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Help With Alaska Post Cruise Itinerary


marx
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I'm planning on an NCL NB cruise in August with six nights in Alaska post cruise. I've looked through all relevant Trip Reports and browsed the Alaska folder for ideas and information and more or less know what I will be doing in each port. (This thread started by Mapleleaves is excellent and should be a sticky: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2347988).

 

Post cruise planning has been difficult.

 

Initially, I planned this -

Arrival Day: Aquarium and tour Seward. Night in Seward.

Day 2: 6 or 7.5 Kenai Fjords trip. Night in Seward

Day 3: Rent car, Exit Glacier, drive to Anchorage with possible stops at Windy Point, Wildlife Conservation Center and (less likely due to time) Portage glacier. Switch rental cars at airport. Night in Anchorage.

Day 4: Drive to Denali with a possible stop in Talkeetna. (Small possibility of a Flightseeing trip to Denali). Dog sledding demo in park. Night in Healy.

Day 5: Denali National Park - all day touring park. Night in Healy.

Day 6: Late morning. Activities around Healy/Denali. Rafting, possibly Ziplining. Night in Healy.

Day 7: Drive to Anchorage for flight home.

 

After reading up on Denali, I thought I might skip it entirely and spend more time around Anchorage, maybe visit Whittier, Chugah National Forest and Glacier View (for the ability to walk on the Matanuska Glacier).

 

Now to the present. I think I'd really like to walk on a glacier. Talkeetna Flightseeing with a glacier landing would be ideal, but will likely be out of my price range when I start locking in my port plans and the money spent there. I can go with my initial plan and add a stop at Byron Glacier on Day 3, but when I compare pictures of Byron and Matanuska I think I'd much prefer Matanuska.

 

So, my current plans changes Day 3 completely. Skip Exit glacier and head to Glacier View instead of Anchorage to spend the night. (We would need to stop in Anchorage to change cars). If I plan on making the other stops planned for Day 3 (including a car swap in Anchorage), I would likely have no time for Matanuska until the morning of Day 4. So, Day 4 would be to hike Matanuska in the morning, and then drive from there to Healy bypassing Talkeetna.

 

I'd like to hear opinions from others :)

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Thanks for the shout out!

 

There are a few different options. Really depends on your priorities.

 

I think your arrival day in Seward is too light, so why not beef it up a little, and even remove a day from Seward. You'll be rested after your cruise so go for the gusto!

 

Day 1 Shuttle to Exit Glacier, AND Sealife Center, as well as wander around Seward. There's a nice waterfront trail that leads from the harbor to the SeaLife Center, just over a mile. Fun to watch otters playing off shore. Great views across the Bay.

Day 2 Kenai Fjords boat tour. Catch the 6pm train or 6:30pm Park Connection Bus to Anchorage. Pick up rental car.

Day 3 drive to Matanuska. Have a leisurely day of driving and stopping wherever. O/N at Matanuska .... lovely cabins nearby.

(OR start your day by driving 1 hr south to Wildlife Conservation Center and Portage Lake area, lunch in Girdwood THEN drive to Matanuska)

Day 4 morning ice trek, then drive to Healy. Maybe stop at Independence Mine if interested. Talkeetna?

Day 5 denali shuttle

day 6 area activities until mid afternoon then drive to Talkeetna to overnight since it's only 2 1/2 hrs away.

day 7 Complete drive to Anchorage. Or drive an hour further and visit the Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Lake, Byron Glacier since you have time to kill before your flight

 

Just one option to consider.

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If you decide to do the flightseeing in Talkeetna, this option would provide 2 different opportunities in case the flights are weathered out..... on day 4 and day 6.

 

And if you arrive to great weather in Seward, take advantage of it and hop on the Kenai Fjords boat tour Day 1. You can do Exit Glacier and Sealife Center the next day.

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If you decide to do the flightseeing in Talkeetna, this option would provide 2 different opportunities in case the flights are weathered out..... on day 4 and day 6.

 

And if you arrive to great weather in Seward, take advantage of it and hop on the Kenai Fjords boat tour Day 1. You can do Exit Glacier and Sealife Center the next day.

 

Thanks for the advice! I did have the option of swapping the boat tour on the itinerary based on weather, but not Talkeetna. I need to look at the cancellation policy for rafting (I haven't even booked yet) and the change policy for the boat tour.

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Thanks for the shout out!

 

There are a few different options. Really depends on your priorities.

 

I think your arrival day in Seward is too light, so why not beef it up a little, and even remove a day from Seward. You'll be rested after your cruise so go for the gusto!

 

Day 1 Shuttle to Exit Glacier, AND Sealife Center, as well as wander around Seward. There's a nice waterfront trail that leads from the harbor to the SeaLife Center, just over a mile. Fun to watch otters playing off shore. Great views across the Bay.

Day 2 Kenai Fjords boat tour. Catch the 6pm train or 6:30pm Park Connection Bus to Anchorage. Pick up rental car.

Day 3 drive to Matanuska. Have a leisurely day of driving and stopping wherever. O/N at Matanuska .... lovely cabins nearby.

