Hi everyone....I%26#39;m sure this question has been asked a bunch of times but can%26#39;t locate where so thought I would just post a new topic and hope someone will help me with this. We are scheduled to take a cruise and tour at the end of May. I%26#39;m having second thoughts about going with the cruise tour as we (husband and wife) hate being ';herded'; around and on a designated ';schedule. We%26#39;ve always been somewhat independent. We were going to fly into Fairbanks but could also fly into Anchorage (the cruise tour starts in Fairbanks) Our ship departs from Seward and the stops that the cruise tour goes to are Sophie Station Hotel, El Dorado Gold Mine Tour, Riverboat Discovery Tour, Sophie Station Hotel, Rail from Fairbanks to Denali, Tundra Wilderness Tour, Grande Denali Lodge, Motorcoach from Denali to Talkeetna, Talkeetna Alaska Lodge and then a transfer to Seward. If we were to attempt to do something on our own what would be the recommendations for travel, lodging, best sights to see. We were allowing four nights for touring. Thanks so much and sorry if this request is redundant.
Seeing Alaska before boarding a cruise in Seward
“I%26#39;m having second thoughts about going with the cruise tour as we (husband and wife) hate being ';herded'; around and on a designated ';schedule. We%26#39;ve always been somewhat independent.”
Been there, done that, no more cruisetours for me. Too much wasted time. Fine for people who don’t have the time or inclination to research a trip for themselves, but when I discovered I knew more about the activities than the tour guide did, well…not a good sign (and that was prior to my finding TA, which has really enriched my knowledge).
What is the date your cruise departs, and from which port (Whittier or Seward)?
What type of accommodations were you looking for (hotel, B%26amp;B, price range)?
What are your main interests (hiking, fishing, kayaking, flightseeing Denali, museums, walking on a glacier, watching glaciers calve, marine wildlife, land wildlife, dogsled tour %26amp; ride, scenery, whitewater rafting, etc.)? Of course, some of this you might be planning to do on the cruise portion, so just let us know what you%26#39;d like to do on the land portion.
Is 4 nights the max, or could you stretch another day or two if you found more things you%26#39;d like to do?
Are you looking to take public transport (train, bus) or interested in driving on your own? The only “long” drive you’d have is from Denali to Anchorage, 5 hrs by car. Fairbanks to Denali is 2 hrs. Keep in mind that a car rented in one city and dropped off in another will be charged a drop-off fee that can run a couple of hundred dollars, though sometimes the convenience is worth it, and of course it is offset by not having the train or bus fare to pay.
So give us some more input, and we’ll be happy to help you plan your trip.
Seeing Alaska before boarding a cruise in Seward
Hi Manitoba Maple:
Thanks so much for the quick response. We are a little flexible on our time if need be but would prefer to keep it within the 4 nights...could possibly go 5. I am an avid hiker but my husband just had ankle surgery recently so probably won%26#39;t be able to do any hiking. We have river rafted in the past so probably won%26#39;t do that as we%26#39;ve done it several times before. Flightseeing and the dogsledding sound like that may be something to see/do. Seeing some land wildlife would be awesome. We%26#39;re looking forward to even just seeing the beautiful Alaskan scenery that we%26#39;ve heard so much about. Our cruise leaves May 29th from Seward at 9 pm and we had planned on flying in to Fairbanks or Anchorage on Memorial Day (May 25th). Renting a car sounds good to me but I just didn%26#39;t know if going by rail or bus was more scenic, economical etc. Hotels or B %26amp; B%26#39;s are fine. We didn%26#39;t want to go too too expensive on accomodations....about $100 - $200 range if possible. If we rented a car from Anchorage airport is there a bus, etc to take to the Seward Port where the ship takes off? Or if we rent the car in Fairbanks is there a place to drop the car off in Seward and then what are the options about getting to the port? Thanks so much again.....
If it were me, I would fly into Anchorage and rent a car. That helps you avoid the expensive one-way car rental drop off charge.
Something like this:
May 25 fly into Anchorage
May 26 drive to Denali with stops in Wasilla (Iditarod HQ) and Talkeetna (cute town, perhaps flightseeing). Sleddog demo at 4pm at the park HQ and/or exhibits and film in the visitor center.
May 27 6 hour bus trip into Denali (Toklat is the furthest the shuttle bus runs). If it were me, I would take the 8am bus and then at Toklat don%26#39;t get back on your orginal bus but just walk alongside the road for a while and sit somewhere nice for a picnic lunch. Get back on the next bus (I think 1 hour later).
