Open the pod door, HAL: The Future of Mainstream Cruising Has Arrived

A couple of decades ago, Celebrity Cruises enterred the premium cruise niche previously owned by Holland America, which is to say they stressed fine dining and outstanding service as part of a moderately priced but elegant mainstream cruise ship experience.

Much like new Apple Computers, which Celebrity features prominently on its ships with the only Apple stores at sea, advanced training onboard for Macs and iPhones, and even iPad menus at their Qsine restaurant, Celebrity Cruises did not need to be "backward compatible" for the benefit of long-established customers.  While not having returning guests certainly may have been seen as a disadvantage, Celebrity could cater to baby boomers using a concept they now call Modern Luxury, using ships generally larger than Holland America.

Holland America, established in the early 1870's to provide "Trans Atlantic Steamship" service between Rotterdam and the New World, has over a century of returning customers who want to be comfortable with the gradual evolution of the line, but now HAL is aggressively re-establishing itself at the vanguard of cruising in the 21st Century marketplace.

Interestingly, Holland America has teamed with Microsoft, which has always strived to be backward compatible for computer users, bringing in Microsoft-trained Techsperts to conduct educational programs similar to those found in Celebrity's iLounge. 

To up the computer ante, Koningsdam will have much greater band width, allowing guests to add unlimited internet for only $60 per week or $15 per day.  For those who are happy to just check-in with social media like Facebook on sea days, there will be choices of $5 per day or $25 per week.

In many other ways, Holland America has made it clear in recent years they will no longer cede the baby boomer market to Celebrity, and their newest ship Koningsdam, set to arrive in early 2016, will of course embody all of their latest theories on Classic Elegance and Understated Beauty.



Some of Koningsdam's features have proven their popularity on other ships in the line within the last few years and will eventually be expanded to cover the fleet.

One highlight of expansion and improvement that I've been most excited about in recent years has been Holland America's entertainment. Through collaborations with B. B. King's Blues Club, Billboard Magazine, Lincoln Center and Dancing With the Stars, Holland America doesn't plan to play second fiddle to anyone.

By the way, if you're a dancer, did you know you can learn routines like those you love on "Dancing With the Stars" and then compete in an onboard version, partnered with professional dancers? Each year, the winners from each sailing will be enterred to win a free 7-night cruise on which they will compete in the grand finale at sea, with one champion from each ship attempting to win the DWTS crown.  Some special sailings feature the stars and celebrities from the TV series.

On Koningsdam, Holland America will introduce its new LED Theater Concept, World Stage.  In a nod to the past, I see traces of Anaheim's Melodyland Theater, where I saw my first concert (Tennessee Ernie Ford) with my parents. This state-of-the-art "theater-in-the-round," however, has a backdrop of a 270 degree LED screen that is two stories high and 250 feet long.  It will be dazzling and also allow for easier set changes, which translates into greater variety.  



By the way, it should be obvious by now, but cruise ships provide amazing opportunities for talented performers to ply their crafts, so when you cruise, you support the arts.

I want to stress that Holland America also wants to encourage families with children to take advantage of their large staterooms and terrific Club HAL children's program.  Like Celebrity, Holland America may be overlooked by families tempted by Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival, but surprisingly their prices are not more and frequently even less, especially with free or reduced third and fourth passenger rates on certain sailings.

Koningsdam will offer new Family Ocean View accomodations that hold up to five guests and have 1 3/4 baths.  Yes, there is a separate room with shower as well as the main one with bath tub.

Did you know almost all rooms on Holland America have bathtubs that also have shower heads?  That's very important for parents traveling with toddlers.  They do, but these special family quints will have separate separate shower and bath tub.

I've barely touched on HAL dining, but you can believe it is terrific, and in fact they have re-imagined every venue, including the Terrace Grill by the swimming pool, renamed Dive-In, with signature gourmet hamburgers grilled while you relax in your lounge chair until your beeper summons you to pick up.  And the spacious main dining room is more gorgeous than ever.

