April 8, 2025 • 43 mins
Renea Ranch from Park Connection and Alaska Tour & Travel joins Jennie to talk about getting around Alaska without a car by using the Park Connection bus service.
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Music credits: Largo Montebello, by Domenico Mannelli, CC.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jennie Flaming (00:00):
Jennie, welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast
(00:10):
with me, your host, JennieThwing Flaming, my occasional co
host and full time husband, Jayand I bring you accurate,
helpful and entertaininginformation about Alaska, travel
and life in Alaska, before westart the show, we'd like to
take a moment to thank ourPatreon subscribers for making
(00:33):
this podcast possible. You canjoin them at the link in the
show notes. Thank you so muchfor your support and for
listening. My guest today isRenee ranch. Renee is with
Alaska tour and travel and thepark connection, which is what
(00:53):
we're going to talk about inthis episode. Renee is from
Colorado, but has lived inAlaska for nine years. She spent
her first summer in Denali,working seasonally, and then
moved to Anchorage after that,working with Alaska, touring
travel when she's not working,most likely you're going to find
her out on an adventure with herdog Brooks, trying to get
(01:14):
outside as much as possible forhikes, enjoying a trail in
Anchorage or at a dog park. Andif she's able to get away for a
few days, then she loves to campand explore pretty much anywhere
in Alaska. And also she reallyloves to sit around a fire with
friends and a good coldbeverage, Renea. Welcome to
(01:36):
Alaska, uncovered. Thank you forbeing here.
Renea (01:39):
Thank you for having me, this is a new and fun
experience, so I appreciate it.
Yeah, it's
Jennie Flaming (01:45):
wonderful having you. This is such an important
topic, because, as you know,people get really frustrated
sometimes when they're trying tofigure out how to get around
Alaska, especially if they'retrying to do that without a car.
So for those of you listening,what we're going to talk about
today is the park connection busservice to different places in
(02:08):
Alaska, which is something youreally need to know about,
especially if you want to avoidthose very expensive car rentals
while you're in Alaska. SoRenee, before we dive into that.
Can you, I know we talked aboutit a little in the intro, but
can you tell everybody a littlebit more about how you first got
(02:29):
to Alaska with that seasonal jobin Denali?
Renea (02:33):
Yeah, it's actually a pretty funny and wild story. I
think everyone has somewhat of aunique way that they got here,
but Yes, mine is also one forthe books there. So yeah, I came
up with my grandpa, who haddecided at 80 years old he was
going to follow his dream andmove up here. So I was like,
(02:57):
Yeah, I'll do a road trip forsure. So we left Colorado and we
popped our way up here. I don'tknow if you're familiar with
Beverly Hillbillies. It's kindof like we kind of looked like
that traveling Canada. Oh, yeah.
But anyways, we got herehonestly, right? When I came
(03:19):
into Alaska, I kind of fell inlove, like, immediately, it was
kind of very strange feeling.
I'm like, wow, this is where amI? Yeah. Long story short, I had
a friend that lived up inDenali. She was also on her own
kind of unique journey. Andshe's like, Hey, come on up and
see me. It's been a long time,so I went up there and fell of
(03:45):
the place even more. And inbetween all of that, my grandpa
decided it wasn't for him, itwasn't going to work out. So he
turned his truck around andstarted headed home. I'm like,
wow, um, what? I'm in Denali.
He's like, Yeah, you're in goodhands. You'll be fine. I'll pay
you back for your plane ticketwhen you make it home. Okay.
(04:06):
Anyways, I stayed a few extradays, and I actually
got offered a job while I was upthere, and kind of all came
together. I'm like, I don'tthink I'm going back. I called
my parents. I'm like, Uh, hey,so I'm gonna stay. They're like,
(04:29):
what? Oh, yep, I'm gonna stay.
So anyways, I ended up stayingthrough the summer and just
falling in love with Alaska moreand more. And, you know, meeting
so many great people. And at theend of it, it was kind of like,
I want to try to stay the winterand see what happens. So a
couple of us did, and the restis kind of history. And it left
(04:50):
sense. My parents were notimpressed, but they've finally
accepted it. Yeah. That's,
Jennie Flaming (05:00):
it's a toughy for I remember it was the same
when I moved to Alaska. They'relike, really,
Renea (05:06):
yeah, it's like, also, can you send me a couple pairs
of pants? I only brought, like,two, right?
Jennie Flaming (05:12):
I need more stuff. Oh, that's so awesome.
What a great story. So, so we'vegot you here today, Renea, to
talk about Park connection. Andthat is Park as a national park
connection. It's what we'resaying there. I'll put the link
to it in the show notes, ofcourse. But Renea, could you
(05:36):
tell us? Well, first of all,since we're both familiar with
this type of vehicle before weget into like, what Park
connection is. Tell everybodywhat the difference is between a
bus and a motor coach,
Renea (05:54):
a bus and a motor coach, okay, um, yeah, valid question.
I would say a bus is more whatyou picture as a school bus or a
motor coach. They're what wecall Deluxe, which basically
just a bigger vehicle sits uphigher. 52 passengers is what we
(06:15):
are. 52 seats is what we have.
Restroom in the back. And Ithink the biggest difference
you'll see is those largepicture windows. Yeah, they
really make a difference.
They're not like the old schoolschool bus type that you
picture, yes, yes. That's thegeneral idea. Yeah, yeah.
Jennie Flaming (06:36):
I love it.
That's something that soeveryone listening, I'm sure by
now you unless this is the firstepisode you're listening to, you
know that I work as a tourdirector in Alaska in the
summer, and I spend a lot oftime on motor coaches, and so
this is always a fun thing totalk about with. Like, guests on
tour is like, if they some somepeople, I don't do this, but
(07:00):
some people have, like, like, aswearing jar where you have to
put in money if you call themotor coach a bus. Cracks me up.
Yeah, it's really funny. I don'tdo that, but we do joke about
it. You know that? Like, no, no,we have a bathroom and very
fancy seat and great windows. Soand I love when people are like,
(07:21):
kind of questioning what servicethey're on. They're like, Ah,
don't want to, I don't want totake this bus. That's just not
who I am. Blah, blah, blah. Andthen our motor coach pulls up on
the curb and they're like, Wow,this is beautiful. Like, yeah,
cute, right? Yeah, yeah. I alsofeel like people can get a lot
more excited about busses andmotor coaches once they kind of
(07:44):
understand what the cost is tosome of the other alternatives,
you know, like, especially ifyou're going to Denali and
you're going to have a veryexpensive rental car, and then
you're just going to park itthere For a few days, you know
that is a particularly kind ofpainful financial experience.
(08:04):
Anyway. Thank you for indulgingme with that, because I oh yeah,
that's fun to talk about.
Alright, so let's talk aboutPark connection. Tell everybody
what it is and where you can gowith it.
Renea (08:20):
Alright, um Yeah, we are locally owned company here in
Anchorage. We have twodepartures a day, pretty much
from each location. SoAnchorage, Seward, Talkeetna and
Denali. So depending on whereyou're at, we have a couple
different departure times foryou to get, you know, to point a
(08:43):
point B, and then beyond that,we really cater to the cruise
passengers as well, whetheryou're coming into Whittier or
Seward. That's kind of a big onefor us. Yeah. And I think one of
the unique things you might hearor see on our schedules, called
the park to park. So really,what that means is we can
(09:07):
connect two of the nationalparks in one day. So we have one
route a day, connecting sewer toDenali, you know, Kenai, few
words, National Park to Denali,National Park, and then vice
versa. So that's really and thebus is the really only way you
can do that. It makes for a longday, but it does help logistics,
(09:29):
and you can still hop on a trainlater. But yeah, we just run
through mid May to midSeptember, and yeah, proud of
our service. Yeah, I
Jennie Flaming (09:41):
know, and it's awesome. I have, I've written,
you know, as you know, I'veridden the park connection,
many, many times, you know, whenit was, like, my day off, or,
you know, I was going somewhere,and it's, it's a fantastic
service. I want to just mentionto you something you. Said, but
I want to make sure everyonecaught it, which is that you can
(10:03):
go on Park connection frombetween Denali and Seward in one
day, which you can't do on therailroad. You have to on the
railroad. You have to therailroad is awesome, but you
can't do that in one day. Youhave to stay overnight in
Anchorage in between. And thenthe other thing I can tell you,
(10:24):
just from again, doing thatdrive many times a summer, it's
a very long day if you'redriving. And so it can be really
nice to just like, kick back andlisten to music and or read a
book and, like, let someone elsekind of manage it. And like,
look out the window. So justabsolutely plug for kind of the
uniqueness of that. I knowsomething that's new for 2025 is
(10:53):
the route that goes betweenWhittier and Seward. Can you
talk about that a little bit andwhy that exists and when it runs
that kind of stuff, yeah,
Renea (11:05):
so we're excited for this. It's new as of this year,
2025 and it kind of just cameinto play for us when it was
kind of rumored that some of thecruise ships may move to
Whittier versus Seward as far asthe report goes, our game plan
kind of being, we've already hada bunch of people booking, you
(11:28):
know, ending their trip inSeward thinking, you know,
they're gonna end in Seward,take a cruise to Kenai Fjords
National Park and then hop ontheir seven day cruise. So we
wanted to have a game plan for alot of our guests that are were
already travel planning. Youknow, if that announcement came
out, yep, that we could kind ofseamlessly put back their, you
(11:52):
know, put their vacation backtogether, for lack of better
words, but say, hey, not a bigdeal. We have a connection from
Stuart de Whittier um and youknow, that's been a
transportation I think that'skind of been missing in the
industry for a while, is thatWhittier to Seward, especially,
the bigger the industry isgetting, the demand is there.
