Just got back...

[NYNY10022]

We just got back from a week on land, followed by a week of cruising on the Radiance of the Seas. The entire trip was fabulous, but two things I would HIGHLY recommend: The Bering Sea Fisherman Tour aboard the Aluetian Ballad (Sp?) and the helicopter / glacier dog sledding from Godwin's Dog Sledding Tours in Seward.

 

I have to admit, the fisherman's tour was not my decision. My husband loves "The Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel, and we had to do it. But,. I am sure glad we did. The entire thing was pretty cool, but if you want to see eagles, THIS is your tour. They will take you, by boat, to this special area, and throw herring into the water. Hundreds upon hundreds of eagles swarmed the boat and the water picking up the fish. I felt like I was feeding the pigeons in Central Park. It was the most unbelievable thing I have ever experienced. Do not miss it, even if you hate fish.

 

The heli / glacier / dog sledding WAS my choice. And I must admit, the actual dog sledding part made me feel guilty. I felt bad for the dogs. Don't get me wrong, they were by no means mistreated, in any way what-so-ever. It was explained to us that early in the season, it takes a few weeks to get in shape. Plus, they are still figuring out which dogs work well together. So it was a little slow going. BUT, the helicopter ride and being on a glacier was well worth the money. In fact, we also did a flight around Mt. McKinley a few days earlier, and the helicopter ride blew it away!

 

So there you have it, my two best recommendations. We did plenty of other things we enjoyed as well. So if anybody has any questions, feel free to ask!

[Sumy]

If you don't mind me asking...what's the average price for Godwin's Dog Sledding Tour in Seward???

[mdeane]

Thanks for the information on your tours. We are doing the Godwin heli/sledding tour in Seward in July. I am looking forward to it as we love the dogs. Hope we will get to interact with the pups some also. Did you get to spend any time on the glacier? Thanks

[NYNY10022]

If you don't mind me asking...what's the average price for Godwin's Dog Sledding Tour in Seward???

 

 

 

I'll have to double check with my husband,m but I think it was $430 per person.

[NYNY10022]

Thanks for the information on your tours. We are doing the Godwin heli/sledding tour in Seward in July. I am looking forward to it as we love the dogs. Hope we will get to interact with the pups some also. Did you get to spend any time on the glacier? Thanks

 

You will definitely get to interact with the dogs. In fact, they appreciate it, especially after the sled ride. It's nice to thank the dogs. I think if you go a bit later in the day, when there are no tours directly after you, you might get to spend more time there, as we did. They told us to take our time since there was nobody waiting behind us. Afterwards they brought out a couple of little pups for us to play with. Adorable!

[Sumy]

Cool....thank you

[lollypopj]

What was the wind like up there?

Did you need a hooded coat?

Sunny most days?

[bigal115]

What was the wind like up there?

Did you need a hooded coat?

Sunny most days?

 

It was $415 pp ....the wind wasn't too bad at all... I would def dress warm, in layers. You can always remove layers. You def need gloves and sunglasses. They will provide boots if you do not have boots that cover your ankles... they were still setting up when we got there and it stiill went very smoothly.... great experience.

[NYNY10022]

What was the wind like up there?

Did you need a hooded coat?

Sunny most days?

 

 

The glacier was only 7 degrees colder than on land in Seward. It was really not cold at all. You do need boots because the snow can be kind of deep.

 

The only rain we had was for a short while in Denali, in the morning in Vancouver and in Ketchikan, where they apprently get a ridiculous amount of "liquid sunshine".

 

Most days I wore kakhis and a denim jacket or light raincoat. For the glacier, whale watching and the crab fisherman boat, I needed a heavier jacket, so I bought a fleece for $20 (and it's cute, too!)

[Campbell soup]

We are going on the 12 day (#12) tour cruise that includes Denali, Talkeetna, and Fairbanks. My biggest concern is the food expenses on the tour part. Were any meals included? Where there many restaurants at each stop? How much were meals? B? L? D? What about on the bus and train? Did you wish you brought some food from home (like peanut butter) for the train or bus ride? How were the distances between places? Did you have to be in line very early to get a good seat on the train or bus? Were they assigned? More questions later. Big storm hitting and I am shutting down my computer. Thanks, Karen

[Budget Queen]

We are going on the 12 day (#12) tour cruise that includes Denali, Talkeetna, and Fairbanks. My biggest concern is the food expenses on the tour part. Were any meals included? Where there many restaurants at each stop? How much were meals? B? L? D? What about on the bus and train? Did you wish you brought some food from home (like peanut butter) for the train or bus ride? How were the distances between places? Did you have to be in line very early to get a good seat on the train or bus? Were they assigned? More questions later. Big storm hitting and I am shutting down my computer. Thanks, Karen

 

No food is included on the land portion, unless specifically mentioned, like Cabin Night. Otherwise, budget 50% more than you would at home.

[NYNY10022]

We are going on the 12 day (#12) tour cruise that includes Denali, Talkeetna, and Fairbanks. My biggest concern is the food expenses on the tour part. Were any meals included? Where there many restaurants at each stop? How much were meals? B? L? D? What about on the bus and train? Did you wish you brought some food from home (like peanut butter) for the train or bus ride? How were the distances between places? Did you have to be in line very early to get a good seat on the train or bus? Were they assigned? More questions later. Big storm hitting and I am shutting down my computer. Thanks, Karen

 

We didn't do a tour to Denali, we did it on our own. So we ate at a couple of restaurants in the area. The restaurant at the Denali Princess was pretty good. We also got some burritos at a burrito shack acrosse the street, which were REALLY good, and cheap. We ate one meal at the Salmon Bake - I can't really recommend it, but it wasn't the worst I have ever had. If you get the chance, go to the Crow's Nest - behind the Salmon Bake, if only for the view!

