Name: Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
Address: Mile 238.5 George Parks Hwy, McKinley Park, McKinley Park, McKinley Park, 99755, United States of America
Rating: 7

Shopping on site

Computer

24-hour reception

Elevator/lift

Smoking areas

Ticket assistance

Gift shop

Outdoor furniture

General

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Wheelchair access to restaurant

Accessibility

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Breakfast

Vending machine

Breakfast/lunch to go

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Multi-language staff

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Personal protection equipment for guests

Contactless check-in and/or check-out

Individually packaged food

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the cottage

Wilderness Access Center

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

McKinley Park

When you walk in the the main lobby, it's like, "Wow!  This place is AWESOME!".  I never stopped having that feeling there.  In our room, not so much.  Somehow we managed to be there when it was hot; the overnight low was 75 degrees F.  We kept the window open, but it was too hot for good sleep.  No A/C, no fan.  I laid on top of the sheets.  The bathroom had a typical tub/shower, and it didn't drain worth a sh*t.  I was always standing in several inches of water at the end a shower.

Otherwise, two thumbs up.  There are really nice outdoor areas with spectacular views to have a drink with your mate in the evening.  We also enjoyed having a range of restaurants to choose from, all of which serve good food in a nice-but-not-pretentious environment.

Loved Everything Except Our Room

Late post Aug 23’
Denali Lodge was huge and there was actually more to do here then at McKinley Lodge. It was nice to get a break (meaning it was a 2 night stay rather than 1). First off, not having safes in the room was a bit odd since majority of guests were either going or coming from a cruise, in that case people bring important documents, cash, jewelry etc stuff they don’t want to lose or feel compelled to carry on them. 
Our first night there, I noticed an odd smell on my sheets, a perfume that I nor my partner wear. It was 9pm we were very tired from all the traveling but how could you not call the front desk ro make sure they came right away to change the sheets. (Problem 1) The next day, It wasn’t till we boarded our bus for the national park, I texted the front desk and requested no service in our room, (mostly because there was no safe) when we got back, we noticed that our room was serviced. (Problem 2) This was very upsetting because we didn’t want anyone in our room and we didn’t need the service since our stay was less than 2 days. We spoke with a manager and thankfully he understood our situation and worked out a great solution. Just as Mt. Mckinley, I would suggest 4 days 3 nights to get to see and do things. 
The restaurants were so much better than those at McKinley lodge. 
Fanny Q’s Saloon (Reviewed)
King Salmon Restaurant (Reviewed)
Lynx Creek Pizza and Pub (Reviewed)
Grizzly Burger
Coffee Spot (reviewed)
Overall, this rating/review was based on a rectified solution….


2/5 If issued wasn't resolved... read on... 

Nice view, clean rooms, comfortable bed.   I also liked the lay out of the property.  One problem - thin walls.  We could easily hear the television in the neighboring room.  I fell asleep but woke up to hear the TV still on at 2 AM.  They may have fallen asleep with it on.  Also the coffee shop in the morning always had a long slow line.  It would have been nice to have a separate line for quick items.  Specialty coffees seem to take quite a bit longer to prepare.  If it weren't for the thin walls I would rate it very good.

Thin walls

Stayed 2 nights.    Outer appearance of the place is fantastic.    Our room was not great.  A leftover dirty face towel was left in our bathroom and the bathroom floor was not cleaned.  The room had an oder or something that made both our allergies kick in.   The lobby (for building B) also not cleaned as garbage over flowed from the can and the furniture was old and worn out.    The good things - the bartender was enjoyable to talk with.   The gift shops were nice and Fannys and King Salmon restaurants were very good - otherwise i would have given 1 star.  Princess needs to review this place.

Terrible Room

It is absolutely true that if you are not from a Princess cruise, you will be treated differently. After a very long drive from Anchorage, I drove up to check in, and this snotty lady with long, dark hair in a safety vest told me to go park in the parking lot. If there were signs saying that it was a no loading zone or coaches/buses only, then I would have understood why she was so short with me, but that was not the case. I do not understand why Princess would have this nasty, unprofessional person in a position to make such a bad first impression. Customer service 101: "Welcome, we're glad you're here! Would you mind parking in the parking lot for me? This area is for our buses. Thanks so much." Same message, but the approach makes a world of difference. 
The front desk ladies were very kind and friendly. I mentioned the rude lady in the parking lot, and they nodded their heads. It seems they knew exactly who I was talking about. I only have nice things to say about the front desk and their willingness to help and answer questions. The lobby is also very nice with lots of comfortable chairs.
If you're on a cruise, it seems that your luggage is magically delivered to and picked up from your door. If not, then you have to bring your luggage to your room yourself. There were no luggage carts that I saw, so I knew I would have to make a couple of trips from the parking lot to my room. One of the staff members approached me and made the comment that I had a lot of luggage. He didn't ask if I needed help, if he could call someone to help, or if I knew about the property shuttle. I handled my own luggage in a couple of trips.
My room was fine, although it was rather noisy, as I could hear the people upstairs and people walking/talking up and down the hallways. Maybe it's a daylight thing where people don't realize that people are trying to sleep because it's still fairly light out at midnight. Staff often had their radios at a high volume, so that was part of the noise too. There was daily maid service, but one day I left my laptop on the far, untouched side of my king size bed, and my bed was not made, even though my laptop would not have needed to be moved in order to do so. The same maid took what s/he must have considered an empty water bottle off my table. It wasn't empty, and I reuse them. Why should s/he take anything that is not in the trash? 
I only ate one meal on the property, and it was mediocre and overpriced. I had just gotten off a day long bus ride, and it was cold and rainy. I went to get some fish and chips to go, and although the wait wasn't long, once I got back, I realized there was no tartar sauce and no utensils or napkins. I could've gone back, but I wasn't in the mood. I realize that choices might be limited due to location, but you would think that ordering fish in Alaska would get you something fresh or at least tasty. Nope, it tasted like the frozen stuff you get at the supermarket with the dude in the yellow raincoat on the box. I just went to the coffee place to get my utensils, so I thought I would get a soda. There was one person in front of me with one person helping her, and two workers just standing there. Maybe they were training, but they could've said "hello, she'll be right with you” or something, but they just stood there talking to each other.
All in all, the accommodations were fine, and the front desk staff was great. The close proximity to the park and shuttle were huge pluses, and it was a fair value for the area. However, I am not a fan of rude parking lot ladies, tacky gift shops, (although some of the jewelry and artwork were nice) and overpriced, mediocre food. So to sum it up: bad, not bad.


Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge

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