Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour switch to Shuttle Bus

[andant]

Hi all, this is my first post on the board. In a few weeks my wife and I are taking a cruisetour in Alaska, and spending two nights in Denali. Our cruise tour includes TWT already. We, however, would like to go farther to Wonder Lake and Eielson Visitor's Center. My question is the following: would it be possible for us to take TWT all the way to Toklat, and switch to a shuttle bus there to go farther, and return later that evening with a shuttle bus? Has anybody done that? And if yes, where should we buy shuttle tickets? Is it possible to get them at Toklat, or we have to buy them at the park entrance?

 

Thank you in advance for your advice!

 

-Andrei

[mapleleaves]

which cruisetour are you with? If it's Princess, they have given refunds in the past. Then you could go the reservation site and book a RT shuttle to Wonder Lake for $50.

http://www.reservedenali.com/play/shuttle-buses/wonder-lake.aspx

 

I don't believe you can buy a ticket at Toklat. The bus dispatcher is located at Eielson Visitor Center and you can buy tickets there; not sure about Toklat. Call the reservation site and ask.

 

I think it would be easier ( less stress) if you just had a RT ticket to WLake. There are limited buses going to WL; having a RT ticket eliminates the need to coordinate the timing.

 

p.s. WELCOME to the forum !!

Edited July 12, 2014 by mapleleaves
ps

[andant]

Thank you! We are taking Holland cruisetour, and I don't believe they will let us get any refund of the TWT. I will ask though.

 

I see it is not an option to buy tickets at Toklat. But does anybody know if we can buy tickets at WAC before the TWT, and start using them at Toklat on a bus bound to WLake?

 

The reason we would want to take the TWT at the beginning, instead of just ignoring it and booking a shuttle bus, is that we will be traveling with my wife's parents, and they might not be adventurous enough to go to WLake on a shuttle. It would be nice to start TWT with them, and split up later in the afternoon.

[mapleleaves]

yes, you can do that. But as I mentioned earlier, the issue will be timing. There are limited buses that go to WLake so you will need to ensure you're at Toklat when one of those buses comes thru. Do-able if you're on the early TWT.

Take the schedule with you.

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/upload/denali-shuttle-bus-schedule.pdf

[donaldsc]

Thank you! We are taking Holland cruisetour, and I don't believe they will let us get any refund of the TWT. I will ask though.

 

.

 

Even if you can not get a refund - so what. The TWT stinks and is not worth taking no matter cheap is costs. It is not worth taking even if it were free.

 

If you have to eat a few bucks to get a decent trip into Denali, don't worry about it. If your AK trip is, say $3000, and the TWT refund or lack thereof is $50, that is only a loss of 1.67% of the trip cost. I consider that round-off error.

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

Even if you can not get a refund - so what. The TWT stinks and is not worth taking no matter cheap is costs. It is not worth taking even if it were free. DON

 

Your criticism seems a little on the extreme side, Don.

I have no experience with the tours; I've always taken the shuttle, but to say that the TWT is not worth taking ..... really ?? why ?? It still get people to mile 53, or further if the mtn is out. And it gets them to Toklat which is the edge of prime bear viewing.

It's very costly in comparison to a shuttle, but I don't understand how it stinks.

Shuttle to Eielson Visitor Center .... 8hrs RT, Mile 66, $135

Tundra Wilderness Tour ..... 8 hrs RT, Mile 53, $ 35

 

Plenty of folks have stated in trip reports that they enjoyed the TWT. The only complaints I can think of were about the shortened tour that's offered to Tek in Mid May and mid Sept. But that's a case of people going to Denali too early or late in the season and not being aware of what they purchased on their cruisetour.

Edited July 12, 2014 by mapleleaves

[andant]

Thank you all for your advice! We did not book the TWT by ourselves, it's included in our cruisetour, and if it's worth it, we are certainly willing to just forget about it and take a shuttle. Refund is not an issue at all, we would just want to get the most of our Denali experience.

 

We will have the shuttle schedule with us and play it by ear -- we still don't know when our TWT starts, so things will depend on that.

 

Also, Don, I would want to know why you think TWT stinks. We'd like to hear your opinion and take it into consideration!

 

Thank you!

[donaldsc]

Your criticism seems a little on the extreme side, Don.

I have no experience with the tours; I've always taken the shuttle, but to say that the TWT is not worth taking ..... really ?? why ?? It still get people to mile 53, or further if the mtn is out. And it gets them to Toklat which is the edge of prime bear viewing.

It's very costly in comparison to a shuttle, but I don't understand how it stinks.

Shuttle to Eielson Visitor Center .... 8hrs RT, Mile 66, $135

Tundra Wilderness Tour ..... 8 hrs RT, Mile 53, $ 35

 

Plenty of folks have stated in trip reports that they enjoyed the TWT. The only complaints I can think of were about the shortened tour that's offered to Tek in Mid May and mid Sept. But that's a case of people going to Denali too early or late in the season and not being aware of what they purchased on their cruisetour.

 

Sorry. I was thinking of the real short tour (19 miles, I think) that most of the cruise companies offer with their CruiseTours. The TWT would be worth it.

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

 

We will have the shuttle schedule with us and play it by ear -- we still don't know when our TWT starts, so things will depend on that.

 

And there's another advantage to the shuttle; YOU choose your departure time when you make the reservation. No wondering what time has been selected for you.

fyi ... I reserve the shuttle to Wonder Lake but if the mtn isn't out, I get off the bus at Eielson.

 

 

Sorry. I was thinking of the real short tour (19 miles, I think) that most of the cruise companies offer with their CruiseTours. The TWT would be worth it.

 

Thanks for clarifying. I agree .... the NHT is a total waste. It should be criminal to sell that tour !! Charging people to go to mile 17 when you can ride a free shuttle to mile 15 is shameful,

Edited July 13, 2014 by mapleleaves

[oaktreerb]

A couple of years ago we were on the TWT with a prepaid Holland America tour and we were hoping the tour would go to Eielson but it turned around at the usual spot. The bus driver was nice enough to contact a bus going out to the center that was nearby and let us change to the shuttle. He told us when we got to Eielson to contact the dispatcher to arrange for the return. You would not need a return ticket as your TWT would cover the round trip. I don't know if you could work this deal for Wonder Lake but you have paid the higher fee by taking the TWT.

 

I found the TWT busses somewhat nicer and the narration was more consistent than it was on the shuttle.

[frugaltravel]

You can also take your TWT ticket (or just your name and ID) to the Wilderness Access Center when you arrive. You can then switch from the TWT to any shuttle bus for no charge. They will give you a confirmed seat on a shuttle bus (subject to availability when you are at the WAC). This might be the best option for someone wanting to go further into the park than the TWT and having booked through a cruiseline that doesn't offer a refund.