Our 2024 Alaska Adventure--including planning!

[no1racefan1]

As I've been researching for our cruise in Alaska next year, I thought it would be fun and maybe helpful to start documenting the entire process as we go through planning. Also it is STILL snowing here in WY and I need something to occupy my time...

 

Some of the most helpful things I've read have been about the planning aspects BEFORE the trip. I'm going to use this space to document all of our planning and budgeting, and then I'll review the trip here afterwards! If this is boring or completely unhelpful to you, please disregard 😇

[no1racefan1]

Step #1 was deciding to book a cruise to Alaska. Like a lot of people, DH and I have had a rough few years since COVID. DH got permanently laid off from his job in May 2020 and due to the scarcity of jobs in his field or related fields, and some pretty serious undiagnosed medical issues, is still unemployed. At this point he is just telling everybody he's taking early retirement 😂

 

Fortunately just last month we finally found an answer to his medical issues and they should be 100% resolved thanks to a brand-spanking new pacemaker, and I just recently got a wonderful promotion at work, and we are ready to go on a trip!

 

We try to take a trip every year for our anniversary, and a bigger, bucket-list type trip every 5 years, which makes 2024 the year for a big trip! Add to that the fact that we haven't done much traveling since 2019, and I am itching to plan a big trip.

 

There were several places on our list of options: 1)British Isles cruise--we originally were going to do this for our 10th anniversary in 2019 but ended up doing a stay at an AI instead. 2)Trip to Florida combined w/ Caribbean cruise--we actually had a similar trip planned in 2020 that of course, got cancelled. 3)Road trip around New England--because neither of us have ever been to the region and I want to visit every state. 4)Alaska cruisetour--we went to Alaska on our very first cruise and loved it, but we didn't really spend enough time IN Alaska. We were more taken by the fact that we were on a cruise, I think. So, we have decided on an Alaska cruisetour. DH thinks we should do the more active, outdoorsy things while we're still young, lol. 

[no1racefan1]

It took me about five minutes to research Alaska cruisetours and decide they are out of our price range, so we are going to do a DIY land tour before our cruise. We are kind of DIY travelers for the most part, and avoid tour buses when we can.

 

My research (and other people's opinions) led me to narrow our cruise selection down to a Southbound cruise (so we are doing the land portion first) that visits Glacier Bay. We want to go in mid to late May, our usual vacation time. I was eagerly awaiting Princess's 2024 Alaska schedule, and ended up putting a deposit down on May 18th, 2024 Southbound, departing Whittier and ending in Vancouver.

 

 

[no1racefan1]

After selecting a cruise, I penciled out a rough land itinerary for the week before. I considered a lot of different possibilities, including flying into Fairbanks, etc. Two weeks is the limit we set for ourselves to leave our dogs at home and also to take off work at one time. This is still a very rough itinerary and will probably change several more times, but this is the plan so far:

 

Monday, 5/13

Drive to Billings; fly to Anchorage

Pick up rental car

Stay @ Hyatt

 

Tuesday, 5/14

Drive to Denali; explore

Lunch in Talkeetna

Stay near Denali

 

Wednesday, 5/15

Morning hike in Denali

Drive to Glacier View

Stay @ Sheep Mtn Lodge

 

Thursday, 5/16

Matanuska Glacier hike

Drive to Seward

Stay @ yurt in Seward

 

Friday, 5/17

Kayak tour in Seward

Drive back to Anchorage; drop off rental car

Stay @ Hyatt

 

Saturday, 5/18 L

Alaska Railroad train to Whittier

Board ship

 

Sunday, 5/19

Hubbard Glacier

 

Monday, 5/20

Glacier Bay

 

Tuesday, 5/21

Skagway—Chilkoot Hike & Float

 

Wednesday, 5/22

Juneau—explore on our own

Blue Bus to Mendenhall Glacier?

Mt. Roberts Tramway

 

Thursday, 5/23

Ketchikan—Fishing excursion

Lumberjack show

 

Friday, 5/24

Sea Day

 

Saturday, 5/25

Ship transfer to airport

Stay night in Seattle

 

Sunday, 5/26

Fly to Billings & drive home

 

Totally open to any input/suggestions at this point. One thing I learned that may be helpful to others as you start to plan your time in Alaska--you can post your itinerary in the Alaska forum on TripAdvisor and there are a lot of knowledgeable locals and travelers that will provide feedback/make suggestions/tweak your itinerary in order to make it more efficient and enjoyable. 

