Originally Posted by
jiangxi
1. I have narrowed down the private cabin choice to two: Carlo Creek Lodge and Denali Mountain Morning Hostel in Carlo Creek. Both offer private cabins with shared bathrooms. Rates are very close. Can anyone experiencing both recommend one? All we need is a quiet and clean place to sleep at night.
I have stayed at the hostel more than once and am planning on staying there again for 3 nights in September. I really like it. They have a really nice common area (lounge area/kitchen). Very clean too. I have not stayed at Carlo Creek Lodge but I have also stayed at the McKinley Creekside Cabins which are nice. The Creekside Cafe is also a great place to eat - good food and reasonably priced.
Originally Posted by
jiangxi
2. If I reserve the shuttle bus tickets online now, can I change the destination on the pickup day based on the weather conditions? I'm thinking one day to wonder lake, and the next to Eielson. If it rains on day 1, I will do Eielson on day 1, and wonder lake on day 2 (hoping it will not rain again).
You can try to change destinations, but if you book to Eielson and it is a nice day, don't you think many will try to get to Wonder Lake? Fewer buses go there than to Eielson. Why not just book both days to Eielson? If you want to hop off at Eielson and return on a different bus, no problem. The cost difference between the two destinations is minimal.
Originally Posted by
jiangxi
3. Another question on cruise choices: is it worthwhile doing both Fjord tour (from Seward) and prince williams sound tour (from Wittier)? If most of the contents overlap, I may just do the Fjord 6+ hour tour.
Kenai Fjords emphasizes marine wildlife but also stops at a glacier for a while. Prince William Sound emphasizes glaciers. Both are great tours but they are different. I just got back from a long Prince William Sound tour but it was with a smaller operator - Sound Eco Adventure. It was a longer 10 hour tour and in our case it emphasized marine wildlife (generally unusual for PWS cruises) and it was incredible.