ANC-3 teens-3 days no Denali--suggestions

[elaine5]

we are considering a one way cruise to Alaska. We will have been in Canadian Rockies for 1 week prior to cruise. We would likely NOT go to Denali due to more time and added expense. I was thinking the Zoo and Cultural Center. Is there enough to see/do in ANC, or maybe a one day tour to Denali? Taking a family of 5 to Denali adds A LOT. Or, if we are all the way in Alaska, MUST we go to Denali, or will regret it? thanks, Elaine

[mapleleaves]

If you want suggestions, you should include infomation about your family's interests, physical abilities, budget, and date of travel. And is renting a car for 3 days an option? And does your cruise end in seward or whittier because getting to anc will be another expense.

 

Maybe you should consider a R/T cruise from vancouver instead of the one-way.

 

Personally, i dont care for anchorage but i LOVE Denali. So with 3 days I would most definitely go to denali. Plus its a cheap excursion ....the kids will probably be free on the shuttle, and you can rent a cabin nr denali for the same price as a hotel in anc, plus you could prepare a few light meals at the cabin kitchenette. BUT the scenery and wildlife of denali are MY priority. You need to indicate yours.

[zqvol]

we are considering a one way cruise to Alaska. We will have been in Canadian Rockies for 1 week prior to cruise. We would likely NOT go to Denali due to more time and added expense. I was thinking the Zoo and Cultural Center. Is there enough to see/do in ANC, or maybe a one day tour to Denali? Taking a family of 5 to Denali adds A LOT. Or, if we are all the way in Alaska, MUST we go to Denali, or will regret it? thanks, Elaine

 

If you rent a car I'm not sure that going to Denali adds much cost over staying in Anchorage for three days. You really should look at what you want to do and price some options before deciding.

[donaldsc]

we are considering a one way cruise to Alaska. We will have been in Canadian Rockies for 1 week prior to cruise. We would likely NOT go to Denali due to more time and added expense. I was thinking the Zoo and Cultural Center. Is there enough to see/do in ANC, or maybe a one day tour to Denali? Taking a family of 5 to Denali adds A LOT. Or, if we are all the way in Alaska, MUST we go to Denali, or will regret it? thanks, Elaine

 

I think that you will regret missing Denali but given the short time you have available, you may have to miss it. You really should allow at least 2 full days in Denali to do it right.

 

With regard to Anchorage, I was disappointed in the zoo as it is a small zoo that specializes in animals of Alaska. I also thought that the cultural center was a bit tacky.

 

There are neat things in Anchorage and environs however. I do not know if you are a museum type of person (we are) but the museum downtown is excellent. We spend 1/2 day there.

 

Take a drive to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center along the Turnagain Arm. The views are spectacular and the Wildlife Center is worth visiting.

 

If you are into airplanes and especially the history of flight in AK, visit the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. It has a specialized focus and is interesting.

 

Visit the Independence Mine State Historical Park which is outside of Anchorage a bit, The mining town is interesting and the drive to it over Hatcher Pass is spectacular.

 

Hope this helps.

 

DON

[elaine5]

thanks, pricing out July 2017, with a view towards July 2018. older teens, active family. We will have hiked, fished, kayaked, white water rafted in Canadian Rockies prior to cruise. Would likely take Princess from Vancouver to Whittier. Sounds like we might want to rent a car, stop by Alaska Wildlife Conservation center on the way to ANC, maybe spend the night and then train or car to Denali for 2 nights? If we took the train to Denali from ANC, would we be able to walk/taxi to local hotels and is there a shuttle into Denali. If we DIY, I don't want to feel like a need a vacation after the vacation. thanks for suggestions.

[Alaskanb]

I'll add to DON's comments. We did three nights in the Anchorage area and had a great time. Stayed at the Alyeska resort (large indoor pool if weather is lousy) --lots to do. Did a day trip to Seward and did a Behind the Scenes tour feeding puffins at the Sea Life Center. Visited the Wildlife Conservation Center at Girdwood that gives everyone close-up views of native wildlife and does great work on animal release. We spent one night at Sheep Mountain Lodge in the Matanuska Valley where you can walk on the glacier with guides.

We left Denali for a separate visit this year as you really need 2 nights there to get a full day in the park. Lots to do in Alaska.

[mapleleaves]

There is only 1 train departure each day and the train is slow, 8 hrs. (lv Anc around 8am, arrive Denali 4pm) ( lv Denali noon, arrive Anc 8pm).

