Opinions on this itinerary, please

[cruis'n sus'n]

May be pretty long, but here goes.....

 

May 31...Fly to Anchorage...Spend nite

June 1....Get rental car...Drive to Seward...Check in Bear's Den...Do Kenai

Fjord Tour

June 2....Still in Seward....Do Real Alaska Tour-IdidaRide Sled Dog-Seavey's

June 3....Start drive to Glennallen....Spend nite...Not sure where yet

June 4....Start drive to Fairbanks.....Spend nite

June 5....Drive to Denali...Check into Denali River Cabins

June 6....Still in Denali...Do Kantishna Wilderness Trails

June 7....Start drive to Talkeetna...Do Talkeetna Air Taxi w/ Glacier Landing

Spend nite in Anchorage

June 8....Another nite in Anchorage...Turn rental car in...Take train from

Anchorage to Whittier...Do Prince William Sound Tour (1:00)

Shuttle or ride train back to Anchorage

June 9....Take train or shuttle back to Whittier to get on ship.

June 9-16.....CRUISING

June 16....Spend nite in Vancouver

June 17....Spend nite in Seattle (close to Pike Market)

June 18....Spend nite in Seattle (close to airport)

June 19....Fly home

 

Thanks for all your opinions.....Susan

[fti]

I am not familiar with travel times between Seward/Glenallen/Fairbanks but here are my comments:

 

Go to Seward just before you go to Whittier. Don't go south on the Kenai Peninsula then north then south again to Whittier then back to Anchorage then to Whittier. If I were to do your plan, I would go from Anchorage to Glenallen to Fairbanks to Denali to Anchorage to Seward to Whittier. It might mean dropping your rental car in Anchorage then taking train to Seward and a shuttle/taxi service from Seward to Whittier.

 

I am not familiar with the Kantishna Wilderness Trails excursion but my guess is that besides possibly lunch, it doesn't give you much more than the $35 shuttle bus ride. Same road, same wildlife sightings. I would at least look into just taking the shuttle bus for your Denali NP time. Your drive from Fairbanks to Denali should only take 2+ hours if there is no construction. So the first afternoon will give you time to do some light hiking near the park entrance, see the films at the Visitors and Wilderness Access Centers and maybe drive part of the first 15 miles of the park road.

 

I am also planning on driving from Denali to Talkeetna, doing a flightseeing tour then continuing to Anchorage but note it will be a long day.

 

Also not sure if you need two nights in Anchorage (June 7/8).

 

It is good that you are leaving Denali for as late in the trip as possible. The road into the park usually does not open to Kantishna until June 1.

 

John

[caribbean dreams]

Sounds like your gonna need a vacation after your vacation:)

 

Have a great tme.

[Chat Noir]

You have a good amount of time for land touring (9 nights?)... and that's fabulous!

 

That loop you plan... really is a big loop; hard to imagine how big by looking on the map... You'll spend most of your time driving with little time to stop at points of interest. I'd consider spending a bit more time at my main areas of interest and in between those, say Seward, Denali, Fairbanks, and really seeing what's there as opposed to 'flying' through and only seeing the surface.

 

Reconsider your Whittier, Anchorage, Whitter plans. Most PWS tours return in time for ship departures. In fact, many fit between the train arrival and ship departure. You can transfer via train, PWS tour, and board ship all the same day, depending on embarkation time. This will add a day to interior touring.

 

You really have a nice time set aside for Alaska! And a good idea of what you want to see. Have fun in your planning to make the most of it.:)

 

If there's one thing I learned about visiting Alaska... try as I might, it just will NOT all fit into a few days.:rolleyes:

[Budget Queen]

My opinion, you are grossly underestimating some time in transit.

 

Without spending 2 nights in Fairbanks, I would not be on a marathon driving trip round about. You also are missing the best part of the Richardson- south to Valdez, north is nowhere near as scenic. If going to Kantishna, I only recommend overnighting THERE. You will have no time for any extended activities and if on the "Kantishna" day tours, you essentially are paying for a very costly lunch- You need to stay there to fully enjoy the activity possibilities. Otherwise taking the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake is a good option, at 1/3 the cost and only 5 miles less.

 

IF you want the flightseeing out of Talkeetna, I suggest you overnight there, so to have the am as a backup. Talkeetna Air Taxi- if using toursaver, mostly only offers this for the evening trips. Verify this directly for current information.

 

 

There is NO point in going back and forth to Whittier, from Anchorage, do your glacier cruise on your day of sailing, you have plenty of time and makes the best use of it. My opinion only, I know some people are in a big rush to be first on their ship and "explore" all day but in Alaska - what is outside the ship is far superior. Then you would have time to adjust your routing and timeframes. IF you do continue to go with this, I suggest you keep your car, then just take the train once on your embarkment day.

[Budget Queen]

I am not familiar with the Kantishna Wilderness Trails excursion but my guess is that besides possibly lunch, it doesn't give you much more than the $35 shuttle bus ride. Same road, same wildlife sightings. I would at least look into just taking the shuttle bus for your Denali NP time. Your drive from Fairbanks to Denali should only take 2+ hours if there is no construction. So the first afternoon will give you time to do some light hiking near the park entrance, see the films at the Visitors and Wilderness Access Centers and maybe drive part of the first 15 miles of the park road.

 

 

It is good that you are leaving Denali for as late in the trip as possible. The road into the park usually does not open to Kantishna until June 1.

 

John

 

Actually, this is too early for the shuttle bus except to Fish Creek, Wonder Lake does not start until June 7.

[cruis'n sus'n]

Thank you ALL for your opinions...I really appreciate it....I will continue to work on this...Thanks again, Susan

[cruis'n sus'n]

Thank you ALL for your opinions...I really appreciate it....I will continue to work on this...Thanks again, Susan