Alaska - The Glaciers

The #1 attraction for me in going to Alaska was to see the glaciers so we booked an inside passage cruise. And I certainly wasn't disappointed!   It was really cool as to see the Hubbard Glacier and numerous, small ice flows in the water.

I liked that the ship stayed in Glacier Bay for an hour so we could take time to enjoy the natural beauty. And we were so lucky because that day we had the best weather of the trip and could sit on the deck and balcony and enjoy the breathtaking scenery!

While in Juneau we hiked to the Mendenhall Glacier. I was stressed out because the Forest Ranger told us that there had been some bear sightings that morning so I felt like my head was spinning on a lazy susan looking all around for the bears!

The shots of the glaciers below were taken on a prior trip by my friend, photographer Sam Markman. He did a phenomenal job of capturing the intense coloring and stratification in the glaciers.
For additional shots of this spectacular area, check out his work:
http://szmarkman.zenfolio.com/p877784342

Alaska - On Board Ship

The boarding process for our 7 day cruise was a breeze with us getting to our room within 30 minutes.

We booked 5 months in advance and were upgraded for free to a balcony room. I really enjoyed that because I've heard how claustrophobic those tiny cabins can feel without a window.

I loved exploring all aspects of the ship from the spa to the casino to the many dining venues.

We opted for anytime dining for our evening meal; which was very convenient because we didn't have to rush back to the ship when we were in port.
Overall, the food was tasty but the desserts were exceptional. And the chefs really showed off their culinary skills with the dessert extravaganza with over 30 different cakes, tortes and pasteries.
I had a lot of fun in the casino playing in 2 Texas Hold'em Tournaments. The free shows every evening were colorful and very entertaining

TRAVEL TIP: If you're a cruise virgin like I was, then I strongly recommend going to the Caribbean or somewhere warm for your first cruise as there were many features of the ship like the pool and outdoor movie theater that we could not enjoy because of the cold weather.

Also, you can get a spa service at a 40 to 50% while the ship is docked in port.

Alaska - Days 5-7

We left very early in the morning on Day 5 to head from Denali National Park to the Copper River Princess "Wilderness" Lodge.  It was quite an uncomfortable ride as much of it was on the Denali Highway, an unpaved gravel road.
 http://www.icdc.com/~neubauer/denali.htm

This was something I wasn't prepared for as we spent 9 hours on the bus!!   It made me realize that I hadn't paid enough attention during the planning phase of this trip and made me think of several key travel points to remember when planning for future trips.
1.  How am I getting from Point A to Point B?
2.  How long will I be on the bus or train?
3.  What do I really want to see when I get there?

I was very disappointed when we got there.  I'm not sure what I had hoped to see, but the location, while beautiful, was very REMOTE!!  I just did not pay enough attention to the word "Wilderness" in the brochures, because we were in the middle of nowhere for 2 nights!   With cold, rainy weather and most of the local tours costing $200 or more per person, plus several hours again on the bus,  we decided to just stay in the lodge and read.

 

Another important point I seemed to miss in the Princess brochure was that a large part of the Alaska land adventure is hiking and spotting animals in their natural habitat.   But the one day we decided to go for a walk in the Copper River area, there was a bear sighting, so I definitely stayed in.  One of our fellow travelers ventured out and had a run-in with the bear.   I could feel her fear as she recounted her bear sighting to us.    

On Day 7, another 8 hours on the bus to Whittier to catch our cruise ship, the CORAL PRINCESS!  I was excited about that as this was my first ocean voyage!  I was really impressed with the size of the ship, standing at over 16 decks high.

TRAVEL TIP:
Princess Cruise lines strongly suggests you pack one suitcase for land travel and one for the cruise ship which they will store for you.    That worked out great as I only had to lug one suitcase around.

Princess tours excelled in organization.  As soon as we arrived at a new hotel, we received an info packet with  info on the area, available tours and luggage tags.    They would deliver and pick-up your luggage right at your door.

TRAVEL TIP: If you're willing to eat early, the up-scale restaurants at the Princess Lodges all offer several early-bird dinner selections at significant savings!

If Alaska is on your Travel Bucket List, I would strongly recommend only 3 days on land seeing Mt. McKinley and Denali National Park!http://www.princess.com/learn/destinations/alaska/why_visit_alaska/wilderness_lodges/copper_river/index.htm

Alaska - Days 1-4

Whenever I travel I always try to stay as long as possible because I don't know if I'll ever get back, so we decided to take the Princess 13 Nights Off the Beaten Path Cruise tour.    I was so excited about this trip because I had wanted to go to Alaska for years and had never been on a large cruise ship.
http://www.princess.com/learn/cruisetours/alaska

We started our adventure in Anchorage and stayed at the comfortable Hotel Captain Cook, located in the heart of town.   The next day we headed by bus to the Mt. McKinley Wilderness Lodge, set so you can see exceptional views of Mt McKinley.  While that might not be the clearest shot of Mt McKinley (aka Denali), I took it!!   We were very lucky as we got to see the peak a few times and I know people who have traveled there just to see McKinley, but never saw it because it was constantly fogged in.   

http://www.princesslodges.com/mckinley-lodge.cfm

 

TRAVEL TIP:   Since a viewing of Mt. McKinley is the big attraction, the hotel has someone watching it 24/7 and will actually give you a wake up call in the middle of the night if the weather breaks and you can clearly see it.  (Remember - it's daylight almost 20 hours a day during the summer months)

 

I loved it because we took the Alaska Scenic Domed-Rail car from Talkeetna to Denali.   Even though it rained, we saw much of the beautiful Alaskan scenery and some wildlife.  I really enjoyed having lunch on the train and liked that each domed car had it's own dining room below.

http://www.alaskatravel.com/alaska-railroad/denali-talkeetna-dome.html

 

In Denali, we stayed at the Princess Wilderness Lodge.  When booking the land portion of the trip, I think we missed the key word "Wilderness" because this lodge was definitely in the middle of nowhere and rather basic.   We took the Natural History Tour  which was quite interesting; but the best part was the young man who acted as if he were a prospector and showed us the Savage Cabin.  He gave the entire speech in character and was just a joy to listen to.  We saw some moose and caribou but I was disappointed because no bears were out.

 

TRAVEL TIP:   Alaska is still quite cold in June/July.   Because of the rain and snow, I was freezing even though I had on long underwear and wore my lightweight ski pants; so dress warmly.    Here it is snowing on June 1st!!    http://alaska.org/denali/natural-history-tours.jsp