(12:13):
So, yeah, you can go either fromWhittier to Seward. Us. We'll
leave in the morning. When yourcruise ship arrives in Whittier,
will take you from Whittier toSeward, where you can then
extend your land travel. If youwant to, you know instantly, go
to Kenai Fjords National Parkand continue traveling. Or
(12:36):
you're in Seward and you need toconnect to Whittier because
you've already done a little bitof a land package prior to your
ship. Yeah? Bus will then turnaround and go back through the
tunnel to Whittier. So, yeah,um, I think it's going to be
awesome. It's going to beexciting to see how the
logistics play out, but it'sgoing to help people
tremendously. And I think
Jennie Flaming (12:56):
it will definitely, or for a lot of
opportunity for people like Itotally agree.
Renea (13:02):
Yeah, we can. We can get from Whittier to Seward and
then, boom, yeah, I start now,yeah. So yeah.
Jennie Flaming (13:08):
And you know, of course, you can drive between
these places if you have arental car. But like, if you're
getting off or on, this issomething I think is super
important. So if you're taking acruise, and you're going to into
or out of Whittier or Seward,and you're listening to this,
you need to know that you can'tpick up or return a rental car
(13:32):
in either Whittier or Seward. Imean, I'm sure there's some way
to do it, if you, like, pay1000s and 1000s of dollars, but
like, you need transportation toget between the anchorage
airport and the cruise ship. Andwhether you book that through
something like Park connectionor another tour company or the
cruise ship, it doesn't reallymatter. But I've had lots of
(13:55):
clients who are like, Oh, well,I'm just gonna rent a car there,
or I'm going to get an Uber. Andso I just want to really
emphasize that you need a planif you're going into or out of
one of those ports that involvesa bus, van, train, something.
Yeah,
Renea (14:16):
exactly. And we're still going to, you know, have our
same, like I mentioned earlier,like our same cruise transfers
that just go strictly sewer toAnchorage, or weaker to
Anchorage, to get thosetravelers who are just trying to
fly home, that's still going toexist. But this is really like
that connection to, you know,connect two towns and make more
(14:36):
things possible. But yeah, it isvery expensive to try to get in
between those destinations,however you cut it. So Park
connection, so I think, I thinkit'll be awesome.
Jennie Flaming (14:50):
Yeah, I do too.
And there's also the whole thingwith the Whittier tunnel, which,
like, that's also somethingthat, then, if you book, uh. A
transfer or a tour, or, youknow, if you book transportation
through anybody other thanyourself, then you don't have to
worry about the like timing ofthe tunnel and getting there in
(15:11):
time and all that nonsense. So,yeah, yeah. Cool. Okay. Anything
else you want to say about Parkconnection, specifically for
people going to or from cruises.
Renea (15:31):
Um, I can't think of anything. I do want to say it is
kind of incredible. I don't knowif that's the right word. How
many people end up at their attheir destination and think
they're in Anchorage, yeah,doing a little bit of research
or knowing like, Hey, I'm not inAnchorage. I am anywhere from
(15:51):
three hours to two hours away,and then knowing what kind of
transportation opportunitiesthere are. So that's a big one.
But no, I don't think so cool.
You know, just knowing that ifyou're in Seward Whittier, we're
gonna only have that onedeparture time it's morning,
that maybe we can get youthrough the tunnel and have
(16:12):
opportunity elsewhere. Seward,we're still gonna have a couple
different departures a day. Soif you get off the cruise ship
in Seward and you still want todo an activity or something, we
do have time for you to do thatand then get you back to
Anchorage in the evening, orboth destinations connect to
Talkeetna and Denali same daytoo. Yeah. Great way to extend
(16:36):
your your your land travel rightoff the cruise ship.
Jennie Flaming (16:42):
Yep, absolutely, yep. Do you? I don't think you
do, but I just want to check Idon't believe you offer any like
stops. I mean, you take reststops, of course, but there
aren't like tour stops as partof the the trip between
Anchorage and the cruise shipdocks, correct, um,
Renea (17:04):
correct for, yeah, we're going to be pretty much a direct
transfer, yep, Whittier toAnchorage. Sometimes we have to
play that where we'll stop for alittle bit, just for the
logistics of the tunnel, yes,um, but that's just really
logistics. But, yeah. Now ifyou're going northbound, you
know, further than Anchorage,then there's always going to be
(17:25):
a stop in Anchorage for about anhour and a half for lunch. But
yeah, beyond that, it's justdirect transfer.
Jennie Flaming (17:33):
Great. Okay, so let's go back to Denali for a
minute. Renea, so, um, you knowone of, obviously the super
popular routes for Parkconnection. One of them is like
cruise ship transfers, whichwe've been talking about, which
is an awesome service. ButDenali is another really
fantastic one, um, kind of that,that that anchorage tell kitna,
(17:56):
Denali route. And so for thoseof you who are planning a trip
on your own on land in Alaska togo to Denali. This is a really
great option to avoid dealingwith a rental car, right? So
Renee, can we go back to thatfor a minute, as far as, like
(18:17):
independent travelers, and maybethey did do a cruise and and
this is before after, or maybethey're just in Alaska on their
own. What type of traveler, inyour opinion, is kind of the
best fit to take the parkconnection service, say, rather
than a rental car?
Renea (18:36):
That's a really good question. It might sound a
little bit cliche, but I thinkit's almost good for basically
anyone, yeah, not quiteeveryone. You know, if you
really want to be independentand rent a car, get into off the
beat path, there is probably notfor you, but I think it's great
for first time travelers. Yeah,you know, if you, if you're
(18:58):
flying into Anchorage and youwant to do a whatever, however
many days on land. This is agreat way to get from place to
place. And I think what the parkconnection does very well is
pair with the Alaska railroad,yep, or the rail belt in that
(19:18):
sense. So being able to use thatcombination of train and bus is
beautiful way to experience thestate.
Jennie Flaming (19:27):
I agree with that. Can you talk a little bit
more about how that would workfor someone who's like, Okay, I
want to do both. I'm trying tofigure this out. Like, what are
some thoughts that you haveabout good ways to put the train
and the park connectiontogether.
Renea (19:45):
Well, I'd have to touch on our company Alaska tour and
travel. Yeah, go for it too.
That's actually who own andoperates Park connection. So
that is what we do. We're atravel planning service, and
there is a lot of logistics. AndI think. We get a lot of phone
calls from people frustrated andconfused by the timing of train
and the timing of bus and wheredo I go. So we kind of help take
(20:08):
the stressor out of that. But Ilike to say, you know, for
example, take the train down toflying to Anchorage, take the
train down to Seward, who spenda couple days. Then we can get
the bus from Seward to tellkitna where now you're up north,
you've went coastal, now yourinterior. And then from there,
(20:32):
you can go to kitna, to Denaliby the motor coach. And then
kind of end one of your, like,the last parts of your trip,
taking that train, Denali toAnchorage. So essentially, you
have two trains, two busses thatfollows one of our most popular
packages, and people love it.
And, yeah, it's unique. BecauseI think the big difference, one
(20:56):
of the biggest differences, iswhat people are going to see on
the bus and the train. Theydon't necessarily follow one
another. At times they do, butyou're really going to see
different things. So, you know,it's like you are doing some
backtracking, but you won't evenrealize you are
Jennie Flaming (21:12):
totally, yeah,
Renea (21:14):
yeah. So we, I mean, we're happy to help you with
that, that's what, yeah. So,yeah, yeah.
