Cruise +land tour

We%26#39;re planning to have cruise to Alaska on August and we have a few days on the lands. The question is: take the cruise first or fly to Anchorage and Denali park then cruise back? Thanks

Cruise +land tour

Hi taotao09, welcome to the forum.

Ahhh, the neverending question: which to do first? Totally personal preference. I prefer doing the land portion first, and then relax and be pampered on the cruise home. Other people prefer the reverse.

Another consideration is flights. For some of us, flying up is easy with good connections; however, flying back from Anchorage often involves an overnight somewhere. So for me, much more convenient and economical to fly up and cruise back. So check out the flights you%26#39;d be taking to see if that would influence your decision.

Which cruise are you taking? Is Denali the only thing you%26#39;d like to see on your landtour?

Cruise +land tour

Thank you for your advice. Which cruise line do you think is best? I haven%26#39;t decided yet. Which do you think is better- Celebrity or Princess? Which port is the most convenient, Seward or Whittier?

My friends went to Alaska last summer, and they recommend Seward, Homer, and Denali. What do you think? Thanks.

My personal preference is Holland America, but both Celebrity and Princess are good too.

Celebrity goes to Seward, Princess to Whittier. I would definitely recommend visiting Seward, so unless there is a port of call offered by Princess and not by Celebrity, that you%26#39;d like to see, go with the one that arrives in Seward.

Seward, Homer and Denali are all great places. So are Fairbanks, Valdez, Anchorage, etc. Which places you visit should depend on your interests. If you care to tell us what those are, we would be in a better position to suggest where you would enjoy most.

Seward, for example, offers great fishing, kayaking, SeaLife Center, various lengths of Kenai Fjords day cruises, GodwinGlacier or Ididaride sled dog tours, Exit Glacier, Harding Icefield Hike, etc.

Will you be renting a car or using public transport (buses, trains)?

Thank you so much for your advice.

I%26#39;m looking for a cruise and a flight. After we buy our tickets, I%26#39;ll need more help on the details of the trip.

';After we buy our tickets, I%26#39;ll need more help on the details of the trip.';

Well, it usually works better if you buy the tickets AFTER you figure out the details. Then you%26#39;ll know exactly how long you%26#39;ll need to see/do the things you want to.

The usual places for a day cruise are a Kenai Fjords tour in Seward (from 6 to 9 hrs long), concentrates on wildlife but does spend some time near a calving glacier, and Whittier for an afternoon glacier cruise, concentrating more on glaciers though a couple of companies offer more time looking for wildlife. If you can do only one, Seward would be your best bet.

As for flightseeing, if you go to Denali that is where I%26#39;d recommend that. Can be done either from Talkeetna if your driving (several choices of companies) or from the Denali entrance (only a couple of choices of companies.)

Thank you very much for your help.

Our itinerary:

Day 1. Flight to Anchorage Stay there o/n

Day 2. Drive to Denali Park. Catch the Rafting Whiterwater tour 3pm stay in park o/n ( which hotel you recommend?)

Day 3. Denali Park Turdra Wilderness tour AM. Drive back to Anchorage o/n

Day 4. Drive to Seward. Drive around and Sea life center.

Day 5. Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise 8:00 AM Embark the Cruise at evening.

I%26#39;m looking for Princess and Holland America cruise line,but I couldn%26#39;t find the car rental from ANC to Seward. Do you know which company offer those?

Holland America said they%26#39;ll pass the Kenai Fjords Park, but my friend said the day cruise is much better because the small ship can go closer to glacier and sea animals, is that true?

Thanks.

I am not good with itineraries, but here are my thoughts:

Come to Denali, but instead take the park shuttle bus - cheaper and goes further into the park. www.nps.gov/dena. If you want to do a raft trip, use the Denali Outdoor center - best reputation on the river. If you have time, attend the Park doggie demo.

Since you will have a car, I would recommend staying in Healy rather than a hotel at the entrance. Healy is only 12 miles north, but a world away. Nice choices with much better prices - I could recommend a hotel or one of several very nice B%26amp;B%26#39;s or cabins. Here are two sites that list most of the accommodations in the area:

http://www.alaskaone.com/healy/

http://www.denalichamber.com/ look under members.

You may want to stay another night after your bus ride into the park - they can be rather exhausting and it is about 5+ hour drive back to Anchorage. Just a thought!

