Which Kenai Boat Trip for?

[pizzalady1]

Day 6. Take early bus back to Anchorage. Do PWS cruise if time before Cruise leaves at 8:30pm.

 

If you are taking the bus from Seward to Anchorage, how are you getting from Anchorage to Whittier? And still have time for a PWS cruise?

[Travel_Maven]

If you are taking the bus from Seward to Anchorage, how are you getting from Anchorage to Whittier? And still have time for a PWS cruise?

 

 

 

I'm currently thinking of leaving luggage at Cruise drop off in Anchorage and taking bus to Whittier...but not sure we'd have time. The cruise Line also has a day excursion to PWS but not sure we'd be back from Seward in time for that either. It may be that we can't work out a PWS cruise but if I have to choose between Kenai and PWS, we'd choose Kenai. Thanks!

[greatam]

Day 4. Morning in Denali (Park Shuttle again if necessary). Drive back to Anchorage. Stop in Talkeetna and explore town. (Perhaps to Flightseeing if not time in Denali). Drive on to Anchorage. Turn in car. Spend night.

Day 5. Take early Bus or Train to Seward. Do at least 6hr. Kenai Cruise. Spend night in Seward.

Day 6. Take early bus back to Anchorage. Do PWS cruise if time before Cruise leaves at 8:30pm.

 

This is very tentative and I'm still tweeking it to get it right. I look forward to any suggestions. I'd also appreciate suggestions for lodging and food.

 

Thanks a bunch!:)

 

Tooooo much back and forth. DRIVE to Seward on Day 5. DRIVE yourself back to Anchorage on day 6. Then take train/bus to your cruise (you probably won't have time for a PWS cruise going back and forth to Anchorage).

 

Even better and MAY be as cheap (only because you are keeping the car for an extended period)-drive DIRECTLY from Seward on Day 6 and drop the car off in Whittier. You COULD take the PWS cruise if you did this. You would have to rent from Avis to be able to drop off in Whittier.

[Travel_Maven]

Greatam, Will the drive from Anchorage to Seward and back to Whittier be as scenic as the Train? Even if it isn't, your idea does make more sense. Glad to know Avis is in Whittier. I didn't think we could drop of a car there. Thanks!

[Travel_Maven]

Bump

[Budget Queen]

Budget Queen (and others), good suggestion for the luggage! I am working on a tentative itinerary right now. Here is what my timeframe looks like. I would welcome any suggestions.:) I'm not sure if I'm trying to do too much or if I am allowing enough time to do everything we want to do in Denali. We definately want to do a Summit Flight tour and/or Glacier Walk but not sure if we should do them out of Denali or Talkeetna. Also not sure if there will be time to do PWS tour. Here is what I have so far.

 

Day 1. Fly in late night. P/U Rental Car & Spend night in Anchorage.

Day 2. Drive early to Denali. Spend day. Flightseeing &/or rafting if time. Spend Night.

Day 3. Take early Park Shuttle to Eielson. Spend most of day in Park. Do Huskey Homestead tour. Spend night.

Day 4. Morning in Denali (Park Shuttle again if necessary). Drive back to Anchorage. Stop in Talkeetna and explore town. (Perhaps to Flightseeing if not time in Denali). Drive on to Anchorage. Turn in car. Spend night.

Day 5. Take early Bus or Train to Seward. Do at least 6hr. Kenai Cruise. Spend night in Seward.

Day 6. Take early bus back to Anchorage. Do PWS cruise if time before Cruise leaves at 8:30pm.

 

This is very tentative and I'm still tweeking it to get it right. I look forward to any suggestions. I'd also appreciate suggestions for lodging and food.

 

Thanks a bunch!:)

 

If McKinley is the priority, then schedule it at your first opportunity, day 2 in Talkeetna.

 

Day 6 , as noted is not the best plan, with over 2 hours of backtracking. May also not allow time for a PWS tour. An option would be cut out one night at Denali, then a direct transfer from Seward to Whittier, for a 1pm boat tour. The train is definately superior on this, my last choice would be a bus. Although Avis is a costly option. Costs can be measured in other ways. It would offer you the best use of your time, and easy access. Otherwise, add a day to this itinerary.

[floridacruisegirl]

Thanks to everyone for such informative responses! Please keep 'em coming.

 

We will need to do our tour in one day from Anchorage so right now I like the Renown tour that takes you back and forth to the city. We will just prepare for potential sea sickness with medication and forge ahead!

 

Can anyone tell me how to get the coupon books?

 

The link for the coupon books is toursaver.com and alaska-discounts.com

 

Used coupon books can also be found on ebay. I will be selling mine on there.

 

Have a great time in Alaska! We just got back last week and am finding it hard not to miss all the spectacular scenery and experiences we had on the trip! :)

[Travel_Maven]

BQ,

 

Here is a revised itinerary. What do you think?

