Being rugged Alaskans we have always appreciated the quality of the Filson products, so you can imagine the pride we felt being included in their Gifts 2011 catalog! Filson Passage Luggage is highlighted by a photo of the Taku River taken from our own N337AK DeHavilland Otter. The yellow tipped wing is framing the photo.
Take Lodge Wins Princess Top 2011 Shore Excursion Award
Princess Cruises Announces Winners of 2011 Alaska Region Shore Excursion Awards
12th Annual C.R.U.I.S.E. Service Awards Recognize Top Local Tour Operators as Rated by Passengers
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (October 7, 2011) — Each year, Princess Cruises marks the end of the Alaska season with shipboard awards ceremonies celebrating the year’s favorite local tour operators. The line’s 12th annual C.R.U.I.S.E. service awards have just been handed out, honoring the best shore excursion experiences and guides in most ports on Alaska itineraries, based largely on passenger feedback throughout the season.
Award winners were chosen from the extensive line-up of Alaska and Pacific Northwest shore excursions offered to Princess passengers, and recognize the most popular tours, individual guides and dock representatives in many of the communities where Princess ships call. The awards highlight the important role played by local tour operators in each community as part of a passenger’s overall cruise experience. Winners are determined primarily by tour scores and comments made on passenger surveys.
“It’s always gratifying to recognize these local tour operators who go above and beyond to provide our passengers with unforgettable experiences in Alaska and British Columbia,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “We know that a passenger’s time in port and their activities while on land are a significant part of their cruise experience, especially in such an exciting place as Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.”
The C.R.U.I.S.E. (Courtesy, Respect, Unfailing in Service Excellence) program is the longest running customer service program in the cruise industry. The Alaska awards began in 2000 and cap off a season-long effort to recognize the role that Princess’ tour partners play in passengers’ cruise experiences. Tour Guide of the Season and Dock Representative of the Season award winners receive $100, a letter of commendation, a plaque, a tour of the ship and lunch onboard with their family. Operators of the Shore Excursion of the Season receive a plaque, a letter of commendation, a tour of the ship and lunch onboard for company officials.
The 2011 winners are:
Juneau:
Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast, Wings Airways and Taku Lodge
Disney Cruise Line to Feature Wings & Taku Lodge
Disney Cruise Line puts its own twist on popular Alaska shore excursion
…The 49th state offers plentiful opportunities to implement a Disney twist into traditional shore excursions, a process that began when Stauffer first met with tour operators last summer.
“We took a strong look at the tours being offered in Alaska,” explained Stauffer. “We always try to add a Disney differentiator to any experience, and we challenged the operators to create something unique for our guests.”
For instance, on my visit, we boarded a floatplane for a 30-minute flightseeing tour from Juneau that took us past jagged peaks and across yawning ice crevasses to Taku Glacier Lodge, one of the state’s first hunting and fishing lodges. Once there, I learned about the history of the 88-year-old lodge and of pioneer Mary Joyce, its former owner who embarked from Taku in 1935 on a 1,000-mile journey by dogsled. I also dined on some of the freshest salmon I’ve ever had — grilled with the lodge’s time-tested recipe. Finally, with an Alaskan Amber in hand, I took a moment to take in the setting from a rocking chair on the porch. Inaccessible by road, the rustic lodge sits along the Taku Inlet, one of Alaska’s richest salmon-spawning areas, surrounded by a forest and facing the foot of the spectacular Hole-in-the-Wall Glacier. While totally relaxed, I still managed to keep an eye out for wandering black bears who are often lured to Taku by the aroma of the salmon.
One might think it would be hard to improve on such an experience and, in fact, not everyone initially jumped at the opportunity to adapt such established products. But Stauffer asked the Taku Glacier Lodge owners, as well as Holly Johnson, president of Wings Airways, to find a way to give their already popular excursion the Disney treatment.
“We’ve always been one of Juneau’s highest-rated tours, and we prided ourselves on the fact that we had perfected it,” said Johnson. “But Larry asked us to think outside the box. And, we knew it needed to be more than a free T-shirt, so we started brainstorming.”
Johnson proposed integrating the Mary Joyce character into the tour as a living host, dressed in an antique fur parka, who would meet Disney Cruise Line guests at the lodge. The Alaskan pioneer passed away in 1976, but her story and adventures will live on in the new excursion through stories told next to a fireplace after the meal. The encounter is an exclusive that won’t be sold to passengers of other cruise lines.
“Working with Disney was an exercise in creativity — a really fun process,” said Johnson.
For complete article, please click here.
Winter On The River
Winters on the Taku Lodge are a vast contrast to the summers, when our guests experience our special spot. As of today we have 30 inches of snow and the river has completely frozen over. By mid October we have winterized the Lodge and head back into Juneau, to return again in February. We allow winter to take over and turn our water runway into a snow/ice runway allowing access by ski plane, as opposed to float plane. Once out at the Lodge our transportation takes the form of snow machines, snow shoes and cross country skis. Welcome to the Taku Lodge winter wonderland. Photos by Evan Bixby.
A Feast Fit For A Bear
Guests captured these 3 bears searching for ashes in the grill outside of the Taku Lodge. Wild bears are never given any fish or other food scraps, but will search the ashes from time to time.
Serving Wild Alaska King Salmon…only the very best!
We are proud to say that we ONLY serve Wild Alaska King Salmon at the Taku Glacier Lodge. Also known as Chinook, King Salmon are prized for their color, high oil content, firm texture and succulent flesh.
