Whittier car rental now available!

[mscloyd]

The Avis car rental in Whittier is now available. Cost for Olds Alero is $75/day plus a $125 drop fee if returned in Anchorage. We had planned to turn in our "expensive" car in Anchorage and rent another "cheaper" car, but we would not have been able to turn it in withing the 24 hour period so would have been charged for 2 days ($310). Then we would have still had 3 more days car rental. Turns out that it is about the same price for us to just keep this car for the duration at $75/day so we won't be charged for 2 cars on that second day.

[mpk]

Thanks for the tip.

 

The drop fee is a bit disappointing. Many will go from Whittier to the airport one-way at the end of a cruise. But just as many will go the opposite way to start a cruise...

[tadjr]

If you have 4 people going this will be only a little more (including gas) than a regular transfer. Unfortunately, if you have less than 4 its quite a bit more expensive unless you just want to spend the last/first day on your own.

 

Ryndam Pacific Coastal May 3

 

Dawn Princess Alaska May 17

 

[tinydancer21]

Keep in mind when driving in and out of Whittier that you can't drive in and out 24 hours a day because the tunnel closes.

 

Here is their city web site:

http://www.ci.whittier.ak.us/about.html

 

Whittier is a crazy town, 90% of the population lives in one building and there is only one road threw a tunnel to get in!

 

9/04 Pride Second Anniversary, First Honeymoon!

[sperraglia]

I just made a reservation for July. There is a drop fee, but since we will be going Anchorage - Seward - Whittier it will save us from going back to Anchorage. The transfers from Anchorage seem to average $50 to $70 a person, so in the end not much difference.

[mscloyd]

This car rental probably is not for those needing only a simple transfer to hotel or airport - too expensive. But, for us this is the answer we've been waiting for! We will dock in Whittier but want to go to Seward without having to spend half the day transfering to Anchorage, renting a car, and driving back down to Seward. Yes, it's pricey, but when I added up the cost of all the other options we had, it's only slightly more. Worth a little more to make better use of our time in Alaska since it is so limited.

[mscloyd]

Tinydancer -

 

Am I reading the tunnel schedule correctly that it will be open to us leaving Whittier by vehicle at 6-6:15, 7-7:15, 8-8:15, etc.?

[lmcd]

Mscloyd,

Glad to see your plan is coming together rather nicely. You are going to really enjoy the trip and cruise. Having a car for the land tour is so much better. Offers all the flexibility you need, convenience,etc.

 

Have a good cruise and tour.

 

Larry

 

Fantasy 08/99

Ecstacy 05/00

Westerdam 04/01

Legend of the Seas 08/02

Zaandam 04/03

Carnival Spirit 08/03

[Budget Queen]

MS- yes you are reading the schedule correctly. There is a $12 eastbound toll, free westbound. This option is for those of you doing sightseeing and not just transferring to the airport- of which I never recommend. As above the BEST it provides is easy access to Seward and Homer. Plan your time carefully to include FULL 24 hour rentals.

[tinydancer21]

If you go to Homer you have to eat at Starvin Marvins Pizza, it's right at the beginning of the spit in a building that looks like a little light house, it's the BEST pizza ever!

 

9/04 Pride Second Anniversary, First Honeymoon!

 

[mpk]

I agree that if the cost is close, I'd just as soon drive us than pile into a big bus.

 

I didn't think about checking out Seward... is there a lot to do there?

[PamT]

Hi,

I'm a first time poster here so please bear with me. Cruising northbound from Vancouver to Whittier in July. Staying 4 extra days after the cruise. We have 3 couples and have reserved a mini van at the Anchorage airport roundtrip for $297 base rate for 3 days with Alamo. We have our transfer secured through the cruise line for $49.50 per person. Now that rentals are available through Avis in Whittier I had my travel agent check on the cost of renting through them. She came back with a total cost of $673.50 including taxes & drop fee. Now I'm wondering if we'd be better off renting in Whittier or leaving what we have reserved. Totaling up the round trip Anchorage rental plus what we'll pay for transfers equals $600 plus taxes. Our plans after the cruise are to drive to Denali where we already have our shuttle bus tickets to Eilson and our room reservations at Touch of Wilderness(all recommendations thanks to BQ on Fodors bulletin board).We had wanted to drive to Seward but aren't sure if we have enough time. Any recommendations?

