This is 100% a covid era review and your results may differ. I signed a 6 month contract at a…read morediscounted rate after seeing the champs crew at a local event. I was led to believe their south location would reopen around September 21 and I aligned my contract start date to that timeline. It's now January 22 and the south location is still not open, reportedly due to staff shortages. I find this slightly surprising as the staff seems to be mostly adolescent champs students or family members. This necessitates a much longer, and frequently with Alaska road conditions unsafe, drive. Based on inexperience my child was placed in the toddler group, although they are older. After a month the instructors began to tell my child they could move up into the little dragons group! (If I would sign a non-discounted contract for another year, and buy another slightly different $50 uniform) I've declined to date, in spite of the guilt trips after every class from my child, but would consider renewing if the south location is reopened. More likely we'll move to a different school with more of a focus on the martial art. Positives: my kid enjoys the classes, relatively convenient class times Downsides: location (for us), emphasis on inflexible contracts, no indoor sitting area for toddler/little dragon parents, expensive uniforms, guilt marketing that weaponizes your child

Be careful when signing your contract. It is for 12 months with no cancellation for lessons. We…read morewere going to have our son in after school program but found other care. We were able to cancel that contract. Our son started at Champ but due to work schedules changing we needed to cancel. We were obligated to pay off the remainder of it. Big waste of money for us. Don't sign unless you know it fits in your schedule and your child is able to attend.

I've been taking my son to the parent & toddler classes now since April 2021. It's a great activity…read morethat gets us out of the house for something different, but my son is also learning gymnastic skills as well as building strength in a fun, relaxed environment. The studio is very clean, and there are 2 large gymnastic rooms. They also offer dance classes as well as parkour. I'm not sure if they have a dedicated studio space for the dance classes. If not that would mean they need to rearrange the gymnastic rooms. They have quite a lengthy list of different classes broken down by age/skill level. They also host different camps, and have "Friday night out" where you can leave your kids with them to do activities while you get some adult time. You can also host kids parties here. The parent/toddler classes are structured where you are joining in to assist/supervise your child on activities. The classes are 45 minutes & broken into different segments to keep the little attention spans engaged. We have primarily had Ms. Angel as a teacher who is excellent with the kids, but we'd also have had subs step in. All the staff we've encountered are all very professional and good with children. In the parent/toddler class you should be monitoring your child, but the teacher will step in to correct any problematic behavior if they see it. I assume in the classes where parents aren't included the staff is more involved in monitoring for any issues. Each week the room is set up in a different manner to allow the tots to explore, and climb. The class for tots & parents is structured so that there are 2 portions of free play, hello & goodbye circle time with Song, a guided warm up, a skill of focus that's taught by the instructor, ball time & bubbles. The different segments are great for keeping the tots engaged, and they especially get excited for the routine of it. A favorite for all of them is ball & bubble time. There are also different themes like super hero or beach week for all classes. This is a great studio, and I will continue to bring my child for classes here as long as he continues to show interest in gymnastics!

Birthday party- very pleased with kids birthday party. For $250 they provide 3 people who help…read moremake the party easy. They help with set up, organized activities and serving cake and organizing presents and who brought what. Their efforts allow parents to enjoy their kids and take pictures. I recommended bringing some extra cash to tip the fine gymnasts who make your life easier.

A Wonderful Experience at the Alaska Zoo!…read more We had such a great time visiting the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage! It was a wonderful way to see Alaska's wildlife up close and learn more about the animals that call this incredible state home. The zoo is beautiful, well-maintained, and has a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere. We especially enjoyed seeing the bears, moose, musk ox, and other Alaskan wildlife. The animals appeared well cared for, and the staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do. What I loved most was that it didn't feel overly crowded or commercial. We could take our time walking around, enjoying the scenery, and really appreciating the animals. It's a great activity for visitors of all ages and definitely worth adding to your Anchorage itinerary. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would absolutely recommend the Alaska Zoo to anyone visiting Anchorage. A must-see for anyone who wants to experience Alaska's amazing wildlife!

