Denali/Seward only

[ocean paradise]

We are a family of 6 ages 24-76 planning to sail southbound from Seward July 2015. We have been to Alaska 2 x before yet we have never done an pre or post land tour. I have briefly looked at the landtours by the cruiseline and my concerns/questions are;

1) We do not normally book cruiseship excursions because we do not like the cattle calling process, is a cruisetour similar in the set up? (ie, a lot of wasted time standing around waiting on others.)

2) We really would like to see Denali Park, (I figured you really need 2 days in Denali) and spend some time stopping at a few places from Anchorage to Seward and then a good day or more in Seward before sailing.

If that is what we would like to do I would think that is very doable on your own, please give suggestions about transportation on our own. I don't want the drivers to miss a lot by driving, so are there tours to take you through the park etc...I do know we can rent a car from Anchorage to Seward. Also can anyone or only cruisetours stay in lodges in Denali Park?

 

Thanks ahead of time for your suggestions.

[Gardyloo]

I don't think the drivers will miss much, especially on the Anchorage - Denali portion. On the Anchorage - Seward portion, there are numerous pull offs.

 

Private cars aren't allowed into the interior of Denali park anyway - shuttle buses for all.

 

Driving will afford you the option of choosing where to stay, where to detour, how long to spend in one place or another, and in general will give you much more freedom than the cruise tour. Probably cheaper too, on a per-person-per-day basis.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Gardyloo

[donaldsc]

We are a family of 6 ages 24-76 planning to sail southbound from Seward July 2015. We have been to Alaska 2 x before yet we have never done an pre or post land tour. I have briefly looked at the landtours by the cruiseline and my concerns/questions are;

1) We do not normally book cruiseship excursions because we do not like the cattle calling process, is a cruisetour similar in the set up? (ie, a lot of wasted time standing around waiting on others.)

2) We really would like to see Denali Park, (I figured you really need 2 days in Denali) and spend some time stopping at a few places from Anchorage to Seward and then a good day or more in Seward before sailing.

If that is what we would like to do I would think that is very doable on your own, please give suggestions about transportation on our own. I don't want the drivers to miss a lot by driving, so are there tours to take you through the park etc...I do know we can rent a car from Anchorage to Seward. Also can anyone or only cruisetours stay in lodges in Denali Park?

 

Thanks ahead of time for your suggestions.

 

1) The tour parts of a CruiseTour are cattle calls set up to maximize the maximize the profit to the cruise company. They are worse than cruise ship excursions as you are stuck with the group and on the bus for several days and you get to stay in large cruise ship owned hotels instead of interesting local places. Also, the only people you get to meet are other people who are on CruiseTours instead of locals. Alaska is easy to do by yourself. Since you have been to AK before, it will be easy and much much cheaper to do a DIY.

 

2) I have done trips to AK where I was the major driver although my wife did some. I did not miss anything by being the driver. I have never figured out why people say that the driver misses stuff. Also, if there is something that you really want to see, you can pull over and stop. Try doing that on a tour bus.

 

3) You can not drive very far into Denali by yourself. You must take a bus. There are several bus options. Do not take the short 19 mile bus trip. This is a short trip that the cruise companies use to fool their CruiseTour clients into thinking that they are really going into Denali. Take one of the longer ones. Bus trips into Denali can be complicated.

 

4) There are no lodges in Denali except for a few that are deep into the park. Anyone can stay at the cruise company lodges but I would recommend one of the cabins that located mainly in Healy. Much much cheaper and much more Alaska.

 

DON

[olemissreb]

We did this last year. We rented a car in Anchorage the day we arrived and then drove to Denali the next day. We stopped in Talkeetna for lunch and so my oldest could take a flying lesson (Groupon from Above Alaska Aviation and my oldest is studying Aerospace Engineering). We then spent 2 full days (3 nights) in one of the Denali lodges (not Grande Denali, but it's sister hotel just down the hill from it). DH did all the driving and we stopped a lot along the way for pictures. The first full day in Denali, we actually did white water rafting and a Midnight ATV tour. The second full day, we took a Denali Shuttle Bus to Wonder Lake. If I were to do it again, I would reverse these two days- getting in at 1:30AM, showering and then getting to bed by 3AM only to have to be up by 6AM to get over to the Wilderness Access Center to catch the shuttle.

