Pre-Cruise Transportation

[namaste1223]

We're thinking of taking a pre-cruise land tour of Alaska. We would begin in Fairbanks and end in Anchorage. My question is, what would be the cheapest way to handle transportation? We would fly in from New York. Would it be better to fly directly to Fairbanks, or to Seattle or Vancouver and then take land transportation to Fairbanks? Same thing for Anchorage to Seattle to begin our cruise. Fly or land? At the end of the cruise, we would fly from Seattle back to New York. I looked at booking Anchorage to Seattle as a one-way separate from the round trip Seattle to New York and also as a multi-destination package and they were within a couple of hundred dollars of each other. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!

[Northern Aurora]

There is no train link between Alaska and the 48 contiguous states. Realistically, you will be flying to and from Alaska. That being said, some people think the best vacation they ever had was driving an RV up the Alcan Highway and spending the summer in Alaska.

[AKman2495]

The land option is not good if you are in a hurry. It will take you at least a week-more like two to drive the Alcan highway.

 

Normally, if you want to do a pre cruise tour in the Anchorage/fairbanks area it is best to book a southbound cruise. That way you can begin in Alaska and end in Seattle or Vancouver. It makes no sense to fly to Alaska, tour around and than sail from Seattle back to Alaska only to fly back to New York.

 

Look into a 1 way NY to Fairbanks, then you will need a 1 way from Seattle or Vancouver back to New York.

 

That makes the most sense.

[namaste1223]

The land option is not good if you are in a hurry. It will take you at least a week-more like two to drive the Alcan highway.

 

Normally, if you want to do a pre cruise tour in the Anchorage/fairbanks area it is best to book a southbound cruise. That way you can begin in Alaska and end in Seattle or Vancouver. It makes no sense to fly to Alaska, tour around and than sail from Seattle back to Alaska only to fly back to New York.

 

Look into a 1 way NY to Fairbanks, then you will need a 1 way from Seattle or Vancouver back to New York.

 

That makes the most sense.

 

Thank you for the advice. The only problem is that the cruise we want to take is round trip to and from Seattle. That's why we would have to fly to Fairbanks, do our land tour, get to Seattle for the cruise and then after the cruise fly home Seattle to NY. Sorry if I didn't make it clear in my original post that the cruise was round trip... Did you mean it would take two weeks to drive the Alcan Highway from Seattle/Vancouver or from NY? My uncle helped build the Alcan Highway when he was in the Army Engineer Corps, I think during WWII!

[namaste1223]

There is no train link between Alaska and the 48 contiguous states. Realistically, you will be flying to and from Alaska. That being said, some people think the best vacation they ever had was driving an RV up the Alcan Highway and spending the summer in Alaska.

 

Thank you for the advice. It looks like flying might be our only option...

[mapleleaves]

if you were interested in a mid-May trip, and would enjoy some cross country travel, you could drive a new RV from the manufacturer in Iowa, to Anchorage.

Great Alaska Holidays and ABC Motorhome both have this program every year. It's very popular .... they generally have about 50 RV's to get to Anchorage by the end of May. You get a reduced rental rate for the 2 week trip. It would certainly be an adventure !

[namaste1223]

if you were interested in a mid-May trip, and would enjoy some cross country travel, you could drive a new RV from the manufacturer in Iowa, to Anchorage.

Great Alaska Holidays and ABC Motorhome both have this program every year. It's very popular .... they generally have about 50 RV's to get to Anchorage by the end of May. You get a reduced rental rate for the 2 week trip. It would certainly be an adventure !

 

I would love this! However, since both my husband and I are teachers, we're in school until the end of June. I'll note this info. for future use. Maybe when we retire...:D

[bonvoyagie]

Some friends of mine went from Portland OR to Anchorage in an RV - they spent a total of 6 wks - it took them a little over a week to drive up there. The road is the only land based transportation option to get to AK.

 

To get to Fairbanks you will probably have to fly through Seattle and then to AK. I found that it is cheaper to fly to Anchorage by several hundred $$. You can easily use Anchorage as a base and either rent a car, use the Grey lines tours, or the AK RR or a combination of all three to get around.

 

Both Grey lines and the AKRR have tour packages - check their web sites.

