Back from CruiseTour#18 and Veendam

[NeilFan]

We had an awesome trip, beginning with Tour Director Amy and the numerous driver/guides that offered so much good information and many laughs. Our tour group was a lively one and we formed many new friendships. Everything ran smooth and we didn't do much waiting for stragglers. We were lucky enough to see Mt McKinley from Fairbanks on the 12th, but by the time we got to Denali Park and on the TWT the next day the clouds had taken over. Saw numerous grizzly bear and cubs during the tour, some caribou, red fox, wolf, ptarmigan, dall sheep.....but no moose. Had seen a cow and calf close-up earlier in the week near Fairbanks.

 

Had a great time on the McKinley Explorer sampling the fancy drinks and food in the dining car was excellent!

 

Tour #18 includes the Kenai Fjords Tour. Weather was a little rough going out but the sun blessed us from time to time. Sea lions were the highlight of this excursion. Boarding the Veendam in Seward was a breeze. We were a little windblown after our Kenai Fjords tour so our boarding pics were pretty rugged.

 

We didn't realize the dining room was open because of the embarkation barbecue that was going on on the Lido deck. The next night our dining room server wondered where we were the night before. I think they expect to be told when the fixed tables aren't going to be used. One night our table of four wanted another couple to join us for dinner and the matre dei was able to accommodate at the last minute. I wouldn't want to make this request very often, however.

 

Took in about 3 showroom productions which were very high quality, and a few daytime events--Trivia, Bingo, Life on a Cruise Ship, and 2 Microsoft seminars. Enjoyed them all except Bingo....not lucky I guess. ;) The balcony of the Showroom at Sea is not real visually friendly. And we agree with other posters that the seating is not made for "lounging".

 

Haines -- walked around town and Fort Seward, then picked up a rental car and drove to Chilkoot Lake. Along the way we saw a flock of diving birds that we thought were puffins. They were so cute the way they dive all in sequence and pop up again the same way. Does anyone know what these birds are? Then we saw two bear along the creek...one was pulling out a salmon. Also, an eagle flew over us very low and I got a great picture of that! Chilkoot Lake is beautiful. Also drove to mile 33 along the Haines Highway. It had started misting so the scenery wasn't quite as spectacular there, but still an interesting drive. Next stop was the Haines Brewery....cute little setting! All in all, a great day!!

 

Juneau -- H&M morning excursion then a few minutes at Mendenhall. Saw bear there in the trees. Beautiful glacier. Rest of the day was walking around town. One of our party did the Mt Roberts Tramway and then we hit the Red Dog Saloon. Fun place!

 

Ketchikan -- docked at 2 pm, and it was a rainy day. Walked around town and Creek Street. Didn't do any outside excursions.

 

Some members of tour group #18 met in the Crows Nest Saturday night for a little farewell. It was fun exchanging stories and emails.

 

Silent disembarkation went smooth...spent a little time in line waiting for a transfer bus for the Fairmont Waterfront but were on the bus in an hour from disembarkation. The bus transfer included a 3-hour tour of Vancouver. We happened upon a dedication of a new totem at Stanley Park which was interesting. Since it was a sunny day we enjoyed walking around the waterfront and downtown and enjoying this beautiful city. This post-cruise night was definiely worth the special promotion price.

 

Early morning transfer to airport and flights were uneventful.

 

Can't wait to get into the pictures and see how they turned out!!!

 

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[vbmom87]

So happy to hear you had a great cruise and land tour. Would you mind expanding on the land tour a bit?

[NeilFan]

Here's a day by day synopsis:

 

We flew into Fairbanks on Sunday, Aug 9 -- a day earlier than the start of the tour. This is recommended by many people to avoid panic at flight delays and also to rest up a bit before the tour begins. We booked our own pre-tour room at the Westmark and they said they would let us stay in the same room after the tour checked in. Our direct flight from Minneapolis arrived at 5:45 pm, we picked up a Dollar rental car, checked in at the Westmark and walked around a while to find a place for supper....this was Sunday and it looked like things were pretty well shut down for the day. Found a little place called Iris which had pretty good food but we were shocked at the prices.

