Alaska Trip Report 2016

[BluesTraveler]

Day 3, continued

After lunch was out jet boat/nature walk excursion. We enjoyed this. It lasted about 2 hours and included a walk to a trapper's cabin. We saw a bunch of bald eagles, tons of salmon, and had a snack in the boat. (You will NOT go hungry on this trip.). Absolutely gorgeous - I loved being out on the water. A couple of kids fell asleep on the boat (including one of mine). After the boat ride we had another 2.5 hours on the bus. Sounds like a lot, but everyone was tired. People napped or read, and then the guides kept us entertained for the last hour. I do think some people though it was a bit of a drag to spend so much time on the bus, but honestly it was so much better than I was anticipating. Plus the scenery is amazing.

When we got to Grande Denali Lodge, we had dinner in the restaurant. Delicious. It was go when you want and order off a menu, but included with the trip. The food on this trip has been really great, especially if you like seafood. We are eating halibut and salmon every day. Also, if you are a beer person, the local breweries are great. I am not a beer person, but DH loves trying new IPAs and he's having a great time on this trip.

The Grande Denali Lodge is NOT fancy at all. The rooms are very basic. Our rooms are adjoining, not connecting, so DH and I split up with the kids for the night. However, we are perfectly happy with the rooms. They are very clean, the location is great, and all of the staff have been extremely nice and on the ball. Breakfast buffet was plentiful, and internet is reliable.

Packing tip: we are seriously running out of clothes. I didn't really think about the fact that activities are rain or shine, and we have definitely gotten wet a few times. So we are putting on fresh clothes more often than I anticipated,many certainly more often than we would during a normal day at home. However, there is a laundry room here at the Grande Denali, so I'm currently doing a couple of loads. They have detergent and dryer sheets available to buy, and there is a change machine for the quarters you'll need. Incredibly convenient and another reason I like this hotel despite the lack of luxury.

After dinner we all collapsed and slept great.

 

[85glht]

Did you get to meet the mayor of Talkeetna?

We didn't see Denali until we had left the park. It was pretty neat to see. The clouds just parted and revealed the top of the mountain.

 

[acndis]

Loving this report. Thanks again. I have a year and I was already starting to panic about the laundry. We are in Seattle for pre-days and then have added 4 days in Banff after. I feared we would have 100 bags, would be wearing handwashed underwear, or would have to pay the Fairmont in Banff to do laundry--not good options! So glad cheap, easy facilities are available in Denali.

Looking forward to more! Our son will be nine when he takes the trip so I love hearing what your kids thought of everything. Who are your adventure guides?

 

[BluesTraveler]

Day 4

This was a big day. We did whitewater rafting in the morning. This was a blast. It had not been raining much so the river was fairly calm. However, our raft had kids that were all for excitement, and our guide did a great job of hitting the rapids just right so the kids would get soaked. They were thrilled. I couldn't get it over scenery. Gorgeous. You do wear a wet suit over your clothes. Pee before you put it on!! We lucked out with the weather. Warm-ish and sunny-ish. This is another activity that is rain or shine, so be prepared with warm layers if necessary.

After rafting was lunch at The Salmon Bake. More halibut and salmon for all of us, it was great.

After lunch you have the afternoon free. I recommend you get something lined up for the afternoon. The guides will give you a sheet on your first day with options and phone numbers. Lots of folks went hiking. 3 families, including ours, lined up helicopter tours. Crazy $$$ but truly the experience of a lifetime. To see the mountains up close was unbelievable. We landed on the glacier (not always possible, depends on weather) and walk around. It was amazing.

But you should not feel like you have to be so over the top. Folks that went hiking in Denali were very happy and saw tons of wildlife. Guided hikes are an option.

Then it was dinner on our own. Our dinner was not smooth - long waits, average food. It was everything I don't like about traveling! If I have one complaint from this trip, it is too many on your own meals. We have 3 dinners and 2 lunches on our own. Figuring out food, especially with our kids, is one of the primary hassles of travel, so it's a bummer that it's not all taken care of. Some folks may like the opportunity to break off from the group - definitely could vary. But I will keep it in mind when looking at future trips, how many meals I have to figure out myself.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Loving this report. Thanks again. I have a year and I was already starting to panic about the laundry. We are in Seattle for pre-days and then have added 4 days in Banff after. I feared we would have 100 bags, would be wearing handwashed underwear, or would have to pay the Fairmont in Banff to do laundry--not good options! So glad cheap, easy facilities are available in Denali.

