Change itinerary due to seasickness worries?

[perlgirlnj]

Here's where I'd left the itinerary when I last consulted the boards:

 

Day 1—July 31st—Saturday—Arrive, pick up car rental & explore Anchorage, depending on flight time & whether or not we’re awake. Overnight Anchorage

 

Day 2—August 1st—Sunday—Drive along Turnagain Arm to Seward. Possible activities en route or in Seward: Girdwood for aerial tram, Portage Glacier visitors center, Exit Glacier, Alaska Sea Life center. (2- 4 hours drive, maybe more with stops) Overnight Seward

 

Day 3—August 2nd—Monday—Seward; Take Kenai Fjords scenic boat ride, Exit Glacier & hike if didn’t do this the day before, etc. Recover from seasickness…………. Overnight Seward

 

Day 4—August 3rd—Tuesday—Drive from Seward to Talkeetna. (250 miles? Expect it to take all day with stops, etc. Stop at Wasilla for snacks & food.) Evening flightseeing trip (IS THIS REALISTIC? Or would it be more realistic to do this the next morning?) Overnight Talkeetna

 

Day 5—August 4th—Wednesday— Drive to Denali and go to park visitors’ centers, see dogsled demonstration, take hike(s) around park entrance (whatever fits in) then do 6:30 PM Scenic Wilderness float trip with Denali Outdoor Center. (2- 4 hour drive, maybe more with stops) Overnight Denali

 

Day 6—August 5th—Thursday—Full day park tour. Park shuttle or park tour to Wonder Lake? Overnight Denali

 

Day 7—August 6th—Friday—Drive to Anchorage, picking up stops we didn’t get on the way up. Sightsee Anchorage if we arrive early enough; if not, that’s okay too! Return car rental. (6 hour drive or more depending on stops.) Overnight Anchorage

 

Day 8—August 7th—Saturday—Bus or train to Whittier, possible PWS glacier boat trip, board ship. Overnight on ship

 

The more I read the more worried I get about seasickness with the Kenai Fjords boats. Given that there's some redundancy between the Kenai Fjords boat excursion and the PWS boat excursion, should I consider canning the KF trip? And if that's the case, should I even be going to Seward, since that's the whole point of Seward (or at least a major point)?

If I took out the Kenai Fjords boat ride, what should I do instead? And if I take out Seward, where should we go instead? HELP!!!!

 

Thanks.

[PennyAgain]

By going to Seward, you are going a long way out of your way to get to Denali. Driving in Alaska is nothing like driving on interstate highways in the lower 48 states. You need a lot more time and a lot more patience especially during high tourist season.

 

You will be at the peak of the busy/high tourist season!

 

I would rethink the Seward part of your trip. Seasickness is a risk, but also spending so much of your vacation stuck in road traffic is a bigger risk.

 

You don't say where you live, but you may not be thinking clearing on the realities of driving in Alaska during the peak of tourist season.

[vbmom87]

I am one who was violently seasick once in my life. It caught me totally by surprise since I never been motion sick in my life. We were crossing Lake Michigan on a ferry. I was never so miserable in my life. In spite of that experience, I still booked the Northwestern Fjord Kenai Fjords boat tour. I talked with my doctor, took precautions and enjoyed the trip. It wasn't the favorite thing I did in Alaska, but I did enjoy it and we loved Seward. It is a great little Alaskan town. We LOVED the Sealife Center and really enjoyed our hike to Exit Glacier. Only you can decide if Seward is a place you want to see. With your seasickness concerns I would suggest the 6 hour tour rather than the 9 hour tour. My DH, who was using the patch, thought the 9 hour was too long. On the way back we hit very high waves (7-8 ft) The boat was literally rocking and rolling and bouncing up and down. If you weren't seasick it was like a fun amusement park ride. ;). In spite of my precautions (bonine and wrist band) I did get queasy a few times. However, 2 ginger root capsules did the trick and I was never sick. I really would not let the possibility of seasickness change your plans. If it is someplace you want to go, just check with your doctor about precautions and go enjoy this great Alaskan experience.

[bearbait]

Go to Seward you have plenty of time. You don't need to rethink that part of your trip.

On Sunday the traffic will be heading in the opposite direction that your going anyway.

The Seward Highway is an excellent road.

 

As for the seasickness. Don't over think this. Go to the doctor and gets some meds if you have to. You'll be glad you did the trip.