Thanks for your help!

PamT

[JohnQ]

Boy isn't all this planning fun. We love vacations!! My only thought was did you check several companies in Anc for the van rate? It sounds a little high, but I haven't checked lately. If you could find a better rate or have entertainment, AARP, AAA discount or whatever, the plan would work out better after transferring from Whittier, It still might be worth renting car and going to Seward area for rest of day for Exit Glacier, kenai fjords tour, Seavy Family Dogsledding tour,and enjoy nice drive up to Anc for evening, if you don't have time to overnight in Seward.

[mscloyd]

mpk-

 

As I was researching for this trip, I found that I didn't want to miss Seward. Yes, it would have been much easier to skip it. Most popular things to do are Kenai Fjords boat tour to see glaciers/wildlife, Exit glacier (can walk right up to it), Seaveys sled dogs, Sea Life Center.

[mscloyd]

Pam T-

 

We have 4 days post cruise also. Five would have been much better, but we are making it work. Our final plans are:

 

Day 1 - Dock in Whittier. Rent car. Drive to Seward. See what we can of Exit glacier, Seavey's, Sea Life Center. 3:00 p.m. Kenai Fjords boat tour. Overnight in Seward.

 

Day 2 - Leisurely but long drive to Denali (8-9) hours. We have no other plans for the day so will stop when we see something we want to see. Overnight Denali.

 

Day 3 - Eilson tour. Cabin-nite dinner theater. Overnight Denali.

 

Day 4 - Drive to Talkeetna. Lunch. McKinley flight. Drive to Anchorage. Overnight.

 

Day 5 - Early a.m. flight home.

[PamT]

mscloyd,

Thanks for sharing your trip plans. So far because we've already secured tickets/rooms our plans are:

Day 1: Dock in Whittier. Take cruise shuttle to Anchorage. Rent Van. Leisure drive to Healy (near Denali). Maybe Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre. Overnight Touch of Wilderness B & B.

 

Day 2: 5:30 am Eilson shuttle. Back to B & B for a short nap. Midnight golfing at Black Diamond Golf-Healy. Overnight T of Wilderness.

 

Day 3: Leisurely drive towards Seward area. Stop in Talkeetna, Alyeska Resort/Girdwood tram, maybe the Sea Life Center, maybe Big Game Alaska, Exit Glacier. Eat at Rays? Not sure how far we'll get or where we'll end up. Overnight unknown.(Saltwater Lodge?)

 

Day 4: Drive back to Anchorage. Catch anything we missed. Check out downtown Anchorage. Stay downtown - haven't gotten any reservations yet (still trying Priceline). Eat at Glacier Brewhouse?

Day 5: Return Van rental.Flight home at 1:00pm

 

Feel free to critque plans, as I'm trying to make them for all six of us.

Thanks!

PamT

[lmcd]

From Anchorage it not exactly a leisurely drive to Denali. That is about 240 miles from Anchorage. From you plans you are going to be spending a lot of your time just driving. Seward is 120 miles from Anchorage. You will see that 3 times because you are going from Whittier, then later to Seward from Anchorage, then return to Anchorage. MSCLOYD has about as efficient use of time as you hope for because she has eliminated the doubling back to Anchorage. She still has the long drive to Denali but has plenty of time to do it.

 

Larry

 

Fantasy 08/99

Ecstacy 05/00

Westerdam 04/01

Legend of the Seas 08/02

Zaandam 04/03

Carnival Spirit 08/03

[mpk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lmcd:

From Anchorage it not exactly a leisurely drive to Denali. That is about 240 miles<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

How long would it take? I've read a wide spectrum of drive times. One travel website said 2 hours, which I am sure is a mistake. I let them know that the locals probably don't appreciate tourists blasting thru Parks Hwy at 120 miles an hour

 

Besides that obvious error, times I've read range from 4.5 to 8 hours. Is it typical to drive it in, say, 6 hours?

