8 Days in Alaska: A Trip Report (6/26-7/3/17) with a Side of Banff and Seattle * COMPLETE

acndis

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 6, 2012
Hateful 8 Days in Alaska with side trips to Seattle and Banff

Hello and Welcome to my First Trip Report! This was our 8th ABD and there was NOTHING Hateful about the trip! We loved it.

I always make up a funny name for our trips (well, they may only be funny to me but my husband has been kind). We called this one Hateful 8 Days in Alaska. We love the movie Hateful 8 so the name was born!

We started out in Seattle for pre-days and ended (with no real rhyme or reason) with 5-ish days in Banff, Alberta, Canada. It was a great trip.

As has been mentioned, the itinerary for Alaska is changing but I hope this trip report will still be helpful. Blues Traveler's report was REALLY helpful to me in planning. Our cast of characters is me, Cindy, my husband, Adam, and our son, Nick, who is nine. I will try and get my husband to upload pictures so stay tuned!
 
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Pre-Days

Pre-Day 1 Seattle

We decided to spend two pre-days in Seattle. Seattle is direct flight from Austin and we managed to get free tickets via Alaska Airlines and Citi ThankYou points. We also had two free nights at the Fairmont Olympic, a gorgeous, historic hotel about 5 blocks from Pike Place Market.

Our flight left at 6:30 am so we were up really early but we arrived in Seattle at 8:42 am grabbed our bags and an UBER and we were at the Fairmont Olympic by about 9:45 am. Our room was not ready so they offered to upgrade us to an Executive Suite so we could go ahead and get into the room. Since we are three people (me, DH, and DS 9 years), this was a great room. DS does not mind a sofa bed as long as he has his own room and TV. The executive suite was perfect!

If you are in Seattle, the Fairmont is a wonderful place to stay. It was built in 1924 and has many of the original architectural features. It also has a cool indoor pool and solarium and a great piano player in the lobby! We took advantage of all of it.

Once we had dropped our bags in the room, we headed to Cycene which was a quick stop restaurant I had heard about on EATER 38. EATER is a great resource for food if the city you are traveling to has a list. Cycene has sandwiches and bowls with grits. DS and I shared a Ham and Cheese Sandwich and DH got a bowl of grits with sausage. All was very good but it was a bit pricey. There are lots of places to eat in Pike Place Market so I am not sure we would go back but it did the trick that morning.

After breakfast, we headed to the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). DH and I had visited the museum about 10 years ago when it was called the Sci Fi Museum. We loved it then and thought DS would be a huge fan.

The museum is amazing! It is so much fun. There are many cool sections but our favorites were the Star Trek Exhibit, The Jim Henson exhibit, Sci Fi area, and Horror area. There is also Fantasy, some Music, and an Indie Gaming area. This is the place to go for your inner geek! Highly recommended.

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After the museum, we headed to the Space Needle (adjacent to the MoPOP) and had lunch at the SkyCity restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. My son was adamant about going to the top of the Space Needle. He has been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and we walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty so he was pretty excited about this.

DH and I had both been to the Space Needle before and had treated it kind of like when Chevy Chase saw the Grand Canyon in Vacation. There is a Starbucks at the top (it’s not just a joke from Austin Powers) but there’s not much else. The restaurant has had a pretty bad reputation but they have a new chef and it seemed like a fun way to allow my son to spend a little more time in the Space Needle while DH and I had comfy chairs, food, and libations.

The restaurant has a pre fixe brunch which is very pricey but it includes admission to the Space Needle ($29 per person) with private elevator and exclusive viewing area. Lunch took about an hour. Food was pretty good. Service was great and we got a tremendous view of Seattle throughout. It was a very clear day and Mt. Rainier was visible all day. If you are doing the Space Needle, I would highly recommend the SkyCity experience. It will not be the greatest meal you will have in Seattle but it was a lot of fun.

After lunch, we walked around a bit and then headed back to the hotel. We took a swim and then headed to the lobby lounge for a light supper (great poke and oysters) and enjoyed the piano. Then off to bed, we had an early morning food tour scheduled at Pike Place Market.
 
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Pre Day 2
Seattle

We were meeting at 8:30 am at the Gum Wall (google it; it is gross) to tour Pike Place Market early. PRIDE was happening that day right in front of the Fairmont and it was so fun to see everyone getting ready for the Parade. Being in Seattle during PRIDE was a great vibe. It was a lot of positive energy and people having fun. Being so close to the parade was cool!

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We started doing food tours thanks to these boards (I am looking at you Mare). We did our first in Lima and it is a great way to see the city and experience one of our favorite hobbies, FOOD! My husband and I had been to Pike Place Market before and LOVED it. However, though it is not huge, I did find it a bit overwhelming. There was so much good stuff to see/eat. I felt like I was constantly missing something! We thought the food tour would really help us find the gems and keep our son from getting bored. We booked the tour through Viator. The company was Savor Seattle and they were absolutely great! Highly recommended! We tried coffee, a biscuit, some fantastic tea, a Chinese sandwich type thing, some incredible fresh fruit, cheese, and an ice cream Sunday to die for! Our guide, Mark, is a Seattle-ite and was a great resource for everything while also being a cool guy. It made our trip to the market much more fun.

