RV trip or small ship cruise??

[rjm11]

I am returning to AK in 2015 (one way or another!!) and want to get some advice/opinions... here are the 2 options- which would you pick and why? We are a family of 4- the kids will be 9 and 8, love outdoors, wildlife sightings, active vacations. We have done a large ship cruise to AK once, no land tour.

 

Option 1: small ship cruise (un-cruise) using a Kids in Nature itinerary- cruises Juneau to Ketchikan, 7 nights, no real port stops, and very focused on nature. Will be MUCH more costly than land tour, so won't allow for extra days before/after.

 

Option 2: rent an RV in Anchorage and do land tour- 11-12 days, Denali, Kenai/Seward, Homer, would have room in budget for bear viewing, Kenai fjords tour, possibly Prince William sound tour, etc.

 

Thoughts?

[Gardyloo]

Probably the land tour, but I would definitely do the numbers on RV vs. car + hotels. Remember the days you're visiting Denali, or on a Kenai Fjords cruise, or on a glacier cruise from Whittier, or on a flightseeing tour... the RV is sitting with the clock running, and all you're really getting is a rather expensive rolling motel, and a fairly uncomfortable one at that.

 

Also, with ten days I'd have a look at the options for getting off the road system for a couple of days. Instead of a bear viewing flight costing $500 or $600 per person, maybe look at spending a night in Nome or Kotzebue, out on the Bering Sea or Arctic Ocean respectively. Round trip plane tickets from Anchorage to Nome or Kotz are around $300-$350 (and no car/RV rental payments for those days) and hotel prices are similar (or sometimes cheaper) to those in Anchorage. And seeing the tundra, a native village or historic gold rush town, or (in Kotzebue) the real midnight sun... are terrific experiences for you and your kids. The vast majority of visitors to Alaska miss out on this opportunity.

[AKStafford]

Either option is great. But they would be two completely different trips. So it really comes down to if you want a marine/coastal experience or not.

[Budget Queen]

BOTH would be excellent options. But I wouldn't want to be so restrictive with the small cruise. I would be adding at least a couple days on each end, taking advantage of being at both Juneau and Ketchikan, along with touring. You are over a year out, not for everyone, but I've suggested in the past, that people "pay" themselves. Skip a few extra expenses, and cost it out, place it in a bank account. IF someone asks you what you want for a holiday- maybe suggest a tour, or part of one. I'm chartering a bear tour for my sister's first trip to Alaska, in August. I told her, her family is getting it for "Christmas". :)

 

I have done Rv trips twice in Alaska, not my preference as I prefer staying in B&B's, small motels etc.

 

It doesn't matter what anyone thinks but you. Involve your family in the decision. Give the kids "homework" about Alaska, find out, if the tours or being on a boat is the preference.

[Budget Queen]

Probably the land tour, but I would definitely do the numbers on RV vs. car + hotels. Remember the days you're visiting Denali, or on a Kenai Fjords cruise, or on a glacier cruise from Whittier, or on a flightseeing tour... the RV is sitting with the clock running, and all you're really getting is a rather expensive rolling motel, and a fairly uncomfortable one at that.

 

Also, with ten days I'd have a look at the options for getting off the road system for a couple of days. Instead of a bear viewing flight costing $500 or $600 per person, maybe look at spending a night in Nome or Kotzebue, out on the Bering Sea or Arctic Ocean respectively. Round trip plane tickets from Anchorage to Nome or Kotz are around $300-$350 (and no car/RV rental payments for those days) and hotel prices are similar (or sometimes cheaper) to those in Anchorage. And seeing the tundra, a native village or historic gold rush town, or (in Kotzebue) the real midnight sun... are terrific experiences for you and your kids. The vast majority of visitors to Alaska miss out on this opportunity.

You always offer excellent advice. I hope to experience this some day. I'm in an "Alaska rut" and repeat a lot of my favorite Alaska activities. Even with me now, spending over a month in Alaska the last few years, I haven't fitted it in. I'm on a round trip Seattle cruise next month, home a week, then my nephew and I return for a 3 week mainland trip, which is including Prudhoe Bay. I plan on returning twice more this year, picking up some last minute cruise bargains.

 

Maybe next year, I should make the effort. :) (bringing the same "Alaska" interested nephew with me. :) Keep reminding me.

Edited April 3, 2014 by Budget Queen

[donaldsc]

My reply will not help you. I have done a small ship cruise to AK - it was wonderful. I also did a 2 1/2 month driving (not RV) trip through AK - it was also wonderful.

 

If you do the small ship cruise, you see lots of places that cruise ships do not stop at but they are all near water. If you drive, you can see lots of places that are not near water.

 

You can't go wrong w either option.

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

the 2 choices are as different as night and day. You'll need to research thoroughly to determine which option will best meet the needs of your family. Each option has a different itinerary, different activities, different sights so lots to research. But either one could be a fantastic trip.

 

There were 3-4 trip reports in 2012 for Inner Seas Discovery cruises if you look in tripadvisor. Go the Alaska forum and under Top Questions you'll find a link to trip reports. One was by a family with 2 kids and they had a blast. It's a very different experience but not for everyone ....

 

I've thoroughly enjoyed my camping trips to Alaska, especially with the RV where you can pretty much go where you like and at your own pace. While the activiites on the un-cruises sound great, the cramped accomodations and inability to get away from other passengers are off-putting to me.

 

Good luck! I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.

[Gardyloo]

Maybe next year, I should make the effort. :) (bringing the same "Alaska" interested nephew with me. :) Keep reminding me.

 

I was looking at the Nullagvik Hotel's website (NANA-owned hotel in Kotzebue) and came across the video on the "activities" page for LaVonne's Fish Camp - a native-style fish camp on the beach a few miles from Kotz - and thought how interesting this would be for kids in lieu of ziplines or phoney gold-panning "excursions." (Is my prejudice showing? Moi?)