 

When we left Denali, we went to Glacier View, AK to spend another 2 nights before heading back to Anchorage. We then took the train to Seward after spending the night in Anchorage.

 

For us, we much preferred being on our own timetable and having the flexibility of stopping and seeing things that interested us along our drive. The scenery on the train ride was stunning!

[Kamloops50]

We are a family of 6 ages 24-76 planning to sail southbound from Seward July 2015. We have been to Alaska 2 x before yet we have never done an pre or post land tour. I have briefly looked at the landtours by the cruiseline and my concerns/questions are;

1) We do not normally book cruiseship excursions because we do not like the cattle calling process, is a cruisetour similar in the set up? (ie, a lot of wasted time standing around waiting on others.)

2) We really would like to see Denali Park, (I figured you really need 2 days in Denali) and spend some time stopping at a few places from Anchorage to Seward and then a good day or more in Seward before sailing.

If that is what we would like to do I would think that is very doable on your own, please give suggestions about transportation on our own. I don't want the drivers to miss a lot by driving, so are there tours to take you through the park etc...I do know we can rent a car from Anchorage to Seward. Also can anyone or only cruisetours stay in lodges in Denali Park?

 

Thanks ahead of time for your suggestions.

 

With a family of 6 plus luggage your probably better off doing a cruise tour. With 6 you'll need at least an 8 passenger van to carry the group with luggage. Keep in mind that costs in Alaska are more then say going to Florida or California.Check to seen if you can locate a private operator for the tour. It might be better to let someone else arrange the hotels , transportation etc for the tour.

[mapleleaves]

I would always recommend driving ; having your own vehicle allows you to travel at your own pace and provides the opportunity to stop for wildlife sightings or visit other places of interest along the way.

The cheapest option would be to fly into Anc and get a RT rental car. You will probably stay at a hotel upon arrival, so leave your luggage there for a few days and just take an overnight bag to Denali. This will allow all of you to travel together in a minivan. Under perfect conditions, it's a 5 hr drive from Anchorage to Denali. In Denali you can only drive your car to Mile 15 of the 100 miles of park road. I'd suggest taking a shuttle to Eielson Visitor Center, at Mile 66. (Takes 4 hrs to get to EVC, then a 20-30 minute break at the Center, and 3 1/2 hrs to return).

Upon your return to Anchorage, pick up 2 one-way rental cars for the drive to Seward (Hertz is the only option).

If you don't want to drive you can use the Alaska Railroad or Park Connection Bus. Both options will take you to Denali and to Seward. You could also price an option for flying into Fairbanks, then taking the train to Denali.

[donaldsc]

With a family of 6 plus luggage your probably better off doing a cruise tour. With 6 you'll need at least an 8 passenger van to carry the group with luggage. Keep in mind that costs in Alaska are more then say going to Florida or California.Check to seen if you can locate a private operator for the tour. It might be better to let someone else arrange the hotels , transportation etc for the tour.

 

Totally disagree. If you can afford it, you need to base your travel decisions based on maximizing your experience and not minimizing your costs. Your suggestion that they do a cruise tour gives them the worse of the two option - it both minimizes their experience and maximizes their cost.

 

They said that they have done AK before and they also said that they regard ship tours as cattle calls. Cruise tours are even worse. Can you imagine what they would think about being cooped up on a bus and being herded around with 40 of their new best friends for 4 to 5 days and being told what to see, where to eat, when to go to the toilet, and being taken to cruise line owned shops selling tacky souvenirs made in China. This does not count the hassle of being dumped in large cruise line hotels filled with other cruisers that are typically located in inconvenient places to that the cruise line line can sell you local tours.

