Renting an RV for Land portion on your own

[pspercy]

We just returned from one week of RV'ing in Alaska followed by a cruise.

 

Great weather those two weeks wasn't it !

 

I costed an RV rental as best I could & it seemed the biggest advantage was flexibility. For the two of us there wasn't much difference between the RV and motels etc (some sort of "special" on the RV wasn't used, just published rates).

 

Anyway, still want to do it one day tho' this time we did a cruisetour instead.

 

P.S. Still looking at the Great Alaska Holidays' delivery deal but gas mileage makes that not as cheap as it first appears :D

[Avida]

Mapleleaves. We're back. Did not find the sunshine regular rain showers and quite chilly throughout. Pleasant break however. Now back to the planning!!

 

Bryan & Viv

[mapleleaves]

Great weather those two weeks wasn't it !

 

I costed an RV rental as best I could & it seemed the biggest advantage was flexibility. For the two of us there wasn't much difference between the RV and motels etc (some sort of "special" on the RV wasn't used, just published rates).

 

Anyway, still want to do it one day tho' this time we did a cruisetour instead.

 

P.S. Still looking at the Great Alaska Holidays' delivery deal but gas mileage makes that not as cheap as it first appears :D

 

Yes, the gas adds up quickly! It would be an incredible drive thru BC, the Yukon and Alaska. I heard Clippership has a similar delivery deal for May, but no rental fee. Don't know anything about them though. (check the bbb). May is too early for me. I'm a wimpy camper.

 

For 2 people there may or may not be a savings in renting an RV. If you've been to Alaska before and have a precise itinerary, it's probably cheaper to rent a car and book hotels. (You can get some great car deals if you book now for 2011 ). I think an RV is a great way for a first timer to see some of the Alaska interior; it's all new territory,and you're not exactly sure where you want to go or how much time you might want to spend somewhere. The RV gives you the flexibility to travel where you want, when you want (for the most part). If you're in fairbanks and hit some great weather you might decide to stay a few extra days or enjoy the drive to Valdez, and skip Homer because rain is forecast there for the next week. Or if you're in Coopers Landing and enjoy the fishing, you can choose to stay; you don't have to move on because you have a hotel reservation to keep.

I reserved a 22ft during the halfprice special which typically occurs between Oct and Dec. I paid around $1350 for 12 nights. We covered a lot of territory, 2100 miles so about another $650 in gas. For 3 adults it was a much cheaper option.

[Budget Queen]

. We covered a lot of territory, 2100 miles so about another $650 in gas. For 3 adults it was a much cheaper option.

 

 

This is may be a low estimate for gas, overall, going that distance. :) You can only expect 10mpg or less. Gas can be way over $3/gal, was probably $3.50+++ ave for me this year. I had a "junk" RV, that I would not rent again and spent about $700 with 1500 miles. I had a 24 foot, which has the advantage of a permanent lower bed.

 

 

Do not expect big savings with a RV, compared to budget lodging and rental cars.

[mlmalone3]

Tons of great info. in all of the posts. My hopes of 2011 cruise have been postponed to 2012. Our son was selected to be on the Texas State 4-H Archery team and will be competing at National Contest in the summer, so we need to stick around Texas this summer. But...DH has promised Alaska in 2012 to celebrate our 25th Anniversary and the college graduation of our oldest daughter. I will continue to follow the posts and gather info. Gives me something to look forward to. Thanks everyone!

[Warrior1]

Our RV experience in Alaska was great. We went with a small independent operator(checked out with BBB) and found him to be very flexible. He threw in extras that others sometimes charge for, picked us up at the airport, and let us keep the RV until 10pm on our last day because our return flight was at 1am. It was an older RV, but all six of us came from a camping background, so we weren't expecting it to be perfect. Gas was in the upper 2's(summer of 2009) and Safeway was giving gas discounts when you bought groceries. If you are organized and plan well, I really would recommend the RV experience. We traveled from June 11th through the 21st, so it wasn't too busy either.

[basser]

We used B and B rv rentals in Anchorage. They rent older RV's and are great folks. Got 11 days for about $1500.00

[Budget Queen]

We used B and B rv rentals in Anchorage. They rent older RV's and are great folks. Got 11 days for about $1500.00

 

I paid just under $1000, for 10 days, 24 footer, using one of the major companies, last season. 50% discount in October, for prepaying, which they have been doing for the last several years.