16 Day Land Tour & Cruise on The Celebrity Summit Review

[tapia]

I just got back from my AMAZING trip to Alaska. First, I’d like to thank everyone on this board for all the help and advice. I’ve been posting on Alaska for a year & ½ now, reading up on it for more than 2 years, and I can’t believe my trip’s over now. I’m going to start with the land tour, my camera / binocular purchase, the ship / celebrity, the ports of call / excursions, and I’ll end with packing & some other general items. Mostly, I’m going to do my review in order of the days of my trip. I will also try and include food as I come to days as well. Since I see this turning into a lot of time, I’m going to post in sections. I’ll start with my itinerary so you can see where I’m going with the review. Also, I’m going to try & highlight as I go down, this way you can skip some areas that you don’t have interest in.

My itinerary:

June 22nd: Leave my house in New York, get to Newark Airport (NJ) and fly to Anchorage connecting in Seattle

June 23rd: Day in Anchorage: Saturday Market, Visit to Salmon Place. Dinner at Simon & Seaforts.

June 24th: DM & I left early to go Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park

DH & DF left early to go fishing and then had some other activities in Anchorage

June 25th: DM & I got back from Brooks falls late & then slept. DH & DF: activities in Anchorage

June 26th: Day in Anchorage: Zoo, Lunch at Jenns. Dinner at Marx Café.

June 27th: Early morning train to Seward, Puffin Encounter, Exit Glacier, Salmon Bake, Godwin Glacier Dog Sled Tour & Helicopter Ride

June 28th: Kenai Fjords Boat Trip; Dinner @ the Crab Pot

June 29th: Hang Around at Saltwater & Board the Ship

June 30th: Hubbard Glacier (Cruising)

July 1st: Juneau from 10-8: Mendenhall Glacier

July 2nd: Skagway 7-8:30: Train Ride to Carcross & Bus Back

July 3rd: Icy Strait Point 7-4: Whale Watching w/Keith @ teck outfitters

July 4th: Ketchikan 9-7: Fishing w/Ken @ Northern Lights

July 5th: Inside Passage Cruising

July 6th: Dock @ Vancouver, Stanley Park

July 7th: Fly home non-stop to Newark

We stayed at horsetrekkin in Anchorage (http://www.horsetrekkinalaska.com/WebPageArt/Page04.html) and Saltwater Lodge (http://www.alaskasaltwaterlodge.com/seward_lodging.htm)

in Seward.

Camera / Binoculars:

Before I start on the review, just one additional thing on the camera / binoculars I bought specifically for the trip. About a year ago I purchased a Canon S3 IS digital camera after much research on dpforums & other sites. Since I’ll be referring to my camera a lot in the review, I thought it’d be good to let you know what equipment I’m talking about. I spent a long time learning how to work it, but I still don’t think it was enough. There’s so much more to learn. Before I left, I also bought a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens to bring with me.

I also bought 10 x 42 Bushnell H2O binoculars at the suggestion of someone on the board to have. They were great and we used them, but not as much as I had thought originally.

June 22nd: We left out of Newark Airport (NJ) and flew to Anchorage connecting in Seattle. First, let me talk a little bit about our tickets.

I booked using Frequent Flyer Miles: I called the exact number of days ahead I was allowed and got all the seats. What you have to do is call the exact days ahead for the 1st flight and then put everything on hold until you can book the second flight as well. I used ‘sister’ airlines and was able to get a non-stop back on Cathay Pacific. Now I know people on this board have been lucky and have gotten tickets at the last minute, but I find the seats book up so quickly and didn’t want to change my timing or be worried, so that’s what I did.

Lesson Here: Check your reservations often b/c they change planes and drop seats at the drop of a hat. They did it to me a month out and we got seats, but not the ones we wanted (window / aisle)

Also, I heard we could reserve a digEplayer (movie screen to watch movies / whatever) from Alaska airlines. I did so (there aren’t many, so do so ahead) for $10 a set. This was a godsend. For a flight that long, I thank god I had it, otherwise DH would have been unbearable. (He is not a great flyer.)