Jennie Flaming (21:21):
I'm sure you have this experience the same as
I do. When clients contact me,they've often gotten super
frustrated trying to figure outthese logistics and like, you
know, how come I can't do thiswith this or whatever? And so,
yeah, it's super helpful to havethat person who can be like,
let's figure out what you'retrying to do and figure out how
(21:42):
to make it happen so totally.
Renea (21:44):
And then, you know, then you run into sell outs. It's
like when someone actuallyfigures out that it something
might be sold out. And we canhave your back and say, But
wait, there's another optionhere, yep. So we're kind of here
to help wherever we can. Yeah,yeah,
Jennie Flaming (22:01):
yeah. The other thing too, for folks listening
is you could also, so eventhough Park connection doesn't
go to Fairbanks, the train does.
So you can also do like thatwhole one way trip, all the way,
you know, in or out ofFairbanks, by putting those
together, which is also kind ofa cool way to do it. Yeah,
Renea (22:25):
yeah, for sure, start south and north or vice versa,
yeah, yeah. I mean, theopportunities are endless. It's
crazy.
Jennie Flaming (22:32):
Yeah, it's that's really true, and I am
just going to echo what you saidabout the backtracking part. So
as a person who spends many,many days on both the Parks
Highway and the Seward highwayand the Alaska railroad, like it
is really true that there areplaces where the train and the
(22:53):
road are close together or crosseach other, but it is a pretty
different experience. I think,you know, if you're on the road
versus the train, so, you know,you don't have to worry too much
about, like, Oh, you're notgoing to get bored looking at
the scenery in Alaska, though,that like, isn't possible, but
(23:14):
Right? You know, even if it was,you'd still see a lot of variety
with that. Yeah,
Renea (23:19):
absolutely. I'm always like, Okay, well, that's one of
the most scenic highways, and inthe most scenic train. So,
right? You can't lose Alaska.
No,
Jennie Flaming (23:29):
you really, you really can't. That is so true.
Okay, um, we're going to take ashort break, and when we come
back, we're going to talk a bitmore about Park connection,
places you can go, and someother logistics and things about
Anchorage.
(23:53):
Hi, everyone. I hope you'reenjoying the show. So far, I
wanted to break in and tell youthat Alaska tour and travel and
park connection are offering a5% discount to listeners of the
podcast, and you need the codeAlaska uncovered to get that. If
you go to the show notes, youcan follow the link there, and
(24:16):
it's too long to just say here,so you'll have to follow the
link. Another thing I wanted totell you is that after we
recorded this episode, I workedwith Alaska tour and travel to
build out some itineraries. Andas you know, I also sell
itineraries in my online shop.
But the cool thing about theseones is that you can book
(24:39):
everything right there online,and you can customize it if you
want to. So if you are lookingfor a shortcut to hours and
hours and hours of planning anddoing one of and you don't want
to do one of my consults, whichare also awesome. This is a
great way to get a curateditinerary by me. So the link is,
(25:01):
again, too long to read, butit's in the show notes along
with the links that are alwaysthere. So I just wanted to let
you know about that, and nowwe're gonna head back to the
show you.
(25:23):
Okay, we're back with ReneaRanch from Park connection and
Alaska tour and travel. Andtoday we're talking about ways
to get around Alaska by bus,which is what the park
connection is. And we've talkedabout going to Denali. We've
talked about doing a longer landtrip in Alaska. We've talked
(25:45):
about getting back and forth tothe cruise terminal, and we've
talked about, how do you pairthe train with the bus? So lots
of fun stuff. Okay, so Renea,let's talk about a few
logistics. So when it comes tothings, you've talked a bit
about the schedule, and ofcourse, you know maybe you'll be
(26:08):
listening to this podcast in afuture year, the schedule might
be different, but I've got thelink to the schedule and to book
it in the show notes, so you cango over there to see the details
of the schedule, but I'd love toknow a little more about booking
Renee. So how far ahead aredifferent routes booking up?
(26:32):
When do people need to make surethey have this button down?
What's your advice about that,and is it different for the
different routes that you do?
Renea (26:44):
Yeah, good question. It's definitely different for each
route, I think. And also justdepends. We're going to touch
back on that cruise passengeraspect. If you're catching the
cruise I would book as soon aspossible. You know, regardless,
those do sell out. Yeah, so youknow, even if it's a couple
(27:06):
months prior, that should beplenty plenty of time ahead, but
the sooner, the better. Youknow, going to Denali talk, it's
very we do have sell out days,but you're going to see a little
bit less. But again, I'm alwaysgoing to say probably at least a
month or two months ahead. Yeah,I do think one of the cool
(27:29):
things if you have theflexibility, you know, everyone
travels differently, but if youdo have the flexibility, there's
a lot of times we can get peopleon same day. Do I recommend
that? Not particularly you're afly by the seat your pants kind
of traveler, um, but, you know,I think plenty of giving
(27:50):
yourself plenty of time, andwe're going to be flexible, you
know, moving you around if youneed or canceling whatever.
We're just going to try to makethat aspect easy for you. But
yeah, yeah. I guess there's afew different ways to book with
us, if that's what you'reasking, too. So we have three
different websites. Alaskacoach.com is the primary one,
(28:14):
just for just the motor coach.
So that's just kind of astraightforward one. We also
have Alaska train.com this is agreat website to book all the
train services within the stateof Alaska, as well as the motor
coach. So if you do know, youjust need a few trains and a few
busses, and you know how topiece that together yourself.
(28:37):
Great. That's the best websitefor that. And then lastly, our
kind of grand poo po of websitesis Alaska tour and travel. And
that's where you can book awhole vacation package, which
includes, is going to includethe motor coach, the train,
hotels, day tours, things likethat. So it really just depends
(28:58):
on what you need. As theconsumer, we we've got you
either way. So,
Jennie Flaming (29:05):
yes, awesome.
Love it. Um, now, okay, I wantyou to tell me if this is true
or not, but I'm pretty sure thatyou cannot just show up at the
time the both boat or the boat.
What am I talking about? The busis supposed to leave and, like,
pay the driver if there is spaceavailable. Am I wrong about
(29:28):
that? Or is that true?
Renea (29:30):
Oh, you actually can. Oh,
Jennie Flaming (29:33):
wow, that's awesome idea. No, that's the
Renea (29:36):
fly by the seat of pants.
Okay, people, yeah, we do that alot. I like I said, I don't
necessarily recommend it, yeah,but it's definitely, you know,
especially if you just needsewer to Anchorage in the
evening or, you know, those kindof small transportations that
aren't going to, like,logistically break or make your
vacation. Um, yeah, you comparedriver, um. Of exact cash or
(29:58):
awesome, or the bus driver willhand one of our managers on duty
of their phone, and yes, you cantake payment right then and
there. That's awesome.
Jennie Flaming (30:12):
I didn't know that you did that. That's so
Wow. That is even, even moregenerous, right?
Unknown (30:20):
Yeah, exactly. And it, it can, it can be a huge thing
for people too. So
Jennie Flaming (30:25):
yeah, especially those folks that do show up in
Seward without a plan, ifthere's space. So don't count on
that. Make a plan. Yeah,
Unknown (30:34):
for sure. And we understand plan is plan changes.
You know, something mighthappen, and you kind of have to
stop what you're doing, get backor get to a certain location,
and with those two departures aday, we can hopefully get you
there, you know, very lastminute. So yeah,
Jennie Flaming (30:51):
love it that.
See, I always learn things, evenwhat I think I know doing this
podcast, it's one of my favoritethings about it, besides
connecting with people. So loveit. Okay, um, anything else I
was going to ask about that? Oh,okay, so on the trip to, let's
say Denali or Seward. How longnow, if people who've listened
(31:18):
to other episodes and areregular listeners of this
podcast know that I always sayyou've gotta keep an very open
mind about schedules and howlong things take. But in
general, how long do you expectthe drive to take up to telketa
and Danielle and down to Seward,and then how often does the
(31:40):
coach stop along the way?
Unknown (31:46):
Okay, yeah, so Anchorage to Seward, or vice
versa, that's going to be aboutthree hours. Yep, you know we
say two and a half three hours,and that's going to be a direct
transfer. Okay, so that soundslike a bit, but it is such a
beautiful Highway. It reallyquite quick.
Jennie Flaming (32:03):
It's incredible.
It's so pretty. Yeah, it'samazing. And there's a restroom
on the coach, just a reminder.
So, yeah, yep,
Unknown (32:12):
um, and then Anchorage to Denali, or Denali to
Anchorage, um, quite a bitlonger of a distance, but I
would say plan for about sixhours. Yep, we do break that up.
So tell kitna is a town that'spretty much right in the middle
of those locations. So we'llswing in and pick people up
(32:32):
there and drop them off. Or, youknow, if you're just Anchorage
to denial, you'll continue on.
