Alaska cruise DIY help

Going on a cruise in August 2019 on Radiance (southbound). We are wanting to do a land portion for about a week prior to cruise. Besides denali what are the other great areas to visit? Would you recommend one or two nights in denali and what would you suggest doing there? We did go on Alaska cruise four years ago but really only spent a couple days in Anchorage so wanting to branch out a little more. Please give us any ideas on great things to do and see pre cruise.

Are you flying into Anchorage or Fairbanks? We flew into Fairbanks and started from there. We spent two nights in the Denali area and I wish we had had at least one more. One full day (8hrs.) was spent on the tour of the park. We spent one night in Anchorage and I wish we had had more time there too. I would like to have stopped in Girdwood on our way to Seward but our schedule just didn't allow it. We loved our Alaskan adventure, it just wasn't long enough. Here is a link to my cruise review. It'll tell you everything we did between Fairbanks and Seward.

I would spend at least two nights in the Denali area. You'll need to get to Denali and have a full day to take one of the tours of the park. The tours are typically 8 hours or more. That way you could devote a full day getting to the Denali area, a full day for the park and then go from there. It may seem like a waste to devote whole day getting to Denali but you will be amazed at how much there is to see along the way. You'll be stopping more than you thing - I would double any estimate on travel time for this reason. A great side trip on the way to or from Denali is Talkeetna - it's about 15 miles off of the main highway but worth your time. There's a small lake with a flight-seeing float plane business on the right about mid-way from the Parks Highway to Talkeetna. I think they specialize in flying tours of Denali.

If you're really adventurous you could leave the Denali area and head to Fairbanks for a couple nights - use the full day to take a ride up the Dalton Highway (Ice Road Trucker's stomping grounds). We had a great day on the Dalton - the remoteness is interesting. No cellphone, no AM/FM radio, etc. This was actually our favorite day in Alaska - the scenery can go from sparse to lush and beautiful. Do a little investigating about this adventure - you would most likely want to rent a separate specially equipped rental car for the Dalton - it will have a CB radio, a couple spare tires, tool box, first aid kit, etc. A good rental company is Arctic Outfitters. Normal car rental companies don't allow you to take their vehicles on the Dalton...

Have a great time!

Are you flying into Anchorage or Fairbanks? We flew into Fairbanks and started from there. We spent two nights in the Denali area and I wish we had had at least one more. One full day (8hrs.) was spent on the tour of the park. We spent one night in Anchorage and I wish we had had more time there too. I would like to have stopped in Girdwood on our way to Seward but our schedule just didn't allow it. We loved our Alaskan adventure, it just wasn't long enough. Here is a link to my cruise review. It'll tell you everything we did between Fairbanks and Seward.

Thank you for all the information. We wanted to go to Fairbanks this time so we might fly into there instead of anchorage. Loved your review and looking up some of the tours you did. Last time we took the train from Anchorage to Seward and that was one of our favorite things so doing that again but thinking of starting in Fairbanks and ending in Anchorage would be a great idea.

I do not recommend any tour in Denali for independent visitors, only the shuttle bus to at least Eielson. You need 2 nights at Denali. Take some time and read all about the possibilities there, and find out what it's about, and more important- if it is what YOU want to include? Your questions are very general. So, it could be of benefit to take some time and read through a guide book, try your library? There are numerous options. I don't advocate just the popular choices of Denali park and Seward. There is so much more to also consider. Don't underestimate time and distances. In my opinion, the Dalton is a 3 day trip, with my preference to fly one way. Nothing beats seeing that vastness from the air. :) Kind of tough to include that with a week trip, that might also walk the Kenai Peninsula and Denali, as example.

I suggest, taking advantage of being in your cruise ship port. Both Whittier and Seward are very worthwhile to include touring opportunities.

Thank you for all the information. We wanted to go to Fairbanks this time so we might fly into there instead of anchorage. Loved your review and looking up some of the tours you did. Last time we took the train from Anchorage to Seward and that was one of our favorite things so doing that again but thinking of starting in Fairbanks and ending in Anchorage would be a great idea.

We didn't take the train so I can't comment on that experience. We had a car so we drove from Anchorage to Seward. The big advantage of having a car is that you can stop whenever and wherever you want. The Seward Highway is referred to by many as one of the most scenic highways in world.

We flew in to Anchorage and started our touring there. We spent one night in Anchorage, picked up our SUV and then the next day drove up to the Denali area. We stopped in Talkeetna along the way. Not a whole lot to see, but there was some good food and my oldest son got to take a flight lesson (thank you Groupon!).

We stayed in the Glitter Gulch area (had a coupon for a free night at one of the hotels). The next day we went whitewater rafting down the Nenana River and a Midnight ATV ride in an area surrounded on 3 sides by Denali National Park. The next day, we took the park shuttle to Wonder Lake. It was a loooooooong day especially since we didn't get back from our ATV excursion until the wee hours of the morning and then had to be up early to catch the shuttle. Good thing we purchased our shuttle tickets early so we just had to show up and not worry about the lines. We got lucky and were able to see the mountain most of the day. As we left Wonder Lake, the clouds started obscuring the top of the mountain and by the time we got back to Eielson, it was pretty much covered in clouds. If you want to increase your odds of seeing the mountain, you might want to consider multiple trips into the park.

After our 3 nights in Denali, we headed over to Glacier View, AK for 3 nights. My oldest son and I went hiking on the Matanuska Glacier while my now ex and my youngest son (who had broken his foot and couldn't do the hike on the glacier) went to Wasilla to the Iditarod HQ and got a dog sled run in.

We did do the train from Anchorage to Seward and then did a Kenai Fjords tour upon arrival and then the next day, did a behind the scenes tour at the Alaska SeaLife Center before boarding our ship.

So much to see and do and I so want to get back and do a bunch of other stuff. Hopefully next time I'll get to see a bear a little closer up (but not too close!) - that was about the only wildlife we didn't get to see!

I didn't like Denali. However, we had a clear day so I got to see it and so was ready to move on. I would recommend finding something to do for 2 days. I personally, think the options are limited so I would use that as my limiting factor when looking at one or two.

I thought the train between Fairbanks and Anchorage was wonderful for viewing the terrain of Alaska.

We really enjoyed Seward. The Kenai was very good. Enjoyed the train ride there. We took a cruise on a double hull cat which viewed glaciers and lots of wildlife.

cruise.freak: If you decide to visit Denali you need to get into the actual park, so please consider the NPS shuttle into Eielson Visitor's Center. It is full day trip. The NPS website will have a description and link to pre-book shuttle tickets. Also, the NPS website will provide information on some of the NPS programs/options at the park entrance (i.e., the Visitor's Center exhibits, Murie Science Center, sled dog demonstrations and so forth).

In Denali, I see 3 different bus tours offered. Any suggestions as to which one is the best to take?

In Denali, I see 3 different bus tours offered. Any suggestions as to which one is the best to take?

As BQ mentioned above, if you are going independent, the shuttle is really the way to go. It is much cheaper ($40 compared to almost $200) and you can get off and walk around almost anywhere. It goes further into the park than any tour but the Kantishna tour. However, it helps if you have a car so you can drive yourself to the WAC.

Even without a car at Denali there are shuttle services in place that get you to the WAC, where all the park buses leave from. It is important to know details and understand the dynamics of Denali. Don't be a visitor that short changes yourself because you didn't know.

My opinion, the entire reason to go there is to get into the park. It's almost a "crime" :) what some cruise tours sell. Why would anyone pay for a hours of transit- up to 10- and not even get very far into the park? What you get with the NHT as example.