For the flight, in retrospect, I also learned you can do a ‘stop-over’ when using your miles (but, I found out after I made the booking). So, I might have done that and visited barrow (then buying a 1-way back to Anchorage.

The flight was fine; everything was pretty much on time. I have no real additions there…

So, after we landed in Anchorage, we checked in @ horsetrekkin (http://www.horsetrekkinalaska.com/WebPageArt/Page04.html). Yes, it’s a little off the beaten path of most travelers, but worth it. The rate is amazing compared to what you would spend for something even close to comparable. Also, it’s a short walk to the zoo.

I think the place was very nice and the people were amazing, but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. This was the description I was given when I booked: "2 bedroom suite which had private bedrooms, kitchenette, indoor steam room, outdoor hot tub, full breakfast etc. One room has a fireplace with queen bed and futon. The other room has a queen bed." What it was is 2 bedrooms at the bottom floor of their house. You go to the right on the floor you walk in on and there are doors closing in a small hallway with a bathroom and 2 bedrooms, which isn’t really what I was thinking of a suite. There is a small fridge and a steam shower there. Everything was clean, but the 2nd bedroom is pretty small. There were no drawers in it at all. The part that really irked me was that there are no locks on those doors. They assured me they were there all the time, but I would have liked some kind of lock and would have felt more comfortable that way. (You could lock it from the inside, but when we were gone the doors were just unlocked.) Since it was on a pretty busy road it just nerve-racked me a little… Moving on—breakfast was wonderful, the people were really great and friendly, and the place was clean. I LOVED the steam shower. Also, it’s much quieter out there than in the city. Be aware—if you stay there, you NEED a car. It was $27 just to get into town 1 way.

Glacier Brewhouse: We also got in early enough to go to the Brewhouse for dinner. It was very good and we all enjoyed it, but it was more expensive than I thought it would be. If you get there after 6, expect a wait.

Our first day was pretty exhausting, but I'll be drying to keep a steady flow to the review, posting the next day's adventure as soon as I can.

[RSF Cruiser]

I'll be leaving for an Alaskan land trip on July 12th and have the same camera you have - but not the telephoto and wide angle lens. Can you tell me when you used them? I'm trying to decide if I should buy them, or if the lens on the camera will be enough. My daughter will be with me for most of the trip and she just bought a 170-500 mm lens for her DSLR.

 

We'll be in Juneau (3 days), Glacier Bay (2 days), Katmai (2 Days), Seward (3 days), Talkeetna (2 days), and Barrow (3 days) with some short stopovers in Anchorage.

 

Thanks - looking forward to the rest of your review.

[tapia]

@ RSF Cruiser: If you can (I know it's short notice) get the telephoto lens. I really didn't NEED the wide angle. It was nice to have to get the glaciers and various other shots, but it wasn't necessary.

 

On the other hand, I LOVED my telephoto--used it with the bears, the whales, the train....all the time it was connected. It really helped!

 

Even to see the wildlife from the Kenai Fjords trip, I loved to have it!

 

I even wished I had a larger one at points, but the one I had was easy to put on and off the camera with the bag I had.... Good luck!

[tapia]

June 23rd: Day in Anchorage: Saturday Market, Stopped at a Fish Place to see Salmon Jump, Picked up an Enterprise Car, & Dinner at Simon & Seaforts.

The first full day I woke up in Anchorage it still didn’t hit me that I was in Alaska. Although, once I stepped outside and saw how cold it was, my mind wrapped around the idea that I might be there. I decided to make the first full day we were there a little relaxing and free-flowing since a lot more of our itinerary is pretty intense. So, onto the day…

Breakfast was great—eggs, ham, pancakes, home fries….YUM! Great coffee & OJ too.

DF got our rental car at Enterprise—we got a great deal for booking early. It’s just too bad we didn’t get the car earlier because we spent a TON on taxi rides so far. Also, the cab that brought us into town offered to show us a place where the Salmon jumped all the time, so we went. Kind of a mistake because it was $100 and we saw nothing… Beautiful though. If anyone’s interested, I can try to give you directions if you want to go yourself.

