Welcome Back Deborah
 

Juneau was interesting, the Mendenhall Glacier was awesome, and Grandma's was cozy! Thanks again for the help with Juneau.

Hi!! Thanks. I actually stayed at the Country Lane and they served hot cookies in the afternoon!! Very close to the airport and the ferry. I'm glad you had a great time. The glacier was beautiful and I had perfect weather that day. I can't wait to go up again!!

Deborah:

I am not cyber stalking you...really!

Could you post your trip report or tell me where you may have done so already?

Thanks!!!

I spoke a little bit about my recent trip on the thread "Alaska Experts" or click on my name and you will find my posts. I took the ferry this trip from Ketchikan to Juneau then Skagway and then back to Juneau. I have previously been in Anchorage, Denali, Girdwood and Seward. Do you have a particular question? If so, hopefully I can help.

Deborah:

Thanks for your response. I did not have specific questions. Just wondered if you had a more detailed report about where you lodged, ate, saw and all that type of "chat".

Welcome Back

I started my trip in Ketchikan and stayed at the Best Western Landing hotel right across from the ferry dock. In Ketchikan, a good place to eat is Annabelle's which is famous for their clam chowder. The Best Western hotel also had a nice restaurant. The Dockside Diner is a casual place in town, but reasonably priced and decent food. I did the Misty Fjords flightseeing trip, but was let down by it. My guide was on his first season and really didn't point out a lot of things. This was not my favorite town and I probably wouldn't go there again.

In Juneau, I stayed at the Best Western Country Lane Hotel. It's not in town, but in the Mendenhall Valley, close to the glacier. The hotel has good AAA rates and has a shuttle which will drop you off close to the entrance of the glacier. A restaurant in town to try is the Twisted Fish. Mi Casa in the valley has great halibut tacos!! The Mount Roberts Tram was great and there was good hiking up there. I wasn't in Juneau for very long, so didn't get to do the whale watching or go to Tracy Arm. I will do it next time.

In Skagway, I stayed at the Westmark Hotel which is right in town. This hotel is owned by Holland America. If you stay here, request a room in the main hotel. It took 10 minutes for hot water to come across the street to my building. They did say, as the season progressed, it wouldn't take as long, but it was annoying for me!! It's a very standard hotel but you can get a decent rate on the internet. Some friends I met on the ferry stayed at the White House Bed & Breakfast and had good things to say about it. As for meals, The Stowaway Cafe is a nice restaurant (but not cheap) and The Skagway Fish Company next door was always busy (with about the same prices although I didn't eat there). It looked fun. I ate at the Corner Cafe which had great prices on halibut sandwiches and homemade soups etc. I ate there a couple of times. The Skagway Pizza Station had some of the worst pizza I ever had, so I would avoid it. The Sweet Tooth Cafe was also good for lunch and breakfast, but it is only open until 2:00 every day. Since I was by myself most of the time, I tend to eat in more casual places. Of course, while in Skagway, you should have a beer at the Red Onion Saloon. The Alaskan Brewing Company has a great Summer Ale and their Alaskan Amber is my other favorite. Check out the White Pass Ralilroad while there. It's well worth the money.

When I went back to Juneau, I stayed again at the Best Western which is only 2 blocks from the airport. Very convenient as I needed to be there at 5:30 a.m.

In Anchorage I stayed at both the Holiday Inn and SpringHill Suites. The Holiday Inn is very convenient to the train station.

In Denali I stayed at the Denali Bluffs and Girdwood was the Aleyeska.

On the ferry, we saw one bear, sea lions and porpoises. I did see killer whales, but no humpbacks this time. You should see a lot of wildlife on the train trips.

I hope this helps. I am really a low key traveler, so don't hit the fancy places too often. Alaska is very laid back anyway. I hope you enjoy your trip. I plan to go back again as soon as possible. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.