 

Monday, Aug 10 -- Drove to North Pole and looked around their Christmas shop a while, then had breakfast across the highway at a Family Restaurant. Excellent food for the money and very friendly. On to Chena Hot Springs where we soaked in the rock pool a while...good for the aching bones! Stopped at the pipeline and did general sightseeing.

 

After returning the car, we got our HAL transfer to the hotel and checked in with tour director. Supper at Gambordella's Pasta Bella.

 

Tuesday, Aug 11 -- Early morning coach tour around Fairbanks and did the Riverboat Discovery. Very enjoyable. Lunch at Gold Dredge #8 was delicious! The Gold Mine tour was OK and panning was a lot of work for a few flakes!! But all interesting and part of the history.

 

Wednesday, Aug 12 -- Coach transfer to McKinley Explorer rail. This is where we got our first view of Mt McKinley -- around 200 miles away! Enjoyed the dining car and Moose Kisses (a chocolate/coffee adult beverage). More glimpses of Mt McKinley and saw some moose, beaver, from the rails. A HAL rep will go through the car and see if anyone wants to book an excursion. We booked a helicopter ride. Room keys are passed out before arrival in Denali and transfer to McKinley Chalet cabins by motorcoach.

Had a quick lunch and the shuttle for helicoptor picked us up. The views were amazing; however, it was a "bumpy" day and lunch didn't set real well. The flight after ours was cancelled due to conditions, so I didn't feel so bad! Supper at McKinley Chalet buffet was very good.

 

Thursday, Aug 13 -- 8:00 a.m. pickup for Tundra Wilderness Tour. We had ordered a box lunch to split because people said the lunch provided is not enough. Wrong! The TWT box lunch provided would have been plenty for us. We didn't have time to eat everything we had along. Guess it's a personal preferance. Enjoyed the TWT very much because of our driver/guide Marsha who was full of great information. After the tour got back we walked to supper at Salmon Bake.

 

Friday, Aug 14 -- Breakfast at Salmon Bake, then shuttled to Denali Visitor Center. Train station is across street and we had to wait a while for it to arrive. Boarded around 1 pm and got to Anchorage Westmark about 8 p.m. Great rooms with balconies! We had an early supper on the train because it was my birthday! A drizzly day so scenery wasn't as spectacular without sunshine.

 

Saturday, Aug 15 -- Motorcoach transfer to Seward beginning at 12:00 noon. Stopped at a little gift shop/cafeteria near Portage Glacier for lunch. Also stopped to see the salmon run and view Portage Glacier from a distance. Got to Seward Windsong Lodge around 5:00 pm. Hopped shuttle to town, walked in the rain, and ate some great halibut sandwiches at Chinooks on the waterfront.

 

Sunday, Aug 16 -- Bags were to be out and ready by 6 am which is SOP. Everything else goes with you to the Kenai Fjords Tour. It's an interesting 6 hours with beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife viewing. After the tour, the coach takes you to the cruise ship terminal where you check in for your cruise. Not crowded and easy to maneuver.

 

All in all, we were very impressed with the HAL operations. Except for the train delay everything went very smooth. Loved not having to check in or out at hotels! The narrative given by the drivers is priceless...unless you're a real history buff or biologist this type of information would not be available on a do-it-yourself tour.

 

Hope this helps -- I'll be glad to answer any specific questions you have.

[vbmom87]

Just what I was looking for. Thanks so much. I am sure it will help those who are trying to decide if they want to go independent of book a cruise tour. Your tour included two things that many do not: The 6 hour Kenai Fjord tour and the Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali. Sounds like you had a wonderful time!!!

[zeb1226]

Thank you so much for your blog!!! We leave on Sep 7 on the same tour - and we are first time tour/cruisers - very excited and your positive attitude has added to it:-)) Thanks for all the good info!!

[dulcetto]

Here's a day by day synopsis:

 

We flew into Fairbanks on Sunday, Aug 9 -- a day earlier than the start of the tour. This is recommended by many people to avoid panic at flight delays and also to rest up a bit before the tour begins. We booked our own pre-tour room at the Westmark and they said they would let us stay in the same room after the tour checked in. Our direct flight from Minneapolis arrived at 5:45 pm, we picked up a Dollar rental car, checked in at the Westmark and walked around a while to find a place for supper....this was Sunday and it looked like things were pretty well shut down for the day. Found a little place called Iris which had pretty good food but we were shocked at the prices.

