Help!!Denali vs Kenai

[antmintj]

4 of us planning southbound Seward to Vancouver but want to do independent land tour. DSH wants fly fishing & DS & I want whales, puffins, etc. Heard Denali is a great 2 or 3 day choice, but so is Kenai. Figure we can also book 1/2 day fishing tours in the ports on our own or thru ship. Torn between Denali because of domed train & Kenai Peninsula. Will only have 3-5 days pre-or-post cruise. Would prefer to do pre-cruise land tour. Any input/advice from others who have done this would be great.

 

Also heard that whether you book domed train thru cruise line or independent that you can't always sit in the dome car the entire time & that you have to rotate out so others can view??!! If we do this independent, can we get assigned seats so we don't have to move our seats?

 

Have been looking at these boards for a week or two & they get more & more confusing with the choices!!! This will be a once in a lifetime trip..

[ysr_racer]

DSH wants fly fishing & DS ??????

[Alaska adventurer]

I would recommend Denali over Kenai. I cruised Vancouver to Seward last July and loved it. Stayed in Seward overnight because we did a Northwestern Fjord tour. Kenai area is not quite the same as what you will see on the cruise but more similar and going to Denali is so different.

 

Even if you can't see Denali (Mt. McKinley) there are many other impressive mountains in Denali and on the way up. Even driving around Anchorage is impressive. In Denali there is wildlife you are unlikely to see on your cruise otherwise. We saw wolves, bears, moose, elk, dall sheep. It is just not to be missed. You can find lots of information on the boards here. My vote would definitely be to go to Denali.

 

We took the train from Seward to Anchorage and then drove from Anchorage to Seward. If you fly into Anchorage, you can drive to Denali return to Anchorage and then take the train down. The train is very slow. When we rode it there were enough seats in the dome car that we didn't actually have to move very often. You are supposed to limit your time to about 30 minutes. But you can go back and if there is no one in the seat, you can sit there. We were able to sit there most of the way because there weren't that many people who wanted to ride in the dome seats. There is no way to reserve the seats. The dome car is good but not I would not pay special for the dome car seats even if you could sit there all the time. I would not recommend taking the train all the way to Denali.

 

You said you were interested in fly fishing, whales and puffins. You won't find any of these in Denali -- it is a different experience but very worth it. I don't know where you live but if you really want to see whales go to the area around Boston in the summer. Much better whalewatching for humpback whales than in Alaska. We were just there in August.

[sagiv666]

4 of us planning southbound Seward to Vancouver but want to do independent land tour. DSH wants fly fishing & DS & I want whales, puffins, etc. Heard Denali is a great 2 or 3 day choice, but so is Kenai. Figure we can also book 1/2 day fishing tours in the ports on our own or thru ship. Torn between Denali because of domed train & Kenai Peninsula. Will only have 3-5 days pre-or-post cruise. Would prefer to do pre-cruise land tour. Any input/advice from others who have done this would be great.

 

Also heard that whether you book domed train thru cruise line or independent that you can't always sit in the dome car the entire time & that you have to rotate out so others can view??!! If we do this independent, can we get assigned seats so we don't have to move our seats?

 

Have been looking at these boards for a week or two & they get more & more confusing with the choices!!! This will be a once in a lifetime trip..

 

We just came back from almost a month touring Alaska by land followed up by a cruise on the Radiance. We arrived in early September and took the land tour first, arranged through Alaska Tour and Travel. We were told that in September you see more animals because they start to prepare for the winter, and they come out to get food. After our land tour and before we flew to Vancouver to meet our cruise, we were flown by air taxi to a lodge in the Lake Clark reserve where we spent a day watching bears. The company indicates this is where they take people in September; earlier in the season, their choice is Denali.

Denali was spectacular, but in terms of wildlife we saw more on tours we set up on our own and on excursions from the ship. A lot depends on the weather, which can be iffy in Alaska. In Juneau, we took a helicopter and landed and walked on a glacier; this was done in the middle of the rain, and similar tours were cancelled because of it. When we went whale watching in the afternoon, the weather cleared and we saw much; we took the same tour in Icy Point, but the weather was worse, and interfered with the whale watching.

