Help With Denali
Jun 3rd, 2010, 06:57 AM
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Help With Denali
We will be arriving in Fairbanks 7/1 as part of a cruise tour we booked with HAL. We are scheduled to leave the next morning for our train to Denali and Denali Park Tour. The description received from the cruise itinerary says "Natural History Tour" and visitor center. I understand that this tour only goes about 17 miles into the park and then turns around. I also understand it is viewing a film, a historic cabin viewing, then at mile 17 a presentation by an Alaskan native interpreter, then the bus turns around and heads back.
I wondered how interesting this tour will be compared to if we book a Tundra Wilderness Tour that goes deep into the park. I know that we aren't going to be guaranteed what wildlife we might see along the way but I am sure the scenery must be spectacular further into the park.
We are traveling w/ 6 people so I want the visit to be interesting. I also wondered about the bus transportation. I have read that some of the tours will be on school busses and I can't imagine that could be the most comfortable ride!
Can anyone advise me which tour they think we would enjoy the most and also the bus transportation. I am not sure I want to ride on a school bus and would prefer a more comfortable upgraded coach. If you can recommend any tour companies that would offer the Tundra Tour it would be appreciated.
I have also been reading about the Eielson Visitor Center and a shuttle bus that goes 67 miles into the park. Does anyone know what type of tour this would be and if it is a guided bus tour or just a mode of transportation? It looks as it Park Rangers would be available for guided walks. The bus trip price is reasonable for this trip.
Thanks so much.
May
I wondered how interesting this tour will be compared to if we book a Tundra Wilderness Tour that goes deep into the park. I know that we aren't going to be guaranteed what wildlife we might see along the way but I am sure the scenery must be spectacular further into the park.
We are traveling w/ 6 people so I want the visit to be interesting. I also wondered about the bus transportation. I have read that some of the tours will be on school busses and I can't imagine that could be the most comfortable ride!
Can anyone advise me which tour they think we would enjoy the most and also the bus transportation. I am not sure I want to ride on a school bus and would prefer a more comfortable upgraded coach. If you can recommend any tour companies that would offer the Tundra Tour it would be appreciated.
I have also been reading about the Eielson Visitor Center and a shuttle bus that goes 67 miles into the park. Does anyone know what type of tour this would be and if it is a guided bus tour or just a mode of transportation? It looks as it Park Rangers would be available for guided walks. The bus trip price is reasonable for this trip.
Thanks so much.
May
Jun 3rd, 2010, 07:43 AM
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I'm sorry to say this but in my personal opinion a natural history tour is waste of your time and money. It goes only 17 miles to the park. You can get a free shuttle to mile 14 which would be more enjoyable. You can get off for a dog sled along the way. Once you get to mile 14 you can go on a loop hike along Savage River. It is a very easy hike 1 mile long. You won't have this option on your tour. If you have to go on a tour get the longest one. I highly recommend taking a shuttle bus to Eielson Visitor Center. There is a free hike with a park ranger at 1 pm. You can hike on your own below or above visitor center. More enjoyable, IMO, and much less $. Shuttle bus drivers have no obligation to give commentaries but they always do and many of them are very experienced, knowledgeable and entertaining. For more details check www.reservedenali.com You can read all about tours, shuttle buses and make reservation right there. You can get off and hike anywhere you want to and stay as long as you want, then get to the road and wait for the next bus with available seats. There are only 2 of us so we got on the next bus. If you get to Eielson Visitor Center and decide to stay longer, hike or just enjoy scenery find a shuttle dispatcher and tell him or her when you want to go back and he or she will put you on a list for a shuttle you want to return on. I never had a time to think about comfort or discomfort of seats on a shuttle. One year we were on a buses own by Camp Denali/Northface Lodge. You are still on the same road and make similar stops. While on a tour bus or shuttle you are going to get busy with looking at scenery, looking for wildlife and watching animals. Bring a pair of binoculars for each person. Your shuttle stops often for scheduled restroom stops and many unscheduled stops for scenery and wildlife. You can always get off and wait for the next bus.
Jun 3rd, 2010, 08:02 AM
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I would skip the 17 mile tour. Very crowded (anyone can drive the paved road to Savage River bridge).
The "Tundra Wilderness Tours" provide lunch and the seats are more comfortable (higher backs) than the "shuttle busses" (the one you mention that goes to Eielson). The shuttle busses are much cheaper (bring your own lunch) and you can get off and hike or whatever if you wish and catch a different bus, unlike the TWT.
