10 Days in Alaska - Help Needed!

[micruiser12]

We will have approximately 10 days to spend on a vacation to Alaska, not counting travel time there and back. We are thinking of doing a cruisetour first of Fairbanks(1 night) and Denali (2 nights), then cruising from Seward to Vancouver. Therefore, I believe we would have to fly into Anchorage and fly out of Vancouver.

 

We prefer private excursions, but since we have no experience with Alaska, I was thinking the best thing would be to go with the cruisetour and then maybe take private excursions off of the ship ports.

 

Has anyone done this route with the cruisetour and arriving and leaving from different airports? This may be our only time in Alaska so want to do the highlights given our limited time. Any suggestions based on your experience with Alaska would be great!

[Budget Queen]

If you have Fairbanks in a cruisetour, you are flying to/from there.

 

do you have a cruisetour selected??

 

The biggest problem with a 3 day cruisetour, is most of the time is in transit, and little is at destinations. In your example, you won't see very much of Fairbanks.

 

Fairbanks/Denali is 2+ hours via road. You need a full day in Denali Park. Denali /Anchorage is 6 hours by road, and another 3 to Seward. The train is longer.

 

You really need a hard look at adding time.

[mapleleaves]

is this for 2012 or 2013?

People frequently fly into one airport and out of another, especially with cruises. And since Vancouver flights can be pricey, people often take a bus or train to Seattle after the cruise to fly out of SeaTac.

Since you prefer private excursions, I would recommend a DIY land tour over a cruisetour. Alaska is so easy to drive; there's only one hwy between Fairbanks and Anchorage, only 2 lanes for the most part, so it's virtually impossible to get lost! :) Having a car would allow you the freedom to see what you want to see and at your own pace. And the ability to make little side trips or stop for wildllife sightings.

One way car rentals are pricey, but then again, so are cruisetours.

day 1 sightsee around Fairbanks. Drive to Denali after dinner 2 hrs or overnight in Fairbanks

Day 2 drive to Denali, take the noon shuttle into the park. Overnight in Healy.

Day 3 leisurely drive with stops to Anc to overnight ( 5 hrs).

Day 4 morning train to Seward to board the ship.

See how easy!

If you're not specifically interested in Fairbanks, it would be much cheaper to fly into Anchorage and get a RT car rental.

But if you are more comfortable with a cruisetour, just look down the page or the last couple of pages and you'll find information from people who took cruisetours. Did you read any of the Member Reviews on the review forum? They are usually very detailed and very informative.

[micruiser12]

Thanks! I appreciate your replies!

[JJPacer]

We planned our own land tour prior to boarding a S/B from Whittier. With a little research, we planned 8 days land tour and was able to include everything we wanted to do. Our price was much less than the packaged cruisetours. I took some time, but we are quite satisfied with our plans and feel we will really "see" Alaska, Denali, Seward, Anchorage, and Whittier (Prince William Sound) . Look into it, and see what you can come up with.

[micruiser12]

We planned our own land tour prior to boarding a S/B from Whittier. With a little research, we planned 8 days land tour and was able to include everything we wanted to do. Our price was much less than the packaged cruisetours. I took some time, but we are quite satisfied with our plans and feel we will really "see" Alaska, Denali, Seward, Anchorage, and Whittier (Prince William Sound) . Look into it, and see what you can come up with.

 

Did you rent a car and do all on your own excursions or incorporate some guides or bus tours, etc in the landtour portion of your trip? I am not really sure where to begin with that.

[mapleleaves]

Did you rent a car and do all on your own excursions or incorporate some guides or bus tours, etc in the landtour portion of your trip? I am not really sure where to begin with that.

 

Best place to begin ... borrow from the library or buy an Alaska travel book, like Frommers to learn about the various destinations and the sights, activities, lodging, excursions, etc. Also, look at web sites. If you plan to visit Denali: http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/index.htm

Most towns promote tourism so they have very informative web sites. Google any town's name followed by 'visitor information' or 'chamber of commerce', ie Seward is www.seward.com

The Alaska Railroad is: www.alaskarailroad.com

Read Member Reviews on cruises and ports; lots of great info.