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After the tour, my husband and I wanted to hang more at the market. We shopped for books (we liked Lamplight the best) and I bought a couple of drawings. We hit a store that Mark recommended (La Buona Tavola) where you can try anything. We bought a truffle spread and caramel and chocolate sauces that were amazing.

My son was NOT feeling it at this point and we were about to lose him when my husband took him to Golden Age Collectibles. He is ready to go back to Seattle just for this store. Golden Age has collectible comics, books, and Funko Pops. My son was in heaven. He bought a comic and a Bat Man Pop. My husband and I bought two Twin Peaks Pops and we were all pretty psyched!

After market overload, we bought some more fruit to take back to the hotel and hit a sushi spot, Japonessa during Happy Hour that Mark had recommended. The sushi was good and it was a fun place.

We headed back to the hotel. PRIDE was dying down and we hit the pool and again and then were back in the lobby bar for dinner snacks.

Our flight to Anchorage did not leave until noon the next day but we got everything ready and went to bed very excited for our Adventure to begin!
 
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Oh!! You had me scared there for a minute with the title of your thread! I couldn't imagine what could have gone that wrong to make you hate the Alaska ABD!!! So glad to hear it's all tongue in cheek!

Looking forward to more!

This is one of the few ABDs I've done that I would consider doing again...

Sayhello
 


Oh!! You had me scared there for a minute with the title of your thread! I couldn't imagine what could have gone that wrong to make you hate the Alaska ABD!!! So glad to hear it's all tongue in cheek!

Looking forward to more!

This is one of the few ABDs I've done that I would consider doing again...

Sayhello
You are right! My sense of humor can be suspect! I edited to not scare anyone.
 
Pre Day 2
Seattle

We were meeting at 8:30 am at the Gum Wall (google it; it is gross) to tour Pike Place Market early. PRIDE was happening that day right in front of the Fairmont and it was so fun to see everyone getting ready for the Parade. Being in Seattle during PRIDE was a great vibe. It was a lot of positive energy and people having fun. Being so close to the parade was cool!

We started doing food tours thanks to these boards (I am looking at you Mare). We did our first in Lima and it is a great way to see the city and experience one of our favorite hobbies, FOOD! My husband and I had been to Pike Place Market before and LOVED it. However, though it is not huge, I did find it a bit overwhelming. There was so much good stuff to see/eat. I felt like I was constantly missing something! We thought the food tour would really help us find the gems and keep our son from getting bored. We booked the tour through Viator. The company was Savor Seattle and they were absolutely great! Highly recommended! We tried coffee, a biscuit, some fantastic tea, a Chinese sandwich type thing, some incredible fresh fruit, cheese, and an ice cream Sunday to die for! Our guide, Mark, is a Seattle-ite and was a great resource for everything while also being a cool guy. It made our trip to the market much more fun.

After the tour, my husband and I wanted to hang more at the market. We shopped for books (we liked Lamplight the best) and I bought a couple of drawings. We hit a store that Mark recommended (La Buona Tavola) where you can try anything. We bought a truffle spread and caramel and chocolate sauces that were amazing.

My son was NOT feeling it at this point and we were about to lose him when my husband took him to Golden Age Collectibles. He is ready to go back to Seattle just for this store. Golden Age has collectible comics, books, and Funko Pops. My son was in heaven. He bought a comic and a Bat Man Pop. My husband and I bought two Twin Peaks Pops and we were all pretty psyched!

After market overload, we bought some more fruit to take back to the hotel and hit a sushi spot, Japonessa during Happy Hour that Mark had recommended. The sushi was good and it was a fun place.

We headed back to the hotel. PRIDE was dying down and we hit the pool and again and then were back in the lobby bar for dinner snacks.

Our flight to Anchorage did not leave until noon the next day but we got everything ready and went to bed very excited for our Adventure to begin!

We just returned from a Seattle/Whistler/Vancouver/Olympic National Park/Columbia River Gorge trip and we started out with a food tour in Seattle. Food tours are becoming a habit for us. We did the Savor Seattle Gourmet Seattle Tour. Mark was our guide too. We loved it!
 
We just returned from a Seattle/Whistler/Vancouver/Olympic National Park/Columbia River Gorge trip and we started out with a food tour in Seattle. Food tours are becoming a habit for us. We did the Savor Seattle Gourmet Seattle Tour. Mark was our guide too. We loved it!
That is so funny! Yes, the tour was great and we are definitely going to do the Gourmet version next time we are in Seattle.
 


Thank you for doing this report. This trip is high on my consideration list for 2019. The idea to stop in Seattle for a few days first is interesting. We would be coming from the West Coast so not sure it would "help" us in terms of cost or time or jet lag, but it would be fun. I am with you on the food tour thing, I was so disappointed when our food tour at the Borough Market in London was (understandably) cancelled. Can't wait for the rest of your report.
 
North to Alaska

Day 1
Anchorage

We got up late at the Fairmont and headed downstairs to a French Bakery, Belle Epicurean, on the Ground Floor of the hotel. Well, it is a good thing that we tried this place on the last day or I would have been stopping by much more frequently! It is authentic and AWESOME. I had a raspberry brioche that was to die for! Good coffee and a cute place. It was packed so we took the food up to the room.