 

I am not even sure that your claim that the DIY will be more expensive is valid. If they go with your cruise tour logic, they will have to pay for 6 tour portions of the cruise tour. The difference between a cruise and a cruise is about $1800 each for a 5 day tour done by Princess. That is about $10,800 for the 6 of them for the tour portion of the cruise tour.

 

They are planning to fly into Anchorage and board in Seward. If they could one one, their best case scenario would be a one way rental from Hertz from Anchorage to Seward. They can rent a large minivan or even 2 vehicles if they can not get a minivan, stay in neat smaller locally hotels or B&Bs, and eat well for $10,800. You can see what you want. You can stop wherever you want for as long as you want. You can do the trip on your own terms instead of on the cruise company's terms.

 

In my opinion, a cruise tour is not for them.

 

DON

Edited July 21, 2014 by donaldsc

[Northern Aurora]

While the OP will have to do their own cost comparison I suspect it will be much less expensive for this family to organize their own land trip instead of taking a cruise tour. And being able to customize the trip to reflect their own interests will be priceless.

 

 

.... We then spent 2 full days (3 nights) in one of the Denali lodges (not Grande Denali, but it's sister hotel just down the hill from it). .....

 

I think that olemissreb stayed at the Denali Bluffs Hotel.

[olemissreb]

 

I think that olemissreb stayed at the Denali Bluffs Hotel.

 

Yes that was it! Thank you! I just could not remember for the life of me and was too lazy to look back through my "travel bible" to get the info.

[ocean paradise]

Thank all of you for your input! ;)

 

I think Im going to try to see if we can fly into Anchorage, either rent a car or take the train to Denali, stay there a night or 2, drive or rail back to Anchorage and then drive or rail to Seward for a night. Looks like the key will be timing everything just right without wasting time. If we take the train to Denali will the tour buses that go into Denali Park pick you up at hotels, or will we need taxis? Does my thought sound doable to those of you that have done this before?

 

What tours are do not miss ones for Denali? I see the railroad offers a few tours, is it cheaper to book rail and tours together if we choose that route? I recall someone mentioned lodging in Healy, how far is that from Denali? Obviously we would need a car for that.

 

Thanks again!

[donaldsc]

I recall someone mentioned lodging in Healy, how far is that from Denali? Obviously we would need a car for that.

 

Thanks again!

 

If I remember correctly, it is maybe a 10 minute drive from Denali to Healy. We rented a cabin in Healy.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g31007-Healy_Alaska-Hotels.html

 

We rented in the Parks Edge Log cabins. There are also other options.

 

WE ate at the 49th State Brewing Company -

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g31007-Healy_Alaska.html

 

Good food and reasonable prices for AK.

 

Enjoy.

 

DON

[ocean paradise]

Don, thank you so much for your help and suggestions. Your ideas look like they may save me alot of money and maximize our time. I did see a post where you commented you felt taking the train to Denali from Anchorage is a bad idea, after a little more research I think I agree with that. How do you get from the hotel in Healy to the park to catch the tour buses?

 

Any other tips that may be helpful I welcome. Thanks again for your input!

[cruisin0218]

We really enjoyed renting a motor home. We flew into Anchorage, were shuttled from the airport to Great Alaskan Holidays then off we went and explored Denali and the interior at our own pace. The motor home will easily carry 6 and it so nice to have the bathroom, your food and clothing with you when traveling the vast distances in Alaska. We stayed inside the park at Denali in Riley Campground. 3 nights there was ideal but 2 is ok as well. Those nights and our bus shuttle in the park were the only reservations that we made. We took the Milepost book with us and when we decided that we wanted to stop for the night we used Milepost to find a place to stop for the night. We enjoyed it so much that we will be flying into Anc this Sat. and boarding an rv to do it again. This time we are arriving with friends and renting 3 rvs.We are using abc motorhome rental this time because they also rent vehicles so when we turn in the rvs we will climb into a 15 passenger van with 8 foot luggage trailer and enjoy 2 nights at Redfish Lodge in Sterling before driving on down to Seward to board our ship. We could return the van to anc but decided since there will be 11 adults to share the cost of the drop off fee to drop it off in Seward

[donaldsc]

Don, thank you so much for your help and suggestions. Your ideas look like they may save me alot of money and maximize our time. I did see a post where you commented you felt taking the train to Denali from Anchorage is a bad idea, after a little more research I think I agree with that. How do you get from the hotel in Healy to the park to catch the tour buses?

