Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge cruise-tour

[wlfarm]

Has anyone done the after cruise tour to Talkeetna Alaskan lodge?

Do Celebrity transfer your luggage from you cabin to the lodge, or do you have to claim it and get a porter? Easy to find the right bus for the tour?

Was most of tuor guided? Did they have alot of knowledge abou the are and spend alot of time with you? How many meals on tour are included?

What did you do on free time? Any special suggestions on things to see or do, or skip?

 

Thank you for any info. you can give!

[hermang]

Has anyone done the after cruise tour to Talkeetna Alaskan lodge?

Do Celebrity transfer your luggage from you cabin to the lodge, or do you have to claim it and get a porter? Easy to find the right bus for the tour?

Was most of tuor guided? Did they have alot of knowledge abou the are and spend alot of time with you? How many meals on tour are included?

What did you do on free time? Any special suggestions on things to see or do, or skip?

 

Thank you for any info. you can give!

 

In 2005 we did I believe 7B - Land first - Landed in Anchorage, - overnight at the Marriott, Next day train to Talketna for lunch then bus to Denali and ovenight at McKinley Lodge,Next day after touring the park back to Talketna and overnight in TAL. Next day Anchorage for lunch then to Aleyeska Prince Lodge overnight and finished in Seward. You will be given 2 set of luggage tags - one - stay on the bus which follows you from site to site and the other is bags that are taken to your room each night and collected in the morning. NO meals included. We had Cissy as our TG and Mike the Bus Driver - and they MADE the trip - Both were fantastic and we tipped both for a great job.

 

We were going to do cabin Night dinner theater in Denali - sold out before we even could book it as well the Husky tour - but we were pretty tired so we said - fine. We did dinner at the Aleyska Prince 7 Glaciers - Expensive but worth every penny and then took a hotel shuttle to Girdwood for breakfast.

 

There was a cute "Goldmine exhibit" at Mckinley Lodge free but we decided to save the bucks for the port tours.

 

Dinner at TAL was excellent and not outrageous. For dinner in Anchorage if you are going there - either ORSO or Glacier Brew House

[Kathie44]

We did the tour before the cruise 8/03), but I would think the precedure is the same. There should be cruiseline reps with signs to direct you to the bus. Not sure if your bags would be taken directly to bus. You will probably have to pick them up in the terminal and take them to the bus.

Your brochure will tell you what is included re: tours and food.

The Talkeetna Lodge is beautiful, as is the surrounding area. This is the best place to see Mt. McKinley. We could see it clearly out our Lodge window.

While in Talkeetna we did some hiking around the Lodge, our friends took a plane ride to a glacier and were able to get out and walk around.

We walked around the town the afternoon we arrived and felt like we were on the set of Northern Exposure, looking for a moose walking in the street. It's a quaint, funky little town. We ate lunch at the Roadhouse and dinner at Cafe Michele. No meals were included on our land tour and the food was pricey everywhere. There is a free shuttle from the Lodge to the town.

We took the glass-domed train from Anchorage to Talkeetna to Denali, but a motorcoach to Fairbanks.

We were on our own in Talkeetna--no tours included, but there were excursions you could book. In Denali we went on the 8 hr. Wildlife Quest 69 mi. into the interior of the park (Included). In the morning we ate breakfast in the village before hiking near the Visitors Center. Free shuttles were always available. Shopping was good since it was August and they were clearing out inventories before closing in early Sept.

In Fairbanks we had two tours included in the package. We spent the afternoon on the Riverboat Discovery with several attractions, including a reconstructed Indian village. The next day before flying back to Anchorage for the ride to Seward, we had a quick trip to the pipeline.

Our tour guide, Garrett Werner, grew up in Alaska. His parents moved to Hawaii and he spends winters with them, summers guiding cruisers. He was knowledgeable, funny and very helpful. Other people conducted the included tours.

The accomodations were first class and the food was good, but for the most part $$$.

You will love Alaska!

[Squirrel's Mom]

We did a pre-cruise tour in August and absolutely loved it. From the time we arrived in Anchorage, Celebrity did a fabulous job at handling our luggage. They pulled it from the baggage belt and loaded it onto the bus to the hotel. Then we got the tags for the bags that should go to the room every night and those that stay with the bus. Was a breeze! And at every stop our luggage was waiting in our room for us.