We took an UBER to the airport and then headed to the Amex Centurion Lounge at SEATAC. I love the AMEX lounges. The one is SEATAC is smaller than the others I have been to but still had enough for a light lunch and some great cocktails.

Our flight to Anchorage was uneventful but still LONG. I highly recommend breaking up the trip if you can. Seattle is a great place to stop. It is such a great city with so much to see and do. It is also so different from Alaska. It was a great way to start the trip, adjust to the time change, and do some initial family bonding before we met our other adventurers.

With almost all of our ABDs, we have arrived at least a day early. For this trip, I had us arriving as late as possible (deadline for arrival was 3 pm and our plane was due to arrive at 2:25 pm. We were a bit late on arrival but we still got there before 3 pm). The late arrival made me a bit nervous but it ended up to be great. We are doing the same thing for Australia (we are flying from Auckland, NZ to Sydney) so I hope it works just as well.

The great thing about arriving the day of the ABD is that the guides meet you at the airport! As we headed towards bag claim, we saw the paddle of power and the wonderful Stephanie who would be our guide for the week. This is such a great way to start the trip. Usually, if you arrive early, you are just looking for the ABD driver (and in Ireland, there was actually no one there to pick us up) so it seems more stressful and less personal. I was so glad to see Stephanie and it just made everything that much easier.

Stephanie grew up in Alaska and I believe this is her second season with ABD though she has been in the tourism industry there for many years. Our other guide would be the famous, Robyn, who has been with ABD a long time! We had never had her before so I was looking forward to meeting her at the hotel.

Stephanie got us situated with our bags and then put us on a bus to head to the Anchorage Marriott. We were the only people on the bus, so as you can imagine, we had quite a lot of room. We had a very sweet bus driver who gave us a guided tour of the city on the microphone as we drove to the hotel. I have to admit it was surreal but it was kind of the theme of Alaska, there are not many people there so it is possible to have a guided bus tour of three!

We arrived at the Marriott and we were advised that Robyn was upstairs and ready to debrief us. On the way in, Anchorage looked very small but quaint and friendly. It was a bit gray and drizzly but cool and pretty out. I was digging the weather already. It had been 90 in Seattle and we come from Austin where is hideously hot.

The Marriott was your standard Marriott. Nothing fancy but well located and nice. We walked upstairs and saw that Robyn was debriefing two other families. My son immediately scoped out a 10-yr old boy in the group who would be his BFF for the next eight days.

After the debrief, we headed upstairs to get situated and get ready for the Welcome Dinner. We had about one hour and a half to chill out. Robyn recommended adding my Marriott number to the reservation which was a good idea. It gave us access to the club on the top floor. We went there for snacks but be careful, drinks are not free! I learned that the hard way. I saw the pricing sign AFTER I ordered a glass of wine. The lounge was still nice.

We went back to the room and my son declared that the Anchorage Marriott was the greatest hotel we have ever stayed at. That is because Netflix and Hulu came standard on the TV (shows you how easy he is to please). We watched some Mystery Science Theater 3000 and then headed downstairs to meet our fellow Adventurers and head to the Welcome Dinner.

The Welcome Dinner was at Bridge Seafood. It was a cool place over the water (on a bridge!). There were some fishermen outside who were not catching a thing but seemed to be having a lot of fun. They were fun to watch. We had about 30 adventurers in our group and 13 of those were Junior Adventurers. Seemed like a great group.

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We ended up sitting with the only other Texans in the group, a family of four from Waco. We had a great time talking with them and had lots in common.

The food was good at Bridge Seafood. There are snow crab legs (sorry, no King Crab) and some typical sides, salads, and chowder. The room we were in was small but fine for our purposes. Most of the group was new to ABD so it was a mellow affair. As Welcome Dinners go, it was fine but nothing earth shattering. Stephanie and Robyn made the announcements for the plan for the next morning and we headed back to the hotel.
 
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IMG_2458.JPG Day 2

Biking and Alaska Native Heritage Center

We had an early start the next morning for our bike ride on the coastal trail. We had a gorgeous day but we all wore our rain jackets (it was cool) in case that changed. Of course, that morning we discovered that DH had not packed a rain jacket, which was the only item I had asked him to pack. He had also packed for DS and I realized that they both had packed about 5 pairs of shorts for each of them and about 3 pairs of pants. It was in the 60s in Alaska and that is cold for us Southerners. I realized that I would DEFINITELY need to do laundry in Denali for them to survive the trip. Thanks to BluesTraveler for her information and advice on packing and laundry.

Ironically, my DH and DS would later get their revenge on their poor packing for Alaska when we arrived in Banff but I will save that for later.

We arrived to pick up our bikes and I have to admit I was very nervous. DS is pretty new to bike riding (we taught him really late) so I was not sure how he would do. I am also not the greatest on the bike. We are a very active family but just don’t ride that often and Robyn had warned me that the course was challenging. The bikes were hand brakes that my son had never used before so my anxiety ratcheted another notch. DH worked with DS on the brakes, he seemed to get it, and he was SUPER EXCITED to get going. He is new to riding but he absolutely loves it and his excitement was through the roof. He could not wait to take off. Meanwhile, I was neurotically helicoptering telling him to take it slow and not do the scary hill we were warned about.

