Anchorage or not?

[billmelbourne]

We are looking at the cruise from SFO to Wittier return. Is it worth missing out on going to Anchorage? I am thinking it may be worth flying to Anchorage for a few nights then catching a cruise back from Wittier to Vancouver, but my wife thinks Anchorage is no big deal. Anyone been there? What is your experience?

Great forum BTW.

[cherylandtk]

I believe you are looking at the Sea Princess out of SFO? It does not go even as far as Whittier. If you look at a map, you will see that the cruise you are looking at only sees a teeny percentage of the southernmost part of Alaska and does not go any further north than Skagway. Which is fine is that is what you want to see or do.

 

But to get to your question, I don't know that Anchorage itself is worth a long visit, but certainly the interior of Alaska is. You won't see anything new on the cruise down that you could not have seen on the way up, but a land tour after the cruise, yes.

[2little time]

We are looking at the cruise from SFO to Wittier return. Is it worth missing out on going to Anchorage? I am thinking it may be worth flying to Anchorage for a few nights then catching a cruise back from Wittier to Vancouver, but my wife thinks Anchorage is no big deal. Anyone been there? What is your experience?

Great forum BTW.

As far as I am concerned, Anchorage is nothing special. The interior of Alaska is, however.That being said, I would choose a Whittier to Vancouver anyway so you can see Glacier Bay. It is spectacular.

[seafish]

Consider the north bound Voyage of the Glaciers route disembarking at Whittier - take the Princess train to Anchorage for a rental car pick-up at the ANC airport - do an Anchorage overnight - do a day-trip south to Seward - return to Anchorage for some great restaurants (think Alaskan King Crab) before driving north to Talkeetna (a great stop - excellent hotel) funky fun town - great air tours - then on to Denali (do a National Park Bus Tour) and on to Fairbanks. Lots to see & do - beautiful scenery - great once in a lifetime excursions - done all at your own pace and then fly out of Fairbanks. And - if you like adventure ... do the roundtrip fly/drive full day + trip flying from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay returning to Fairbanks via the famous Brooks Range Dalton Highway (The Haul Road/Icy Road Truckers) where you receive a certificate for crossing the Article Circle - really neat. You can easily do the whole trip ship to fly-out in as little as 7 days at a reasonable cost by booking you own rental car, hotels, tours. In a word - Fantastic! SeaFish

[hcw80]

I did an overnight in Anchorage last year and was not impressed. I didn't do Denali or the other inland places. I'm sure they were prettier and far more enchanting then Anchorage itself.

[seafish]

I did an overnight in Anchorage last year and was not impressed. I didn't do Denali or the other inland places. I'm sure they were prettier and far more enchanting then Anchorage itself.

 

IMO - Agree - nothing special. Anchorage is primarly a base-camp for sightseeing ... a move-on point to better places.

[RAPM5856]

When we did our Alaska cruise we flew in to Anchorage 3 days early, rented cars and drove up to Denali and spent 2 days up there before coming back down and catching our Whittier -> Vancouver cruise.

Denali was worth every minute we spent there. We did a white water river raft ride that was great. Our son and daughter that were in the front of the raft got several 'Glacial Facials' when the front of the raft would disappear under the water when we hit some of the rapids. Good thing we had dry suits on. FANTASTIC!!

We took the full day Denali bus trip deeper into the park and loved it, saw a ton of wildlife including a moose that stopped right in the middle of the road and did a perfect pose for us to take pictures. I had to ask the driver "Do you train them to do that?" He laughed. Also had a mother and 2 bear cubs and sevral foxes on the road right along side the bus.

I agree there's nothing special in Anchorage, but Denali was Great and the way we did it was much cheaper than a Princess Cruisetour, especially for 8 of us.

[shepp]

That being said, I would choose a Whittier to Vancouver anyway so you can see Glacier Bay. It is spectacular.

 

Many of the Sea's RTs from SFO go into Glacier Bay, as well.

[B+S]

IMO - Agree - nothing special. Anchorage is primarily a base-camp for sightseeing ... a move-on point to better places.

 

I've heard it said "from Anchorage you're only 15 minutes from Alaska - in any direction".

[billmelbourne]

Thanks to everyone for your replies. My wife is a chicken regarding rafting and helicopters so I think we will end up doing the SFO return. I think I'll be happy to see Glacier Bay which seems to be the big attraction up there.