Oh where to begin.... I would like to preface this by saying any community members who ask…read morequestions about the most recent incident have been immediately blocked by the zoo. that is enough of a red flag but i shall explain more ref flags. there have been many instances of aggression from one animal towards the next and with warning signs that have been repeatedly ignored. Most of the aggression is with the bears unfortunately. We have all heard about the most recent event, where a very small, blind, and deaf female bear was placed into the enclosure with a much larger boar (male bear) during peak mating season. that was reckless and resulted in a bear fight, the boar ripping the females skin off of her back, and it took over 30 minutes for the staff to even get to the scene and begin to assess the situation. 30 minutes. the zoo is small why did it take thirty. minutes. mind you, the warning signs hours leading up to the event were noticed by the visitors for the bears unusually closed off and defensive behavior... but the staff didn't care. (picture included) The smaller bear, btw. was never around any other bears... so why the h.. would they throw the small solo non socialized bear with a huge male bear in peak mating season??? COME TF ON NOW DUDE. what an absolutely embarrassing and disgraceful way to represent our beautiful state. common sense says that's a bad idea, but whoever was in charge of the placement shares a brain cell with a rock. NEXT. in 2022 there was a polar bear and another species, i believe a grizzly, housed together. why would you put different species of bears together? especially the 2 most aggressive species.... they also got into a fight before separation. One bear had a pretty messed up bloody jaw and there was no closure to their habitat. The staff allowed their habitat to remain open despite the animals need for "peace and quiet" as well as no regards to the families and young children who came by seeing the poor bear (picture inserted below) NEXT. There were 2 more bears that were constantly on edge constantly fighting. it took MULTIPLE incidents for them to finally separate the bears for good. I could continue with more and more they've done (or didn't do) but i think we get the point. the zoo is a sad excuse for a zoo. they're volunteer based and not part of the AZA and clearly aren't trained properly and have no real knowledge on how to read wildlife behavior and have no intention on maintaining a SAFE and FRIENDLY environment, just money hungry individ

Fantastic day camp with some overnight adventures too. I come to Alaska each year for my military…read morereserve tour and this has been a lifesaver! Hiking and learning every day with great counselors. My kids are ages 7, 9, and 11 and it's been really wonderful. I think this will be our last year which makes me really sad but just want to say thanks for another wonderful summer!

This review for The Alaska Club for specifically for the East location…read more My doctor recommended I take the PREP Program which gives you an in-depth guide on how to get started on your weight loss and how to use the machines. It cost about a $1 a day for 60 days, then you decide if you want to stay with the club or not. I started in December 2019 until mid February 2020. You are guided by an RN who monitors you and a specialist at the gym who works on making you a plan and shows you how to use the machines. The PREP program is located in sections throughout all the Alaska club gyms around the state of Alaska. The main PREP program is located at the East location where you will need to attend for the first month at least twice a week. The program is really good and very helpful! I can't express how much this works and how much help you get. I wish I could remember the names but the RN and the Gym specialist were wonderful and were eager to see you succeed. Now, one complain I hate was my that this was doctor recommended and I had been monitored by my doctor for sometime. My blood pressure tends to read high on EVERYONE's machines. it's actually not that high, it is high but not to a point where this issue I am about to complain about irritated me. The RN was concerned, I told her that is was her machine. she said that if I can't get my blood pressure down that she doesn't feel comfortable with me exercising. My issue is that, before you take peoples money, maybe screen first for concerns. I basically had to get my doctor to tell her to leave me alone and I basically decided not to finish the program the second month at the East location. I understood her concern, but when you only have 60 days and you don't feel comfortable with me exercising and I already paid but my doctor was the one who cleared me, I see an issue with that. My suggestion is that before you take the money, maybe run the screening then is there is any issues have them taken care of then you can take their money. Anyways, I've recommended a ton of people to this program and hopefully they have decided to join or try it. Now, my second part of the review has to go to the the people who sign you up. You can see my review about South club, and I fully stick to that review. I first got information from Brandon who gave me details on cost, I needed to join the South club because I live on the South side of town. No pressure, no issues, no sales tactic or pressure with "this deal ends today" shit. I finally decided I was going to join the Summit club, I signed up with Steven, again there was no pressure, no issues, no sales tactic or pressure with "this deal ends today" shit. He helped me decide and compare prices and it was easy! There was another young black man who helped out as well but I forgot his name so you might have to check with Steven. This gym is awesome and I would actually prefer to have a membership here at this club. Your sales team is wonderful, you PREP program is great and helpful! It really sucks that I have to drive to this gym to have had to speak with sales but I drove to this location because I knew I wasn't going to get bullshit or sales. This is a big plus! I know people complain a lot about The Alaska Club, but if you have issues, I would just run to this club and see if they can't help you. I actually say if you are located near this club to actually go here lol. Thanks for being helpful! Melody