He took off and the first part of the course is a moderate hill with a moderately sharp turn. He did that with no problem and took off. Meanwhile, I wimpily walked my bike down that one (what a loser, I was!) and took off!

I like biking but because I cannot work the gears well, I am super slow. DH and DS were far ahead and I assumed they were fine. The course was extremely easy and the scenery was BEAUTIFUL! I was totally easing into my ABD state of mind and really, really enjoying the ride. It could have been 3x as long and I would have continued to enjoy it.

One other aspect that made is so enjoyable was the bike company that supplied the bikes. They rode along with us and were so much fun. They were so positive and so funny; they made the trip so much better. We got to a halfway point and we regrouped and enjoyed the scenery until some HUGE black flying insects systematically and purposefully attacked us. Upon closer examination, I realized that these were MOSQUITOS! There are many jokes about the mosquitos in Alaska and their enormous size and I have to say these are not exaggerations. They are GIGANTIC. Of course, Robyn and Stephanie came to the rescue with the bug spray.

Mosquitos usually feast on me and DS (it’s a redhead thing) but I have to say that these guys did really not bother us. We may have been sprayed in time or maybe we just were not their brand but I will say that bug spray is a necessity. The guides will have it but I think it is best to bring your own.

After the stop, you could continue biking or head up on the bus to the next meeting stop. Most of us wanted to continue. DS was doing great but I was still worried about the last scary hill we had been warned about. I again told him to take it easy!

It seemed minutes later that I rode up on DH staring at DS in a ditch. He had wiped out as he was about to cross a bridge. His pride was hurt but he was fine! He carried on. I should mention that there were some very young kids in the group and they were also killing it on the bikes. They had no problems. However, that last scary hill was still in my mind.

Before the end, we had one last stop where our bike guide told us to go after the last hills. He told us that we could opt out or get the bikes up to sprinting speed and try the hills. I called to DH to make sure DS could handle this and they took off!

There was one slightly steep hill. DS had NO problem with it. I must be fair to say that the 5-yr old in our group did crash here. She just got going a little too fast but she was also fine. All my worry and warnings were completely misplaced the course was really easy, beautiful, and super enjoyable! Beginners can kill it!

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That made me understand a bit where Robyn and Stephanie were coming from. All their advice was on the cautious side (which I think is VERY prudent considering how many kids we had on the trip) but I realized that our definitions of ‘scary’ might be different. You will find different styles with the guides and I appreciated their commitment to keeping everybody safe first!


After the bike ride, we got to meet a bald eagle (amazing!) and enjoy some S’mores. Yitka, one of the biking guides, was keeping the kids entertained by roasting every edible plant around her. She was hilarious and the roasted dandelions were not half bad!

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Alaska Native Heritage Center

After the biking, we were set free for lunch and exploration on our own and were giving a meeting place downtown to head for the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

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Now, there has been lots of discussion about on your own meals on the ABDs but I would like to offer a slightly different perspective. I actually like having more meals on your own namely because the food and offerings are just better! When you have to eat as a large group, options are limited and it is usually a set menu or buffet. Also, there is usually must be a room reserved and I feel like you do not get the real restaurant experience (I felt a bit like this at Bridge Seafood).

I think ABD has been pretty good about keeping their prices in the same (albeit very high) range over the past few years (in fact, this trip was cheaper than opening day prices the previous year). I imagine they did that by cutting some of the meals and I think that is really the way to go. This lunch was a perfect example. Stephanie is an Anchorage expert so she had many great recommendations. We decided on Fat Ptarmigan’s, which is a sort of gourmet pizza place. It was FANTASTIC. We really enjoyed it. For dessert, we hit Wild Scoops, an ice cream place started by a local. It is amazing (I insisted on going back that evening). The Baked Alaska cone is to die for and they have local Alaska flavors. It was a highlight! These meals help me to better appreciate Anchorage and I left thinking it was a really neat city. Food helps the experience so much.

After lunch and dessert, we still had a bit of time so we hit some ‘gear’ stores. We love adventure clothes and gear and Alaska has plenty of them. It was starting to rain and it was cold so my husband was lucky enough to find a very expensive rain jacket that was on sale for $60 at one of the stores…score! He was really happy. It saved him on the rest of the trip. After our purchases, we headed to the bus.

There is one other person in the cast of characters on this trip that I need to introduce and that is John, the bus driver. Stephanie and Robyn had introduced him at the Welcome Dinner but I did not realize what a big part of the trip he would be. He is just an amazing person and is really the third adventure guide. John will keep showing up as the report continues.

We enjoyed the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The group was split and Stephanie and Robyn took the Junior Adventurers on a Scavenger Hunt themed tour. The adults went with a local guide. This was great as the kids loved it. They had some kind of tablet device and had to find things and learn about them throughout the center. I also thought our tour was very interesting.

Our guide directed us toward the Native Dancing after our tour and we were reunited with the kids. We had Nick come sit with us but we did not notice that Robyn and Stephanie had taken the other kids outside and they were playing a game. Robyn and Stephanie were GREAT about keeping the Junior Adventurers engaged and in all honesty, Nick would have much rather played with the other kids than watch the Native dancing so I made sure I was paying attention to where the other Juniors were from thereon out.

