat123]

The issues you mention are the exact reason we went with the Cannon Super Zoom (the one with 50x's optical zoom?). I needed a camera that wasn't too bulky, and that could take a few pictures all at once (because kids move FAST). I failed to look into the panoramic capabilities and am paying for it now. I'll probably have my husband use the Cannon and I'm going to get the Panasonic! LOL

 

I can almost guarantee (99.99%) that you won't be disappointed with the DMC-FZ200.

[Buffalo Man]

Really enjoying it. Looking forward to more.

[nutensteve]

Excellent review and fantastic pics. I will have to add this trip to my to do list.

Thanks for taking the time to post it.

[cruisinjudy]

Wow! Great pictures and review. We have been considering this cruise tour. Now I will also have to include that camera as part of the deal!!

[oaktreerb]

I have taken the short cruise version of this tour twice and each time we have stopped for an overnight in Tok. The first year we took the Taylor highway to Eagle and the Yukon Queen up the Yukon River to Dawson City. A couple of years later they had removed Eagle and the Yukon Queen from the itinerary and we went across the Top of the World highway to Dawson City on the ferry. That was the first year of the new itinerary and we were surprised by the change.

 

The Top of the World highway was exciting (and we saw a herd of caribou at 40 mile) but the Taylor Highway to Eagle was really desolate as they had a major fire through there the year before. We also visited Fort Egbert at the Eagle site. The following year I think it was the ice breakup on the Yukon River practically destroyed Eagle.

 

On both of our previous trips we had an overnight in Tok (and also stopped in Chicken for a break and a snack.) Is the chicken lady still there with her homemade chicken soup?

 

It would be really unusual for HAL to go 4 hours without a "comfort" break. They were really good about stopping every 2 hours even if it was an outhouse.

 

How long was the bus ride from Dawson City to Fairbanks?

 

Next year's itinerary has the tours flying between Fairbanks and Dawson City. Without the tour busses coming through I am wondering what will happen to the Westmark in Tok. In June they celebrated clown week. In July they would be decorated for Christmas in July. The Westmark in Tok got the spirit award from me. They really tried hard to make us feel welcome. The manager also had a special ceremony recognizing the veterans that were traveling with the tour group.

 

It was a long bus ride but it was an adventure! I was surprised how flat the interior of Alaska was as we traveled on our way to the Yukon.

 

It sounds like you took full advantage of your time in Alaska and the Yukon adding extra trips in Denali and Kenai Fjords. Maybe in a couple of years you will be ready to go back. I think no two trips are ever the same, even if you think they will be...it's Alaska!

Edited August 17, 2013 by oaktreerb
spelling

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for the review. Loved the pictures.

[lrowe70]

Thank you thank you thank you!

This was one of the best photo reviews I've ever seen.

[scapel]

Glen,

It looks like it took a great deal of trouble to create this wonderful show. Thank you very much for allowing us to share this. I love to eat at Scoozie’s. The breakfast omelet is fantastic.

 

Here is a simple real good quick shrimp recipe

From Sharon’s Pampered Chef connections

Lemon Italian Shrimp

Melt a stick of butter in the pan.

Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter.

Put down fresh shrimp, then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian Seasoning

Put in the oven and Bake for 15 min at 350

Might need to bake longer –check the shrimp.

 

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=f6fe23a6e5a9ec3f

 

I just didn’t go to as much trouble as you did, but have a look if you like.

Dr.Joe

[shrimpboat123]

I have taken the short cruise version of this tour twice and each time we have stopped for an overnight in Tok. The first year we took the Taylor highway to Eagle and the Yukon Queen up the Yukon River to Dawson City. A couple of years later they had removed Eagle and the Yukon Queen from the itinerary and we went across the Top of the World highway to Dawson City on the ferry. That was the first year of the new itinerary and we were surprised by the change.

 

The Top of the World highway was exciting (and we saw a herd of caribou at 40 mile) but the Taylor Highway to Eagle was really desolate as they had a major fire through there the year before. We also visited Fort Egbert at the Eagle site. The following year I think it was the ice breakup on the Yukon River practically destroyed Eagle.

 

On both of our previous trips we had an overnight in Tok (and also stopped in Chicken for a break and a snack.) Is the chicken lady still there with her homemade chicken soup?

 

It would be really unusual for HAL to go 4 hours without a "comfort" break. They were really good about stopping every 2 hours even if it was an outhouse.

 

How long was the bus ride from Dawson City to Fairbanks?

 

Next year's itinerary has the tours flying between Fairbanks and Dawson City. Without the tour busses coming through I am wondering what will happen to the Westmark in Tok. In June they celebrated clown week. In July they would be decorated for Christmas in July. The Westmark in Tok got the spirit award from me. They really tried hard to make us feel welcome. The manager also had a special ceremony recognizing the veterans that were traveling with the tour group.