[Budget Queen]

Anchorage- Denali Park is about 6 hours for me with a meal stop of 45 min. BUT, I could take a lot longer if I stopped everywhere I have enjoyed in the past. Allow plenty of time. I don't recommend the Denali Park to Seward- overnighting and then returning the next day. Seward is best seen spending a whole day there. I would look at perhaps more options on your way from Denali Park - Anchorage and see some excellent "stuff" on that route and do Seward next trip?

[lmcd]

MPK-

The George Parks Highway between Anchorage and Denali is a nice, relatively wide 2 lane road. Third lane is available for passing only in several places. Traffic is not as heavy as you see on the interstates in lower 48 states. Plenty of pulloff areas for scenic viewing. Gas and food mosly only available in small towns you will pass thru. The scenery is terrific so please don't get in your car and just drive to Denali w/o enjoying it. Six hours is enough time to drive and enjoy.

 

Remember this is also the short highway construction season for Alaska. Their state highway dept has a website that has a link to contruction projects. However, traffic will not back up as badly as it does on interstate construction, or at least as badly where we live. They do a nice job of keeping traffic flowing. It's just there can be several projects going at one time.

 

The Milepost is a great source of info for gas, food, and scenic viewing. There is even a special sidebar article on milemarkers for seeing Mt. McKinley. I took a copy of this to use for looking when to stop.

 

Larry

 

Fantasy 08/99

Ecstacy 05/00

Westerdam 04/01

Legend of the Seas 08/02

Zaandam 04/03

Carnival Spirit 08/03

 

[This message was edited by lmcd on 05-16-04 at 01:35 PM.]

[GloriaF]

Please help me with our plans. So far, we have the Coral NB leaving Vancouver 5/28, arriving Whittier 6/4. We dream of renting a car and heading back SB and sightseeing along the way. We love to just get out on the road and explore. We are flying out of Seattle probably on 6/11.

 

I haven't done a lot of research yet, we have just begun to plan. It looks like we will need to take another road to the Alaska Highway from Whittier to Whitehorse, then continue on to Watson Lake. At that point, it becomes a question of whether to continue on the Alaska Hwy to Dawson Creek or take the Cassiair Hwy from Watson Lake to Kitwanga, then the Yellowhead Hwy to Prince George, and from there both route options converge straight south to Seattle.

Does anyone have any experience doing this trip or traveling this direction?? Is it way too ambitious? I've read that the Alaska Hwy has been greatly improved. Any advice would be welcomed!! Thanks in advance!

[GloriaF]

I forgot to ask where can I obtain a Milepost? Thanks!

[JohnQ]

Gloria,

Wow, you did your research to find this thread!! Sound like interesting trip, I don't have map in front of me so don't know what you would see or miss by doing this rather than staying in Alaska for week and flying home from Anc? The time frame sounds pretty short to drive that far and still get to see or experience the sights along the way. Maybe Yukon or BQ or someone who has done this can give more specific info on whether it is doable.

[GloriaF]

Thanks for the response. Actually this thread popped up when I posted for car rental info in Whittier on the Princess board. I'd like to take credit for research, but I'm aftaid that is not the case.

 

I failed to mention that we did a camper trip cross country in summer 2003, 11,000 miles in 60 days from FL to CA up to WA and back to FL, so we know how we travel in a vehicle together. And we plan to take another camper trip in the next few years thru Canada and the Rockies to Alaska when we can spend more time exploring and discovering. This trip is just to whet our appetites with a cruise and then an enjoyable way back to the flight home. From FL to Seattle RT will be "free" miles, but flights in Alaska will be out of our pocket, and not as enjoyable as a road trip. But a flight back to Seattle may end up being the best answer. I do need input from any that are willing to share their experiences & knowledge. Thanks again!

[zachnlucy]

I forgot to ask where can I obtain a Milepost? Thanks!

 

We ordered ours through amazon.com