I could happily write a detailed day-by-day review of the wonderful experience (which has nudged passed Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer to become my favourite of my JY adventures) but, I don't want to completely spoil it for the group departing in September, so here are my edited highlights, opinions and a few tips:

Overall Rating: (while running the risk of being shot by the rest of the group for using our 'favourite' Alaskan phrase...) AWESOME!!!

First the logistics....

Tour Manager - All hail our wonderful TM, David 'BEAR!!!' Crawford. David provided us all with a detailed, 16 page, day-by-day itinerary complete with timings, photos and descriptions of what we could look forward to when we met at Heathrow. I have never seen this done before on any of my previous JY trips (apparently DC does it for every group he leads) and it was a brilliant tool which we all really appreciated (No pressure - all you other TMs....)

Driver - Tina Turner (yes, really) - a lovely lady with over 20 years experience as a 'busser' which has included working the ice roads to Prudoe Bay featured in many a satellite TV documentary. Tina's commentary tended to be more personal experiences and family/friends tales rather than Alaskan history (and we could all have done without the 'nose bleed story'...) but she did a great job of getting us from A to B quickly and safely and was a lot of fun.

Flights - Delta were fine (although I'm told by those that chose to upgrade that the costs were huge), but I think next year's travellers will have a shorter journey to Anchorage via Reykjavik rather than our rather long outward drag via Minneapolis, (with all the hassle of immigration, retrieving and rechecking our hold baggage and going through security again) which took around 16 hours including the stopover and the 15 hour return via Sea-Tac.

Hotels - All six were very nice, comfortable and clean. All were a little way out of town but had courtesy shuttle buses. Some had spectacular views - Talkeetna winning hands down. Some had some charming quirks like the wacky signage and thoughtful welcome packs at Denali and the 'Maplins' style chalets in Fairbanks. The IT Suites in Anchorage were a little tired and in need of renovation (think wood chip and magnolia) and several of the group either had a broken hairdryer in their room or none at all. The IT apparently does not usually provide breakfasts and, while we appreciated their efforts to 'order in' for us, none of us were impressed by the paper plates and plastic cutlery here and at the Best Western Valdeez (On a £5k holiday? Have a word, JY)

Weather - Sorry September crew but we had the best! Even the locals couldn't believe the blue skies that accompanied us everywhere ("It's NEVER like this.." was the common phrase). Other than a bit of drizzle on our last couple of days, it was glorious and between 16-22 degrees C.

Now the fun stuff ......

Included Excursions/itinerary -

• Welcome dinner - Through no fault of JY's as the planned venue closed a couple of months ago, we were taken to the Anchorage Hard Rock Café. As Hard Rock is by nature noisy with colourful haired, tattooed and pierced servers (and that was just the girls...), it wasn't the ideal place for the usual JY demographic to chat and get to know each other. There are a number of other good options in Anchorage so JY probably need to rethink this for the September group.

• Alaska Wild Berry Products - It manufactures on site, has a large chocolate and ice cream counter and a huge chocolate waterfall but ultimately it's just a large out of town gift shop.

• Alyeska ariel tramway and smoked salmon vodka tasting - The cable car was fun and the view from the top of the mountain stunning but, oh my, the expressions on the faces of those brave enough to try the vodka said it all! Apparently it was revolting and, as the tasting was a set time, it restricted our day. In my personal view, JY should consider ditching the tasting in favour of...

• Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Centre - Not strictly an included excursion, rather a pleasant time killing diversion that DC came up with. This is a delightful place and we would all have liked more time there.

• Resurrection Bay Cruise with included Prime Rib and Salmon buffet on Fox Island - Superb.

• Wilderness Express - a four hour journey from Talkeetna to Denali on a double decker rail car of the same model as those used by the Gold Leaf Service of the Rocky Mountaineer. Refreshments were at additional cost but worth it (Note to the September crew - the train does not accept cash so everything you eat/drink or purchase during the journey is run on a tab to be settled by debit/credit card at the end of the day)

• Denali National Park bus safari - a seven hour journey of many wonders (more of which later...). A packed lunch is provided, in a souvenir cool bag, by the hotel and a snack box and bottles of water are provided on the bus. These are American style school buses rather than luxury coaches but comfortable. Those with bad backs should be aware that the terrain can be quite 'bouncy' which may be uncomfortable and jarring on the spine.