 

Any other tips that may be helpful I welcome. Thanks again for your input!

 

You need a car. It is a short drive. I feel that Healy is a better place to stay than the zoo outside of Denali.

 

DON

[mapleleaves]

Don, thank you so much for your help and suggestions. Your ideas look like they may save me alot of money and maximize our time. I did see a post where you commented you felt taking the train to Denali from Anchorage is a bad idea, after a little more research I think I agree with that. How do you get from the hotel in Healy to the park to catch the tour buses?

 

Any other tips that may be helpful I welcome. Thanks again for your input!

 

If you don't have a car you will need to stay in the 'Glitter Gulch" area just outside the entrance of the park. It's like a large strip mall area with hotels and restaurants. Some of the hotels, like Princess Lodge have a shuttle to/from the park, maybe $10pp. Or if you are able, it's about a 35-40 minute walk from the strip to the park.

A car will give you access to more options that tho generic places at the Gulch. With a car you can drive to Carlo Creek or Healy where there are B&B's, cabins, small hotels/lodges.

And the car gives you flexibility with your schedule. The train only has 1 departure per day. The Park Connection Bus has a morning run and an afternoon rum, so it offers a little more flexibility.

Lodging choices from the Denali Chamber of Commerce: http://www.alaskaone.com/_dcc/accommodations/

 

You can also use that link to find vendors and other activies in the area.

 

For information about the bus system within the park, use the Denali web site: http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/visiting-denali.htm

Edited July 21, 2014 by mapleleaves

[mapleleaves]

you need a minimum of 2 nites at the Park and that only gives you one shuttle trip into the park. Regardless of the transportation option you choose, you will arrive Day 1 in late afternoon, Day 2 will be your 8 hr RT to Eielson Visitor Center, then Day 3 you drive back to Anc or wherever.

[olemissreb]

I would second the suggestions to stay in Healy. While we stayed in Glitter Gulch, the Denali Bluffs hotel is very small for more than 2 per room. There was only the 4 of us, but it was tight. The hotel did have a shuttle though that would take you to/from the WAC and I think it was free. If you decide to go this route though, you may be able to take advantage of the coupons in the Northern Lights or TourSaver book. You might have to get 3 books and make 3 separate reservations. I believe it was stay 2 nights, get the 3rd night for free. Price it out though - you may still end up saving money by booking a couple of cabins in Healy and you'll have more room.

 

Next time we head to Alaska, we'll be staying in a cabin outside of the Glitter Gulch area.

 

Oh and the suggestion for 49th State Brewing Company - OMG the food was really good and there was a lot of it! Go hungry!

[ocean paradise]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

My DH does not like driving in unfamiliar places. Looks like there is really only 1 road to Denali and back? So I'm assuming its not to easy to get lost?:rolleyes:

[mapleleaves]

Yes, the Parks Hwy is the only road from Anc to Denali, and it's only 2 lanes once you get out of Anchorage! It's remarkably easy to drive around in Alaska.

 

You should read trip reports on tripadvisor ..... travellers from Australia, India, Philipines, Israel, UK, manage to drive in Alaska. For some folks, they're driving on the opposite side of the road but they still manage.

 

This link has suggested stopping points for the drive:

http://www.alaska.org/guide/anchorage-to-denali-national-park

[donaldsc]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

My DH does not like driving in unfamiliar places. Looks like there is really only 1 road to Denali and back? So I'm assuming its not to easy to get lost?:rolleyes:

 

I have driven just about every driveable paved road and some of the unpaved roads in AK. It is impossible to get lost and there is typically only 1 road from point A to point B. What can be a bit confusing is that even though AK highways are numbered, they also have names and nobody uses the numbers - only the names. For example, the road from Fairbanks to Anchorage is called the Parks Highway. Even though it goes past many parks including Denali, is named in honor of George Alexander Parks, governor of the Territory of Alaska from 1925 to 1933.

