Anchorage tour

[chandrisellinis]

One day in port and cannot decide between a a Spencer Glacier Rail Tour or a Prince William Sound Tour.

 

OR should one just jump on the Coastal Rail train and do their own tour.

[Budget Queen]

What looks the best for YOU??? Any of these will offer you an excellent touring day. With only one day, I am assuming you have verified your port time will allow for the Coastal Classic to Seward and what "tour" are you referring to?? Or is it the Coastal Classic to Whittier, and you booking a Prince William Sound boat tour separately??

[Minoushka]

I really enjoyed the PWS glacier tour WE were on a BTB in Alaska so we had all day to enjoy it before returning on board IT was a magnificent day saw 2 glaciers and lots of calving AWESOME

I would love to do it again I know there are 2 companies one does 28 Glaciers in a huge speed boat THe other in a regular big boat that does the 2

I loved that day

I even had a MARGARITA with ice from the GLACIER .YUMMY

 

NOw if only I could remember the name of the company....help anyone?

[Budget Queen]

I really enjoyed the PWS glacier tour WE were on a BTB in Alaska so we had all day to enjoy it before returning on board IT was a magnificent day saw 2 glaciers and lots of calving AWESOME

I would love to do it again I know there are 2 companies one does 28 Glaciers in a huge speed boat THe other in a regular big boat that does the 2

I loved that day

I even had a MARGARITA with ice from the GLACIER .YUMMY

 

NOw if only I could remember the name of the company....help anyone?

 

Major Marine

[chandrisellinis]

We are due to be in port from 7 am to 11 pm however presume this could always change due to weather conditions etc. We are on the Amsterdam which I undestand is the only cruise ship that goes into Anchorage.

 

The two organised tours are optionals off the ship however not sure which preferred and told they could book out therefore considering dong my own thing unless one of the tours considered a MUST.

I presume I could book rail to Whittier and return ( not sure if should just do a round trip and spend time in Anchorage as we will see glaciers along the way. )

 

Just found a company Phillips which does 26 glaciers wow maybe I should have stayed a week and caught another ship back :)

 

Any tips for a first time Alaska cruiser on a 14 day Alaskan trip appreciated

 

:confused:

[Assateague Island Princes]

We've done this 14 day itinerary twice, and both times we rented a car. This past August, we drove north to Palmer (reindeer farm), then on to Independence Mine, to Wasilla for lunch, then out to Martin Buser's Happy Trails Iditarod Kennel for a wonderful tour. When we got back into town, my niece and her boyfriend went flightseeing from Lake Hood in Anchorage and I went back to the ship around 7PM.

 

The first year we did this itinerary (2010) it was DH and I, we rented a car and drove north again, stopping at Chugach for some hiking, on to Independence Mine and Hatcher Pass (saw my first moose, right in the middle of the road driving up to the mine - thrilling!), then to the Iditarod Museum in Wasilla, which I greatly enjoyed, then on to martin Buser's Kennel. Afterwards, we took our time driving back to Anchorage, stopping at a few places to hike. Dropped off the car at the rental office (which was closed by then) and called a cab to take us back to the ship. It was a very long but extremely fun day!

 

If you rent a car, you could drive south down Turnagain Arm and see the sights in that direction. So much to see and do in the Anchorage area! You could also rent bikes and ride the Tony Knowles Trail, go to the museums and walk around town. I'd suggest ordering Anchorage's Visitors Guide and check out some of the offerings that are available in the city and all around. You could go on a 4X4 excursion, to to the zoo, horseback riding, flightseeing, rafting - so many choices! Have a wonderful time and enjoy this fantastic 14 day itinerary! I don't think you'll be disappointed!

[chandrisellinis]

Many thanks however would we not miss out by not going by rail which I understand is one of the best rail trips around the globe

 

If not we may just see if vans around when ship docks as we have done on other cruises.

[Budget Queen]

Many thanks however would we not miss out by not going by rail which I understand is one of the best rail trips around the globe

 

If not we may just see if vans around when ship docks as we have done on other cruises.

 

Sorry, but if you are referring to the rail to Whittier, it parallels the Seward Highway. There is some more scenery if going to Grandview. You do not have time to go back and forth to Seward, which is the superior scenic rail.

 

I would say, it's going to be a "mistake" if you think there are going to be "vans" lined up.

 

Wouldn't you be better off, knowing the areas now, and deciding what and where you want to go?? This isn't the Caribbean.

[AKman2495]

Many thanks however would we not miss out by not going by rail which I understand is one of the best rail trips around the globe

 

If not we may just see if vans around when ship docks as we have done on other cruises.

 

Well, if you really want to see cargo vans, I'm sure we can arrange that. OTOH, there is much to see here besides the port-and not all of it involves jumping on a train (which is not a bad option).