• North Pole - A bit of a disappointment which could probably be dropped. This isn't a themed 'village' as we had expected but basically just one building, the Santa House, which is just another big gift shop, albeit with real reindeer in the garden and Santa himself available for consultations and photos.  The rest of the town is just a normal Alaskan borough, An honourable mention for attempting to get into the spirit of things with their candy cane themed gates should go to North Pole Welding and North Pole Gravel though...

• Pioneer Park - Personally I enjoyed this but many felt that it was more of a family theme park than some kind of 'living museum' as the photos had perhaps suggested. A nice diversion for a couple of hours though and, as with everywhere, the locals were wonderfully friendly (even though most of them thought the JY group were Australians....)

• Columbia Glacier cruise - One of the highlights of the trip for many of us. Well, have you ever heard an iceberg doing an impression of a bowl of Rice Krispies??

• The 'Iditeride' - a summer version of Alaska's national sport - dog mushing- at kennels owned by Iditerod race Champion Mitch Seavey. This was great fun and it was a joy to see how excited the Alaskan Huskies were at 'going to work' and how well cared for they are.

• Alaska Sea Life Centre - I didn't go but those who did enjoyed it.

• Gold Dredge 8 - Frustratingly, this was scheduled on the same day as the Arctic Circle trip so it wasn't possible to do both so most of us missed out, but I understand that the four that did it had great fun and Ray is planning to retire on the $8 worth of gold that he panned!

• Riverboat Discovery river trip - also on the same day as Gold Dredge 8 and consequently only four of us had the opportunity to go.

• Artic Circle Fly Drive (actually Drive/Fly but all the better for it) - This is a very long (4am alarm call) day but was amazing. Our driver Mimi was a tad too perky at 5.30am, trying to get us to join in with icebreaker games ("Tell everyone who y'all are and how you came to visit Alaska- That'd be Awesome!!") But we soon made it gently clear to her that we Brits on tour are a little too reserved for that sort of thing, certainly at Silly O'clock in the morning..., and she soon got the message and let us be. There are too many highlights to mention in this day, including the permafrost touching and the return flight home in a Piper Navejo, but I know the September Crew will enjoy 'crossing the line' as much as we did and visiting the bustling metropoli that are Cold Foot and the Yukon River Camp. Say hello to Dorothy for us, September Guys! 

So, I think that's just about everything....oh wait...did I forget something....? Oh yes WILDLIFE :angel:

In no particular order, we saw Grizzly Bears, Caribou, Dall Sheep, Sea Otters, Bald Eagles, Hump Back Whales, Black Bears, Dall Porpoises, Puffins, Elk, Bison, Sea Lions, Golden Eagles, four pods of Orcas, Artic Ground Squirrels, Seals and,,,,wait for it, Mr Gray........MOOSE :D

So, stunning scenery,a great group (Hello Retail Therapists!), friendly locals and a lifetime of photo opportunities (and the fridge magnet selection is pretty good too...). I think you may need to re-arrange your 'to-do' lists, Bob and Jaya.

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions, but I reckon the Moai of Easter Island are going to have to go some in September to top it for me because this tour really does what says on the tin, "Ultimate Alaska"

All the best

Mandy

P.S - Yes, that really is the 'edited highlights - you should have seen the original draft......!

Thank you for taking the time to write such a great review of your recent holiday to Alaska.

I'm so pleased to hear you had an a-moosing-zing time!

Kindest regards

Julia

P.S. I have forwarded this on to the wider Just You team so they can see your comments too!

Thanks for writing this great review which I so enjoyed reading. Have to agree about paper plates and plastic cutlery- had to put up with that in Texas last year and wasn't impressed. Not too sure about the concept of smoked salmon vodka either!

Anyway, the tour sounds really amazing and I hope it's a success for JY. Wildlife and stunning scenery are a winning combination for me, so would love to do it at some stage providing JY have a rethink about their Gatwick departure.

