Need help with transportation, please!

[TinkyPatz]

Hello everybody!

 

Here's the deal: I'm considering booking the D4C Cruisetour: 12-day Classic Denali with Holland America.

 

It will be for my honeymoon, we are flying in, but the problem is that I am trying to do a round-trip flight to Seattle (airfare is cheaper and we have family there that we would like to visit.)

 

So, the question is this:

 

I need to go from Seattle to Vancouver when we arrive, and then from Fairbanks back to Seattle for our return flight. Return flight would be at 2:00pm, meaning we would have to be at the airport at around noon.

 

What are your recommendations for these transfers? We prefer scenic routes and don't care how long it takes to get there, but obviously on the way back we do have to be at the airport at a certain time. We are looking for the least expensive transfers.

 

I've been looking online at the many options and, after becoming very overwhelmed, I decided to ask here, just in case someone has done this trip before. Would it be easier/cheaper to get transfers with HAL (do they even offer them) or take a bus, etc?

 

Thank you for any help you can provide!

[BubMunkeyBles]

You're going to have to fly from Fairbanks to Seattle. Or just fly from Fairbanks home. It's over a 2,000 mile drive from Fairbanks to Seattle (yes you read that right). It's a 3 1/2 hour flight (its also a fairly expensive flight). There's probably no way you're going to get back by noon if your cruise comes in the same day you're trying to fly out of Seattle.

 

For Seattle to Vancouver your best bets are amtrak or greyhound or one of the shuttles that goes from the Seattle airport to the port.

[mapleleaves]

As PP suggested you can get from Seattle to Vancouver by Amtrak train, Amtrak bus, QuickCoach bus, or your ship's transfer. ( Or an expensive one way car rental.) The train is the most scenic option as it provides views of the water. Regardless of which option you choose count on at least 4 hrs. Take the evening train the night before your cruise, then you could spend a few hours exploring Stanley Park in the morning before you board.

http://www.amtrakcascades.com/

http://quickcoach.com/

Alaska Airlines has scheduled service daily between Fairbanks and Seattle, usually via Anchorage. The service from Anchorage is almost hourly.

As for the cruise tour, carefully study the details regarding how much time you'll have at each location. Many of those tours don't give you enough to do anything worthwhile, especially at Denali. If you only have 4 or 5 days it would be easy enough to rent a car and reserve hotels on your own. You'd see the same sights as the tour but at YOUR own pace and you'd be able to stop whenever you wanted; to enjoy scenery, wildllife or make a little detour. Driving in Alaska is very simple; for the most part their hwys are only 2 lanes so it's very straightforward.

[Budget Queen]

With your airline booking, have you tried the "multi city" option, and agree, go home from Fairbanks, unless it is more costly rather than doing a round trip Seattle.

 

Just another thought- do you REALLY want to be on a fixed, group, point to point travel on your honeymoon??? Many are EARLY mornings, with long times in transit. Alaska is DARN simple to go on your own, if an option?

[oaktreerb]

First, HAL is great for cruisetours. They are extremely well organized and help you to see a lot of Alaska in a short vacation.

 

Second, if you are going to Denali you need two days otherwise you can say you have been there but you will not really see or experience the park.

 

Third, can you take a two week vacation and take the Amsterdam 14 day itinerary which goes to Kodiak, Homer, and Anchorage? It sails round trip Seattle. That would be a wonderful honeymoon!

[Assateague Island Princes]

I too would suggest the HAL 14 day itinerary, roundtrip from Seattle. I don't think I'd want to be on a cruisetour for my honeymoon!:rolleyes:...but maybe that is just me:p. The 14 day itinerary is wonderful, I've done it twice and would not hesitate to do it again. Great ship, fantastic crew, interesting little visited ports, comfy beds, lots of indoor and outdoor viewing areas on the ship so you could easily book an inside cabin (to save $$$) and still have all the spectacular viewing available to you, plus its roundtrip from Seattle. Granted, this year, it won't sail inside Vancouver Island heading north like it did the two times I was aboard, but I still think it is well worth consideration. Sailing into Homer and Kodiak is just an awesome experience, as is sailing up Cook Inlet to Anchorage itself! Loved the whale watching and bear search in ISP (Shout out to Hope and Dan from Misty Bay Lodge!), and have also enjoyed whale watching with Harv and Marv in Juneau.

 

Great ports, excellent 14 days sailing Alaska - can't be beat!

[TheCalicoCat]

We are taking Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver for our cruise.

 

(Ditto skipping the land tour from your honeymoon - a whole lot of busses & trains with SEVERAL of you new best friends comes to my mind - not very romantic.)