 

Like others have said, rather than doing a RT cruise out of Seattle - do a one way from Seward to Vancouver BC - most cruise lines that run these one way trips visit the same places as the RTs - Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan as well as Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. About the only place you won't see is Victoria BC as that is usually used by the Seattle RTs to call a foreign port.

 

I think that you will find June a nice time to visit AK.

[namaste1223]

Some friends of mine went from Portland OR to Anchorage in an RV - they spent a total of 6 wks - it took them a little over a week to drive up there. The road is the only land based transportation option to get to AK.

 

To get to Fairbanks you will probably have to fly through Seattle and then to AK. I found that it is cheaper to fly to Anchorage by several hundred $$. You can easily use Anchorage as a base and either rent a car, use the Grey lines tours, or the AK RR or a combination of all three to get around.

 

Both Grey lines and the AKRR have tour packages - check their web sites.

 

Like others have said, rather than doing a RT cruise out of Seattle - do a one way from Seward to Vancouver BC - most cruise lines that run these one way trips visit the same places as the RTs - Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan as well as Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. About the only place you won't see is Victoria BC as that is usually used by the Seattle RTs to call a foreign port.

 

I think that you will find June a nice time to visit AK.

 

Thank you for the suggestions! I love the RV idea and will keep it in mind for a retirement trip. In the meantime, I'll look into the other suggestions. I really like the round-trip Seattle cruise, but I'm open to considering other options!

[MSMcDuffy]

Thank you for the suggestions! I love the RV idea and will keep it in mind for a retirement trip. In the meantime, I'll look into the other suggestions. I really like the round-trip Seattle cruise, but I'm open to considering other options![/quote]

 

While I'm sure you'd have a wonderful time on a RT Seattle cruise, did you know that it is less scenic than RT Vancouver or a one-way cruise (Whittier/Seward-Vanc)? I ask this since it appears that $ is not a deciding factor for you and it seems that more people tend to choose Seattle because the airfare is less expensive. The last day at sea is in the open ocean and not East of Vancouver Island like the others are.

 

I know you might already be aware of this but thought I'd mention it just in case you're not.:)

[scraplady]

We have booked a tour cruise with HAL that goes from Anchorage to Seward or Skagway where we board the ship and cruise to Vancouver. By booking the land tour, the transportation is solved, you see a lot why we are going to Alaska, and I don't have to deal with logistics of transportation. We will be on a train, bus and river boat during the tour.

[Budget Queen]

IF you want to tour inteiror Alaska, I would not consider any cruise except a one way. There are several excellent cruises to consider, that are superior to some round trip Seattle sailings. All the one ways would have superior scenic sailing.

 

Have you determined what is in Fairbanks, that will occupy your time?? How much time are you adding? Will you be spending time in Denali Park? Talkeetna? Seward? Whittier? etc etc etc???

 

Find ALL this stuff out first before you get into the idea of "Fairbanks".

[namaste1223]

While I'm sure you'd have a wonderful time on a RT Seattle cruise, did you know that it is less scenic than RT Vancouver or a one-way cruise (Whittier/Seward-Vanc)? I ask this since it appears that $ is not a deciding factor for you and it seems that more people tend to choose Seattle because the airfare is less expensive. The last day at sea is in the open ocean and not East of Vancouver Island like the others are.

 

I know you might already be aware of this but thought I'd mention it just in case you're not.:)

 

When we first started looking at Alaska cruises, we knew we wanted one that cruised Glacier Bay. If I remember correctly, only 3 cruise lines cruise Glacier Bay (NCL, HAL and I think Princess), so our choice will be limited to those 3 lines. Thank you for pointing out the difference between sailing in the open ocean vs. East of Vancouver Island. You are absolutely right! If we go with NCL, we'll have to wait until 2013 for their Vancouver to Whittier that includes both Glacier Bay and the inside Vancouver Island cruising (Unfortunately, the southbound doesn't include Glacier Bay). I'll now take a look at HAL and Princess. Thank you for pointing out the east of Vancouver Island consideration. I know doing a land tour and then cruising is optimal, but we may have to do it the other way around if we decide the northbound cruise itinerary is the best fit for us. Back to researching...:)

[namaste1223]

We have booked a tour cruise with HAL that goes from Anchorage to Seward or Skagway where we board the ship and cruise to Vancouver. By booking the land tour, the transportation is solved, you see a lot why we are going to Alaska, and I don't have to deal with logistics of transportation. We will be on a train, bus and river boat during the tour.