 

[no1racefan1]

The biggest thing I am working on currently is budget. My rough estimated budget for this trip is about $12k. To be honest I really need to get it to about half that in order for it to work for us. There are several things I have read or am working on to try to reduce expenses and would love any other ideas people use to cut expenses! A lot of things are wishlist items that will be cut from the budget if necessary. I'm going to go ahead and post budget items in this thread as they come up because I have found that type of information to be very helpful from other people. Here's what we have budgeted:

$1,500                 Plane tickets (just got an Alaska Airlines cc and will be able to use companion fare and possibly miles. We also have United miles. Should be able to shave off at least $1k if we are strategic about flights)

$750                    Rental car (have seen for less but estimating high, since they aren't bookable for 2024 yet)

$100                    Gas in rental car

$2,200                Cruise fare (was able to re-fare yesterday and save almost $300--keeping an eye on this!)

$160                    Denali Airbnb

$200                    Travel insurance (bought Princess platinum protection. Honestly first time ever buying insurance... I think some of our cc's offer some coverage, need to look into it)

$120                    Lodging in Glacier View

$300                    Matanuska Glacier hike

$100                    Wifi on board (usually don't buy this but it has been recommended to buy since DH has a pacemaker app now)

$224                    Onboard gratuities

$1,300                 Shore excursions (obviously totally optional)

$150                    Lodging in Seward

$900                    Kayak tour (will try to find less expensive once these are bookable for 2024)

$500                    Massages/spa (totally optional and will be the first thing to go if needed)

$600                    Dog sitting (not much wiggle room here!)

$100                    Guide tips (depends how many tours, etc. DH likes to tip generously when warranted)

$60                      Extra ship tips

$650                    Meals/groceries (hopefully less but food is so expensive right now)

$100                    Airport parking (may have option to fly locally and won't need this)

$200                    Train to Whittier

$118                    Transfer to airport (probably just get a taxi instead of transfers)

$200                    Hotel in Seattle (may not need, depends on flight schedules)

$50                      Gas to/from Billings (may not need)

$400                    Miscellaneous

$500                    Shopping (probably less but who knows)

 

$11,482

 

Some tips I have seen to help reduce expenses, that may be helpful to others:

Discounted Princess gift cards from AARP

Maximize credit card rewards (we never carry a balance or spend more than planned)

Check Groupon (haven't seen many options for Alaska but I'll check when it gets closer)

CCL shareholder credit (we already own shares so just need to apply for this)

Use different airlines/be flexible

Buy groceries in Anchorage to pack for picnic lunches, etc. instead of eating out every meal

[no1racefan1]

Other things to note:

 

DH is 55, I'm 40. We're both in good health and average physical condition. We like to be active and spend time outdoors. This will be our 5th cruise and 2nd on Princess. We are booked in an inside cabin.

 

We did not purchase the Plus or Premier package. I don't drink at all and DH might have 1-2 drinks a day, if that. He drinks plain coffee and water and I usually just drink water. Paying individually for gratuities and wifi is going to be less expensive than a package.

 

We have had very good luck with ship excursions and most likely will book those through Princess. I've compared the ones we are interested in and there's not much price difference if we were to book independently. Exception for things such as Mt. Roberts tramway, that we can just walk up and buy tickets for if we decide to do it.

[wolfie11]

DIY tours are great.  The first thing that jumps out from your itinerary is that you will be driving 130 miles to eat lunch in Talkeetna!  It's around 65 miles south of the park.  Mid-May is early in the park and the tour and shuttle buses won't be running by then but it's a great time to visit!  The park is just waking up and there's almost no traffic, so lots of opportunities to see animals.

 

Since you will have a car, you can drive to Mile 32 (Teklanika) yourself.  It's still late winter/early spring and you will have the park pretty much to yourselves.  I Iike to park at Teklanika and walk on the road from there. The road is closed beyond that point.  Savage River trail is also a great hike. I would try to spend most of the day in the park.  Take food with you.  There are no services except for bathrooms.  You can stay in Healy, 10 miles north of the park fairly cheaply that time of year.

 

I would also look into flying into Fairbanks so you won't have to backtrack so much, but there would be a one-way rental fee.

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by wolfie11

[wolfie11]

I would also look at going to Glenallen rather than Sheep Mountain Lodge and taking the shuttle into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to Kennicott (abandoned mining town) and McCarthy.  There are hikes to Root Glacier and tours of the town.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Sine you are from WY, I hope you plan a whale-watching excursion.  

Thanks for sharing your planning.  It will be fun to read the progression of the trip/cruise.