Are you tempted by Holland America? 

Better service leads to better trips!

 

Pick a Price OR Pick a Location

I recently received a request from a client to explain why Holland America had prices for Verandah rooms ranging from $1999 to $3299 for a 10-night, peak season Canada/New England voyage on the beautiful Eurodam.  While my reply is skewed towards his particular situation, I think the information will be of valuable as a general primer on the differences in room types.

As a general rule, different prices on balcony rooms have to do with location on the ship, with being more midship and higher considered generally preferable, although some other elements of location, such as being close to the spa or having special spa access and amenities (as in VT and VQ on Eurodam) also come into play.   

On some ships, certain balcony rooms are larger, as in the case of Royal Caribbean where D1 balcony are larger than E1 balcony rooms, but in that specific case it is indicated in the first category letter, making distinction easy.  In the case of Princess, on many of their ships there are balcony rooms on one particular deck where the balconies are about twice as large, but to make it even more confusing, there are other rooms on higher decks with the same designation (BA and BB) that have the normal sized balcony but more midship (in the case of BB) or higher (in the case of BA and BB locations, while Norwegian has larger rooms on some of their ships where they bulge fore and aft.  

Sometimes, essentially the same rooms have different services, as in the case of Celebrity where C1 rooms have concierge services and other special amenities in the room relative to regular balconies, and where Aqua Class balcony rooms have a special restaurant.  Sometimes,balconies have partial obstructions affecting their ranking, but even then they can have higher ranked rooms with obstructions.   

Handicap balcony rooms are larger for access purposes, but those are generally only available to people with disabilities unless assigned to complete sell-out of a voyage, and those are frequently categorized like others that are not handicap accessible.   

In the case of Holland America, it is mostly ship location that determines the price differences, although looking at the deck plan, it seems that there could be some slight variations on balcony size, such as between VD on Upper Promenade with larger balconies relative to VC on Verandah Deck.  

Being on the Upper Promenade Deck would be considered less preferable to Verandah Deck in general due to being lower.  Being right atop the main nighttime entertainment area of the ship could raise a red flag for some people.  An optioned in a Category VH, if you look at the deck plan, would be one of only four of that category, all located directly above the big theater for the production shows.  That could mean you would hear music despite excellent sound proofing on the ship.  It would obviously be better to have an extra deck or two between you and the sound.  However, because there are only four of those rooms and HAL is selling lots of those guarantees, most likely you will be upgraded to a different category at no charge.   

Upgrades are based on how many cruises you've taken with that cruise line, how much you paid and when you booked, plus basically how well it fits into what the cruise line wants to do with the ship. Unlike the small ships like those of Regent Seven Seas and Oceania, that are almost sold out as they frequently are a few months before the ship sails, a large ship such as Holland America Eurodam will have availability longer, and when the final payment date comes, there is the real possibility that some people will cancel and get their deposits back.  This will open up space that is a problem for HAL, and so they may offer "last minute deals," especially if air prices have zoomed up to make the total vacation price too expensive to sell at earlier rates.  Those who booked earlier and paid more, of course, will not be put in line behind these late comers, so they will be essentially pushed higher in the categories.  If the least desirable rooms are indeed filled, as they likely will be, they will be filled by the last ones to sit down in this game of musical chairs, which would be the last minute deal people or somebody being upgraded from an ocean view, unless for some reason somebody asked for a specific room, in which case they would get the room they wanted.

I personally believe on Holland America and Princess, it can be a good gamble to take the least expensive balcony and wait to see where you get upgraded, but it also can be a great idea to choose the exact location you like and grab that while you see it, even if you have to pay more for it.  If the price is reduced later on that category prior to final payment, I can usually re-price the room.  Something that happens very regularly on Holland America is that if they have extra rooms in the mini-suite type categories (SY, for example) after final payment, they ask if the passengers in lower rooms might be interested in paying an additional amount for an upgrade, leaving the total price still lower than it would have been had they booked it early.  This is kind of a secret sale that, as I said, I have seen very regularly.  Sometimes, staying flexible can really pay off big.  