 

Thank you for the info. I'll take a look at HAL...

[namaste1223]

IF you want to tour inteiror Alaska, I would not consider any cruise except a one way. There are several excellent cruises to consider, that are superior to some round trip Seattle sailings. All the one ways would have superior scenic sailing.

 

Have you determined what is in Fairbanks, that will occupy your time?? How much time are you adding? Will you be spending time in Denali Park? Talkeetna? Seward? Whittier? etc etc etc???

 

Find ALL this stuff out first before you get into the idea of "Fairbanks".

 

I think you've all convinced me to look at one-way sailings. You are right about the routes and scenery. Thank you! Regarding Fairbanks, we've decided to include a stop there because we would like to do some kind of Arctic Circle excursion. My daughter, who is an Environmental Studies major, has requested this. Whether or not we go all the way to Barrow or Prudhoe Bay, I don't know. It's very expensive...:eek: She also has a friend who attends the University of Fairbanks. We plan to spend a couple of days in Fairbanks, then travel to Denali and spend at least 2 days there. I'm not sure yet if we'll stop in Talkeetna. After that, Anchorage. Among other things, we'd like to visit the Native Heritage Center and the Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage. Obviously we have more research to do...We have yet to hammer out the particulars, but we're working on it! Of course, suggestions are always welcome!

[AKman2495]

Thank you for the advice. The only problem is that the cruise we want to take is round trip to and from Seattle. That's why we would have to fly to Fairbanks, do our land tour, get to Seattle for the cruise and then after the cruise fly home Seattle to NY. Sorry if I didn't make it clear in my original post that the cruise was round trip... Did you mean it would take two weeks to drive the Alcan Highway from Seattle/Vancouver or from NY? My uncle helped build the Alcan Highway when he was in the Army Engineer Corps, I think during WWII!

 

THat 2 weeks is from Fairbanks to Seattle. That's if everything goes well and you are not in a hurry. ir can be done in a week, but it is a lot off nothing but 12/14 hours of driving everyday. Not much fun...

 

Another thing, from your posts toy express the desire to go to a lot of places like THe north slope (Barrow, Prudhoe bay) and to THe heritage center and the Wildlife conservation center.

 

I think it might be best for you to get a reality check as to the distances you are looking at. From Fairbanks to Prudhoe bay is 500 miles on a haul road. My daughter and a friend drove it one summer-it took about a week round trip.

 

It is expensive to get to places like that and Barrow because it is so far away from anything else. THe only way to get to Barrow is by plane-and you are going in the middle of tourist season. Practically, either one of those trips is a whole day round trip from fairbanks. The drive to Anchorage (if you take your time and stop to see stuff) is a day. If you want to see Denali along the way add at least another day. The heritage center is a nice visit as is the wildlife center -but they are far apart. It is a good 2 hour drive from the heritage center to the wildlife center-that makes for a whole day.

 

How many days are you planning to be up here. hat will be a big factor in just how much you can do.

 

I am glad you see the benefit of a one--way cruise. That is the most practical way to see as much of Alaska as you can in t he time you have.

 

I have been here 32 years and have travelled extensively in the state and I have yet to see most of it. A 2 week vacation will be limited by necessity-at least get the biggest value for the time you have up here.

[namaste1223]

THat 2 weeks is from Fairbanks to Seattle. That's if everything goes well and you are not in a hurry. ir can be done in a week, but it is a lot off nothing but 12/14 hours of driving everyday. Not much fun...

 

Another thing, from your posts toy express the desire to go to a lot of places like THe north slope (Barrow, Prudhoe bay) and to THe heritage center and the Wildlife conservation center.

 

I think it might be best for you to get a reality check as to the distances you are looking at. From Fairbanks to Prudhoe bay is 500 miles on a haul road. My daughter and a friend drove it one summer-it took about a week round trip.

