Alaskan Cruise and Denali

[PrincessShmoo]

We did a non-cruise vacation in Alaska and part of it was three nights at the Kantishna Roadhouse at the very end of the one road into Denali. We took the train with the dome view from Anchorage and when we were within site of Denali it was gorgeous, blue skies with a wisp of a cloud streaking across the top of the mountain. Stayed in a cabin the first night outside the park and the next day it was all rain and clouds.

And it stayed that way the entire time at Kantishna, until it was time to go and on the bus ride out we had bright blue skies again. The bus driver told us about 1 out of 5 trips (I think) on the bus you get to see the whole mountain.

So if the land portion is very short at Denali, hopefully you'll get a chance to see it. This is why we spent three nights there; hoping we'll see it at least once.

For those that have done a cruise that includes a Denali stay, how many nights is typical? And did you get to see Denali or was it socked in by bad weather?

We did a cruise/tour last year where we were at Denali 2 nights/3days. Arrival day - we arrived after lunch, so we didn't go into the park, but it was rainy (most likely couldn't see the mountain). Next day - rain, snow, grey skies, we took the Tundra Wilderness Tour:

I asked the guide "When we get to where we could see the mountain on this tour, please point it out". This is what we saw:

However, the next day - we had 1/2 day at Denali, catching the train to Anchorage. We had absolutely glorious weather and beautiful view of Denali while on the train ride:

 

[gometros]

We are platinum DCL and have done 2 DCL Alaska cruises. We love it and are leaving Monday for another. However, if you are only going to do Alaska once, do a cruise/land with Princess. You can take their inland passage cruise, get off in Seward (near Anchorage) and walk across to their private train car to Denali. It is about a 5 hour ride. Then you can stay at a number of different Princess Lodges. I would recommend at least two nights at the Denali lodge, three if you can, and if you have time two at the Mt. McKinley Lodge. The Princess Denali Lodge is 5 minutes from the Park Center will you get buses to take you through the park. You will never regret it.

Fyi - Princess sails out of Whittier, but your advice is sound. We just sailed the Sapphire Princess in June, choosing it over DCL for the very reason that we could tour Alaska before boarding in Whittier and sailing south to Vancouver. Plus, DCL only visits Tracy Arm, where Princess goes to the Hubbard Glacier and Glacier Bay. They both make the same three port stops.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

 

[sayhello]

Princess Shmoo, I love your pic from the train!!

I've done both a Princess Alaska cruisetour and the ABD Alaska trip.

On the Princess cruisetour, we stayed 2 nights at Princess' Denali Lodge just outside of the Park, and one night at Princess' Mt. McKinley Lodge, past Talkeetna, which has an amazing view of Denali when it's out.

Here's the view we had of Mt. Denali while on our tour into Denali National Park (the guide kept pointing to this area, but I didn't see it until I looked at the photo later. It almost looks like a mirage, but if you look *really* hard, you can see it right in the bow of the mountain range:

Then a couple of days later, at Princess' Mt. McKinley Lodge, we saw her, shrouded in clouds, but peeking through:

Then, that night, Denali showed up in full silhouette as the sun set (of course, this was 11:15 pm!)

But the best was when leaving Denali National Park on my ABD, and this was what we saw from the side of the road as we drove down towards Seward:

I truly love Alaska, and OP, I really think your DH is right, any trip to Alaska should include a visit to Denali (and the Kenai Peninsula if you can manage it!) Spectacular beauty and wildlife!

Sayhello

 

[bekkiz]

We did a one way Vancouver to Seward on Royal Caribbean (awesome time!!) and then did an independent tour of Anchorage and flightseeing out of Talkeetna. We chose not to do the more common tour up to the lodges due to the age of the kiddos--no way could they hang in a car for that long!

Our view from the plane

Kids on the mountain (well, the the glacier next to the mountain!)

 

[Narnia_girl]

I am having to pick my jaw up off the floor! These photos are gorgeous!!

I am curious about the time of year when it was raining/snowing/sleeting? Can this happen year round? What is the approximate elevation of the lodges/tourist lookouts? Just trying to get an idea of the difference in height between Denali (snow covered) and the main roads which appear clear.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I am having to pick my jaw up off the floor! These photos are gorgeous!!

I am curious about the time of year when it was raining/snowing/sleeting? Can this happen year round? What is the approximate elevation of the lodges/tourist lookouts? Just trying to get an idea of the difference in height between Denali (snow covered) and the main roads which appear clear.

We were there June 3, 2012. That was very early in the season. But the weather is (as it is everywhere in Alaska) variable (almost by the minute). I don't have the elevations at hand. I'll see if I can dig them up.