Rate the Princess Hotels please? How good or bad are they?

[Jimbo]

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Have looked at Tripadvisor but reviews are all over the place.

 

I Trust CruiseCritic Community more.

 

Jimbo:)

[Yukon]

Have looked at Tripadvisor but reviews are all over the place.

 

If you've looked at the ship reviews here you'll find the same thing. Princess lodges are very nice - they also put a LOT of people through in short stays and that always cause occasional issues. I've been very happy with my half-dozen stays at Denali and McKinley. At Denali, the property has been developed in several stages over 20 years and the oldest rooms are nothing like the newest rooms - that explains some of the huge variation in opinions about that property.

[PennyAgain]

If you are going in 2009, many of the hotels have end of the season issues with wear and tear and worn out employees. That said, Princess properties are a cut above most of the others.

[greatam]

The Kenai Princess is a lovely lodge. However, you are captured in "Princessland" unless you have a car. It is a 2 mile walk EACH WAY off the property, across the river/road to civilization (and a really good breakfast-Sunrise Inn).

 

Princess is NOT allowing private guides on their property, so any excursions you want to take will have to be booked through Princess for a premium.

 

While I have only been to the McKinley Princess once and it was 8 years ago, again, another "captured in Princessland" lodge.

 

Without a car, staying in Princess lodges (other than Denali) costs you a LOT more money. Food, excursions, transport-all must be done through Princess at a premium price.

 

Look elsewhere unless you have a car.

[Yukon]

Look elsewhere unless you have a car.

 

I know you meant "Look elsewhere unless you DON'T have a car." Having a car gives you much better options.

[Jimbo]

So how would we get from the lodge in Kenai to an excursion Kenai Fjords National Park Tour(Cruise) How far from the hotel and what are our options of getting there? Cost?

 

Jimbo:)

[greatam]

So how would we get from the lodge in Kenai to an excursion Kenai Fjords National Park Tour(Cruise) How far from the hotel and what are our options of getting there? Cost?

 

Jimbo:)

 

If you DON'T have a car, you are forced to book through Princess, using their transportation. I think it was about $190pp this summer for the Kenai Fjord cruise from the Kenai Princess booked through Princess. You CANNOT use the 2 for 1 coupons with Princess. It is about 40 miles-about an hour drive. Booked independently AND with a car, you save quite a bit. Even full price for the same tour saves $50pp. But there are 2 for 1 coupons (toursaver), bonus coupons, extras added booking directly with the vendors. Some of the trips are now offering savings of $100 per couple AND coupons for the Sea Life Center in Seward. http://www.kenaifjords.com/

 

DON'T book a cruise tour. You will pay more (some cruise tours-CONSIDERABLY more) and will be heavily restricted in what you can and cannot do.

[PennyAgain]

If for some reason you can't rent a car, don't drive etc. then you are stuck with what Princess sells. It is an easy drive with few chances to make a mistake and go the wrong way. If you have a car you can also stop at Exit Glacier and enjoy that experience at no cost.

[Jimbo]

Just curious if there is a list of excursions with prices out there for the following lodges from Princess, are they posted somewhere to look at before we get on the tour and say *****?

 

If everything is an addtional cost how does Princess get away with charging so much more for a tour then say Holland America? How do they get away with charging so much more then other cruiselines.

 

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

[greatam]

Just curious if there is a list of excursions with prices out there for the following lodges from Princess, are they posted somewhere to look at before we get on the tour and say *****?

 

If everything is an addtional cost how does Princess get away with charging so much more for a tour then say Holland America? How do they get away with charging so much more then other cruiselines.

 

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge

 

Go to each individual lodge website. There is a list of excursions posted with prices for each lodge. http://www.princesslodges.com/

 

Princess charges what Princess charges and obviously people pay the money. But soooo many people have NO idea what they are getting. Between TA's pushing people into cruise tours because they basically know nothing about Alaska (plus they get additional commission) and people being intimidated to strike out on their own, cruise tours are big sellers. Most on a cruise tour never realize what they MISSED.

 

Plan on paying 30-50% MORE for excursions booked through Princess (both on the ship and at the lodges but especially at the "remote" lodges-McKinley, Kenai and Copper River).