All the best

Mike

thanks for writing such a great and informative review.  You obviously had a terrific time.

This trip wasn't on my "to do" list but definitely is now - sounds just the sort of tour I'd like.

Regards

Katy

Question - how would you feel if your driver stopped the coach in the middle of no-where, led the group into the middle of a strangely squashy field, produced a spade and then invited you all to stick you hand down the muddy hole that she had just dug? The answer, if you are lucky enough to follow me and JY's group of fellow guinea pigs on it's first 'Ultimate Alaska' tour is 'Thrilled!" because the field was Artic Tundra and six inches into the hole was permafrost - the solid floor of ice that makes the artic landscape the truly magical place that it is.

I could happily write a detailed day-by-day review of the wonderful experience (which has nudged passed Canada and the Rocky Mountaineer to become my favourite of my JY adventures) but, I don't want to completely spoil it for the group departing in September, so here are my edited highlights, opinions and a few tips:

Overall Rating: (while running the risk of being shot by the rest of the group for using our 'favourite' Alaskan phrase...) AWESOME!!!

First the logistics....

Tour Manager - All hail our wonderful TM, David 'BEAR!!!' Crawford. David provided us all with a detailed, 16 page, day-by-day itinerary complete with timings, photos and descriptions of what we could look forward to when we met at Heathrow. I have never seen this done before on any of my previous JY trips (apparently DC does it for every group he leads) and it was a brilliant tool which we all really appreciated (No pressure - all you other TMs....)

Driver - Tina Turner (yes, really) - a lovely lady with over 20 years experience as a 'busser' which has included working the ice roads to Prudoe Bay featured in many a satellite TV documentary. Tina's commentary tended to be more personal experiences and family/friends tales rather than Alaskan history (and we could all have done without the 'nose bleed story'...) but she did a great job of getting us from A to B quickly and safely and was a lot of fun.

Flights - Delta were fine (although I'm told by those that chose to upgrade that the costs were huge), but I think next year's travellers will have a shorter journey to Anchorage via Reykjavik rather than our rather long outward drag via Minneapolis, (with all the hassle of immigration, retrieving and rechecking our hold baggage and going through security again) which took around 16 hours including the stopover and the 15 hour return via Sea-Tac.

Hotels - All six were very nice, comfortable and clean. All were a little way out of town but had courtesy shuttle buses. Some had spectacular views - Talkeetna winning hands down. Some had some charming quirks like the wacky signage and thoughtful welcome packs at Denali and the 'Maplins' style chalets in Fairbanks. The IT Suites in Anchorage were a little tired and in need of renovation (think wood chip and magnolia) and several of the group either had a broken hairdryer in their room or none at all. The IT apparently does not usually provide breakfasts and, while we appreciated their efforts to 'order in' for us, none of us were impressed by the paper plates and plastic cutlery here and at the Best Western Valdeez (On a £5k holiday? Have a word, JY)

Weather - Sorry September crew but we had the best! Even the locals couldn't believe the blue skies that accompanied us everywhere ("It's NEVER like this.." was the common phrase). Other than a bit of drizzle on our last couple of days, it was glorious and between 16-22 degrees C.

Now the fun stuff ......

Included Excursions/itinerary -

• Welcome dinner - Through no fault of JY's as the planned venue closed a couple of months ago, we were taken to the Anchorage Hard Rock Café. As Hard Rock is by nature noisy with colourful haired, tattooed and pierced servers (and that was just the girls...), it wasn't the ideal place for the usual JY demographic to chat and get to know each other. There are a number of other good options in Anchorage so JY probably need to rethink this for the September group.

• Alaska Wild Berry Products - It manufactures on site, has a large chocolate and ice cream counter and a huge chocolate waterfall but ultimately it's just a large out of town gift shop.

• Alyeska ariel tramway and smoked salmon vodka tasting - The cable car was fun and the view from the top of the mountain stunning but, oh my, the expressions on the faces of those brave enough to try the vodka said it all! Apparently it was revolting and, as the tasting was a set time, it restricted our day. In my personal view, JY should consider ditching the tasting in favour of...

• Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Centre - Not strictly an included excursion, rather a pleasant time killing diversion that DC came up with. This is a delightful place and we would all have liked more time there.

• Resurrection Bay Cruise with included Prime Rib and Salmon buffet on Fox Island - Superb.

• Wilderness Express - a four hour journey from Talkeetna to Denali on a double decker rail car of the same model as those used by the Gold Leaf Service of the Rocky Mountaineer. Refreshments were at additional cost but worth it (Note to the September crew - the train does not accept cash so everything you eat/drink or purchase during the journey is run on a tab to be settled by debit/credit card at the end of the day)

• Denali National Park bus safari - a seven hour journey of many wonders (more of which later...). A packed lunch is provided, in a souvenir cool bag, by the hotel and a snack box and bottles of water are provided on the bus. These are American style school buses rather than luxury coaches but comfortable. Those with bad backs should be aware that the terrain can be quite 'bouncy' which may be uncomfortable and jarring on the spine.

• North Pole - A bit of a disappointment which could probably be dropped. This isn't a themed 'village' as we had expected but basically just one building, the Santa House, which is just another big gift shop, albeit with real reindeer in the garden and Santa himself available for consultations and photos.  The rest of the town is just a normal Alaskan borough, An honourable mention for attempting to get into the spirit of things with their candy cane themed gates should go to North Pole Welding and North Pole Gravel though...

• Pioneer Park - Personally I enjoyed this but many felt that it was more of a family theme park than some kind of 'living museum' as the photos had perhaps suggested. A nice diversion for a couple of hours though and, as with everywhere, the locals were wonderfully friendly (even though most of them thought the JY group were Australians....)

• Columbia Glacier cruise - One of the highlights of the trip for many of us. Well, have you ever heard an iceberg doing an impression of a bowl of Rice Krispies??

Optional Excursions -

• The 'Iditeride' - a summer version of Alaska's national sport - dog mushing- at kennels owned by Iditerod race Champion Mitch Seavey. This was great fun and it was a joy to see how excited the Alaskan Huskies were at 'going to work' and how well cared for they are.

• Alaska Sea Life Centre - I didn't go but those who did enjoyed it.

• Gold Dredge 8 - Frustratingly, this was scheduled on the same day as the Arctic Circle trip so it wasn't possible to do both so most of us missed out, but I understand that the four that did it had great fun and Ray is planning to retire on the $8 worth of gold that he panned!

• Riverboat Discovery river trip - also on the same day as Gold Dredge 8 and consequently only four of us had the opportunity to go.

• Artic Circle Fly Drive (actually Drive/Fly but all the better for it) - This is a very long (4am alarm call) day but was amazing. Our driver Mimi was a tad too perky at 5.30am, trying to get us to join in with icebreaker games ("Tell everyone who y'all are and how you came to visit Alaska- That'd be Awesome!!") But we soon made it gently clear to her that we Brits on tour are a little too reserved for that sort of thing, certainly at Silly O'clock in the morning..., and she soon got the message and let us be. There are too many highlights to mention in this day, including the permafrost touching and the return flight home in a Piper Navejo, but I know the September Crew will enjoy 'crossing the line' as much as we did and visiting the bustling metropoli that are Cold Foot and the Yukon River Camp. Say hello to Dorothy for us, September Guys! 

So, I think that's just about everything....oh wait...did I forget something....? Oh yes WILDLIFE :angel:

In no particular order, we saw Grizzly Bears, Caribou, Dall Sheep, Sea Otters, Bald Eagles, Hump Back Whales, Black Bears, Dall Porpoises, Puffins, Elk, Bison, Sea Lions, Golden Eagles, four pods of Orcas, Artic Ground Squirrels, Seals and,,,,wait for it, Mr Gray........MOOSE :D

So, stunning scenery,a great group (Hello Retail Therapists!), friendly locals and a lifetime of photo opportunities (and the fridge magnet selection is pretty good too...). I think you may need to re-arrange your 'to-do' lists, Bob and Jaya.