[no1racefan1]

34 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

DIY tours are great.  The first thing that jumps out from your itinerary is that you will be driving 130 miles to eat lunch in Talkeetna!  It's around 65 miles south of the park.  Mid-May is early in the park and the tour and shuttle buses won't be running by then but it's a great time to visit!  The park is just waking up and there's almost no traffic, so lots of opportunities to see animals.

 

Since you will have a car, you can drive to Mile 32 (Teklanika) yourself.  It's still late winter/early spring and you will have the park pretty much to yourselves.  I Iike to park at Teklanika and walk on the road from there. The road is closed beyond that point.  Savage River trail is also a great hike. I would try to spend most of the day in the park.  Take food with you.  There are no services except for bathrooms.  You can stay in Healy, 10 miles north of the park fairly cheaply that time of year.

 

I would also look into flying into Fairbanks so you won't have to backtrack so much, but there would be a one-way rental fee.

 

Oh! Meant to say, Talkeetna would be a stop on the way from Anchorage to Denali. But I like the suggestion of just bringing our own food. This would be a good day for a picnic!

 

I did look into Fairbanks but the one-way rental fee was an extra $400! I'll check into this again once it's bookable and see if pricing has changed.

[no1racefan1]

17 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

I would also look at going to Glenallen rather than Sheep Mountain Lodge and taking the shuttle into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to Kennicott (abandoned mining town) and McCarthy.  There are hikes to Root Glacier and tours of the town.

I would not be opposed to this, since we would like to visit national parks whenever possible. I have concerns about the rental car and gravel roads..

Also concerns with what all will be open mid-May. It looks like it will be the week that things are beginning to open up.

[no1racefan1]

2 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Sine you are from WY, I hope you plan a whale-watching excursion.  

Thanks for sharing your planning.  It will be fun to read the progression of the trip/cruise.

No whale watching planned so far but maybe that could change. We have been whale watching on previous cruises, but not in Alaska, so it's staying on the list for options for now!

[wolfie11]

7 minutes ago, no1racefan1 said:

I would not be opposed to this, since we would like to visit national parks whenever possible. I have concerns about the rental car and gravel roads..

That's why you take the shuttle in.  Everything else is paved.  

[dfilpus]

You need to factor into plans extra time to drive anywhere in Alaska. The highways are two lanes and often under construction due to winter damage. You will be sharing the roads with buses and RVs.

[dd57]

Check to see if your company has a contract rate with a rental car company that you can use.  My company's contract allows employees to use the contracted rate for personal trips.  We end up saving at least a third over general rates.

[no1racefan1]

37 minutes ago, dd57 said:

Check to see if your company has a contract rate with a rental car company that you can use.  My company's contract allows employees to use the contracted rate for personal trips.  We end up saving at least a third over general rates.

Great suggestion, thank you!

[no1racefan1]

45 minutes ago, dfilpus said:

You need to factor into plans extra time to drive anywhere in Alaska. The highways are two lanes and often under construction due to winter damage. You will be sharing the roads with buses and RVs.

Understood. We're comfortable with the driving conditions, it sounds very similar to what we're used to. The driving will be part of the adventure 🙂

[wolfie11]

Pictures taken the 3rd of May a few years ago in Denali.  There has been a lot of snow this year so conditions may be similar unless it is an early, warm spring.  The bear picture was taken in mid-May

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by wolfie11

[dfilpus]

46 minutes ago, no1racefan1 said:

Understood. We're comfortable with the driving conditions, it sounds very similar to what we're used to. The driving will be part of the adventure 🙂

As I read your plan, you may not be allowing enough buffer in your driving, especially on days you have an activity in the morning followed by a long drive, such as Denali to Glacer View and Manatuska Glacier to Seward.

 

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, dfilpus said:

As I read your plan, you may not be allowing enough buffer in your driving, especially on days you have an activity in the morning followed by a long drive, such as Denali to Glacer View and Manatuska Glacier to Seward.

 

 

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

Pictures taken the 3rd of May a few years ago in Denali.  There has been a lot of snow this year so conditions may be similar unless it is an early, warm spring.  The bear picture was taken in mid-May

 

 

 

 

Wow, I love these!! Very exciting.

 

1 hour ago, dfilpus said:

As I read your plan, you may not be allowing enough buffer in your driving, especially on days you have an activity in the morning followed by a long drive, such as Denali to Glacer View and Manatuska Glacier to Seward.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I'll need to keep that in mind as we decide which activities to try to fit in. Hard part is deciding what to drop and what to keep!

