Help!

[olesiabr]

Well, I thought planning our Hawaii cruise was time consuming....but Alaska looks like it's going to be even more complicated!

 

Some early decisions:

 

Princess (seems to be the line most associated with Alaska)

 

Southbound (want to get the longer flight out of the way first, want to land tour first, and want to visit friends in Seattle at the conclusion of the cruise)

 

June (kids go to camp in July, we start school mid August)

 

My questions revolve around the available cruise tours on Princess: what is included in the "on your own" vs "Denali Explorer" versions? Is it better just to book the cruise and DIY? Is the Princess Lodge fantastic? I don't mind spending a few hundred extra for convenience, but not a few thousand...

 

Thanks for any insight. I have read through many reviews, and yes, have purchased guidebooks as well. Princess has opened bookings for 2017 and am feeling pressured to make a decision!

[AKStafford]

I personally think DIY is the way to go for the land portion of your trip. Alaska is easy to travel in and you'll have a lot more options than the pre-packaged tour.

Are you comfortable renting a car? It's the most efficient way to get around.

[Budget Queen]

It sounds like kids are traveling? NEVER do I ever recommend any cruise tours with kids/families. They are way costly for what you get, and the point to point, fixed tours are poor choices with kids and varied interests.

 

I strongly suggest you find out a lot more about the DETAILS and vast differences in traveling options. Don't jump into any bookings without knowing this. :)

 

Your question about Princess cruise tours should be available online? You need to compare the two and note the differences? No the Denali Princess Lodge isn't anything special. The McKinley Lodge does have some nicer areas. BUT it is nowhere I would ever be without a car. The highlight of this location- is the Denali view- which is seldom.

 

KEY- is to KNOW all the details, which mean- doing a lot of reading. :)

I'm a advocate of independent touring- you see at least twice as much as any tour.

 

Start with Whittier- choices to make- this is a jackpot for a superb opportunity to take a boat tour of Prince William Sound. Seward is another highlight area with plenty to see and do, and the jackpot of varied wildlife by boat tour of Kenai Fjords. HAL, NCL, Celebrity and RCI all use Seward.

 

Although Princess certainly is a great line, so are the others. I don't agree with the "most associated with Alaska" thinking?? What does that indicate? All the others have been touring Alaska for over 20 years as well. Haven't heard of any lost tourists lately, wrong turns, no hotel rooms or food etc. :) :)

 

An extremely important factor to fully understand- vital- is Denali park. Princess has way too many- worthless Denali options with only including the Natural History tour. Another issue is the dumping of passengers at their McKinley lodge. YES it is very nice- BUT with nothing to do there, and people not interested in the activities- WHY waste your valuable time- there??? (especially at the expense of other areas of interest)

 

IF you want more ideas- disclose your interests, and who's traveling, number of days (go for as long as you can afford). Also take a look at trip advisor.

[olesiabr]

Fantastic feedback so far, thanks so much!

There are four of us, kids will be 12 and 15 at the time. We have two weeks to devote.

Princess was recommended by the travel agent we use most often, but I usually do a ton of research on my own, so don't usually just take recommendations blindly. She has always met the best price I could find on my own, plus throw in some OBC as well.

Princess, HAL and Celebrity seem to garner the most rave reviews on this board.

Definitely interested in Glacier Bay (is this not primarily Princess?)

We have no problem renting a car. Did this on every Hawaiian island on the inter island NCL cruise!

Please keep the recommendations coming...

Is it better to fly into Anchorage or Fairbanks?

[olesiabr]

Interests:

Scenery

Wildlife

We love the water/boats

? Train?

Thanks everyone!

[OhJinkies]

I'm going to jump in here, because I'm also planning a DIY trip in Alaska before my cruise. I'm interested in accommodation options for Denali. I'll be on my own, so I don't need a lot of space, but I think I would prefer a nice hotel room. An on-site restaurant would also be a plus. I will spend at least two nights, possibly three depending on my activities. I want to do the full day Katishna Park tour, which is one reason why I'm doing this on my own. Any recommendations?

[AKStafford]

I'm going to jump in here, because I'm also planning a DIY trip in Alaska before my cruise. I'm interested in accommodation options for Denali. I'll be on my own, so I don't need a lot of space, but I think I would prefer a nice hotel room. An on-site restaurant would also be a plus. I will spend at least two nights, possibly three depending on my activities. I want to do the full day Katishna Park tour, which is one reason why I'm doing this on my own. Any recommendations?

Here's a good list of accommodations in the Denali area: http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

McKinley Creekside Cabins have a restaurant on site: http://www.mckinleycabins.com/

Motel Nord Haven doesn't have a restaurant, but there's a cafe within walking distance.

[pizzalady1]

Here's a good list of accommodations in the Denali area: http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

McKinley Creekside Cabins have a restaurant on site: http://www.mckinleycabins.com/

Motel Nord Haven doesn't have a restaurant, but there's a cafe within walking distance.

 

About 6 years ago we stayed at the Motel Nord Haven and it served our purposes well. It was only 10-15 minutes to the transportation center and was much more reasonable than the glitter gulch hotels.