May 28 drive back to Anchorage with stops in the Matsu Valley (Independence Mine - probably still some snow - Palmer, Eklutna and/or Eagle River Nature Center). Return car
May 29 early train to Seward, arrive just after 11am. Either take an 11.30am Kenai Fjords NP cruise (finishes at 5.30pm) or go to the Sealife Center and Exit Glacier. Board ship in time for dinner. Note the Kenai Fjords company will store your luggage for you during the tour.
There are lots of other options but this combines the highlights of everything besides Fairbanks.
If you wanted to include Fairbanks, fly into Fairbanks on May 25, morning of May 26 do either the Riverboat Discovery or El Dorado Mine tour, afterward drive 2+ hours to Denali and continue itinerary above. Figure $200-$350 for the rental car drop off fee.
However, the car rental price in Fairbanks might be so much less than the car rental price in Anchorage that it might work out about the same total price either way. I have been checking on car rental prices in both Anchorage and Fairbanks for August. Wow - Anchorage prices are 3x what Fairbanks car rental prices are (for return to the same location).
If you dropped the car in Seward vs. returning it to Anchorage, Hertz is your only option.
Having a car at Denali is a real plus. Allows you to stay further away from the park entrance (10-15 miles). It is quieter and cheaper.
John
Hi John....again thank you for the quick response. I was just looking at car rentals and yes I see what you mean about how expensive it is to drop the car off at a different location. Maybe landing in Anchorage and returning back to Anchorage would be the best because of this. Would you happen to know how much the 6 hour Denali bus shuttle is? Is this 6 hours roundtrip? Also would you happen to know how much the train is to Seward and how often it leaves? Would you know of a good hotel in Anchorage in good proximity to the airport car drop off points and access to train to Seward? Which has the best dogsledding demonstraton....in Denali Park or Wasilla? Also if driving, the roads should be ok at that time of year? Thanks for all of your advice and thoughts. I really appreciate it.
I guess it depends how much you want to see Fairbanks. For me, that was a must-do I didn’t get to do on my first trip. Rather than drive up and back over the same ground from Anchorage to Fairbanks, you’d have the time for a day in Fairbanks. Anyway;, at least this will be more food for thought. And yes, there will be a drop-off fee for the car if you rent in Fairbanks and drop off in Anchorage. Only you can decide if it is worth it.
For accommodations, I like places with a mini-fridge and microwave, so I can at least make a couple of my own meals and have cold beverages handy. Dining out is expensive in Alaska. I’ll let others suggest accommodations, because I always go for the cheapest I can find (I use the room only for sleeping anyway). For example, near Denali I’d go for Denali Park Hotel, which is $89 in May, even less if you stay more than 1 night. Plain, nothing fancy, but has my fridge and microwave. However, there are some lovely B%26amp;B’s in Healy, so you might ask Coalminer to recommend something for you. A B%26amp;B of course includes breakfast, plus you’d get to meet/mix with other travelers and the hosts.
Here is a sample itinerary to get you started. This one is 5 nights.
May 24 - Day 1 – arrive Fairbanks. Depends when flight arrives if you have time to do anything. Overnight Fairbanks.
May 25 - Day 2 – 8:15 a.m. to 12:45 pm, Riverboat Discovery. Lunch. Drive out for the 3 pm El Dorado Gold Mine tour (I’d normally suggest Gold Dredge No. 8, but there is a lot of stairs to climb and that might be hard on hubby’s ankle. Both were nice tours, I just found the Dredge more informative, and you get to try a bit of goldpanning with both.) On the way there, stop 8 miles north of town to see the Pipeline (there is a turn-out with displays, etc.). Back in town, either Ice Museum, U. of A. Museum of the North, or Pioneer Park if it’s open that early. Overnight Fairbanks.