 

It is expensive to get to places like that and Barrow because it is so far away from anything else. THe only way to get to Barrow is by plane-and you are going in the middle of tourist season. Practically, either one of those trips is a whole day round trip from fairbanks. The drive to Anchorage (if you take your time and stop to see stuff) is a day. If you want to see Denali along the way add at least another day. The heritage center is a nice visit as is the wildlife center -but they are far apart. It is a good 2 hour drive from the heritage center to the wildlife center-that makes for a whole day.

 

How many days are you planning to be up here. hat will be a big factor in just how much you can do.

 

I am glad you see the benefit of a one--way cruise. That is the most practical way to see as much of Alaska as you can in t he time you have.

 

I have been here 32 years and have travelled extensively in the state and I have yet to see most of it. A 2 week vacation will be limited by necessity-at least get the biggest value for the time you have up here.

 

Thank you for your advice! I was originally asking about an alternative to flying only to go from Anchorage back to Seattle to meet up with the cruise, but now that we've set our sights on a one-way cruise, that's become a moot point. As far as Barrow or Prudhoe Bay, I know we would have to fly...that's why I know it would be so expensive!:eek: Our plan (now) is to fly into Fairbanks and do a fly/drive Arctic Circle excursion (or something similar), maybe see some other sights and after 2 days, maybe take the train to Denali. We would plan to spend at least 2 days there and possibly also stop in Talkeetna for a day or so. Then on to Anchorage for 2 or 3 days. During that time we would take time to see the Heritage Center and travel to the Wildlife Conservation Center (not necessarily in the same day). I'm sure there are other things in Anchorage (and elsewhere) that we might want to add after further research. We're figuring on about a week pre-cruise. Does this sound realistic?

[AKman2495]

Thank you for your advice! I was originally asking about an alternative to flying only to go from Anchorage back to Seattle to meet up with the cruise, but now that we've set our sights on a one-way cruise, that's become a moot point. As far as Barrow or Prudhoe Bay, I know we would have to fly...that's why I know it would be so expensive!:eek: Our plan (now) is to fly into Fairbanks and do a fly/drive Arctic Circle excursion (or something similar), maybe see some other sights and after 2 days, maybe take the train to Denali. We would plan to spend at least 2 days there and possibly also stop in Talkeetna for a day or so. Then on to Anchorage for 2 or 3 days. During that time we would take time to see the Heritage Center and travel to the Wildlife Conservation Center (not necessarily in the same day). I'm sure there are other things in Anchorage (and elsewhere) that we might want to add after further research. We're figuring on about a week pre-cruise. Does this sound realistic?

 

Yes, a week should work.

 

Good luck in planning the details.....

[Northern Aurora]

Since your daughter is an Environmental Studies major she should find a trip to the Arctic Circle quite interesting. The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is a science focused institution, and is doing quite a bit of work on climate change and other environmental issues. While you didn't state whether she is an undergraduate or graduate student, she may find some of the research quite interesting. She may want to spend some time on the UAF website. She also would find the Museum of the North (located on the UAF campus) quite interesting.

 

If you are interested in driving to the Arctic Circle be forewarned that a number of rental car companies prohibit driving their vehicles on the Dalton Highway (aka the Haul Road).

[namaste1223]

Since your daughter is an Environmental Studies major she should find a trip to the Arctic Circle quite interesting. The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) is a science focused institution, and is doing quite a bit of work on climate change and other environmental issues. While you didn't state whether she is an undergraduate or graduate student, she may find some of the research quite interesting. She may want to spend some time on the UAF website. She also would find the Museum of the North (located on the UAF campus) quite interesting.

 

If you are interested in driving to the Arctic Circle be forewarned that a number of rental car companies prohibit driving their vehicles on the Dalton Highway (aka the Haul Road).

 

My daughter is a senior this year and will be graduating in May.:D Right now she's leaning towards working awhile before applying to graduate school. You're right: she would be very interested in the Museum of the North. I will certainly tell her about the UAF website. She did a summer program a couple of years ago and became friends with a UAF student, so she may already know about it.

I think we're going to go the route of an organized excursion (don't know which one yet) for our Arctic Circle adventure. Besides the time factor and car rental damage factor, I'd be nervous to go it alone without cell phone service or any other way to get help if a medical or mechanical emergency should arise. Once we've seen the Dalton Highway in person, maybe we'll decide to be more adventurous if we go again...Thank you for the help!

