A leisurely cruise aboard the Discovery Sternwheeler paddleboat presented many beautiful sights, as well as learning opportunities. The host of the cruise provides lots of facts about the Chena River and life in the Fairbanks area. They've contracted with various folks to provide further insights: a bush pilot to do a takeoff and landing on the river and talk about... more

After reading many of the reviews on here, I was expecting a totally corny experience. What I got instead was a pleasant ride on the steamboat with some purely Alaskan events thrown in. The seaplane take-off and landing was awesome! (Of course, this was early in our Alaska vacation, so we didn't realize how ubiquitous the seaplanes actually are.) The... more

There were three of us on this tour and we found it to be very informational. There were so many things that we did not know about Alaska. We had amazing seats on the boat. With the big screens available, we were able to see everything quite well. We were able to come back a couple of days later to... more

I admit I was skeptical about enjoying this riverboat tour, but I foud it to be a worthwhile activity in Fairbanks. It's really not much of a cruise but rather a land experience. The first stop is a bush pilot takeoff and I've been float planes take off from lakes many times. But up close, it was a little different... more

Nice boat, but it hardly moved - maybe a mile in one direction at a walking pace. On the plus side - we stopped at Susan Butcher's sled dog training center, and from boat, viewed and listened to commentary on raising and training sled dogs. Then stopped at re-created Athabaskan indian village - which was pretty authentic, but we toured... more

Enjoyed the tour very much. It was well done because there was communications with the people who were showing their skills on shore...Communications with the bush pilot and especially interesting was Jessie Royer and her dog sled team... Excellent tour more

My grandparents, my wife, and my kids (ages 9 and 11) thought this was a great trip. It started off with some hokey commentary, but after that was great. The takeoff and landing of a "bush pilot" was no big deal, if you have seen sea plane landings before. The homes along the river are very interesting. The stop at... more

We were on a CruiseTour of Alaska and this was part of the tour. There was one member of our party who wanted to do this, so we went a long. It was such a mistake. The people who work on the boat are great. The problem is the tour itself. It was designed as a way to occupy 900... more

Clearly a tourist draw, a cruise bus load destination etc. etc.. and thus I was very skeptical although my wife and kids wanted to do it. However, I was very pleasantly surprised - this was well worth it. NOTE: There is a One Free Adult coupon in the Alaska Tour Saver book (you buy this book of Alaska tour coupons).... more