The Senate passed Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill” after a 26-hour marathon of negotiations during which Alaska’s Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, as she put it later, “struggled mightily” to soften the biggest funding blows to her state before ultimately casting a vote that guaranteed its passage. CNN’s Manu Raju caught up with Murkowski and asked if she regrets her vote in some of her first public comments about the vote since the bill became law.

McKinley Express tour through Alaska. (Photo Credit: Susan Young)

As a travel writer, I’ve cruised Alaska several times but never included the Holland America Denali Cruisetour package.

Previous experiences involved round-trip itineraries from Seattle or Vancouver. This time was different and gave me a new perspective on the amazing adventures of the land and sea itinerary.

The cruise began in Vancouver on the Nieuw Amsterdam, with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway, along with sea days spent visiting Glacier Bay National Park and College Fjord. The seven-day itinerary ended in Whittier, adding a stay at the Holland America Denali Lodge. There are several versions of the land portion available. Ours was the D2C 11-Day Signature Denali, including three nights at the lodge.

Room at the Denali Lodge. (Photo Credit: Susan Young)

After seven days of cruising, we pulled into Whittier, disembarked early and boarded the McKinley Explorer to Denali. The domed coach train is located adjacent to the port, a short walk from the ship. Our cruise package included specific seats on the second level of the rail car with comfortable accommodations and 360-degree views during the eight- to nine-hour trip.

Breakfast and lunch are provided in the dining area below, and you will be free to wander the rail car with plenty of spaces and platforms to take in the views of the route north to Denali. There is a small lift available for those with mobility issues. Attendants in each car knowledgeably narrated portions of the route and offered drinks and snacks along the way.

With stops in Talkeetna and Anchorage, the train moved at a leisurely pace, sometimes reaching 60 mph, with amazing views and stories of people living off the grid in the region. We passed the humble home of Shannon Cartwright, a children’s book illustrator, who has worked without a computer for decades. Her relationship with crew on the Explorer grew as she would hop on to take her creations to Anchorage for publication and ride back to her home in the woods.

Nenana River. (Photo Credit: Susan Young)

Upon arrival at Denali, we boarded a bus for the 15-minute ride to Holland America’s Denali Lodge where we were delivered to our quarters, located on the Nenana River. The massive campus starts at the top of a hill with the Main Lodge and works its way down to the river with multiple lodgings along the way.

In the center of the campus lies Denali Square, which houses Karsten’s Public House, providing Alaskan comfort food options like beer-battered halibut, Beecher’s mac and cheese and craft brews. Ship favorites, like the Dive-In Burger, can also be found, along with an endless breakfast buffet.

The Main Lodge houses the Canyon Ridge Grill, with a menu resembling the ship’s Pinnacle Grill, including their infamous Clothesline Candied Bacon, in addition to regional favorites with a Denali spin. Cafes offer coffee choices as well as boxed lunches to take along on lengthy excursions. We were also offered the choice of having a pizza delivered to our room, for a relaxing respite on our porch overlooking the river.

Clothesline Candied Bacon at Canyon Ridge Grill. (Photo Credit: Susan Young)

Another option for an evening meal, in the Square, is The Music of Denali Dinner Theater at the Golden Nugget Saloon. Learn about Alaska history while enjoying the talents of singers belting out original musical comedy while dining on Alaskan salmon, smokehouse barbecue and all the fixings. Dinner is served family-style and there is plenty of it.

Throughout the lodge campus, we found shuttle stops, offering ride options to any point on the property. There are also several foot trails meandering along the river and up to the Main Lodge. The Denali National Park Visitors’ Center is only a mile from the lodge which offers complimentary shuttle service to and from the Center. There is also a mile-long hiking trail to the Center from the Main Lodge.

Beyond Mile 15, Denali National Park does not allow personal vehicles, only private outfitters and approved tour buses. The Tundra Wilderness Tour is a five- to six-hour narrated bus tour of the park (and not to be missed), up to Mile 43 and back. Currently, the road is closed past this point, due to an ongoing landslide blocking the only route available through the park.

View from McKinley Express. (Photo Credit: Susan Young)

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Sightings of Mount Denali are few as the mountain peaks are often shrouded in clouds. Our driver-naturalist spotted an opening and stopped so we all could observe the tallest, most majestic mountain in North America. He also stopped the bus when sighting Dall sheep on the hillside, or the caribou and ever-elusive moose.

Numerous excursions for all ages are available, which makes this trip the perfect multi-generational vacation destination. Everything from zip-lining, fly-fishing and mountainside golfing to ATV adventures and even an Arctic Circle flight experience. The opportunity for quiet hikes along the Nenana River or loving on musher puppies at the Main Lodge are also options.

Musher puppies with the author. (Photo Credit: Susan Young)

After three nights at the Lodge, we were transported, by bus, to Anchorage. The six-hour trip, in a comfortable motorcoach, was also occasionally narrated. Taking us through Wasilla, we stopped at Settlers Bay Lodge for a buffet sandwich lunch and a chance to stretch our legs.

