Hi all - we have hammered out the following with all your help - especially John %26amp; Manitoba Maple. What do you think of our longer than originally planned trip as mapped out?
6/25 - Flight to Juneau - arrive 9:39 pm
6/26 - Mid-day Whale Watch with Harv %26amp; Marv
Other Juneau Activities (Tram,glacier)
6/27 - Flight to Anchorage 1:10-2:51 pm
Pick up RV Great Alaskan Holidays
Head north a little ways and camp.
6/28 - Complete drive to Denali. Visitor Center, Film %26amp; Dinner Theatre
6/29 - Denali Tour %26amp; Hike
6/30 - River Raft (Nenana?) %26amp; drive to Talkeetna (or raft in Talkeetna) Camp
7/1 - Long drive to Homer
7/2 - Emerald Air flightseeing/Bear Viewing in Katmai.
Head back a small bit toward Anchorage - camp.
7/3 - Complete drive to Anchorage. Return RV
P/u at 2:00 pm for Cruise West 3 nt. Prince William Sound Cruise
7/4 - 7/6 Cruise
7/6 Disembark Whittier %26amp; Back to Anchorage by 11:30 am Kill time here before
7/7 - Train to Seward (Coastal Classic) 6:45-11:05 am
pm in Seward - fish, Sea Life Center
7/8 - Sea Kayaking, whatever we want
Back on train to Anchorage - 6:00-10:15pm
7/9 - 12:05 AM flight (non-stop) home to Denver.
What do you think? I%26#39;m pretty pleased really! Thank you all so much for your input. I continue to scour these pages for lodgin/camping now.
1st Time Itinerary - Review Please
Generally I really like your itinerary. Just some thoughts:
Juneau - Your time is actually really short there - one day and another morning. Make the most of your time by going to Mendenhall Glacier in the morning and asking Harv %26amp; Marv to pick you up there for your whale watching. Then they can drop you off back downtown (or elsewhere?). Consider the tram in the evening as the sun starts to set (stays light pretty late) so you can get some good photos, if the weather cooperates of course.
And use your time wisely on 6/27 in the morning. No need to be at the airport until shortly before noon. You have 3 hours that morning - museum, drive to the end of the road, Douglas Island, a hike?
Are you purposely not taking a Kenai Fjords NP cruise in Seward? Even with the PWS cruise I would suggest the Kenai Fjords tour and/or at least Exit Glacier.
Note that you are pretty tight on your return from Seward. 10.15pm arrival means not at the airport until close to 11pm by the time you get your luggage, get a cab and get to the airport. That is cutting it VERY close. Do you have frequent flyer status with an airline that allows you to get through the security line faster? If not I am afraid you are at a very real risk of missing your flight. Just so you are aware of that.
John
1st Time Itinerary - Review Please
I think the Homer n back is alot of driving with not much down time. Also traffic will be alot heavier than normal on July 3rd but the good news for you is
it%26#39;s mostly heading out of Anc.
What kind of fishing on 7/7? Not a good date for salmon and halibut requires a full day to reach the prime grounds. You might want to switch kayaking to the 1st afternoon.
I recommend Alaska Saltwater Lodge for a combo wildlife/fishing charter and they also are my favorite lodging for the fantastic ocean view. Sunny Cove kayaking leaves from there too. Miller%26#39;s Landing next door rents poles and skiffs(small boats) if you want to venture out on your own and also does charters.
Don%26#39;t forget a nice hike out to Exit Glacier.
Hi. A couple of problems:
First, the Homer section doesn%26#39;t fit in.
Second, the train back from Seward won%26#39;t give you enough time to get to the airport. You%26#39;re supposed to be at the airport 2 hrs. prior to the flight, and you won%26#39;t even be in Anchorage by then, let alone picked up your luggage and taken a taxi to the airport.
Are you able to change dates? What have you booked so far?
If you want to keep the same dates, here is a way of fitting more in with less running around:
6/28 - Complete drive to Denali. Visitor Center displays %26amp; film, 2 or 4 pm free Ranger sled dog demo, Dinner Theatre
6/29 鈥?Shuttle to Eielson or Wonder Lake, hiking.
6/30 鈥?Drive to Talkeetna for lunch, maybe afternoon river raft or jetboat. Drive to Matanuska Glacier area to overnight (5+ hrs. from Denali, expect construction delays too).
7/1 鈥?Full day with Nova, combo of half day ice hiking on Matanuska glacier plus half day Lions Head whitewater rafting. After supper, drive back to Anchorage area to overnight (approx. 2 hrs). If you鈥檙e doing the half-day tour tomorrow, maybe overnight at scenic Hatcher Pass instead.