Back on the bus, Stephanie and Robyn distributed Junior Ranger workbooks for Denali for any Junior who wanted one. They explained that the kids would be working for their Junior Ranger badge in Denali and they would work as a group on some activities and the kids had to do some on their own. Nick was ALL OVER this. He loved it. They also passed out a Bingo Game for the kids to fill in as they found wildlife and other sites in Alaska. These were both wonderful and kept the kids really engaged.

On the way back to Anchorage, we were offered a stop at the Anchorage Museum (on our own dime). I had heard good things about the museum from this board so I talked my tired family into it. The caveat was that we would arrive at 4:30 pm and the museum closed at 6 pm so we could not spend more than 1.5 hours there.

Some of the group had already been to the museum and talked up the hands-on area with bubbles. I told Nick we could go there first. The museum was GREAT. I would say do not miss it. The hands-on science area was really fun for kids but I really enjoyed the exhibit on Alaska’s history with Russia (fascinating) and we all enjoyed the SLOW movement exhibit that was about slowing life down. Nick got in a chess game with his Dad and I chilled in front of a video fireplace.

After the museum, we went to Orso for dinner (Stephanie’s recommendation). It was pricey but we loved it (especially DH). It was typical Alaska food. DH and I both had Salmon and I think DS had a steak. We went to Wild Scoops for dessert and then headed back to the Marriott to start our journey to Denali the next day.
 
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Great report!! Amazing how much they've changed even with the same basic itinerary - your afternoon was pretty different from ours. Good changes.

I did leave out of my trip report that one of my kids totally wiped out on the bike ride :) He was going way too fast! But he was fine.
 
Great report!! Amazing how much they've changed even with the same basic itinerary - your afternoon was pretty different from ours. Good changes.

I did leave out of my trip report that one of my kids totally wiped out on the bike ride :) He was going way too fast! But he was fine.
Thanks! Your report was such a huge help to me that I was not sure I could add much but I did think they were shifting things to make some minor changes before the new itinerary kicks in next year. My husband will be adding some pictures soon!
 
Thanks for your report. So looking forward to more and how this trip has changed since we traveled years ago. LOVE Robyn. We had her as our guide on another ABD trip and really added to our trip.
 
Thank you for doing this report. This trip is high on my consideration list for 2019. The idea to stop in Seattle for a few days first is interesting. We would be coming from the West Coast so not sure it would "help" us in terms of cost or time or jet lag, but it would be fun. I am with you on the food tour thing, I was so disappointed when our food tour at the Borough Market in London was (understandably) cancelled. Can't wait for the rest of your report.

Great! It is a really good one. As for Seattle, Alaska does offer a stopover. That's the type of ticket we have. With that, it may not cost you any more to stop (except hotel) and it is a nice break.

Oh, I loved eating at Fat Ptarmigan’s when we were in Anchorage before our ABD Alaska trip.
Writing about it made me crave the Steak Pizza we had. They also had great coffee. I realize that I sound really food obsessed in the report. That may be because I am! But, it also may be because I am on a diet trying to lose the weight I gained on this trip and therefore, preoccupied with food!

Thanks for your report. So looking forward to more and how this trip has changed since we traveled years ago. LOVE Robyn. We had her as our guide on another ABD trip and really added to our trip.

Robyn is wonderful. She is just such a caring, sweet person. She and Stephanie were a great team. They were absolutely seamless and as I am writing the report, I am realizing how many adjustments/changes they were making throughout and you would never notice. They just were completely professional and on top of it. They were also great with the Juniors.
 
Thanks for this trip report. We did the DCL Alaska cruise in 2011, and it has only made me want to go back and explore more. I am very interested in the itinerary changes taking place next year.
 
Day 3

Talkeetna on the Way to Denali

Today was an early morning as we started to make our way towards Denali. I do need to say something about the breakfasts on this trip. DH and I love the ABD breakfasts! It is one of the things we look most forward to every trip (Landmark London, Sol Y Luna Peru, ANYTHING on SE Asia). The breakfasts on this trip were pretty disappointing. The Aleyska was okay but the Marriott was really not great. It was the equivalent of the free breakfast you get at the Residence Inn: lackluster offerings, buffet style. There were some Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes that Nick liked and the Reindeer sausage was actually pretty good but do not get terribly excited. Look at breakfast to fuel your day and not be a culinary treat!

After breakfast, we loaded onto the bus and John got us on our way to Talkeetna where we would stop on our way to Denali. Nick’s new BFF asked to sit with him on the bus (yay!). They had a great time chatting and playing games together on their tablets.

I listened to podcasts and DH read. BluesTraveler’s report prepared me for the long drive so it did not seem bad at all. Stephanie gave commentary on the scenery and was good to point out any wildlife. It was a gorgeous trip and it was nice to look out the window.

We arrived in Talkeetna and it was a really neat town! The Juniors had an activity they needed to do for their Junior Ranger badge so we all headed to the Parks Office to get it done.