As always, I'm happy to answer any questions, but I reckon the Moai of Easter Island are going to have to go some in September to top it for me because this tour really does what says on the tin, "Ultimate Alaska"

All the best

Mandy

P.S - Yes, that really is the 'edited highlights - you should have seen the original draft......!

Hi Mandy

I'm considering this  for next year as it should be an easier journey changing planes in Iceland. You say a 7 hour journey to the Denali National Park.  Are you saying it took 7 hours to actually get there if so what time did you set out. How long did the safari itself last? If it was a school bus was there a wc on board?

Thank you

Gill

I loved your review, fantastic.

Full of humour with all relevant points of information. I will need to now add another trip to my ever expanding list.

Regards Julie

You have put me in a dilemma! I really want to do this trip, but next year is more or less sorted though I still have time to change my mind as have not yet booked Sri Lanka. Will wait for the September brochure before I make the final decision. Did you need lots of warm clothes or will just one warm jacket suffice? Was there enough choice for vegetarians?

Thank you for a great review.

Jaya

Thank you for your awesome review!! I SO WANT TO DO THIS HOLIDAY!!! and your review has made me want to do it all the more. I am going to have to seriously save some cash to be able to do it though, or badger my boss for a huge wage rise or bonus or both!!!

I may come back to ask questions later:)

Thanks

Kerry

Thank you for your review of your holiday in Alaska. I am going in September and I am really excited now reading about your holiday. Here are some Questions I hope you don't mind.

Are there any safes in the hotel rooms

Any coffee makers in the rooms or kettles

Do all the Hotels have internet  wifi

What clothes did you wear for the Artic Circle Fly Drive day was it very cold

From Mandy G

An eloquent review of a memorable tour in stunning scenery. I think you have captured everyone's opinion about the trip - I certainly agree with all you mention - bin the North Pole and vodka, but keep the cable car and extend the Wildlife Centre. The gold mine do afternoon tours, so it might be possible to rearrange post-arrival in Fairbanks so that those on the Arctic trip can go then while others go to Pioneer Park or something else. The three hour river cruise was worth doing for an extra $62.95 , and can be arranged via reception. We were lucky in that Tina and David arranged to take us to the boat after the mine and a quick lunch, and the hotel courtesy bus picked us up on return. Whether my life has been changed completely by the gold panning I'm not sure yet, although £1 per minute is not a bad wage. One thing I can't spend it on is the Chile trip next November I was pencilling in, as it is apparently fully booked already. I hope you enjoy the Easter Island visit next September - let us know.

Kind regards,

Ray

Hi Mandy

You have put me in a dilemma!  I really want to do this trip, but next year is more or less sorted though I still have time to change my mind as have not yet booked Sri Lanka.  Will wait for the September brochure before I make the final decision.  Did you need lots of warm clothes or will just one warm jacket suffice? Was there enough choice for vegetarians?

Thank you for a great review.

Jaya

I think you really need to take plenty of layers.  We were very lucky to have unusually warm clear weather and often ended up in T shirts and sandals. However this can't be guaranteed. Also the trip out to the Columbia glacier was FREEZING!!!!!!!! No matter how much you wear it will be cold.  Thermals, hats, scarves and gloves are definitely required.

Thanks for this outstanding review - and I'm delighted you enjoyed this new tour so much.  I hope to do it over the next couple of years (next year is already sorted!), so JY don't you dare drop this tour before I have a chance to do it - or else I will have to organize a protest outside JY Towers!!

All the best,

Bob

Hi Mandy

Thank you for your review of your holiday in Alaska. I am going in September and I am really excited now reading about your holiday. Here are some Questions I hope you don't mind.

Are there any safes in the hotel rooms

Any coffee makers in the rooms or kettles

Do all the Hotels have internet  wifi

What clothes did you wear for the Artic Circle Fly Drive day was it very cold

From Mandy G

Hi Mandy G, to answer your questions:-

-There were no safes in the hotel rooms.  I either took my valuables with me or locked them in my suit case. I believe you could leave valuables at the main desk safe though.

-Yes there were coffee makers in all the rooms.

-there was very good free Wifi at all the hotels but a bit iffy at Fairbanks.