- Alaska King Salmon is the largest and least abundant of the species. The “King Crab” of the salmon species.
- Average weight is approximately 20 pounds and length ranges from 30 to 40 inches.
- Its high oil content makes it a prime candidate for grilling, broiling, sautéing, baking, poaching, steaming, and smoking.
Why are Wild Alaska King Salmon so prized?
- Wild
Wild-caught Alaska salmon mature at a natural pace, and swim freely in the pristine waters off Alaska’s rugged 34,000-mile coastline. - Superior Flavor
The superior flavor and texture is prized around the world. The flavor and color characteristics come from the seafood species feeding on their natural diet of marine organisms, and the texture comes from annual migrations in the cold North Pacific. - Healthy
If you are looking for a meal that is nutritious, low in saturated fat, and high in the “good fats” — heart-healthy omega-3s, you can start with Alaska Seafood. - Environmentally Responsible
Careful management based on conservation assure abundant stocks of salmon, halibut, sole, pollock, and shellfish, so Alaska seafood is an environmentally responsible choice. - Alaska Families And Communities
The harvesting and processing of Alaska Seafood plays an important role in Alaska. The seafood industry is the state’s largest private sector employer. Each small salmon fishing vessel, for example, is a floating family business, contributing to state and local economies. Alaska’s commercial catch accounts for over half the nation’s commercial seafood harvest.
We only serve Wild Alaska King Salmon because you came all this way…you only deserve the very best!
The Famous Mary Joyce
Mary Joyce Taku Lodge Pioneer
Mary Joyce and her famous dog sled team parade through Fairbanks, Alaska.
Among her pioneering skills was a love of piloting.
Mary Joyce was an Alaskan adventurer of the highest caliber; when Alaska was still just a territory she owned and operated the Taku Glacier Lodge, became the first woman radio operator in the territory, and flew her own bush plane. Mary Joyce’s biggest claim to fame, besides her drive to try new adventures, was her dogsled trip from the Taku Lodge to Fairbanks. Mary was invited to participate in the 1936 Fairbanks Ice Carnival. Always ready for an adventure, Mary decided to drive her dogs on the thousand-mile journey north. It is thanks to Mary Joyce and her courageous spirit that the Taku Glacier Lodge is on the Alaska map and on the National Registry of Historic Places today. Our goal is to share her story and bring the history of the Taku Lodge and Alaska alive!
“I did have three months of perfect happiness. I found what I was looking for… I saw into the hearts of men and women and found everything that was good and beautiful there.” ~Mary Joyce
First flight of the season!
Last week we hosted our first trip of the season with friends from Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruise Lines. Each year the cruise lines calling on Alaska send their representatives up prior to the start of the season to re-familiarize themselves with the many amazing Alaskan experiences offered to their guests. 
Although the water level in the river was low we were able to landin front of the Lodge as hoped! We enjoyed the whole experience including the fresh Wild Alaska King Salmon…and it was just like I remembered! Delicious biscuits and the best baked beans on the planet. And of course we ate the ginger cookies by the fire until we simply ran out of room in our stomachs! ing This year we were greeted with our first non-snowy visit in more years than we can count. Grass is growing in the yard and flowers are beginning to bloom. And Lois the bear poked her head out the day after our visit establish the first bear sighing of the year. Spring has come early on the Taku River. The new beginnings may come as scheduled each year, but we relish in them again and again as if they are an unexpected gift. The joys of Spring!
The Start of Spring on the Taku River
Greetings to my fellow Taku Lodge friends, We arrived at the lodge two weeks ago today, and I am happy to report that place is still here! We had a very cold and windy winter, but things have calmed down and are warming quickly. Every year travel back to this remote we open the Taku Lodge in the spring. This year we arrived my ski plane as the river is thoroughly frozen. This week we are between the thaw in a unique period where the ice is not strong enough to land a ski plane, but not broken enough to land a floatplane. There are always unique aspects to our little piece of heaven. There also seems to be different issues resulting from the conditions of the past winter. This years lack of snow and freezing temperatures have frozen the ground to a depth of about 2 feet. Although we winterize all our waterlines, we had a few broken lines, and a frozen fuel line. These are relatively normal issues, which are now fixed and flowing freely. We were happy to see that the only damage to any of our buildings was a small broken window in our generator shed.
The Taku River valley is as beautiful as ever. The quiet peaceful serenity, towering snow covered mountains, and of course the magnificent Hole in the Wall glacier are all reminders of how lucky we are to be in such a majestic environment. We are working hard to get the place ready for all our visitors to come and enjoy this same connection with the wild Alaskan wilderness. Half of our docks have been dug out and sitting on the river ice waiting patiently for open water and the arrival of the first Wings Airway’s float plane. I hope this first Taku Lodge report of 2011 finds all its readers well, and we are looking forward to seeing all of you soon to enjoy this special place with us!
~Michael Ward, Taku Lodge Manager
Orca pod spotted again in Gastineau Channel
Photo by friend of Wings Airways: Alan Corbett
By Abby Lowell
Originally Posted in JUNEAU EMPIRE
Orcas again caused waves on Sunday as they visited Gastineau Channel, likely in search of food.
John Moran, a research fisheries biologist at Auke Bay Laboratories, said the orcas seen close to town were likely a transient pod hunting for harbor seals.
Local photographers captured images of the animals moving past Douglas Harbor. The exact size of the pod is unknown, but it did consist of both adult and young whales.
For more on local wildlife and recent sightings in and around Juneau, check out the Outdoors section on Friday.
