We went on a land tour and cruise in Alaska in June of 2012.  This was our second trip to Alaska.  We did the tour through Princess Cruises primarily because of the excursions they offered and the hotels they have built as accommodations for the land portion of the trip.  Obviously quite a bit of time has passed since we did this trip.  We were not impressed with the food on board, but did like the hotels, our cabin on the cruise and the service.

If you are considering a cruise, I would suggest you check out the ship you are considering on a website like cruise critic.  You can find reviews for specific ships – both from the editor as well as past passengers.  The reviews cover a number of different areas such as cabins, dining, entertainment, shore excursions, service, value for money as well as others.

When we did our first tour, many past travelers suggested doing the land portion of the tour first as it can be more hectic and you will be more rested at this point of your trip.  That worked well for us and we did the land portion of the tour first on this trip as well.  We arrived a day early which helped us a lot – we had a long flight to get to Anchorage and crossed several time zones.  The extra time gave us the opportunity to adjust, get some souvenir shopping out of the way, and explore Anchorage on our own.

We had dinner at a cafe that was actually in an old house – it was called the Marx Brothers Cafe.  We had seen it featured on a television show and made a reservation before we left home.  It was excellent.  They have a signature Caesar salad that they make table side.  We ate here during our first trip to Alaska and came back to the restaurant on this trip as well – we were not disappointed!  We also ate at the Glacier Brewhouse which was very good.

In addition to souvenirs, we also bought fish in Anchorage and had it shipped home.  We went to 10th & M Seafoods and were very satisfied with their service and the quality of the fish.  We told them what we wanted shipped and gave them a preferred shipping date so we would be back home to receive the package.  We stayed at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage and all of these places were within walking distance of our hotel.

These are some pictures I took in Anchorage.  Being from the Midwestern United States, seeing the mountains as we walked down some of the streets was incredible.  Forty percent of Alaska’s population lives in Anchorage.  The third and fourth pictures are of the Cook Inlet.  It was named for James Cook who sailed it in 1778 while looking for the Northwest Passage.  We took the pictures at a small park which was also within walking distance of our hotel.

After our time in Anchorage, those on this land package gathered to take a charter  bus to the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge which is about an hour from the town of Talkeetna.  These are some pictures we took during the trip.  There is also a picture of one of the patios at the lodge from which we could see beautiful views of the mountains.

We arrived at the Mt. McKinley Lodge around lunch time and had pre-booked a nature walk at Byers Lake.  Byers Lake is in Denali State Park.  It was once home to trappers, traders and gold miners.  We hiked with a nature guide who pointed out many plants, etc.  We also saw Beeman’s Cabin.  It was built in 1959 and was the family’s homesteading site.

That night while we were having dinner, there was a sudden excitement among all of the guests.  The clouds cleared and Mt. McKinley’s peak was visible.  About half the visitors to Mt. McKinley never see the peak.  When we made our first trip to Alaska, we also stayed at this lodge but did not see the mountain’s peak.  It was visible for quite some time and these are pictures I took.  According to Wikipedia, it is the “tallest land-based mountain on Earth—with a vertical rise of about 18,000 feet, as well as the highest mountain peak in North America—with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet above sea level.”   When you look at the snow-covered peaks in the foreground, and then look at the highest peak behind them, you realize the amazing height of the peak.

Mt. McKinley was named for President McKinley in 1917.  He had been assassinated in 1901.  The law naming the mountain established the Mt. McKinley National Park.  In Alaska, it was more commonly referred to as Denali (translated “The Great One” in the native Athabascan language) and there was a move to have the name officially changed.  In 1980, Mt. McKinley National Park was incorporated into a larger area called the Denali National Park and Preserve – this was thought to be a compromise between those wanting to change the mountain’s name and those who did not.  When we visited in 2012, the official name of the mountain was still Mt. McKinley – but the mountain’s name was officially changed to Mount Denali in 2015.   The change was not popular with all.  Then presidential candidate Donald Trump said it was an insult to the state of Ohio (President McKinley’s home state) and vowed to change the name back to Mt. McKinley if elected – we shall see.

The next morning we were off to Denali National Park by train.  The cars were observation cars that enabled us to see the beautiful scenery from our seats.  We could also step out on a platform between cars to take in the sights and the occasional presence of wildlife.  Princess had their own car on the train as did other cruise lines.  At the end of our journey we arrived at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.

The land in the Denali National Park has been used by Native Alaskans and others for the past 11,000 years but it is far from commercialized.  The park itself is comprised of six million acres – there is a road visitors can take into the park – but it must be through one of the park’s buses so access is limited.  There are also some hiking trails.  The growing season is only 100 days.  During our trek into the park, there were several times we could get out of the bus for better views.  One of our stops was at Savage Cabin, an example of the kinds of cabins that have been built along the roadsides.  Cabins like this are used by park rangers responsible for patrolling Denali National Park.  This one dates back to 1924.  In the winter, park rangers patrol by dogsled.  The nails near the windows are designed to deter bears from trying to get into the cabin.

Denali National Park is home to many animals – caribou, moose, wolves, Dall sheep, eagles and bear.  We did not have much luck on either of our trips in Denali to see wildlife.  There is a moose or caribou running off in the second picture below – that was about the best I did spotting and photographing wildlife while in Denali.  Nonetheless, the scenery is beautiful.  A trip into Denali was included as part of our tour package.  The earlier you can take the tour in the morning, the better chance you will have of seeing wildlife.  The day we visited was cold, snowy and windy – still an enjoyable time.