Alaska Tour Companies

Ok, I tried calling Grayline, who Holland american uses. I wanted to ask some genreral questions and about the 07 tours. They were not friendly at all. They would not give me any info and said Iwould have to wait for the 07 brochure. I just wanted general info about there hotels and independent tours. Very rude!!! Does anyone know of another tour company or do I really need one at all. Someone mentoned to rent a RV. I need to start working on this

All help is grealty apprciated.

Alaska Tour Companies

You don%26#39;t need a tour company. Just get some guidebooks, figure out what areas you want to visit, and make your own reservations. It%26#39;s easy.

Alaska Tour Companies

Just returned from a week in Alaska - we did it all on our own. Buy the currentr Milepost (it%26#39;s a book with mile-by-mile commentary on what you will see, where you can eat, etc. for every major road in Alaska). If you fly into Anchorage, don%26#39;t rent a car at the airport if you can help it. It is almost twice as expensive as downtown. We reserved ahead with Enterprise. The hotel in Anchorage had a free shuttle from the airport, and Enterprise picked us up at the hotel so we could pick up our car.

Once you decide just what you want to see, get on here and ask questions. There are lots of people who will provide very specific advice. I couldn%26#39;t have planned my trip without all their help. Good luck!

Well, I think you already received your answer about the ';other'; tour company, which is Grayline%26#39;s loss . . . . that other is you! Most of us Alaskans aren%26#39;t very positive about tour groups - simply because I feel like they herd people along like cattle. You will do much better on your own land tour and probably save $$ as well. You will need to figure out how long you are going to be here, when and whether you will be camping or if you will motel/B%26amp;B, whether you will rent a car or an RV. The activities you want to pursue will better determine what part of the state you%26#39;ll want to explore/stay in. But a Milepost and this forum are all you really need. Alaska is really easy to get around in. Best of luck as you begin to plan! :)

Coalminer, you were very helpful when we planned our trip. We stayed for 2 nights at Carlo Creek Cabins. They were very reasonable and clean and comfortable (they ARE cabins - not luxurious, but very rustic and nice). We took your advice on the raft trip through Denali Outdoor Center - we had an excellent guide and a great trip. We stopped in Talkeetna and Palmer - visited the Musk Ox Farm - a very worthwhile stop, and the Iditarod Trailhead in Palmer - not such a worthwhile stop. We should have done the dog demo at Denali. Talkeetna was a fun place to stretch and explore. We also rode the shuttle bus into the park, and we were lucky and saw quite a bit of wildlife. From Denali we headed back towards Anchorage and spent 1 day in Seward and 2 in Girdwood. In Seward we took the Reknown Tours glacier tour and saw more whales than we could count, not to mention the glacier!!! It was 75 and sunny, so the glacier was calving a lot. Girdwood was more laid back, but we really enjoyed the mountain and the town. We had a very elegant dinner at Seven Glaciers just before heading to the airport to head home. It was a trip of a lifetime for us midwesterners! And since our son has decided to stay on at Aleyeska for a while, I hope we make it back. Thanks for all your help!

I just discovered this forum and found the information extremely helpful. I am trying to plan a vacation for my husband, myself and our 4 kids; 18, 15, 11,%26amp; 9. We fly into %26amp; out of Anchorage in june %26#39;07. We have 14 days. We need inexpensive ideas. I%26#39;ve already decided against the train to fairbanks and are going to rent a car for cost purposes. What is my best resource for hotels and tours. The internet is great, but I feel like I%26#39;m missing a lot. Should I book everything (hotels, raft tours) in advance or are there possibilities for walk-ups. We like out of the way discoveries (which are usually cheaper and more authentic). They can be disasters but are usually diamonds in the rough.

I%26#39;m thinking of going to Denali, Fairbanks, St. Elias then take the Alaskan marine hwy back to anchorage. Is that too much for 14 days?