When we first arrived in Alaska, we took the railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks to meet our land tour. We were originally booked for coach, but independently, we arranged for Gold Star. As Gold Star passengers (the price is approx. $100 more per person than coach). you get reserved seats in a domed car. Also, there are refreshments which are free to you the length of your trip. If you go coach, you have a seat reserved in a regular car with access to a domed car. The amount of time you can spend in the domed car varies: if not crowded, you could stay there the whole trip, and if more crowded they ask you to stay no more than 20 min. at a time.

The ride is spectacular but one word: if anyone is afraid of heights, be careful. When crossing Hurricane Gorge, you'll understand what I mean!

Finally, when our land tour ended, our tour leader indicated she was traveling to Seward to meet a group who had cruised into Alaska and were taking the land excursion as part of their cruisetour. Her suggestion was to take the land portion first, then go on the cruise. She indicated this because on the land tour you live out of a suitcase and jump from hotel to hotel every other day. The cruise is less hectic, you have a chance to unpack for a longer time, and you have a chance to catch your breath while being pampered. We took the land tour first, followed by the cruise, and I understand what she meant.

Whatever your plans, I'm sure it will be a vacation you'll never forget!!!

[GMoney]

Hi - If you have 5 days, I don't think Denali and Kenai are mutually exclusive, but time will be tight. Here's a possible itinerary for you to consider and others to comment on:

 

> Fly into Anchorage and overnight there.

 

> 1: Take the AKRR to Denali. Overnight there.

 

> 2: Spend your second day in Denali. Take a shuttle bus back into the park; most recommend going back as far as Fish Creek.

 

> 3: Take AKRR back to Anchorage. Overnight there.

 

> 4: Take AKRR Coastal Classic to Seward. Arrive around 11am. 1/2 day left for tours. Consider Kenai FJords tour to possibly see whales, puffins, etc. Overnight in Seward.

 

> 5: Use the full day to explore Seward and go on tours before you board the cruise ship, which should leave late in the evening.

 

Renting a car rather than going by train will give you more flexibility and accelerate your timetable a bit. As noted, the train is slow - scenic and nice - but slow.

[Budget Queen]

With 5 days you can do both, but I do not really recommend the Anchorage/Denali Park train . Taking the train to Denali needs more time, so I only recommend you drive, with 2 overnights at Denali Park. Return to Anchorage, train to Seward the next day, overnight , then board your ship. AFTER a full day of touring. Don't be in a rush to get on your ship. :) At Denali Park, have shuttle bus tickets, in advance to at least Fish Creek, ideally Wonder Lake.

 

 

For a northbound cruise. Get off the ship early, can easily be out by 8am with self disembarkment. Do two days of touring. Train 6pm to Anchorage. Pick up rental car drive to Denali Park for 2 nights, return to Anchorage, overnight- home. IF you have an overnight flight home, you could overnight the night before in Talkeetna and spend the day touring.

 

As for the trains, cruiseline trains do have superior dome cars. The regular Alaska RR cars do require rotation of seats, if people are waiting. A great many don't seem to know they are there or care?? This is only one car. You are assigned a regular seat with a full window, with full viewing. Also vestibules are open.

 

For cost savings there may be coupons available through a couple companies that you purchase. Can offer significant savings.

 

Also for clarification, Kenai Fjords boat tours are not whale watches, and I haven't had real good luck always seeing them. Probably only about 60% of the trips I have been on. You need a boat tour with at least 6 hours on the water. I alway see sick passengers on board, so take precautions if prone to motion sickness. My definate preference is Northwestern Fjords.

[mytime53]

With a preference for sea life and flyfishing, and only 3-5 days, I would suggest that you limit your land trip to the area between Homer and Talkeetna (or limit it to Homer to Anchorage, even). There is plenty for 3-5 days, and you won't feel so rushed. Also, you don't say which month, which could make a difference in the fishing.

[antmintj]

DSH wants fly fishing & DS ??????

:p :p :p

pardon me--he wants fly fishing ----- he already has DS:D :D :D

[itsanita]

Where could you fly fish ( and with what company) out of Talkeetna or Denali?

[mytime53]

Where could you fly fish ( and with what company) out of Talkeetna or Denali?

 

There are many guides and rivers/lakes to flyfish from Wasilla to Talkeetna. This area is called the Mat-Su (short for Matanuska-Susitna Valley...the area drained by these two important rivers). Just do a search for "fly fish guide Mat-Su". Here is just one possibility...there are many more: http://akfishermanschoice.com/Alaska-Fly-Fishing.php

[itsanita]

Thanks! I'm on it!