We chose the Alaska land and cruise package that included the 3 night Denali pre-cruise trip. We flew into Anchorage on July 12, two days before the official start (always concerned about flight delays). Flights on Delta from Syracuse-Minneapolis-Seattle-Anchorage were all on time. Arrived in Anchorage on time and met at the airport by HAL staff and, after collecting checked bags, promptly boarded a bus to our hotel (the Westmark). The hotel was conveniently located and definitely had an older feel but the room was clean and comfortable. While in Anchorage we had dinners at Crush (a wine and tapas bar) and the 49th State Brewery - both were excellent - and we visited the Alaska Museum, worth the time if you can make it.

On the morning of the 14th, we were bused to the domed rail cars at the train station (a five minute drive) for our trip up to Denali. This trip was fantastic. The scenery was magnificent and the host/commentator gave us plenty of great information along the way. We had lunch in the dining area of the car (it's the lower level) and the food was very good. We had several sightings of Denali itself - very impressive as it towers well above everything around it. Arrived at the McKinley Lodge around 5PM.

McKinley Lodge is a very nice property. It's more of a campus with several restaurants and shops and rooms are in many buildings. They have an effective shuttle system to get you around if you don't care to walk. Food in the restaurants was very good and, I thought, reasonably priced considering where you were. It's more than you'd probably pay at home but certainly less than if you were in NYC or any other large city. Read more