Market: We wanted to go to the Saturday market because I heard on the board it was a great place to go….it was a great stop. We spent about 4 hours walking around finding nice homemade soaps, different booths with everything Alaska, and great food. The people there were SUPER nice to us and spoke with us at length about the state, what they made, and various other topics. We got a cute painting, some nice soap bars, and had some great lunch! Try the seafood soup in a bread bowl because it was fabulous! Make sure you have some time to stop there. Also, I did get some Alaskan ULUs there. I did also stop in the ULU factory (pretty close to the market) and found much cheaper prices at the market. There are several ULU booths there, so just do a lap of the market first and see which one you would prefer.

Simon & Seafords: We were celebrating DF’s birthday and there was confetti on the table (done tastefully) was a small card. It was pretty cool. Also, this was the best meal. Given, we had amazing food elsewhere, but this was fabulous. DM & I shared an appetizer with Filet and shrimp and something else on it and it was amazing—melted in my mouth! Also, DH had the Salmon & loved it and we had Halibut. DF had the pork ribs and it was his favorite as well. YUMMY!!!!!

After dinner, I packed up some things for the next day….BROOKS FALLS. I couldn’t wait to see what this great highlight of my trip would be. I was pretty nervous, but excited with anticipation at the same time!

 

[next section to come soon--but, it may happen in a few days...in the meantime I'd be happy to ask any questions]

[RSF Cruiser]

@ RSF Cruiser: If you can (I know it's short notice) get the telephoto lens. I really didn't NEED the wide angle. It was nice to have to get the glaciers and various other shots, but it wasn't necessary.

 

On the other hand, I LOVED my telephoto--used it with the bears, the whales, the train....all the time it was connected. It really helped!

 

Even to see the wildlife from the Kenai Fjords trip, I loved to have it!

 

I even wished I had a larger one at points, but the one I had was easy to put on and off the camera with the bag I had.... Good luck!

Thanks - I just checked online and B&H and Calumet are out of stock for the telephoto. There's a Calumet store near me, so I'll check tomorrow to see if they (or anyone else) has one in stock.

[tapia]

Thanks - I just checked online and B&H and Calumet are out of stock for the telephoto. There's a Calumet store near me, so I'll check tomorrow to see if they (or anyone else) has one in stock.

 

If you can't get one through them, I got mine at lensmate dot com. They sell pretty good products.

[ddonalds]

Try Adorama, too - I've bought alot of stuff from there, and they are very good.... :)

[tapia]

June 24th: DM & I left early to go Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park

DH & DF left early to go fishing

Before I start on Brooks, I forgot to mention something about the 23rd. When we were at S&S all of us dressed for dinner. (no suits, but skirts, nice outfits). I feel like we were the ONLY people there not in jeans. That was something I didn’t expect….so, don’t feel like you need to dress to go there.

Okay, onto the topic at hand:

I booked our trip to Brooks Falls with Katmailand. Website: http://www.katmailand.com/bear-viewing/packages.html#brooks more than a year & ½ in advance. That was necessary for me because I wanted to be in a cabin. Since there are only 10 cabins at the place, I know it’s hard to get these accommodations, but I was excited about it. I know there has been a lot of bear talk on the boards about where to go and what to do. Also, I wanted a trip that could take me directly from Anchorage because DH & DF would be staying there and it was very convenient. I know this trip is expensive and I knew I wasn’t going in ‘prime’ season, but I crossed my fingers before we left that the bears would be trying to fish anyway. Onto what happened…