 

Is there a reason you are booking a cruise tour???? Don't drive, mobility problems, etc???

 

You really do get to see a lot more DIY IF you can handle the planning. And you save considerable money. Use the cruise tour as a guide-you can even stay at most of the same hotels if you choose (although I would NOT stay at the Denali Princess-just toooooo much noise, confusion, etc-JMHO).

[GE Mom]

To answer the OP's question, I thought the Princess lodges were OK but certainly not luxurious. About on the level of a Fairfield Inn, e.g. plastic glasses, inexpensive beds, low end commercial carpet, cheap construction, etc. I didn't mind staying in such a property but we probably were paying a lot for what we got. The people were nice, the locations were nice. I agree about being trapped in Princessland -- it was hard to get to any restaurants other than theirs.

 

Denali was, as mentioned, constructed in stages and the older rooms were a lot less nice than the newer ones. McKinley was the least nice. Due to its super remote location, it's off the electrical grid and so all the power is generated on site with diesel generators. No air conditioning (and I know, it's a hoot to complain about lack of AC in Alaska but we happened to hit a relative heat wave).

[negc]

Just curious if there is a list of excursions with prices out there for the following lodges from Princess, are they posted somewhere to look at before we get on the tour and say *****?

 

If everything is an addtional cost how does Princess get away with charging so much more for a tour then say Holland America? How do they get away with charging so much more then other cruiselines.

 

They "get away" with it because people are willing to pay it. Princess, overall, seems to have a very good reputation in Alaska and they benefit from that reputation when people justify the extra cost by citing that reputation. Perception sometimes is everything and HAL may charge less in order to attract guests who otherwise would not book with them because of the perception that HAL cruisers, especially in Alaska, are primary old and/or infirm.

[Jimbo]

Go to each individual lodge website. There is a list of excursions posted with prices for each lodge. http://www.princesslodges.com/

 

Princess charges what Princess charges and obviously people pay the money. But soooo many people have NO idea what they are getting. Between TA's pushing people into cruise tours because they basically know nothing about Alaska (plus they get additional commission) and people being intimidated to strike out on their own, cruise tours are big sellers. Most on a cruise tour never realize what they MISSED.

 

Plan on paying 30-50% MORE for excursions booked through Princess (both on the ship and at the lodges but especially at the "remote" lodges-McKinley, Kenai and Copper River).

 

Is there a reason you are booking a cruise tour???? Don't drive, mobility problems, etc???

 

You really do get to see a lot more DIY IF you can handle the planning. And you save considerable money. Use the cruise tour as a guide-you can even stay at most of the same hotels if you choose (although I would NOT stay at the Denali Princess-just toooooo much noise, confusion, etc-JMHO).

 

No real reason why a cruise tour. No driving or mobility issues of any kind. It's just our first time to Alaska and lack of information at this time of how to do it on our own.

 

Just need a good tour director/planner to set things up?

 

What we want is to arrive in Fairbanks, most likely late at night the first night due to the available air flights, so we will need a hotel for 2 nights there.

 

We want a least 1 train ride to or from Denali, also a hotel or resort or BB for 2 nights there.

 

Would like to see the town of Talkeetna.

 

Stay maybe 2 nights at Hotel Alyeska

 

2 nights at KENAI PRINCESS WILDERNESS LODGE so we can do the Kenai Fjord cruise

 

Then end up in Whittier to board our cruise ship.

 

I have no idea how we would get from place to place or what is the best order. I don't see how we can rent a car for the whole time and still get in a train ride to or from Denali

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

Jimbo:)

[ellbon]

No real reason why a cruise tour. No driving or mobility issues of any kind. It's just our first time to Alaska and lack of information at this time of how to do it on our own.

 

Just need a good tour director/planner to set things up? i would use AAA or buy a book from B&N.