[PINEVIEW01]

I had always planned to just do the "Alaskan cruise-southern tip" To get my husband to go I had to add the land portion. He had been stationed there in the 50's. Having now done a 7 day on my own interior land tour, I find cruising the southern Alaska not really doing Alaska. If I had to pick a 7 day interior land vacation or a 7 day cruise, I'd have to pick the land tour. And I am a living to cruise person.:D

[satxdiver]

You can still see what the earthquake did to anchorage. I found it interesting. I have been to AK once one a northbound cruise and twice by air. Loved going to Denali all three times, trip on the NP bus to Wonder Lake one time then twice to the McKinley visitor center. I also loved going to Homer and fishing for halibut, to Fairbanks and taking the riverboat trip and one time drove up into the arctic circle turning around at Cold Foot. Talkeetna is really a fun place and very different than what I have seen before.

[Chenega]

As a forty year resident of Anchorage, my feelings are hurt (only kidding) :) Most tourists on cruise tours usually spend less than a day in Anchorage of which their time is spent walking around the downtown area looking for something to do.

 

Granted Anchorage is no cosmopolitan gem but we are the largest city in the state and, as another poster said, the gateway to the rest of Alaska. There's plenty to do here if you take the time to seek it out - I always recommend the Anchorage Museum, the Public Lands Information Center, the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a drive to Palmer and the Independence Mine, a trip down Turnagain Arm to the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center, a day boat trip from Whittier, a day or (even better) overnight trip to Seward and a boat into Kenai Fjords National Park, a hike in the Chugach State Park, and much more. We even have some great restaurants that serve fresh Alaska wild salmon and not that farmed stuff.

 

Alaskans are justifiably proud to live here and are often caught bragging about it. It's just our nature I guess.

 

For more on Anchorage and the surrounding area, go to http://www.anchorage.net It's really worth doing some homework before you visit our state.

[PennyAgain]

I always have plenty of good things to do in Anchorage, but I know my way around and always have something to drive.

 

People who are stuck in the downtown area have entirely different experiences.

[dread_pirate]

We're cruising out of Whittier, and thought about 2 nights in Anchorage before the cruise. Is this not a good idea? Do you have to have a car? Is there any public transport to Denali, maybe?

[oratheeexplorer]

As a forty year resident of Anchorage, my feelings are hurt (only kidding) :) Most tourists on cruise tours usually spend less than a day in Anchorage of which their time is spent walking around the downtown area looking for something to do.

 

Granted Anchorage is no cosmopolitan gem but we are the largest city in the state and, as another poster said, the gateway to the rest of Alaska. There's plenty to do here if you take the time to seek it out - I always recommend the Anchorage Museum, the Public Lands Information Center, the Alaska Native Heritage Center, a drive to Palmer and the Independence Mine, a trip down Turnagain Arm to the Begich-Boggs Visitor Center, a day boat trip from Whittier, a day or (even better) overnight trip to Seward and a boat into Kenai Fjords National Park, a hike in the Chugach State Park, and much more. We even have some great restaurants that serve fresh Alaska wild salmon and not that farmed stuff.

 

Alaskans are justifiably proud to live here and are often caught bragging about it. It's just our nature I guess.

 

For more on Anchorage and the surrounding area, go to www.anchorage.net It's really worth doing some homework before you visit our state.

 

 

We fly into Anchorage for the start of our 3 day land tour prior to our cruise......we have a 7 hour flight from Chicago, so will not get in until 1:30 and are "on our own" for the rest of the day.....Princess has some excursions we could sign up for, but we are just going to walk around your town and check out the shops, maybe have an early dinner and then rent bikes to bike on the 11 mile Coastal Trail......that sounds like there'd be some good scenery on it.....staying at the Captain Cook, and then will have the start of our tour the next morning.....( I wouldn't mind renting a car and driving to Girdwood, with all the stops mentioned on a map I have, but hubby doesn't want to do that, which is fine, we have to compromise ya know! LOL!)

[mapleleaves]

We're cruising out of Whittier, and thought about 2 nights in Anchorage before the cruise. Is this not a good idea? Do you have to have a car? Is there any public transport to Denali, maybe?

 

Do you arrive late afternoon/early evening on Day 1, have Day 2 free, then take the train to Whittier on the morning of Day 3? If that's the case, there's plenty to do in Anchorage to keep you busy for a day.

If you rent a car, Denali is a 5 hr drive from Anchorage; by train even longer, then you need several hours for the drive into the park, and another 5 hr drive back to Anchorage. A visit to Denali is only do-able if you can add a couple more days.