In theory the TWT provides a formal 'tour' with a speaker who describes what you are seeing (glacial stream vs end of glacier like at Savage, info on the history, more info on the animals and plants, etc), while the shuttle bus driver has only to drive, but in practice most all the shuttle bus drivers will deliver a spiel similar to what you would get on the TWT.
The shuttle busses also offer the opportunity to go further into the park, to Eielson (mile 66) and even Wonder Lake (about 90 miles in), while the TWT turns aroud well short of that, at Toklat unless it is clear, in which case they can go to the Stony Hill overlook for a great view of Mt McKinley (still several miles shy of Eielson).
I personally always used the shuttle busses because I wanted to get off and photograph or hike, but if you are definitely not interested in this, don't mind the extra $$ and want a nicer seat on the bus then the TWT might work better for you.
The "Tundra Wilderness Tours" provide lunch and the seats are more comfortable (higher backs) than the "shuttle busses" (the one you mention that goes to Eielson). The shuttle busses are much cheaper (bring your own lunch) and you can get off and hike or whatever if you wish and catch a different bus, unlike the TWT.
In theory the TWT provides a formal 'tour' with a speaker who describes what you are seeing (glacial stream vs end of glacier like at Savage, info on the history, more info on the animals and plants, etc), while the shuttle bus driver has only to drive, but in practice most all the shuttle bus drivers will deliver a spiel similar to what you would get on the TWT.
The shuttle busses also offer the opportunity to go further into the park, to Eielson (mile 66) and even Wonder Lake (about 90 miles in), while the TWT turns aroud well short of that, at Toklat unless it is clear, in which case they can go to the Stony Hill overlook for a great view of Mt McKinley (still several miles shy of Eielson).
I personally always used the shuttle busses because I wanted to get off and photograph or hike, but if you are definitely not interested in this, don't mind the extra $$ and want a nicer seat on the bus then the TWT might work better for you.
Jun 3rd, 2010, 12:14 PM
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"I have read that some of the tours will be on school busses and I can't imagine that could be the most comfortable ride!
"
Well, they are not uncomfortable either. Be aware that when you get deep into the park, you will be on a graded, unpaved (i.e. dirt) road. It is not always a smooth surface. But, if you have come to Denali to see magnificent scenery and possibly some wildlife, then your chances are much improved with a longer, shuttle bus tour. Oh yes, the drivers on both of my previous trips provided plenty of commentary. Like Bill_H, I too would skip the 17-mile tour.
"
Well, they are not uncomfortable either. Be aware that when you get deep into the park, you will be on a graded, unpaved (i.e. dirt) road. It is not always a smooth surface. But, if you have come to Denali to see magnificent scenery and possibly some wildlife, then your chances are much improved with a longer, shuttle bus tour. Oh yes, the drivers on both of my previous trips provided plenty of commentary. Like Bill_H, I too would skip the 17-mile tour.
Jun 10th, 2010, 01:29 PM
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We are also going on an Alaskan cruise (Princess) this summer and were automatically signed up for the Natural History tour. After reading the threads on this site I cancelled that trip and reserved the TWT tour. I booked that tour directly through Denali park and saved $50 off the cruise ship price. I think I would have done the shuttle bus option, but there are 6 people in our group. Good luck.
Jun 11th, 2010, 04:35 AM
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Thank you all for your input on the Denali tours. It has been very helpful to me in trying to sort out the different tours & shuttles.
I am really leaning towards booking the TWT because of all the positive feedback from everyone that has been on it. I am going to call HAL today to see if they are offering it or will give us credit for the NHT we are scheduled to take. Alternatively, we will book the Eiselon shuttle through NPS.
Because we will not be able to start the tour until mid afternoon and it will be 8-9 hrs. long, is what the dilemma is for the 6 of us. I agree that trying to do the shuttle w/ 6 of us may be iffy also. I guess that we need to just take the plunge and "do it" the right way. Someone on another board said that if we did the TWT and felt we didn't want to go the complete distance of the tour we could possibly ask the driver to see if there is another bus returning to the hotels that we could get on. Don't know if this is a possibility.
Thank you all again. I will try to do a post when we return mid July.