The horsetrekkin folks were nice enough to give us some bananas, yogurt, muffins, and OJ. They left it the night before so we'd have something in the morning. DH & DF drove us to the airport and dropped us off. Katmailand arranged for a flight to King Salmon and then from there we had another flight to Brooks. The first flight to King Salmon wasn't too bad. We were on a 30 passenger plane (the smallest I'd ever been on) and all-in-all it was an okay hour & 1/2 flight. We landed and were taken by bus (there was a sign directing us where to go) to another plane where they weighed our carry-ons as well as us before deciding which plane to put us on. There were 3 planes -- 1 was a 12 passenger (rough guess) and the 2 others were smaller. I got put in the 12 passenger with DM, she took a tranquilizer, and I got to sit in the cockpit with the pilot. I actually asked where I should sit and he told me anywhere, so I made a joke about the cockpit and he said sure........so, ask and you shall received. It wouldn't have hurt if he said no. So, I was a little nervous about flying on a smaller plans, but the view was amazing. It was just gorgeous. Also, the takeoff and landing was much smoother on the water than with wheels on land. So, with my anticipation at a HIGH, we landed at Brooks. The first thing they have you do is go to the ranger station and attend a bear-training 30-minute presentation with a video. It tells you what to do if you encounter any bears. Then you get a pin saying you completed it to wear around so the rangers know you went to "school." During the class people asked the rangers if they saw bears and one said they hadn't seen anything in 2 days and no sightings were reported. So, at this point I was getting pretty worried--it's a lot of money to see no bears........ The ranger also said they expected the bears to come out any time now and that usually they were out a few weeks before, but the long winter caused the delay. I said a little prayer to myself hoping they would come out--we then decided to check in at the lodge which entails registering a credit card so you can use your "Katmai Charge Card" (a piece of paper that lets you charge things to your room during your stay) and get the keys to our cabin. Since the cabin wasn't ready yet, we decided to have lunch first. Just as I was finishing my salad one of the guys at my table spotted a bear with cubs on the beach. I've never seen a place clear out so quickly in my life. Don't get me wrong, I was at the front of that line, but DM took a little longer. I was awe-struck seeing the gorgeous bears. They were just hanging out on the bear--a mamma and 3 cubs (these cubs were 1 year old). Then, all of a sudden another mamma came into view a little further down the beach with brand new spring cubs--they were so adorable. I got a bunch of shots with 8 bears in the photos--the 4 in the distance and 4 up-close. I was in awe of some of the lenses people had brought with them, but my telephoto lens worked GREAT, so I was happy. I’ll try and post some pictures soon. They’re too big to upload to the site, but I’ll post them somewhere else with a link. It was amazing to watch them. After watching them for about an hour, we hustled back to the cabin, changed clothes to get to the falls, and started out.

I won't give you a play-by-play of the rest of the visit because I would pretty much bore all of you to death. It was amazing to experience though. Just amazing. I'm still in awe just thinking about it. It is just unbelievable when you walk outside your cabin in the morning to see how hot / cold it is and there's a bear standing about 50 yards from you! *sigh*

Okay, just one more fun story…I was at the lower platform resting a bit and watching a mamma with her 3 cubs before heading to the falls. She was quite a bit off by the beach area, but started to walk down towards the lower platform. About 5 guys were fishing, but only one was on the close side of the bridge to the mamma. She didn’t really look like she was going anywhere, but that fisherman caught a fish and the SECOND that happened, the mamma charged. It was a great show—her charging in. *sigh* Anyway, the fisherman cut his line immediately and got up to the platform to safety—mamma didn’t get the fish. We then headed to the falls and were lucky enough to catch up with the mamma fishing for the cubs as they were playing. Such an amazing time!

Anyway, some other facts--it is a mile & 1/2 from the lodge (where you have lunch & where most of the cabins are) to the falls platform. The lower platform (good viewing, but most everyone goes to see the falls) is quite a bit closer. For some reason, that's not how I was picturing it, so I thought I'd share. You have to walk past the lower platform, down a road, and then along a path in the middle of the woods to get to the falls. The whole time clapping and talking at the top of your lungs so no bears come close… There's also a fire pit in the main room (where they serve food) and lots of people gathered around it in the evenings to read / relax. Make sure you break in your shoes / boots BEFORE you go!!!! I didn't and paid for it! I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.…

DH & DF’s day fishing the Deska (an hour & ½ out of Anchorage):

I booked DH & DF to fish with akfishermanschoice dot com. They were very friendly and knowledgeable on the phone and I was comfortable with them. Before I went, they advised me to purchase a fishing license & king salmon stamp for DH & DF. Since we were also fishing in Ketchikan over a week later, I purchased them all at the same time. It was easy: $20 for a 1 day license & $10 for a 1 day king salmon stamp. Website: http://www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us/license/. The only annoying part of the website is that you have to purchase each license separately and print them yourself.