But we do take a 30 minute,roughly 30 minutes stop in
Talkeetna, the talket in AlaskanLodge. Yeah, so people can get
out, stretch their legs, grab acup of coffee, and that is one
of the best areas to view.
(32:54):
Denali in the Alaskan range. Soabsolutely, yes, it's a great
little pit stop, and then wecontinue on so and then in
Denali, just so everyone knowstoo, we do pick up at pretty
much all the major hotels, sodrop off and pick up are
provided there in Denali. Yep.
Jennie Flaming (33:12):
And one thing, this is a little outside the
scope of what we're talkingabout in this episode, but we
have several other episodesabout Denali, including January
of 2024, we had an episode aboutvisiting Denali on your own,
which is what we're talkingabout here. Make sure that if
(33:33):
you, if you're booking thistransportation by itself, so if
you're going, if you're bookingit as a package. You don't need
to worry about this. But ifyou're just booking the
transportation, make sure thatyou're booking a hotel that is
served by the bus and that has ashuttle to the park. Yeah,
really important for sure. Yeah,yeah, cool. Don't book some
(33:58):
random like verbo that's 20miles away and then think you're
gonna take an Uber like thatdoesn't work. So, yeah, exactly,
really important thing,wonderful, okay, um, so Renee,
um, I would love to know whatyour personal favorite place is
to go that is served by the parkconnection.
Unknown (34:22):
Oh, I mean, Denali is always going to have a special
place in my heart. Yeah, I kindof started, but I think I've
noticed myself. I've been reallydrawn more to the coastal side
of Alaska lately. Yeah, so I'mgonna have to say Seward, that
drive will never get old, neverand I just love the coastal
(34:44):
towns of Alaska. Yeah, there'sso much to do there. Not only
that, I you know, you can godown and spend a couple days or
whatever, but it can also bedone as a day trip, yeah? So you
need to just get out ofAnchorage for the day and do a
hike or catch a cruise. Orwhatever. I mean, it's, it's
that, that's it for sure. Yeah,
Jennie Flaming (35:06):
Seward is pretty amazing. And the Seward highway
is, I think, I think it's themost beautiful highway in North
America that I've been on.
That's my opinion. I
Unknown (35:17):
would agree. I mean that, and we, we're having this
discussion with some friends.
It's like we were all in adebate. I'm like, Man, the Glen
highway too. Yeah, that's thehalf the bean path, one that
people forget about, yeah?
Jennie Flaming (35:30):
Or the Richardson Highway Friday is
also amazing. Yeah, yeah,
Unknown (35:37):
same, same conversation. It's like everyone
kind of has their own favoriteand it's like, Wait, do any of
them suck? I don't think so. No,you
Jennie Flaming (35:45):
know. I know this is a slight tangent, but
the only road in Alaska that Ipersonally think is super boring
is the McCarthy road from Chetnainto McCarthy. Interesting.
It's, like, it's, it's like,narrow and gravel and super
(36:05):
remote and there's no servicesand extremely slow, yep, but,
like, it's not that interestingof a drive. It's, in my opinion,
Unknown (36:16):
that's funny. I have not been out there, but the
general idea of it, yeah, it'snot for everyone. Yeah, and
there's
Jennie Flaming (36:24):
no, you're in a forest, so that you know,
forests are great, but like, youcan't, you're like, in between
black spruce trees for like,three hours, and you can't
really see anything. Yeah, mostof the streams, other than
trees, and I love trees, but,like, also, I don't know it's
(36:45):
yeah. All right, cool. So Renee,anything else you want to talk
about related to part,connection, or any of that
before we move into our to thelast couple of wrap up questions
for you?
Unknown (37:00):
I, I um, I, I don't think so. Okay, I do want to
touch me. You know, we do havethe capability of servicing ADA
guests.
Jennie Flaming (37:14):
Thank you for talking. Yeah. Can you talk
about that a little more?
Unknown (37:18):
Absolutely? Um, so all of our motor coaches are
equipped with a handicap or awheelchair lift. So any people
that are full time wheelchairusers and still want to
experience Alaska, that is agreat way the train also, yeah,
is able to accommodate so, youknow, you can still do a great
(37:41):
itinerary and get to see Alaska.
Jennie Flaming (37:43):
Yes, I am really glad that you brought that up,
because that is super important.
Okay, so Renee, you live inAnchorage, and that's kind of
the base for Park connection. SoI would love to have you tell
everybody what's your favoriterestaurant in Anchorage?
Unknown (38:05):
Oh, that is such a loaded question. I know it is so
much good food up here. That isone thing moving up here. I'm
like, wow, they really got itgoing on up here with the food.
Um, I would say I'm not going tobe able to give you one answer,
so I'm going to give you acouple. That's okay. I've always
(38:26):
loved sushi. We got greatseafood up here, so anytime I
can get out and have some sushi,sushi, sushi. And sushi is my
jam. But as far as, like, just agreat all around restaurant. I'm
gonna have to go with bearstooth, yeah, their menu has got
(38:47):
pretty much something foreveryone. Yeah, can go get a
great Margarita, local, youknow, local beer, wine, pizza,
yes, it's, really good at all.
Of course you can then go,there's not many places where
you can go smash a whole pizzaand have a beer while watching a
movie.
Jennie Flaming (39:08):
So, yes, yeah.
So can you explain for everybodyhow it works at Bear teeth, like
the whole theater pizza versusthe like, grilled restaurant,
yeah,
Unknown (39:18):
yeah. So they have basically two sides of the
restaurant. So the grill side isgoing to just be like a general
style restaurant and bar and apretty wide range of menu there,
for sure. So just kind of a sitdown option, where the other
side is their theater hub, andthey have kind of a cool concept
(39:42):
where you literally go up inorder, kind of like you were at,
I don't know, like a fast foodrestaurant. Maybe you could
compare it to where you Yeah,okay, I'll take but you're
ordering, like a full pizza or asalad, or, you know, something,
pretty much pizzas, but they dosome other menu items, tacos and
things. Like that. Then theywill give you a road cone, and
(40:05):
you go into the movie theater soyou've already purchased
tickets. And it can be a newmovie. It can be an old movie
that has an anniversary, or,like, just some great local
films. Yeah. So anyways, you goin and you get your seat and put
your cone up. Then you go grab adrink at the bar so you can get
(40:27):
a beer, wine and Seltzer. Ithink they now offer so always
have local options back there.
But yeah, go grab a beverage,wait for your pizza and whatever
you ordered, and then they'llcome deliver it to you while
this show is going on. So it'ssuper fun,
Jennie Flaming (40:48):
that it's really fun, yeah, like,
Unknown (40:50):
I think more of that should exist. And I always, I
always love to see what'splaying. You know, it's so fun.
And they have normal styleseating or booths. So if you
have a group to get together,booth is a really fun way to do
it. But, yeah, yeah. Uh, year toyear, always in the top, top,
yes, yeah. And if
Jennie Flaming (41:11):
you're, if you've looked into anchorage
food at all, and you've heardabout moose is tooth pizza,
like, this is the same company,but, like, a totally different
kind of experience. And I'm soglad that you brought that up,
Renee, because I agree it's sucha it's a really wonderful place
in Anchorage, yeah
Unknown (41:31):
for sure. Yeah, yeah.
They know how to do it, right?
Yeah,
Jennie Flaming (41:35):
for sure. Okay, well, before we wrap up, Renee,
I would love to know what is onepiece of advice that you have
for people visiting Alaska forthe first time?
Unknown (41:52):
Man, all right, I'm going to say two things. Um,
maybe three. One is do a littlebit of research. Um, Alaska is
so large, there's so manyopportunities, so just knowing a
general idea of what you want toaccomplish really will help
yourself or whoever is helpingyou plan your travel beyond
(42:16):
that, like you kind of touchedon this earlier, just having
some flexibility too, knowingthat you're still on vacation,
sometimes things change. But,you know, just having that
flexibility in the concept ofwe're in Alaska, like, let's
enjoy it no matter what. Yeah,and third, I would say, like, if
(42:37):
budget allows splurge on onegood activity, like, obviously,
do the must sees or the mustdo's, but I would say, if you
can do it, splurge on oneactivity like dog mushing on a
glacier, or, yeah, helicopteringaround a volcano. Yeah, those,
those crazy, cool activitiesthat are really unique to the
(42:59):
state. I guess if you just doit, it's gonna be worth it for
sure. Yeah,
Jennie Flaming (43:06):
well, that is a lot of great wisdom you just
dropped there. Renea, thank youso much for sharing that, and
thank you for being here todayto talk about Park connection
Renea (43:18):
for sure. Thank you so much for having me. It's been
fun, and hopefully this timehelps future travelers in any
list, yeah,
Jennie Flaming (43:26):
yeah, absolutely you.