Any help/input would be great! thanks - guylain

We just returned from Alaska and even though I love this site I was not prepared to make all of my arrangements. The logistics seemed overwhelming. I found three Alaska tour companines that interested me and asked for sample iteneraries. I decided on Alaska Bound and had great success with them. Our trip was tremendous!

gummibear: Hi there! Did you ever do a trip report?? I would love that - maybe I missed it. Glad Carlo creek worked out for you as well as the DOC . . . . it%26#39;s always nice to hear good feedback. Would love to hear more. And maybe we%26#39;ll see you again up here! :)

guylain: Hi there and welcome to the forum! Well, probably the most inexpensive way to see %26amp; experience Alaska is camping, but that doesn%26#39;t work for everyone. However, traveling with a family, you%26#39;ll really need to watch your food costs and dining out here isn%26#39;t cheap. Many families opt to RV - though it seems expensive, you would probably save a bunch over hotel costs, because with a family your size, you would probably need 2 rooms. There are lots of other type rentals though - cabins or apt type places that would accommodate your whole family. We have one here in Healy called Denali Suites - 2 bedroom w/full kitchen %26amp; living room which works out good for families and I am sure if you continued searching on the web, you would find more like that.

As far as advanced booking, I would begin booking your accommodations in Jan/Feb . . . and most activities I would book closer to your stay. For the shuttle ride here in the Park, I forget when they begin booking for the new summer season, but you can%26#39;t do that now anyhow. Many things I would wait until you get here unless the company offers a good cancellation policy. Nothing like booking a flight and having it rain and wreck your day.

The good thing about Alaska is while it is expensive and there are many pricey activities to do, there are plenty of things that are free - hiking, most things at National and State Parks, etc.

Oh, and I would make sure you put the Kenai Peninsula on your agenda . . . .you don%26#39;t want to miss that either. Lots to do in Seward, too. Keep reading trip reports - that will help you with ideas and estimate better how long you want to be in a particular location. Best of luck and feel free to ask any questions. :)

coalminer: Camping is a great option, however, my husband won%26#39;t go for it. I would consider renting an RV however, we were thinking it would be too difficult to get around due to the vehicles size and we%26#39;ve never stayed in one before - is it difficult for 1st timers? guylain

guylain, coalminer%26#39;s idea of renting RV is an excellent one. However, before you decide whether this mode of transportation/accommodation would work for your family I suggest you rent RV in Florida (this is where you live, right?) and take your whole family for a weekend away. Who knows, maybe you all are going to love it or hate it. Then start planning details of your trip. If you decide not to rent RV then I highly recommend booking all accommodations as far in advance as possible. You won%26#39;t want to waist your time looking for places to stay instead of doing more exciting things that Alaska has to offer.

With 14 days you should consider including in your itinerary Seward and/or Homer, maybe Girdwood as there is a lot to do for kids .

If you are looking for inexpensive options then visit to Wrangell-St. Elias is not going to be one of them. You cannot safely drive your RV on the road from Chitina to McCarthy so you will need to fly or take a shuttle. To fly -in is $195 + tax per person, the van shuttle is $99.00 per person. I heard from several visitors that riding a shuttle van is a grueling and painful experience.

If this was my first visit I would spend in Anchorage 2 nights, Denali 3, Fairbanks 2, Valdez 2, Homer 3, Seward 2. There are so many options. Have fun planning.

Places: Thank you, I like your idea of ';testing'; an rv close to home as well as the info on the roads and St. Elias.

Does anyone have any input on the hot springs up near Fairbanks? Are any of them accessible? Is Circle Hot springs the only resort around the hot springs? Is it worth a day or two to relax there?

Has anyone taken the Hurricane turn train with a raft ride back from Chase? It starts in Talkeetna and travels to Hurricane Gulch. It travels along the Susitna River and through the Indian River Canyon. (115 miles round trip) I read something about getting off at Chase and taking a river raft ride back to Talkeetna. Any input would be helpful.

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