[Budget Queen]

First off, the Prince William Sound boat tours and Kenai Fjords boat tours are NOT the same, and actually have little in common. Kenai Fjords is varied wildlife, PWS, is glaciers.

 

Only you can decide what to do. AND consult a health care professional about sea sickness precautions.

 

It doesn't appear by your post you are aware of differences, but there is no "tour bus" of Wonder Lake. That is a bus stop with the same shuttle bus as Eielson, Toklat.

[perlgirlnj]

Okay, you have re-assured me and I will keep with the plan. I definitely was over-thinking this. I'll call my doctor and get the patch for myself, DH & DD.

 

BQ, thanks for the info about the two boat rides being different. I asked DH last night whether he preferred wildlife or glaciers. He answered "wildlife" and I answered "glaciers" so it looks like both boat excursions are worthwhile to us!

 

Also, I used the wrong word about the Denali trip. I've changed my own notes to read "shuttle" instead of "tour". It's not worth my re-posting the whole itinerary though! :)

 

vbmom87, I think you're right and we will take the shorter tour that goes into the park (NOT the Resurrection Bay tour). Six hours seems like the right compromise. What are ginger root capsules and where do you get them? Do they work right away?

 

Are some boats steadier and less prone to motion? Which company or boat should I look at?

 

Pennyagain, it's true that Seward is "out of the way" to Denali, but we have a full week and were looking for something worth seeing in addition to Denali. Most tour books and posts around here say that Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park are really worth it. Just for my own info, if we didn't go to Seward, what would we do with the additional half-week that we've planned for our land trip? I couldn't figure out anything else that was both fantastic and at all drivable. But it sounds like it's going to be Seward after all.

 

Thanks everyone!

[Budget Queen]

What are ginger root capsules and where do you get them? Do they work right away?

 

Are some boats steadier and less prone to motion? Which company or boat should I look at?

 

Pennyagain, it's true that Seward is "out of the way" to Denali, but we have a full week and were looking for something worth seeing in addition to Denali. Most tour books and posts around here say that Seward and Kenai Fjords National Park are really worth it. Just for my own info, if we didn't go to Seward, what would we do with the additional half-week that we've planned for our land trip? I couldn't figure out anything else that was both fantastic and at all drivable. But it sounds like it's going to be Seward after all.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

The Ginger caps are available at health food stores. I suggest you go with one of the two major Kenai Fjords boat tour companies. IF you have the interest, a coupon book purchase could offer you discounts on flightseeing, rafting, Kenai Fjords boat tours, and PWS boat tours. I would just go with that.

 

Other than Seward, a loop via the Glenn, and ferry to/from Valdez, is also spectacular to consider. :)

[vbmom87]

 

vbmom87, I think you're right and we will take the shorter tour that goes into the park (NOT the Resurrection Bay tour). Six hours seems like the right compromise. What are ginger root capsules and where do you get them? Do they work right away??!

 

I bought my ginger root capsules at a local health food store. I believe they were about 500 mg capsules and I took two each time I became queasy. I had to take them several times on the trip. The calming effect did last for several hours though. I think I bought Nature's Way brand, but I don't think it much matters which brand. I do have to say they worked very fast. As soon as I felt the least bit queasy I took two with some water. They worked before I got into any kind of trouble, which is important. Once you get seasick it is difficult to relieve it. If I were to repeat this trip, I would probably take two capsules about a half hour before the trip. I also used them a few times on the cruise ship when I became queasy, with the same result. I am convinced that they help. I did a LOT of research on seasickness before this trip. I did not want a repeat experience of that ferry ride I had over 30 years ago. Over and over I read of people having great success with ginger. I am a believer!!!! ;)

 

From all I have read, I think the 6 hour trip goes to a better glacier with more opportunity to see calving. We saw no calving at all at the Northwestern Fjord Glacier and the glacier itself was not impressive after cruising Glacier Bay and College Fjords.

 

Are some boats steadier and less prone to motion? Which company or boat should I look at?!

 

Not sure about what type of boat would be best. There are many disagreements about that from all I have read. We booked based on coupon, and I would suggest you do the same. You can save a lot of money that way. They all travel the same waters. I hope you have smooth waters. I know this year I read many trip reports where people had smooth sailing for the Kenai Fjords tours. On our day we met some locals on the trip who had been on the tour many times. They said our ride was the worst they had experienced. Like I said, with my ginger I did great and I really enjoyed the rocking and rolling of the boat. It truly was like a fun amusement park ride.