paddingtonbear

I paid $25 for a new Milepost and found it useless. It doesn't tell prices at all and as mapleleaves says, some of the vendors aren't even in business. I spent hours and hours, into days and days, trying to find hotels/B&Bs to accommodate 4 individuals. The cost of DIY was only about $300 pp cheaper than doing the HAL cruisetour I chose.

 

I use the computer, but not real savvy on ebay or craigslist to sell the book, so I tore out the maps I wanted and threw the rest in the recycle trash.

 

Go to your library and check out a Milepost BEFORE you purchase one, and see if you are happy with it.

agabbymama

Were you doing mainland Alaska or the SE? Have you already done your trip?

I have been organising a 7 day land tour for four of us, with the added restriction of requiring two separate bedrooms and have been able to average about $90 per couple per night for accommodation and have been able to reduce the cost compared to the cruise line cruise tours dramatically. I have not been to alaska yet and I now there will be unforseen costs but I have factored in everything I can think of. Food is going to be expensive but no where near as much as in the Cruise lodges.

It has taken a lot of research.

No, I didn't use a coupon as such but I did book after following a link from an airline flying club (not sure if I am allowed to name them) who have partner deals with Hertz. It gave a 10% discount.

uvasag

You will just have to keep that $251 booking and hope that Hertz have another sale on between now and then. I am watching also so if I see one I will post here.

They currently have a 30% sale for cars rented (as in driven) before dec 14.

Generally the best prices are Aug/Sept for the next year in Alaska but you might be lucky.

Most if not all the airport offices are not open 24/7 as stated above. Check the particular company you are renting from for their hours. I have had no problem with online reservations. If you reserve by phone, then be certain to get and later check the reservation number.

Ooops the Anchorage Airport is open 24/7 not the car rental operators. Sorry.

Yes will book at the airport location just to be safe. Thank you all for your help :)

uvasag,

I asked on Trip Advisor for you and the two local destination experts said if Hertz Downtown Anchorage is open in summer it will only be 8-12 on saturday and closed sunday. They advised to ring the office direct if you want confirmation. It's the number on the website. 907-562-4595

Or you can email Anchorage downtown direct and ask:AnchorageDT-AKHLEWER@hertz.com

I think rental rates are still a little high at them moment compared to last year but I have booked for next year and am keeping my eye on the prices ready to pounce on a better deal. Make sure your booking can be cancelled without penalty.

 

(the airport IS more expensive than downtown. If you dummy a reservation you'll see that the airport has an additional $30 in fees.) The base rate is higher for airport cars too but that can fluctuate greatly).

Mapleleaves,

The airport isn't more expensive for my booking. This could be as I am from Australia and I know our rates are different to yours but it is not always the case that the Airport is more expensive than the downtown locations in Anchorage.

Kosi

Good to read you review. It will help a lot of people make decisions - if they need a big bathroom get a mini suite - if they want a big balcony choose a cabin that has one. Unfortunately it is difficult to know these things before you cruise on a new ship.

Sorry you had to be the guinea pig for us all! :)

Who do you usually sail with and to where?

I hope you have a wonderful experience on your next cruise.

I called both the 800 # Hertz and Anchorage Hertz and they both told me that they can't book for Saturday as their system shows it as the location is closed. They both asked me to wait till 2015 for the system to reflect summer hours and only then it can be booked. I was thinking of booking for July 9th - July 10th and then when the summer hours are reflected in the system, I can modify the reservation with the new dates. However, if the location is closed by 4:00 pm then it won't work. So now my question is what time on Saturday does the Anchorage downtown Hertz close ?

I am really sorry, I don't know their hours. Except that their website says mon>fri only.

If you are flying in is it possible to book anchorage airport > Seward now and cancel later if you get a more suitable/better deal later when the downtown office opens?

Ok here is the deal. When I made my booking I picked June instead of July. So the booking wen thru since it was a week day and they are open. BudgetQueen thanks for asking me to double check everything. Once I found the mistake, I tried changing my reservation to July 11th which is a Saturday and that is why it won't let the reservation go thru. I called up the Anchorage office and they said to try booking in Feb. 2015 . That is when the summer hours will be reflected and it will let me book a car for a Saturday of July. Now my only hope is that I get the same price as I am getting now. It shows me the same price of $115 even for July 9th. We'll see how this one goes. Thank you all for your help.