 

My advice is for you to do some research on Anchorage and the environs-besides making comments on this board. Look at maps of the city, look at the many websites for Anchorage tours and visitor opportunities. We have lots of them.

 

You have lots of time before you get here. It is snowing now and it is supposed to be snowing most of this week. We are approaching the record for snowfall this season, so I know it will be a while before you get here.

 

Have fun. :)

[chandrisellinis]

Hi AKMan.. I assume you work for tourist office :D

FYI, I have researched and that is why I started this thread with

a specific question. Hiring a car was recommended which makes sense to save time however we am not keen on driving therefore my reference to vans as taxi would be to expensive.

We accept with limited time we cannot see everything therefore guess its back to original question.

Enjoy the snow and looking forward to seeing your city

[AKman2495]

Hi AKMan.. I assume you work for tourist office :D

FYI, I have researched and that is why I started this thread with

a specific question. Hiring a car was recommended which makes sense to save time however we am not keen on driving therefore my reference to vans as taxi would be to expensive.

We accept with limited time we cannot see everything therefore guess its back to original question.

Enjoy the snow and looking forward to seeing your city

 

I have no connection with the tourist office, other than I've been down there a few times. As to your question. With only one day in town (is that 24 hrs, 12 hours or what?) A train tour would make more sense than a PWS Tour. For the PWS tours, they usually depart from Whittier early-say by 7 am. SO, unless you get to Whittier by then, it will be hard to do. there may be a rail connection that could get you there-actually, I just checked the Ak railroad site and they do have a number of rail/tour packages from Anchorage. It is not clear, however, if they return you to Anchorage. There are many such packages for people in Anchorage departing from Seward or Whittier.

 

So, I do not believe a PWS tour is all that do-able for you.

 

That leaves rail trips, which are both interesting and fun (I have been on the train to Seward and it is a great trip.

 

IMHO.

[chandrisellinis]

HI AKMan, We are in port for day as noted earlier in thread from 7am to 11pm.

My research showed there are trips such as "Phillips cruises" which allow choice of train or rail then their cruise on PWS.

Hopefully others can help us both :p

[Budget Queen]

[quote name=AKman2495;32670080A train tour would make more sense than a PWS Tour. For the PWS tours' date=' they usually depart from Whittier early-say by 7 am. SO, unless you get to Whittier by then, it will be hard to do. there may be a rail connection that could get you there-actually, I just checked the Ak railroad site and they do have a number of rail/tour packages from Anchorage. It is not clear, however, if they return you to Anchorage. There are many such packages for people in Anchorage departing from Seward or Whittier.

 

So, I do not believe a PWS tour is all that do-able for you.

 

That leaves rail trips, which are both interesting and fun (I have been on the train to Seward and it is a great trip.

 

IMHO.[/quote]

 

Sorry, you aren't familiar with these tours. You most certainly CAN do a Prince William Sound tour, with taking the Whittier train. The train leaves at 10am, the PWS boat tour leaves at 1pm. You then return on the train leaving at 6pm. They can NOT do any day trip to Seward. The train is very unreliable in the return time.

[nobbync]

I was asking to myself the same questions as you about a month ago. I will also be on the Amsterdam this summer leaving June 15th. We decided on Prince William Sound and my main reason was we like boats more than trains. I don't think you can go wrong with either. We also booked the ships tours since it is so long we did not want to worry about it. On the Amsterdam the PWS tour leaves at 9:45 am and it takes about 9 1/2 hours and you are drivin by bus.

 

Nobby

[Glaciers]

Renting a car would give you the most flexibility so you could do more in the limited time you have in Anchorage although to also maximize your time here, have you considered a private tour?

 

There are private tour companies that could drive you down Turnagain Arm that parallels the train route. It would allow you to customize the trip to include stops along the way to Whittier including the Wildlife Conservation Center and Portage Glacier Visitor Center, etc. instead of just taking the train directly to Whittier. After the Prince William Sound cruise you could return to Anchorage by Train.

 

There are some options here:

http://www.anchorage.net/cruise-transfers-transportation

[chandrisellinis]

Many thanks for info and a great web site.

[unclewilson2]

The two organised tours are optionals off the ship however not sure which preferred and told they could book out therefore considering dong my own thing unless one of the tours considered a MUST.

[chandrisellinis]

Same with us UNCLE WILSON :)

[cruznbelle]

I'm not sure if you've decided or not but we did the Spencer Scenic Float - it was awesome! Plus you get the train ride. We started from Girdwood rather than Anchorage - but it is describe the same. We are also doing the Amsterdam this year and are trying to decide what to do.

 

I'll try to attach pictures... it would be totally different from a PWS tour...

[chandrisellinis]

Looks really great although we have decided to stay on land as also on Amsterdam 14days and wish to experience more of the rail which may tale up all our time.