 

I'm not sure how it works with a tour, I think the tour companies had their own rail cars attached to the train. But, we did the first class Alaska Railroad and the seats were assigned. Also, the food was pretty good - mmmm, biscuits and gravy. The Bloody Mary's were pretty good, too!

 

The train from Anchorage to Denali was long, but lots of scenary. And we took a ton of pictures. A few days later we did Anchorage to Seward, which I thought was even prettier! There were no first class cars, but I had the same biscuits and gravy, and they were just as good! The seats were also assigned.

[Campbell soup]

Lots of good info. Thanks. Do you recall the prices of food? There will be 10 of us so any info would be helpful. Was the Burrito shack close to Denali? Were there choices if you stayed in the park? I can't picture the size of the park so everything is confusing to me. Any memory of the cost of the bisquits and gravy? Eight of our group are from the south so they will be very interested. Are the Salmon Bake and Crows Nest two restaurants? Do you have to take a shuttle to get to them? Is everything withing walking distance? Do you just walk around the trails if you don't book any excursions? We would like to find the Crows nest and the burrito place.

 

Anything else you can tell me that we could benefit from knowing? There aren't any reviews on the tour part so we are at your mercy. Did you bring any food with you from home or were the restaurants close enough and often enough to keep you satisfied? I know you weren't on a tour , but you have more info than anyone else.

Thanks, Karen

[NYNY10022]

Lots of good info. Thanks. Do you recall the prices of food? There will be 10 of us so any info would be helpful. Was the Burrito shack close to Denali? Were there choices if you stayed in the park? I can't picture the size of the park so everything is confusing to me. Any memory of the cost of the bisquits and gravy? Eight of our group are from the south so they will be very interested. Are the Salmon Bake and Crows Nest two restaurants? Do you have to take a shuttle to get to them? Is everything withing walking distance? Do you just walk around the trails if you don't book any excursions? We would like to find the Crows nest and the burrito place.

 

Anything else you can tell me that we could benefit from knowing? There aren't any reviews on the tour part so we are at your mercy. Did you bring any food with you from home or were the restaurants close enough and often enough to keep you satisfied? I know you weren't on a tour , but you have more info than anyone else.

Thanks, Karen

 

Where are you staying? We stayed at the Denali Princess Lodge, which is just outside the park. The burrito shack (everything is under $12) is right across the street. There was also a Subway right there, that also served breakfast. The Salmon Bake and Crow's Nest are also just across the street. And yes, they are both restaurants / bars. Both casual. We ate at both, and the food was just ok. I think the Salmon Bake was less expensive than the Crow's Nest, but the Crow's Nest had a much better view. Our friends ate at a pizza place right next to the hotel, and it was inexpensive. They even said the pizza was ok, which is pretty good coming from a New Yorker. Granted, it was late and they had had some cocktails. ;)

 

Oh, but I just remembered, the Salmon Bake did have a shuttle, so if you are not staying close by call them, maybe they will pick you up!

 

The biscuits and gravy, with scrambled eggs, was about $12. And very filling. You could also get oatmeal, yogurt, eggs benedict, and a few other things on the train, all about the same price or less.

 

While we were there, we went white water rafting and rode on atv's. Other than that, we walked around. And the hotel has shuttles back and forth to the park entrance.

 

We never rented a car. We took trains, planes and shuttles everywhere. Any excursions we booked, that company would pick us up. It really turned out much easier to get around than I had expected, so don't worry.

[Campbell soup]

NYNY - you are wonderful. I am feeling so much better now that I have this info. I can pass it along to the rest of my group and the thread of CCers that are travelling at that same time. If you think of anything else my email address is camp12345bell@sbcglobal.net We leave August 3 so feel free to send a message if you think of something that might help. Thank you, Karen

[Chief Paul]

Lots of good info. Thanks. Do you recall the prices of food? There will be 10 of us so any info would be helpful. Was the Burrito shack close to Denali? Were there choices if you stayed in the park? I can't picture the size of the park so everything is confusing to me. Any memory of the cost of the bisquits and gravy? Eight of our group are from the south so they will be very interested. Are the Salmon Bake and Crows Nest two restaurants? Do you have to take a shuttle to get to them? Is everything withing walking distance? Do you just walk around the trails if you don't book any excursions? We would like to find the Crows nest and the burrito place.

 

Anything else you can tell me that we could benefit from knowing? There aren't any reviews on the tour part so we are at your mercy. Did you bring any food with you from home or were the restaurants close enough and often enough to keep you satisfied? I know you weren't on a tour , but you have more info than anyone else.

Thanks, Karen

\We just returned from a Princess Cruisetour. Budget $100 per couple per day to eat at the Princess lodges. We ate a nice sit-down breakfast, "Applebees" comparable lunch, and ate bar food for dinner. There's plently of options in Denali cheaper than the lodge.

 

Train seating was assigned. Food on the train averaged $15-20pp.

 

Hope this helps

[NYNY10022]

NYNY - you are wonderful. I am feeling so much better now that I have this info. I can pass it along to the rest of my group and the thread of CCers that are travelling at that same time. If you think of anything else my email address is camp12345bell@sbcglobal.net We leave August 3 so feel free to send a message if you think of something that might help. Thank you, Karen

 

No problem! I am glad I could help. I found this board and the members very helpful while I was planning and we were able to plan our trip in just two months because of it! So I am just glad to return some of the benefit. Feel free to ask away!

[lollypopj]

Hi..

What footwear did you use at the Lodges?

In town?