By the way, the aft rooms overlooking the wake are frequently a little larger on many ships, but that is an acquired taste.  I have some customers who insist on those, but my own wife, upon being booked into one with me, said she would not want to be back there because of the inconvenience of being so far from midship, combined with concerns of how the ship would bounce if we hit heavy seas.  My client Ron, on the other hand, always gets aft rooms if they are available, paying whatever premium might be in play, simply because he loves cruising out of ports and watching the view from there across the ship/s wake.  

Holland America's Deck plan is easier to read than most, because they put the room category before the room number.  That way, you can look at the deck and see which rooms are which.  If, for example, you want a midship room on the verandah deck on the port side of the ship, you would want category VE.  That would give you a baffle of one extra deck between your room and the main nighttime entertainment area, easy access to the midship elevator and both ends of the ship, and a smooth ride through the ocean.  This would be a category worth upgrading to for the location, and it is the kind my wife likes best.  I'd also surmise it is the most likely category to have people locked into specific rooms, especially on the port side for this voyage, since many people prefer to be on the land side when starting on a northbound voyage, although certainly many people pay good money for an ocean front house that has no land in site across the waves.  

Going to higher decks put you into suites in that midship area on many ships, including Eurodam, which has two decks of midship suites.    

Category V on the Navigation Deck one deck above the mini-suites is considered preferable because it is again midship and also are slightly larger than the verandah rooms labeled by V followed by an other letter.  The Lido Deck, however, is immediately above, which is a concern for some people.  I personally am one of those people who is not bothered by distant noise, but some people explicitly refuse to be near elevators or busy areas.   

You know how sensitive you are to sound, ship movement, desire to be mid-ship, etc.  I can help you get exactly what is important to you, if you share that with me, and then you can decide how much it is actually worth to you.

Sometimes a better price may take precedence over the ideal location.  Holland America, like other cruise lines, has simply segmented its offerings to charge additional for what most people consider preferable.  

If you go with the least expensive balcony, you can play the upgrade game and hope to end up someplace better, which is likely, but probably give up the chance of being someplace great with a free upgrade.  You can pick your location, and know that you have a great spot for you trip, paying a little more for that convenience during the trip and peace of mind beginning immediately.  In either case, you may be offered the chance to upgrade to a mini-suite for a smaller premium than is currently available.

I hope that makes it clear.  Holland America tends to make the price spreads larger than on some other lines, and because each line seems to have laser-like focuses on their clientele, they undoubtedly have valid justification for their price differences. 

As you know, Holland America does a great job, and while they are large ships, they definitely feel less crowded than a line like Royal Caribbean, both due to the number of passengers booked and the activity patterns of their clientele.

Cadillac Cruising

"Aim for success not perfection... Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person." --- Dr. David Burns

The cruise industry continues to morph into new shapes to better fit the future. Holland America regularly wins awards for "best cruise value" from its legions of satisfied customers, having carved out a comfortable niche as a "premium" cruise line somewhere between "mainstream" like Carnival and "luxury" like Regent Seven Seas. As highly satisfied customers aged, HAL's client base became centered on senior citizens, and as people with the money, time and inclination to travel in pampered style, that has proven to be a solid base for their white gloved excellence in cruising.

Cadillac, however, a car maker that traditionally has appealed to a similar demographic, now blasts Led Zeppelin in their commercials to attract buyers, and Holland America, while definitely not becoming the "heavy metal" cruise line, is re-positioning itself to appeal to the baby boomers while still serving their traditional base. The service, comfortable accommodations, elegant public areas and gourmet dining remains top notch, but as new, larger ships replace older ones in the fleet, and ten year-old ships, which like all Holland America ships are quality-built and always immaculately maintained, are retro-fitted to include features like teen clubs and cooking demonstrations stations, Holland America is upping the ante in a play for baby boomers.