[ULCajunCruiser]

I agree with the posters above. You can almost certainly do more for less on your own. Just do some research decide what you want to do in Alaska, and how much time you have to do it in. You may not have to do a one way rental. Fly into Anchorage and rent there, drive yourself to whereever and then just end up back in Anchorage where you can take a train or bus to Seward!!

 

Last year we were only able to spend 3 days there, after our cruise, but we made the most of it with a full day at Denali!!! You can get most any question answered here!!

 

You can see some of my pictures here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1574293

 

Good luck and have a great time!!!

[micruiser12]

Thanks, again! I will take your advise and do some research. I just bought a Frommer's Alaska book to help us out with the decision making.

Will check out other posters advise. I always find CC posters so helpful!

 

It helped me plan all private tours when we went to the Med last Fall.

 

Anybody that has more advise on Alaska, please post. I am reviewing everything now as we try to narrow down our choices!

[JJPacer]

We did not incorperate any tours. We bought the Alaska Tour Saver coupon book for $99.00, and we are using quite a few of those coupons. Buy one get one free, or stay one night and get the second night free. It's saving us about 1 K by using the coupons. Since the coupon book had many of the train routes 2 for 1 we are using the train exclusively on this trip. If we didn't have the coupon book, we would rent a car and only take the train to Seward for the scenery, and the 1 way train to Whittier. Here's our itinerary. I hope it helps you plan your own. You have to do what interests you.

 

Fri. 8/10 ARRIVE Anchorage 10 P.M. spend 1 night Confort Suites Creek Street free breakfast , airport shuttle & train shuttle

Sat. 8/11 Take train to Denali. Leave 8:15 arrive Denali 3:45 PM McKinley Express 2 for 1 coupon

Sat. Denali 8/11/12 & Sun 8/12/12 Princess Wilderness Lodge 2 nights 2 adults 2 for 1 coupon

SUN. 8/12/12 Wonder Lake Shuttle Bus 6:45AM 11 hours

Mon. 8/13 DENALI BLUFFS LODGE 2 nights 2 for 1 coupon Shuttle to Wonderake 9:15.

If you buy 2 tickets on a shuttle bus in Denali to the same location, you get the 3rd trip free. You can get off anywhere on the route. We do not plan to go to Wonderlake 3 days in row, but we thought it would increase our chances of seeing Mt. McKinley to have the time reserved. Thus, we can take advantage of good weather days.

Arrive Denali Visitor Center for the DOG kennels 9:15 Take courtesy bus. Programs are given rain or shine. No fees or reservations Demonstrations are given three times daily in peak season, at 10 am, 2 pm and 4 pm.

8:30 PM Cabin Nite dinner theater 2 for1 coupon Tu 8/14 Shuttle Bus Wonder Lake 7:15AM Free buy 2 get 3rd free

Wed. 8/15 Canyon Run Rafting 7:30-11:00 2 for 1 coupon

Train leaves for Anchorage at 12:25 take McKinley express from Denali to Anchorage arrives 8:00 PM RT paid for above

ARRIVE ANCHORAGE Wed. 8/15 8:00 PM

Wed. 8/15 - 8/18 3 nights Hampton Inn incl. breakfast & train shuttle

Th 8/16 Seward L 6:45 AM A 11:05 AM 2 for 1 coupon RT

Return to Anchorage L Seward 6:00 PM A Anchorage 10:15 PM

Fri. 8/17 Anchorage Visit Earthquake Museum 2 for 1 Other site seeing

ARRIVE WHITTIER

Sat. 8/18 L Anchorage 9:45 AM A Whittier 12:05 PM

Drop luggage at Princess cruise terminal Or leave with train in Anchorage

Do Prince William Sound Glacier Tour 12:15 AM -5:30

Cruise Begins!!!! Aug. 18 Board ship after the PWS tour

Tues. 8/21 Skagway rent car drive to Emeral lake and back Use Murray’s Guide 8:00 AM – 5 PM Take passports and water