Alaska Club just seems really poorly managed. I threw a birthday party here and noticed the week…read morebefore that there was something going on and a big portion of the area was shut down. I asked the front desk and was told they were closing things for reupholstering, and that someone would check on the timeline and give me a call. No one ever did. I followed up--no response. I left a voicemail to the general manager directly and never heard back. Then today there was water leaking from the ceiling in the pool room by the wall. I noticed when it dripped on me and saw there was already a big puddle on the floor. There were multiple holes/cracks in the ceiling and evident water damage. I told the front desk, one person followed me to have me point it out, then left. Forty-five minutes later nothing had been done no signs, bucket, cleanup, etc despite a bunch of extra staff around for a Nordic spa event. Staff were also talking about the steam room in the locker room being down but the one in the Nordic spa was working. It really feels like all the attention is on the new Nordic spa while the rest of the facility is suffering. Overall, just really poor communication and lack of upkeep.

Not sure why the low rating ?!?!? This place is awesome. Kids are stationed here in AK and took…read moreus there for a few hours to swim. All the amenities were clean and useful. The grandkids love the pool. If you can call it that. It's more of a water park. The staff was friendly and helpful. The gym part of it looked well equipped. They also took us to a trampoline park which is part of the program. I would highly recommend this place for families with children.

Is it just me or has the sanitation/maintenance at the ACS really gone downhill? The place looks…read morelike a disaster zone every Monday morning like no one has cleaned all weekend. The showers in the family locker room are either scalding or broken. I guess I expect more for the hefty dues.

CHLORINE! I can't enjoy the space. The chlorine smell is so bad my throat burns and causes a…read moreheadache. I went to ask about it and was told nothing can be done. Thinking about taking my buisness elsewhere. No enjoyment anymore.

This 5 star review is not for the AK Club, it's for the staff…read more I was at the Eagle River club earlier tonight and I saw an older "gentleman" mention there were no towels in the men's locker. Although a valid complaint, one of the staff members (Amber I believe) let the member know the washers were down and they would supply towels asap. The member then told her to take the towels across the street to be cleaned. While his ignorance caused everyone to turn and stare at him, the previously mentioned staff member handled him with patience and repeated her intent to assist asap. Very professional way to handle a rude encounter!!!