Jennie, welcome to the Alaska uncovered podcast
(00:10):
with me, your host, JennieThwing Flaming, my occasional co
host and full time husband, Jayand I bring you accurate,
helpful and entertaininginformation about Alaska, travel
and life in Alaska, before westart the show, we'd like to
take a moment to thank ourPatreon subscribers for making
(00:33):
this podcast possible. You canjoin them at the link in the
show notes. Thank you so muchfor your support and for
listening. My guest today isRenee ranch. Renee is with
Alaska tour and travel and thepark connection, which is what
(00:53):
we're going to talk about inthis episode. Renee is from
Colorado, but has lived inAlaska for nine years. She spent
her first summer in Denali,working seasonally, and then
moved to Anchorage after that,working with Alaska, touring
travel when she's not working,most likely you're going to find
her out on an adventure with herdog Brooks, trying to get
(01:14):
outside as much as possible forhikes, enjoying a trail in
Anchorage or at a dog park. Andif she's able to get away for a
few days, then she loves to campand explore pretty much anywhere
in Alaska. And also she reallyloves to sit around a fire with
friends and a good coldbeverage, Renea. Welcome to
(01:36):
Alaska, uncovered. Thank you forbeing here.
Renea (01:39):
Thank you for having me, this is a new and fun
experience, so I appreciate it.
Yeah, it's
Jennie Flaming (01:45):
wonderful having you. This is such an important
topic, because, as you know,people get really frustrated
sometimes when they're trying tofigure out how to get around
Alaska, especially if they'retrying to do that without a car.
So for those of you listening,what we're going to talk about
today is the park connection busservice to different places in
(02:08):
Alaska, which is something youreally need to know about,
especially if you want to avoidthose very expensive car rentals
while you're in Alaska. SoRenee, before we dive into that.
Can you, I know we talked aboutit a little in the intro, but
can you tell everybody a littlebit more about how you first got
(02:29):
to Alaska with that seasonal jobin Denali?
Renea (02:33):
Yeah, it's actually a pretty funny and wild story. I
think everyone has somewhat of aunique way that they got here,
but Yes, mine is also one forthe books there. So yeah, I came
up with my grandpa, who haddecided at 80 years old he was
going to follow his dream andmove up here. So I was like,
(02:57):
Yeah, I'll do a road trip forsure. So we left Colorado and we
popped our way up here. I don'tknow if you're familiar with
Beverly Hillbillies. It's kindof like we kind of looked like
that traveling Canada. Oh, yeah.
But anyways, we got herehonestly, right? When I came
(03:19):
into Alaska, I kind of fell inlove, like, immediately, it was
kind of very strange feeling.
I'm like, wow, this is where amI? Yeah. Long story short, I had
a friend that lived up inDenali. She was also on her own
kind of unique journey. Andshe's like, Hey, come on up and
see me. It's been a long time,so I went up there and fell of
(03:45):
the place even more. And inbetween all of that, my grandpa
decided it wasn't for him, itwasn't going to work out. So he
turned his truck around andstarted headed home. I'm like,
wow, um, what? I'm in Denali.
He's like, Yeah, you're in goodhands. You'll be fine. I'll pay
you back for your plane ticketwhen you make it home. Okay.
(04:06):
Anyways, I stayed a few extradays, and I actually
got offered a job while I was upthere, and kind of all came
together. I'm like, I don'tthink I'm going back. I called
my parents. I'm like, Uh, hey,so I'm gonna stay. They're like,
(04:29):
what? Oh, yep, I'm gonna stay.
So anyways, I ended up stayingthrough the summer and just
falling in love with Alaska moreand more. And, you know, meeting
so many great people. And at theend of it, it was kind of like,
I want to try to stay the winterand see what happens. So a
couple of us did, and the restis kind of history. And it left
(04:50):
sense. My parents were notimpressed, but they've finally
accepted it. Yeah. That's,
Jennie Flaming (05:00):
it's a toughy for I remember it was the same
when I moved to Alaska. They'relike, really,
Renea (05:06):
yeah, it's like, also, can you send me a couple pairs
of pants? I only brought, like,two, right?
Jennie Flaming (05:12):
I need more stuff. Oh, that's so awesome.
What a great story. So, so we'vegot you here today, Renea, to
talk about Park connection. Andthat is Park as a national park
connection. It's what we'resaying there. I'll put the link
to it in the show notes, ofcourse. But Renea, could you
(05:36):
tell us? Well, first of all,since we're both familiar with
this type of vehicle before weget into like, what Park
connection is. Tell everybodywhat the difference is between a
bus and a motor coach,
Renea (05:54):
a bus and a motor coach, okay, um, yeah, valid question.
I would say a bus is more whatyou picture as a school bus or a
motor coach. They're what wecall Deluxe, which basically
just a bigger vehicle sits uphigher. 52 passengers is what we
(06:15):
are. 52 seats is what we have.
Restroom in the back. And Ithink the biggest difference
you'll see is those largepicture windows. Yeah, they
really make a difference.
They're not like the old schoolschool bus type that you
picture, yes, yes. That's thegeneral idea. Yeah, yeah.
Jennie Flaming (06:36):
I love it.
That's something that soeveryone listening, I'm sure by
now you unless this is the firstepisode you're listening to, you
know that I work as a tourdirector in Alaska in the
summer, and I spend a lot oftime on motor coaches, and so
this is always a fun thing totalk about with. Like, guests on
tour is like, if they some somepeople, I don't do this, but
(07:00):
some people have, like, like, aswearing jar where you have to
put in money if you call themotor coach a bus. Cracks me up.
Yeah, it's really funny. I don'tdo that, but we do joke about
it. You know that? Like, no, no,we have a bathroom and very
fancy seat and great windows. Soand I love when people are like,
(07:21):
kind of questioning what servicethey're on. They're like, Ah,
don't want to, I don't want totake this bus. That's just not
who I am. Blah, blah, blah. Andthen our motor coach pulls up on
the curb and they're like, Wow,this is beautiful. Like, yeah,
cute, right? Yeah, yeah. I alsofeel like people can get a lot
more excited about busses andmotor coaches once they kind of
(07:44):
understand what the cost is tosome of the other alternatives,
you know, like, especially ifyou're going to Denali and
you're going to have a veryexpensive rental car, and then
you're just going to park itthere For a few days, you know
that is a particularly kind ofpainful financial experience.
(08:04):
Anyway. Thank you for indulgingme with that, because I oh yeah,
that's fun to talk about.
Alright, so let's talk aboutPark connection. Tell everybody
what it is and where you can gowith it.
Renea (08:20):
Alright, um Yeah, we are locally owned company here in
Anchorage. We have twodepartures a day, pretty much
from each location. SoAnchorage, Seward, Talkeetna and
Denali. So depending on whereyou're at, we have a couple
different departure times foryou to get, you know, to point a
(08:43):
point B, and then beyond that,we really cater to the cruise
passengers as well, whetheryou're coming into Whittier or
Seward. That's kind of a big onefor us. Yeah. And I think one of
the unique things you might hearor see on our schedules, called
the park to park. So really,what that means is we can
(09:07):
connect two of the nationalparks in one day. So we have one
route a day, connecting sewer toDenali, you know, Kenai, few
words, National Park to Denali,National Park, and then vice
versa. So that's really and thebus is the really only way you
can do that. It makes for a longday, but it does help logistics,
(09:29):
and you can still hop on a trainlater. But yeah, we just run
through mid May to midSeptember, and yeah, proud of
our service. Yeah, I
Jennie Flaming (09:41):
know, and it's awesome. I have, I've written,
you know, as you know, I'veridden the park connection,
many, many times, you know, whenit was, like, my day off, or,
you know, I was going somewhere,and it's, it's a fantastic
service. I want to just mentionto you something you. Said, but
I want to make sure everyonecaught it, which is that you can
(10:03):
go on Park connection frombetween Denali and Seward in one
day, which you can't do on therailroad. You have to on the
railroad. You have to therailroad is awesome, but you
can't do that in one day. Youhave to stay overnight in
Anchorage in between. And thenthe other thing I can tell you,
(10:24):
just from again, doing thatdrive many times a summer, it's
a very long day if you'redriving. And so it can be really
nice to just like, kick back andlisten to music and or read a
book and, like, let someone elsekind of manage it. And like,
look out the window. So justabsolutely plug for kind of the
uniqueness of that. I knowsomething that's new for 2025 is
(10:53):
the route that goes betweenWhittier and Seward. Can you
talk about that a little bit andwhy that exists and when it runs
that kind of stuff, yeah,
Renea (11:05):
so we're excited for this. It's new as of this year,
2025 and it kind of just cameinto play for us when it was
kind of rumored that some of thecruise ships may move to
Whittier versus Seward as far asthe report goes, our game plan
kind of being, we've already hada bunch of people booking, you
(11:28):
know, ending their trip inSeward thinking, you know,
they're gonna end in Seward,take a cruise to Kenai Fjords
National Park and then hop ontheir seven day cruise. So we
wanted to have a game plan for alot of our guests that are were
already travel planning. Youknow, if that announcement came
out, yep, that we could kind ofseamlessly put back their, you
(11:52):
know, put their vacation backtogether, for lack of better
words, but say, hey, not a bigdeal. We have a connection from
Stuart de Whittier um and youknow, that's been a
transportation I think that'skind of been missing in the
industry for a while, is thatWhittier to Seward, especially,
the bigger the industry isgetting, the demand is there.
