Accommodations ashore were in the Westmarks, a chain of hotels of varying quality cobbled together by Holland America ranging from a suite at the Westmark Fairbanks to the Westmark BeaverCreek (which had only single beds that could not be moved together). Given that BeaverCreek is little more than a dot on the Yukon map, a short chunk of solid land surrounded by bog, no complaints.

Accommodation aboard for the 4-day cruise portion was an inside cabin with a California-King sized bed that almost filled the room from wall to wall.

For meals ashore and aboard the train, one can purchase meal tickets from HA or go it alone. We went it alone, paid for two great meals on the train, breakfast and dinner, a buffet breakfast at our Denali lodgings, and a superb gourmet meal at the SalmonBake in Denali. Best deal in WhiteHorse is the bbq chicken from the WalMart next door to the hotel. Included in the tour price (and well worth it) were a gourmet meal at the Westmark Tok, a fun supper with entertainment at the Westmark Beaver Creek, and a miners stew for lunch in Fairbanks. Read more