May 26 - Day 3 – Pick up food/snacks for Denali (maybe bring or buy a small folding cooler), then drive to Denali (2 hrs). If time, see the visitor center displays %26amp; film, hike part of an entrance trail if hubby is up to it, or drive the 14 miles into the park that cars are allowed and hike from there. Afternoon Tundra Wilderness Tour (you won’t find out the exact time until about a week before, it will leave between 1:30 pm %26amp; 3:30. Here is more info: alaska.org/denali/tundra-wilderness-tours.jsp , denaliparkresorts.com/tours/tundra-tours.cfm
Normally I’d suggest using the shuttle system, but 2 factors play into my recommendation of the TWT. First, you won’t be hiking so have no need to get off the bus (shuttles allow you to do that, catching a later shuttle to resume your trip, but on the TWT you must stay with the same bus for the whole tour). Second, at that time of year, the shuttle goes only as far as Toklat. With the TWT, if Mt. McKinley is out, you will get to go an extra few miles to Stony Hill Overlook, a great viewpoint for the mountain (if it’s shrouded in clouds, you just go to Toklat). Keep in mind that if there is a late spring, you might not get even as far as Toklat because the gravel road hasn’t been fully cleared. Nothing you can do about that except keep your fingers crossed. The TWT costs quite a bit more than the shuttle, but IMO is worth it in your case, for the chance to see McKinley and maybe more chance to see wildlife. Also, the TWT has drop-down view-screens on which the driver projects his/her camcorder views when stopped for wildlife. If you like, you can order a DVD of stock footage plus some footage from your own trip. Overnight Denali.
May 27 - Day 4 – Visitor center displays %26amp; film if you didn’t see it yesterday, maybe 10 a.m. free Ranger sled dog demo (free bus leaves ½ hr. prior to demo), hiking. Drive to Talkeetna (2.5 hrs) for late afternoon flightseeing (if postponed due to weather, might have to wait a few hours, so maybe plan to overnight in Talkeena. If you have the evening free, or if flightseeing is cancelled for that day, look into doing a 2 hr. wildlife raft float).
May 28 - Day 5 – flightseeing in the morning if it was postponed yesterday. Drive to Anchorage (2.5 hrs). See Native Heritage Center. Drive 1 hr. south (http://alaska.org/driving/turnagain-arm-drive.htm ) stopping at Potter Marsh, Beluga Pt., Windy Pt., Portage Glacier Visitor Center (maybe take the 1 hr. boat tour to the face of the famous glacier), see the nearby Wildlife Conservation Center, maybe stop in Girdwood on the way back to go up the tram if the weather is clear, for a great view, maybe dinner. If you don’t have time to drive the full hour, at least drive about half an hour, as this stretch is incredibly scenic. You’ll see the same views as from the train tomorrow, but won’t be able to stop and take pictures or just sit drinking in a lovely view. Lots of pull-outs for you to do that. Drive back to Anchorage have dinner. If time, walk a bit of Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, see Earthquake Park, watch floatplanes on Lake Hood. Return rental car.
May 29 - Day 6 – 6:45 a.m. train to Seward, arrives 11:05 a.m. Either
(a) Pre-book the 6 hr. Kenai Fjords tour from 11:30 to 5:30 to see marine wildlife and spend a bit of time near a calving glacier (store luggage at the tour office). You might have time for a quick visit to SeaLife Center at the south end of the tiny town (closes 7 pm, takes at least an hr); otherwise, just board the ship.
Or
(b) Dog sled tour %26amp; ride with either Godwin Glacier (expensive, you’re flown up to a glacier and do the sledding in snow) or Ididaride (much cheaper, includes a wheel cart ride instead of a sled ride). Visit SeaLife Center. Then board the ship. Other places you can do a sled ride on a Glacier are Skagway and Juneau. You don’t have to book them through the cruiseship, can often save money booking independently.
As for your other questions: only one train a day to Seward, $75 pp.unless you want the fancy Goldstar car $160 pp (I don’t recommend it myself). The 6 hr shuttle John spoke about is 6 hour roundtrip. No dogsled demo in Wasilla, and the sleddog tour in Denali does not include a sled ride. Hotels close to RR in Anch. would be Comfort Inn Ship Creek (free shuttle) and Hilton. Roads should be fine.
BTW, if you want to see humpback whales, Icy Strait Pt. and Juneau are the best places to do that, with nearly 100% success. Again, go with the independent outfitters for a smaller boat experience.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas to kick around.
%26gt;%26gt;With the TWT, if Mt. McKinley is out, you will get to go an extra few miles to Stony Hill Overlook, a great viewpoint for the mountain (if it’s shrouded in clouds, you just go to Toklat).
Are you sure the bus drivers do this even in May before the road is officially ';open'; to Eielson? I have not seen/read any reports of this happening. Not that it doesn%26#39;t occur, but I have my doubts it would happen in May.
Generally the road is actually open/plowed/graded well before the shuttle buses start operating there. The drivers use the unopened but graded portions of the road for driver training. This is information from one of the bus drivers last summer.
John
Thanks so much for all the info...a lot to think about and consider and alot of great advice. We%26#39;re looking forward to the trip.
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