AKStafford

So are you thinking something like : https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/ https://discoveryvoyages.com/ Any of the big cruise lines will still include a Canada stop to comply with the Passenger Vessel Service Act law. So a round trip cruise out of Seattle will include a stop in Victoria.

Don't underestimate your travel time in Southcentral Alaska. If you only have a few days and you want to include Denali, I would get to Anchorage that first morning, either by bus or the cruise line chartered train. Get your rental car and drive at as far as Talkeetna that afternoon.

I'm assuming this is part of the Huna Totem/Doyon project to build a new dock in Whittier: https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/NCLH-Whitter-project-announced

Here's our pictures from our 26 Glaciers Trip: https://akstafford.blogspot.com/2021/08/glaciers-7-31-2021.html I would recommend it.

Plenty of options for Whittier. My preference would be to either do a 26 Glacier Cruise, ride the Glacier Discovery Train to Grandview or rent a car from Avis and drive north to the Matanuska Glacier for a glacier hike.

I'm guessing they aren't taking reservations yet.

By small, do you mean something like this: https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/ Or maybe something like this: https://www.aqvoyages.com/expedition-cruises/alaska-british-columbia/vancouver-to-sitka/?v=ov&d=2024-05-03

While at McKinley Princess Lodge, us the shuttle to get into Talkeetna (an hour ride) and do a Mahay's River Boat ride or a flightseeing trip with K2 Aviation. You'll probably find it cheaper to book directly with the operator.

Just my opinion: I'm not a fan of the cruise line's land tours. McKinley Princess Lodge is an hour from Talkeenta and several hours from the entrance to Denali National Park. Princess uses it as a spot to warehouse it's cruise tour passengers. You can see from Google Maps that there is nothing else there: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jaRQ36WXz5d1Z4kD6 I think a better option is to rent a car and put together your own great trip. The Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali National Park is a much better option than the Natural History Tour. If you are traveling independently, the shuttle bus at Denali is much cheaper. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

Call Avis Alaska's airport location. They'll be able to give you the information you are looking for: https://www.avisalaska.com/locations/anchorage-airport/

Reach out to PJ's Taxi or Bear Valley Road Runner.

If you can add another couple of days to Anchorage stay, here's some other museum options: https://www.cityofwasilla.gov/services/departments/museum https://palmermuseum.org/ http://www.museumofalaska.org/ https://www.alaskanative.net/ https://foast.org/museum https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/matsu/indepmineshp.htm http://www.wkhsociety.org/knik-museum.html

Don't underestimate your driving time in Alaska. Denali National Park is a six hour drive from Anchorage, so it is not a day trip. Best to plan for a day of driving each way, and then how many ever days your want at the Park. The more days you have for the land portion, the more you can do. 3 days will let you do Denali National Park. Seven days is even better, 10 days is really good.

Then you might want to steer clear of the cruise line's land tour packages. They often require some very early mornings. My preference is to rent a car for the land portion and put together your own great trip. For the land portion, you can get some great advice over at the TripAdvisor forum for Alaska travel. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

Here's a good list of lodging in the Denali area. You'll find more affordable lodging in Healy, 10 miles north of the park. https://cca.denalichamber.com/Accommodations-__9391_category.aspx Don't underestimate your driving times in Alaska. Denail to Whittier is going to be a 7 hour drive, plus timing it for for the tunnel. Staying in Anchorage would be a good choice. You can use a bus or railroad to get to Whittier from Anchorage. My personal preference would be the Alaska Railroad's Glacier Discovery Train and then a Prince William Sound 26 Glacier cruise before getting on your ship.

In my opinion: the cruise lines do a great job of showing you Southeast Alaska on your cruise. Their land tours in Southcentral Alaska leave a lot to be desired. The "McKinley" they mention is their McKinley Lodge. It's an hour from Talkeetna and two hours from Denali National Park entrance and it's a just a spot to warehouse cruisetour passengers for a night. My preference would be to rent a car and put together your own great trip. There's nothing offered by the cruise lines that you can't book independently. Often for cheaper. The TripAdvisor forum for Alaska travel can be a big help: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

For the land portion, I think DIY is the way to go. You can get help planning on that on the TripAdvisor forum for Alaska travel: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

What about something like this: https://www.alaskandreamcruises.com/cruises/2024-alaskas-glacier-bay-island-adventure/

My choice would be the one way cruise for Southeast Alaska combined with putting together your own land trip exploring Southcentral Alaska with a rental car.

I would drop off your luggage and do a 26 Glacier Cruise: https://phillipscruises.com/

The problem with using the train or a bus to get to Denali is that it typically leaves you stuck with a more expensive hotel in "Glitter Gulch" and on the more expensive "Tundra Wilderness Tour". If you use a rental car to get to Denali, lodging is cheaper in Healy and you can book on the Transit Bus, which travels the same park road with the same views. The Alaska Railroad trips going south of Anchorage, either the Coastal Classic to Seward or the Glacier Discovery train are very scenic and highly recommended.

That's great that you made it to Klukwan.

The ship will arrive in Whittier during the night. Disembarking will begin in the morning.

Have you called the hotel directly to make sure they are sold out?

AT&T and Verizon have coverage in Alaska.