 

What I particularly liked about Celebrity's cruise tour (unlike Princess) was that you were assigned a particular guide and bus driver who stayed with you throughout the tour. That gave you an opportunity to get to know those persons and made for a much more personable experience. We had Jesse who was born in Alaska and raised in neighboring Canada. He was great! Very accessible and personable. Absolutely made our cruisetour experience for us. Our bus driver was Ivy who was also a charming young woman.

 

The Talkeetna lodge was probably my favorite stop but Grande Denali Lodge would be a very close second. Also thought the bedding at the Marriott in Anchorage was the best I've ever had in any hotel ever. The Sophie Station lodging was impressive too as it was actually a full suite with kitchen, living room, and bedroom.

 

Yes, food in Alaska is expensive but not much more than in major metropolitan cities. We thought the food on the Wilderness Express train was exceptionally good (and reasonably priced). Their reindeer sausage was very tasty! The Talkeetna lodge had probably the best hash browned potatoes I have ever tasted anywhere (an infusion of bacon). And the Grande Denali had exceptional beef. We also did the Cabin Night thing which was a bit campy but much fun. If you get a chance to be in Fairbanks, you might want to check out the Pump House for dinner. It's along the banks of the river and you see it from the Riverboat. Short cab ride from downtown and probably the best meal we had in Alaska! But it is pricey.

 

You never really feel like you are traveling with a herd of people. Since you are assigned the same bus (which follows the train when necessary), you are always with the same small group of people. We had 43 on our bus and it was nice as there was lots of room to spread out.

 

Don't remember much free time on the tour as we took excursions at most ports -- speedboat ride, huskies, Cabin night. Actually, ended up cancelling a second Salmon bake to try the Pumphouse. What was left we usually spent with our new best friends at some watering hole enjoying Moosetinis and / or shopping or just sitting in front of the fireplace enjoying the views of the mountain.

 

You'll love Alaska. Been there three times and can't wait to go back!!

 

Hope you have a great cruisetour!

[wlfarm]

Thank you for the great info!

[Clamett]

Stop by the ranger station in Talkeetna. On the evening we were there the ranger gave a talk about how climbing equipment had changed over the years. You can also see a chart that shows how many climbers are on the mountain. What a great town. We're dissappointed though. Found out we are going to miss the moose drop festival by one week this summer.

[greydog]

After a 5-day CT with Celebrity ANC to Fairbanks, my strongest recommendation is to pick a tour with stops you want but that maximizes use of the train sceni-cars for transport. Train has seats like 1st class air -big wide leather seats, full-serve dining on lower level, bar service, full size restrooms. :D Busses get old fast, espec with rest stops at gift shops where you get to stand in lines for porta-lets.:eek:

[Squirrel's Mom]

I'm trying to remeber stops for shopping or "rest stops" on the bus portion (from Denali to Fairbanks) and I don't remember any. We did stop twice -- once when the Mountain came out behind us (for a fabulous photo op) and once again for a scenic overlook coming into Fairbanks. In neither case was there a portapotty in sight or any shopping opportunity. At a scheduled stop at the pipeline there were some potties but no lines.

 

Instead our bus had on board facilities that were well kept and well used (especially by my husband who never passes up a cup of coffee!).

 

Now the trip into Denali on the park service buses was a different experience altogether! These are just old school buses and it seemed we never passed any opportunity to stop at any potty. And there were usually at least four to six other buses stopped at the same time. After six hours of looking for the elusive wildlife (bears and caribou but no moose) and for the mountain that wasn't there that day, I was more than ready to sit on something padded again -- that was something other than my own natural and ample padding!

 

A note on "shopping". If souvenirs are a big priority for you, you'll need to fit this into your own time. Unlike tours from ship which often have shopping time built into them (mandatory stops at jewelry establishments especially in Mexico) there really wasn't any time for "organized" shopping -- maybe fifteen minutes at the end of the Riverboat trip. Shop fast! (Both the Talkeetna and Grande Denali lodges had very lovely gift shops with unique offerings many of which were Alaskan made. Also on Saturday, Sunday and Mondays, there is a local craft market behind the "art gallery" in beautiful downtown Talkeetna where local artists offer their handmade soaps, ceramics, ornaments, baskets and more in open air style. Still regret not buying the mugs I saw there and by passed because I thought I'd find something later. Never saw anything comparable again. (Another reason to go back!).