(12:13):
So, yeah, you can go either fromWhittier to Seward. Us. We'll
leave in the morning. When yourcruise ship arrives in Whittier,
will take you from Whittier toSeward, where you can then
extend your land travel. If youwant to, you know instantly, go
to Kenai Fjords National Parkand continue traveling. Or
(12:36):
you're in Seward and you need toconnect to Whittier because
you've already done a little bitof a land package prior to your
ship. Yeah? Bus will then turnaround and go back through the
tunnel to Whittier. So, yeah,um, I think it's going to be
awesome. It's going to beexciting to see how the
logistics play out, but it'sgoing to help people
tremendously. And I think
Jennie Flaming (12:56):
it will definitely, or for a lot of
opportunity for people like Itotally agree.
Renea (13:02):
Yeah, we can. We can get from Whittier to Seward and
then, boom, yeah, I start now,yeah. So yeah.
Jennie Flaming (13:08):
And you know, of course, you can drive between
these places if you have arental car. But like, if you're
getting off or on, this issomething I think is super
important. So if you're taking acruise, and you're going to into
or out of Whittier or Seward,and you're listening to this,
you need to know that you can'tpick up or return a rental car
(13:32):
in either Whittier or Seward. Imean, I'm sure there's some way
to do it, if you, like, pay1000s and 1000s of dollars, but
like, you need transportation toget between the anchorage
airport and the cruise ship. Andwhether you book that through
something like Park connectionor another tour company or the
cruise ship, it doesn't reallymatter. But I've had lots of
(13:55):
clients who are like, Oh, well,I'm just gonna rent a car there,
or I'm going to get an Uber. Andso I just want to really
emphasize that you need a planif you're going into or out of
one of those ports that involvesa bus, van, train, something.
Yeah,
Renea (14:16):
exactly. And we're still going to, you know, have our
same, like I mentioned earlier,like our same cruise transfers
that just go strictly sewer toAnchorage, or weaker to
Anchorage, to get thosetravelers who are just trying to
fly home, that's still going toexist. But this is really like
that connection to, you know,connect two towns and make more
(14:36):
things possible. But yeah, it isvery expensive to try to get in
between those destinations,however you cut it. So Park
connection, so I think, I thinkit'll be awesome.
Jennie Flaming (14:50):
Yeah, I do too.
And there's also the whole thingwith the Whittier tunnel, which,
like, that's also somethingthat, then, if you book, uh. A
transfer or a tour, or, youknow, if you book transportation
through anybody other thanyourself, then you don't have to
worry about the like timing ofthe tunnel and getting there in
(15:11):
time and all that nonsense. So,yeah, yeah. Cool. Okay. Anything
else you want to say about Parkconnection, specifically for
people going to or from cruises.
Renea (15:31):
Um, I can't think of anything. I do want to say it is
kind of incredible. I don't knowif that's the right word. How
many people end up at their attheir destination and think
they're in Anchorage, yeah,doing a little bit of research
or knowing like, Hey, I'm not inAnchorage. I am anywhere from
(15:51):
three hours to two hours away,and then knowing what kind of
transportation opportunitiesthere are. So that's a big one.
But no, I don't think so cool.
You know, just knowing that ifyou're in Seward Whittier, we're
gonna only have that onedeparture time it's morning,
that maybe we can get youthrough the tunnel and have
(16:12):
opportunity elsewhere. Seward,we're still gonna have a couple
different departures a day. Soif you get off the cruise ship
in Seward and you still want todo an activity or something, we
do have time for you to do thatand then get you back to
Anchorage in the evening, orboth destinations connect to
Talkeetna and Denali same daytoo. Yeah. Great way to extend
(16:36):
your your your land travel rightoff the cruise ship.
Jennie Flaming (16:42):
Yep, absolutely, yep. Do you? I don't think you
do, but I just want to check Idon't believe you offer any like
stops. I mean, you take reststops, of course, but there
aren't like tour stops as partof the the trip between
Anchorage and the cruise shipdocks, correct, um,
Renea (17:04):
correct for, yeah, we're going to be pretty much a direct
transfer, yep, Whittier toAnchorage. Sometimes we have to
play that where we'll stop for alittle bit, just for the
logistics of the tunnel, yes,um, but that's just really
logistics. But, yeah. Now ifyou're going northbound, you
know, further than Anchorage,then there's always going to be
(17:25):
a stop in Anchorage for about anhour and a half for lunch. But
yeah, beyond that, it's justdirect transfer.
Jennie Flaming (17:33):
Great. Okay, so let's go back to Denali for a
minute. Renea, so, um, you knowone of, obviously the super
popular routes for Parkconnection. One of them is like
cruise ship transfers, whichwe've been talking about, which
is an awesome service. ButDenali is another really
fantastic one, um, kind of that,that that anchorage tell kitna,
(17:56):
Denali route. And so for thoseof you who are planning a trip
on your own on land in Alaska togo to Denali. This is a really
great option to avoid dealingwith a rental car, right? So
Renee, can we go back to thatfor a minute, as far as, like
(18:17):
independent travelers, and maybethey did do a cruise and and
this is before after, or maybethey're just in Alaska on their
own. What type of traveler, inyour opinion, is kind of the
best fit to take the parkconnection service, say, rather
than a rental car?
Renea (18:36):
That's a really good question. It might sound a
little bit cliche, but I thinkit's almost good for basically
anyone, yeah, not quiteeveryone. You know, if you
really want to be independentand rent a car, get into off the
beat path, there is probably notfor you, but I think it's great
for first time travelers. Yeah,you know, if you, if you're
(18:58):
flying into Anchorage and youwant to do a whatever, however
many days on land. This is agreat way to get from place to
place. And I think what the parkconnection does very well is
pair with the Alaska railroad,yep, or the rail belt in that
(19:18):
sense. So being able to use thatcombination of train and bus is
beautiful way to experience thestate.
Jennie Flaming (19:27):
I agree with that. Can you talk a little bit
more about how that would workfor someone who's like, Okay, I
want to do both. I'm trying tofigure this out. Like, what are
some thoughts that you haveabout good ways to put the train
and the park connectiontogether.
Renea (19:45):
Well, I'd have to touch on our company Alaska tour and
travel. Yeah, go for it too.
That's actually who own andoperates Park connection. So
that is what we do. We're atravel planning service, and
there is a lot of logistics. AndI think. We get a lot of phone
calls from people frustrated andconfused by the timing of train
and the timing of bus and wheredo I go. So we kind of help take
(20:08):
the stressor out of that. But Ilike to say, you know, for
example, take the train down toflying to Anchorage, take the
train down to Seward, who spenda couple days. Then we can get
the bus from Seward to tellkitna where now you're up north,
you've went coastal, now yourinterior. And then from there,
(20:32):
you can go to kitna, to Denaliby the motor coach. And then
kind of end one of your, like,the last parts of your trip,
taking that train, Denali toAnchorage. So essentially, you
have two trains, two busses thatfollows one of our most popular
packages, and people love it.
And, yeah, it's unique. BecauseI think the big difference, one
(20:56):
of the biggest differences, iswhat people are going to see on
the bus and the train. Theydon't necessarily follow one
another. At times they do, butyou're really going to see
different things. So, you know,it's like you are doing some
backtracking, but you won't evenrealize you are
Jennie Flaming (21:12):
totally, yeah,
Renea (21:14):
yeah. So we, I mean, we're happy to help you with
that, that's what, yeah. So,yeah, yeah.
Jennie Flaming (21:21):
I'm sure you have this experience the same as
I do. When clients contact me,they've often gotten super
frustrated trying to figure outthese logistics and like, you
know, how come I can't do thiswith this or whatever? And so,
yeah, it's super helpful to havethat person who can be like,
let's figure out what you'retrying to do and figure out how
(21:42):
to make it happen so totally.
