Questions about Cruisetour to Mt McKinley and Denali

[dragonflywoods]

Hi all,

 

We are cruising in May of 2024 with Princess doing the Cruisetour. We will do the land part first. When I'm looking at the excursions, nothing shows up for Mt McKinley or Denali days. We have the Natural History tour which was part of the package. Does anyone know where I would look for things to do there or would I contact Princess?

 

Tuesday - May 28, 2024 Arrive- Anchorage

 

Wednesday - May 29, 2024 Anchorage

 

Wednesday - May 29, 2024Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Thursday - May 30, 2024 Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Thursday - May 30, 2024Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Friday - May 31, 2024Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

• NATURAL HISTORY TOUR

   

Saturday - June 01, 2024 Train to ship

 

Thank you for any input.

 

[GTJ]

The two hotels offer activities and excursions. View them here.

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge - http://www.princesslodges.com/princess-alaska-lodges/mckinley-lodge/mckinley-activities.

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge - http://www.princesslodges.com/princess-alaska-lodges/denali-lodge/denali-activities.

 

Of course, you could do things on your own. While the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is remote, it shuttle guests to and from Talkeetna, from which you can visit the small community and perhaps arrange independent exploration or touring. The Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is more centrally located in the center of the Denali tourist area, and also one can either be shuttled or walk the short distance to Denali park to visit and/or hike independently.

[dragonflywoods]

Thank you for the input

 

[Gardyloo]

The cruise tours have apparently kept to itineraries that are very Denali-centered, despite the fact that the only road into the interior of the national park is closed short of the halfway point due to landslides, and is unlikely to reopen completely until 2026, maybe even later.    As a result, the number and length of tours into the park has been reduced, and while the tour packages try to advertise the glories of Denali to keep people coming, the reality is that you're likely to have a lot of time on your hands with four nights in the area (two of which are not that close to Denali.)  The cruise lines either own or control the hotels in the area, and obviously don't want to give up the revenue that might result if people chose to visit Denali on their own, or to skip it in favor of some other (more accessible) attractions.  

 

IMO the cruise tours aren't all that good value in the first place; spending 2/3 of your time for a reduced Denali experience strikes me as even poorer value.  

[Coral]

1 hour ago, Gardyloo said:

The cruise tours have apparently kept to itineraries that are very Denali-centered, despite the fact that the only road into the interior of the national park is closed short of the halfway point due to landslides, and is unlikely to reopen completely until 2026, maybe even later.    As a result, the number and length of tours into the park has been reduced, and while the tour packages try to advertise the glories of Denali to keep people coming, the reality is that you're likely to have a lot of time on your hands with four nights in the area (two of which are not that close to Denali.)  The cruise lines either own or control the hotels in the area, and obviously don't want to give up the revenue that might result if people chose to visit Denali on their own, or to skip it in favor of some other (more accessible) attractions.  

 

IMO the cruise tours aren't all that good value in the first place; spending 2/3 of your time for a reduced Denali experience strikes me as even poorer value.  

The original poster is arriving at Denali on May 30, so they would not have been able to go that far in anyway.

 

I would agree that Denali would not be a good choice this next year.

Edited October 11, 2023 by Coral

[AKStafford]

Just my opinion: I'm not a fan of the cruise line's land tours. 

McKinley Princess Lodge is an hour from Talkeenta and several hours from the entrance to Denali National Park. Princess uses it as a spot to warehouse it's cruise tour passengers. You can see from Google Maps that there is nothing else there: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jaRQ36WXz5d1Z4kD6

I think a better option is to rent a car and put together your own great trip.

The Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali National Park is a much better option than the Natural History Tour. If you are traveling independently, the shuttle bus at Denali is much cheaper. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

[dragonflywoods]

Thank you for your input. The cruise has already been booked and we are sticking with it. While I understand that not all parts of Denali are open, this just happens to be a anniversary trip and not sure we would be able to go another year. This is our first time going to Alaska and for me the West coast, so we are just excited to be able to see something new and much different than where we currently live. (Key West). Hopefully one day we will be able to return and have a better idea of what we want to see and it won't be so overwhelming.

[Northern Aurora]

1 hour ago, dragonflywoods said:

Thank you for your input. The cruise has already been booked and we are sticking with it. .....