Choosing a cruise line that's right for you is only one element in finding a cruise. There are the choices of the specific ship within the cruise line, the type and position of the stateroom, the itinerary, and the relative value among possibilities, to name but a few. I will always do my best to fit you with the best possibility for you, not simply because I want you to be happy, but because satisfied customers buy again and also refer their friends. Cruise lines understand this, and that is why they, NOT YOU, pay my commission out of their lowest available price. They don't want to be inundated with self-service shoppers who choose the wrong cruise for the wrong reasons, because those are the most difficult people to please, and they stir discontent among others who are ready to enjoy a great cruise.

Cruising Versus Cruising

Pat, Gloria and Wes about to head east in 1976.

As you may have noticed from recent articles, I enjoy a good road trip.

However, in terms of relaxation, a car can't compete with a cruise ship for a long voyage.

While anyone taking a drive may enjoy seeing the countryside, road warriors must contend with road construction projects, speed traps, accidents, rubber necking, driver errors (both your own and other) and inevitable disagreements with passengers squeezed into a cramped space together for hours upon hours.  "Are we there yet?"

Holland America Pool

By comparison, the longest distances traveled by cruise ship leave you free for dining, enjoying world class entertainment, sleeping, relaxing, ocean gazing and laughing with friends and family.  On a cruise, you pack and unpack only once, and you arrive at your ports relaxed and ready to explore.

I'm sure you get the idea without my connecting all the dots for you. 

What else could you ask for?



How about free beverages?  On all cruise ships, you enjoy free regular coffee, tea, lemonade and milk to accompany fantastic dining, but right now, if you book an ocean view or higher on select sailings, Holland America offers their Signature Beverage Package as part of their Explore 4 promotion, which also includes reduced rates for third and fourth guests, 50% off deposit and a free Pinnacle Grill Dinner.

Aruba

Imagine embarking a fabulous Panama Canal cruise on February 2, 2015, with sensational port days on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica at Puerto Limon, two Dutch West Indies ports of Aruba and Curacao, the beautiful private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, and exotic Cartagena, Columbia, with Verandah (with private balcony) rooms starting at only $1799.  Choose this Holland America Zuiderdam cruise, and you'll receive Explore 4 as your bonus.

Peterhof in St. Petersburg, Russia



Or choose a different 2015 Holland America cruise featuring Explore 4.

In fact, you can go about anywhere else in the world you can imagine by cruise ship.

Where in the world would you like to go?



Have Courage...and Buy Insurance

Yesterday my youngest daughter and I made Beef Bourguignon for dinner. Amy read the ingredient list to me over the phone while I walked through Ralph's collecting the necessary items.

Back home, we began peeling carrots, chopping onions, slicing mushrooms and browning stew-beef. 

By the time all the ingredients, including a bottle of Temecula Valley's own Callaway Merlot, had been prepared, combined in the pot and simmered, it took about three hours.

Neither Amy nor I had ever made this dish, but we had the courage of our convictions, and it turned out great. The risk was that we might create an inedible meal, wasting about $20 of ingredients. In any case, we would have fun cooking, and I was able to do my high voiced impersonation of Julia Child. When booking a vacation, the stakes are much higher. If you book the wrong trip for your family, you may not hear the end of it. You don't want to spend a miserable week away from home with unhappy family members. However, you have a friend in the travel industry who can help you avoid making the wrong decisions. That's me. If you share where you want to go and, more importantly, who you are and what you like in a vacation, we can deliver a wonderful trip and amazing memories for years to come.......

