Riverboat Discovery — Local services in Alaska

Exceeded expectations far more than any touristy thing I’ve done. Especially the Chena village (see bottom for my rave review just for that). The staff were great and the mix of experiences all in 1 package made this an incredible value.

Narration was entertaining, and I liked that he asked us to try to be quiet like in a movie theater - it helped focus on his commentary of all that we were seeing. The steamboat had huge windows and was nicer looking for photos than other steamboats.

We not only watched a seaplane takeoff and land but also heard the narrator chat with their friend the bush pilot, learning a bit about this very common means of transport. The conversation and video on screens as well as in person views of the sled dogs was also fascinating.

Blueberry donuts (homemade and yummy!), coffee, hot tea, and iced water were all complimentary. The food and drinks for purchase were shockingly cheap, especially considering how expensive everything is in Alaska. I’ve never seen hot cocoa or cider for $1 or bottled water for $0.50 in any tourist setting before.

The only real disappointment was not seeing salmon in the water, which I expected because the river is “teeming with” them in the summer. But this was made up for by the video close up of salmon caught in the Native contraption and the surprise free smoked salmon on a cracker.

Lunch was a mixed experience but didn’t sink below my expectations of a place that was just feeding people rather than known for excellent food. Everything was refillable family style except the tasty German chocolate brownies already at each place. The hearty miner’s beef stew was enjoyable the first round but the vegetables in the refill were way undercooked. Still, I was grateful for the veggies in this and the salad, made with an excellent homemade vinaigrette. The rolls looked good but were dry; they were fine for dipping / soaking in the stew though. Overall lunch was still better than expected.

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Chena village: Best replica village I’ve ever seen! Everything was well presented and fascinating. The Native guides were very engaging and really enhanced the presentations with their pride in their heritage. There was a great mix of their presentations at 3 locations, ability to touch animal skins / furs, and free time to wander inside cabins and see (and pet!) sled dogs.

This was soooo much better than all the replica traditional villages I’ve visited in the past. It way surpassed...

Late Post Aug 23’ Riverboat Discovery was an added land/tour excursion by Princess at our final destination in Fairbanks, Ak. The bus ride from Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge to Fairbanks, Ak was about 2 hours 15 mins with a stop in Nenana, Ak. (Nenana Artisan Market – Check out review) . We arrived to the home stop of the Riverboat Discovery where one can purchase souvenirs, drinks, soda, chips, boxed lunch, salmon jerky and oddly, Harley Davidson stuff. We probably waited 45-1 hour before boarding, it was quite warm out so we decided on the 3rd level of the boat and decided to sit on Dock side… (Our driver said that side was better but to be honest both sides were pretty sufficient) When we first got off the dock there was a float plane flying on the other side, it was hard to see, going back to seating doesn’t matter… My partner and I love puppies and wanted to see and hear the story of Susan Butcher and Granite. Tekla, Susan’s daughter gave us quick show and the dock side was best for the view. We also got to visit the Chena Village Living Museum where we saw how the native Alaskan Athabaskans lived. Overall, it was a nice addition to our excursion! I would highly recommend Riverboat Discovery if you are ever in Fairbanks! PACK OR BUY MOSQUITO REPELLANT (only if you are wearing shorts and T Shirts)- use it prior to getting off at Chena Village, you’ll...

Checking in was very simple with prepaid tickets.

Explored the gift shop before getting on the boat I held back from purchasing too many souvenirs however I found as we made our way across the Alaska the prices at this gift shop were better and I wish I would’ve had purchased more.

There were so many seats on the boat we were able to move around and see different views.

Did not purchase any snacks, but did have the free donuts and coffee which were delicious. They also offered a sample of their salmon which was delicious.

Had a person with low mobility in our party and it was easy for her to navigate on the bottom layer of the boat.

She was able to climb the stairs, although they were slightly steep.

The demonstration of the float plain was visible from the outside decks .

Dog kennel stop we were able to witness sled run and hear a little bit about the dogs .

Stopping off at the village, they split us into three groups and moved us in rotation around three sites and explained about village life of the native Americans that lived in the region . They had examples of that they used and every day items that they created from the land. The tour guides were very knowledgeable. They grew up around the area.

This was the most informative tour we took on our trip to Alaska and well worth the half day we spent on...