DH & DF’s review: They were on a small boat with nothing to cover them. Of course, because of that, it poured the entire time they were out there and they got soaked. Also, they caught nothing. Well, no, that’s not true—DF caught one illegally (snagged on the side), but they threw it back. Both said the ride to where they were fishing was really nice & it was gorgeous scenery. Also, the boat that went out in the morning caught 6/8 fish. Apparently, the best time to go is in the AM, so book accordingly. They both said the guide was very nice as well. I guess remember—it’s fishing, not catching. (I should have taken them to Brooks, but they wanted to fish, so oh well.)

DF & DH’S FOOD for the 24th and 25th: One night they went to Phyllis’s for dinner. The little sign says all you can eat, but it’s only for certain hours. They went the second night and had the all you can eat crab, but didn’t love it. It was good, but not as good as Ocean City Maryland… Also, they went Moose’s Tooth one night which was okay as well. DF said the burgers were a little thin, but it was pretty good all the same.

I should also note we had beautiful weather @ Brooks.

[Bucky3]

What a great adventure. When I show your review to him, I hope it will suffice to make my DH feel as though he's been there!!! He would love to do this trip to Brooks Falls. Thanks so much for sharing. Bucky

[Bucky3]

What a great adventure. When I show your review to him, I hope it will suffice to make my DH feel as though he's been there!!! He would love to do this trip to Brooks Falls. Thanks so much for sharing. Anxious to hear what you have to say about Icy Strait. Bucky

[tapia]

What a great adventure. When I show your review to him, I hope it will suffice to make my DH feel as though he's been there!!! He would love to do this trip to Brooks Falls. Thanks so much for sharing. Anxious to hear what you have to say about Icy Strait. Bucky

 

Thanks--I had an amazing time. I just want to at least get all the facts out there (with my opinions) of the trip so others can benefit as I did.....

[tapia]

June 26th: Day in Anchorage: Alaskan Zoo, Lunch at Jenns, Dinner at Marx Café.

Breakfast: Steve from horsetrekkin served us a great breakfast again—eggs, pancakes, ham, hash browns, OJ, and coffee. Yum. Then we headed over to the zoo. We saw lots of animals, but it’s just not the same seeing them out in the wild. DH was excited to see the bears, but it just was not the same for me. Though, the polar bear was really cute. Anyway, it’s a pretty small zoo (well, I’m comparing it to the Bronx zoo though). We went through it in about 2 hours (stopping frequently and wandering).

At that point, we decided to go to lunch since we had some time. One of the restaurants I looked into, but decided not to book for dinner was Jenns—so, we went there for lunch. We were all in sweatpants-type apparel, but didn’t think it was a problem. It wasn’t and everything was still fine. But, it seems to me a lot of people go there for lunch on break from work, so there were a LOT of suits and nice clothing…I felt slightly out of place, but it was okay. This also was my 2nd best food recommendation (better than the dinner I would be having later). The wine and food were fantastic!

We had a small caesar with the meal ($4.50) because I wanted to compare with Marx. IT was really good. I also had a glass of Pinot Noir and DM had a glass of Riesling, which was fabulous as well—much better wine than at Marx. It was delicious! For lunch DH had pepper steak which he thought was good and I had Scallops which were amazing! DF had a pasta dish and loved it—he’s hard to impress with Italian food too. When the waiter tells you the crème brulet is the best in Anchorage, he is NOT kidding. Best I’ve ever tasted. Get it. Eat it. Then ship some back to me. YUM!!!!!!!!!

After lunch, we decided to hit Walmart—I can’t tell you how funny it is to me to think we were going to Walmart in Alaska, but it is. We hit up the Alaskan section and I got some chocolates. We also got some waters to take with us. Also, we stopped and got some crackers because we bought some salmon at the market on Saturday and wanted to have some of it on the train. Walmart is only a minute or 2 from Jenns, so if you’re in the area, it’s a quick stop. Then you can tell everyone you went to Walmart while in Alaska.