Talkeetna is tiny and the mayor of the town is actually a cat. (This is true). The cat is getting on in years so he’s not usually around but he has been a very popular mayor and is apparently training his successor, another cat name Denali. Some members of our group saw Denali hanging around the General Store so he may be letting everyone know that the current mayor is a lame duck (or kitty?) and he is the one really in charge.

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Of course, DH was hungry and became obsessed with a food truck that offered Spinach Bread. Robyn had suggested picking up snacks at The Roadhouse so we went there and the stuff they had was AMAZING! We bought a huge raspberry cinnamon roll, cookies, and banana bread.
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They were huge and we nibbled on them the rest of our time in Denali (our room had a fridge). Even after all that, DH could not let go of trying the Spinach Bread. Stephanie mentioned off-handedly that it was really good and that was all he needed! The truck also had a limeade made with sweetened condensed milk. It was weird but good (Robyn got one and let me try it). The Spinach Bread was AMAZING. Pick some up when you are there! There were adorable shops in Talkeetna. All were very unique. It was a fun stop.
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We headed on to our lunch, which was at the Talkeetna Alaska Lodge which was a nice place with a pretty view but summed up pretty much everything I hate about ABD group meals. We had pre-ordered. I got the veggie burger. Nick and DH got a chicken sandwich. My veggie burger was actually really good but we were seated all together at one huge table in a cafeteria sized room and the food was all coming out at different times and some meals were taking FOREVER. I appreciate that they were making it fresh but it was tough because all the burgers came out together, then the veggie burgers, then the chicken, etc. Because DH was in the chicken group, he was the last one served and most of the rest of the group had been finished for quite a while. Robyn and Stephanie were ALL OVER this and they were really working to get the food out. I felt bad because it seemed like a lot of work and stress over sandwiches. Again, I probably would have preferred an OYO meal in Talkeetna (spinach bread!).

We were back on the bus and headed for the Jet Boat Cruise. This was really fun and relaxing with gorgeous scenery. The guide and boat captain gave a lot of good explanations of the river and sites and pointed out the wildlife (more bald eagles!). We stopped to look at a Trapper’s Cabin and our guide armed herself with a shotgun. She explained that there are bear where we were going and her boss felt strongly that his staff should be prepared. This was a little shocking to me at first but she explained more about homesteading in Alaska and just the attitude and respect people have for the land and wildlife and I understood it.
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The trapper cabin was cool and was a great chance to take some silly pictures. We were back on the boat for the second part of the cruise. DH and DS headed to the back of the boat to hang out with DS’s new BFF and take some pictures. I enjoyed the scenery and the commentary of the guides.

After the cruise, we still had a long ride ahead but as we drove, we saw a wonderful site ahead, DENALI! We are now in the 35% (along with SayHello) who get to see it during their visit. It was beautiful and I felt very lucky to be in such a beautiful place with my family.
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Finally, we arrived at the Grande Denali Lodge as he drove on the rather harrowing road to the lodge, John pointed out the funny traffic signs posted. Be on the lookout for them if you are there. They are funny. The Grande Denali is National Park Lodging but I would say it is a bit nicer than some of the others we’ve stayed in (Thunderbird Grand Canyon and Snow Lodge Yellowstone). We got there at nearly 6 pm and dinner was set to start in an hour or so.

We were trying to think about what we wanted to do for the free afternoon we had the next day. Most in our group were zip lining. The others were doing the helicopter or plane to the glacier. We were tired and kind of felt like doing something really simple. We knew that the glacier experience is once in a lifetime but it is very expensive and it just looked like it would be overkill based on the River Rafting and Hike scheduled for the next day. Robyn and Stephanie had given a list of possible activities and the one that really (and surprisingly) appealed to us was the dinner show at the Cabin Nite Theater. This sounded touristy and silly but we were all feeling like we just wanted to go somewhere together and laugh. The show gets really good reviews on TripAdvisor so we decided to bite the bullet and get tickets.

We headed back to the hotel lobby, they helped us arrange the tickets (for tomorrow night), and Robyn let us know that we could have dinner if we wanted so we did. It was at the Alpenglow in the hotel and it was delicious! You could order off a limited menu and it was one of the best meals of the trip. I had the Gnocchi, DS had a filet steak, and DH had scallops. We really enjoyed it.

We headed back to the room where I started the laundry and DH and DS chilled on tablets/books. It would be an early day tomorrow for rafting! We were very excited.
 
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Day 4
Rafting and Denali Hike

The whole family was looking very forward to the rafting and the day was here! This is the day that is closest to the new itinerary.

We had been offered 3 options for the morning. The first was a tour of Denali, that would leave the Lodge at 6:30 am and John would take those going on the tour. I think a few people originally planned to do this but backed out due to the early hour.

The second group left at 7:30 am and that was the mild float trop. The last group left at 8:30 am and that was the WILD float trip. My family really wanted to go on the WILD trip but Nick is only 9 and the age limit is 10. I had warned Nick but hoped we could do some negotiating. On previous ABDs, there has been some flexibility on age limits. However, there was no flexibility here. Honestly, I did not actually ask straight but I dropped a hint that we would love to go on the wilder version and was told we would need to sign up for the milder version. Nick was sad because his new BFF is 10 and was going on wild. However, I am sure there is liability and legality involved so we set our course to ‘mild’ and got excited.