Looking forward to more! Our son will be nine when he takes the trip so I love hearing what your kids thought of everything. Who are your adventure guides?

Our boys are loving the trip. They like all the outdoor stuff, and the long bus rides don't bother them because they get some iPad time in . They enjoying having other kids around.

For those considering this trip, I will say you have to be okay with some physical discomfort. You may be wet, or cold, or both, or not in the most comfortable bed, etc. All of this is fine with us, and so we are really enjoying it. But it's definitely not filled with luxurious creature comforts.

Our guides are Emily and Heather. They are great.

 

[BluesTraveler]

(deleting duplicative post)

 

[BluesTraveler]

(deleting duplicative post)

 

[BluesTraveler]

Did you get to meet the mayor of Talkeetna?

We didn't see Denali until we had left the park. It was pretty neat to see. The clouds just parted and revealed the top of the mountain.

We did not see him although I was looking!

 

[BluesTraveler]

Really sorry for that triple post. Am posting from bus using phone hotspot.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Then it was dinner on our own. Our dinner was not smooth - long waits, average food. It was everything I don't like about traveling! If I have one complaint from this trip, it is too many on your own meals. We have 3 dinners and 2 lunches on our own. Figuring out food, especially with our kids, is one of the primary hassles of travel, so it's a bummer that it's not all taken care of. Some folks may like the opportunity to break off from the group - definitely could vary. But I will keep it in mind when looking at future trips, how many meals I have to figure out myself.

This is exactly the experience we had on our last ABD in Greece. I don't like the trend of eliminating meals. I'd much rather have all or almost all the meals included, and then if I want to skip out, I can. I *hate* having to think about what to eat when we are exhausted. I can't remember the # all the on your own meals we had in Greece, but I want to say it was 5 or 6 meals. I've even seen some itineraries that have days without breakfast included--IMO that's ridiculous and makes the ABD product look cheap. They need a better hotel negotiator.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Day 5

This is the day with the most bus travel, so be prepared. DH had some shows loaded on his iPad, I had a new book to read, and both our kids had plenty of games on their devices, so we were well entertained. Think of it as a plane ride and plan accordingly.

In the morning we drove about 4.5 hours, with a few stops to stretch legs. Around lunch time we arrived at Happy Trails Kennels to see the Iditarod dogs. This was an absolute highlight for the kids (and me too). The presentation is very interesting and you do get to interact with the dogs. Our boys LOVED it. We ate lunch there and I think we were there for about 2 hours, maybe 2.5. It felt like 5 minutes just because it was so interesting.

Then another 3 hours (I think) on the bus. Our guides were pretty quiet on the ride today. The last hour kids were getting restless, but we made it.

Alyeska Hotel is lovely. Keep in mind it's not the equivalent of a Ritz, but it is very nice. We have 2 connecting rooms, each with 2 double beds.

This night the junior adventures had their dinner and we had ours. Both were a total hit. My kids said afterwards they wished they got to do that twice during the week. Adult dinner on the mountain was excellent. Best salmon of the trip so far, and that's saying a lot. Those that ordered the beef also said it was excellent. Unfortunately for us, we were completely fogged in so we could not appreciate the amazing views from the restaurant. That's okay though, we know Alaska weather is unpredicatble.

Packing tips: for adult dinner, people did clean up a bit. Not super dressy (I wore skinny jeans, flats, sweater & scarf), but a smidgen nicer than all our hiking clothes. Our weather has overall not been great, so a rain jacket is an absolute must. Due to getting wet and muddy, we are all changing clothes more often than I would have anticipated.

On balance, this was a great day. The travel was long, but DH and I kept saying - at least we're not the ones renting a car and doing the driving. And I think having the chance to go up to Denali is worth it. I do think Disney could do a better job of letting you know just how much travel this day has, so you can be prepared. I was surprised the guides didn't do more entertainning/talking, but maybe they were saving their energy for the JA dinner, which was definitely a success.

 

[carpenta]

When we had our trip we started in Fairbanks and went south. I remember those long rides but it shows how remote and gigantic Alaska really is. Imagine that ride in January with sub zero temps and snow raking across the fields. Aghhh. We found the same weather and much like New England "if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute". Love the report.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Day 6

I'm going to just go ahead and get it out there - this was NOT my favorite day. In fact, had I better understood today's itinerary, we would have opted out altogether. But also keep in mind that we are a very active family. For folks that require less exercise/activity, I think this day would be fine.