Renea (21:44):
And then, you know, then you run into sell outs. It's
like when someone actuallyfigures out that it something
might be sold out. And we canhave your back and say, But
wait, there's another optionhere, yep. So we're kind of here
to help wherever we can. Yeah,yeah,
Jennie Flaming (22:01):
yeah. The other thing too, for folks listening
is you could also, so eventhough Park connection doesn't
go to Fairbanks, the train does.
So you can also do like thatwhole one way trip, all the way,
you know, in or out ofFairbanks, by putting those
together, which is also kind ofa cool way to do it. Yeah,
Renea (22:25):
yeah, for sure, start south and north or vice versa,
yeah, yeah. I mean, theopportunities are endless. It's
crazy.
Jennie Flaming (22:32):
Yeah, it's that's really true, and I am
just going to echo what you saidabout the backtracking part. So
as a person who spends many,many days on both the Parks
Highway and the Seward highwayand the Alaska railroad, like it
is really true that there areplaces where the train and the
(22:53):
road are close together or crosseach other, but it is a pretty
different experience. I think,you know, if you're on the road
versus the train, so, you know,you don't have to worry too much
about, like, Oh, you're notgoing to get bored looking at
the scenery in Alaska, though,that like, isn't possible, but
(23:14):
Right? You know, even if it was,you'd still see a lot of variety
with that. Yeah,
Renea (23:19):
absolutely. I'm always like, Okay, well, that's one of
the most scenic highways, and inthe most scenic train. So,
right? You can't lose Alaska.
No,
Jennie Flaming (23:29):
you really, you really can't. That is so true.
Okay, um, we're going to take ashort break, and when we come
back, we're going to talk a bitmore about Park connection,
places you can go, and someother logistics and things about
Anchorage.
(23:53):
Hi, everyone. I hope you'reenjoying the show. So far, I
wanted to break in and tell youthat Alaska tour and travel and
park connection are offering a5% discount to listeners of the
podcast, and you need the codeAlaska uncovered to get that. If
you go to the show notes, youcan follow the link there, and
(24:16):
it's too long to just say here,so you'll have to follow the
link. Another thing I wanted totell you is that after we
recorded this episode, I workedwith Alaska tour and travel to
build out some itineraries. Andas you know, I also sell
itineraries in my online shop.
But the cool thing about theseones is that you can book
(24:39):
everything right there online,and you can customize it if you
want to. So if you are lookingfor a shortcut to hours and
hours and hours of planning anddoing one of and you don't want
to do one of my consults, whichare also awesome. This is a
great way to get a curateditinerary by me. So the link is,
(25:01):
again, too long to read, butit's in the show notes along
with the links that are alwaysthere. So I just wanted to let
you know about that, and nowwe're gonna head back to the
show you.
(25:23):
Okay, we're back with ReneaRanch from Park connection and
Alaska tour and travel. Andtoday we're talking about ways
to get around Alaska by bus,which is what the park
connection is. And we've talkedabout going to Denali. We've
talked about doing a longer landtrip in Alaska. We've talked
(25:45):
about getting back and forth tothe cruise terminal, and we've
talked about, how do you pairthe train with the bus? So lots
of fun stuff. Okay, so Renea,let's talk about a few
logistics. So when it comes tothings, you've talked a bit
about the schedule, and ofcourse, you know maybe you'll be
(26:08):
listening to this podcast in afuture year, the schedule might
be different, but I've got thelink to the schedule and to book
it in the show notes, so you cango over there to see the details
of the schedule, but I'd love toknow a little more about booking
Renee. So how far ahead aredifferent routes booking up?
(26:32):
When do people need to make surethey have this button down?
What's your advice about that,and is it different for the
different routes that you do?
Renea (26:44):
Yeah, good question. It's definitely different for each
route, I think. And also justdepends. We're going to touch
back on that cruise passengeraspect. If you're catching the
cruise I would book as soon aspossible. You know, regardless,
those do sell out. Yeah, so youknow, even if it's a couple
(27:06):
months prior, that should beplenty plenty of time ahead, but
the sooner, the better. Youknow, going to Denali talk, it's
very we do have sell out days,but you're going to see a little
bit less. But again, I'm alwaysgoing to say probably at least a
month or two months ahead. Yeah,I do think one of the cool
(27:29):
things if you have theflexibility, you know, everyone
travels differently, but if youdo have the flexibility, there's
a lot of times we can get peopleon same day. Do I recommend
that? Not particularly you're afly by the seat your pants kind
of traveler, um, but, you know,I think plenty of giving
(27:50):
yourself plenty of time, andwe're going to be flexible, you
know, moving you around if youneed or canceling whatever.
We're just going to try to makethat aspect easy for you. But
yeah, yeah. I guess there's afew different ways to book with
us, if that's what you'reasking, too. So we have three
different websites. Alaskacoach.com is the primary one,
(28:14):
just for just the motor coach.
So that's just kind of astraightforward one. We also
have Alaska train.com this is agreat website to book all the
train services within the stateof Alaska, as well as the motor
coach. So if you do know, youjust need a few trains and a few
busses, and you know how topiece that together yourself.
(28:37):
Great. That's the best websitefor that. And then lastly, our
kind of grand poo po of websitesis Alaska tour and travel. And
that's where you can book awhole vacation package, which
includes, is going to includethe motor coach, the train,
hotels, day tours, things likethat. So it really just depends
(28:58):
on what you need. As theconsumer, we we've got you
either way. So,
Jennie Flaming (29:05):
yes, awesome.
Love it. Um, now, okay, I wantyou to tell me if this is true
or not, but I'm pretty sure thatyou cannot just show up at the
time the both boat or the boat.
What am I talking about? The busis supposed to leave and, like,
pay the driver if there is spaceavailable. Am I wrong about
(29:28):
that? Or is that true?
Renea (29:30):
Oh, you actually can. Oh,
Jennie Flaming (29:33):
wow, that's awesome idea. No, that's the
Renea (29:36):
fly by the seat of pants.
Okay, people, yeah, we do that alot. I like I said, I don't
necessarily recommend it, yeah,but it's definitely, you know,
especially if you just needsewer to Anchorage in the
evening or, you know, those kindof small transportations that
aren't going to, like,logistically break or make your
vacation. Um, yeah, you comparedriver, um. Of exact cash or
(29:58):
awesome, or the bus driver willhand one of our managers on duty
of their phone, and yes, you cantake payment right then and
there. That's awesome.
Jennie Flaming (30:12):
I didn't know that you did that. That's so
Wow. That is even, even moregenerous, right?
Unknown (30:20):
Yeah, exactly. And it, it can, it can be a huge thing
for people too. So
Jennie Flaming (30:25):
yeah, especially those folks that do show up in
Seward without a plan, ifthere's space. So don't count on
that. Make a plan. Yeah,
Unknown (30:34):
for sure. And we understand plan is plan changes.
You know, something mighthappen, and you kind of have to
stop what you're doing, get backor get to a certain location,
and with those two departures aday, we can hopefully get you
there, you know, very lastminute. So yeah,
Jennie Flaming (30:51):
love it that.
See, I always learn things, evenwhat I think I know doing this
podcast, it's one of my favoritethings about it, besides
connecting with people. So loveit. Okay, um, anything else I
was going to ask about that? Oh,okay, so on the trip to, let's
say Denali or Seward. How longnow, if people who've listened
(31:18):
to other episodes and areregular listeners of this
podcast know that I always sayyou've gotta keep an very open
mind about schedules and howlong things take. But in
general, how long do you expectthe drive to take up to telketa
and Danielle and down to Seward,and then how often does the
(31:40):
coach stop along the way?
Unknown (31:46):
Okay, yeah, so Anchorage to Seward, or vice
versa, that's going to be aboutthree hours. Yep, you know we
say two and a half three hours,and that's going to be a direct
transfer. Okay, so that soundslike a bit, but it is such a
beautiful Highway. It reallyquite quick.
Jennie Flaming (32:03):
It's incredible.
It's so pretty. Yeah, it'samazing. And there's a restroom
on the coach, just a reminder.
So, yeah, yep,
Unknown (32:12):
um, and then Anchorage to Denali, or Denali to
Anchorage, um, quite a bitlonger of a distance, but I
would say plan for about sixhours. Yep, we do break that up.
So tell kitna is a town that'spretty much right in the middle
of those locations. So we'llswing in and pick people up
(32:32):
there and drop them off. Or, youknow, if you're just Anchorage
to denial, you'll continue on.
But we do take a 30 minute,roughly 30 minutes stop in
Talkeetna, the talket in AlaskanLodge. Yeah, so people can get
out, stretch their legs, grab acup of coffee, and that is one
of the best areas to view.