I am really leaning towards booking the TWT because of all the positive feedback from everyone that has been on it. I am going to call HAL today to see if they are offering it or will give us credit for the NHT we are scheduled to take. Alternatively, we will book the Eiselon shuttle through NPS.
Because we will not be able to start the tour until mid afternoon and it will be 8-9 hrs. long, is what the dilemma is for the 6 of us. I agree that trying to do the shuttle w/ 6 of us may be iffy also. I guess that we need to just take the plunge and "do it" the right way. Someone on another board said that if we did the TWT and felt we didn't want to go the complete distance of the tour we could possibly ask the driver to see if there is another bus returning to the hotels that we could get on. Don't know if this is a possibility.
Thank you all again. I will try to do a post when we return mid July.
Jun 11th, 2010, 05:09 AM
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"Because we will not be able to start the tour until mid afternoon and it will be 8-9 hrs. long, is what the dilemma is for the 6 of us. I agree that trying to do the shuttle w/ 6 of us may be iffy also."
Even if it is late afternoon, you can still catch a shuttle bus for Eielson or even Toklat (which is 53 miles in). Making reservations is incredibly easy, even for a group of six. Just phone them (1-800-622-7275).
_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie
Even if it is late afternoon, you can still catch a shuttle bus for Eielson or even Toklat (which is 53 miles in). Making reservations is incredibly easy, even for a group of six. Just phone them (1-800-622-7275).
_______________________________________________
Vic's travels: http://my.flightmemory.com/vogilvie
Jun 11th, 2010, 09:37 AM
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Things to know. If you take a tour it will stop for bathroom break about every 2 hours. While scenery is beautiful, it is obviously not a zoo - you may or may not see animals and they may be close or far away.
The road is unpaved and about 2 inches wider than the bus - and in parts there is a terrifying drop-off to the side without guard rails. And then you meet up with a bus passing in the other direction. If this is not your type of terror ride, keep this in mind. My adult son and I had some real issues with the switchbacks, cliffs, etc - almost-adult DD and DH did not.
The road is unpaved and about 2 inches wider than the bus - and in parts there is a terrifying drop-off to the side without guard rails. And then you meet up with a bus passing in the other direction. If this is not your type of terror ride, keep this in mind. My adult son and I had some real issues with the switchbacks, cliffs, etc - almost-adult DD and DH did not.
Jun 15th, 2010, 05:15 AM
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There is way more that needs to be considered here. For clarification, some shuttle buses have the SAME seats as the tour buses. I was just out twice last week and rode in newer bucket seats on the shuttle buses. No matter HOW you are going into Denali park- it is highly recommended you take your own food and drink- the included "box lunch" is skimpy at best.
ANY changes to included tours need to ALSO, figure out HOW you are getting to your alternative bus. Most TWT buses do lodge pick ups, BUT not all, this is extremly important, since you are going to miss this bus, if you can't figure out where to be.
As for Shuttle buses, without your own transportation, you HAVE to either walk the mile+++ to the Access Center, or have the lodge shuttle available in your scheduled timeframe. These lodge shuttles DO NOT run for the earliest/latest buses. You need to be in line at least 30 minutes prior. You also need to reserve ALL buses in advance. Walk up space is very risky. I was just there, with no availablity to Eielson on morning buses for 3 days and only a couple runs available in the afternoon.
Binoculars are necessary.
ANY changes to included tours need to ALSO, figure out HOW you are getting to your alternative bus. Most TWT buses do lodge pick ups, BUT not all, this is extremly important, since you are going to miss this bus, if you can't figure out where to be.
As for Shuttle buses, without your own transportation, you HAVE to either walk the mile+++ to the Access Center, or have the lodge shuttle available in your scheduled timeframe. These lodge shuttles DO NOT run for the earliest/latest buses. You need to be in line at least 30 minutes prior. You also need to reserve ALL buses in advance. Walk up space is very risky. I was just there, with no availablity to Eielson on morning buses for 3 days and only a couple runs available in the afternoon.
Binoculars are necessary.
Jun 17th, 2010, 05:17 AM
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I am still going round and round on trying to see Denali! As I mentioned in my previous posts, we are doing the Holland America cruisetour, arrive Denali 7/2 from Fairbanks via train at 12:15 pm. We will have to check in, etc. We would really like to do a tour other than the DHT offered us by HAL.