[Budget Queen]

My daughter is a senior this year and will be graduating in May.:D Right now she's leaning towards working awhile before applying to graduate school. You're right: she would be very interested in the Museum of the North. I will certainly tell her about the UAF website. She did a summer program a couple of years ago and became friends with a UAF student, so she may already know about it.

I think we're going to go the route of an organized excursion (don't know which one yet) for our Arctic Circle adventure. Besides the time factor and car rental damage factor, I'd be nervous to go it alone without cell phone service or any other way to get help if a medical or mechanical emergency should arise. Once we've seen the Dalton Highway in person, maybe we'll decide to be more adventurous if we go again...Thank you for the help!

 

I would highly recommend a Prudhoe Bay fly/land tour, which is 3 days for around $1000+ meals, pp. It is superb and WAY WAY better than the fly/van Coldfoot day trips. Yes, it's could be considered "expensive" (I didn't) but with your interest and detail for the Arctic, it is just excellent.

 

I would suggest you look at 10 days extra. by train, they don't have "stop over" price breaks, if you plan on Talkeetna, you will pay for two segments. But, it's an easy drive from Anchorage, and there is so much to see that you miss on the train. the Mat Su valley is easily a full day of touring or more. You would then have time for a day in Anchorage and a couple in Seward, maybe a day trip add on, if you aren't cruising out of Whittier, for a PWS boat tour.

 

I would first, figure out WHAT Arctic adventure you can do and what is available. Then get the rest of the itinerary in place with a cruise. :)

[namaste1223]

I would highly recommend a Prudhoe Bay fly/land tour, which is 3 days for around $1000+ meals, pp. It is superb and WAY WAY better than the fly/van Coldfoot day trips. Yes, it's could be considered "expensive" (I didn't) but with your interest and detail for the Arctic, it is just excellent.

 

If we decided to do a fly/land tour, would you recommend Prudhoe Bay or Barrow? My impression is that Barrow would be more native culture and Prudhoe Bay would be more pipeline/science based. Any other considerations?

[Budget Queen]

I would highly recommend a Prudhoe Bay fly/land tour, which is 3 days for around $1000+ meals, pp. It is superb and WAY WAY better than the fly/van Coldfoot day trips. Yes, it's could be considered "expensive" (I didn't) but with your interest and detail for the Arctic, it is just excellent.

 

If we decided to do a fly/land tour, would you recommend Prudhoe Bay or Barrow? My impression is that Barrow would be more native culture and Prudhoe Bay would be more pipeline/science based. Any other considerations?

 

These are two completely different tours. I have been to both, and won't "rank" since I didn't feel either was "better".

 

I would not consider Barrow for less than two nights, I had an advantage of a private guide. The Barrow commercial flight is so so on the "scenic" scale, with the Prudhoe bay, 10 seater "private" flight superior. The road trip is definately a big part of the adventure. Again- they are both equally excellent tours to consider.

[namaste1223]

 

These are two completely different tours. I have been to both, and won't "rank" since I didn't feel either was "better".

 

I would not consider Barrow for less than two nights, I had an advantage of a private guide. The Barrow commercial flight is so so on the "scenic" scale, with the Prudhoe bay, 10 seater "private" flight superior. The road trip is definately a big part of the adventure. Again- they are both equally excellent tours to consider.

 

Wow - two nights in Barrow with a private guide! I'm envious, but I think that will have to wait for a "next time" visit...Sorry to seem dense, :o but what "road trip" did you mean was a big part of the adventure? The on-the-ground tour once you've landed, or driving back to Fairbanks from Prudhoe Bay on the Dalton Highway?

[Budget Queen]

Wow - two nights in Barrow with a private guide! I'm envious, but I think that will have to wait for a "next time" visit...Sorry to seem dense, :o but what "road trip" did you mean was a big part of the adventure? The on-the-ground tour once you've landed, or driving back to Fairbanks from Prudhoe Bay on the Dalton Highway?

 

A significant part of a Prudhoe Bay tour is the road trip Deadhorse/Fairbanks. (unless you round trip fly??)