[dread_pirate]

Do you arrive late afternoon/early evening on Day 1, have Day 2 free, then take the train to Whittier on the morning of Day 3? If that's the case, there's plenty to do in Anchorage to keep you busy for a day.

If you rent a car, Denali is a 5 hr drive from Anchorage; by train even longer, then you need several hours for the drive into the park, and another 5 hr drive back to Anchorage. A visit to Denali is only do-able if you can add a couple more days.

We're pretty much mid-afternoon arrival on Day 1, but with a major time change (from the East Coast). So I figure that day will be pretty early to bed, trying to adapt. Then Day 2 free and Day 3 to Whittier.

 

Glad to hear that we'll be able to keep busy and have some fun in Anchorage! We don't have any additional days, and really didn't want to rent a car. I'm sorry we'll miss Denali, but maybe another time.

[vbmom87]

My DH and I do not like cities, so Anchorage was nothing spectacular. However, if you enjoy cities, you can find plenty to keep you busy. When we go on vacation we are looking for the wonders of nature and you don't find much of that in cities. It is all a matter of what your interests and priorities are.

[MightyQuinn]

If you find yourself hungry in Anchorage, make your way to Moose's Tooth. A bit of a local legend (or so the locals told us) for insanely good pizza, great craft beers and friendly service. We loved it!

[dread_pirate]

My DH and I do not like cities, so Anchorage was nothing spectacular. However, if you enjoy cities, you can find plenty to keep you busy. When we go on vacation we are looking for the wonders of nature and you don't find much of that in cities. It is all a matter of what your interests and priorities are.

Thank you! I'm a city girl at heart, so Anchorage sounds good for me.

 

If you find yourself hungry in Anchorage, make your way to Moose's Tooth. A bit of a local legend (or so the locals told us) for insanely good pizza, great craft beers and friendly service. We loved it!

I'll keep that in mind!

[vbmom87]

Thank you! I'm a city girl at heart, so Anchorage sounds good for me.

 

 

I'll keep that in mind!

 

The Alaska Native Heritage Center is a popular site in Anchorage. Since you don't want to rent a car, you can use the complimentary shuttle. The website does not yet have the 2012 shuttle schedule posted, but keep checking as it gets closer to the tourist season:

 

http://www.alaskanative.net/en/main_nav/plan_visit/

 

You can also rent bikes in Anchorage and ride the popular Tony Knowles Trail:

 

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aktrails/ats/anc/knowlsct.htm

 

Also, I second the Moose's Tooth!!

[bearbait]

Jeepers! Sounds like a lot of people never leave downtown Anchorage. I think it's an awesome place to visit. Nothing like it in the lower 48. I probably take at least 500 moose photos every summer in Anchorage. Rental car to Kincaid Park, just south of the airport is a moose watchers paradise. I could fill a visitors schedule with tons of unique stuff to see, do and experience in Anchorage....

 

[WaggesAZ]

Jeepers! Sounds like a lot of people never leave downtown Anchorage. I think it's an awesome place to visit. Nothing like it in the lower 48. I probably take at least 500 moose photos every summer in Anchorage. Rental car to Kincaid Park, just south of the airport is a moose watchers paradise. I could fill a visitors schedule with tons of unique stuff to see, do and experience in Anchorage....

 

 

Thank you SO much for that tidbit!! I am hoping (& frankly desperate :D) to see moose in the wild in our short visit! We went to Yellowstone and apparently the place to see them was further south in the Tetons. :(

 

We are avid outdoorsmen, and I realize there is no guarantee when it comes to wild animals, but at least you gave us a spot that our odds are increased! Unfortunately we will not be able to head to Denali this trip due to time constraints with our business, so I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge! :)

[vbmom87]

Thank you SO much for that tidbit!! I am hoping (& frankly desperate :D) to see moose in the wild in our short visit! We went to Yellowstone and apparently the place to see them was further south in the Tetons. :(

 

We are avid outdoorsmen, and I realize there is no guarantee when it comes to wild animals, but at least you gave us a spot that our odds are increased! Unfortunately we will not be able to head to Denali this trip due to time constraints with our business, so I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge! :)

 

I have read the Glen Alps Trailhead in Chugach State Park, 20 minutes from Anchorage, is also a good place to spot Moose. Although we spent time in Anchorage, we never the saw the moose in town that so many others seemed to indicate were overrunning the city. ;)