Do not wait till feb to book. The rates around now are the best you will get. Ring hertz and book over the phone. They will do one way bookings and tell you all rates and charges and email you a receipt.

I rang hertz and they said to book one ways you should ring. They told me there was no one way drop fee between Anchorage airport and Anchorage and no difference in price. So if you have to rent from the airport do so. The airport office is open 24/7. The hertz people in the phone should be able to book even if an office is not currently open- they will know the summer hours. Just don't wait till feb.

I didn't book a drop off in Seward, just to be clear. :)

FWIW, I have AT&T and had excellent service throughout Alaska this past summer, and they do sell pre-paid SIMs

 

http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/devices/simcards.html

If you can use AT & T you should be able to use:

https://www.g3wireless.com/global-roaming-rates.aspx

i love the hockey puck hash browns if they are very crisp.

 

If it weren't for potatoes, i would probably be quite slim. :d

:) :) :)

One itinerary on offer in NZ drops you off the ship at Milford sound then you take a tour to Queenstown and meet the ship at Dunedin.

If you fly into Sydney and spend a few days there prior to the cruise you would see more. You could do Sydney by yourselves with a bit of research. Auckland we did in a day.

I have yet to meet one person who thinks shampoo/conditioner all in one a superior product or even an acceptable product. Even my boys who are always keen to speed up the bathroom process think it's awful.

For my hair it is a disaster.

We just turn off Data Roaming and keep our phones with us to use as a camera, texting device, recorder, clock, converter, mirror, calendar, alarm clock, flashlight, etc. Sometimes we even get on line with our phones, using our free ship time.

 

I love the idea of downloading the ships map, although by this time we pretty much know all the Princess ship layouts by heart. We will do that, however, on the Queen Elizabeth next month. I also like the idea of photographing the Pitter Patter. I hate carrying that around.

 

It will be wonderful when the new feature allowing us to text for free on all ship is in place. We both rely heavily on our phones for almost everything and love, love, love technology.

So do I. I love my iphone and always have it with me. Photographing the Patter is a great idea. I have to work out how to highlight the good/relevant bits.

They had a sale on for next years alaska cruise tours recently.

You don't often see those. Generally they don't drop the prices for the cruise portion of the cruise tours because they are popular.

I looked into the ferries and small ship tours but they were much more expensive and because of the slower speed they weren't as extensive. Obviously they are more intensive.

The ferry schedules mean you have to have a lot of time to travel around and you have to pay for food as well.

I guess a cruise is a compromise but a great first time or one time alternative. We are doing DIY land tour on mainland Alaska before the cruise.

So glad those people who stole your tour got caught out! Amazing! So pleased the Scots saved the day. : )

Lanwood and others that cruised on the Diamond Princess in Japan recently.......could you post the Princess Patters that you have of the cruise?

 

I'm collecting Patters and the websites they are located at for a future posting of recent Princess Patters for future cruisers to view. Trying to find examples from all the cruise destinations on the Princess ships.

 

Any effort is very much appreciated.....:)

Excellent idea! Can you post the website when you have some up?

http://www.teva.com/women-shoes/gannett-wp-mesh/1006505.html?dwvar_1006505_color=BNGC#icid=home_left_wbutton&start=53&cgid=women-view-all

Have you looked at the teva walking shoe? They have a few different styles. They have arch support, space for your toes and excellent shock resistant soles and inner linings and most of them are waterproof. They are around $90 but there are lots of specials and they last for years. Each to their own style wise : )

When we are away we tend to walk and walk and walk. Not everyone does so you have to think about what you need. But, once you buy a pair of "walking" shoes (that really fit your foot) you will never go back to joggers again. They are just so amazingly comfortable all day long, up hill and down dale and over rocky ground.

trails and available hiking in SE are going to be hardened; boardwalks, gravel, the beach... our native materials don't stand up to traffic w/o becoming muckholes. quiery 'muskeg'.

 

if you are walking through grass you are in someone's yard.

 

long grass means they didn't mow their yard on that last dry day.

Hi bottom-dragger

Good to know. We're also hiking in Central South Alaska and the Rockies too so maybe not the typical cruiser. :)

But rain from above can also soak through joggers if it is constant.

Thanks everyone for being the voice of reason.....I know, I know you are all right. I do not shop for Caribbean cruises, (much), because I have a closet full of tropical wear, flip flops, bathing suites, shorts, etc.