 

What we want is to arrive in Fairbanks, most likely late at night the first night due to the available air flights, so we will need a hotel for 2 nights there. fairbanks has the riverbaot ride and flying over Artic circle. you could skip the whole thing and jsut spend a night in Anch and drive to Denali.,

 

We want a least 1 train ride to or from Denali, also a hotel or resort or BB for 2 nights there. get a train from denali to ship but it is a 10 hour day or train from Anch ot denali- not sure about car rentals ther but you can in Ac

 

Would like to see the town of Talkeetna. love talkeetna... 3 hours is enough even with lunch- maybe 4 of you shop a lot

 

Stay maybe 2 nights at Hotel Alyeska one night and one in Seward- exit galcier and baots rides.

 

2 nights at KENAI PRINCESS WILDERNESS LODGE so we can do the Kenai Fjord cruise do that from seward-stay at the windsong hotel, boats goes form small boat harbor. you do ont need to stay in the boonies stay in Seward. more to do and see.

 

Then end up in Whittier to board our cruise ship. you can drive from seward or Anch

 

I have no idea how we would get from place to place or what is the best order. I don't see how we can rent a car for the whole time and still get in a train ride to or from Denali

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

Jimbo:)

 

being mean here give up the train or drive to anch and take train to ship. a good boo kwould help a lot.

[DBMiller]

We just got back from a Princess Cruisetour, and stayed at the Denali and McKinley lodges. Both lodges were very nice, clean but nothing fancy. This was our first trip to Alaska, and we liked the idea of someone else worrying about our luggage and transportation. Next time, we'll probably do the land portion on our own, but we don't regret doing the Cruisetour. I'm sure it saved us a lot of stress.

 

Denali is in a developed area, across the street from a strip of touristy stores and a variety of other hotels and lodges. Prices in the restaurants are high, but not outrageous. You can walk across the street to eat at Subway, a hot dog shop, etc. There are also a few places to book tours there. For me, the whole area was just too crowded. I prefer something a little more secluded.

 

For that reason, I loved the McKinley lodge. It's about 40 miles from anything, sitting on a mountain with views of Mt. McKinley. Prices here were slightly lower than those at Denali, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. You can take a bus into Talkeetna (I think the charge was $10; free on your day of departure) where you can book tours on your own. Some people complained that there was nothing to do, but there are some good hiking trails. Personally, I think the idea of sitting still and enjoying the beauty that is Alaska isn't such a bad idea. :-)

[greatam]

No real reason why a cruise tour. No driving or mobility issues of any kind. It's just our first time to Alaska and lack of information at this time of how to do it on our own.

 

Just need a good tour director/planner to set things up?

 

What we want is to arrive in Fairbanks, most likely late at night the first night due to the available air flights, so we will need a hotel for 2 nights there.

 

We want a least 1 train ride to or from Denali, also a hotel or resort or BB for 2 nights there.

 

Would like to see the town of Talkeetna.

 

Stay maybe 2 nights at Hotel Alyeska

 

2 nights at KENAI PRINCESS WILDERNESS LODGE so we can do the Kenai Fjord cruise

 

Then end up in Whittier to board our cruise ship.

 

I have no idea how we would get from place to place or what is the best order. I don't see how we can rent a car for the whole time and still get in a train ride to or from Denali

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

Jimbo:)

 

Drop me an email-greatam.az@gmail.com. I have been doing some itinerary planning for cruisers.

 

I am currently in Afghanistan on business, so don't expect an immediate reply. I only have internet access generally at night (it is about 8:30PM here now). So will try to reply ASAP.

[the2006Junket]

Jimbo,

 

Though we sailed with Royal Caribbean, we stayed at the Kenai Princess hotel for one night because I got a great rate ($139, I think) making it alot cheaper than alternatives in Seward. Also, we wanted to go river Salmon fishing and this hotel sits right on the Kenai River in Coopers Landing.

 

We took the train to Seward, rented a car from Hertz and drove up to the hotel (45 min very scenic ride). There is not much to do around this hotel -- except hike local trails and fish or raft on the Kenai, which I highly recommend. The river is beautiful -- an unusual turquoise color!

My husband and 3 boys loved fishing for trout and sockeye salmon and caught alot of salmon!

 

After one night, we moved to the Bear Paw Lodge in Seward for one night before we cruised.

 

Happy planning!

