Does this mean you will have a car? As long as you have a car, there's nothing wrong with the McKinley Princess. Within *driving* distance, there's lots to do and lots of trails (see the site I referenced earlier). With the Great Alaskan Tour Saver book and a good rate, I don't see any error in staying at the McKinley Princess. If you don't have a rental car, that's what I'd say the real error is--it's hard to do what *you* want in Alaska without a car, as you're then bound to what tour/bus companies offer.

If you're driving through Talkeetna at dinner time, the only real restaurant is fortunately a good one: the West Rib (named after a feature on Mt. McKinley, though I think they do serve ribs).

The drive to Valdez is one of the most spectacular in the world. You'll enjoy both that and the ferry ride, although it's a long one all the way to Seward (I've only done the ferry from Valdez to Whittier--much shorter). If you want to check out our Girdwood recommendations, Girdwood is on the way back toward Anchorage from Seward, so you can hit it then. I'd say that your itinerary is packed but a great survey of what Alaska has to offer--you're cramming in both north of Anchorage (Talkeetna/Denali) and south of Anchorage (Seward/Girdwood) in one short trip--that's ambitious!

If you do come back someday and want to gear your trip more towards hiking (that is, if Alaska's mountains don't completely blow you away...they're just a little higher than the Appalachians), I'd recommend starting your information quest early, and ask specifically where the best trails are and what kind of hiking you're looking for. I'm sure someone out there is far more familiar with the Alaskan backwoods than I am. Also do some extensive checking on the Alaska State Parks/Division of Natural Resources and the National Park Service websites and perhaps do some calling to get some good recommendations. You could probably hike Alaska every day for the rest of your life and not cover all of the trails--we are, after all, twice the size of Texas.

Have a great trip!