To Whom It May Concern: I am going to start of by mentioning…read morethat I work in the healthcare field as a licensed professional. Northern Lights Preschool and Childcare is without a doubt the WORST child care experience I've ever had. The staff are rude; most do not speak English well so they cannot tell you how your child's day was or understand what you are talking about if you have concerns and this place is DIRTY. My daughter got into a lottery school last minute and since her Kindergarten was half day I needed childcare for the other half of the day. This was the only place I could find that would accept her on such short notice that could pick her up from school and bring her to the daycare. They forgot to pick her up from school and blamed me. When I called to complain about them not picking my child up the woman argued and then hung up on me! They also never knew where my child was and I had to go to 3 or 4 different rooms every day to find her and each staff would say "She's not here today." When I complained to the manager about it being ridiculous that every day no one can tell me where my child is she simply nodded but offered no solutions. They most of the time could not even remember who my child was and would send me to where some other child was thinking I was their mother... When I did call to report she was ill and be home sick for the day, later I would get an angry call from their driver saying she is at the school and my daughter is not there so she is leaving! They do not tell the children to wash their hands, the staff does not wash their hands. My daughter had an accident and did not have extra clothes, instead of them calling me to bring her clothes they had her remove her soiled clothes and wear JUST snow pants for the rest of the day. My daughter was very embarrassed!!! They also kept telling her religious things like "666 is a bad number" and "God is your real Dad." She's 6, she does not need to be told about bad numbers and they don't even know if we are a religious family. Very inappropriate. Very high turnover of staff, and staff are not knowledgeable about childhood growth and development, other than the Eye Level program. I would never bring an infant there for care. The rooms are packed to the MAX and honestly are probably over what they are supposed to be at times. I have seen staff physically push children. I do not qualify for daycare assistance and paid out of pocket the entire time which was $650.00 per month and always on time. As soon as kindergarten was over I put in notice that my child would no longer be attending including the date of her last day. She only went there 8 days of the last month. One would think $650.00 cut in half right so the amount owed would be $325.00. Not the case as the manager decided to charge me their "daily" charge for the last few days which she said herself "Is more expensive" which amounted to $450.00 for 8 days of day care! I told her that this was an outrageous amount and again she just nods but obviously doesn't care just wants money. There are also a lot of intoxicated homeless people that hang out outside of the day care, which is not the day cares fault but there is obviously no effort to make that change. They also do not notify you very well when they will be closed. They hang up one sign that is plastered up between many other signs that are always hanging up on plain white paper with black ink. One day when we were leaving on a Thursday the teacher said "See you Monday" and when I questioned if they were closed (it was not a holiday) another teacher who I've never seen before or interacted with very rudely yelled at me "THERE IS A SIGN!" This place needs a very thorough investigation. I would have taken my child out sooner but did not want her to have to change in the middle of the school year and she was not in immediate danger. Her last day there could not come soon enough. This is not a place the supports the growth and development of children, it is the equivalent of having a high school teen watch your child.

From the owner: Northern Lights Preschool & Child Care has served the community of Anchorage, AK for over 25 years…read moreby providing professional child care and after-school children's programs in a loving and compassionate environment.

Brad is an excellent host. We were visiting Anchorage and found his information at the Airbnb…read morewhere we stayed. Once he learned what we were looking for, he selected some great places for us to visit. He handled all of the reservations and ticketing and we just enjoyed the day. He knows the area very well and shared many interesting facts. We had such a great time that we booked a second day.

From the owner: Alaska English Adventures (AEA) offers a unique opportunity for English language learners to…read moreexperience Alaska. This is language immersion with a difference. At AEA our programs take the Alaskan experience to the next level with the inclusion of daily conversational English lessons with multiple opportunities to practice real language with native English speakers. Our adventure tours take participants on a journey of discovery through the pristine wilderness that defines Alaska to hand-picked sites that showcase the awesome beauty and rich culture of the Last Great Wilderness. Camping, hiking, sport fishing, gold panning, whitewater rafting, zip lining, ocean cruising, wildlife viewing, campfire enjoying, and ocean kayaking are a few of the adventures you will enjoy as we tour Alaska's scenic highways to destinations like Denali National Park, Seward, and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. At AEA our mission is to educate and inspire, and in that spirit we are committed to cultural exchange and understanding. We pledge to donate a portion of our annual profits to charities that develop relationships between Alaska and international communities.