 

One thing that you do have to be a bit careful of when you are out of a city is to read your maps even though you may have a GPS. My Garmin GPS would occasionally try to take me on roads that did not exist or on something called a "winter highway". Regardless, my wife and I drove almost 13,000 miles on our driving trip to and through AK. It was an absolute blast.

 

DON

[azevedan]

We did the exact thing you are considering back in early June. Flew into Anchorage; overnighted; rented a car. Spent 5 days down in Seward (B&B), 2 getting up to Denali, and 5 up in the Denali area (B&B in Healy). We are only 2, but there's no reason you couldn't do it with a full family.

Here are the (public) links to my pictures and videos.

 

Alaska 2014 #1 - Turnagain Arm and Kenai Fjords boat trip

https://www.facebook.com/ann.azevedo/media_set?set=a.10203942359898993.1073741847.1222008517&type=3

 

Alaska 2014 #2 - Seward Sea Life Center

https://www.facebook.com/ann.azevedo/media_set?set=a.10203953254531352.1073741848.1222008517&type=3

 

Alaska 2014 #3 - The Kayak Trip That Wasn't

https://www.facebook.com/ann.azevedo/media_set?set=a.10203954933373322.1073741849.1222008517&type=3

 

Alaska 2014 #4 - Hikes

https://www.facebook.com/ann.azevedo/media_set?set=a.10203968386629645.1073741850.1222008517&type=3

 

Alaska 2014 #5 - Denali National Park

https://www.facebook.com/ann.azevedo/media_set?set=a.10203982489702213.1073741851.1222008517&type=3

 

Alaska 2014 # 6 - Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center

https://www.facebook.com/don.digenova/media_set?set=a.550655605045664.1073741844.100003036878457&type=3

 

Feeding the puffins at the Seward Sea Life Center

 

Big grizzly on the road in Denali NP

 

Mother Moose and calves in Denali NP

 

Octopus at Sea Life Center in Seward

 

Harding Ice Field, Kenai NP

 

Mama grizzly and cubs

 

Grizzly bear cubs playing

[ocean paradise]

If we decided to drive from Denali/Healy area to Seward where would be a good overnight spot excluding Anchorage just to sleep? Im thinking we would be leaving Denali late in the day and would want to catch an 11:30 Kenai Fjords trip the following morning. We would want to have some time for photo ops between Anchorage and Seward. I'm also assuming it is about 600 miles?

[Gardyloo]

If we decided to drive from Denali/Healy area to Seward where would be a good overnight spot excluding Anchorage just to sleep? Im thinking we would be leaving Denali late in the day and would want to catch an 11:30 Kenai Fjords trip the following morning. We would want to have some time for photo ops between Anchorage and Seward. I'm also assuming it is about 600 miles?

Under 400 miles. I'd stop in Girdwood. Stay at a B&B or at the Alyeska resort. You're around 90 min. from Seward there, so you'd want an early start.

[mapleleaves]

A travel chart with times and distances for train/car:

http://www.alaska.org/advice/mileage-chart

 

Girdwood would be a good stopping point if you drive from Denali - Seward. You would need to leave early the next morning in order to reach Seward by 10:30 for the 11:30 departure. This won't allow much time along the Turnagain Arm though.

If possible, add another day here so that you can explore the area, then stop at Exit Glacier on your way into Seward.

[ocaladee]

Do not waste your time on driving into Denali. We did a driving tour in Alaska two years ago. We did the very expensive trip into Denali and left a day early. You can see and do want you want from outside the park. The food was the worse I have ever had. Unless you are a serious hiker there is nothing else to do. We wanted to fish. Out of 40 poles they had one that was not broken. They dropped us off up the street and there was no place to put a pole in. Enjoy the rest of the state.