Hi
I%26#39;m planning a 2-3 month trip to Alaska (from the UK) in May next year. I%26#39;m doing it on my own cos I%26#39;m being made redundant and this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance - time off, bit of cash, can%26#39;t wait! I%26#39;m wondering if anyone has any tips or general thoughts on a single, fairly adventurous, late thirties girl doing this ie are people friendly, good places to go where I won%26#39;t feel like a saddo etc!!
I%26#39;m thinking of doing a cruise for a week or two, just to see the coast and am looking for the smallest ship I can find (seems Cruise West do this tho the single person supplement (which is new to me!) is making me ill! Then I%26#39;d like to head inland for a month or so, maybe even up as far as Barrow if it%26#39;s physically possible and not horrendously expensive. All thoughts and hints will be very welcome!!
Alaska May 07 - on my own! Any tips appreciated!
Squigs
I previously did a trip to Churchill in Canada and we went with discover the world.co.uk, there were alot of single female travellers who they partnered up to share a room. On this trip everyone who did this seemed to get on really well. This could be an option if you don%26#39;t mind sharing and want to save some dosh for a cruise.
For on-land stuff we have chosen to do this independently - have a look at the posts by Coalminer, Places, Inluvwithak and Glacier lady, kileysmom to name a few - all share a huge amount of information as well as all the other posts. We have amended our plans severeal times based on their advise to get the best out of our trip.
When we started planning we started with Frommers, then the Alaska web sites and this Forum.
Hope this helps.
Alaska May 07 - on my own! Any tips appreciated!
Two or three months... wow! Most people on this forum only plan for around ten days, not nearly enough time to see even just a little bit of Alaska. I went for two and a half weeks to Denali, Seward, and Homer and feel like I just skimmed over the places I went.
The first thing I%26#39;d recommend is to buy a guidebook. Frommers is always reliable, and I also recommend Alaska by Lonely Planet. It%26#39;s great for budget travelers or people who are doing it on their own in general. A guidebook gives you a good overview of the different places you can go to in Alaska so you can get in your head what you want to do. Alaska is a huge state, but two or three months just might be able to cover it, at least partially. :)
You%26#39;ll never see an Alaskan telling you to take a cruise on a Mega ship (Royal Caribbean, Princess, etc), but I don%26#39;t know about the smaller ones, as they are rarely mentioned in this forum.
Another idea to see the Inside Passage is to hop around from town to town on the Marine Highway, which gives you more freedom to make your own schedule.
My thoughts on Barrow: don%26#39;t go. I really don%26#39;t see the point; the little to do up there and the scenery%26#39;s not amazing. Plus it%26#39;s not cheap. I would recommend not going much farther North than Fairbanks.
There are two musts for your trip, to go to Seward for a cruise to Kenai Fjords, the Sea Life Center, and Exit Glacier and to spend a few days in Denali, take a bus tour into the park and maybe do some backcountry hiking. Other ideas are to explore Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Homer, Katami National Park and Fairbanks.
Again, Alaska is a huge state and a guidebook can orient you to where you want to spend your time.
Blue
What a wonderful opportunity for you! You have picked on the perfect places to have an adventure, but so many choices to make as well. I agree with the other posters - read as much as you can to figure out where you really want to go, what you want to see and do. Will you be camping on this journey as well?? You should consider the Alaska ferry system -may work better for your budget as well as your schedule, as you can check out various places for different lengths of time while you are in the Southeast. I am not sure what cruises are as tailor made for what you possibly would like to do.
As far as your land portion, do come here as late in May, if not June . . . we don%26#39;t really green up here in the Interior until June.
Best of luck planning and we%26#39;ll look forward to more of your questions. :)
You better be carefu I did solo, all summer trip to Alaska in 1993 and I am still here. I had planned about 3 months to travel across the country, Boston via the southwest to Seattle on the train and then flew from Seattle to Alaska for the remainder of the summer. I had really nothing pre-planned, I had a tent and some money and rented cars took trains/ferries/planes when I decided I wanted to move on. When in Anchorage I stayed in a hostel type place that offered weekly rates and that worked out well. I also tried to make reservations at least for one night when I arrived in a new area so I could get settled in.
If you do not mind roughing it just a bit the ferry is a great way to go. You can get off where you want and not be tied to some cruise ship schedule. The sealife cruises out of Whittier and Seward are great and I think there is even one out of Seward where you can spend a night on Fox Island. I found everyone here quite friendly, the hostel place I stayed at in Anchorage also had some local people living there and they were more than happy to show me around. Anchorage is fairly easy to get around and you can catch a train/bus/plane to any part of the state from there. With the time you have you should definately see parts of the interior.
definitely utilize our extensive train network and bus system. There are busses and trains to everywhere in the state (everywhere you%26#39;d wanna go at least). If you are coming from the UK and want to see the coast from a cruise boat than fly into Vancouver using Zoom Airlines and take a Princess ship from there to Whittier...Once you get to Whittier i%26#39;d recommend the 26 Glacier Cruise and than renting a car or taking the train to get to Anchorage, once you%26#39;re there there is so much to decide, places to go, things to do...etc...and dont be scared to approach us Alaskans, we wont bite you...most of us would be happy to help point you in the right directions. Dont plan to much for such a long trip though, cause you%26#39;ll get to a place that you had planned to stay at for 2 nights and find you wanna stay for a week, or vice versa, that%26#39;s how it was when I first moved up here so many years ago.