 

Without a car you would need to stay at a lodge that offers a shuttle to the Denali entrance, or stay at a lodge that is walkable, such as Princess which is about a 30 minute walk to Denali.

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

 

Another option is the Park Connection Bus which usually has 2 departures per day and quicker, 6 hrs. http://www.alaskacoach.com/schedule/

 

day 1 arrive whittier, Pick up rental car (Avis is the only option). Go thru tunnel and drive to Wildlife Conservation Center. Explore other activities along the Turnagain Arm ... pan for gold, Portage Lake/Glacier, walk to the foot of Byron Glacier, look for dall sheep along the ridges. Drive to Talkeetna to overnight.

 

day 2 complete drive to Denali 3 hrs. 2pm sled dog demo then check into cabin

 

day 3 shuttle to Eielson Visitor Center. $34 pp, free under 15

 

day 4 drive back to Anchorage 5 hrs

 

OR if you fly out of Anc on Day 3, you could visit the Wildlife Conservation Center and drive straight thru to Denali in about 7 hrs on Day 1. Or skip the Wildlife Center

 

OR SKIP Denali. Drive to the Wildlife Conservation Center and spend the day exploring along the Turnagain Arm. Overnight in Girdwood (about 45 minutes south of Anc).

Then drive to Seward 2 1/2 hrs to spend 2 - 3 days. Hike at Exit Glacier, kayak, Seaveys dog carting, walk along the shoreline to enjoy the view, while watching for otters and bald eagles, a Kenai Fjords cruise, Sealife

Center.

 

OR pick up the car in Whittier, explore along the turnagain arm for a day, overnighting in Girdwood. Day 2 drive to Independence Mine for a hike, then overnight nr Matanuska Glacier. Day 3 do an ice trek on the glacier. then drive back to Anc ( 2 hrs)

 

LOTS of options. Do a little research and figure out which option best meets your family's interests (look at past trip reports, borrow an Alaska travel book from the library and discover all the options available to you in that time frame)

Edited October 8, 2016 by mapleleaves
bus

[Budget Queen]

With your mention of costs- the train is a poor choice with a group of 5, a car rental is a much better value and offers you a LOT more meal and lodging choices.

 

However, YOUR family, needs to do their homework and determine where YOU want to go and do. It's a poor plan to just randomly select something without knowing ALL the details, in my opinion.

 

Backup and read up on areas, head to your library and get some Alaska guides. Fodor's and Frommers are especially concise and organized. All of you have input. It could be Denali is of little interest? and Seward or Homer more? I wouldn't do any Seward day trips for just the Sealife Center in Seward, but that's my preference. Don't underestimate time and distances, a common mistake.

 

With your planning, ask yourself, how often you are going to get to Alaska? How much interest do you have in specific activities? Face value of your writhing, has Denali- of little interest? If you don't "know", all the more reason to make the effort to find out about each of these areas.

[elaine5]

looks like we could take a shuttle from Whittier to Anchorage via WildLife Center, if we cannot get a one way car rental. That might be an option and then 1 day in ANC and 1 other day trip. I think trying to get to Denali is too far. We could also spend a night in Whittier, if there was a decent amount to do there.

[mapleleaves]

Whittier has the Prince William Sound boat tours. It's a VERY small town, just a few hundred occupants.

 

So you disembark the ship on day 1, day 2 is a free day, then you flight out sometime on day 3 ?

[OhJinkies]

Are you disembarking in Seward or Whittier? I'm staying overnight in Seward -- taking a Kenai Fjords glacier cruise. There is an evening train to Anchorage. I'll be taking that (the next night) and then renting a car in Anchorage. I'm only driving as far as Talkeetna, and doing a flightseeing trip to Denali from there. Flightseeing x 5 would be rather pricey, though.

Other stops to include the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and hopefully a Knik Glacier tour, with an overnight in Wasilla.

[elaine5]

Would likely take Princess from Vancouver to Whittier.

[AryMay]

We had to make the same decision with only 3 days post-cruise...Denali? Or something else?

 

In the end we opted to skip Denali and spent the time in Seward. Here is how we worked it out...

 

Day 1 - Disembark in Whittier. Take shuttle (Anchorage Tours & Transfers) to Anchorage where we rented a car at the airport. Stopped at Earthquake Park in Anchorage, then drove to Seward, stopping at the Wildlife Conservation Center on the way. Spent night at B&B in Seward.

 

Day 2 - All day Kenai Fjords Wildlife tour. (The HIGHLIGHT of the cruise for us!!)