Wed. Aug. 22 Juneau Whale Watching & Wildlife Tour PU 9AM at Dock Rtn 12PM 2 for 1 and Mount Roberts Tramway 2 for 1 coupon

Aug. 23 Ketchikan Do walking Tour. Visit Married Man Creek, take shuttle to Eagle Creek and totem Village, shop Creek Street, Eagle preservation, fish hatchery, possibly hike.

[micruiser12]

Thanks so much JJ Pacer! I will review your itinerary and look into those coupons! We want to travel about the same time as you only in 2013. We don't have that schedule yet. It is our Anniversary month, but would pick another month depending on schedules and pricing. Why did you pick August and was the pricing any better then? Where did you find coupons?

[mapleleaves]

There are 2 coupon books. The next year's book is generally available around the end of November. Some vendors only accept a limited number of coupons each day, and sometimes you must have the coupon number to make the reservation.

The Alaska Toursaver is $100 http://www.toursaver.com/

 

The Northern Lights is $50

http://alaska-discounts.com/Participants.htm#Top

 

JJPacers itinerary is nice, but you said you only had 10 days which included the cruise. Hope you are thinking of adding more time, even another day or 2 can make such a difference.

BTW, since you're thinking of 2013, watch the Enterprise Rental Car site starting July. For the past few years they've offered super deals, ie $99 a week for an economy car. It will only be available for a week or 2 so you need to watch for it and be ready to act.

[micruiser12]

There are 2 coupon books. The next year's book is generally available around the end of November. Some vendors only accept a limited number of coupons each day, and sometimes you must have the coupon number to make the reservation.

The Alaska Toursaver is $100 http://www.toursaver.com/

 

The Northern Lights is $50

http://alaska-discounts.com/Participants.htm#Top

 

JJPacers itinerary is nice, but you said you only had 10 days which included the cruise. Hope you are thinking of adding more time, even another day or 2 can make such a difference.

BTW, since you're thinking of 2013, watch the Enterprise Rental Car site starting July. For the past few years they've offered super deals, ie $99 a week for an economy car. It will only be available for a week or 2 so you need to watch for it and be ready to act.

 

Thanks, Maplesleaves! will look out for these coupons and think about car rental option.

[micruiser12]

Forgot to mention that we thinking of adding on another day or so. We both still work so can't be gone for more than 2 weeks, including travel time there and back. Also, want to take a day or so to spend in Vancouver. Wish we could spend more time!

[Budget Queen]

Forgot to mention that we thinking of adding on another day or so. We both still work so can't be gone for more than 2 weeks, including travel time there and back. Also, want to take a day or so to spend in Vancouver. Wish we could spend more time!

 

It is very beneficial to go for as long as you can. The added time is really necessary for interior Alaska travel. Many people "work" full time, including myself. I am able to swap pass days, which is an excellent perk available to me.

 

Key, is to have a well thought out plan, which is realistic for transits and time at destinations. Many times, less is more. Forget the long distance marathon drives in preference of near by destinations and activities. There are a LOT of options all over Alaska.

[islandchick]

Don't do a cruise tour. Rent a car and drive to Denali. Take the national park shuttle bus to wonder lake (its hop on hop off) where you will most likely see lots of wildlife including grizzlies. (make sure you book this very soon).

[Budget Queen]

Don't do a cruise tour. Rent a car and drive to Denali. Take the national park shuttle bus to wonder lake (its hop on hop off) where you will most likely see lots of wildlife including grizzlies. (make sure you book this very soon).

 

There is no rush in booking Denali shuttle buses- IF you are not firm with plans. Seats are held back and released 3 dayus ahead at 7am,and I've had no problem getting any bus I want. :)