Alaska - The Hills Are Alive with the Music of Denali

With time to kill after our tour, we took the time to wander the grounds of the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and check out the various shops and décor.

Who needs a guard dog keeping door to door salesman away when you can shell out $95.99 for a hand carved wooden bear holding a "No Soliciting" sign? Glad you offer free shipping but that bear best come to my house with a $70 check included with the packing supplies.

You must be this tall to ride the ride:

What happens to the moose when they learn that their brother is on the menu:

Despite the name - this place has more than salmon on the menu. I was later than expected returning from the Husky Homestead tour due to road construction but King Salmon was kind enough to let us in for dinner even though they were about 10 minutes from closing time.

Or if you're more into meat with a side of meat:

I've figured out why it takes so long to get mail from Alaska - a moose and a bear are doing the delivering.

The next included excursion/activity in our fare is the Music of Denali dinner theater program. Princess lists the venue as the McKinley Chalet which can be confusing since it's on the grounds of the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. You can also book this excursion on your own for the current rate of $69.95 per person. You dine at long tables and all of the food is served family style (a.k.a. large bowls or platters passed around to everyone at your table). 

The food is included in the price along with water, coffee, or tea. If you wish soda, beer, wine, or cocktails, it costs extra. I believe we drank our weight in water so I can't say whether the drinks would have been included due to our cruise tour. The food is described as Alaskan salmon, smokehouse BBQ, hearty mashed potatoes, and house baked apple crisps for dessert. I seem to recall a couple different kinds of salad and vegetable sides as well so you won't go hungry if you're a vegetarian. It is all you can eat food and there was always someone bringing us another platter. The BBQ tasted really good and everyone at our table loved it. We asked our waitress what meat it was and her response was "Yeah, you don't want to know!" 

All of the wait staff were also actors in the musical telling the tale of the first men to reach the summit of Mount Denali. Unfortunately, they don't allow photography or filming during the show. The few pics I have above were taken during staff introductions and announcements before the show. The musical is not only informative but comedic and at times interactive with the cast running back through the audience and enlisting diners to play a part in the story.

Next up - our first non motor coach travel and the one land tour city that we only spent one day visiting.