 

Day 1: Fly in Late, rent car, spend night in anchorage at Hawthorn Inn.

Day 2: Drive to Denali. Stop in Talkeetna. Flightseeing Tour. Drive on to Denali Hotel. Spend Night.

Day 3: Park Shuttle to Eielson. Huskey Homestead tour late. Spend night at Denali Hotel.

Day 4: Park Shuttle to Toklat or TWT...or if had to reschedule Flightseeing Tour, go back to Talkeetna on way to Girdwood. Spend night in Girdwood.

Day 5: Drive to Seward for 11:30am 6-hour Kenai cruise. Spend night in Seward.

Day 6: Drive to Whittier. Do PWS cruise before ship leaves at 8:30am

 

Does this look doable? Are we spending too much time in Denali and not allowing enough time to get to Seward? Will the drive to Seward and to Whittier be as nice as the train? We can rent from Avis and drop off at Whittier. It will cost a little more, but may be worth it. Also, is Girdwood a descent place to spend the night?

 

Thanks a bunch!:)

[pizzalady1]

Your plans are really beginning to shape up. The only suggestion I have involves your car rentals. You are going to end up with a one-way rental dropping the car off in Whittier and which can only be done with Avis. That rental has very costly daily rate. I would suggest the following:

Rent a car at ANC from Thrifty, Enterprise or from who ever you can find that has the best rates and return the car to ANC on your way back from Denali as you head toward Girdwood on Day 4. Then immediately rent the more expensive Avis car and do the one-way drop off in Whittier on Day 6. Also, rent the car as soon as you can for next year--the prices increase the closer you get. You most likely won't be able to get the Avis car with drop off in Whittier until this coming September or October, whenever the Whittier office puts in their 2010 summer dates.

[vbmom87]

Your plans are really beginning to shape up. The only suggestion I have involves your car rentals. You are going to end up with a one-way rental dropping the car off in Whittier and which can only be done with Avis. That rental has very costly daily rate. I would suggest the following:

Rent a car at ANC from Thrifty, Enterprise or from who ever you can find that has the best rates and return the car to ANC on your way back from Denali as you head toward Girdwood on Day 4. Then immediately rent the more expensive Avis car and do the one-way drop off in Whittier on Day 6. Also, rent the car as soon as you can for next year--the prices increase the closer you get. You most likely won't be able to get the Avis car with drop off in Whittier until this coming September or October, whenever the Whittier office puts in their 2010 summer dates.

 

I also suggest two car rentals to cut your costs. Until you check, you won't know for sure. However, typically, on the one way rentals, they charge a drop off fee, plus charge you a higher daily rate. So, the idea is to not have to pay that higher daily rate for longer than you have to. However, even after you have your reservations, keep checking. Sometimes the car rental companies run specials for a short period of time. If you can be lucky and snag a deal, that would be great.

 

We booked our car with Enterprise about eleven months out and got a great deal. Good luck!! Your trip is shaping up.

[vbmom87]

LIke you, my DH and I have always packed a lot into our days whenever we vacationed. If you are used to doing that, like we were, you should not have a problem pushing yourself a little bit. Some people just aren't used to it, and think the rest of us are crazy.

 

That said, I will say that we paced our Alaska differently than most of our previous vacations. We are older now ;) and just didn't want to pack in too much. What we ended up doing was scheduling everything we really wanted to do and then had optional activities dependent on our mood. That worked well for us. We found we didn't have the time, energy or warm enough weather to do those optional things, but we still had a great time.

[Travel_Maven]

Thanks for all the good suggestions everyone! Keep the advice coming. I'm sure I'll continue to have questions as the planning progresses.:)

[Travel_Maven]

BQ,

 

Here is a revised itinerary. What do you think?

 

Day 1: Fly in Late, rent car, spend night in anchorage at Hawthorn Inn.

Day 2: Drive to Denali. Stop in Talkeetna. Flightseeing Tour. Drive on to Denali Hotel. Spend Night.

Day 3: Park Shuttle to Eielson. Huskey Homestead tour late. Spend night at Denali Hotel.

Day 4: Park Shuttle to Toklat or TWT...or if had to reschedule Flightseeing Tour, go back to Talkeetna on way to Girdwood. Spend night in Girdwood.

Day 5: Drive to Seward for 11:30am 6-hour Kenai cruise. Spend night in Seward.

Day 6: Drive to Whittier. Do PWS cruise before ship leaves at 8:30am

 

Does this look doable? Are we spending too much time in Denali and not allowing enough time to get to Seward? Will the drive to Seward and to Whittier be as nice as the train? We can rent from Avis and drop off at Whittier. It will cost a little more, but may be worth it. Also, is Girdwood a descent place to spend the night?

 

Thanks a bunch!:)

 

 

bump