   

…....as long as nothing unexpected happens to ruin your plans. That's where travel insurance comes in. While I don't want to be pushy, the longer I have been selling travel, the more I have realized the value of insurance. As a disclaimer, let me state that I rarely buy travel insurance for my own family, but I understand exactly what the risks are. If I'm not able to go for any reason, I lose the money I paid for my trip. If I get sick on the trip, I have to pay the bills and then fight my insurance company for payment. If I lose my luggage...well, I simply don't give my luggage to anyone, carrying only one small suitcase no matter how far I go or for how long. If you don't have insurance, then there's frequently nothing that can be done if something bad happens that forces you to change your plans. A few months back, you may remember the volcano erupting in Iceland that basically shut down air travel in and out of Western Europe. One of my clients who lives in Hawaii called a month before her cruise to ask what could be done. She hadn't purchased insurance, but she wanted Princess to allow her to move to a different itinerary. She reasoned that it wouldn't cost Princess anything to move her, since they would still keep the amount she paid for the cruise and probably even make a little more on the other cruise. As I explained, the cruise industry has built a high reputation for customer satisfaction and providing excellent value by adhering to their business model, and part of that is charging cancellation penalties beginning about 75 days before a cruise embarks to ensure that almost everyone who books goes on the trip. I counseled her to wait it out, because a lot can happen in a month, and sure enough, by the time her Scandinavia/Russia cruise came, she had no trouble getting to or from Copenhagen, Star Princess' home port for summer. However, it could have turned out differently. The point is, none of us knows what potential problems the future may bring, whether it is based on weather, health, airline difficulties or other factors. However, we can bring that risk to a tolerable level by adding travel insurance for a small fee.

   

One of the easiest ways to add insurance is with the cruise line. Almost every cruise line has a unique policy, even if they are under the same corporate umbrella, like Carnival's World's Leading Cruise Lines, where Carnival, Princess and Holland America have radically different policies geared to their unique clientèle. To make a long story short, let me just say that cruise line insurance in general has become far more competitive in the last few years, with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity supplementing the standard 100% cancellation refund for serious health problems or death in the family with some independent air coverage and 75% future cruise credit for “any reason” cancellation. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival charge based on brackets of cruise prices, whereas Princess and Holland America charge percentages of the trip cost. It's complicated, but when it comes time to add insurance, I'm happy to explain it and forward information specific to that line. All have two things in common. You must purchase the insurance before final payment, and pre-existing medical conditions are not covered by the 100% cancellation coverage. By pre-existing conditions, that doesn't mean that you can never have been sick. It means generally that no change in your medical condition has occurred in the past few months. If you had a heart attack two years ago and been on the same medication since, then that generally wouldn't be considered a pre-existing condition that would be excluded, but if a month ago your doctor decided to change your medication because your condition had deteriorated, then it would. For that reason, many people with health problems prefer Access America insurance. Access America is a third party insurer, and they have the best coverage there is. However, their policies are based on age as well as trip cost, with percentages increasing with age, much like life insurance. For younger people, Access America is actually less. 

By the way, in the twelve year interim since writing this blog initially --- I editing this blog on April 1, 2022 --- several things have changed, including the fact that as a senior citizen I now always buy travel insurance to cover medical while out of the country, and Access America is now called Allianz, but the basics remain true.  I had to change the insurance company video at the top and am inserting a Jimmy Buffett video here, because I must have had a different expired video in this long block of uninterrupted text text.  

