Too late to plan a DIY post-cruise land tour for July?

[AZ Deb]

Four of us want to do a one-way northbound cruise in July and then spend ~five days doing a land tour, to include a couple of days in Denali. We'd planned to book a cruisetour through the cruise line but after perusing the CC boards, we'll likely plan our own "do-it-yourself" tour instead.

 

However, it sounds like the experienced DIY tour advocates started their planning MUCH sooner than six months out. Are we kidding ourselves in thinking we can plan a land tour for July if we're not starting until (essentially) February? Will hotels, B&Bs, rental cars, shuttles, etc. be largely booked-up by now?

 

Would appreciate hearing your $.02 on the subject. THANKS.

 

Deborah

[SeaTheWorldBySea]

Some B & Bs did not start taking 2012 bookings until January. I think you still have plenty of time. You may not get the best price on car rentals now, but you can hopefully still find availability. Start sending some e-mails and see what kinds of responses you get.

 

I don't think you will be sorry if you DIY rather than the cruisetour. Good luck and happy planning!

[mapleleaves]

You won't know unless you try ! Yes, many of us made our reservations last summer, but that doesn't mean EVERYTHING is sold out. You might not get your first choice in accomodations but 2nd choice can be equally as great, right? And you'll be ok with Denali shuttles for awhile still.

If you know the dates, reserve a car ASAP (ensure there are no cancel fees). Rental prices can fluctuate daily, so reserve the best price now, then check the sites regularly to catch a price drop.

Then you need to determine where else to visit besides Denali so you can set an itinerary and continue with other reservations. What fun!:)

[frugaltravel]

If you know the dates, reserve a car ASAP (ensure there are no cancel fees). Rental prices can fluctuate daily, so reserve the best price now, then check the sites regularly to catch a price drop.

 

Definitely check the car rental prices first and make a tentative reservation. Then you can gauge other prices as well. Even if the car rental cost is relatively high, you will probably save money and have a better experience with a DIY land tour.

[CMcG]

Four of us want to do a one-way northbound cruise in July and then spend ~five days doing a land tour, to include a couple of days in Denali. We'd planned to book a cruisetour through the cruise line but after perusing the CC boards, we'll likely plan our own "do-it-yourself" tour instead.

 

However, it sounds like the experienced DIY tour advocates started their planning MUCH sooner than six months out. Are we kidding ourselves in thinking we can plan a land tour for July if we're not starting until (essentially) February? Will hotels, B&Bs, rental cars, shuttles, etc. be largely booked-up by now?

 

Would appreciate hearing your $.02 on the subject. THANKS.

 

Deborah

 

I just finished making reservations about a week ago for the big pieces of our trip for late May - so you should be OK for July. I originally started planning last August but due to some scheduling issues wasn't able to start making reservations until right after Jan 1. I'm now starting to think about independent excursions for port days and finding as many options as I need (but we plan on some hiking in each port so don't need many options).

 

Enjoy your trip!

[AZ Deb]

Wow, so many kind responders. THANK YOU for your opinions and encouragement! We will give it a whirl, and booking the rental car will be task #1. Fingers and toes crossed .... thank you again!

 

Deborah

[Colexis Mom]

I'd give it a go! Last year, I started booking everything mid-January for our land trip before our cruise (we arrived in Anchorage on June 25th). I was able to get everything that I wanted without any issues. Rental car started out at about $800, but I played around with it a lot (just under 5 days seemed to give the best rate at that time) and got it down to $250!

[jbhstop]

Go for it. I booked a car yesterday and flight today and am starting to work on lodging for our July post-cruise DIY. Availability was decent when I was checking lodging.

[Budget Queen]

Absolutely NOT, you aren't too late. There will be plenty of availabity for you. I have a month for Alaska in August, essentially have only a rental car and two cruises booked. The is the usual for me, and I ALWAYS get any bookings I want. :)

[treinke]

I'm still planning my late June/early July land tour. We are leaving late on July 4 and I'm not having any problems finding places. Car rental is expensive but we are leaning towards getting one in Whittier and dropping it off in Anchorage so that adds to the expense.

[vbmom87]

You will be fine. The biggest drawback to planning late is that your car rental will likely cost you more than if you booked it about 10-11 months out. I would book a cancellable car rental and then keep watching for price drops. About a week or two before your trip, you might want to try Priceline to see if you can get a better car deal through them. If not, you have the one you booked now.

 

Once your car is booked, I would look for your lodgings.

[rayliang]

I didn't finalize my DIY land tour portion until May, for my August NB cruise last year.

 

You'll be just fine.

[Budget Queen]

 

I would look for your lodgings.

 

BUT, after, you have your itinerary completely figured out and firm. Do that first before you get into ANY reservations outside the car rental.

[AZ Deb]

Such great advice and encouragement. Thank you so much to all who have responded!

 

Deborah

[vbmom87]

BUT, after, you have your itinerary completely figured out and firm. Do that first before you get into ANY reservations outside the car rental.

 

As long as the lodgings are cancellable, I don't see a problem. I would definitely not book something with a cancellation fee. When I find lodgings in a nice location, with nice views, etc. I like to make sure I will get them and therefore like to book early IF I can cancel them once I finalize things and find they will not work.

[TwoSue]

I'm in the same boat. Just booked airfare and cruise and a week's rental car for late July. Now I'm working on the itinerary! I've checked lodging in a couple of places and availability seems fine.