I called HAL and they told me flat outright we could not upgrade to the TWT. The history tour was what we were going to get. I have spoken w/ McKinley Chalets and they didn't seem to have a problem w/ the upgrade, they said they appreciated our business. We would pay the difference for the upgrade. Not a problem for us. They said it would be around $40-50 for the upgrade (they didn't have exact price).
However, they said that we couldn't do the upgrade until our reservation from HAL was in their system. We are scheduled for 7/2 stay at the hotel. Are they just telling me that we aren't in their system or what? I would think by now we should know if we have a room for that night.
We would like to do the TWT vs the Eiselon shuttle because we would get picked up and dropped off at the McKinley Chalets. If we did the shuttle bus to Eiselon the free shuttle from the hotel stops operating around 6:30 pm. We would have to do the latest shuttle into the park and then we would have to walk back to our hotel. We do not want this option so the TNT tour is going to be the best choice.
Now all I have to do is figure out a way to book the TNT tour without paying another $149 for it (as someone has suggested we do in the interests of knowing we had a reserved tour).
As Budget Queen has indicated, there would be some drawbacks to trying to do the shuttle bus and especially with 6 of us in our group. This is why I am desperately trying to get the TNT tour finalized. We so do not want to do the NHT after reading all the reviews.
I know that we get a box lunch on the TWT but have been told we should bring other food as well. My husband is diabetic so I need to make sure he is going to be able to eat something on the long trip. Is there a place we could grab something to go near the Chalets, in the Chalet itself or where? I am concerned about having time constraints where we won't be arriving until 12:15 at the train station, then have to check in, etc.
Again, my thanks for any further input in this dilemma. I just want to know b4 we leave home we have a Denali tour other than the history tour.
rpowell: looks like it was a lot easier for you to cancel your history tour through Princess and book the TWT. Did you get a credit from Princess?
I called HAL and they told me flat outright we could not upgrade to the TWT. The history tour was what we were going to get. I have spoken w/ McKinley Chalets and they didn't seem to have a problem w/ the upgrade, they said they appreciated our business. We would pay the difference for the upgrade. Not a problem for us. They said it would be around $40-50 for the upgrade (they didn't have exact price).
However, they said that we couldn't do the upgrade until our reservation from HAL was in their system. We are scheduled for 7/2 stay at the hotel. Are they just telling me that we aren't in their system or what? I would think by now we should know if we have a room for that night.
We would like to do the TWT vs the Eiselon shuttle because we would get picked up and dropped off at the McKinley Chalets. If we did the shuttle bus to Eiselon the free shuttle from the hotel stops operating around 6:30 pm. We would have to do the latest shuttle into the park and then we would have to walk back to our hotel. We do not want this option so the TNT tour is going to be the best choice.
Now all I have to do is figure out a way to book the TNT tour without paying another $149 for it (as someone has suggested we do in the interests of knowing we had a reserved tour).
As Budget Queen has indicated, there would be some drawbacks to trying to do the shuttle bus and especially with 6 of us in our group. This is why I am desperately trying to get the TNT tour finalized. We so do not want to do the NHT after reading all the reviews.
I know that we get a box lunch on the TWT but have been told we should bring other food as well. My husband is diabetic so I need to make sure he is going to be able to eat something on the long trip. Is there a place we could grab something to go near the Chalets, in the Chalet itself or where? I am concerned about having time constraints where we won't be arriving until 12:15 at the train station, then have to check in, etc.
Again, my thanks for any further input in this dilemma. I just want to know b4 we leave home we have a Denali tour other than the history tour.
rpowell: looks like it was a lot easier for you to cancel your history tour through Princess and book the TWT. Did you get a credit from Princess?
Jun 19th, 2010, 07:24 AM
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It was no problem at all with Princess and they gave me a credit. I didn't even rebook the TWT tour with them, but went through the Denali reservation site to get the cheaper fare. Sorry Holland is giving you the run around. We leave for our cruise in a week!!!!
Jun 19th, 2010, 04:27 PM
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rpowell, you are so lucky that you were able to change your tour. I am still fighting the battle w/ HAL about changing to TWT tour. I really don't believe HAL could be so ridiculous about such a simple thing. More on this topic later. I prefer not to make any further comments about this until it is resolved. Then I'll let loose.
Enjoy your cruise. Do a post when you return and I'll do the same.
Enjoy your cruise. Do a post when you return and I'll do the same.