 

Day 3 - Visited Sea Life Center and hiked to Exit Glacier. Drove back to Anchorage stopping along the way at Potter's Marsh, etc. Returned car and our flight left late in the evening.

 

It would have been nice to have gone to Denali, but with the distances involved, we opted to not spend so much time driving. In the end we had a fantastic time and are convinced we made the right decision (for us.) NOTE: We actually did get to "see" Denali, however. Our shuttle driver told us about a location near the airport where we could go and see the mountain...yes...Denali...all the way from Anchorage!!

 

I have lots of photos and information from our 2014 trip in my blog. (Link is in my signature.)

Edited October 9, 2016 by AryMay

[Budget Queen]

It's not clear you have 2 nights, and taking out an overnight flight? So essentially 3 "days" for touring?

 

Although costly, I would suggest a one way Avis rental from Whittier. Determine- if of interest to take a PWS boat tour, certainly a highlight for many. An "always" for me, far superior for glacier viewing compared to a cruise ship. Again, a car for 5 people is a big bonus, take a look at http://www.kenaipeninsula.com http://www.seward.com http://www.homeralaska.org

 

Add to the mix, a stop at Portage Glacier Visitor Center, Girdwood area, Crow Creek Mine, Winner Creek trail, Alyeska. and Anchorage activities http://www.anchorage.net

 

Do, check out Matanuska glacier - glacier trekking is unique and greatly enjoyed by a lot of families. Not as costly as fly ins. You do have to pay an entrance fee in addition to a trek, I highly recommend guided.

[elaine5]

thanks for all the ideas. Assuming same port schedule as 2017, we would arrive in Whittier on a Sat and fly out of ANC on Wed., so 4 nights, 3 days.

[mapleleaves]

thanks for all the ideas. Assuming same port schedule as 2017, we would arrive in Whittier on a Sat and fly out of ANC on Wed., so 4 nights, 3 days.

 

You disembark early in the morning on Sat so you really have 4 nights/4 days. There's plenty of time for Denali. But you need to determine if Denali is your family's priority.

There are MANY itineraries for 4days/nights, but it depends on your interests. And also your travel style.... do you want to visit several destinations along the way or would you rather spend 2 nights at 2 locations?

 

SAT disembark. Pick up car and spend the day along the Turnagain Arm .... Wildlife Consevation Center, Byron Glacier for a snowball fight, Alyeska tram, watch for Dall sheep in the ridges. Overnight in Wasilla.. 1 hr north of Anc.

SUN drive to Denali 5 hrs. stop in Talkeetna, the halfway point for lunch and look around

MON shuttle into the park

TUE morning raft trip or free sled dog demo. 6 hrs drive back to Anc

Wed flight out

 

As I said there are MANY itineraries available to you. You could skip Denali and visit Seward and Homer instead, or, explore the Turnagain Arm plus a visit to Matanuska Glacier for an ice trek, or take the ferry from Whittier to Valdez to kayak among the icebergs at Columbia Glacier. Since you're looking at 2018, use this time wisely to research all the possibilities then discuss them all with your family. Don't be in a rush to develop an itinerary. Do your research and come up with the BEST itinerary for YOU.

 

Have fun with your research and planning.

[Budget Queen]

thanks for all the ideas. Assuming same port schedule as 2017, we would arrive in Whittier on a Sat and fly out of ANC on Wed., so 4 nights, 3 days.

 

Your time doesn't make sense? Many flights are overnight- what time is yours? Either way- you have 4 full days to tour. I suggest you make the most of it. :) As already stated, that is enough time for Denali Park.

 

Find out about Alaska, get the details of the areas, and figure out what YOU want out of your trip. Just don't randomly "pick" areas.

[elaine5]

thank you. lots of good options/opinions from those who have been there for me to investigate further. For July 2017, we could get a 7:30 am flight connecting in SEA to DC area. We will not take a red-eye unless no other option. But, I see that is 4 nights, 4 days.

We are still debating just doing Vancouver RT, as well. The timing works out better for us, but far fewer cruise options.

Edited October 10, 2016 by elaine5

[denatravels]

Disembark in Whittier. Take shuttle (Anchorage Tours & Transfers) to Anchorage

 

 

I did this. I enjoyed the day but SO unimpressed with the tour guide: he was climbing over railings (marked danger and do not enter) with a guest and using his cell phone while he was driving to do a google search. I wouldn't use them again.

I also wouldn't go to Alaska and not see Denali-- this was a TOTAL highlight for me (I did a Globus tour which was AWESOME). But if you can swing it independently, it would be worth it.

 

 

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Edited October 12, 2016 by denatravels