 

It was a long bus ride but it was an adventure! I was surprised how flat the interior of Alaska was as we traveled on our way to the Yukon.

 

It sounds like you took full advantage of your time in Alaska and the Yukon adding extra trips in Denali and Kenai Fjords. Maybe in a couple of years you will be ready to go back. I think no two trips are ever the same, even if you think they will be...it's Alaska!

 

When I first looked at the Y4T CruiseTour, it included Tok, Eagle and the Yukon Queen. When I finally booked the tour last May, I discover that Eagle and the Yukon Queen had been removed from the tour.

 

We did indeed stop at the Westmark in Tok for lunch. Not a very good one I must say. Very disappointed in my Turkey Club selection. So we did have a break after about 2 hours in Tok. I forgot to mention it in my report probably because I didn't take any pictures there.

 

We did stop in Chicken for a break and a snack and yes the Chicken Lady was there selling her Chicken Soup.

 

Our trip between Dawson and Fairbanks was about 12 1/2 hours including stops.

 

I certainly did make the most of my time in the Yukon and Alaska. We took excursions in every location except Anchorage because we got in late and left early the next morning. After all you don't see much if you stay in the cities. You have to venture outside.

[oaktreerb]

They have obviously had some changes in Tok. It's hard to mess up a Turkey Club.

 

When we were in Chicken the chicken lady got irritated with me because I asked her what was in the chicken soup (vegetables, noodles,?). She got all upset at my question and removed herself to a back room to work on paperwork! (I think she thought I was being a smart... but I wasn't.)

 

Enjoyed your review. Thanks for responding.

[shrimpboat123]

Glen,

It looks like it took a great deal of trouble to create this wonderful show. Thank you very much for allowing us to share this. I love to eat at Scoozie’s. The breakfast omelet is fantastic.

 

Here is a simple real good quick shrimp recipe

From Sharon’s Pampered Chef connections

Lemon Italian Shrimp

Melt a stick of butter in the pan.

Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter.

Put down fresh shrimp, then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian Seasoning

Put in the oven and Bake for 15 min at 350

Might need to bake longer –check the shrimp.

 

https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=f6fe23a6e5a9ec3f

 

I just didn’t go to as much trouble as you did, but have a look if you like.

Dr.Joe

 

Hi Dr. Joe

 

Glad you liked my report. It did take a little bit of time to get it organized. I wrote it up and pasted the links for each picture before hand. Then I just copied and pasted around 6 or less pictures in each post. Worked out great.

 

Thank you for recommending Scoozis. My wife and I really enjoyed breakfast there. Nice atmosphere. She had the French Toast and even got the recipe for the ingredients they put in their maple syrup. I had a conventional scrambled eggs breakfast.

 

Thanks for the recipe. I'll pass that along to my wife to give it a try. Sound delicious.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I really enjoyed your review.

Thank you.

[Lady Chew]

We just did the July 24 version of the Y4T ... had a blast. We had the same driver, Jimmy "Longwind" but a different guide. We've got many of the same pictures, too, but we did different private excursions along the way, so it was nice to see some of the others! thanks for posting.

[shrimpboat123]

We just did the July 24 version of the Y4T ... had a blast. We had the same driver, Jimmy "Longwind" but a different guide. We've got many of the same pictures, too, but we did different private excursions along the way, so it was nice to see some of the others! thanks for posting.

 

Jimmie was the best. Didn't you just love to hear his stories and jokes. He made the time go by so fast. It didn't seem like it was 12 hours on a bus.

 

I hope you are going to post a picture review of your Y4T trip. I'd love to see some of the different excursions you took.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to post such a great review and for posting your awesome pictures.:)

[Lady Chew]

shrimpboat, I can just about manage to download my photos onto my computer and get them all turned the right direction! I can even add captions. Haven't figured out how to post here ... I've seen posts explaining what to do, and they may as well be written in ancient Greek! If I can get one of my sons over maybe I'll figure it out!

We took a glacier landing flight in Denali, so we also flew right by Mt. Denali and got some amazing pictures ... and walking around on a nearby glacier was awesome (and fun!)

We saw lots of bears & moose ... we even saw a Mama Moose & calf being chased by a grizzly bear! That was horrible & wonderful at the same time ... we didn't see how it ended but that was a ferocious big bear! I'm sure he got his lunch. I've got one picture of the bear; very few people got any pictures because it happened so fast. Scary fast ... as I said, we were all thrilled to have seen it, but horrified for the poor little moose.

Same experience in Tok ... disappointed with lunch. Loved Chicken, however!

We did not see many animals on any of the train rides, but the scenery was gorgeous and we really enjoyed the time spent riding the rails.

Will post some more later ...