 

Lynne

[Jeff in Torrance]

I agree totally with DBMiller. We did a cruise tour in mid-May, from Vancouver to Whittier, and then by train to Fairbanks. Everything was very nice. Since we were on the first or second week of land touring the staff were still fresh; and, the lodges were not yet too crowded. The restaurant food quality was good and prices were reasonable. We had a couple of meals in glitter gulch at Denali; but, I thought things were better at the Princess Lodge restaurants. We got our cruise/tour at a VERY good price, and also received a cabin upgrade on the cruise from interior to balcony. We had a very wonderful experience.

[Jimbo]

I agree totally with DBMiller. We did a cruise tour in mid-May, from Vancouver to Whittier, and then by train to Fairbanks. Everything was very nice. Since we were on the first or second week of land touring the staff were still fresh; and, the lodges were not yet too crowded. The restaurant food quality was good and prices were reasonable. We had a couple of meals in glitter gulch at Denali; but, I thought things were better at the Princess Lodge restaurants. We got our cruise/tour at a VERY good price, and also received a cabin upgrade on the cruise from interior to balcony. We had a very wonderful experience.

 

Did you book through a Travel agency or directly with the cruiseline?

 

Jimbo:)

[Jeff in Torrance]

Did you book through a Travel agency or directly with the cruiseline?_

 

I think we went directly through Princess on this one. My lady friend did the actual signup. However, we often use a TA. I think that this one was a probably an email special deal that we received for being previous cruisers with Princess. We booked for an interior cabin, but were upgraded to balcony. We didn't know we were upgraded until boarding the ship. We also arranged air travel and transfers with Princess this time, which we don't normally do. The cruise/tour cost was just about $800 per person; and, the r/t air travel from Los Angeles to Vancouver, returning Fairbanks to Los Angeles was about $900, or maybe a little less.

[Jimbo]

Maybe the combination of booking the cruise tour and air through Princess got you the balcony upgrade, also since you went early in the season might have been more then a few empty cabins.

 

We are also going in May next year, doing the tour on our own I think, their prices are really high for hardly any excursions included on their cruise tours.

 

Jimbo:)

[vbmom87]

We are also going in May next year, doing the tour on our own I think.

 

Jimbo:)

 

Pick your time in May carefully if you are planning on visiting Denali as part of your land tour. Remember the road into Denali is not typically open all the way until June 8.

 

Here is the link to the Denali NP schedule for 2009.

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/upload/2009%20ADVANCE%20RESERVATION%20SHUTTLE%20SCHEDULE.pdf

[Jimbo]

Pick your time in May carefully if you are planning on visiting Denali as part of your land tour. Remember the road into Denali is not typically open all the way until June 8.

 

Here is the link to the Denali NP schedule for 2009.

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/upload/2009%20ADVANCE%20RESERVATION%20SHUTTLE%20SCHEDULE.pdf

 

Thanks for the headsup.....we will be there in the last week of May, I believe we were only going to go as far as Toklat anyway. The most we would even considering going is the 66 mile marker if conditions would allow it.

 

School Bus :eek:

 

 

 

Jimbo:)

[cruzzers]

We just got back last week from a 7 day cruise from Vancouver to Whittier and then we were taken by cataraman to Valdez. In Valdez, we were taken by coach to Copper River Princess Lodge. Copper Princess is in the middle of a beautiful National Park (Wrangall St Elias National Park) There is nothing much to do here except enjoy the scenery or visit and hike the park. Very beautiful lodge and wonder park. After 2 nights in Copper, we bussed up the Deanli Highway (never do that again...very rough and long trip by bus) Stayed 2 more nights at the Beautiful Denali Princess Lodge. You will love this place. We had a beautiful room and there was pleanty to do here. The Denali National Park is not to be missed if you go to Alaska. Take an all day bus into the park and you can see plenty of amazing wild life. Best day of the trip!

After Denali we took the train up to Fairbanks. The Princess Fairbanks lodge is just so so. I would say it is better than most hotels, and we are glad we went by train to see the scenery but would not do again. We left by train and went all the way to McKinnley Lodge to see more amazing and beautiful scenery. McKinnley is in the middle of the Denali National Park and is very nice. It wasn't my favorite place but we took the hour shuttle by bus to visit Talkeetna and had a really good time. We took the Park connection bus back to anchorage and flew home after 8 wonderful days of land tours.