Anchorage car rental July 2015

[cruisin'mama]

I was just playing around trying to figure out what my car rental costs for next summer might be after I got an email from Priceline about car rentals. I need an standard SUV from July 13-22, 2015. Priceline would only let me "book" into May of 2015 and the rates for the same amount of days in May for the SUV was $1350. So, since I have rented from Costco for my last 2 Alaska trip, I ventured over to the Costco site. I was able to actually book the SUV for the dates I need and the standard SUV was only $695 total, all taxes included. :) I'm a happy girl! ( It's for the Enterprise downtown location, where I have rented from in the past too. Enterprise won't even take my reservation for those days yet. )

 

I will continue to monitor prices, but I am happy with what I have on the books right now. So if anyone knows their dates and are Costco members, there is no harm in booking now since you can cancel without any charge if you find a better price or your plans change!

[granny6]

We are Costco members and have never used this service. The car we have reserved for after our cruise for 7 days, thru Costco, we are saving 100. Thanks for the reminder of their travel deals.

 

 

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[retiredawacs]

I was just playing around trying to figure out what my car rental costs for next summer might be after I got an email from Priceline about car rentals. I need an standard SUV from July 13-22' date=' 2015. Priceline would only let me "book" into May of 2015 and the rates for the same amount of days in May for the SUV was $1350. So, since I have rented from Costco for my last 2 Alaska trip, I ventured over to the Costco site. I was able to actually book the SUV for the dates I need and the standard SUV was only $695 total, all taxes included. :) I'm a happy girl! ( It's for the Enterprise downtown location, where I have rented from in the past too. Enterprise won't even take my reservation for those days yet. )

 

I will continue to monitor prices, but I am happy with what I have on the books right now. So if anyone knows their dates and are Costco members, there is no harm in booking now since you can cancel without any charge if you find a better price or your plans change![/quote']

 

Thanks for the idea. We are Costco members also and I will check them out.

 

We will be flying into Anchorage on July 12 and doing our own tour to Denali. Sailing out of Seward on July 17.

 

cruisin'mama, have you had any luck on booking hotels yet?

[Nancyquilts]

Thanks for the great advice.:D We've never thought about booking a car thru' them.

[yvr49]

I always book my car rentals through Costcotravel.com. The prices can't be beat.

[mapleleaves]

For those of you who aren't Costco members, Enterprise is opening up dates for 2015. As they open up I'm seeing some good deals, ie $150 week for an economy car. If you have approx dates for next yr, check various vendors and reserve the best deal you can find now. Be mindful of cancel fees, but they are rare with car rentals.

And keep checking for a better deal ( up until the day you leave).

[cruisin'mama]

[quote name=

 

cruisin'mama' date=' have you had any luck on booking hotels yet?[/quote]

 

The only "hotels" that I have been able to book are independent ones like Denali Lakeview Inn and Willow Lake B&B in Copper Center. It's still too early for the chain hotels.

 

As a side note, I "changed my mind" on my Costco car rental and decided to go with a larger SUV. I had issues trying to book those dates again, but after playing around with it a little, I was able to get those July dates again for the 2nd reservation and cancelled the 1st one.

 

I have been able to book some independent "tours" too as well as an independent car rental in Haines.

[AkSusan]

Another great thing about Costco car rentals, is that an additional driver can be added for no additional cost.

 

Have also found out, it seems the earlier you book with them, the prices are much better than other sites, so, far out, plus, you can always cancel if you find something cheaper.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[rjeffler]

I just got back from my trip and also booked with Costco travel about a year in advance. You can read my pre-planning in my signature below. I started booking hotel rooms 10-12 months in advance. I kept checking my rental in the weeks leading up to it and was able to get my rate down by another $100.

 

Book as early as you can because prices can go up. I know with Skagway, it only got more expensive as time went on. FYI...They take no coupons or specials (Costco included) in Skagway.

[lovetotraveltx]

Thanks for the idea. We are Costco members also and I will check them out.

 

We will be flying into Anchorage on July 12 and doing our own tour to Denali. Sailing out of Seward on July 17.

 

cruisin'mama, have you had any luck on booking hotels yet?

 

I was just able to book anchorage and Vancouver hotels for June 2015. So, maybe in a couple of weeks?

[cruisin'mama]

I check every now and then to see if my car rental price might have gone down. I checked today and the full size SUV I have rented for 9+ days has gone up from $700 that I reserved for to now $1600. :O

 

I will continue to monitor the prices but if they don't end up going down again, I am sure glad I booked REALLY early! I do seem to recall that Oct was a good month for booking in the past, so for those of you who still need to book, keep checking!!!

 

 

On a side note, I now have all my hotels booked, save for 2 independents that aren't taking bookings yet for next year. In July 2011, my friend and I stayed at the Comfort Inn Ship Creek and we paid $89 per night. This year when I made reservations for next summer, we are having to pay $246 for the same room! Supply and demand! Alaska tourism is alive and well!

[mapleleaves]

when checking rental car prices, also check each location if the vendor has offices downtown AND at the airport. Often times the airport locations are higher and it might be worth a $25 cab ride to go elsewhere in town. ie Enterprise is $70 a day on International Way, but $140 at the Airport on a random date

Edited August 15, 2014 by mapleleaves
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[Auroracrab]

Wow--150 a week for an economy car sounds great. Looking at beginning of August 2015. Where are you finding these prices, because I am only seeing a lot higher than that.

 

Sooo much planning, but super excited.

 

RCI Radiance on the Seas Northbound from Vancouver July 24th!!

 

Thanks--

[mapleleaves]

Wow--150 a week for an economy car sounds great. Looking at beginning of August 2015. Where are you finding these prices, because I am only seeing a lot higher than that.

 

Sooo much planning, but super excited.

 

RCI Radiance on the Seas Northbound from Vancouver July 24th!!

 

Thanks--

 

This post is 2 months old !! $150 was the rate at that time. You missed the 'early bird' special that Enterprise runs every summer for the next year. But you never know ... they might run it again.

 

Rates fluctuate wildly so all you can do is check ALL the sites and hope to catch a deal. Check the large sites like expedia, carrental, costco, travelocity, etc plus each individual vendor, and check at various locations downtown and at the airport.

You need to be diligent about it. Reserve the best deal you can find now (most rentals don't have a cancel fee), then keep checking up until the day you leave. Something will come up over the next yr, but you need to be on top of it. Good luck!