Fairbanks or Talkeetna?

[kdballroomer]

We're investigating Alaskan cruises with a land tour package included. One package excludes Fairbanks and another excludes Talkeetna. Any suggestions for which one is a better stop?

[mapleleaves]

Which town best supports your interests?

If you haven't done so already, borrow a few Alaska travel books from your library and learn about various towns and the sights/activities available.

Talkeetna is barely a village. It's claim to fame is Denali flightseeing. If you're with Princess you won't stay in Talkeetna ... their lodge is about 45 minutes away so you will need to use their shuttle bus.

Fairbanks is a large city so lots to see and do but IMO gets shortchanged by cruisetours which usually take you to the gold dredge and/or riverboat.

 

Look at some trip reports of cruisetours and see what others liked/didn't. There's a STICKY near the top of the page with about 60 reports and photojournals from last summer. If you look at the 2013 list, start with reply #45 where the reports are sorted by cruiseline/ship.

If you look down the page you[ll see 2 trip reports that I recently bumped; excellent photojournals from an RCI and a princess cruisetour.

 

You might also consider DIY so that you can go where YOU want to go and on your schedule instead of having your bags outside the door by 6am. Driving is very easy in Alaska ... very few hwys and only 2 lanes. If you don't want to drive you can replicate a cruisetour itinerary by booking your own seats on the Alaska Railroad and/or Park Connection Bus and staying at the large hotels.

 

Have fun with your research and planning :)

Edited May 18, 2015 by mapleleaves

[donaldsc]

I have been in both places but not on as cruisetour - do not get me started on cruise tours.

 

Talkeetna is a tiny nothing town that is maybe 10 miles off the main highway. Unless you are doing a Denali flight, there is absolutely nothing (and that is being kind to the place) to do it Talkeetna except a bunch of souvenir shops and restaurants. I did not feel that the place was even worth the 10 or 15 minutes it took to get there from the main highway.

 

I have been to Fairbanks at least 3 times and there is lots to do in and around Fairbanks. If you do select Fairbanks, just do not get suckered into visiting the town of North Pole.

 

DON

[giselleacttwo]

We're investigating Alaskan cruises with a land tour package included. One package excludes Fairbanks and another excludes Talkeetna. Any suggestions for which one is a better stop?

 

I love Talkeetna a lot more than Fairbanks. I've been to both numerous times. On a clear day you get absolutely stunning views of the entire Alaska Range (including Mt. McKinley) from Talkeetna. While possible to see Mt. McKinley from Fairbanks, it is a far less common and not nearly as stunning a view. You can walk the main drag in Talkeetna in 10 minutes flat, but don't let that deter you. There are some good restaurants (Mountain High Pizza Pie for lunch and dinner/The Roadhouse for breakfast) in Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a very small town compared to Fairbanks. If I needed a movie theater or a bank I'd go to Fairbanks. If I wanted to see small town Alaska, I'd go to Talkeetna.

[portiemom]

When looking into cruise tours in 2012, I originally wanted to go to Fairbanks, but we could not find reasonable flights for our timeframe. We're in Delaware, so not that far from you. We flew out of PHL. We were limited to 2 weeks off from work, so we could not fly in a day early. It just didn't work out.

 

Flying in to Anchorage was a lot easier. So we did a cruise tour that included the Princess McKinley Lodge. It worked out really well. We got to ease into our vacation after a long flight. Yes, it's small, but we enjoyed seeing Talkeetna. We had a wonderful lunch at the Wildflower Cafe after a float trip on the Chulitna River.

 

Our main priority for the land tour was Denali National Park, so we made sure to have 2 nights there.

[mek]

I love Talkeetna - cute little place with fantastic views and some great food, - Wildflower Cafe is really good. If you're looking to spend a lot of time in one place, I'm sure there is more to do in Fairbanks, (I'll find out this June!) But I can't wait to go back to Talkeetna for dinner at the Wildflower.

Edited May 21, 2015 by mek

[RescueDontBuy]

Like someone above said, two completely different places. I liked Talkeetna for the one day stop over we did to stay at the princess mt. McKinley lodge (which as spectacular views of the Alaskan mountain range from their back deck). I loved Talkeetna because it felt more like a little Alaskan town and gave you a sense of the real place (ignoring all the souvenir stores) and the Roadhouse Bakery had the best blueberry pie I have ever had (warmed up with a nice coffee). My husband booked his flight over Denali mountains the night we were there and he took his flight early the next morning before we were off for Denali. The flight was half the price of what I saw advertised just outside the Denali park. Also in Talkeetna, you need to walk to the very end (towards the beach) and see if you can see the Alaskan range from there if the clouds are high. It is just a neat little town. Fairbanks looks like any small US city you might drive through. The paddle wheel boat trip up the Chena river is really neat and the next day we did the Museum of the North, Pioneer park and walked to the downtown, which was a bit disappointing to me. If you do go downtown find the place where they have the dog race information and start point, which is kind of neat to say you were there. I am sure others have other suggestions for Fairbanks, it was just a nice one night/two day visit for us and then we left on a late evening departure, which was enough time for us.