We started the day early - 7:30 meet for the bus. We got on the Alaska railroad about 8am, where we had "gold star" seats (first class). The seats were nice and that section of the train was very nice. However, I almost fell out of my nice seat when I heard it was a 3 hour train ride. How did I miss this detail? After the 8 hour bus ride the day before, I wasn't sure we could physically handle this.

We were also supposed to have breakfast in the train "gold star" dining room. But, the Disney group was the last to be seated, and they seated us in shifts. So it was 9:30 am before my family (and many others) got breakfast. By this time everyone, including me, is extremely hungry and cranky. The food was good but not spectacular, not worth the wait.

After breakfast we killed time walking around the train. The scenery was indeed stunningly gorgeous, but not enough to make up for more confinement for me. If you go, it is worth walking all the way back to the caboose just to see the whole train.

We got to Seward where we boarded a boat for a 4.5 hour excursion. I was feeling desperate at this point for an activity that doesn't require sitting or standing in one place. I knew we were doing a boat, but for some reason I thought it was a private excursion. It wasn't, it was a full boat with us and other folks. More sitting. We rode for an hour, looking at wild life. Then off the boat on Fox Island where we had a prepared lunch with everyone from our boat and 2 or 3 other boats. Maybe 150 people total? It was hot, crowded, not great food, and more sitting. Then back on the boat for another 2 hours. Can you tell this is not my cup of tea?

We did indeed see puffins, sea otters, sea lions, and even a beautiful whale who showed us her tail. The water was very choppy, and a number of people get pretty seasick. If you suffer from motion sickness, you will definitely need to pack a patch/ your favorite ready and sit in the back of the boat.

One very smart family had brought a pack of uno cards, and we had a pack of regular playing cards, so the bulk of the kids spent the entire boat ride playing cards. Great bonding for them and they were all,laughing and having a good time, but felt like a waste to me.

Packing tip: bring uno cards, playing cards, and any other travel games that can accommodate 4-6 players, because it really passed the time for the kids and gave them a way to interact.

After the boat ride we had 1.5 hours on our own in Seward. We went to the Sea Life center, which was great. Highly recommend. I really wish Disney spent time there, because I saw there are "behind the scenes" options for tour groups. That would have been so much better than the whale watching. We grabbed pizza for dinner and then got back on the bus for 1.5 hour ride back to the hotel.

When we got back, a number of families took their kids to the pool to get some activity. This was 9pm at night, so we didn't stay too long, but it was nice to have that option. Definitely pack bathing suits for your kids (and you, if you want to swim or do hot tub).

Overall, this day was just painful for me, especially coming on the heels of the long bus ride day. I would have so much preferred to start the day with a guided hike, then maybe a lunch time train ride. I would skip the boat ride altogether. It was charming to see the whale, but it was not worth the 4.5 hours of confinement/rough waters. Had I known what to expect, I would have just opted out altogether and spent more time at the hotel. There is plenty to do here - hikes, restaurants, pool, spa, etc. I blame myself for not doing more research ahead of time on what exactly this day entailed. Lesson learned!

 

[BluesTraveler]

One thing I wanted to add - on this trip we have had a number of those small surprises folks often allude to. Nothing over the top, but at least one little surprise each day. I'm leaving those out because I know they can vary by trip, and i don't want to set anyone's expectations. It has been a nice touch.

Also -please forgive typos in my posts. Am doing all posting by iPad and it's hard to go back and edit.

 

[Bobo912]

I loved the Alaska ABD and the Kenai Fjord cruise was my very favorite part. I took this trip in 2009 (the first year it was offered - the second trip ever) and it's changed a lot since then, and this day seems different from what I remember. I'm pretty sure we weren't on the train for 3 hours, and we had breakfast at the hotel that morning. The fjord cruise was just amazing. We saw tons of humpbacks, orcas, porpoises, sea lions, murres, puffins, otters, and calving glaciers. The kids were out on deck all the time watching the wildlife and going up to the front of the boat and jumping as we went over the waves. Made me nervous, but our fantastic guide was keeping an eye on them. We had a box lunch on the boat. We didn't get off the boat until returning to Seward. We didn't have any time on our own. The activity in Seward was an after-hours behind-the-scenes tour at the Alaska Sea Life Center and dinner there as well. It's a shame they no longer include that, because it is the sort of exclusive activity that made ABDs special. Some of the so called VIP experiences ABD offers aren't as exclusive as they would like you to believe, but I felt having the Sea Life Center all to ourselves was pretty exclusive. So sorry you were disappointed in the day. Sounds like ABD should rethink some of the changes they made.