[disneyochem]

I’ve found that planning a DIY trip to be almost as much fun as the trip itself!  🤣. Looking forward to seeing your plans/adjustments.  We do a DIY (in addition to Alaskan cruises) to Alaska every summer. We’ll be in Seward for a couple of days this year between north-bound/south-bound cruises.  
 

Just a couple of things jump out to me about your itinerary.  How are you getting  from Vancouver to Seattle after your cruise?  Princess doesn’t offer a transfer from Vancouver to Seattle this year after our southbound trip.  We’ve booked the Amtrak train but will need to stay the day in Vancouver.  There are independent bus transfers that costs anywhere from $30 pp to $75pp.  I wouldn’t take a taxi/Uber from Vancouver.  And bus travel is my least (and last) favorite option!

 

What kayaking tour are you doing in Seward?  I’ve been on a number but have never spent $900!  Maybe do a Kenai Fjord wildlife cruise?  At that at time of the year, Major Marine has a great orca quest cruise.  They also offer cruise/hotel packages that can save some $$.  You could do a wildlife cruise and a Resurrection Bay kayaking trip in one day.  My favorite company is Sunny Cove—we used them our first trip and just keep going back to them because we like the owner and services.

 

We travel with a collapsible travel cooler (or pick up a cheap styrofoam one in Anchorage).  Our first stop in Anchorage after picking up the rental car is at Fred Meyer.  We buy breakfast and lunch items—we only eat out once a day on a DIY trip.  Saves money and is also healthier.

You do have a bit of driving on this trip.  I echo what someone said earlier—allow probably double the time to travel between your planned spots!  If you want minimize the driving and spend more time hiking/exploring Alaska, maybe just do Seward or not do Seward and spend more time in Denali? Alaska is huge!  
 

I would definitely keep the Matanuska Glacier Trek on your itinerary.  That is one of my all time favorite experiences in Alaska!  And since you will be seeing Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier and walking on a glacier, you might want to pass on visiting Mendenhall Glacier and spend the time/money elsewhere in Juneau.

 

Enjoy your planning!

 

 
 

 

[no1racefan1]

1 hour ago, disneyochem said:

I’ve found that planning a DIY trip to be almost as much fun as the trip itself!  🤣. Looking forward to seeing your plans/adjustments.  We do a DIY (in addition to Alaskan cruises) to Alaska every summer. We’ll be in Seward for a couple of days this year between north-bound/south-bound cruises.  
 

Just a couple of things jump out to me about your itinerary.  How are you getting  from Vancouver to Seattle after your cruise?  Princess doesn’t offer a transfer from Vancouver to Seattle this year after our southbound trip.  We’ve booked the Amtrak train but will need to stay the day in Vancouver.  There are independent bus transfers that costs anywhere from $30 pp to $75pp.  I wouldn’t take a taxi/Uber from Vancouver.  And bus travel is my least (and last) favorite option!

 

What kayaking tour are you doing in Seward?  I’ve been on a number but have never spent $900!  Maybe do a Kenai Fjord wildlife cruise?  At that at time of the year, Major Marine has a great orca quest cruise.  They also offer cruise/hotel packages that can save some $$.  You could do a wildlife cruise and a Resurrection Bay kayaking trip in one day.  My favorite company is Sunny Cove—we used them our first trip and just keep going back to them because we like the owner and services.

 

We travel with a collapsible travel cooler (or pick up a cheap styrofoam one in Anchorage).  Our first stop in Anchorage after picking up the rental car is at Fred Meyer.  We buy breakfast and lunch items—we only eat out once a day on a DIY trip.  Saves money and is also healthier.

You do have a bit of driving on this trip.  I echo what someone said earlier—allow probably double the time to travel between your planned spots!  If you want minimize the driving and spend more time hiking/exploring Alaska, maybe just do Seward or not do Seward and spend more time in Denali? Alaska is huge!  
 

I would definitely keep the Matanuska Glacier Trek on your itinerary.  That is one of my all time favorite experiences in Alaska!  And since you will be seeing Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier and walking on a glacier, you might want to pass on visiting Mendenhall Glacier and spend the time/money elsewhere in Juneau.

 

Enjoy your planning!

 

 
 

 

Yes, thank you!! You have been so helpful! I love the planning almost as much as the trip itself 😄

 

We would be flying from Vancouver, but I anticipate staying over in either Seattle or Billings due to flight timing, so that's where that would be coming from. Of course that's going by current schedules which will change 500 times before then...