For the rafting, they put you in a dry suit, you can wear regular clothes underneath (I wore light ski pants and a sweater). You will need socks and knee socks work great. The dressing process is intricate but the folks at the rafting company are really helpful.

We got dressed and then we realized that this would truly be a float trip and we would not get to paddle. We were all bummed. We had LOVED the rafting in Peru. It was crazy fun, our guide was teaching us all kinds of maneuvers, and we had a blast! This seemed like a big step back.

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I am happy to say—HOW WRONG WE WERE! Our guide was Tim and he was fantastic. It was DH, DS, me, a Grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mom and daughter in our boat. Tim immediately asked the kids if they wanted to be in the ‘splash zone.’ They all gave a big yes. He placed Adam and I in the middle and the two other ladies in back. We took off and as Tim paddled, it was very smooth waters and I could feel myself being pretty disappointed and thinking, “Is this going to be it for the next two hours?”

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I am happy to say that things kicked in pretty quick and I’ll summarize by saying the Splash Zone got DRENCHED! The water is freezing and that made it even more fun. Tim let each of the kids pilot the raft for a bit (Nick said it was REALLY hard) and we went through something called the “Denali Finale.” It was so much fun. The scenery is breathtaking and Tim was a wonderful guide. The trip was every bit as wonderful as our Peru experience but different. Overall, this trip provided the thrills. Nick spoke to his BFF who also loved his rafting experience but it honestly did not sound that much ‘wilder’ than ours did. It was a highlight and do not be bummed that you cannot paddle.

Next up was lunch at the Salmon Bake, which is a famous local place in Denali. I had the fish tacos and Nick and DH had burgers. DH said he really did not have a great burger the entire trip (there are lots of burgers offered). His advice is to skip the burger no matter how good it sounds on the menu. The fish tacos were AWESOME. John, our driver, sat with us and he also had the tacos. That confirmed I made a good pick. The ‘wild’ rafting group was a bit late getting to lunch and I could tell that the three groups had probably made the day difficult for Robyn, Stephanie, and John. However, they did not show it, kept everything moving, and made sure we left on time to get to our hike in Denali.

Now, if you are doing the trip next year, they may have this day better timed (we were the first trip of the season) but we were supposed to be back to the Lodge by 3:30 pm after the hike. Everyone in the group but us had afternoon plans and we did not make it back to the Lodge until 5 pm -ish. Do not worry! Of course, the fabulous Stephanie and Robyn called all the companies and made sure everyone was accommodated to make whatever they had planned for the afternoon. Experiencing this though, I would recommend that you make your OYO activity plans as late as you can on this day. Remember, it never gets dark so you do not have to worry about that. I will have to say we were very glad we did not have another activity on the already really busy day.

The Denali Hike was wonderful. We divided into two groups (each with Robyn or Stephanie and a Denali guide) and we set out on the trail. The kids were working on their Junior Ranger workbooks on the hike and had many activities that made it more fun for the adults, too. Our guide was really good and seemed to enjoy the kids. We came upon a clearing and saw a mother moose and two calves in the water. It was gorgeous and awe inspiring. Then, another mom and calves joined them. It was really a wonderful site. As part of their Junior Ranger activities, the kids had to write a poem. Nick wrote about the moose and the guide sweetly said it was “the best poem she’d ever read.”

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We finished the hike and headed for the visitor’s center to get the Junior Ranger badges and let the kids be sworn in. However, most of the group was in a bit of a panic about getting to their other activities. Once all had settled down, they found out Robyn, and Stephanie had saved the day on that front, the kids got their badges and took their Junior Ranger oath. The Junior Ranger activity was awesome. The kids loved it and it was meaningful. I am so glad they included this.

Robyn said the last group would head back to the hotel at 5 pm. It was already after 4:30 pm so we decided to look around the gift shop and then head to the bus. Then, we started noticing that NONE of our other Adventurers were around. We also realized that we really had not listened to where the bus would be at 5pm. We decided it was best to call Robyn. She said we were the only people left and that’s why there was no one else around. She told us the bus location. We got on and headed back to the Lodge.

We were headed to the Cabin Nite Theater and they were scheduled to pick us up at 7:05 pm. Sure enough, a bus arrived that had our name and drove us to the Cabin Nite. Because the bus picks up other patrons at other Denali hotels, we got to drive around a bit and check out the area. Denali National Park is only open in the summer so the town shuts down for the winter every year. It is a small remote area but of course, beautiful and fun to see! We arrived at the last hotel and that is actually the hotel where the Cabin Nite Theater is located (Denali Village). It is actually a really neat hotel and they had some really cute shops to browse in. When we arrived, we still had a few minutes before the Cabin Nite would seat us so we headed to the stores. Based on BluesTraveler’s suggestion, we bought a deck of cards (I forgot to pack) so that DS could use on the train and on the Resurrection Bay cruise. The cards we bought were cool. They have tips to survive in the wilderness on them. This, of course, was a genius move but I will discuss that later.

It was time to head to Cabin Nite and I will say that when we arrived we did start to wonder if we have made a good choice. If you did not already know, besides Adventures By Disney, the tourist groups in Alaska skew a bit older. We saw the group going in to Cabin Nite and wondered if we would be the only family there! We were not. You are seated at long tables and we were grouped with a family (grandma, grandpa, daughter, and two grandsons), a young man, and his girlfriend.

