Alaska and the Inside Passage

Hi, we are thinking about doing Alaska and the Inside Passage (Vancouver to Seward) next year. We would like to add 5 or 6 days after the cruise to travel via train to Denali, then to either Fairbanks or Anchorage to fly home.

Appreciate any info from those who have explored Alaska on their own. Interested in routes, what to see, hotels, and anything else we should consider. We’d prefer trains over renting a car. Thanks for your help!

Hi, we are thinking about doing Alaska and the Inside Passage (Vancouver to Seward) next year. We would like to add 5 or 6 days after the cruise to travel via train to Denali, then to either Fairbanks or Anchorage to fly home.

 

Appreciate any info from those who have explored Alaska on their own. Interested in routes, what to see, hotels, and anything else we should consider. We’d prefer trains over renting a car. Thanks for your help!

While many of us have visited Alaska in the past and will be replying, you will probably get more answers, more quickly if you check out the Ports of Call/Alaska section of these boards and Trip Advisor. Both of these places have much bigger audiences because it is more than just Viking fans tuning in.

Check out Alaskatrain.com or AlaskaRailroad.com for lots of options. We are doing a 10 Day Alaska Railroad package (Glaciers, rails and trails) next month from Anchorage that includes Denali and the Kenai fjords.

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Thank you! We’ll check out those sites.

Hi, we are thinking about doing Alaska and the Inside Passage (Vancouver to Seward) next year. We would like to add 5 or 6 days after the cruise to travel via train to Denali, then to either Fairbanks or Anchorage to fly home.

 

We've stayed at Hilton in ANC - less crowded than cruise-tourist-contract hotels.

IMHO Fairbanks is low priority sightseeing vs more time at Denali. If in Fairbanks, Springhill Suites is a top choice and Lavelles Bistro restaurant inside is decent.

A great day trip is "26glaciers" high speed catamaran on Pr. William Sound out of Whittier. Info at https://www.phillipscruises.com/

Good Luck

We've stayed at Hilton in ANC - less crowded than cruise-tourist-contract hotels.

 

IMHO Fairbanks is low priority sightseeing vs more time at Denali. If in Fairbanks, Springhill Suites is a top choice and Lavelles Bistro restaurant inside is decent.

 

A great day trip is "26glaciers" high speed catamaran on Pr. William Sound out of Whittier. Info at https://www.phillipscruises.com/

 

Good Luck

Agreed, we had an excellent cruise with them.

The Alaska cruises "Inside Passage" is a bit confusing on Viking's website. In the narrative they mention Seymour Narrows and Grenville Channel (spelled Granville in their list). That is good as it is in the Canadian Inside Passage, the most scenic part of the Inside Passage. The confusion comes when you look at the illustration of the route which shows the track in Hecate Strait, where most cruise ships go. Hecate Strait is mostly out of sight of land for a full day each way. Most definitely not "Inside Passage". I used to run a freight ship in that part of the world and Hecate Strait was "going outside". Used when weather was good as it was quicker to the Northern ports. To me it is a big difference from a scenic standpoint. Kudos to Viking if they in fact do the Canadian part of the Inside Passage.:cool:

The Alaska cruises "Inside Passage" is a bit confusing on Viking's website. In the narrative they mention Seymour Narrows and Grenville Channel (spelled Granville in their list). That is good as it is in the Canadian Inside Passage, the most scenic part of the Inside Passage. The confusion comes when you look at the illustration of the route which shows the track in Hecate Strait, where most cruise ships go. Hecate Strait is mostly out of sight of land for a full day each way. Most definitely not "Inside Passage". I used to run a freight ship in that part of the world and Hecate Strait was "going outside". Used when weather was good as it was quicker to the Northern ports. To me it is a big difference from a scenic standpoint. Kudos to Viking if they in fact do the Canadian part of the Inside Passage.:cool:

Just checked the website and unfortunately I agree, it shows they are heading out to Hecate Strait from Pine Island, which has been the norm for cruise ships for over 20 years. The label for the "Inside Passage" shows Johnstone Strait, Race/Current Passage and Robson Bight, which are also scenic, but unfortunately Northbound, the transit is at night.

I've navigated the entire route way too many times on both cruise ships (weekly) and the local ferry (twice per week), and the Canadian Inside Passage is by far the most scenic, with exception of Glacier Bay.

If Viking in fact use the entire Inside Passage, I may even consider yet another Alaska Cruise, as even our ferry system doesn't have year round regular service.

BTW - what years did you sail the coast.

I worked that part of the world '88-'90. As far North as St. Paul in the Pribiloffs. Year round......:eek:

Sorry if I am pointing out the obvious. Don't depend on the the map on the website for the actual route you will be sailing.

We did "Midnight Sun" in 2016 and I can tell you that the red lines on the map were not the route that we sailed.

In fact, we were never that far out to sea (except when we were crossing from the Shetlands to Norway); we could always see land as we cruised up and down the Norwegian Coast and a good part of the time, it was land on both sides of the ship. I'm willing to bet that the same goes for the map you are looking at. The red lines are just there as a visual aid, to point out the order of the ports of call. Viking hasn't sailed Alaska yet, so we really have no idea what they are planning (or will be allowed) to do.

I worked that part of the world '88-'90. As far North as St. Paul in the Pribiloffs. Year round......:eek:

I was a bit earlier on the N. Coast/Alaska - Island Princess (79), Sun Princess (80), Queen of the North (81-85). By the late 80's I was operating out of Tsawwassen, just outside Vancouver.

Must have been an interesting trip in Winter, hopefully you took the inside passage as far as Icy Strait.

I was a bit earlier on the N. Coast/Alaska - Island Princess (79), Sun Princess (80), Queen of the North (81-85). By the late 80's I was operating out of Tsawwassen, just outside Vancouver.

 

Must have been an interesting trip in Winter, hopefully you took the inside passage as far as Icy Strait.

Yes, Icy Strait. Had to wait there many times for some storm or another to clear the Gulf of Alaska. Amazing. Every few days a storm that would have a name and a category if it were in the Gulf of Mexico.:eek: We got to see AK in the "good ole days" before the monster ships arrived. :cool:

We fortunately missed most of the weather by staying inside, until we started crossing Hecate Strait to Q Charlotte Is. I remember one day we had over 60 kts at the dock and a steady120 kts at Cape St James, sailed when winds reduced to 90 kts - worst crossing of Hecate ever experienced.

Couldn't agree more with the mega ships - Alaska was perfect back in the days we only had 750 pax and a single ship. Last time in Skagway I think we had 4 or 5 mega ships. The town was crazy, so I hiked up to the Lower Lake for the peace & quiet I remembered.

Hi, we are thinking about doing Alaska and the Inside Passage (Vancouver to Seward) next year. We would like to add 5 or 6 days after the cruise to travel via train to Denali, then to either Fairbanks or Anchorage to fly home.

 

Appreciate any info from those who have explored Alaska on their own. Interested in routes, what to see, hotels, and anything else we should consider. We’d prefer trains over renting a car. Thanks for your help!

I can't speak to trains, but the drive to Anchorage from Seward is excellent, and would give you access to the whole of the Kenia Peninsula before you go to Anchorage. You could then go by train to Denali/Fairbanks. We found driving in Alaska to be easy -- but we were younger then, and the trip from the East coast to Alaska via the Alaska Highway was long, but exciting.