Before I forget again—when you’re at the Salmon place at the market, there’s a $5 sealed can, a $6 sealed can, and an $11 glass jar—the difference of money is WORTH IT to get the glass jar!!!! I kid you not! They have these all over too and you’ll find yourself getting more.

We booked Marx Café for dinner and it was okay. I think that is because the other meals I had were just superb, so it ended up being okay—it’s a great restaurant and the Caesar salad gets made in front of you, but in retrospect I would have gone to one of the others again instead. Also, you do need to dress for this restaurant. DH had filet mignon and said it was great, but liked S&S better. DF, DM, and I had lamb chops—they were delicious. We also had the Caesar salad prepared tableside, which was very nice, delicious. I liked Jenn’s and S&S better though. It ended up being $227 including tip and 1 bottle of wine for 4 people.

I tried to get to bed at a somewhat decent time to be ready for the big day tomorrow—had to be at the train @ 5:45…

[tapia]

June 27th: Early morning train to Seward, Puffin Encounter, Exit Glacier, Salmon Bake, Dog Sledding

This morning we got up early & the 6:45 am train to Seward. We were told to get there by 5:45 and we could bring 2 pieces of luggage & 1 carryon. I booked ahead via the railroad. Website: http://www.alaskarailroad.com/arrc8.html.

I went the day before to see if I could get tickets so I wouldn’t have to be as early, but they told me they were only issued the day of and we should be there at 5:45 since it was a full train.

When we arrived, we were the only people there at 5:45—I’m not surprised—how many people actually listen when they say what time to arrive. Most people got there at 6:30… There is a coffee station in the place if you need a jump-start.

Seats are assigned when you get there, but there is open seating in the dome car. Right after we started moving, I moved into the dome (right in my car, so it was convenient). I took the first seat on the right. The arm views are great. Sadly, there was a wait for seating up there, so I stayed about 25 minutes getting great shots and then went back down to my seat. I knew glacier views would be coming up on the left given what BQ said before we left and what that guide said. Just ask one of the very friendly, helpful people walking around and they’ll tell you about how many minutes you have until you get there. Then make sure you’re in the dome for that too. The views from the train were gorgeous. I can see how you really miss out if you drive. Given, I’m sure there are pluses that way as well, but I’m really glad we took the train. This was DF’s top 2 things we did the entire trip. I kid you not!

After we got to Seward, we met up with Renee from PJs taxi, who I booked ahead of time. Renee was ready and waiting at the train station right by our luggage. She’s the only female cab driver in Seward, so you can’t miss her. We actually managed to fit all of our luggage and us into her taxi. (This was a GREAT concern for me due to the amount of luggage we had.) Then, on top of that she was also nice enough to store our luggage at her place while we went about our day, which was a great help because we didn’t waste a lot of time. THANK GOD for that. Renee also suggested we try to schedule our glacier landing for that day since we had great weather, so I called them up (she had the number handy) and did so. Thank goodness we stored our luggage at her place, our day was so jam-packed it was ridiculous—THANKS again Renee. (I just can’t say that enough.) She’s a great woman, has lots of information, and gave us great prices. So, after we stored our luggage, she drove us to lunch at Thorns (2 SHORT blocks from the Sealife Center), where we were scheduled to have a Puffin Encounter about an hour later. Lunch was excellent. I got the Halibut basket and DH got the Shrimp basket. It was fantastic—DH even stole some of mine! I highly recommend going there—great price and great food. (another great recommendation from Renee) The total for the 4 of us at Thorns—each got a drink and basket of food was $90.70 (after tip). We also arranged to meet her again later when we were done with the Sealife center to get to our dog sledding.

After lunch, we headed over to the Sealife center and signed in and got our tags for the Puffin encounter. It was great. A nice lady showed us around, told us about the birds, and then we got to feed the puffins—they were so cute! One was more interested in eating DM’s pants, but he was adorable! A great experience and lots of great information. A lot of the center is for rehabilitation and they ended up building the place with money from a fine for an oil spill. It’s a great stop if you have time. Just as we were getting ready to leave, there was an announcement of an eagle fishing at the back look-out. So, we went up there and got some great pictures of him flying and having dinner!