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I have to say the show was fantastic! We loved it. I will say, if you like the Hoop Dee Doo review, you will love this one. The food is also quite good. We had so much fun. I would go again. The cast was really talented and we even learned a few things about Alaska. I mentioned to Stephanie that we had seen the show and she said how much she loves it. Many locals have seen it numerous time. It seems like a really wonderful thing to add to the itinerary. I wish ABD would consider it.

We did not get back to the Cabin Nite until very late (do not worry, it was still light outside!). We were off to Girdwood the next day. We got things ready for Tinkerbell and went to bed.
 

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Day 5

Onto Girdwood and Aleyska

It was another fairly early morning after breakfast at Alpenglow (another lackluster affair even though the dinner there was fantastic) and we were on the bus with John again. This day tracks closely with the new itinerary.

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The bus ride was long, but it did not bother our group. The Juniors had really bonded and a good time was being had by all.

Our first stop on the bus was at an Alaska World War II memorial. Alaska’s involvement in the war is really interesting and I knew nothing about it before we visited. My husband is in the Army and John is a veteran who played in the Navy band for many years. John played Taps at the Memorial and Robyn and Stephanie tapped two of the Juniors to say the Alaskan Pledge of Allegiance. It was a really nice, moving stop and endeared John to us even more.

The next stop was pre-lunch ice cream at a rest stop. It was delicious and fun to have a decadent treat before lunch.

We rode on to our lunch destination in Big Lake, Pizza Thyme. It is run by a local couple and had really good pizza. We had a good amount of time for lunch so the Juniors were playing a game and the adults were enjoying some conversation.

It was another long bus ride but the guides had several things planned on the bus. They had started a ‘water bottle art’ contest where all of us were ask to create creatures out of water bottles. There had been some really funny and creative entries! Also, because they had shown Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2 on the previous coach trips, there had been many requests for Brother Bear 3 because there is no Brother Bear 3, the Junior Adventurers were asked create a storyboard for this new film. This was a huge hit and resulted in a story that I think is marketable. It involved our bus driver John and his transformation into a bear and the ‘stone of life’ that had the power of resurrection and transformation. I told Robyn that we would be expecting some royalties from Disney when it was released.

We got back on the bus and headed for the Happy Trails Kennel to meet Martin Buser and the Iditarod dogs. We have been on the Winter Wonderland trip where you actually get to mush with dogsleds. That is one of my favorite ABD activities of all time so I was kind of ‘meh’ about just going and meeting the dogs. Once we arrived at Happy Trails, that all changed. Martin Buser (who is a four-time Iditarod winner) came out to the bus to welcome us. His friendliness and enthusiasm was infectious and we were all excited to see more. Upon arrival, you get to see a movie explain the Iditarod and letting you know more about the kennel. The movie was very interesting and it helped me to understand the mental and physical toughness of the men, women, and animals who compete in this event.

Then, we got to meet the dogs. They were absolutely wonderful and it is amazing what contact with animals will do to people. Everyone in the group loved it and all of us had a dog that seemed to respond to each of us uniquely. Nick’s friend was Moulin who was a beautiful brown-coated boy with the sweetest temperament. It was hard to say goodbye! We learned a bit more about the dogs and then got to meet some new puppies. Martin Buser inspired everyone in the group and we all talked about him the rest of the trip. Clearly, he is a person who loves what he is doing and seems very fulfilled and therefore, happy. He gave us much to think about in how we handle our own lives. You will love this visit!

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We finally arrived and the Aleyska and it is a beautiful hotel. We did not have much time before the Adult Dinner and the Junior Adventurer Night so we got a bit settled in our room and headed back to the lobby to meet for dinner.

At this point, I should say that this ABD has had the busiest itinerary of any we have taken. You are going from 7-8 am every day until well into the night. All in our group seemed to be handling it fine but it is something to know if you are considering this itinerary.

I had planned to dress up for this dinner but there was really no time. I did put on a nicer sweater but that was it. Dress is casual/functional for the entire trip. You do not need to bring anything nice. I brought three dresses and did not wear one of them.

We took a gondola up to the Seven Glaciers restaurant. It was a great ride. We took some family pictures, the kids headed to the Junior Night, and the adults headed to dinner. I was initially disappointed when I saw that the whole group would be seated together at one table. I really like it when the adult dinners let you have some one on one time. However, it ended up to be much more fun as a group. This was one of the best ABD groups we have ever had (and they all have been fantastic!). Everyone got along well and we had a wonderful time. We even had another drink together in the bar after dinner before we had to pick up the kids. Dinner was from a limited menu and it was very good but I do not really remember what I had. The company and conversation is what made the evening fun.

Nick gave the Junior Night high marks. Robyn, Stephanie, and John were the hosts. John had become a favorite among the Juniors. Nick said they played many games (including and Eskimo Yo-Yo) and had a dance party. Cards were becoming very popular amongst all the Juniors but especially the older ones who seemed to have a pretty serious game going.

We picked up Nick and said goodnight. Tomorrow would be my favorite day of the trip, the train and the Resurrection Bay cruise.
 
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