 

The café that AKStafford mentioned is Rosie's Café http://www.rosescafealaska.com/ and is just across a small parking lot from the Motel Nord Haven. They had good comfort food and large portions. Many locals were eating there when we were. They also packed a great lunch for the Denali tours. I am not sure why they don't have a dinner menu on their website.

Edited December 16, 2015 by pizzalady1

[mapleleaves]

Interests:

Scenery

Wildlife

We love the water/boats

? Train?

Thanks everyone!

 

You indicated 2 weeks for this trip but that time period includes a 7 day cruise and time in Seattle afterward with friends. So does that mean 4 days for the DIY land portion in Alaska?

And does your cruise end in Seattle or do you need travel time to get to there from Vanc?

[olesiabr]

Two weeks off work for me, and I will fly back from Vancouver. My husband and the kids will visit Seattle, they are on summer break. So up to 7 days for land tour are available.

 

After looking at Vipond's guide, and scrolling through trip advisor and these boards, I will have to agree that renting a car and DIY makes sense!

 

My loose plan so far:

Fly into Fairbanks, rent car.

Denali

Talkeetna?

Anchorage

Whittier/Seward/Kenai

 

Is it advisable to drop off the car in Anchorage and use the train into Whittier?

 

Is this too much for 6-7 days? I have been accused of cramming too much into each day (so says my family after Hawaii)...

[mapleleaves]

Covering Fairbanks to Denali is very ambitious for 6-7 days when you factor in time for activities.

Look at the drive times in the attached chart.

http://www.alaska.org/advice/mileage-chart

[olesiabr]

Would it make more sense to fly into Anchorage and just do day trips? I thought the drive from Fairbanks to Denali would be scenic. Not necessarily planning on doing any sightseeing in Fairbanks...

[mapleleaves]

You can't do a day trip to Denali.

A day trip to Seward? that's about 3 hrs each way driving or 4 hrs by train.

 

What you have now is

day 1 arrive Fairbanks. Pick up car, drive 3 hrs to Denali overnight

day 2 shuttle to Eielson visitor center. o/n

day 3 drive to Girdwood 5-6 hrs o/n

day 4 Wildlife Center, pan for gold, Byron Glacier hike, o/n again

day 5 drive to Seward 2 hrs. Sealife Center, Exit Glacier o/n

day 6 Kenai cruise. o/n again

day 7 drive to Whittier. Board ship or if you get there by noon do a Prince William Sound cruise

 

OR skip Seward and add another day to Denali ... a 2nd trip into the park offers more opportunity for wildlife viewing. Add another day to Girdwood and definitely do a PWS cruise.

 

OR fly into Anc and get a RT rental. And again skip Seward. OR skip Denali, however Denali is the budget jackpot location for wildlife viewing

 

OR choose a cruise that departs from Seward so you don't have to backtrack to Whittier to board the ship.

 

Have you priced a one-way rental. It would have to be AVIS as they are the only vendor in Whittier. That price might be a determining factor.

 

 

LOTS of options but you really need to do some more thinking about what works best for your family, your interests and priorities.

Edited December 17, 2015 by mapleleaves

[olesiabr]

OK

This gives me a lot to think about..

 

What would YOU do with 6-7 days? What is more scenic/iconic: Denali or the Seward area? I was using established cruise tours as a guide, but don't want to be dragging the family around in a frenzy. We really love boats/cruises and would like to do the PWS tour in Whittier.

[mapleleaves]

it doesn't really matter what I would do .... my interests and travel style aren't the same as yours. And I've been there a few times so I know what I want to see and do.

Your interest seems geared towards the water, so perhaps you should consider dropping Denali and concentrating on Seward, the Turnagain Arm and Whittier. Best to discuss with the family and come up with priorities.

 

And definitely look at a cruise departing Seward to save you a half-day of travelling back to Whittier.

[olesiabr]

Thanks for the input! We'll probably go ahead and book the cruise and then take more time to fully research our pre cruise seven days.

 

I have been looking at photos of the two national parks and also think our heart belongs to the sea...

 

:-)

[Budget Queen]

What sometimes gets assumed- is the "drive" is worthwhile, It "may" be BUT the destinations and what you do there is 100 times more significant.

 

So, I think it's also a poor idea to consider Fairbanks IF you aren't spending a few days touring from there.

 

I recommend at least 2 nights at Denali- more if you have more interests. You need to get INTO the park at least 1 day. My minimum distance is Eielson.

 

Although people, readily dismiss one way rental cars- the "value" of having one, can be significant in terms of best use of time. My time is far more valuable than money.

 

Maple, gives a great itinerary, with the excepting of not even seeing anything of Fairbanks.

 

NCL, Princess and HAL, all have Glacier Bay on their itineraries.

 

Sorry, but you don't do "day trips" in mainland Alaska from Anchorage. :)

 

Take a closer look at areas without flying into Fairbanks. (no Fairbanks/Denali isn't stand out scenery- from the road)

 

 

Have you looked at car rental costs yet? IF you go with Princess- the best one way car you can get will be to get to/from Whittier. IF you fly into Anchorage and go to Denali, a round trip Anchorage with a one way car for only as long as you need could offer cost savings.