6 days in Alaska after cruise?

[rt1092]

We will be getting off the ship in Seward on June 1 then spending 6 day in Alaska till we get on the plane in Anchorage on June 7.

I want to do some halibut fishing for a couple of days.

But not sure what to do the rest of the time?

[bearbait]

Rent a car, drive around, see the sites, go with the flow. You have plenty of time to figure it all out. Be flexible, that's how us Alaskans are.

[Alaskanb]

Look at the drives on Alaska.org.

[Budget Queen]

With fishing your priority, I would suggest a round trip car rental from Seward with Hertz. Plan fishing in Homer and Seward for a few days. Then return the car to Seward and take the train to Anchorage. Add touring time in Mat Su/Anchorage/Whittier etc with a round trip Anchorage rental car.

[robbinsca]

We did about the same thing. We rented a car and toured on our own. We went to Talkeetna, and then took a flight seeing tour around Mt. Denali, probably my wife's favorite excursion ever. Talkeetna was so rustic it was fun.

 

We then spent. A couple of nights in a B&B in Healy and went on the bus ride into Denali NP. That was great as well, with lots of wildlife and scenic tundra.

 

The only part we didn't care for was spending time around Anchorage. It is mostly an industrial city. We live in Southern California and have no need to see cities while on vacation.

 

One other thing we really enjoyed was taking a full day harbor cruise out of Seward. I think it is called Kenai Fjords. That was into Glacier bays and near a lot of wildlife.

 

There are plenty of really nice B&B's to stay in so you don't have to "hotel" it everywhere.

[greatam]

IF you REALLY want to go halibut fishing, Homer Alaska is not only the Halibut fishing capital of the world BUT is REALLY a cool little town (we co-own an condo in Homer and IF I COULD (money), I would live there year round..

 

So for your days, I would suggest the following: Get off your ship in Seward, take the Kenai Fords Cruise-the LONGEST one you can take. You WILL NOT be disappointed-do AT LEAST 6 hours on the water. Spend the night in Seward. Get a RT rental car out of Seward. The next day drive to Homer. There are some spectacular DAY (both 1/2 day and full day) fishing trips (I recommend Rainbow tours-the MV Jackpot-they have a kiosk on the boardwalk and a website).

 

BUT for a REALLY spectacular halibut fishing trip, I HIGHLY recommend the overnight trip (Your wife may not particularly appreciate it but I HATE to fish and I do it every year). Two days fishing for just slightly more than a one day fishing trip and DOUBLE the limit. IF the land trip is AFTER the cruise, take you own fish home on the plane with you. NOT only will you save money BUT you KNOW the fish you caught are REALLY the ones YOU caught. We do this EVERY year to fill the freezer with halibut we caught which is about $14-20 per pound in Phoenix.

 

For your wife (if you have one)-tell her to get a GOOD book-, enjoy the ride out to the fishing grounds), catch her two fish IMMEDIATELY after you get to the fishing rounds, then go read her book, sleep a little, enjoy some food, then get up and catch two more fish and be done with it and go back inside the warm cabin.

 

YOU can stay up ALL NIGHT like my DH telling fish stories, catching and releasing hoping for that trophy fish or you can go take a nap between fishing "days". Should satisfy your halibut fishing needs at a REALLY decent price AND you can save a night in a hotel (buy some cheap blankets and pillows if you need to when you drive from Seward to Homer at Fred Myer in Soldotna-MUCH cheaper than a hotel room). http://www.alaskacoastalmarine.com.

 

Enjoy!!! That trip should take up about 3 days-Seward and Homer. You can TRY to make it to Denali if you choose to but be prepared for a long day of driving. You can EASILY spend your six days around Seward and Homer/Soldotna/Ninilchik/Kenai. A LOT to see in the area.

[bearbait]

The only part we didn't care for was spending time around Anchorage. It is mostly an industrial city. We live in Southern California and have no need to see cities while on vacation.

 

 

What? Anchorage is far from being an industrial city. You must not have gotten must past the downtown area. You could have spent a whole day just hiking in Kincaid Park just south of the airport. Incredible views, very diverse eco systems and moose everywhere. You guys missed a lot.

[Budget Queen]

What? Anchorage is far from being an industrial city. You must not have gotten must past the downtown area. You could have spent a whole day just hiking in Kincaid Park just south of the airport. Incredible views, very diverse eco systems and moose everywhere. You guys missed a lot.

 

I think the same. Anchorage certainly is very worthwhile and can offer plenty. :)

 

It's all about time, for many, and it may be omitting Anchorage on a short stay, the least "painful", overall, especially if Denali Park and Kenai Fjords a must??

[chinacat62]

you can fish out of Seward, or drive to Homer for that. We had 7 days in mid june after our cruise last year, and spent it all on the Kenai peninsula, Seward, Homer and Girdwood, and had a great time. I highly recommend a charter fishing trip out of Homer. We did it on a bit of a lark...neither one of us being real fishermen, just thought it would be fun. Turned out to be the most memorable activity of our trip. We did a combo king salmon/halibut trip. Caught a 25lb king, and our limit (4) Halibut. Actually, we caught what seemed like a million halibut, we just kept the 4 biggest though none were really big.

 

keep in mind the halibut limit is one per person in most of Southeast and south central Alaska. In Homer you can keep 2.

 

we had the fish cleaned, filleted, packaged, flash frozen and shipped home by Homer Fish Processing. 45 lbs of halibut in my freezer...yum!!