(OR start your day by driving 1 hr south to Wildlife Conservation Center and Portage Lake area, lunch in Girdwood THEN drive to Matanuska)

Day 4 morning ice trek, then drive to Healy. Maybe stop at Independence Mine if interested. Talkeetna?

Day 5 denali shuttle

day 6 area activities until mid afternoon then drive to Talkeetna to overnight since it's only 2 1/2 hrs away.

day 7 Complete drive to Anchorage. Or drive an hour further and visit the Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Lake, Byron Glacier since you have time to kill before your flight

 

Just one option to consider.

 

I like this (a lot) for the activities, but I don't like switching hotels as much. But, I think I can work with this :) This itinerary also has me taking the train to Anchorage instead of a rental car from Seward - which I won't need as I would backtrack by car to the area south of Anchorage. I also like that.

 

As for Day 6, is it worth it to stay a night in Talkeetna (if I don't do the flightseeing) or should I stay the extra night in Healy? Reviews of Talkeetna are mixed.

 

And if I am going to Matanuska, is it still worthwhile to visit Exit Glacier? (I will be visiting Mendenhall, Glacier Bay and Hubbard on the cruise).

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Hard to say about Talkeetna. I suggested it because it gives you almost the full day in denali for other activiites, AND gets you halfway to Anchorage. Talkeetna doesnt do anything for me, but some folks love it! If you'd rather stay another night at denali, do it.

As for Exit Glacier, decide when you get to seward. See how everyone feels...they might want to do the 1 hr trail, or they might be content with the waterfront trail to town so they can see wildlife....otters, eagles salmon. You'll also see glaciers on the Kenai cruise .....its pretty cool to park in front of a glacier in a smaller boat and listen to the sound it makes. So see how you feel about Exit on the day.

As for changing hotels, consider renting a small rv. , then your bed, bathroom and kitchen are with you every day!

 

Nice job with your itinerary, by the way. Nothing wrong with it all.

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Hard to say about Talkeetna. I suggested it because it gives you almost the full day in denali for other activiites, AND gets you halfway to Anchorage. Talkeetna doesnt do anything for me, but some folks love it! If you'd rather stay another night at denali, do it.

As for Exit Glacier, decide when you get to seward. See how everyone feels...they might want to do the 1 hr trail, or they might be content with the waterfront trail to town so they can see wildlife....otters, eagles salmon. You'll also see glaciers on the Kenai cruise .....its pretty cool to park in front of a glacier in a smaller boat and listen to the sound it makes. So see how you feel about Exit on the day.

As for changing hotels, consider renting a small rv. , then your bed, bathroom and kitchen are with you every day!

 

Nice job with your itinerary, by the way. Nothing wrong with it all.

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice - not just from this thread. Over the past month or so I've been going through old threads where your advice and expertise was very helpful!

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And if I am going to Matanuska, is it still worthwhile to visit Exit Glacier? (I will be visiting Mendenhall, Glacier Bay and Hubbard on the cruise).

 

 

They’re really different experiences. Although there are guided treks on Exit Glacier it is more difficult to get to the entry point to get on the glacier so most just opt for viewing. Matanuska is the most easily accessible glacier in the state. You can be trekking on the glacier after a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lot. For safety, it’s best to go with a guide like NOVA or MICA. For me, I’d do both but I’m a bit partial to glaciers. This is the first year in 10 that I didn’t make it up to Matanuska. It’s just an exceptional experience.

 

Nice to see you mention Windy Point. You’ll have a good chance of seeing Dall sheep ewes and lambs during the summer. The rut is currently going on and the rams have been chasing the ewes along the cliffs this week. About 6 miles south of Windy Point is Bird Creek. If you’re here during the salmon runs you have a chance to see brown bears just off the highway. You’ll see dozens of fishermen from the bridge as well as the occasional brown bear looking for fish.

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They’re really different experiences. Although there are guided treks on Exit Glacier it is more difficult to get to the entry point to get on the glacier so most just opt for viewing. Matanuska is the most easily accessible glacier in the state. You can be trekking on the glacier after a 10-15 minute walk from the parking lot. For safety, it’s best to go with a guide like NOVA or MICA. For me, I’d do both but I’m a bit partial to glaciers. This is the first year in 10 that I didn’t make it up to Matanuska. It’s just an exceptional experience.

 

 

 

Nice to see you mention Windy Point. You’ll have a good chance of seeing Dall sheep ewes and lambs during the summer. The rut is currently going on and the rams have been chasing the ewes along the cliffs this week. About 6 miles south of Windy Point is Bird Creek. If you’re here during the salmon runs you have a chance to see brown bears just off the highway. You’ll see dozens of fishermen from the bridge as well as the occasional brown bear looking for fish.

 

 

 

There are days on our trip that will be full of activities and tours. Exit Glacier is a 'probable' but not definite depending on how we feel at the time. I DO wish we could spend another 2 days post cruise and add in more places to see, but our kids have school starting the day after we return home.

 

And thanks for the tip about Bird Creek!