 

I am late to the discussion, but if I interpret the above post correctly our OP is committed to a cruise line sponsored cruise tour.  But I wonder if they understand how much of the single road into Denali is closed. Just a thought -- if our OP is committed to the cruise tour can they switch to one of the Princess cruise tours to the Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve option?

[AKStafford]

While at McKinley Princess Lodge, us the shuttle to get into Talkeetna (an hour ride) and do a Mahay's River Boat ride or a flightseeing trip with K2 Aviation. You'll probably find it cheaper to book directly with the operator.

[GTJ]

12 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

]W]hile the tour packages try to advertise the glories of Denali to keep people coming, the reality is that you're likely to have a lot of time on your hands with four nights in the area (two of which are not that close to Denali.)  The cruise lines either own or control the hotels in the area, and obviously don't want to give up the revenue that might result if people chose to visit Denali on their own, or to skip it in favor of some other (more accessible) attractions.

I generally do not even consider the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge to be a "Denali" hotel, notwithstanding the hotel name borrowing the former name of Denali. It is in the middle of nowhere and not convenient to anything; the reference by another commenter that Princess used the hotel as to "a spot to warehouse it's cruise tour passengers" is harsh but upon reflection I think that description is accurate. It is upsetting to me to think that many people spend substantial dollars on the Princess tours, expecting their stay at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge will involve Denali activities, but me knowing that not to be the case. If I were planning independent travel I would never stay at that hotel because it is not near anything . . . and if I wanted to see Talkeetna, or do Talkeetna activities, then I would try to stay at a place that was actually in Talkeetna. I think that it is true that Princess includes the hotel on all of its tours simply because it owns the hotel and wants to fill rooms that otherwise no one would pay to stay within. Finally, one should not conclude that only people who rent automobiles can avoid spending (wasting?) time at the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. One can also travel independently by railroad, by motorcoach, or by independent tour.

Edited October 12, 2023 by GTJ

[donaldsc]

Just my opinion but I have been to Talkeetna and it was not worth the 15 mile detour from the Parks Highway.  Two nights in or in this case not-too-near to Talkeetna would be a fate worse than death to me.  

 

DON

[wolfie11]

If you are interested in a local viewpoint on the road closure by drivers and park service personnel, read this:

https://denalicitizens.org/

[oaktreerb]

On 10/11/2023 at 2:02 PM, Northern Aurora said:

 

I am late to the discussion, but if I interpret the above post correctly our OP is committed to a cruise line sponsored cruise tour.  But I wonder if they understand how much of the single road into Denali is closed. Just a thought -- if our OP is committed to the cruise tour can they switch to one of the Princess cruise tours to the Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve option?

 Travelers who are visiting Alaska for the first time will not miss what they have not seen before.  From recent reports it sounds like animals (bears, caribou, Dall sheep, moose) are still seen in their natural environment.  2026 is two years away, too long to wait for many.  The Natural History Tour is informative.  We did the NHT on our first trip and saw two moose on the road near where we were standing.  That was exciting.  We saw Ptarmigan just beginning to get their winter color.  I was glad we didn’t take the TWT in the pouring rain!  We’ve been back many times to see more.  It’s all amazingly beautiful.

[CCJack]

On 10/11/2023 at 3:45 PM, dragonflywoods said:

Thank you for your input. The cruise has already been booked and we are sticking with it. While I understand that not all parts of Denali are open, this just happens to be a anniversary trip and not sure we would be able to go another year. This is our first time going to Alaska and for me the West coast, so we are just excited to be able to see something new and much different than where we currently live. (Key West). Hopefully one day we will be able to return and have a better idea of what we want to see and it won't be so overwhelming.

 

We took a cruiseline cruisetour a couple years ago and loved it.  I hope you have a good time.

 

Although you can customize a driving trip yourself and see more in less time, driving on vacation is not for me.  I do plenty of driving in my normal life !  We really enjoyed the scenery from the bus, commentary from the tour guide and driver, and also meeting other folks in the group..

 

One downside is we were told very little from the cruiseline about our tour before we left  (excursions, etc.), but once we boarded the bus it was very well organized.

 

We took only a couple excursions, we spent a lot of time day hiking around the lodges, etc.  Not necessarily in the park on on an excursion.