7/2 鈥?Full or half-day bear-viewing with Rust鈥檚.
7/3 鈥?Return RV. P/u at 2:00 pm for Cruise West 3 nt. Prince William Sound Cruise
7/4 to 7/6 - Cruise
7/6 Disembark Whittier and either (a) Back to Anchorage by 11:30 am %26amp; sightsee Anchorage, or (b) 1 pm to 3 pm kayaking (http://www.alaskaseakayakers.com/prince-william-sound-day-tours.html ), return to Anchorage on the 6:45 pm train, arriving 9:15 pm. Overnight Anch.
7/7 鈥?Train to Seward, 6:45 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Pick up rental car (book for 11 a.m today through 11 pm tomorrow--expensive at about $330, but then you don鈥檛 have to pay for 4 train tickets, or taxis in Seward or Anchorage. Works out about the same, plus you have the convenience of wheels.) Visit SeaLife Center, walk to the face of Exit Glacier. If you didn%26#39;t kayak in Whittier, do 6 pm to 9 pm, kayaking with Sunny Cove. Overnight Saltwater Lodge if they still have room.
7/8 鈥?all day fishing/wildlife combo with Saltwater Lodge if they still have room. About 6 pm, drive to Anchorage (2.5 hrs, but allow extra time for traffic slow-ups and a couple of scenic stops). Arrive at airport before 10 pm. for 12:05 a.m. flight home.
Hope this gives you a few ideas.
Hi there! I won%26#39;t mess with your itinerary, simply because I am not good at that. If you had time/inclination, I would check out the museum in Juneau - I haven%26#39;t been there for years, but our state capital does have some unique things.
As far as a raft trip in Denali, I would recommend the Denali Outdoor center - they have the best reputation on the river here our local area.
Hope everything works out! :)
OK! Wow - that%26#39;s a lot of good input.
With that we will:
Enjoy Juneau as much as possible. Liked the tips for that location.
Undo the Homer section and look into Rust%26#39;s.
Do the train one way only and drive back to Anchorage from Seward in a more casual time frame.
Definitely hike Exit Glacier.
I%26#39;ll take the other info into consideration as well. All we%26#39;ve booked so far is the RV and the plane tix there and back.
Thanks everyone!
Amy
Note that you should reserve the one-way Hertz car rental from Seward to Anchorage ASAP. I hope you are ready for sticker shock. Pick up and drop off in Seward is under $100. Pick up in Seward and drop off in Anchorage is about $250.
A 3-day local car rental pick up and drop off in Anchorage is about the same $250 depending on exact dates, pick up/drop off times, which company, picking up at airport or in town, etc. All rates include all mandatory taxes and fees.
John
Thanks! I will do it right away. And you%26#39;re right - we%26#39;re offing the train tix back this way and have the convenience of wheels in the Seward area.
Again - I so appreciate your help!!!
You really don%26#39;t need the car when you are in Seward, especially if you are staying in town. You can get along with a taxi around town or to Exit Glacier, or with Exit Glacier Guides shuttle to Exit Glacier.
So you might only need the car for one day - pick up the morning of July 8th and return late that evening at the Anchorage airport. If you did that, it will save you about $100 (the $250 I mentioned above is for a one-day rental, figure about $350 for a two-day rental but check hertz.com and other sources for the best pricing on the type of car you want).
John
';So you might only need the car for one day - pick up the morning of July 8th and return late that evening at the Anchorage airport';
I originally thought about that; however, I went with the 1.5 day rental suggestion for 2 reasons: first, if Amy does stay at Saltwater Lodge, that%26#39;s of course out of town. Rather than rely on a taxi to get back and forth, it would be nice to have wheels. Handy for Exit too, though of course a taxi or Exit Guides could take her there.
But most of all, IF she%26#39;s going fishing early on 7/8, there might not be time to get the rental car prior to leaving on the fishing charter. Even if there is, it sure would make it a hectic start to the day. Plus, a cruiseship is in town that day, so who knows if there will be a lineup to rent cars at 7 a.m when Hertz opens. Yet, can%26#39;t pick the car up the night before because Hertz closes at 7 pm, which means the rental would have to be for over a day anyway by the time Any drove to Anchorage. Unless, of course, she picks the car up after the fishing. But I for one would have to be hogtied before I%26#39;d pay $250 for having a car for maybe 6 hours.
See, there is method to my madness! :-P
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