Renee from PJ’s taxi picked us up a bit later and transported us to the small airport we were taking our helicopter to the glacier and dog sledding. I booked with Godwin Dog Sled Tours who also gave me a great rate for booking early. Website: http://www.alaskadogsled.com/

It was a SMALL Helicopter. All 4 of us couldn’t fit, which I wasn’t prepared for. But, hey—I flew on a small plane—bring it on! They had some waterproof gear there, but we were all set with our waterproof boots, pants, and jackets. The guy took up my parents first and then we went next. What a great ride! It was very fast, but great. We landed up at the dog camp and it was so cute to see all the dogs—they had around 75 dogs up there and the mushers live up there all summer (they come down once a week to shower). They’re training for races like the Iditarod. I even have our mushers card to follow her progress. The people were real nice and we had a great ride around with the dogs. We went about 2 miles, but it just felt so short. I would have loved to have been there longer. The helicopter down was pretty quick and we landed just as Renee from PJ’s taxi pulled into the parking lot. What a great experience—lots of those on this day!

But, we weren’t done with the day yet. We asked Renee to drive us to Exit Glacier, but she suggested stopping to see some Salmon first, which we thought would be interesting so we went. It was awesome—we watched them just jump out of the water over and over again—VERY cool. Have Renee drive you around and I’m sure she’ll take you there.

So, then we headed to Exit Glacier and started walking. One trail was 1.7 miles and one was 0.3. DH wanted to do the 1.7 mile one, so I went with him and DM & DF did the 0.3 one. As we were walking up, we came to a stream which we had to get across. The water was about 3 inches high, so it was good we had the waterproof boots. On the way up Overlook trail, it was okay and it was a gorgeous sight. Beautiful. I’d highly recommend it. From the time Renee dropped us off to when we got back to the visitors center, it took us less than an hour to do. A warning: on the way back down the mosquitoes seemed to be out in full force and took a liking to DH. It was BAD. Make sure you spray lots of repellant! At this point, I was very tired and we went to the Salmon Bake (driven by Renee again) for dinner. I just had a burger (one of their interesting combo ones) with a pickle you can pick out of a jar. It was very good. YUM! The root beer was great as well. Price for 4 people: $67. Only 1 beer ordered by DH—I was so wiped out by then I don’t know how he stomached it. After we finished, Renee picked us up and drove us to get our luggage (at her place) and then out to the Saltwater Lodge (about 10 minutes out of town). As she’s driving, she was explaining various things and just as she was saying to watch for sealife, out pops an otter. What timing! I’m telling you, she’s got them on a schedule—it was great! Saltwater is gorgeous, had a perfect view, and the rooms were fabulous. Website: http://www.alaskasaltwaterlodge.com/seward_lodging.htm. I reserved the North and South rooms and that came with an “expanded” continental breakfast (more on that later). The rooms looked great—the only thing to be mindful of is that you have to carry all of your luggage up the huge flight of stairs to your rooms. It was so worth it though! At this point, we showered, looked at the great view, and collapsed asleep.

The next day we were doing the Kenai Fjords trip with Saltwater and I wanted to be fully rested for that trip.

[Bucky3]

Love reading your reports. Look forward to the next chapter! Thanks so much.

[Happyladi]

I am enjoying your posts and looking forward to more! :)

[tapia]

Love reading your reports. Look forward to the next chapter! Thanks so much.

 

Glad you like! I know they're very factual and not emotional. But, it would take me about 5 months to write one like Larry....his are amazing. But, at least I'm getting the facts out there--feel free to ask any questions :-)

[Squirrel's Mom]

Darn it Tapia! I thought I had all the restaurants decided on for Anchorage and now you've added Jen's. :rolleyes:

 

Back to the drawing board....

 

Keep up the good stuff. I'm loving it!

