We are just back from a trip to Alaska and Washington state and wanted to post some thoughts and reviews from our trip. First of all, let me say that I will never again trust Delta airlines to get me anywhere, especially to Alaska. Due to a mechanical problem in Hartford we missed our connection in Atlanta and didn't get to Anchorage until the day after we were scheduled to. As we didn't have luggage for another 10 hours after getting to Anchorage we wound up losing a whole day. It's a long story but we were not happy with Delta. I'm just venting here but the message I wanted to relay is be careful what you plan for your first day in Alaska. If you have travel difficulties like we did you may wind up scrambling to change things. We booked the 26 glacier cruise for the afternoon of our first day there and wound up having to reschedule it for later in our stay. This put a dent in our plans but we were lucky that we had some flexibility.

We went to Denali NP for a total of 3 days/2 nights and found it to be spectacular. It's a long drive from Anchorage and with frequent stops will take a good 6 to 8 hours. It is however, well worth the effort. We took the shuttle bus to Fish Creek (8 hours) and saw pretty much all the wildlife that we hoped to see; bears, wolf, sheep, owls, caribou, etc. and got a good view of the mountain for about an hour. I would go back to Denali in a heartbeat. We stayed at the Denali Lakeview Inn on Otto Lake which was a great choice. Rooms were spacious, clean and the view of the lake and mountains will mesmerize you. My only complaint about the trip to DNP is that we should have spent more time there. 3 days and 2 nights is not nearly enough when it's most of a day to drive up and back from Anchorage. Next time we will add at least another day or two.

On the way back from DNP we ventured up to Independence Gold Mine/Hatcher Pass which was also well worth the trip. The drive up (through Wasilla on paved road)was very scenic and we all loved roaming around the ruins of the mine.

Our next day was spent with a morning bike ride on the Tony Knowles trail (about 2 hrs) and an afternoon trip down the Turnagain Arm to Girdwood. The trail was very scenic and a good choice if you enjoy biking. The drive down to Girdwood is truly amazing. Take your time on the drive as it's worth making many stops along the way. We went to Girdwood because our son who is stationed at Elmendorf AFB insisted on taking us out to dinner at the 7 Glaciers Restaurant. The ride up the tram and the views are spectacular. If you take the tram up and have time you can hike up to a glacier for a real treat. There were only about a dozen of us up there but to set foot on the glacier was very exciting.

Our next day was supposed to be a morning drive to Seward but we had to reschedule our PWS cruise for that afternoon so we headed off to Whittier. If your into Glaciers this is the cruise for you. Amazing scenery and an up close look at these giant walls of ice is hard to beat. We didn't expect to see whales and we didn;t, but we saw plenty of birds, seals, sea lions and sea otters. After the cruise we headed off to Seward where we spent the next day at the Sea Life center and Exit Glacier. Because of our travel difficulties our time in Seward was shortened so we didn't get to do everything we wanted. I will say that the Exit Glacier is well worth the trip and if we had time we would have hiked to the Harding Icefield. In Seward we stayed in the Holiday Inn Express which is was fine. It's new so it's still very clean and the pool and jacuzzi were open.

What did we learn from our first trip to Alaska? 1. One week is not enough. We were limited due to other committments but our next trip we be at least 2 weeks, maybe longer. 2. Plan for any and all weather conditions. We did not have a great weather week there but I will tell you that our sunniest day which was up in DNP it was 38 degreees that morning. Also, do not let the weather stop you from doing what you planned. 3. Be careful what you plan on your first day there in case you have travel problems. 4. We saw so many cracked windshields up there that we couldn't beleive it. It seemed that every other car on the road had a cracked windshield. Also, there are some very aggressive drivers up there who are very impatient with tourists. If you are driving just be careful and check your insurance policy before you go to see what would be covered in case of an incident. 5. There is just so much to see in Alaska, don't worry if you don't get to see it all. Don't rush through areas just to move on to the next stop. Everywhere we went we felt that we could have spent more time there. If you don't get to an area save it for your next trip. 6. Be thankful that you have the opportunity to visit and witness some of the most spectacular and pristine scenery on this planet.

As a platinum freqent flyer, I can tell you don't get too upset at Delta to the point you'll never use them again. Honey, what happened to you will happen to you over and over again the more you travel. If it's not a problem with Delta, it will be a problem on a Southwest, United, American, etc. flight. Goes with the territory. I can tell you stories of being stranded, lost luggage, mishaps, etc. I'm sorry this happened, and I surely know it can be frustrating, but I can guarantee you it's not privvy to one airline.
I am glad it turned out alright for you and that you had a nice trip.

Thanks for the trip report! I'm planning a trip for next summer and was wondering if 2 nights would be enough time in Denali. Think I'll heed your advise and schedule more!

I agree with tcapp.
Technical problems and therefore delays and misconnections may occurr, more or less, to any airline. What makes the difference among airlines that could drive you to say never again or once again, despite the quality of service on board, is the so called "customer relationship", I mean the way how the staff is trained to handle complaints and irregularities after they have happened, how/when they inform you what's going on, give you alternatives or any kind of assistance to reduce your frustration. So, if you had a bad treatment as individual customer from unfriendly or incompetent Delta staff you are right to say NEVER AGAIN, if not you could give them another chance !

I travel quite a bit for business,and for fun when I can. Delta's my primary airline, but I use 2 or 3 others fairly routinely also. I rarely have problems, but deal with them when they do arise. I will echo what you've been told - it can happen with all of the airlines. And, really, don't you prefer that they find the mechanical problems while on the ground, vs in the air? I sure do.
Having said that, I always (really, always!) leave a backup when traveling. Whether it's for a client meeting or for long distance, I leave my home city one flight before I actually have to, and recommend this tactic. You end up with more hours in Atlanta, but those can be filled, and you're more assured of getting where you're going - if your 1st leg is disrupted, you can hopefully be fitted into the next flight. I use this for all my client meetings, but especially for those trips where the "2nd leg" flies only once or 2x per day - west coast, Europe, a client in the Pacific, and will surely do the same for our eventual return to Alaska - my husband grew up in Anchorage, and as you've said: it's truly amazing up there! Glad you enjoyed the trip.