(32:54):
Denali in the Alaskan range. Soabsolutely, yes, it's a great
little pit stop, and then wecontinue on so and then in
Denali, just so everyone knowstoo, we do pick up at pretty
much all the major hotels, sodrop off and pick up are
provided there in Denali. Yep.
Jennie Flaming (33:12):
And one thing, this is a little outside the
scope of what we're talkingabout in this episode, but we
have several other episodesabout Denali, including January
of 2024, we had an episode aboutvisiting Denali on your own,
which is what we're talkingabout here. Make sure that if
(33:33):
you, if you're booking thistransportation by itself, so if
you're going, if you're bookingit as a package. You don't need
to worry about this. But ifyou're just booking the
transportation, make sure thatyou're booking a hotel that is
served by the bus and that has ashuttle to the park. Yeah,
really important for sure. Yeah,yeah, cool. Don't book some
(33:58):
random like verbo that's 20miles away and then think you're
gonna take an Uber like thatdoesn't work. So, yeah, exactly,
really important thing,wonderful, okay, um, so Renee,
um, I would love to know whatyour personal favorite place is
to go that is served by the parkconnection.
Unknown (34:22):
Oh, I mean, Denali is always going to have a special
place in my heart. Yeah, I kindof started, but I think I've
noticed myself. I've been reallydrawn more to the coastal side
of Alaska lately. Yeah, so I'mgonna have to say Seward, that
drive will never get old, neverand I just love the coastal
(34:44):
towns of Alaska. Yeah, there'sso much to do there. Not only
that, I you know, you can godown and spend a couple days or
whatever, but it can also bedone as a day trip, yeah? So you
need to just get out ofAnchorage for the day and do a
hike or catch a cruise. Orwhatever. I mean, it's, it's
that, that's it for sure. Yeah,
Jennie Flaming (35:06):
Seward is pretty amazing. And the Seward highway
is, I think, I think it's themost beautiful highway in North
America that I've been on.
That's my opinion. I
Unknown (35:17):
would agree. I mean that, and we, we're having this
discussion with some friends.
It's like we were all in adebate. I'm like, Man, the Glen
highway too. Yeah, that's thehalf the bean path, one that
people forget about, yeah?
Jennie Flaming (35:30):
Or the Richardson Highway Friday is
also amazing. Yeah, yeah,
Unknown (35:37):
same, same conversation. It's like everyone
kind of has their own favoriteand it's like, Wait, do any of
them suck? I don't think so. No,you
Jennie Flaming (35:45):
know. I know this is a slight tangent, but
the only road in Alaska that Ipersonally think is super boring
is the McCarthy road from Chetnainto McCarthy. Interesting.
It's, like, it's, it's like,narrow and gravel and super
(36:05):
remote and there's no servicesand extremely slow, yep, but,
like, it's not that interestingof a drive. It's, in my opinion,
Unknown (36:16):
that's funny. I have not been out there, but the
general idea of it, yeah, it'snot for everyone. Yeah, and
there's
Jennie Flaming (36:24):
no, you're in a forest, so that you know,
forests are great, but like, youcan't, you're like, in between
black spruce trees for like,three hours, and you can't
really see anything. Yeah, mostof the streams, other than
trees, and I love trees, but,like, also, I don't know it's
(36:45):
yeah. All right, cool. So Renee,anything else you want to talk
about related to part,connection, or any of that
before we move into our to thelast couple of wrap up questions
for you?
Unknown (37:00):
I, I um, I, I don't think so. Okay, I do want to
touch me. You know, we do havethe capability of servicing ADA
guests.
Jennie Flaming (37:14):
Thank you for talking. Yeah. Can you talk
about that a little more?
Unknown (37:18):
Absolutely? Um, so all of our motor coaches are
equipped with a handicap or awheelchair lift. So any people
that are full time wheelchairusers and still want to
experience Alaska, that is agreat way the train also, yeah,
is able to accommodate so, youknow, you can still do a great
(37:41):
itinerary and get to see Alaska.
Jennie Flaming (37:43):
Yes, I am really glad that you brought that up,
because that is super important.
Okay, so Renee, you live inAnchorage, and that's kind of
the base for Park connection. SoI would love to have you tell
everybody what's your favoriterestaurant in Anchorage?
Unknown (38:05):
Oh, that is such a loaded question. I know it is so
much good food up here. That isone thing moving up here. I'm
like, wow, they really got itgoing on up here with the food.
Um, I would say I'm not going tobe able to give you one answer,
so I'm going to give you acouple. That's okay. I've always
(38:26):
loved sushi. We got greatseafood up here, so anytime I
can get out and have some sushi,sushi, sushi. And sushi is my
jam. But as far as, like, just agreat all around restaurant. I'm
gonna have to go with bearstooth, yeah, their menu has got
(38:47):
pretty much something foreveryone. Yeah, can go get a
great Margarita, local, youknow, local beer, wine, pizza,
yes, it's, really good at all.
Of course you can then go,there's not many places where
you can go smash a whole pizzaand have a beer while watching a
movie.
Jennie Flaming (39:08):
So, yes, yeah.
So can you explain for everybodyhow it works at Bear teeth, like
the whole theater pizza versusthe like, grilled restaurant,
yeah,
Unknown (39:18):
yeah. So they have basically two sides of the
restaurant. So the grill side isgoing to just be like a general
style restaurant and bar and apretty wide range of menu there,
for sure. So just kind of a sitdown option, where the other
side is their theater hub, andthey have kind of a cool concept
(39:42):
where you literally go up inorder, kind of like you were at,
I don't know, like a fast foodrestaurant. Maybe you could
compare it to where you Yeah,okay, I'll take but you're
ordering, like a full pizza or asalad, or, you know, something,
pretty much pizzas, but they dosome other menu items, tacos and
things. Like that. Then theywill give you a road cone, and
(40:05):
you go into the movie theater soyou've already purchased
tickets. And it can be a newmovie. It can be an old movie
that has an anniversary, or,like, just some great local
films. Yeah. So anyways, you goin and you get your seat and put
your cone up. Then you go grab adrink at the bar so you can get
(40:27):
a beer, wine and Seltzer. Ithink they now offer so always
have local options back there.
But yeah, go grab a beverage,wait for your pizza and whatever
you ordered, and then they'llcome deliver it to you while
this show is going on. So it'ssuper fun,
Jennie Flaming (40:48):
that it's really fun, yeah, like,
Unknown (40:50):
I think more of that should exist. And I always, I
always love to see what'splaying. You know, it's so fun.
And they have normal styleseating or booths. So if you
have a group to get together,booth is a really fun way to do
it. But, yeah, yeah. Uh, year toyear, always in the top, top,
yes, yeah. And if
Jennie Flaming (41:11):
you're, if you've looked into anchorage
food at all, and you've heardabout moose is tooth pizza,
like, this is the same company,but, like, a totally different
kind of experience. And I'm soglad that you brought that up,
Renee, because I agree it's sucha it's a really wonderful place
in Anchorage, yeah
Unknown (41:31):
for sure. Yeah, yeah.
They know how to do it, right?
Yeah,
Jennie Flaming (41:35):
for sure. Okay, well, before we wrap up, Renee,
I would love to know what is onepiece of advice that you have
for people visiting Alaska forthe first time?
Unknown (41:52):
Man, all right, I'm going to say two things. Um,
maybe three. One is do a littlebit of research. Um, Alaska is
so large, there's so manyopportunities, so just knowing a
general idea of what you want toaccomplish really will help
yourself or whoever is helpingyou plan your travel beyond
(42:16):
that, like you kind of touchedon this earlier, just having
some flexibility too, knowingthat you're still on vacation,
sometimes things change. But,you know, just having that
flexibility in the concept ofwe're in Alaska, like, let's
enjoy it no matter what. Yeah,and third, I would say, like, if
(42:37):
budget allows splurge on onegood activity, like, obviously,
do the must sees or the mustdo's, but I would say, if you
can do it, splurge on oneactivity like dog mushing on a
glacier, or, yeah, helicopteringaround a volcano. Yeah, those,
those crazy, cool activitiesthat are really unique to the
(42:59):
state. I guess if you just doit, it's gonna be worth it for
sure. Yeah,
Jennie Flaming (43:06):
well, that is a lot of great wisdom you just
dropped there. Renea, thank youso much for sharing that, and
thank you for being here todayto talk about Park connection
Renea (43:18):
for sure. Thank you so much for having me. It's been
fun, and hopefully this timehelps future travelers in any
list, yeah,
Jennie Flaming (43:26):
yeah, absolutely you.
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