Anyway, you get $1 million emergency medical evacuation, for example, compared to $10,000 to $50,000 on cruise line policies. If you buy Access America insurance on or before the official final payment date for your vacation, then your pre-existing conditions are covered too, with the caveat that you must be healthy enough to have a reasonable expectation of making the trip at the time you make the booking. While this policy can get more expensive for older travelers, making the cruise line policies relatively inexpensive, if they seniors have serious pre-existing conditions, this may be a better choice. The “cancel for any reason” clause of many cruise lines has eroded this advantage to some extent. The most obvious time to buy insurance is at the time of booking, so that you are covered immediately and don't forget to add it later. What if you book Access America insurance but cancel your trip before cancellation penalties come into play? Your policy is good for 770 days from the day of purchase. As such, you can apply it to a different trip. Access America has an option called the Biz Pack, which covers work-related reasons for cancellation, but that must be purchased within 14 days of trip deposit to be valid. The second time to think about insurance is with final payment. With Access America, this is your last chance to get full coverage, and it is your last chance to buy the cruise line travel protection. Don't forget to ask about insurance, if you don't already have it at this point. However, if you get to the day before your cruise and decide you really would like to be covered for trip interruption, lost baggage and 100% of all your emergency medical and dental requirements (up to the policy limit), you can still buy Access America insurance. One other note, Access America also offers a “Cancel Anytime” policy, with 80% cash refund for non-covered reasons, but the amounts of coverage are smaller (i.e., trip interruption only covered to 100% of trip purchase price versus 150% for the standard policy), and it isn't available after final payment for obvious reasons. I have just touched the surface of travel insurance, and I've still probably bored you, but remember you shouldn't be afraid to pursue your dreams. Just invest a little to insure yourself against the worst.

 

Last Morning at Holland America Denali Wilderness Lodge to Alaska Railroad Ride to the End of the Line

What I would call the headline event for our last day was clearly seeing Mt. McKinley from the Alaska Railroad on our trip from Denali to Anchorage.  Julie took the photo above on her iPhone.

Blanketed in deep snow on that mid-summer day, it is easy to see why clouds make it difficult to differentiate beyond what are already high mountains.  It doesn't seem quite real.

Mt. McKinley isn't the only beautiful sight to behold from the rail journey.

During our bus ride to Denali three days earlier, the driver said only one in three people who visit Denali National Park get to see Mt. McKinley, so we were fortunate indeed.

On our final morning of our stay at Holland America Denali Lodge, Julie and I took the shuttle bus to Denali National Park Visitor's Center.

Once again, we saw mama and baby moose along the way.

Getting up early often beats the crowd.

Julie had selected the less-heralded McKinley Station Trail, so that morning we had it pretty much to ourselves.

I'm not sure why this trail is less heralded, because it is quite beautiful.  Possibly it is less unique with regard to Alaskan flora?

Just as on a cruise, you want to vary your port visits to give each day a unique memory, Park Rangers likely intend to guide us to experience a broad scope of terrain.  Or maybe to stop such a lovely, easy-to-access trail from being overrun.

We enjoyed all of our hikes, and there are many more accessible trails.  Because at the time I was nursing a hernia for which I was scheduled to have an operation upon returning home, we didn't take on the most grueling hikes.  Still, we were able to see a lot of beautiful parts of Denali.

No matter how much hiking we did, we could only scratch the surface of Denali National Park's six million acres.

The forest path leads to the lovely river, which the trail follows.

Here are links to short videos Julie made on this hike:

Views of Riley Creek From Bridge to Triple Lakes Trail

Views of Riley Creek From McKinley Station Trail

A suspension bridge that looks like it might have been dreamed up by a kid with an Erector Set spans the river for the railroad track to cross. 

Our train would cross that bridge later the same day.

I was always more of a Lincoln Logs kid.  There's a wooden bridge not far away from which we could easily see the Erector Set bridge.

After completing both directions on the trail, we headed back to the Visitor Center to catch the shuttle to our Lodge.

Arriving a few minutes ahead of the scheduled bus, we walked across the street to see how far we would need to tote our bags to catch the Alaska Railroad for our trip to Anchorage.  Not far!  This is good to know for anyone who might be doing Denali on their own.  Of course, the cruise line will take care of that on a seamless cruise tour.

At the park entrance, incidentally, there are signs for another bus visiting free Sled Dog Demonstrations.

We did not feel compelled to go, but I know many avid "dog people" would find this to be a highlight.

At the Visitors Center Theater near Morino Grill, we watched a wonderful movie about sled dogs and Park Rangers who train them over the course of our stay.  It's a cinematically beautiful, engaging movie about preserving a truly unique form of transportation in a challenging environment, where lakes become trails in Denali's snow-flocked winter months.

