Pre cruise outside of cruise line

[zino5]

Does anyone have any experience in booking 2-3 days pre cruise out of Seward. We are looking at 2 different cruised out of Seward in June of 2017. Would like to do 2-3 days pre cruise with Denali for sure. The price thorough cruise line is very high.

Thanks for your response and I look forward to planning this trip!

[mapleleaves]

2 or 3 days isn't enough time if you want to visit Denali. You need to figure a day to get there, a day for a bus trip thru the park, another day to get back to Anc, then the 4th day is your trip to Seward. The train is especially difficult since there is only 1 departure per day and it's 8 hrs each way!

The Park Connection Bus has a couple of departures each day, but even so, you need 3 days.

 

Is Day 3 the day you board the ship? or is there a Day 4 to reach Seward and board the ship by 4/5pm?

 

With such limited time, a rental car is the most efficient option. Is that an option? If so, it's an easy drive..... a 2 lane hwy once you get out of Anchorage, 5 or 6 hrs depending on road construction projects.

 

If you look thru past trip reports you'll find quite a few DIY land trips pre/post cruise.

Edited April 24, 2016 by mapleleaves

[skrapngal]

we'll be doing 6 nights DIY pre-cruise in late May 2017 so it might be a little late to help you.

 

And yes, price was THE determining factor in deciding to go DIY. Cruise wanted over $2000 CDN for 5 nights Denali/Anchorage pre-cruise with no meals and almost no excursions.

 

We'll be doing the 6 nights Denali/Anchorage, all breakfasts, one lunch, one dinner, car rental, bus transfer to Seward and all desired excursions for less than $1000US (roughly $1350CDN at current exchange rate).

[rockdoctor]

I agree with Mapleleaves. Not enough time. You need 4 days. The OP says that the price is very high. There is a reason for that. Seamless travel is expensive. Dropping off the rental car takes time. Getting from the rental car to the hotel takes time. Etc... Pay the very high price and, as Hertz used to say, leave the driving to us. I would go with Princess because Whittier is closer to Anchorage than Seward. There is a delightful train from Anchorage to Whittier. That way you get the Alaska Rail experience as well. Whatever you do, enjoy Alaska.

[rockdoctor]

we'll be doing 6 nights DIY pre-cruise in late May 2017 so it might be a little late to help you.

 

And yes, price was THE determining factor in deciding to go DIY. Cruise wanted over $2000 CDN for 5 nights Denali/Anchorage pre-cruise with no meals and almost no excursions.

 

We'll be doing the 6 nights Denali/Anchorage, all breakfasts, one lunch, one dinner, car rental, bus transfer to Seward and all desired excursions for less than $1000US (roughly $1350CDN at current exchange rate).

 

That is an amazing price! Hope everything works out for you.

[zino5]

We have more time if needed. We want to do 1-2 post cruise also in Vancouver also. Was hoping not to do a rental car.

We might need 4 days pre cruise. The cruise line price is very high Rccl 8200. Celebrity 9300. That's for 3 people with a balcony and the 3 night pre cruise.

We might not be able to book a balcony at those prices but I wanted to look at putting together a similar 3 day pre cruise trip to the one the cruise line does but probably save some $$

[mapleleaves]

Easy to do with 4 days. A couple of points to keep in mind tho:

Without a car, you'll need to stay at a Denali hotel that offers a shuttle to/from the train/bus depot and to/from the park entrance. Also, your bus trip thru the park will have to conform to that hotel shuttle schedule.

 

The Princess Lodge might be the easiest option. I think their shuttle is 7am - 7pm but check the lodge web site to verify. Plus it's an easy walk to the park if you need to travel outside the shuttle schedule, a 30-40 minute walk. There are other hotels with shuttle service .... look at the Denali forum of tripadvisor under Top Questions for a list. There's also an expensive taxi service. Check the Denali Chamber of Commerce site for it.

 

I would recommend the train from Anchorage to Seward as it is the most scenic route of the Alaska Railroad. 6:45 am - 11am. Since you don't have to be onboard until 6ish, you have all afternoon in Seward ... time for a Kenai Fjords cruise, or a visit to Exit Glacier, Sealife Park, etc

 

For the Anc-Denali trip you could do the train or bus, or a combination.

Maybe take the early bus to Denali (7am - 12:15pm) so that you have time for an afternoon visit into the park ... see the exhibits, and watch the 4pm sled dog demo. Then take the train back to Anc (12:30pm - 8pm). Gives you a chance to sleep in. Have dinner on the train. To make life easy, stay at the hotel across the street from the Anc Depot since you have an early departure the next day.

 

You've got a year to develop an itinerary that meets your needs.

 

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/schedules

 

http://www.alaskacoach.com/schedule/

Edited April 25, 2016 by mapleleaves

[skrapngal]

That is an amazing price! Hope everything works out for you.

 

Forgot to mention, that price is "per person" but I agree, still an amazing price. It helps that there are 5 of us to share the rental and that we found a 2 bedroom suite B&B in Anchorage.