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Hi there! I love your 6 days DIY. They are very similar to what our family did last summer (except in reverse - Anchorage to Seward) Reading your post made me nostalgic!

 

I for sure vote to make Mantanuska a priority on your way to Denali. It was the absolute highlight of our entire trip (land and cruise). We did a private trek through Mantanuska Glacier Adventures, which’s was more affordable than MICA and Nova. Our guides were wonderful.

 

 

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Whoops! Sorry! Wasn’t quite done :) Just one tip on the land portion that made the travel and hotel changes easier: we packed ONE bag that was for all of us for the land portion. You wear the same things every day anyway: jeans/ T-shirt/ sweatshirt/ rain coat/ boots. We lived out of that one bag for those 6 days and the other bags stayed stored in our rental truck. It made the check in/ check out so much easier. Lastly, our cabin in Healy had a washer/ dryer so we could do laundry, which was a lifesaver, traveling with a mud magnet little boy.

 

Have so much fun!

 

 

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Unless you are planning to do flight-seeing out of Talkeetna and you are obviously aware that the flight is totally weather dependent, I would skip Talkeetna. Talkeetna is about 15 miles off AK3. When we did AK, I did not feel that the drive to Talkketna was worth the half hour drive it took to get there. Eliminate the restaurants and souvenir shops and there was nothing at all of interest in the town. I just can't figure out what gets people so excited about the place. We stayed there maybe 1 hour max. Take a look at the listing for Talkeetna in TripAdvisor and you will see that there is nothing there.

 

DON

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I highly recommend the flightseeing tour in Talkeetna. We chose Talkeetna Air Taxi. How many people will be with you? There is a coupon in the Northern Lights coupon book for 25% off a group of 4. We did the Grand Denali Tour with Glacier Landing. The glacier that we landed on happened to be base camp for the climbers attempting to summit the mountain. Standing there on that glacier, surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains in the world was the most surreal experience of my life! It is something I will never forget.

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There are countless opportunities and I'd suggest allowing some unplanned time. Alaska is difficult to be on a tight schedule. It does require you to be on the move, if you aren't there with a more extended time. I don't advocate wearing the "same clothes" for days on end, but, instead - do laundry. :) I travel out of a "walmart" bag and don't bother bringing in/out suitcases with 1 or 2 night stays. Last month traveled through 9 lodgings in Ireland, with this working again, very well for my traveling preferences.

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Hi there! I love your 6 days DIY. They are very similar to what our family did last summer (except in reverse - Anchorage to Seward) Reading your post made me nostalgic!

 

I for sure vote to make Mantanuska a priority on your way to Denali. It was the absolute highlight of our entire trip (land and cruise). We did a private trek through Mantanuska Glacier Adventures, which’s was more affordable than MICA and Nova. Our guides were wonderful.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Thanks for the tip. It looks like Matanuska Glacier Adventures would be about $25 less per person.

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Unless you are planning to do flight-seeing out of Talkeetna and you are obviously aware that the flight is totally weather dependent, I would skip Talkeetna. Talkeetna is about 15 miles off AK3. When we did AK, I did not feel that the drive to Talkketna was worth the half hour drive it took to get there. Eliminate the restaurants and souvenir shops and there was nothing at all of interest in the town. I just can't figure out what gets people so excited about the place. We stayed there maybe 1 hour max. Take a look at the listing for Talkeetna in TripAdvisor and you will see that there is nothing there.

 

 

 

DON

 

 

My plan has evolved to where I'll be leaving Matanuska Glacier in the early afternoon (heading for Denali), and we are no longer considering a stop in Talkeetna. Mainly based on reviews and opinions such as yours :)

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I highly recommend the flightseeing tour in Talkeetna. We chose Talkeetna Air Taxi. How many people will be with you? There is a coupon in the Northern Lights coupon book for 25% off a group of 4. We did the Grand Denali Tour with Glacier Landing. The glacier that we landed on happened to be base camp for the climbers attempting to summit the mountain. Standing there on that glacier, surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains in the world was the most surreal experience of my life! It is something I will never forget.

 

 

 

I'm ordering the Northern Lights book for discounts offered in the Denali area for rafting and a Zipline. I originally was going to order it solely for the Talkeetna Air discount you mention. Right now we can't budget in the flightseeing tour - but our plans are still in flux and we hope to add it in. We have already made some reservations for August, but held back on the Denali raft and zipline tours as if we do the flightseeing, it will replace those.

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There are countless opportunities and I'd suggest allowing some unplanned time. Alaska is difficult to be on a tight schedule. It does require you to be on the move, if you aren't there with a more extended time. I don't advocate wearing the "same clothes" for days on end, but, instead - do laundry. :) I travel out of a "walmart" bag and don't bother bringing in/out suitcases with 1 or 2 night stays. Last month traveled through 9 lodgings in Ireland, with this working again, very well for my traveling preferences.

 

 

 

I believe in unplanned time too. We have days with very light touring, and days where we are touring morning to night. It's hard though since there is so much we want to do :)

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