cruisin0218

If you rent your car through Avis you can return it in Whittier. It is more expensive but we have found it to be worth the cost because we enjoy having the car to make any stops we want as we drive between Anchorage and Whittier.

If they offer you water from a caraffe in the main dining room there is a charge for that. We always decline and just ask for regular water. We also carry out own bottled water on the ship with us and that is good for poolside or taking off the ship in port. As stated before a water bottle can also be filled at no charge. If there is a refrigerator in our room we ask the steward to remove the contents and the bottled water from the vanity top. We can the place our drinks in the cooler. We also ask the steward to provide ice daily in the room.

I'm not sure why you would need a "heavy duty" scooter. I would recommend that you meet with a physical therapist or seating specialist to assess your needs and they can help point you in the direction to meet your needs. I did a significant amount of research and determined that the scooter that best meets my needs is the Travelscoot. It is extremely light weight but will carry someone weighing 300lbs. There are many people in the 400-500 lb. Range that have found this scooter works well for them. I tried out the gogo and it was really neat but was still heavier even when broken down than the travelscoot. The heavest component of the gogo weighs 50 lbs. The heaviest component of the travel scoot is 24 lbs. It also folds down in a way similar to a baby stroller if desired. I love to cruise and I wanted a scooter that I could take with me down the gangplank to the tender in those ports where the port is accessed by tender and many scooters are not allowed in some of the tender situations. I am fortunate that I can walk down the gangway and carry the travelscoot if necessary. Even fully assembled it only weighs 35 lbs. I have been very pleased with my Travelscoot. I also don't have to worry about the doorwidth to a cabin because I can very quickly and easily take it apart. If I prefer not to take it apart I need a clearance width of 24". Again however I can walk just not long distances and I have enough upperbody strength and mobility to pick it up for a short distance.

Have you considered taking the ferry from Valdez to Whittier. It might be worth checking the pricing and times especially if your reasoning for traveling from Valdez through Anchorage is only because the road goes through Anchorage and then down to the Kenai. Given your shortage of time you just might benefit from that time savings. You could then follow your plan to spend a night in Fairbanks, then a night in the Cooper River area, then Valdez, then Seward if the timing of the ferry coordinates with going through the tunnel in time to drive to Seward that day. Sorry I can't be more helpful with the lodging due to the fact that we drove an rv on this route.

Whether renting a cabin in the Kenai area is a good idea depends upon where in Alaska the things you want to see are located. If you want to focus on the Kenai area only (and there is plenty to see and do there depending upon what types of things you like) then a cabin rental might make sense. But remember distances are huge between the different areas of Alaska and if you want to also explore Denali, Fairbanks, Wasilla, etc. cabin rental in the Kenai for the entire time would not be realistic.

I would recommend that you first determine what you want to see in Alaska and that will help you determine both the route and lodging for the land and the itinerary you want for your cruise.

I notice you mentioned that you might be interested in renting an RV. We have rented rvs through both Great Alaskan and through ABC rentals which are both located in Anchorage. We flew into Anchorage, did the land portion first and took a southbound cruise out of Seward. We loved the rvs because we did not need to reserve accomodations for each night and could be much more flexible in our daily schedule. The only nights that we reserved camping spots were the nights we wanted to spend in Denali. There were 2 of us and I did a chart comparing the cost of the rv vs car rental vs structured cruise line tours. By our calculations when you take into account gas, lodging & food the cruise line tour was the most expensive followed by the rental car and the rv was the least expensive. The main thing that made the rv less than the rental car was eating out less and preparing more food in the rv. We did eat out some but chose when we wanted something special. Restaurant food in Alaska is more expensive than it is in North Carolina. This cost would of course be less per person the more people you have in an rv. However the prices for each option vary greatly so I would recommend doing your own chart depending upon the prices at the time you make your reservations.

We liked both RV companies with an edge to Great Alaskan for more newer units available, however the unit we had through ABC was fine and with ABC you can arrange to drop of the unit in either Whittier or Seward depending upon how much that service is worth to you. If you want to spend the last few days in an RV exploring the Kenai in the RV the fee might be worth it but it is a quite signifant cost. I would compare the cost for each agency.

One of the trips we turned in the rv after we had toured the Anchorage, Fairbanks and Wasilla areas then picked up a rental vehicle and stayed at The Red Fish Lodge in Sterling which is on the Kenai Penisula. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and the price was very reasonable. Then we turned in the rental car in Seward to board the ship for our southbound cruise after touring around in Seward. There are many alternatives and with so many options it really is mainly a matter of first choosing what you want to see and do then price out the alternatives for your logistics.

