Which City to Fly Into?

[CaribQween]

We will be doing a 7 day, southbound one-way cruise next June out of Seward and ending in Vancouver. We will be doing a land portion independently prior to the cruise which we will rent a car for. We will definitely be spending at least a couple of days in Denali before heading south through Anchorage to Whittier and then to Seward (we'll pay the extra one-way drop off fee). Our question is whether we should fly into Fairbanks or Anchorage. Either way our flight will be a multi-city flight. The monetary difference between flying into Fairbanks or Anchorage isn't that big. I'm not sure why, but at first we were thinking it would be better to fly into Anchorage and drive up to Denali and then back down. However, now I'm thinking that it would be better to just fly into Fairbanks and down to Denali and then keep going south through Anchorage to Whittier and on to Seward. We don't have a lot of time so it seems that flying into Fairbanks would save us considerable time but I don't know if that is actually the case. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Colexis Mom]

We flew into Anchorage, and drove up and down to Denali. There wasn't a lot in Fairbanks that we wanted to do, so we decided to skip it. Did a Sun-Thurs rental car in Anchorage (got a great rate) and then took the train down to Seward for the cruise.

[Orlando Vic]

By flying into Anchorage, you will have many more flights to choose from, particularly coming from the lower 48.

[CaribQween]

We flew into Anchorage, and drove up and down to Denali. There wasn't a lot in Fairbanks that we wanted to do, so we decided to skip it. Did a Sun-Thurs rental car in Anchorage (got a great rate) and then took the train down to Seward for the cruise.

 

Could you tell me how long the drive is between Anchorage and Denali? When I mapped it, it seemed as if the time between Anchorage and Denali was far greater than the drive between Fairbanks and Denali (but I could be way off). I don't know that we would have time to do much in either Fairbanks or Anchorage. It's more of just driving or flying through. We have so much we want to do elsewhere so we're going to just have to narrow it down this time around and plan another cruise later on :D.

[CaribQween]

By flying into Anchorage, you will have many more flights to choose from, particularly coming from the lower 48.

 

Fortunately for us, it seems that there are good flights for Fairbanks, but not nearly as many.

[bqkali]

From Anchorage to Denali is 4.5-5 hours, from Fairbanks to Denali about 2-2.5 (both assuming no stops along the way, minimal traffic and no construction delays). So it is definitely more "time-efficient" to travel in one direction, i.e. Fairbanks -> Denali -> Anchorage -> Seward -> Whittier. Of course, also look at flight times, because if you arrive in Anchorage 3 hours before a flight would land in Fairbanks, you could end up at the same place at the same time anyway :)

 

But a good reason everyone flies into Anchorage and drives from there to Denali is to save on a car rental. Picking up and dropping off your rental in Anchorage is usually much cheaper than a one-way rental. I've noticed a lot of rental agencies changing from adding a one-time drop-off fee to instead building the fee into the daily charge, making your car rental $150/day. This is still okay by me a lot of times on a one-day rental (my time and convenience are worth something), but paying $150/day over 5-7 days rather than a normal rental fee of perhaps $40/day adds up to a LOT of money for the same car. You might be able to find a good deal, so it's worth checking, but definitely add up these costs before locking in airfare.

 

A few "mock bookings" will give you an idea of car rental charges...know what you are getting into, and then make a decision from there. If you have more money than time (or you find a good deal ;)), a one-way rental may be the way to go.

[dreamer976]

There is so much to see in Alaska, it's hard to take it all in, but flying into Fairbanks and heading south would be a great way to go. You can head south via the Alaska Railroad or rent a car. If you rent a car, the only company that lets you drop off in Seward is Hertz, and it's very expensive - we've done it. You'd be better off dropping off in Anchorage and going south to Seward via train or shuttle, IMHO. Whichever way you choose to go, ENJOY!

[Colexis Mom]

Could you tell me how long the drive is between Anchorage and Denali? When I mapped it, it seemed as if the time between Anchorage and Denali was far greater than the drive between Fairbanks and Denali (but I could be way off). I don't know that we would have time to do much in either Fairbanks or Anchorage. It's more of just driving or flying through. We have so much we want to do elsewhere so we're going to just have to narrow it down this time around and plan another cruise later on :D.

 

It did take us about 4.5 hours to get up there (we stopped in Wasilla to get supplies at Target and hit a bit of construction traffic). Maybe a little quicker on the way back. Play around with rental car dates/codes and such. I first started out with a rental for about $800, but then realized that if I kept the rental below 5 days (which I think it then changes to weekly rates), I could get a better deal. With taxes included, ended up with a full size car Sun AM to Wednesday PM for only $225. Peanuts. But we weren't doing one way rentals!

[fleckle]

If renting a car in Anchorage, price it renting at the airport as well as renting in town to compare prices. We came out with a much better rate for a week on a minivan by renting from an off-airport location. But it may not always work to one's advantage that way.

[lutheralum]

Our AAA travel agent found some sort of "Delta Vacation" package- flight and car and it was SOOOOOO much cheaper. Make sure you get a car large enough to fit all the passengers and their luggage. We had the Anchorage cousin of an Iowa friend hold our big suitcases and the four of us simply took one bag apiece up to Denali and back and everything fit just fine. Sure helped!

We just got back last Sunday and already I want to return to Alaska. There were so many places and things we didn't get time for. Do a helicopter ride if you have any time at all! It was a highlight! We took one right near Glitter Gulch by Denali.

Enjoy

lutheralum

[Budget Queen]

It is 240 miles, Anchorage/Denali Park and I always recommend allowing 6 hours with stops. You can NEVER count on "freeway" 65mph driving, and can certainly get stuck behind slow moving RV's on the 2 lane Highway. There is SO much to see along the way, I encourage you to add the time and take advantage of what may pop up. The last grocery stop is Wasilla, which you may want to take advantage of an stock up on your trip.

 

Fairbanks is a great area to visit, at least 2 nights in my opinion.