 

Worth a watch.

[Glaciers]

Getting out to rural Alaska like Nome and Kotzebue are things most don’t get to do but it really opens up a different slice of Alaska. Barrow is also an option and if the timing was right they have the Whaling Fesitval in June called Nalukataq. The whaling captain and his crew share the whale meat and maqtaq with the community. There are several events that include the blanket toss. Barrow can also be combined with a visit to Prudhoe Bay.

 

That being said, we did a trip with Un-Cruise a few years ago and it was the best Alaska cruise we’ve taken.

 

Difficult choices but you have quite a bit of time to plan which is certainly part of the fun.

[Northern Aurora]

......

 

Also, with ten days I'd have a look at the options for getting off the road system for a couple of days. Instead of a bear viewing flight costing $500 or $600 per person, maybe look at spending a night in Nome or Kotzebue, out on the Bering Sea or Arctic Ocean respectively. .....

 

When we met fellow passengers on cruises I am always amused when someone tells us that they have been "all over Alaska." I ask where they've visited in Alaska and am told about the cruise line land tour and the seven day cruise. The road system in South-central and the Interior (including up to Prudhoe Bay) and the cruise ports comprise a very a small part of this massive state, and to really see Alaska you have to fly into the small communities. But I also think that many of the folks posting on cruise forums couldn't handle float trips down the Hulahula River or understand the non-Eurocentric cultures of our first people.

 

And regarding incredible scenery, in my opinion, the drive from Nome to Teller is the best in the state. When you crest the top of a ridge and see the Imuruk Basin for the first time it is just heart stopping.

[varoo]

I am returning to AK in 2015 (one way or another!!) and want to get some advice/opinions... here are the 2 options- which would you pick and why? We are a family of 4- the kids will be 9 and 8, love outdoors, wildlife sightings, active vacations. We have done a large ship cruise to AK once, no land tour.

 

Option 1: small ship cruise (un-cruise) using a Kids in Nature itinerary- cruises Juneau to Ketchikan, 7 nights, no real port stops, and very focused on nature. Will be MUCH more costly than land tour, so won't allow for extra days before/after.

 

Option 2: rent an RV in Anchorage and do land tour- 11-12 days, Denali, Kenai/Seward, Homer, would have room in budget for bear viewing, Kenai fjords tour, possibly Prince William sound tour, etc.

 

Thoughts?

With kids that young, I would do the RV tour now and save the more costly small ship cruise for when they are teenagers or college age, more likely to remember it and get more out of it.

 

Also, you yourselves will be older then and more likely to appreciate the pampering of a ship tour at that stage, not needing to do everything for yourselves.

 

[PNW Traveler]

I've done big ship cruises, small ship cruises, B & B/hotel land based travel and RV vacations in Alaska. All are good. Research the regions and sights using web sites and travel guides. My favorite Alaska RV guide is Alaskan Camping by Mike and Terri Church. It's very complete and kept up to date. There are valuable tips for renting an RV in Alaska. The Milepost is useful, but limited to its advertisers and is not as helpful for the RV'er. If you are able to drive through the Yukon on the way to Alaska the animal sightings and scenery are also amazing. I think if I were planning a trip for my family I'd choose an RV vacation for my school-aged children. More flexibility and opportunities for quality family time.

[kennicott]

The age of your boys and the fact that you all seem to really like getting into the outdoors would be the deciding factor for me--Rent an RV in Anchorage.

 

We have done it all, or pretty much so anyway. Life long Alaskans, had five different campers and a 5th wheeler over the years. Even flew the bush commercially up here for over a dozen years. Cruise the world a lot nowadays and have even taken a 14 day cruise to Alaska, San Fran then ending in Vancouver, going as far north as Prince William Sound, where I was born.

I believe the kids would greatly prefer doing your own gig, mine would have and did at that age.

 

Get yourself a copy of "The Milepost" it covers just about everything. When you want more detail on a location that appears appealing, go to the web.

 

You mention Prince William Sound. The State Ferry (Alaska Marine Highway) covers a lot of it. Take the trip between Valdez and Whittier, get on the slow ferry if possible, not the fast one, as you want time to enjoy the passing country and wildlife.

 

Take a look at the Kennicott-McCarthy area, hundreds of folk, like yourself, rent RVs and go up there in the summer. What's there, the greatest mountain wilderness area in the world, plus some very intriguing industrial history. The 60 mile long portion of highway between Chitina and McCarthy is unpaved but over the last three years they have accomplished a lot of work on it so it isn't near as dicey as it used to be.

 

If you so decide, welcome to South Central Alaska.

[rjm11]

Thanks for all the VERY helpful responses. We had a family meeting, and of course the decision was to do both.... but I think we've decided to START with the RV trip. Now the REAL planning comes- I already have the Milepost and the Alaska Camping guide, and will start putting together something.

 

The kids were very interested in the idea of a fly in bear viewing trip- and specific suggestions? I was thinking of trying to get to Brooks Falls.... I like the idea of viewing platforms over the completely wild things like Hallo Bay because of the kids.....

[mapleleaves]

For land travel I would suggest visiting the Alaska forum of trip advisor. Under Top Questions you'll find links to past years trip reports ; the first line will indicate if the trip was via RV. Also under Top Questions is a link to an article for planning a trip to Alaska with lots of useful info. There's also a thread about bear viewing trips and locations.

[azevedan]

I can personally vouch for the Pacific Catalyst small boat (75' wooden) cruise. Wonderful people; fabulous trip. Would do it again in an instant. This year, though, we are doing the DIY land trip (no RV). Enjoy your travels! It's a fabulous place to visit, no matter how you see it.