Cruisetour #26 Review - land portion, very long so sorry!

[FamilyofFourtoAlaska]

Day 1

 

We got off to an interesting start leaving Houston. As we were barreling down the runway, preparing to lift off, the pilot slammed on the brakes and aborted the flight. Apparently, a warning light of some sort came on. After some diagnostic assessment, they took us all off the plane. Eventually, another plane was located and we were back on. All and all it was a four hour delay; the attendants were very helpful and handled the whole situation smoothly. Unfortunately, this put us into Anchorage too late to make our dinner reservations at the Seven Glaciers restaurant at the Prince Aleyska Hotel. We had to settle for a functional meal at 10:00 in the café.

 

 

Day 2

 

We were up and ready to go on our Kenai Fjords tour. It took two hours in a motor coach to get to Seward for this excursion. Our driver was friendly and informative. The weather grew increasingly rainy as we came closer to Seward, but we all loaded up on the boat. The cruise around Resurrection Bay was good considering the weather, but as we tried to leave the bay, it got increasingly bumpy. My 9 y.o. finally gave up his lunch, thankfully in the restroom! The crew tried their best, but it was not to be, so we went back into Resurrection Bay and they gave us a more thorough look there. As we came back in two hours early, we received a partial refund. I think the crew and staff handled a difficult situation with good nature and grace. We then had a two and one-half hour trip in a motor coach to Anchorage. Our driver stopped at a wildlife refuge on the way to make up a bit for the shortened excursion, but it was still pretty rainy by the time we got there. In Anchorage, we checked into the Hilton. Dinner was at Simon & Seafort’s, thanks to a friend’s recommendation, and it was fabulous.

 

 

Day 3

 

We were up early to catch the McKinley Explorer to Denali. This was a great trip. We were in the first car, Kashwitna, of cruise cars so could see forward as well as to either side. The only unfortunate event here (and probably a low point for the whole trip) was the dining car. For lunch we were seated in the first booth from the kitchen. I could see all that was taking place, and I now know how norovirus gets on the ship! The cook was not wearing any plastic gloves and her hair was keep back by a baseball cap. She ate from the food line as she worked, but watching her rub her nose with the back of her hand as she worked was almost too much. I told our car manager, and he gave me a card to fill out. I don’t know if that will do anything, but watch the food from there closely!

 

 

We got to Denali and the McKinley Chalets fine, and the weather was definitely looking up. Our luggage arrived as we did. The rooms we had were nothing fancy, but fine. I had been a bit concerned after reading some negative things about the place, but it was okay. We did the jet boat wilderness excursion that evening, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The boat skims along fabulously, going almost anywhere on the Nenana River. There was not too much wildlife viewing, though. We stopped and had a presentation by a professional fur trapper. He was initially a bit defensive until he realized that we were not card-carrying members of PETA. Once he relaxed, he was very informative about the whole process and wildlife management in general. Then we got to do a bit of gold panning. It would have been a bit hokey, but the fellow who talked to us explained how gold panning takes place today; yes, there are still guys who do this!

 

 

Day 4

 

We got up for our Tundra Wilderness Tour at 7:30. Weather was overcast a bit, and there were sprinkles at times, but apparently this can aid in seeing wildlife. We saw plenty: ptarmigans, caribou, moose and even a grey wolf, which we understand is not so common. Our guide was wonderful, informative and easy to interact with. The bus is a bit of a challenge for 6 – 8 hours, but apparently that is what works best there. It was definitely worth it for us.

 

 

We got back and had some down time before going to the Cabin Nite Theatre. This is very hokey, but lots of fun, particularly with children. My 9 y. o. son got lots of attention from the performers. My 13 y.o. tried to look cool throughout, but was laughing plenty, too.

 

 

Day 5

 

We were up early again for the dreaded 10 hour motor coach to Seward and the ship. The passengers voted as a group to skip the first stop, so we keep going until lunch, which was not particularly memorable. We stopped again at the Wilderness Refuge, but this time the sun was out and the animals were much more animated. While there, it was discovered that our bus had a wheel that was a bit out of whack. HAL sent another bus in short order, but it would not have held all of us and the luggage, so we proceeded on the original coach with a HAL employee following the coach. Interesting, but we all were pretty weary and just wanted to get to the ship. We did get there without mishap and, once we realized there was a separate line for Suite passengers, we were processed through in short order. Our suite (011) even bowled over my husband. I got with the concierge and arranged Pinnacle and spa reservations without trouble. Dinner was not at the usual time or place; they were just trying to get everyone fed and out. It was hard to get the kids calmed down – they wanted to go and see everything before going to bed. My 13 y.o., who is normally very reticent, announced she would be going to The Loft. We all walked down on the pretense of checking out Club HAL for the younger one, and she curtly dismissed us at the door! This has been a great success for her. She has been at the same small private school since kindergarten, and I think she has really enjoyed spreading her wings in a safe place.

 

Part 2: the cruise in subsequent post

[Landlubber54]

Too bad about the flight delay at the start. Otherwise, sounds pretty nice. I think you did a nice job of conveying the sometimes hectic pace of the land tour. Our take on Cabin Nite was similar to yours. And I agree that slightly inclement weather probably helps wildlife viewing during the TWT.

 

 

I can also relate to your experience on the ship with your 13 year old. Our 13 year old disappeared into The Loft the first night of the cruise. From that point on we only seemed to see her at dinner and during shore excursions. It was almost as if we were in different time zones.:cool: