Denali vs The Rockies

[avalon007]

I worry when people get lots of information and ideas that suggest their original thoughts, plans, constraints, preferences are "in the way" of getting "the best possible". :)

 

Only you know what you are prepared to do, and not do, for a vacation. I wouldn't drive in Australia, that is for certain ;) If that meant I missed out on some things, okay! When we (eventually) get to Asia, we will be doing the "tour" thing, not independent travel. I don't need the stress and angst of being someplace worrying that we'll miss a train or order a dodgy meal or get lost or... or... or ... :D I am confident we will get a pretty sanitized version of Asia, and I'm okay with that, on balance.

 

I have a dear friend who was born in Canada and lived here for at least 30 years. She absolutely REFUSES to drive in Canada, after 25 years of living in Australia. This means they use the Greyhound bus service, public transportation, etc, and have constraints on their "freedom" when they come back to Canada. It also means they can both relax and enjoy their trips, knowing they will NOT be stressed out with trying to drive on the wrong side of the road.

 

You need to be comfortable with whatever you decide, and realize that whatever you decide, there will be some trade-offs. I hope you don't end up feeling pressured to do some things that cause you to feel stressed about your vacation.

 

 

Hi CowPrincess,

 

Yes, sometimes people seem rather put out if you don't agree with their suggestions or question the details of what they suggest, posters often just tell people to do something & say they will be fine, love it etc which isn't always accurate.

 

The problem partly is that replies to OP's cannot take into account the OP's physical abilities, age or personal preferences, but also past travel experiences, the area/country the OP lives in etc etc.

 

All these factors combine to create a unique human being whose tastes will be different than others, no right or wrong, just what is right for the OP.

 

As an Australian I also find that whilst the suggestions from people not from Australia are often invaluable, having an Aussie perspective on some things can be helpful as you know the person will have similar expectations for social interactions, road signage, or types of food offered etc.

 

But regardless of any negatives the CC boards are one of the best sources of information available for cruise destination info. :)

[Hard-habit-to-break]

Thankyou to everyone.

All this talk has really made me consider every option and actually opened my eyes to other options. I only had a very vague idea of what we may do and I love to research (basically what I get paid to do), so I know I have a lot of research still to do but with what everyone has said, I am now rethinking what we had kind of thought we may do and going with what was my first instinct - The Rockies.

I love these boards; they are full of information and such helpful, knowledgeable, wonderful people. One of the first things I was told when I first joined was you can't research everything, just get on a cruise and go with the flow. Whilst I understand that person’s perspective, if I had done that with Alaska, goodness only knows what would have happened. No, I can't research "everything", but I can ask opinions and look for options and listen to advise from people who have been to the places I want to go to.

As everyone would know, trying to research and find information on a place on the other side of the world can be hard. As we aren't seasoned travelers, it makes it even harder because you aren't sure of so many things - hence the reason for asking for advice.

As I said, we are now leaning towards doing The Rockies. How we do it is still up for discussion. We will be using a tour company or will we drive? I don't know yet, more research is needed. This seems to be a more expensive option compared to the Denali area, but an option that I think we will prefer.

I liked Gardyloo's idea of flying to Calgary and renting a car. It doesn't appear to be as frightening as driving from Vancouver. It is certainly something that we are looking at, but there are still so many options and thankfully, still a lot of time to make firm decisions.

We will have more of an idea in the next month or so when the itineraries for Alaska and transpacific crossing are released. We can looking at dates and times and then really get into the nitty gritty of it.

And yes Gardyloo, Mudgee is about an hour from Bathurst so you have been close by!!

Thanks again everyone, everyone's contribution has been invaluable.

Kirrarne

[Shazzah]

Have been reading this thread with interest, but wasn't sure I could offer any advice since I haven't been to Alaska yet (going this summer). I think either of Gardyloo's possible itineraries would be great. I especially liked the last one, which did include a one-week Alaska Cruise.

 

We are from the US, but lived in Sydney for three years, and had the opportunity to travel much of Australia and New Zealand. I mastered driving - my daily commute took me over the Harbour Bridge, but my husband didn't drive once. He preferred public transportation.

 

We spent two weeks in New Zealand a few years ago, with all travel by trains, ferry boats, and coach (independently arranged). We have also visited the Rockies, driving from Banff - Lake Louise - Jasper, including the Ice Fields, then took the train to Vancouver. This is still one of our favorite trips.

 

So - I can't suggest what you should do, but I wouldn't rule out driving portions of your tour to either Canada or Alaska, as it will give you more flexibility. If I can drive in Sydney, you probably won't have any trouble in Canada ;) That said, I totally understand why a no-driving option might be more relaxing.

[CruiserguyAK]

In my experience I would have to shoot for Alaska. The Canadian Rockies are lovely, but you miss out on the ocean side of things. However if you like things a little more luxurious then Banff and Lake Louise are definitely they way to go.