My First Group

I finally got started with my first tour the other day. All tours are numbered and all TD’s (tour directors,) DG’s (driver guides) and supervisors refer to all tours by number. This was a big part of our 50 questions test that we had to take at the end of training. Since I was leaving training first, I had to take the test before the rest of my group. Don’t worry, I passed. So after the test, I had my briefing with the Fairbanks Supervisor and my parallel guide (we were doing the exact same tour.) Then we had the exciting job of sitting in the back lobby of the Westmark Hotel waiting to greet our guests as they arrived from the airport. This process lasted from 2:30 – 9:30, and still only ½ of my guests had arrived, the rest came in on the late flights. The next morning I met the group for a day in Fairbanks. This included a trip on a riverboat, with a few stops, a city tour, a stop at the pipe line (pic 1) and finally a trip to a gold dredge. Something that is important to know about the division of labor is that the TD’s are all about logistics while the DG’s are the experts on the area they drive and give the commentary. So remember this was my first day out and it turns out it is also my DG’s first day. Great pairing. He was a cute 21 year old that was a huge hit with the grandma’s. We both made it through the day. Fairbanks isn’t the most exciting of places but my guests really liked this day and I will have to get used to it because I will be spending a lot of time there. Side note – my schedule is putting me in Fairbanks for 4 days next week. The redeemer of that time is that the hotel restaurant, where we get great discounts, is a fantastic place. Food saves the day. The following day we headed off to see what everyone takes a land tour to see - Denali. We had a 4 hour train ride to the parkand arrive at our beautiful mountain resort, The McKinley Chalets & Canyon Lodge. (pic 2) The weather was fantastic, the accommodations were great and the free time was abundant. My guests took an 8 hour trip into the park and saw the grand slam, McKinley, bears, moose and golden eagles, they returned raving. The rest of the day the guests headed out on their own adventures and I had a free afternoon, what was left of it. After dinner in the employee dining room we went on an ATV adventure at 9:00. It was like reliving part of my childhood. This morning we had a leisurely start and didn't board the train until noon. Eight scenic hours later including amazing views of The Mountain, (pic 3) we arrived in Anchorage. Tomorrow we are off to Seward and then the next will be a day on Resurrection Bay followed by a final goodbye at the ship. That is my tour thus far in a nut shell, I promise to delve deeper into the bits and pieces.

Thanks for reading.