All our luggage handling by Princess on the whole trip was superb, as was the scheduling for bus and train connections. From Fairbanks we took the train to Denali. We had eaten at the hotel so we did not need to waste time doing that instead of watching the scenery from the domed cars and from the open back landing. Our hosts on the train pointed out Dall sheep and other sights. Weather was cloudy when we arrived at the Denali Lodge but we explored the gorgeous property, shopped nearby and took the free shuttle to the Park Visitor Center which was very nice. We ate at the Pizza Place at the Hotel - nothing special but good service and good food. Our friends went in the outdoor Hot Tubs by our room which was overlooking the Nenana River.

At 6 AM the next day we were on the Natural History Bus Tour of Denali Park which was part of our Tour (no extra charge). It was a grey morning about 45 degrees but the sun came out eventually and the tour was fine but left you wanting more as it only went about 25 miles into the Park. We had time to take more photos before leaving Denali Lodge about 1 pm having not caught any glimpse of Mt. McKinley yet.

Finally on the bus to Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge, the clouds parted and the view was gorgeous with the fall foliage in the foreground and the Alaska Range in the distance. Soon we saw most of the big mountain and when we arrived at the Lodge it was completely out! We ate chicken strips at the lodge bar and sat on the open deck in the 60 degree sunshine admiring the view. We were thankful to have two days here and would highly recommend it if you are going in to Talkeetna at all which is a 1-hour shuttle ride.

Once we saw how nice the weather was, we signed up for a jet-boat tour at noon the next day, took the early shuttle in and had breakfast in town and bought a print by a local artist before boarding the boat and flying up the Susitna River. There were eagles and some salmon but we did not see any bears or other wildlife. The view of the mountains from the boat was fantastic and our driver said it was one of the best days of the year!

We enjoyed the deck/bar at the lodge again for dinner and saw a nice Photosymphony show. Next morning we hiked the two short trails at the lodge and took more pictures before our 1PM Shuttle to the Train which took us to Whittier. That was a long and not too picturesque ride. We did enjoy the Turnagain Arm section just before reaching the ship. Some people saw Beluga whales from the beautiful train cars.

Finally about 7 PM we arrived at the ship and got into our room for the duration. Our balcony cabin was just as we had expected although our stateroom was pretty remote from most ship activities! Our steward was great and we always enjoyed spending time at the room. The bathroom was small but adequate and there was plenty of closet space for our stuff. We had definitely over packed as we had only been on Caribbean cruises before and this was not as formal. Nice slacks and a few different tops would have been fine for all but the two Formal Dinner nights and some people didn't bother with those! Food at the 24-hour Horizon Court was terrific. We did all our lunches there enjoying the views and the company of other guests. Dinner food was also excellent and we learned to enjoy meeting new friends every night as we tried Anytime dining. We had been on the waiting list for first seating and would have preferred it. At least we were able to dine early every night so that we could get seats at the early shows which were always crowded and were always very good. Princess performers are the best!

As for the scenery of the Inside Passage, we had to skip College Fiord - too rough seas; we spent a grey day in Glacier Bay but still had good views; Skagway was misty until we got to the top of the Pass on the Railway, an excellent tour; Juneau was also rainy - all we did was go shopping; and, even though Ketchikan was grey, we enjoyed the Lighthouse Totem Tour by boat where we learned a lot from our crew and saw lots of eagles and their nests; we even saw a nuclear Sub which was coming into the base near there. There were a couple of times when we saw the tails and spray of Orka whales near the ship, this and the glacier were the best times for having our own balcony. The rest of the time I would not say it was as necessary as on a Caribbean Cruise - we never just sat out there as it was cool and the scenery was just grey.

When we arrived in beautiful Vancouver, the sun finally came out for good and we had a nice day of sightseeing with our family from Seattle who drove us back for our flight the next day. All in all we had a wonderful time and were thoroughly pleased with the arrangements you made for us. The $363.00 we saved over our local agency's quote paid for some of our great shore excursions. Everything went smoothly and I will definitely contact you for our next Cruise. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about our experiences on this trip of a lifetime!

Thanks,

                     - Peggy and Ed Koenig

                       Coral Princess

                       Alaska Cruisetour

Just a note to thank you for your help in booking the ( Alaska ) Princess Cruise tour for next year. I have been doing some internet searching of info regarding the cruise tour and the ship and it becomes increasingly obvious to me that you have taken excellent care of us. Your knowledge of the advantage of a Port side room for the southern trip and your ability to get us in the midships bump out area for our cabins looks to be great. I was not knowledgeable regarding the bump outs on the Coral Princess until reviewing some cruise review sites and the reviews I have read regarding being in the bump out area and on the A and B decks makes you look brilliant and makes us look lucky to have dealt with you. I found you guys pretty much by the luck of the draw on a Goggle search. At the time of my first e-mail I had no idea who you were, where you were located, how legitimate you were or what your level of expertise may be. Let me say that at this point I am very happy I found you and appreciate how well you have served us.

                           -Ken Wager
                            Coral Princess