Alaska. . . Still The Last Frontier!!!!

One of the questions we always get is “aren’t you getting tired of going to Alaska?”.  After getting back last week from our 20^th trip to our 49^th state, I can honestly say that we do not get tired of going to that beautiful, clean-aired state. . . .primarily because we always see something we haven’t ever seen before, even though in some cases it has been there for quite some time.  And, you might be surprised to know that almost every year, we have had some folks who make a second trip with us, in fact, this year we had some friends who had been to Alaska three times!!!

I always suggest to folks that they consider doing the 12-day trip that we have been escorting for at least the past 10 years because it will probably be the only time you get to that inviting state.  We settled on what we consider the best way to see as much of Alaska in 12 days by starting out in Fairbanks, busing down to Denali National Park for two nights and staying in two different lodges, then riding the rail from Talkeetna to Anchorage for one night.  Including in the price are two excellent excursions in Fairbanks, one 30-40 mile trip into the interior of Denali, and a visit at a wildlife preservation center just south of Anchorage.

After that 5-night land sojourn, we board our ship in Whittier, a town with an interesting past, and set sail for 7 days, experiencing Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, and stops in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.  We end our experience in Vancouver, Canada where we depart back to DFW.

This year’s only disappointment was not being able to see Mt. McKinley.  That tallest mountain in North America is so large, it makes its own weather, and quite often she is shrouded in fog or clouds.  We have seen it, but out of the 20 times we’ve been there, she has been partially visible on 3 occasions and totally visible on 2 occasions.  The folks at the Denali Visitors Center and at McKinley Princess Lodge do their best to make up for it with some thrilling videos that show the mountain in all kinds of weather.

Some folks think they want the small-ship experience in Alaska, with 40-90 passengers.  That is ok for those who like the more rustic type of experience with kayaking and other more active and adventuresome activities.  I’ve just enjoyed the way Princess Cruise and Tours have presented that product over the years, and we’ve been fortunate and our clients have been fortunate to have seen all the different wildlife of Alaska in their native habitat.  All that while at the same time enjoying the amenities of a larger vessel, such as great nightly entertainment and daily activities with folks who are native to the Alaska culture.

We have next years Alaska experience ready to sell right now.  We will be departing on June 29 and sailing on the Star Princess until July 11, 2015, so call us or come by The Travel Factory at 4150 Southwest Drive, Suite 120.  More information is on our website, www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com.  We would love to introduce you to our version of “The Last Frontier”.