Alaska Itinerary

[CaribKng]

If you could create your own itinerary for Alaska which destinations would you pick and why would you pick them? IE would it be for scenic reasons, wildlife, shopping etc....

 

Any info that is provided would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in Advance.

[Budget Queen]

All of Alaska, fits your question. :) More will be available to you, the longer and farther you go. So basic recommendation would be for you to consider a one way cruise and adding as much time as possible for interior Alaska.

 

Wildlife "hot spots" are Denali Park, Kenai Fjords, fly outs- Homer, fly outs- Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Hoonah.

 

Do your homework, head to your library and take out Alaska travel books, request visitor guides, then determine what is the most interesting places for you. But again- just about everywhere, you can certainly find some fantastic touring to consider.

 

I've had 25 trips to Alaska, with many varied itineraries, believe me, it was all excellent!! :)

[CaribKng]

All of Alaska, fits your question. :) More will be available to you, the longer and farther you go. So basic recommendation would be for you to consider a one way cruise and adding as much time as possible for interior Alaska.

 

Wildlife "hot spots" are Denali Park, Kenai Fjords, fly outs- Homer, fly outs- Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka, Hoonah.

 

Do your homework, head to your library and take out Alaska travel books, request visitor guides, then determine what is the most interesting places for you. But again- just about everywhere, you can certainly find some fantastic touring to consider.

 

I've had 25 trips to Alaska, with many varied itineraries, believe me, it was all excellent!! :)

 

Thank you for the info Budget Queen...everyone on here says you are one of the most knowledeable on Alaska and I have ready many of your posts and have learned a lot...we are getting ready to go on our first cruise in a couple of months and probably Alaska in 2010.

 

Thanks again.

[kGCAL]

there are many options for Alaska cruise. Don't miss a whale watching tour in either Juneau or Sitka if one of them is on your port of call list.

[Kerry&LuAnn]

The big three for us were:

 

Prince William Sound (glaciers up close and personal)

Kenai Fjords (marine wildlife)

Denali (wildlife and Mt. McKinley)

 

We created our own 4-day land tour (with a rental car) at the end of our 7-day cruise so we could see these areas.

[Kerry&LuAnn]

Here is the itinerary from our trip to Alaska last July, beginning with a one-way cruise on the Diamond Princess and then a land tour on our own with a rental car.

Saturday

Diamond Princess departed from Vancouver

Sunday

Day at sea cruising the Inside Passage

Monday

Ketchikan. We picked up a free copy of the “Ketchikan Walking Tour Map” at the Visitors Center and explored the town on our own.

Tuesday

Juneau. We had a fabulous whale watching excursion with Harv & Marv’s (the shuttle stopped on the way back to the dock to let us spend a little while at Mendenhall Glacier). Then we explored the town on foot.

Wednesday

Skagway. We took the White Pass Railroad excursion. Afterward we explored the town on foot with a self-guided map we picked up at the Visitors Bureau.

Thursday

Scenic cruising through Glacier Bay National Park – breathtaking scenery!

Friday

Scenic cruising through College Fjord – breathtaking scenery!

Saturday

Cruise concluded at Whittier. We took the 6-hour Prince William Sound Explorer Glacier Cruise (Alaska Heritage Tours) for up-close-and-personal exposure to the glaciers. After dinner at Swiftwater Seafood at the dock in Whittier we drove an Avis rental car to Seward (beautiful scenery along the way). Stayed overnight in Seward.

Sunday

We took the Kenai Fjords Tour (Alaska Heritage Tours) and saw a variety of marine wildlife (whales, sea lions, harbor seals, puffins, etc.). Seward is a charming town to explore.

Monday

We drove from Seward to Denali, stopping along the way to hike at Exit Glacier and visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Stayed overnight at McKinley Creekside Cabins in Cantwell.

Tuesday

We took the Denali national Park shuttle as far as Eielson and back. Lots of wildlife. And the magnificent mountain was in full view! Stayed overnight at McKinley Creekside Cabins in Cantwell.

Wednesday

Drove to Anchorage, dropped off the Avis rental car at the airport, and flew home.