-on our visit the weather on the trip to the Arctic circle was fabulous.  I wore light weight shoes and a long sleeved T shirt.  It was sunny and warm.  However, I believe this was unusually good weather.  Best be prepared for anything and take layers.

I hope this info is useful! The trip overall was wonderful!!

Bridget

Many thanks for your replies, comments and questions. To take them in order:

Gill - The Denali bus tour takes between 6-7 hours on the route that we did (more or less, depending on the amount of wildlife sightings). You are picked up from the hotel which is only about ten minutes from the park. And I mean ten minutes vertically - the hotel is halfway up a mountain!! The pick up times can vary from 5 -9am but we were lucky and got a 'lay in' until 8. The buses don't have toilets on them but stop for 'comfort breaks' about every 90 minutes. The park has very good 'outback' facilities. (i.e. no running water but paper and hand sanitizer are provided and they are regularly serviced).

Jaya - I'm afraid I'm a meat eater so didn't pay very much attention to what veggie options were available but I would say that Alaska is very much a 'Hunting, shooting and fishing' kind of place and so vegetarianism is, I suspect, something of an anathema to the locals. Also, 95 % of their fresh fruit and veg has to be shipped in so the selection available might not be too wide.

MandyG - I didn't notice any safes in the hotels but personally don't use them as I prefer a 'valuables' belt under my clothes. All of the hotels had coffee machines but, as usual, I took my kettle with me. I also noticed ironing boards in most of the rooms and, as I'm sure Sylvia will confirm, the hotels had very good pay-as-you-go laundry facilities 😉 As for Wi-Fi - I usually go 'off grid' when I'm on holiday because I spend my working life at the mercy of computers so I don't really pay much attention to the wi-fi arrangements but I think that it was available in the communal areas of the hotels if not in all of the rooms.

Jaya/ MandyG - With regards to packing, I agree with Bridget that layers are the way to go. As our TM kept saying "Make like onions!". The Arctic Circle was remarkably warm - most of the locals were in shirt sleeves. I had a long sleeved thermal t-shirt on and fleece lined waterproof trousers (these are handy for the whole trip - the likes of Crag hoppers and Cotton Traders do them) and didn't wear my coat all day. Be aware that the flight back from Cold Foot can be stiflingly hot as the plane has no air conditioning. Try to sit on the left side of the plane which is cooler. The two cruises need more clothes, especially as Bridget pointed out, the glacier cruise. This is because the glacier itself acts as a funnel for cold air coming down into the bay, so it's very windy and bitterly cold. I took thermal shirt, t-shirt, fleece, woolly jumper and coat and piled all of them on as the day progressed, together with woolly hat and thick gloves. I'd also suggest good walking boots, both for the varied terrain and also the decks of the cruise boats.

Another tip for the September crew - there were lots of mozzies about - especially in Denali and on the Arctic Circle trip. We were told that May/June was the 'quiet season' for them and that they get really fast and vicious later in the year so be sure to slap on the Deet. They also have some nasty little devils called 'White Feet' that nip like mozzies but can cause some nasty swelling (as one of our happy campers found out - cue a trip to the nearest pharmacy...) Don't be put off by the scary stories though - just go well prepared. I used a combination of wrist and ankle bands worn 24/7 with a deet roll on and only got bitten once in the whole two weeks.

You'll love it MandyG and, when in Anchorage, check out the 'Cake Studio' or the Midnight Sun Café. Both really friendly places with great freshly made smoothies and cakes.

All the best

Mandy

With thanks to Mandy (AELB) who has captured all the good and bad points about the trip with her superb review. We were so lucky with the weather and to see so much wildlife. A pity the flight upgrade prices were ridiculous!

Personally, I did not like the Hard Rock cafe, salmon vodka, Pioneer Park, North Pole, paper plates and plastic cutlery and lack of fridge in one of the hotels - cannot remember which one. An included visit to the Wildlife Conservation Centre is a must, so JY please consider.

Laundry facilities at the hotels cost US$1 for powder and the same for the wash - I was the cleanest traveller of the Group!

Happy holidays

Sylvia

MandyG

From

Mandy G