Our Itinerary: 1 week pre-cruise, 1 week cruise

[OrangeCallaLily]

I thought I'd post our itinerary for folks to comment on or use as a reference when planning their trip. Enjoy! I promise a full trip report when we return.

 

Day 1:

• Arrive in Anchorage
  
• Drive to Talkeetna
  
• Overnight at Talkeetna Chalet B&B
  

Day 2:

• Drive to Denali
  
• Bus to Kantishna
  
• Overnight at Kantishna Roadhouse
  

Day 3:

• Day in Kantishna - the lodge has hiking trips, bikes, fishing
  

Day 4:

• Scenic Flight of Denali from Kantisha to the Denali Depot with Kantisha Air
  
• Ovenight in Talkeetna, again at the Talkeetna Chalet B&B
  

Day 5:

• Drive to Girdwood
  
• Tram up Mt Alyeska
  
• Paragliding off Mt Alyeska
  
• Dinner at Double Musky Inn
  
• Overnight at Carriage House B&B
  

Day 6:

• Drive to Anchorage
  
• Return rental car (it was WAY cheaper to return in Anchorage and train to Seward, than to rent in Anchorage and drop off in Seward)
  
• Day in Anchorage - probably going to walk or bike part of the Coastal Trail
  
• Dinner - ??? So many choices, we have not decided.
  
• Overnight at the Hilton
  

Day 7:

• Train to Seward
  
• Lunch at Ray's Waterfront
  
• Board the beautiful Vision of the Seas!
  

Day 8: Cruising Hubbard Glacier

 

Day 9: Juneau

• Mendenhall Glacier - East Loop Trail
  
• Lunch at Twisted Fish Co
  
• Possibly Mt Roberts Tram
  

Day 10: Skagway

• July 4th celebrations
  
• Hiking: picking up a map at the NPS downtown (trail to Dewy Lakes is supposed to be nice)
  
• Stop in at the Red Onion Bar
  

Day 11: Icy Straight Point

• Whale Watching with Glacier Wind Charters
  
• Enjoying the town
  

Day 12: Ketchikan

• Walk around town
  
• Misty Fjords Floatplane with Island Wings
  

Day 13: Cruising the Inside Passage

 

Day 14: Vancouver

• Stanley Park
  
• Trying to get a room via Priceline
  

Day 15: Fly home :(

 

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions!

[nho9504]

looks like you have done lots of research and pin it down to great details (including where to eat :-)

 

have you made reservation for your denali park tickets ?

 

the air sightseeing depends a lot on the weather - if the weather is not optimal when you are there, my suggestion is to skip it (even the operator may insist it is ok to do it). There were sightseeing plane accidents due to not so good weather, so keep that in mind.

 

You do not include Exit Glacier in your Seward portion. Exit Glacier is only 3 miles north of Seward and you can walk right up to the Glacier, you can even hike up to the top of the Glacier if you have a whole day. Girwood is half way between Seward and Anchorage.

 

Also there is an excellent museum right at the entry of Whittier tunnel. You can visit it during your drive up and down Girwood / Anchorage.

[GlacierLady]

Exit glacier is 14 miles from town. I highly recommend taking a taxi out there.Free ranger lead walks 10am,2pm,4pm.The Sealife Center is also nice and worth a visit. The train is awesome and a great choice. :)(I personally avoid Ray's.)Enjoy Alaska!

[OrangeCallaLily]

Thank you for the replies.

 

We do have a reservation for our Denali park tickets, it comes with our overnight package at Kantishna Roadhouse.

 

I originally had Exit Glacier on the itinerary, but cut it out once I knew we would not be driving from Anchorage to Seward. Although, since it is so close to Seward, I think we will have to take a cab there and do one of the ranger tours.

 

Glacier Lady, why would you avoid Ray's? Any suggestions on an alternative place to have lunch?

[Budget Queen]

The only suggestion I have is to consider a Kenai Fjords boat tour, this would take up your day in Seward but it is THAT GREAT and the glacier and wildlife is WAY superior to anything you will see on your cruise portion. At the very least consider one of the many tour attractions.

[OrangeCallaLily]

BQ - I see that there is a half day tour; however, I have read other posts that you say go with the full day. Since we need to board the ship, we would not be able to do the full day. Is the half day worth it?

[Shebbieal]

Renee,

 

What tme is your Island Wings flight? Ours is at 10 am.

 

We leave 2 weeks from yesterday (Friday).

 

Sherry

[OrangeCallaLily]

Ours is 12:00 - 2:00. Since we leave Ketichikan at 3:00pm, we figured we would prefer having the morning (8am - noon) to explore the town. Of course, we shall see if I am actually up that early! :p

[Shebbieal]

Too funny!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

We booked morning so we could explore Ketchikan in the afternoon.

 

Sherry

[GlacierLady]

Thank you for the replies.

 

We do have a reservation for our Denali park tickets, it comes with our overnight package at Kantishna Roadhouse.

 

I originally had Exit Glacier on the itinerary, but cut it out once I knew we would not be driving from Anchorage to Seward. Although, since it is so close to Seward, I think we will have to take a cab there and do one of the ranger tours.

 

Glacier Lady, why would you avoid Ray's? Any suggestions on an alternative place to have lunch?