 

I was looking at a kayak tour through Liquid Adventures. I had Major Marine as my second choice because I'm not sure if Liquid Adventures will be open for the season yet. I like the idea of doing a wildlife cruise and kayak in the same day. I'm going to check out your suggestions!

 

Great point about Mendenhall Glacier!

[no1racefan1]

After the feedback received I think we've decided to cut Denali out of the itinerary. I'm kind of sad about it but really felt like I'm trying to push it in there just to cross it off a list instead of actually enjoying the time there. Revised itinerary:

 

Tuesday, May 14th--fly to Anchorage; probably arrive in evening. Pick up rental car; stay at Hyatt (can stay free w/ points)

 

Wednesday, May 15th--Matanuska Glacier hike. Maybe stay in Glacier View?

 

Thursday, May 16th--Drive to Seward; explore area around Seward, maybe find a hiking trail. Stay in Seward (another goofy bucket list item, stay a night in a yurt)

 

Friday, May 17th--Kenai Fjords kayak tour OR orca tour. Drive back to Anchorage and take rental car back to airport. Stay at Hyatt (free w/ points)

 

Saturday, May 18th--Take Alaska Railroad train from Anchorage to Whittier, arrives 12:05pm. Board cruise ship.

 

Sunday, May 19th--Hubbard Glacier cruising

 

Monday, May 20th--Glacier Bay cruising

 

Tuesday, May 21st--Skagway--want to book the Chilkoot Trail Hike & Float excursion

 

Wednesday, May 22nd--Juneau--maybe a guided hike or catch bus to Mendenhall Glacier; hike to Nugget Falls. Possibly canoe or kayak here if we don't get to do that in Seward?

 

Thursday, May 23rd--Ketchikan--fishing excursion for husband. Don't know what I'll do this day.

 

Friday, May 24th--at sea

 

Saturday, May 25th--disembark Vancouver; fly home

 

 

 

I think this makes the driving much more manageable and leaves some free time each day in case we see something we want to do spur of the moment...what do you all think? Suggestions?

[Kathscof]

That sounds like a much better (and less all over the place) trip.

 

I wouldn't leave Seward without doing a Kenai Fjords tour, going to the glaciers there is amazing.  We saw SOME wildlife (I believe it is more than normal) which made us late to the glacier, but it wasn't the highlight at all, the glacier was the best.  

[no1racefan1]

In today's trip planning news...okay, so I actually research this trip basically every day in one way or another, but it would be get pretty boring if I posted about it here every day. Here's what I do in an effort to stay on top of costs and look for deals:

--Check CC of course, to see if there's any chatter about Princess/Alaska/tours/etc. Sometimes one of our CC friends might find a good deal or coupon code for something and post about it! This is where I learned you could buy Princess gift cards from AARP Rewards for a 10% discount.

--Go on Princess.com and do a mock booking for my same cruise/cabin type to see if prices have decreased. They have already dropped once since booking and I was able to call and get re-fared. Also while I am on princess.com I check out shore excursions. I have 'favorited' the ones we are interested in but I'm not ready to purchase yet, so I look to see if they still show the same number of tickets available. So far, so good.

 

Today I purchased a $100 Princess gift card from AARP Rewards for $90 and applied it to my balance. I plan to do this every payday, which will pay off the cruise portion of this trip relatively painlessly. The only downside is if we for some reason end up cancelling...that's going to be a lot of digital gift cards to keep track of when they issue refunds. That's incentive to not cancel, ha!

 

Before purchasing I checked my rewards credit cards to see which would give me the best deal on my purchase. Discover is offering 6% cash back on Paypal purchases through 5/31, so I paid for the gift card via Paypal and bam! Another 6% off. I *might* change my card buying strategy and buy more before this offer expires so I can take full advantage of this deal.

 

DISCLAIMER: I AM IN NO WAY RECOMMENDING THE USE OF CREDIT CARDS FOR UNNECESSARY, UNPLANNED PURCHASES OR IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO PAY THE BALANCE IN FULL EVERY MONTH. I DO NOT CARRY A BALANCE ON ANY CARD.

 

Itinerary-wise, even though we made a revised itinerary we are still going back and forth on whether we should come in Sunday or Monday and add Denali back to the trip. On the one hand, yes it cut out a few hundred dollars and several hours of driving to drop Denali. On the other hand, it would be a lot less expensive to include it in this trip than it would to plan a whole other trip to Alaska someday to visit Denali. So many decisions!! (A person on Tripadvisor recommends a flight-seeing trip over Denali which sounds really amazing and also like it would be *adding* to the budget, not taking away from it....but also, amazing! Sigh...)