Advice on when to fly in to Anchorage

[eeyore81]

We just booked a cruise for July on the Crown Princess. Trying to decide if we should fly in to Anchorage an extra day before (cruise leaves on the 12th so we would fly in on the 10th or 11th). Does anyone have any recommendations on a must do that we could do in 1 day before?

[mapleleaves]

What are your interests? will you rent a car? how many people?

There is a lot to see and do within an hour of Anchorage.

I'd rent a car and spend the day along the Turnagain Arm ... pan for gold, visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Potters Marsh, Alyeska Resort, Portage Lake visitor center, hiking. Look at this link for the drives called 'Turnagain Arm', Portage Valley & Whittier'.

http://www.alaska.org/things-to-do/scenic-drives

Or, drive, bus, or train to Whittier for the day and enjoy the Prince William Sound cruise.

OR, you could take the train to Seward and spend an extra day there... enjoy the harbor, Sealife Center, shuttle to Exit Glacier, take a Kenai Cruise.

Or, rent a car and drive north. Go to Matanuska Glacier for an ice trek, go to Knik Glacier for a jet boat tour thru the icebergs, or drive to Talkeetna for flight seeing.

Many many options.

[eeyore81]

The Wildlife Center looks good. We are a group of 6. My parents in their late 60s, my 16 year old niece, my 1 year old daughter and my husband and myself. We love animals and enjoy most things. My mom uses a mobility scooter so that limits our abilities to do hikes etc. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Budget Queen]

It can be well worth the expense to fly in as early as possible. Especially several days. Seward is excellent for varied activities and an easy wildlife find- in the wild with a Kenai Fjords boat tour. Very different compared to a "zoo like" attraction. Depends on interests. Another great opportunity is a glacier trek, easy day trip out of Anchorage to Matanuska.

[Northern Aurora]

Another possible idea to consider is a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Check their website to determine if this would be of interest to your family (http://www.alaskanative.net).