Fairbanks to Whittier DIY car or train?

[gotatravel]

Is it better to rent a car in Fairbanks and drive to Denali and then on to Anchorage/Whittier (Princess southbound cruise) or go by train? Would I be missing any better sights by not taking the domed railway? How would we get from Anchorage to Whittier after dropping off the car? Am on a Princess cruisetour now and checking out my options. Thank you.:)

[Budget Queen]

You are looking to cancel your land tour? Do you have activities planned in Fairbanks? 2 nights? IF not, then renting a round trip Anchorage car, is cost savings.

 

The Alaska RR and Parks highway just about parallel each other with similar views. You can see and do so much more with a car. Plenty of more meal, lodging and activity options. Time is your own, not tied down to a fixed schedule. You can rent an Avis one way car, Fairbanks/Whittier. going to be costly.

 

BUT first, figure out what YOU want to see and do, and get your itinerary. You can drop a car in Anchorage, and take the train or bus to Whittier, but again, figure out your timing and activities. I highly recommend a Prince William sound boat tour in Whittier, I'm never in any rush to get on a ship.

[gotatravel]

Thanks so much Budget Queen. Notice you are from Syracuse. I grew up in Geneva and went to school in Syracuse. Have learned a lot from all your responses!

[donaldsc]

Is it better to rent a car in Fairbanks and drive to Denali and then on to Anchorage/Whittier (Princess southbound cruise) or go by train? Would I be missing any better sights by not taking the domed railway? How would we get from Anchorage to Whittier after dropping off the car? Am on a Princess cruisetour now and checking out my options. Thank you.:)

 

It is not a matter of missing sights if you take the train but not being able to stop and look at the sights because the train just zooms past them. Neat mother bear and cubs by the track - don't blink as the train goes past them or you will miss them. A moose by the side of the tracks - again don't blink.

 

I took the train from Anchorage to Denali on my first trip to AK and I hated every second of the trip. I do have to admit that the train was comfortable and the views outside the domes were sometimes cool but I like to spend time looking at stuff, not going past them.

 

Think of a train trip through scenic or wildlife areas as the same as driving them them with your windows up and never stopping regardless of what is outside of the car. Also, if you try to take pictures of stuff, you will find that the windows are tinted so your color balance will come out totally wrong, even if you shoot on Auto color balance.

 

The train companies must be doing something right since lots of CC's just love the train trips but for the life of me I can not figure out why.

 

DON

[gotatravel]

Thanks Don,

I get your point...especially since I love photography!

[mapleleaves]

I think BQ is right on.

I like fairbanks ( usually the only place I find sunshine), but if you don't have any plans there, it would be much cheaper to fly into Anchorage and get a roundtrip rental car. If your plans are for THIS summer, you're very late to be making reservations so be prepared for sticker shock. Prices vary greatly, so check around, then reserve the best rate you can find now, then check frequently for a better deal.

A car offers you so much more flexibility and the freedom to stop for wildlife and places of interest. Our last trip was near the end of August so we had several moose sightings during our drives. Go to http://www.alaska.org and under THINGS TO DO, look for SCENIC DRIVES. For each drive, it will provide suggested stopping points.