 

 

I feel Ray's is way over rated, slow service with small portions over priced.Your paying for the view,which Chinooks next door can give you better with their 2nd floor viewing.Chinooks also has a micro brewery if your into beers.The Harbor Marina restaurant,with their deck outside is nice on a sunny day.Caribou,reindeer,musk ox is on their menu for something unusual.Alot of people do like Ray's,just giving a local's perspective.:)

[Eileen G]

We just returned from Seward. It is a beautiful town and not to be passed through. If I were you I would pay the drop off fee and head from Gridwood to Seward. If you drive you could stop for pictures along the way and stop at Portage. There are three other glaciers you can see from the Portage Road besides Portage Glacier. We did the hike to Byron Glacier. Its all in the valley so there is very little elevation. It's a mile long although part of the trail is undeveloped and a bit rough. If you keep the car you can stop at Exit Glacier on your way to Seward. We hiked part of the Harding Ice Field trail to view Exit Glacier from above. That is a very steep trail but deffinitly worth it IF you enjoy challanging hikes. The trail to the face of the glacier is an easy half mile trail. Seward should be treated as any of your port of calls. Spend as much time there as you can.

[Budget Queen]

BQ - I see that there is a half day tour; however, I have read other posts that you say go with the full day. Since we need to board the ship, we would not be able to do the full day. Is the half day worth it?

 

 

 

For clairfication the 6 hour tours are the "full day" tours, it is the 3 hour Bay tours that I do not recommend. You can get the 11:30am Kenai Fjords tour, that will have you back at 5:30pm which is my top recommendation for you. Don't waste the day in my opinion.

[nho9504]

My bad, about the distance of Exit Glacier to Seward town. We did a land trip in Alaska in summer of 2001. So my memory faded somewhat. I only remember the turn off to Exit Glacier was very close toward Seward town. Though after turning off, there is still a distance to drive but I completely forgot how far.

 

Seward is a nice little town to visit. There are some trails along the bay, very scenic.

 

We did the whole day Kenai cruise. We got very close to some glacier, like a few hundred yards away. Lots of wildlife viewing. The half day cruise dont go out of the bay - it is good for wildlife viewing but you wouldn't see glacier on the half day cruise.

 

The museum at Portage Glacier, right at the entrance of Whittier tunnel, is definitely worthwhile to visit.

 

Personally we dont think the tram up Alyeska is worth the time. Did that, and felt we could skip it and spent more time at the Portage Glacier area. The view from Alyeska does not impress us at all. However, since your target is the handgliding, that would be a different story.

[Budget Queen]

. The half day cruise dont go out of the bay - it is good for wildlife viewing but you wouldn't see glacier on the half day cruise.

 

.

 

 

 

Absolutely untrue, the bay cruises are poor for wildlife, again, you need at least 6 hours on the water. "Half day"- also isn't usually referenced with the 3 hour bay cruise??? Better to be specific with the actual tour you are referring to.

[OrangeCallaLily]

BQ,

 

Question on timing. Our train arrives in Seward at 11:05am.

 

• The full day Kenai Fjords Northwestern Fjord Tour departs at 9am, so that will not work.
  
• The full day Major Marine Tour departs at 11:45am and gets back at 7:30pm. This is an option, but seems to be cutting it close - our ship departs at 9:00pm.
  
• The full day Renown Charters & Tours departs at 11:30am, and is 6 hours in duration, so I am assuming arrives back in Seward at 5:30pm. That seems like the best option. Any opinons on this tour?
  

Thanks!

[OrangeCallaLily]

I just called Renown, they say we would be cutting it really close if we get off the train at 11:05am. If the train is late, we will miss our Fjords cruise. Plus, we will have our luggage with us. UG. I am not so sure about the Major Marine, that is really close to our cruise departure time. I am not even sure how late you can board your cruise. Again, UG. Unfortunately, there is no way to get into Seward earlier, we already booked our train tickets. I think this may just have to be a next time thing.

 

We may just go with the Exit Glacier option.

[Budget Queen]

BQ,

 

Question on timing. Our train arrives in Seward at 11:05am.

 

• The full day Kenai Fjords Northwestern Fjord Tour departs at 9am, so that will not work.
  
• The full day Major Marine Tour departs at 11:45am and gets back at 7:30pm. This is an option, but seems to be cutting it close - our ship departs at 9:00pm.
  
• The full day Renown Charters & Tours departs at 11:30am, and is 6 hours in duration, so I am assuming arrives back in Seward at 5:30pm. That seems like the best option. Any opinons on this tour?
  

Thanks!

 

 

As above- Kenai Fjords tours, picks up at the train depot stores your bags and leaves at 11:30am getting back at 5:30pm. This is my only recommendation for you, you DO not have time for anything more. Renown runs the same thing, but in a small boat.

[Tricia724]

I hope you have as nice a day in Icy Straight Point as we did last year with Glacier Wind Charters. We saw lots of humpback whales, a few bears, lots and lots of eagles and puffins, and caught a few fish (halibut, salmon) along the way. At one point we were fishing and a couple of whales were surfacing a short distance from the boat. The soulful sound of the whales is amazing.

 

Say hello to Sean and Teresa from Pat & Dave in Pennsylvania.

[OrangeCallaLily]

BQ - I now see the tour you are talking about. For some reason, I missed the link for the 6 hour National Park tour on the Kenai Fjords Tours website. I found it, and we will be taking that tour :D. Thank you for your help!