 

[sayhello]

I loved the Alaska ABD and the Kenai Fjord cruise was my very favorite part. I took this trip in 2009 (the first year it was offered - the second trip ever) and it's changed a lot since then, and this day seems different from what I remember. I'm pretty sure we weren't on the train for 3 hours, and we had breakfast at the hotel that morning. The fjord cruise was just amazing. We saw tons of humpbacks, orcas, porpoises, sea lions, murres, puffins, otters, and calving glaciers. The kids were out on deck all the time watching the wildlife and going up to the front of the boat and jumping as we went over the waves. Made me nervous, but our fantastic guide was keeping an eye on them. We had a box lunch on the boat. We didn't get off the boat until returning to Seward. We didn't have any time on our own. The activity in Seward was an after-hours behind-the-scenes tour at the Alaska Sea Life Center and dinner there as well. It's a shame they no longer include that, because it is the sort of exclusive activity that made ABDs special. Some of the so called VIP experiences ABD offers aren't as exclusive as they would like you to believe, but I felt having the Sea Life Center all to ourselves was pretty exclusive. So sorry you were disappointed in the day. Sounds like ABD should rethink some of the changes they made.

My feelings exactly. The day on Resurrection Bay was my favorite day of the trip! So sad that the re-arranging apparently was for the worse, not for the better.

Sayhello

 

[BluesTraveler]

Day 7

Our last day?! Already?!

This morning we all got to sleep in, which was a treat. First time of the trip, I think! Breakfast at Aleyska is delicious.

After breakfast we headed to the wildlife conservation center. This was pretty interesting. Unfortunately it was raining just enough so it made it a little challenging to really walk around and look at the animals. But we had a good guide and we particularly enjoyed seeing the bears.

Then back to the hotel where it was lunch/afternoon on your own. (There was an optional boat ride, which we did not choose, and it got rained out.). We had lunch at Aurora Cafe here at the hotel - excellent burgers. After lunch we went hiking. There are a bunch of hiking trails right outside the hotel. We did Winner's Creek trail, which I would highly recommend. 5 miles round trip. Not too strenuous - our 8 and 11 year olds were fine. It took us 2 hours total and it is just beautiful.

Our farewell dinner was in the hotel, and everyone enjoyed the slideshow. It was a great reminder of all the great things we did. This has been a truly wonderful trip and I'm so glad we did it.

I'm typing this the next morning, while my crew sleeps in. Tonight we have an overnight flight back to the east coast, so I'll check in after I recover with final thoughts.

 

[BluesTraveler]

My feelings exactly. The day on Resurrection Bay was my favorite day of the trip! So sad that the re-arranging apparently was for the worse, not for the better.

Sayhello

I do think you have to take any opinion in a trip report with a grain of salt. One of the kids on our trip said last night at the farewell dinner that seeing the whale was his highlight. That day was not enjoyable to me, but I am sure if 4 other people from our trip wrote reports, you would get 4 completely different takes on it. I just wish I'd been more aware ahead of time of the details, because we would have done something else. My fault, not Disney's.

 

[carpenta]

It rained most days on our trip also. We 'slogged" on and had a great time nether less. I loved our trip out of Kenai Fjord and watching a glacier calf was one of our all time memories. Give the trip time to savor in your mind and hopefully you will look back at all the amazing nature and wilderness and those long bus rides will slip away. Thank you for a great review. I know that long long plane ride for we live in the boonies of Vt. ( you can't get there from here is an appropriate saying).

 

[BluesTraveler]

Thanks for doing this trip report. It is on our radar for 2019 for a multi-generational trip. When you have time I would love to hear your thoughts on what parts of the itinerary you liked better when compared to Tauck.

I totally agree with your point on the kids and group travel. We have now done two ABD's and our kids love them. I have never heard them complain about a single activity because they always have their buddies to hang out with. It also keeps the sibling rivalry way down (unfortunately it does not eliminate it .

This was our first trip of this kind, and as I recall, the Tauck trip had 4 hotels while ABD had 3 hotels. I wasn't sure if the bouncing around hotels was something that was going to drive me crazy, so I went with the tour that had fewer. Now having done it, it's no big deal, and I wouldn't let that be a factor in deciding future trips.