Land tours NOT through the cruise line.

[cruiseguy1016]

Does anyone know of any tour companies that do land tours similar to what the cruise lines offer? We're planning a cruise vacation to Alaska next year and we want to spend some time doing a land tour. I'm looking for some options other than what the cruise lines offer. We will be a group of 4 or 5 couples. I would love to plan it and do it on my own but with that many people, I'm not sure that's realistic. Unless :rolleyes:..... does anyone know where I can rent a bus?:eek:

[AKStafford]

Maybe something like this: https://www.salmonberrytours.com/ or this: http://www.alaskawildland.com/

4 or 5 couples would mean 8 to 10 people. I'm normally a big advocate for putting trips together yourself, but with a group it'll add some complexity. You'd be looking at two to three rental cars... It might be like trying to herd cats.

[cruiseguy1016]

If it was 2, 4 or maybe even 6 of us, I think we'd do it on our own. We are all very close friends and we spend a lot of our vacation time together. We would love to do it on our own if we could work out the logistics. The biggest issue is I'm not sure I can find a vehicle large enough to hold all of us and our luggage.

[mapleleaves]

the Alaska Dept of Tourism is usually a good resource.

https://www.travelalaska.com/

 

or http://www.alaska.org

 

The Alaska Railroad offers pkg tours.

akrr.com

 

If you want to rent cars, ABC Motorhome used to rent a 10 passenger van. Then add a car for one couple who would have all the luggage. OR rent 3 minivans. Having cars would enable you make stops for wildlife sightings or other points of interest, plus you would have access to more interesting lodging choices ... cabins, B*B's, lodges.

[Budget Queen]

I'll give my take, frankly, I would not want a "group" bus tour. There would be significant advantages to having a couple rental cars, and your own transportation. Splitting up is a given, no way, are all those people going to be on the same page, doing the same tours, wanting the same thing out of their trip. It's simple to consider Denali Park as a "base" of a few days, then various touring options, stop in Talkeetna. In Anchorage, again go your own way. Head to Seward, enjoy the Arm, Girdwood. Tour as you wish in Seward, drive out to the Glacier, Alaska Sealife Center, Kenai Fjords boat tour?

 

With a "bus" you are going to be dropped off, somewhere, unless you go with a very costly guide service?

[Cruise_More_Often]

We are trying to figure out what we want to do and how we want to travel through Alaska next year. Check out the website for Alaska Tour and Travel and the Alaska Railroad. Alaska Tour and Travel will assist you with tours and lodging using cars and vans as well as train and motorcoach. Disclaimer: I haven't used either of them to finalize our plans, but their websites have come in handy for "dreaming" about next year.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Cruise_More_Often

[cruisin0218]

We had 11 people & rented 3 motorhomes for the Anchorage /Denali roundtrip. Then we rented a 15 passenger van & pulled a luggage trailer for the Kenai section of our trip. We rented all of them through abc rentals in Anchorage and paid a drop off fee to drop the van & trailer in Seward. We really enjoyed traveling together.

[cruiseguy1016]

We had 11 people & rented 3 motorhomes for the Anchorage /Denali roundtrip. Then we rented a 15 passenger van & pulled a luggage trailer for the Kenai section of our trip. We rented all of them through abc rentals in Anchorage and paid a drop off fee to drop the van & trailer in Seward. We really enjoyed traveling together.

 

I considered renting a motorhome or two or three for our group. Can you give me a ballpark figure on what they cost? Did you sleep in them or just use them for transportation?

[mapleleaves]

The prices vary depending on when and how long you rent for, as well as the size of the MH. The gas mileage is 8-9 mpg. Keep in mind that there is only one bedroom and one tiny bathroom, so someone will be sleeping on the kitchenette. sofa or over the cab.

 

I've rented twice from Great Alaskan Holidays with great success. I reserve in Dec/Jan for the following summer to catch the special. ABC Motorhome is another vendor.

 

I think 3 cars would be a better option. You'd have a little privacy and space in your own room or cabin in the evenings. The Enterprise office on Int'l Airport Rd in Anchorage runs great deals if you book ahead .... in summer/fall of one year you can reserve for the following summer for $175+ a week.

[cruisin0218]

We slept in them and used them for transportation. The price for the motorhomes vary depending on the size of the motorhome, the number of days you are renting and which specials they are running. I would recommend comparing prices between Great American and ABC. We have used both of them and been pleased. Since there were 2 couples sharing each rv and we wanted more privacy than the smaller units would provide, we decided to rent the longer class c units that included a bed over the cab, a rear bedroom with a door that closes, a set of bunkbeds with curtains that pulled closed and a couch that made a bed. No one used the couch for sleeping so the center area of the motor home with the kitchen and bathroom could be used without disturbing others privacy. We priced the cost including gas for the motor homes, rental for the units, campground fees, and food (by choice we still ate at a restaurant for our main meal if the day, but had breakfast, sandwiches for a light meal and snacks in each rv). We then compared this cost to renting cars, gas for the cars, lodging, and meals and for us it was less expensive for the rvs. However the main difference was the convenience of having all our essentials with us, stopping along the way and staying as long as we liked per stop. We only made reservations for the 3 nights we reserved at Denali where we reserved spaces in Riley campground and reserved our shuttle bus tickets for our group to go as far as Eilsen on the park road. We had no trouble using milepost to locate campgrounds as we were on the road and began to think about where we wanted to stay for the other nights. I do recommend purchasing groceries and gas just north of Anchorage at Eagle River or in Wasilla because it is more expensive further north. We actually spent our first night in Wasilla in the Walmart parking lot (with permission from Walmart). This gave us a chance to stock up and get used to working the rvs.

[cruisin0218]

When we rented through Great America it was just our immediate family in 1 rv. We changed to abc for the larger group because we also wanted to explore the Kenai and did not want to drive back from the Kenai to Anchorage to return 3rvs and did not want to pay a drop off fee for each of the 3 rvs. ABC allowed us to return the rvs and rent a 15 passenger with luggage trailer from them. We then drove that to explore the Kenai. We choose to stay at Red Fish Lodge and rented 3 cabins there. We were able to relax, do laundry, visit the Seavy iditerod dog sledding operation in Sterling & fish the Kenai River. We then drove to Seward, did sightseeing there and dropped the van & trailer off in the parking lot at the cruise ship terminal.