 

But outside a single pair of long jeans, I have zero cold weather gear. And 50 degrees is very, very cold to me. :)

 

Good to know about 'snot logs' and vibram hard soled shoes... explains why my Teva watershoes slip on the floor of the Breeze Lido buffet.

 

Hubby said check the thrift stores.... zero cold weather stuff in Florida thrift stores outside of X-mas sweaters.

 

Plus, we are cruising mid-May and I understand it is still quite cold with a 100% chance of rain at least once... probably more. I hate the idea of being stuck inside the ship because I'm cold.

I am with you - I hate being cold. Alaska in summer is the same temperature as our winter so I know I will get use out of whatever clothes I take. I am also doing a lot of hiking so may not be the "typical" cruiser. I have heard, however, that the best place to be to see the glaciers and whales is out on deck. So if it means buying and taking warm clothes I am all for it, because that is where I will be.

Your shoes can get saturated walking through long grass in half and hour and I am not going to be held up from doing stuff the next day just because my shoes are saturated.

That'w why I need waterproof shoes (but not gumboots) and I will also be taking a second pair incase they need some drying time.

I do wear travel pants when I travel

http://www.hellyhansen.com.au/products/detail/51096/980/W-DAKOTA-HIKING-PANT

These may not be the most fashionable thing but I hike and they dry out in 1/2 an hour if it rains so you don't get cold (unlike Jeans), they are easy to wash, dry overnight, never wrinkle and never need ironing.

I hope everyone enjoys their particular way of travelling.

This is a great idea! Thank you.

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Alaska_USA/335-Ketchikan/August_2015/

Zephyrella

Check your exact dates for each port here and I think you will see there are different times of the day when you might be the only ship in port. I too was a little worried when I first looked and saw 4 ships in port but for a lot of the time we are there there will only be 2 ships and sometimes we will be the only ship in port!

Looking at the schedule made me feel a lot better and if there is anytime when there are a lot of ships in port and the towns feel really crowded I figure you can always hibernate on the ship for a few hours where it should be deserted!

Thank you for the kind words. I am far from an expert, I am just very passionate about Alaska.

 

If you can do a round trip from Vancouver I would go with that option. If not you will have to pay for airfare either to or from Anchorage and that additional cost can sometimes be more than a second cruise. This is why I usually do back to back cruises starting in Vancouver then cruise to Seward then stay on the ship to return to Vancouver. If you can plan far enough in advance you should be able to book the same room for both cruises so you won't even have to move rooms in Seward.

 

Yes you will likely visit the same ports, sometimes in different orders, but that gives you twice as much time in each port and allow you to do several things in each stop. A big plus for me is that the weather may be iffy one week and amazing the other (although the last time I was in Alaska we were blessed with amazing weather both weeks in every port).

 

Joe W.

Some people say it is nice doing a northbound cruise because you are going towards the better scenery and others say it is better doing a southbound cruise because it is a more relaxing way to end your trip (I guess that assumes some land time).

The Princess ships got to Glacier Bay and College Fjord on the northbound trip and Glacier and Hubbard on the south bound trip.

Would you say one is preferable to the other given these views?

I saw the Sun has a roundtrip from Vancouver. It's $600 cheaper for me than the Pearl. The airfare is more going to Vancouver than going to Seattle so it evens out. Both cruises will just about ending up to be the same price. Now I have to decide which ship itself is better for Alaska. One is older than the other and smaller, I don't know much about the entertainment and such. I'm not sure now if I should go on the Pearl or Sun. I read its a nicer and smoother sailing out of Vancouver than Seattle but which ship is in better condition.

The departure from Vancouver goes to the east of Vancouver Island in the passage. The departure from Seattle goes to the west of Vancouver Island.

Do check the time in port as well as the number of ships.

On the day our ship is in Juneau we are there by ourselves until 9am so if we get our excursions in early it should be less crowded and in the afternoon the 2 of the other ships leave before us so the shops near the ships shouldn't have too many crowds in the afternoon either : )

Can someone who has done the dog sled ride in summer tell me what it is like? I am interested in holding a puppy (of course!) but not sure about a sled ride when it is not on snow. My son heard (is that fourth hand info?) that lost of dust gets sprayed up behind the dogs. Is that right?