[Budget Queen]

I too suggest you find out about both these areas, and what you are going to want to occupy yours time with and what activities you want.

 

I have been to both numerous times. There is WAY more to Fairbanks that what cruise tour people see and do. With a rental car plenty of opportunities.

 

Either or both could be the answer for you. No right/wrong answers.

[donaldsc]

I love Talkeetna - cute little place with fantastic views and some great food, - Wildflower Cafe is really good. If you're looking to spend a lot of time in one place, I'm sure there is more to do in Fairbanks, (I'll find out this June!) But I can't wait to go back to Talkeetna for dinner at the Wildflower.

 

Based on the replies I have seen, seems like the only things to do baring flight seeing are the restaurants and the souvenir shops. Seems like the main reason that people go to Talkeetna is to eat at the Wildflower Cafe. Without the tourists, the town would dry up and blow away.

 

If you want real small town Alaska, try Haines, Hyder, Kodiak, Homer (sort of), Wrangell, Sitka (sort of), McCarthy, Metlakatla, Hoonah (the town, not the Icy Strait cruise destination), Wiseman. They are real towns with people who will continue to live there whether the tourists come or not.

 

DON

[Northern Aurora]

..... I loved Talkeetna because it felt more like a little Alaskan town and gave you a sense of the real place (ignoring all the souvenir stores)

....

 

Fairbanks looks like any small US city you might drive through. The paddle wheel boat trip up the Chena river is really neat and the next day we did the Museum of the North, Pioneer park and walked to the downtown, which was a bit disappointing to me. If you do go downtown find the place where they have the dog race information and start point, which is kind of neat to say you were there. I am sure others have other suggestions for Fairbanks, it was just a nice one night/two day visit for us and then we left on a late evening departure, which was enough time for us.

 

 

Years ago I enjoyed Talkeetna, but now it has become somewhat of a tourist trap and is starting to acquire a "Disney-esk" feel to it. I have to agree with donaldsc that it no long feels like an authentic Alaskan community to me.

 

The boat trip the above poster references seems to be the Riverboat Discovery, and not the Tanana Chief. The sentence regarding "the place where they have the dog race information and start point" seems to be a muddled reference to the Yukon Quest office; the Yukon Quest is the other 1000 mile plus dog race which runs trails between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada with the race alternating directions each year. And if the poster was indeed at the Yukon Quest office I wonder why they didn't visit the nearby Morris Thompson Cultural Center, which is free.

 

But regarding Fairbanks, it seems to me that visitors need a car as so many of our attractions (such as the Running Reindeer Ranch, Mary Shields' dog kennel, the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, Gold Dredge No 8, the Farmer's Market, Creamer's Field and so forth) are not easily reached by the bus system.

[donaldsc]

.

 

Are you still booked on the Spain cruise. Looking forward to meeting you. Not that far off.

 

BTW - I have been in Fairbanks 3 times and I spend a whole day in the car museum each trip. It is a fantastic place. The best time to do is during the winter when there are few tourists and you can set up your tripod w/o bothering people.

 

DON

Edited July 1, 2015 by donaldsc

[mek]

Our last day in Fairbanks was Thursday. We had a 9:30 pm flight and a day with nothing planned. We took the shuttle from the Bear Lodge and went around town, but it was raining, so we decided to spend our time at the Antique Car Museum. It was very cool - so many cars to see and antique/vintage clothing as well. We took our time and spent almost three house there. It was a great last day for our trip.

[donaldsc]

Our last day in Fairbanks was Thursday. We had a 9:30 pm flight and a day with nothing planned. We took the shuttle from the Bear Lodge and went around town, but it was raining, so we decided to spend our time at the Antique Car Museum. It was very cool - so many cars to see and antique/vintage clothing as well. We took our time and spent almost three house there. It was a great last day for our trip.

 

I have been to the car museum 3 times. I spent almost a full day there each time. The place is wonderful.

 

DON

[Northern Aurora]

Are you still booked on the Spain cruise. Looking forward to meeting you. Not that far off.

 

BTW - I have been in Fairbanks 3 times and I spend a whole day in the car museum each trip. It is a fantastic place. The best time to do is during the winter when there are few tourists and you can set up your tripod w/o bothering people.

 

DON

 

Don: Yes we certainly are still booked with the Spain and Portugal cruise. Actually, that a cruise will be the first leg of a B2B2B. We'll have to meet for drinks.

 

And for those who are interested in more information on the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum their website is: http://www.fountainheadmuseum.com

[donaldsc]

Don: Yes we certainly are still booked with the Spain and Portugal cruise. Actually, that a cruise will be the first leg of a B2B2B. We'll have to meet for drinks.

 

And for those who are interested in more information on the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum their website is: http://www.fountainheadmuseum.com

 

Does a land_Barcelona/cruise/land_Spain/cruise/land_Portugal qualify as a b2b2b2b2b? LOL!!!

 

Do you know cabin you are in. We are in 2B=7157.

 

My e-mail address is donald.schoengold41@gmail.com.

 

DON