Sand Dollar Travel & Cruises
Summit - Alaska
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Summit ~ Celebrity Cruise Lines
7 Night Northbound Alaska Cruise + 5 Night Land Tour (Seward --> Fairbanks)
 
Vancouver, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Icy Strait Point, Hubbard Glacier, Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali/Mt. McKinley, Fairbanks
 
July 29 - August 10
 
Ron & Pat ~ Shoreview, MN

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Talkeetna, AK - a favorite!

Ratings and comments are taken from a post-trip survey they completed.
 
Hotel Accomodations Rating and Comments:  (scale 1 - 5, 5 being the best)

Size of the room: 3 - Adequate for as much as we were in there.

Room Amenities: 5  - Even umbrellas!

Service: 5 - Asked to have table removed from our room - was done immediately.

Restaurants: 5  - Great food, ambiance.  Our waiter was not the best, disappeared for long periods of time, did only the expected.

Amenities (pool, common areas): 5  - Always clean, sometimes too cool

Entertainment: 4  - Fabulous!  Great talent/shows, except Cirque Du Soleil

Hotel Location: 4  - All good except McKinley Resort - dirty and poor service

Over-all Satisfaction: 5  - Can't think of a thing to complain about on our cruise.  It was beyond expectations!  Very elegant.  Beautiful, breath-taking scenery.  Extremely interesting ports of call and tours.

 

Optional Sight-seeing Tours:

Tour Company: Celebrity

Where did you go and what did you do?

1. Mendenhall Glacier & Salmon Hatchery - glacier good, fascinating (rain!) walked to different spots for pictures; hatchery so-so, hard to see the fish so beat up and crowded together, process seemed so artificial, would have rather seen a stream with salmon running.  Recommend? Maybe

 

2. Hoonah Tour by bus - unique, interesting, local young lady for guide - she stopped to view bear!  Recommend?  Yes

 

3. Klondike Summit/Tundra Wilderness Tour - magnificent!  Saw wildlife, majestic scenery, guide informative, hot chocolate!  Many photos ops.  Recommend?  Yes

 

4. River Raft Float on Talkeetna River - (Tour Guide Steve offered a list of Land tours while on train - that's how we heard about this).  Very adept young lady guided us down the glacial river, took side trip up clear water stream - noted line of difference in water.  Really neat experience.  Eagle's nests, beaver lodges, tasted high bush cranberries and rose hips!  Recommend? MOST DEFINITELY!

 

All tour guides were great, some more fun/funny than others, but all very interesting and informative, whether native or college students from Utah!

 

The Sternwheeler and the Golden Haert Theater that last day were great, in and of themselves, but we had been on the go-go-go almost 2 weeks and were very tired.  They were almost anti-climatic.  Recommend?  Yes - especially if at beginning of trip!

 

 

Touring on their own:
Walking tour of Sitka - lots of interesting history (but almost too much walking [in rain] for me.)  Recommend? YES
 
Explored Talkeetna - unique little town loaded with history.  Sad to see old historic buildings turned into tourist trap shops.  Lunch as Purple Pizza Place, supper at West Rib.  Recommend?  YES
 
Over-all satisfaction with the trip:

5+. It was beyond all expectations in service, activities, history, beauty - a 40 year old dream come true to visit Alaska! 

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Mendenhall Glacier

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Pat's friend a grizzly - at Macauly Salmon Hatchery

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Up early to see Hubbard Glacier - Hot choc. good on this 38 degree morning!

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Domed rail car

Sand Dollar Travel & Cruises ~ Shoreview, MN  ~ 651-300-9122 ~  jenni@sanddollartravel.com