 

Monday, Aug 10 -- Drove to North Pole and looked around their Christmas shop a while, then had breakfast across the highway at a Family Restaurant. Excellent food for the money and very friendly. On to Chena Hot Springs where we soaked in the rock pool a while...good for the aching bones! Stopped at the pipeline and did general sightseeing.

 

After returning the car, we got our HAL transfer to the hotel and checked in with tour director. Supper at Gambordella's Pasta Bella.

 

Tuesday, Aug 11 -- Early morning coach tour around Fairbanks and did the Riverboat Discovery. Very enjoyable. Lunch at Gold Dredge #8 was delicious! The Gold Mine tour was OK and panning was a lot of work for a few flakes!! But all interesting and part of the history.

 

Wednesday, Aug 12 -- Coach transfer to McKinley Explorer rail. This is where we got our first view of Mt McKinley -- around 200 miles away! Enjoyed the dining car and Moose Kisses (a chocolate/coffee adult beverage). More glimpses of Mt McKinley and saw some moose, beaver, from the rails. A HAL rep will go through the car and see if anyone wants to book an excursion. We booked a helicopter ride. Room keys are passed out before arrival in Denali and transfer to McKinley Chalet cabins by motorcoach.

Had a quick lunch and the shuttle for helicoptor picked us up. The views were amazing; however, it was a "bumpy" day and lunch didn't set real well. The flight after ours was cancelled due to conditions, so I didn't feel so bad! Supper at McKinley Chalet buffet was very good.

 

Thursday, Aug 13 -- 8:00 a.m. pickup for Tundra Wilderness Tour. We had ordered a box lunch to split because people said the lunch provided is not enough. Wrong! The TWT box lunch provided would have been plenty for us. We didn't have time to eat everything we had along. Guess it's a personal preferance. Enjoyed the TWT very much because of our driver/guide Marsha who was full of great information. After the tour got back we walked to supper at Salmon Bake.

 

Friday, Aug 14 -- Breakfast at Salmon Bake, then shuttled to Denali Visitor Center. Train station is across street and we had to wait a while for it to arrive. Boarded around 1 pm and got to Anchorage Westmark about 8 p.m. Great rooms with balconies! We had an early supper on the train because it was my birthday! A drizzly day so scenery wasn't as spectacular without sunshine.

 

Saturday, Aug 15 -- Motorcoach transfer to Seward beginning at 12:00 noon. Stopped at a little gift shop/cafeteria near Portage Glacier for lunch. Also stopped to see the salmon run and view Portage Glacier from a distance. Got to Seward Windsong Lodge around 5:00 pm. Hopped shuttle to town, walked in the rain, and ate some great halibut sandwiches at Chinooks on the waterfront.

 

Sunday, Aug 16 -- Bags were to be out and ready by 6 am which is SOP. Everything else goes with you to the Kenai Fjords Tour. It's an interesting 6 hours with beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife viewing. After the tour, the coach takes you to the cruise ship terminal where you check in for your cruise. Not crowded and easy to maneuver.

 

All in all, we were very impressed with the HAL operations. Except for the train delay everything went very smooth. Loved not having to check in or out at hotels! The narrative given by the drivers is priceless...unless you're a real history buff or biologist this type of information would not be available on a do-it-yourself tour.

 

Hope this helps -- I'll be glad to answer any specific questions you have.

Hi

 

 

Sounds like you had a great time we are going on the 28 tour,quick question whats the position with the guides etc on the coach and Kenai Fjord Boat with regard to tipping.

[agabbymama]

The recommendation for the tour guide should be in your paperwork, but I think it was $3.50 per person, per day in Aug '07. As on the ship, if you feel your tour guide was great you can raise that amount. If you feel they did soso, lower it. That is totally up to you, and they discretely accept whatever you hand them as you leave the coach, with a polite Thank You.

Don't forget the driver, I think his recommended was $2.00 pp per day.

 

Can't help you with Kenai Fjord Boat trip. I didn't do any side trips like that.