At the end of our journey, we were dropped off at the Hilton Anchorage for an overnight stay before catching our flight. To top off the trip, we took advantage of the extended daylight hours and hopped on the Anchorage Trolley Tours for an educational evening ride through the city. Listening to stories about the devastating 1964 earthquake, and the culture of the region, opened our eyes to the history of Alaska’s largest city.

The experience of traversing the vast beauty of Denali National Park after spending a week gazing at glaciers on the cruise was the perfect balance of land and sea exploration. Regardless of age or mobility, this immersive opportunity is not to be missed.

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Topics From This Article to Explore

The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is one of the most transformative pieces of legislation for Alaska in decades. This comprehensive package is the product of years of relentless, focused work, delivering historic wins for our state.

The legislation contains numerous provisions to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource economy, deliver tax relief for hard-working Alaskans and small businesses, make the largest U.S. Coast Guard investment in history, secure the southern border and halt the flow of fentanyl, build up our Alaska-based military, upgrade Alaska’s aviation safety, strengthen Alaska’s health and nutrition programs, protect Alaska’s most vulnerable, and achieve historic savings for future generations.

Due to the hard work of our congressional delegation, I think it’s fair to say no state fared better from this bill. In the coming months, my team and I will be working to better inform Alaskans about this important legislation and dispel the falsehoods being spread in ad campaigns funded by the same far-left interest groups that always seek to crush Alaska’s economy and working families.

This op-ed is a start.

At its heart, the OBBB is a jobs bill. It will unleash Alaska’s private sector economy, generate billions of dollars in new revenues for the state, and create jobs for hard-working families. The OBBB mandates historic provisions to responsibly develop ANWR, NPR-A and Cook Inlet. The bill also increases Alaska’s share of future revenues from these federal lands to 70% and helps accelerate the Alaska LNG project.

Importantly, these provisions cement in statute regular lease sales to guard against attempts by future Democratic leaders to use regulations to shut down our economy, as was done with President Biden’s 70 executive orders and actions targeting Alaska — the “Last Frontier Lock-Up.”

The bill also dramatically benefits Alaska’s working families, enabling them to keep more of what they earn by extending the 2017 tax cuts and making them permanent, preventing what would have been a $4 trillion tax hike. We secured an increased child tax credit and standard deduction, small business deductions, no taxes on tips or overtime, and significant tax relief for seniors. The Council of Economic Advisors predicts this legislation will increase take-home pay for an average family by over $7,000.

The OBBB also achieves the most significant spending reductions in history. According to nonpartisan scorekeepers, the bill reduces federal spending by over $1.5 trillion and, using the current policy baseline, will reduce the deficit by $400 billion over ten years. That is before considering the pro-growth elements of the bill.

As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard, I also fought to secure the largest investment in Coast Guard history — nearly $25 billion. This includes funding for 16 new icebreakers and $300 million to homeport the new Juneau icebreaker. The urgency of this cannot be overstated, with the Russians and Chinese racing to control our Arctic waters. And, with the “Golden Dome” initiative substantially funded by the OBBB, we’re building the next generation of homeland missile defense — Alaska being the cornerstone — to protect the entire country. The bill also commits over $100 million to redevelop existing Arctic infrastructure, like the Adak Naval Base.

This bill secures our southern border with the most robust enforcement package in a generation — $46 billion for the wall, billions more for Border Patrol and law enforcement and substantial resources to crack down on deadly fentanyl coming into Alaska.

Finally, I know Alaska has been flooded with dishonest ads by far-left groups — at the direction of Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer — scaring Alaskans with false claims that the OBBB will cause them to lose Medicare and Medicaid.

Here’s the truth. Medicare isn’t touched in the OBBB. Not one dollar in Medicaid benefits was cut for Alaskans. This bill actually strengthens health care in Alaska.

The only people who were advocating for Medicaid cuts for Alaskans were Sen. Schumer and Senate Democrats. They stripped out a provision I included in the bill to help Alaska’s rural hospitals and increase the federal match for Medicaid for Alaska, which would’ve amounted to hundreds of millions more dollars a year.

Further, Sen. Schumer tried, but failed, to strip out other significant funding — approximately $200 million a year for the next five years — for Alaska’s health care system.

I worked to make sure commonsense 20-hour-a-week work or volunteer requirements were included, ensuring able-bodied Americans utilizing these programs are contributing to our communities. But the bill has important exemptions — for disabled veterans, parents or guardians with children, individuals with disabilities or mental health challenges, Alaska Natives and those living in rural areas with few economic opportunities.

But Sen. Schumer’s anti-Alaska campaign wasn’t just aimed at our health care. He and Senate Democrats sought to specifically kill every positive provision for Alaska in this bill: ANWR, NPR-A, Cook Inlet, homeporting the Juneau icebreaker, the Adak Naval base, and greater flexibility on SNAP requirements. We successfully fought back, but one thing remains clear: Democrats in D.C. have once again demonstrated they are the anti-Alaska party.

Ultimately, national Democrats didn’t win in this bill. Alaskans did. From growing our economy, to tax relief for working families, to national defense, to securing our border, to strengthening our health care, this legislation reflects years of determined advocacy for Alaska. The final result is numerous historic wins for Alaska that will positively shape our state’s future for decades.

Sen. Dan Sullivan has represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate since he was first elected in 2014.

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