There is a baggage storage area by the Park entrance.  We could have saved ourselves a couple of bus trips by storing our suitcases in the morning rather than doubling back, but we wanted to have breakfast at Holland America Denali Lodge by the river.

Other guests strolled along the river on the path where we walked on our arrival day.

I wonder how many people walk by the little picnic huts without sitting a spell?

Sometimes, you have to stop and smell the coffee.

There are signs along the river that provide interesting commentary for those who make the effort to take the walk and read the information.

Once again, you must be curious enough to take the time to read them.

A humanizing story that former Representative Liz Cheney told in a lecture I attended with Gina in Philadelphia was that going to a park with her dad, VP Dick Cheney, he would stop at every single sign to read it, which seemed excruciating as a child.

In my post about that first day, I included photos of our "cabin" and the grounds, but I'll add a few more for this post.

The Holland America Lodge proved to be comfortable and convenient place to stay for visiting Denali National Park.

The Holland America Resort is generally split between two levels, with most of the public spaces on the highway level and most hotel space four flights of stairs lower.  

For people with mobility issues, trams drive a regular course around the property multiple times per hour, making stairs optional.

Julie and I mostly took the staircases up or down.  We don't mind the exercise and never like sitting around waiting to go somewhere near.

We rode the tram only when checking into our room and at the end of our stay, when we had luggage with us.  

Whether you snag a room a la carte or visit on a cruise tour like most people, the Holland America Denali Wilderness Lodge is not cheap.

Then again, it is a prime location and worth the price.  

I think that it has been implied based in my blog posts but let there be no doubt: we enjoyed our stay.

Getting muffins in the evening for breakfast the next morning worked well, because the Grizzly Grind can get busy with orders for specialty coffees.  

Other than our muffins, we ended up eating either at Princess Denali Wilderness Lodge or Denali National Park's Morino Grill, but Holland America Denali Lodge has several great dining choices without leaving their property.

Something important to remember when visiting is that you don't need to fill every minute with pricey excursions.  Leave some open time for exploring the hotel grounds and nearby Denali National Park on your own. There's a lot to experience.

The dedicated bus service between the Lodge and Denali National Park makes that a breeze.  That in turn means getting to the railroad station is just as easy, if you are doing Alaska without a tour.

Because of the way our family thinks, being on time means arriving early, so Julie and I took our suitcases over to the air-conditioned theater to re-watch the dogsled documentary while we waited for our train.

We took turns visiting the light museum exhibits within the welcome center right by the theater.  

It is interesting to learn about how different conservationists of a century ago differ dramatically from self-identified greenies of today.  

After we walked to the railroad station with time to spare, I realized I had lost my sunglasses.  I reasoned they must have dropped out of my pocket in the movie theater.

We still had a few minutes before the train was scheduled to depart, so I trotted back to the theater.  A gentleman was sitting where I had been, but upon being asked politely, he stood to allow me to check.  Sure enough, my sunglasses were under the seat.  While not $200 Ray-Bans, I don't like to lose my cheap sunglasses when traveling and was happy to retrieve them.

Back to the loading platform I ran, and a couple of minutes later our train began boarding.  Soon, our train rolled over Riley Creek on that "Erector Set" bridge we hiked past in the morning.

A railroad trip can always be relaxing, if you allow it to be.  

To maximize the experience, I would recommend GoldStar Service, like Gina, Laszlo and Emma had luxuriated in.  The domes on top would add more of those big skies to views.  But that more than doubles the price.

The higher perch of GoldStar seats on the upper level also allows for better views when trees as compared to where we were seated, but often the track is elevated, giving all seats great views.

Sometimes, trees right next to the track obscured views of distant vistas, sort of along the lines of the old adage, not being able to see the forest for the trees.

It was a lovely ride all the way.

The Alaska Railroad is rightly known for ever changing scenery.

Another advantage of GoldStar for those who splurge is that meals are included.