[tapia]

Darn it Tapia! I thought I had all the restaurants decided on for Anchorage and now you've added Jen's. :rolleyes:

 

Back to the drawing board....

 

Keep up the good stuff. I'm loving it!

 

 

Just be aware Jenns isn't in the "thick" of town. It's about a 5 minute drive, which isn't too bad. I would so go again & again if I could!

 

Might as well go & then stop by Walmart for good priced Alaskan goods. I did see ULUs priced pretty well there too, but I bought mine at the market.

[Italy52]

Thank you so much for your report, I am loving every minute of it. I do have a question for you regarding the train to Seward: The luggage restriction (2 suitcases and 1 carryon) is that per person? I am assuming, just wanted to clarify for my own trip next May.

 

Also, are you going to post pictures of your wonderful trip?

[tapia]

Thank you so much for your report, I am loving every minute of it. I do have a question for you regarding the train to Seward: The luggage restriction (2 suitcases and 1 carryon) is that per person? I am assuming, just wanted to clarify for my own trip next May.

 

Also, are you going to post pictures of your wonderful trip?

 

That's what they say are for each person. (otherwise we would have been out of luck with all of our stuff!)

 

We each (4 people) had 2 suitcases that were checked. Then my mom had 2 carryons (1 was a purse), but I'm assuming the purse didn't count. Also, we carried on an extra paper bag of food--which we ended up not eating because we were so caught up looking at the gorgeous scenery. I could have carried that bag if need be since I was only carrying my camera case & purse (which I would have put inside it).

 

I did see other people with extra carry-on bags though.

 

I will be posting pictures at some point, but I took more than 2300 myself and them DM took 700 and DH took 500....so, there's a lot of 'sifting' to do.

 

Thanks for the great comments everyone--I just want to help others since this board was SO very helpful to me.

 

I am SO happy I didn't book the tour with the cruiseline, which is what I started asking questions about. (BQ set me straight though!)

[NancyIL]

You're off to a great start with your review! I'm looking forward to reading more. :)

[tapia]

Thanks for all the great comments. I'm going to work on the next day tonight / tomorrow.

 

Some things I forgot though:

 

Some things I forgot in my review: For those going to Brooks --if you are

by the lodge the exact same gloves I bought from REI were $15 there and I paid $35. So, they have some nice warm gloves there. They could be gone by the time you go, but you are covered while you're there.

 

Another thing about Brooks: I didn't think it would be so bug-infested

there. The no-seums or mosquitoes are EVERYWHERE. I bought one of those nets (you'd be surprised, but everyone was wearing them) that just go over your face. I wore a hat on my head so the net didn't get in my eyes. I'd take it off when I could, but it was on a lot. Believe it or not, I ended up getting a bite on my finger while swatting one--figures, right? The one part of my body exposed to the elements --isn't that always how it works though. It actually didn't itch much and went away in a day.

 

Also, the buzz off shirts I bought worked very well. We had MUCH less

mosquitoes around us than other people and at Exit Glacier it helped me

--they followed DH around like a damn magnet (he wish he wore his buzz off that day too!).

[OnlyMe]

We are leaving in just 9 days for Alaska and yreading your report is making me so excited. I have printed out your last two installments for some bedtime reading. Can't wait until you post more!!!

[tapia]

We are leaving in just 9 days for Alaska and yreading your report is making me so excited. I have printed out your last two installments for some bedtime reading. Can't wait until you post more!!!

 

I am so jealous you're going. After 2 years of planning I still can't believe it's over. You're going to have a great time.

 

I'm really glad the review is helping you. I'll be posting the next section either tonight or tomorrow morning. As I'm looking at the thunderstorm outside, it may have to be tomorrow morning...

[LarryF]

Glad you like! I know they're very factual and not emotional. But, it would take me about 5 months to write one like Larry....his are amazing. But, at least I'm getting the facts out there--feel free to ask any questions :-)

 

 

Tapia,

 

We'd make a great team! With your detail and organization and my story telling ability, we could become the next Hemingway!

 

I love your review and looking forward to reading about your Kenia Fjords tour...

 

Larry