I agree that I would never recommend one of the packaged land tours with a toddler. I do think you would be happier with a do it yourself inland experience if you have the time. In my opinion the more time you can allow to see the inland areas the better. You could do this using either a rental car or RV. Then you can set a pace that can be enjoyed with the toddler and allow for frequent pull offs to enjoy the scenery and allow your toddler stretch breaks as they need it.

Also I meant to add that there is significant savings on the cruise based upon whether you choose a balcony, outside or inside room and where they are located on the ship. I have traveled in each type of room. If my funds were limited personally I would not hesitate to choose an inside or outside room especially if it is located on the promenade deck or in any other location that is near an access to outside viewing. Very little of our time on an Alaska cruise is spent in our room and I would rather put the difference in cost toward excursions or extending the length of time for the land portion. Did I enjoy the balcony? Yes, on one cruise I enjoyed Hubbard Glacier from my balcony, but I also enjoyed glacier Bay on the Promenade Deck with friends. The same goes for specialty restaurants for me. I am perfectly happy with the dining room and buffet and don't need that extra, but if I wanted to do it and had extra money, it is nice to have available. We had a great time on each of our trips and I hope you will as well.

I am a school nurse and have the same schedule as the teachers. We have been to Alaska several times. The advantage to the teacher schedule is that we have a longer period of time that we are off from work, therefore can spend more time in Alaska than those that are limited to 1-2 weeks of vacation at a time. The challenge is being able to afford the cost to stay longer but it can be done. Because one of the most expensive things is airfare and there is that cost no matter how long I stay, I like to stay as long as I can to get more bang for my buck from the airfare and also to experience Alaska more fully and perhaps at a more leisurely pace with more flexability. For that reason I am a fan of a DIY land tour. I could never afford the cost of a cruise line tour that would be long enough to take advantage of the extended time I am able to stay.

Depending upon the style of travel you prefer you can rent a car (driving in Alaska is very easy it would be very difficult to get lost because there are not that many roads), or you can rent an RV or you can make your own arrangements for bus and/or train transport. For maximum flexability I would recommend either car or RV.

We traveled with a group of friends last summer and I was able to research the total cost ahead of time. We prepaid the tours that we knew we wanted to take and of course the cruise was paid in full before the start of the trip. We then each set aside enough money to pay for the expenses that I had calculated. We were right on target.

In our case we made a personal choice for the RV style of travel and had enough people who were comfortable with driving that this was not an issue. Several of us were 62 or older so we went to a national park near our and purchased Golden age passes. These allow you and some guests to qualify for 1/2 price on National or State Park activities including campground fees, free entrance into Denali and 1/2 price on the shuttles/tours, etc within the park. As BQ said the shuttle to Eilson is a significant savings over TWT. The other savings we experienced was the ability to buy groceries before we left Anchorage/Wasilla and we could prepare our own food and only eat out as desired. You could have this same food option with a cooler in your car and using a B&B or rooms with a kitchenette. I don't think we saved money if only comparing lodging cost + gas cost between the 2 options because the RV does take more gas, however based on these 2 things alone I think we broke even and had more flexability with the RV. The only campground reservation we made was at Riley Creek Campground at Denali because it is often full and we wanted to assure a space there so we reserved 3 nights there. The first night in our RV was spent with no campground fee because we stayed in the Walmart parking lot in Wasilla which is also where we bought our groceries. We did the same thing our last night before returning the RV and spent the night in the Fred Myer parking lot and restocked on snacks, drinks, etc to carry on our cruise ship (my husband likes soft drinks and we did not want to pay the per drink charge on ship and we wanted some prepacked snack crackers/cookies/bottled water to take off the ship for a quick cheap lunch).

As far as which cruise to choose, I agree that I would read about each port and the excursions available at each port. I would the prioritize whether there are planned excursions that I just really want to do or maybe there are just certain ports that I really want to see which would then lead to which ports to visit. This then narrows it down to which ships might allow that itinerary. Then look at whether one ship or the other allows multiple days to see a glacier (the more chances the better). As BQ said a focus on perhaps a whale watching excursion is more expensive than some excursions but is not one of the most expensive excursions and gives a great bang for the buck. Another tour that gives a great bang for the buck and is not extremely expensive is the Whitepass Railroad in Skagway. There is also a free walking tour of Skagway that is lead by rangers from The National Park Service.

You can also rent a car one way either direction through Hertz.

Great review. Glad you had a good time and thank you for sharing.

You are correct, there was absolutely no research done on DIY or the shuttle, as I was perfectly happy with the TWT provided by HAL. I had no idea 2 people would choose to leave the tour and go off on their own. And they were told they were too late for the shuttle back to McKinley, again I'm not sure what time that shuttle even runs as I knew I wouldn't need it, so didn't even think about it.