And yes, take a small boat tour into Kenai Fjords, as the boat get much closer to the glaciers and rocks so that you can see the birds/wildlife better. The only thing you would see close on your cruise would be with your binoculars - just not the same feeling. You may want to visit the Sealife center in Seward as well. Happy planning! :)

“I%26#39;m looking for Princess and Holland America cruise line,but I couldn%26#39;t find the car rental from ANC to Seward”

Holland America departs from Seward, but Princess departs from Whittier. As for car rental, Hertz is the only outlet in Seward, so you’d have to rent from a Hertz in Anchorage. Be aware there will be a hefty drop-off fee for renting in one city and dropping off in another, but then you’ll be saving the price of train tickets.

Also, depends what you mean by “drive around” in your itinerary. If you want to “explore” on the way from Anch. to Seward, then a car is the way to go. If you don’t want to make some stops, then it’s best to take the train. You don’t need a car in Seward, it’s tiny. Also, usually (but not always) rental cars are cheaper in Anchorage off-airport locations. But then, you have to take the convenience into account, as well as the need for taxis to get to your hotel the first night and back to the rental the next morning. Only you can decide which works best for you.

“Holland America said they%26#39;ll pass the Kenai Fjords Park, but my friend said the day cruise is much better because the small ship can go closer to glacier and sea animals, is that true?”

Holland America starts out the same, obviously, in Resurrection Bay, but from there heads southeast out to sea. The Kenai Fjords tours head southwest, round Cape Aialik and go into Aialik Bay, where they get much closer to a calving glacier than the cruiseship ever could. There should be a map you can click on on the tour website so you can see where your boat travels. Further, they will stop whenever wildlife is spotted so you can spend a few minutes enjoying it. The cruiseship keeps moving….

If there is a way you can add just one extra day, I agree with Coalminer that you’d be more relaxed with a second overnight in Denali. If you can’t add a day, this is what I suggest:

Day 1. Flight to Anchorage Stay there o/n

Day 2. Get supplies/snacks for Denali. Drive to Denali Park (5 hrs). Whitewater rafting. Other possible activities: see visitor center displays %26amp; film, drive the 14 miles into the park that cars are allowed and see if you can spot some wildlife, maybe do a short hike either there or at the entrance. Maybe dinner theatre in the evening. Overnight Healy.

Day 3. Denali Park Tundra Wilderness A.M. Tour--that’s okay, but I’d suggest the same as Coalminer: an early morning shuttle to Eielson (8 hrs). Much cheaper, goes a few miles further into the park than the TWT, and you can book to leave at a specific time (TWT doesn’t tell you what time you’re leaving until the week before). Also, if you are into hiking at all, you can get off the shuttles almost anywhere and catch a later one; with the TWT, you must stay with the bus you booked. More details for both at www.reservedenali.com . Either way, be sure to bring binoculars for everyone, as most wildlife is seen at a distance. Late afternoon drive to Wasilla (3.5+ hrs) to overnight (http://centralalaska.worldweb.com/Wasilla/WheretoStay/ )

Day 4. Drive to Seward (3.5+ hrs). Scenic stops, plus Potter Marsh, Beluga Pt., Wildlife Conservation Center (http://alaska.org/driving/seward-drive.htm ). On the way into Seward, stop at Exit Glacier to walk to the face of the glacier (1 to 2 hrs depending on which trail you take). Return rental car to Hertz. Maybe 6 pm Ididaride (they will pick you up in town if you pre-arrange it). Overnight Seward.

Day 5. Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise 8:00 AM --I assume this is the 6 hr cruise? If so, then visit SeaLife Center in the afternoon (your hotel/B%26amp;B should hold your luggage for you if you ask them). Embark on the Cruise in evening. (If the weather is nice, you can walk to your hotel after SeaLife, browsing the shops or beach along the way, then take a taxi with your luggage for the brief distance to the cruise ship.)

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Thank both of you! Your suggestions are very helpful and we%26#39;ll follow the itinerary.

Finally we booked Holland America cruise at middle of August. We%26#39;ll fly to Anchorage before the cruise to go to Denali Park and Seward for the day cruise.

Now the question is: with Holland America what shore excrusions we should go? At Haines, is there any chance we can go to Yukon area (whitehorse and carcross)? The ship will stay at Haines from 6:30AM to 9:00PM and Juneau from 8:00AM to 6:00PM. Those are two long days on land, I don%26#39;t want to miss anywhere we can go. Where can we see the salmon in the river? Is the season to watch it?

Thanks