Dont hesitate to email me with specific questions/concerns
AK.Davak@gmail.com
If you have interest in getting away from the tourist crowds, by all means take the train to Whittier, maybe take a glacier day trip in Prince William Sound, but do jump onto the ferry to Cordova (%26amp; Valdez on the return). You will not be disappointed. Check out www.CordovaChamber.com for more info. There are several wonderful little B%26amp;B%26#39;s, a nice hotel on the water%26#39;s edge, lots of wildlife, rafting, kayaking, great hiking trails, and friendly locals. It is possible to be the only person viewing the majestic Childs Glacier. In May the shorebirds return to the west coast%26#39;s largest wetlands which start within Cordova%26#39;s city limits. The Copper River salmon season begins in May, and the town is perking with the commercial fishing season.
This little town is the real deal.
Hi
Great choice for a vacation. You will never be the same. Everyone I have spoken to that has been to Alaska thinks of it often. Me and my brother hope to go in May also. We both have been before.
Go to Lake Louise Lodge in Glenn Allen. Great place and good people. Drive down to Valdez and take the ferry to Whittier. The drive to Valdez from Glenn Allen is unbelievable. Take the park bus at Denali. Go to the kennals and see the sled dogs. Plan for any weather.
Food is expensive everywhere in Alaska, but I also think food in England is expensive. People are friendly but by yourself seems a little unsafe anywhere now days.
Good luck and take plenty of photos. You will look at them over and over when you are back home.
Hello, me and family went in middle of May of 06 and wouldn%26#39;t have changed the time for anything. One day we went into Denali and no snow. However we had so much fun we went the next and it snowed(we were excited) also in May you can rent a car and drive deep into Denali on your own. When they start the bus tours, the personal car driving stops. So it was a real treat to drive into the park on our own. Also in May the Crowds are not bad at all however some places were closed cause still was not quite tourist season but that was fine by us. What really helped us was the MilePost. What a lifesaver. after reading it, i felt like i knew the place by heart. If you want a real adventure go down Hatchers Pass. its hit or miss if its open, depending on the snow of that year. we were only able to go halfway before it was chained off but the sights were wonderful.
Also Matanuska Glacier was very memorable.
Have fun, cause we did.
Hi - I cruised the inside passage on a Cruise West small ship, the Discoverer, I think. If I were younger, your age, I would have preferred the ferry to travel with locals. I am a senior and most of the folks on the cruise were as well. We met folks from France, UK, Austraila and from all over the US. I think you will meet a more diversified group on the ferry. The ferry has a service which will plan your connections for you -- they also might let you alter your plans if you find somewhere you would like to stay longer. We were limited in time and were concerned about being delayed a day if we missed our connections. You can sleep on the deck and save hotel costs on the longer routes.
Back to Cruise West
THE GOOD
You get to know the people on the cruise. It%26#39;s very safe and the staff was very friendly. You go places the big ships can%26#39;t go. You get closer to wildlife. They will stop dead in the water and wait for whales to do something; if they sight them (and someone is always on the lookout) one day a group of dophins decided to play under the prow of the boat, criss-crossing in front of us, I took their photo through a hole (gunnel??) on the deck and got splashed - that%26#39;s close; the big cruise ships drive the economy of some of the towns - we pulled into one when the big ships weren%26#39;t there and the whole town was closed down, there is a naturalist on board who helps your look for eagles, etc. and tells you about the area.
THE BAD
Food is OK, but limited and portions are average or less; rooms are tiny - the head and shower are in the same compartment. They have to put the beds up so you have room to move and then there%26#39;s no place to sit. Excursions, for the most part are extra, $400 for a helicopter ride to walk atop a glacier (the most thriling moment for me). My one complaint, they were late picking us up for the helicopter ride and shorted us 20-minutes of the hour and Cruise West did nothing to mediate our complaint. therefore it makes sense to do what some folks recommend - make your reservations directly with the vendor - it%26#39;s cheaper. there is no luxury when it comes to the ship - you are definitely playing more for less - the value is in getting closer to the wildlife and going places the big ships can%26#39;t.
Although I traveled with woman friend, we frequently set off on our own because of our different interests, and I never felt threatened. I hope you enjoy your trip.
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