 

And funny you should mention the Milepost. When we first started planning our trip, I was all gung ho, we were going to rent an RV and travel DIY. I paid $25 for the Milepost and started researching. Hotels and B&Bs were named, but no prices included, and the places I wanted to go were spread all over the place. Having to flip back and forth, back and forth, it was a mess. I started tearing out the pages for the places I wanted to go. Then spent hours/days on calling all the B&Bs and hotels to find out prices. Then our one male friend stated he slept in the nude, so that ended the idea of the RV real quick. I ended up throwing the Milepost in the trash. It is a waste as far as I'm concerned. That is when I decided a cruisetour was the way I wanted to go. I checked HAL and Princess tours quite in-depth, and chose the tour with HAL that went where I wanted to go. I then told the others what we were doing and what the cost would be if they wanted to go with us. The others did no actual planning or research at all.

 

I have traveled DIY many times in many places when I was younger. Now that I'm older and more in need of assistance, I choose cruisetours or land based coach tours. I've stated before, I think we were on the Taylor Highway from Eagle to Tok and was mighty glad to have a second bus behind us in case of breakdown. It was a very remote desolate highway (gravel a lot of the way), with very little opposing traffic. We made a game of it and guessed how many vehicles we would see (I think the winning number was 17 vehicles in about 6 hours). No way I'd want to be on that highway alone.

 

And you would rather see a bear off in the distance of about 5 miles than see him close up on the video screen? I was looking to see one close up too, but if that event doesn't present itself, the video screen did bring one close up enough for us see him and know he was a bear. And doesn't the shuttle only go 7 miles further than the TWT?

 

We just have to agree to disagree, I would rather have all the hassles worked out for me, so I can relax and enjoy the trip.

I agree with you that we obviously should agree to disagree. I am glad that you enjoyed the TWT. I enjoyed it as well when I went on it. It is also obvious that a tour was a great choice for you based upon what you have said about milepost being useless because you could not use it to get prices for hotels and/or B&Bs when you were looking at a DIY tour using an RV and having difficulty using milepost because the things you wanted to see were all over the place when milepost is laid out very logically in the order you would reach things as you travel down the highway. If a person finds such things difficult then a tour is a great option.

However that does not negate the fact that whatever age we are (I am a senior citizen as well and use a travel scooter due to back and knee problems) we can go on one tour such as the TWT and then later go on a different tour (as I did) and learn that the second tour (shuttle bus) gives much more value for the money. However value is in the eye of the beholder. You are correct that to go to Eilson is not much further but within that distance is a prime area for viewing wildlife and Mt McKinley. Also at Eilson there is the opportunity to extend the shuttle tour longer if desired.

Because it seems I was not clear about the shuttle/taxi service options, I am adding a link to the shuttle service we used to go from the WAC to glitter gulch for supper following our trip into Denali. This is different from "the Princess shuttle". This shuttle service then picked us up after we had eaten and checked out the shops and returned us to Riley Creek Campground. It runs back and forth to the WAC 24 hours per day. Hopefully this will be of assistance to someone in the future so you do not have to rely on the specific cruise tour shuttle.

http://www.denaliparksalmonbake.com/shuttle_schedule.html

A trip to Alaska is a wonderful experience and there are many different ways to experience this beautiful place.

The train/bus ride is the same each way. Since you said the cruise itinerary is the same either way. I would look at the flight options. From where we live the flight out of Anchorage leaves late at night and is very tiring. However the flight into Anchorage leaves home in the morning and arrives in Anchorage mid to late afternoon and the scenery flying into Anchorage is gorgeous if there is no cloud cover. Therefore I prefer flying into Anchorage and cruising southbound.

Actually there is transportation available from WAC to glitter gulch. I have used it myself after coming off the shuttle. I am sorry that your friends walked unnecessarily.The problem for your friends was that adequate research was not done ahead of time by them and it would seem that they did not ask at the desk at WAC or they could have been some options for transport providers they could have called. This is one of the problems of relying on the tour operators rather than doing your own research. Research is important whether you decide to go with the tour or DIY. Certainly everyone is different with different likes and dislikes. It has often been emphasized on these boards to read the experiences of others then make an informed decision regarding which options will work best for you. Making an assumption regarding use of the shuttles vs TWT when someone has only experienced one or the other can also be misleading. I have been on both the shuttle and the TWT and again I state it is in my opinion a better choice to take the shuttle because you go further into the park therefore have more opportunity to see wildlife and Mt Mckinley, you do get some narration, the same bathroom breaks and the shuttle is much less expensive. The only possible advantage is the food they provide on TWT (which most people find to be inadequate) and the little TV screens which it sounds like you liked but I don't like them. Why would I want to see wildlife on a little TV screen when I am looking to see it in person. But again to each his/her own just research so an informed decision can be made.