That premium class has their own menus, and from Gina's description, there was not an issue with getting exactly what they wanted or having it served in a timely manner.  Because they did the 12-hour trip from Anchorage all the way to Fairbanks, they had a chance to try all of the menus and loved their choices.

However, prices aren't unreasonable for regular passengers like us.

We weren't starving, so we weren't among the cattle stampeding to grab lunch.  It turned out that these others probably knew more than us, because by the time I sauntered to the dining car, I found the turkey croissant Julie wanted --- and in fact, all sandwiches --- were sold out.

There was no indication of this, or any kind of instruction to check the refrigerated section on our own to see what was available without standing in line to ask.

By the time I went to grab lunch, I found a long line at the Wilderness Cafe.  A single young woman serving one customer at a time.

Multi-tasking never entered her mind.

She was personable, spending quite a bit of time chitchatting with each customer in a friendly manner, but the service time was absurdly slow at about five-minutes per guest, because each hot ordered had to be heated individually, so really inefficient by design.

Fortunately, she had my corn dog on a stick --- only $3! ---  in stock.

I added a bag of pre-popped popcorn that didn't require preparation, assuming that would be welcomed by Julie in light of not having sandwiches. 

In what is really little more than self-serve with a very long wait, it is rather insulting when the credit card terminal asks how big a tip I wanted to leave.  18%?  22%?  You know the drill.

I confess that I stiffed her, because she was a terrible server, though when I returned to get another corn dog and later snacks without such a long wait, I made up for that for the most part.

At a mid-afternoon whistle stop, additional food came aboard.  I was able to get a ham sandwich for Julie.

By late afternoon, some tables were available in the dining car, so Julie and I enjoyed our happy hour of popcorn, wine and beer sitting in style.

Throughout the afternoon and early evening, the lighting and landscapes changed.

Over the public address system, a young man provided excellent commentary about the modern day homesteaders who settled out in the wilderness, where the only means of transportation was the railway which they would flag down for a ride.

Local author Shannon Cartwright, who wrote a children's book about the Alaska Railroad, received special attention.

As I mentioned in my Anchorage post, the train in that book was on display along the walk from our rental to downtown.

It was a nice combination of history, nature, climate and local gossip.

You'll have to board the Alaska Railroad to hear the stories for yourself.

Maybe you'll also see eagles and moose like we did.

Scenery continued rolling by until we arrived in Anchorage 45-minutes late. 

We considered taking one of the idling taxis rather than waiting for an Uber.  We were unsure how much of a zoo the airport would be on Sunday night on a holiday weekend during the peak of cruise season.  Nonetheless, Julie summoned an Uber.

If you've taken Uber, you know the feeling of a promised arrival time jumping a couple of times. By the time our driver pulled up, Julie had grown quite antsy.

The driver let us load our bags in her trunk before announcing, "I need to use the bathroom."

She headed for the doors without looking back despite Julie saying we had to get to the airport right away.  Fortunately for us, the doors she tried were locked from our direction, and the driver doubled back.

When we got inside, I noticed she had Pittsburgh Steelers floor mats, so I asked about that.  The driver said upon retirement from a job in social services five years earlier, she had followed her dream of moving from Pennsylvania to Alaska.  It turned out that she actually grew up in Philadelphia.  Small world.

She made good time to the airport, where she double-parked and dashed in search of a restroom after opening the trunk for us to retrieve our own bags.  The driver wasn't high on customer service, but she still got a tip.  Am I the only one who thinks this tipping culture has gotten carried away?

With our Global Entry passes making TSA Pre-Check a given, we were able to get through security efficiently, if not exactly a breeze in a very busy airport.  We had enough time for me to get burgers and French fries from McDonalds before boarding our flight.

The redeye had no major issues connecting through Detroit this time.  Julie had booked the aisle and window seat, as we often do in hopes of no one taking the middle.  This time we were in luck.  Not a bad end for our fun summer trip to California and Alaska.

More of Julie's Photos

More of Wes's Photos