Looking for help with itinerary- pre cruise DIY land

We are family of 4 (2adults, 2 kids 12 & 14) and are booked southbound on Holland America out of Seward to Vancouver. We arrive in Anchorage 6 days prior to the cruise, so I am working on our itinerary. This is what I have so far:

Monday - arrive Anchorage (actually arrive 1am Tues morning), pick up rental car (booked), stay overnight near airport since we won't be getting to the room until 2am or later

Tuesday - up early, drive to Matanuska for glacier trek, drive through Hatcher pass and stop at independence mine, overnight in Talkeetna (or should we stay near Matanuska?)

Weds - drive from Talkeetna to Denali, overnight in Denali. We could do dog tour on our way or some othe activity - is this day too light on activities?

Thurs - shuttle bus to eielson, overnight in Denali

Friday - drive back to Anchorage - another opportunity to stop at a sled dog kennel, or the Iditarod museum in Wasilla, turn in rental car, overnight in Anchorage

Saturday - take train to Seward, go on 6 hr wildlife/bay cruise in the afternoon, overnight in Seward

Sunday - check in at ship, maybe check out sea life center, begin cruise

My main questions are whether I've planned too much or too little - will we have enough to do in the day we go from Talkeetna to Denali? Or the day we go from Denali back to anchorage? Should we try to squeeze in Girdwood or Kenai? We are not big hikers.

I think I would rethink the part about arriving at 1 AM on Tuesday then being up early later on that morning to take off for the Matanuska glacier. You're most likely going to be knocked out after a full travel day on Monday. Why not stay Tuesday night in Anchorage too? After hitting the hay at 2-2:30 AM that morning sleep in and then tour around Anchorage some. You can do a little research on things to do in and around Anchorage for the day that would be interesting to your group. You'll be much more ready to take off for Matanuska glacier on Wednesday morning. This would give you the ability to adjust your timing some on the other days because I think the Talkeetna to Denali part is too light. Unless you have a specific reason to spend the night in Talkeetna it could be a great place to stop for lunch plus more on the way to Denali.

I agree that Tuesday might be a little hard if you’re landing so late! Maybe consider sleeping in/relaxing Tuesday morning and then head up to Matanuska glacier in the afternoon, and then stay in that area Tuesday night. Then Wednesday, you could head up to Denali with the detour to Independence Mine?

If you’re interested, the trip report in my signature has a Matanuska glacier hike, independence mine and some restaurants around Anchorage.

Happy planning :)

I like your 2nd option for Tues......overnighting nr Matanuska. This would enable you to sleep in, then take a leisurely 2 hr drive to Matanuska for an afternoon ice trek. This helps you fill out Wed as well.

Another idea would be to flip the itinerary. Sleep in Tues morning, then start the 5 hr drive to Denali.

I wouldnt kill time in Anchorage, just for the sake of having a lazy day. You're on vacation with lots of daylight ....make the most of your time.

Thank you all for the advice, I was concerned that we had uneven days - too much on Tues with glacier and getting to talkeetna, not enough on Weds with going from talkeetna to Denali

Quick update on our plans and abthank you to all who weighed in. We are gong to head out to Matanuska on Tuesday after coming in very late to anchorage Monday night, but I'm taking everyone's advice to go with an afternoon hike and stay in wasilla area Tuesday night rather than try to get to Talkeetna. Looking at fishing charter early Weds morning on Susitna, then stop in talkeetna for early afternoon lunch, then on to Denali.

I would do a Matansuka hike on the return. Get to Denali your first day- having the entire day to get there. Many stops available and no firm time frame or tours to be concerned with. You have chosen a "basic" trip, you may want to consider looking further for some other interesting features this route can include. Do you have THE MILEPOST? Read over this route.

You will have to enter Hatcher Pass via Palmer, if you didn't already consider this? So, having your overnight in this area offers the ease of scheduling time for both Independence Mine and Matansuka trekking.

Plan carefully your time in Seward, I suggest a lot more, even, boating out to Kenai Fjords twice (which I repetitively do every trip, every trip different) Never, do I ever recommend the bay trips. Especially now with the benefit of big discounts, I'd be sure to make that decision now. In my opinion, Seward is not the place to rush on to a ship, the area can be the highlight- especially if it's not going to be a frequent destination. Taking advantage of the activities there can be significant. I never board ships prior to 6pm :)

Looking at fishing charter early Weds morning on Susitna, then stop in talkeetna for early afternoon lunch, then on to Denali.

Pat with iFishAlaska is my recommendation for fishing in the MatSu region. He's a master at finding the fish.

Great! Thank you.

Talkeetna has airplane tours to see Denali. We really enjoyed that.

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