By the way I have also seen the additional locations you mentioned and all that is needed to see them is the Milepost book.

You will need a travel alarm clock or a watch with an alarm feature. You cannot rely on your phone.

You can book the shuttle bus to Eilson the same way you book the TWT so you don't have to worry about being "frozen out" of the shuttle bus. You will use the binoculars other places besides Denali for example looking for eagles, whales, dall sheep, moose as you travel through Alaska. The TWT is much more expensive and you could use the difference in price to go toward purchasing binoculars. I find it difficult to see the screens on the video system on the TWT and I end up taking my own food because the lunch they provide you with is more of a snack. I also find the bus driver on the shuttle bus to be just as informative as the tour guides on the TWT.

There is another shuttle bus system that is seperate from the shuttle buses that go into Denali. The other system has shuttles that make stops in the front section of the park including the WAC, the Visitor Center and the dog sled demonstration. You do not need reservations for this shuttle system for the front area of the park. But you do need reservations for the TWT and the shuttle buses that take you further onto the park. I would not want to make the trip all the way to Denali and just take a chance they would have an opening on a shuttle into the park.

It is easy to drive your rental car to the Wilderness Access Center in the park and there is plenty of parking. You can access all activities in the park from the WAC. In addition to the TWT and shuttles into the park you can also take shuttles to see the visitor center and there is also a dog sledding demonstration. I would also recommend a reservation for a shuttle to go at least to Eilson visitor center rather than the TWT.

Since you say that you will not be hiking trails other than well used trails in sightseeing areas and you will be shopping and sightseeing, and if the tennis shoes are the type with the leather like uppers they will work well for sightseeing and shopping. I would not recommend canvas tennis shoes.

It can certainly be confusing when you first start your research. I'm wondering if you have confused the seasickness issue with comments that are often made about cruising out of Seattle vs. Vancouver. Many of the oneway (northbound or southbound) either originate or end in Vancouver. There are also some roundtrip cruises from Vancouver as Well as those from Seattle. There are people who feel the cruises out of Seattle have an increased risk for rougher water because the route the take is outside of the inland passage for a longer period if time. However either way sometimes you run into rougher weather conditions.

As was stated previously unless you have time to add on either at the beginning of a southbound cruise or at the end of a northbound cruise it would make more sense to take a roundtrip cruise.

However if you can add a week or longer it is far superior to do a northbound or southbound cruise and spend time exploring more of Alaska.

At some point in my life I would love to be able to take enough time to cruise northbound then take about 1 1/2 weeks on a DIY tour then take a different itinerary southbound.

I would look first at how much time you can afford to spend, then find out what are priority excursions for the members of your group. Then you can match those things to the itineraries of the ships.

Great. Hope you were able to find what you need to stay warm.

Whoops it may not be on your left. It depends upon where your ship is docked but it is very close to the ships and is is a large well marked building.

Try Tongass. According to their web site open today 8-6. I believe it will be located on your left as you exit your ship. http://tongasstrading.com/store/

Yes the passenger arriving in the US from Vancouver is treated just like they are arriving on a domestic flight because the passenger clears US customs in Vancouver. So you do not have to go through US customs again when you arrive in the US. But Vanvouver is an international destination for US passengers thus the reason for the requirement to go through customs when arriving in Vancouver from the US and prior to entering the US from Canada.

However the op asked if a flight from Fairbanks to New York is a domestic flight and the answer is yes because both Fairbanks and New York are in the US.

The definition of domestic flight is any flight that begins and ends in the same country. Therefore a flight that starts in Fairbanks and ends in New York is a domestic flight. Flights that begin in Vancouver, Canada and end in the United States are international flights (which is also why you have to go through Canadian customs to enter Vancouver and US customs to leave Vancouver and enter the US).

I don't carry water resistant shoes. My regular tennis shoes are New Balance walking shoes with leather uppers. I wear those or a pair of flip flops depending upon how much walking I plan to do and how warm the weather is. I have not been uncomfortable in the 4 trips that I have taken. I also carry a pair of flat dressy sandles to wear for dinner.

My husband is fly by the seat of your pants and I am a planner so I totally understand. On our first trip we ended up renting an RV so he could fly by the seat of his pants and the only reservations we made were for the RV and 3 nights in Riley Creek campground in Denali. However our land tour was at the first of our trip and we flew into Anchorage so we didn't need arrangements to get to the rv pickup. One of the rv places will make arrangements for drop off/pickup in Seward for an extra fee or the train or bus can be taken to the airport in Anc where the rv folks will pick you up.