Best way to get from Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge to Seward, AK

[Jimbo]

Okay give me my options, want to know if this is doable. car/train hopefully

 

First off will Princess let me leave a cruise tour one day early ?

 

Ship leaves from Whittier, AK but we want to swing down to Seward first so we can do the 3.5 Hour Kenai Wildlife Cruise, don't think we would have time to do the 6 hour one that gets done at 5:30pm and make it to the ship by 8:30pm in Whittier, AK.

 

We would leave the cruise tour on Friday and stay overnight in Seward and then on Saturday do the 9am Kenai Wild Life Tour.

 

Also is the 3 1/2 hour tour any good or would you advise don't waste my time? Could maybe do the 1:30pm 6 hour tour on Friday, but have no idea what my options are to get from Mt. Mckinley Princess Wilderness Lodge to Seward, AK the morning of and stil make the excursion.

 

9am Tour gets done at 12:30pm, we could rent a car and easily make the 2 hour ride to Whittier to board the ship.

 

Okay does any of this sound doable or am I nuts!

 

Jimbo:)

[AKStafford]

The McKinley Princess Lodge is an hour from anywhere.... You could take their shuttle into Talkeetna and then use the Alaska Railroad, but that'll only get you Anchorage. You'll have to overnight there.

How were you planning on getting to Seward and then back to Whittier? And the shorter boat trips out of Seward do not even leave Resurrection Bay and aren't worth it my opinion...

 

Since the pre-packaged cruisetour doesn't offer what you want, would you consider ditching it all together and doing your own trip with a rental car? That way you can see & do & stay & eat where you want to.

[GloriaF]

Our first AK cruise, we arrived a few days early in Anchorage and took the AK RR to Seward. The trip is picturesque and enjoyable. Seward taxis can get you wherever you wish, but the problem is getting from Seward to Whittier. For the taxi to take us to Whittier from Seward was a long trip and extraordinarily expensive -- we ended up going back to Anchorage on the AK RR and taking the Princess transit to Whittier. Of course, all of this takes more time than you would expect.

 

Being the worrier that I am about meeting schedules and missing connections, I would think it would need more than one day extra...but we did this only once and are not the expert by any means!! I hope telling our experience helps in some way!

Edited February 1, 2018 by GloriaF

[wolfie11]

Sorry, but this trip is a nightmare logistically and, as AKStafford said, totally not worth it. The short tour never leaves Resurrection Bay and at the most you might see a couple of sea otters, which you can see in Whittier or Glacier Bay, maybe a whale, which you can see in Juneau, and a few seal lions and seals. The only way this would be really feasible is if you rented a car, which kind of defeats the purpose of the tour, since you could then do the whole thing yourself.

 

The daily train gets into Talkeetna mid-afternoon and into Anchorage around 8pm ($105), which means an expensive hotel room in Anchorage (~$150). There is a train to Seward at 6:45 am ($120) which will get you there in time for the early tour ($85). You could get a shuttle to Whittier (would have to be arranged privately but probably in the ($150-$200) range. You can't rent a car because the rental agency in Seward is Hertz and in Whittier is Avis, so you would have to go back to Anchorage and then rent another car to go to Whittier (paying two one-way rental fees and around $100 a day for the car rentals). Total for two people would be around a minimum of $800.

[Northern Aurora]

The OP needs to check to Alaska Railroad website and look at the 2018 schedule; that will confirm that the railroad will not get them from Talkeetna to Seward in one day. And I am not aware of any car rental agencies in Talkeetna from which they could rent a vehicle.

 

But more importantly, when I read a post by someone who is trying a major deviation from their cruise tour I wonder why they are on that cruise tour in the first place. It appears this cruise tour is not a good match for the OP's interests, and I hope they give serious consideration to cancelling. So easy to do a DIY trip in Alaska.

 

Regarding Kenai Fjords tours out of Seward -- our vendor of choice is Major Marine. We always book the full day tour.

[Jimbo]

All good thoughts, we have been going over this alot and as most suggested maybe the cruiseline is not the way to go. I think it is best we just rent a car in Fairbanks and do our own thing.

 

Only thing is might we miss alot of that neat information about Alaska that the tour guide would be telling us along the way?

 

I thought i read somewhere there was a book out that could tell you everything to look for along the route from Fairbanks to Seward to Whittier?

 

Anyone know the name of it?

 

 

Jimbo:)

Edited February 2, 2018 by Jimbo

[Jimbo]

 

Regarding Kenai Fjords tours out of Seward -- our vendor of choice is Major Marine. We always book the full day tour.

 

How long is the full day one? 6 hours or longer?

 

and how does this excursion compare to the one we took in Juneau this past June on Adventure Bound to Tracy Arm Fjord to the Sawyer Glacier

Jimbo:)

[Northern Aurora]

Jimbo: We like both the 8.5 hour Northwestern tour and the 7.5 hour National Park tours offered by Major Marine; their website (just google them) has details. And when we do the 7.5 hour we opt to purchase their lunch, although you can bring food onboard. And Major Marine now owns the Harbor 360 Hotel in Seward (formerly the Holiday Inn Express), and (at least in the past) they have offered packages including a day cruise with a hotel stay. While we do Alaska cruises periodically (yes -- Alaskan residents also do Alaska cruises) we have never taken the day trip you took out of Juneau so can't offer any comparison.

 

I suspect the book you mentioned in a prior post is "The Milepost." And given some of the quality of the tour guides you may not be missing much in terms of a tour guide on a ship sponsored land tour.

[Jimbo]

Right now I'm thinking car rental in Fairbanks.............return it in Anchorage............Take train to Seward, stay over 2 nights there, but how do we get to Whittier?

 

Jimbo:)

Edited February 2, 2018 by Jimbo

[Glaciers]

...but how do we get to Whittier?

 

Jimbo:)

 

PJ's Taxi

https://www.pjstaxi.net/

[madameblueberry]

All good thoughts, we have been going over this alot and as most suggested maybe the cruiseline is not the way to go. I think it is best we just rent a car in Fairbanks and do our own thing.

 

Only thing is might we miss alot of that neat information about Alaska that the tour guide would be telling us along the way?

 

I thought i read somewhere there was a book out that could tell you everything to look for along the route from Fairbanks to Seward to Whittier?

 

Anyone know the name of it?

 

 

Jimbo:)

 

 

 

By no means an Alaska travel expert. We used The Milepost extensively as we traveled for a week after a cruise.

I️ highly recommend it. You may want another book or two with more detailed background info on major sites but this was a very handy guide.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[wolfie11]

Right now I'm thinking car rental in Fairbanks.............return it in Anchorage............Take train to Seward, stay over 2 nights there, but how do we get to Whittier?

 

Jimbo:)

 

You would save a lot of money if you just rent the car in Fairbanks, do your entire trip, including Seward, return it to the airport in Anchorage and jump on a Princess shuttle to the ship. I personally would not spend more than one night in Seward. Other than the glacier tours, the Sea Life center and a trip to Exit Glacier, there's not much there and the town gets pretty crowded when a couple of cruise ships are turning around.

[Glaciers]

...return it to the airport in Anchorage and jump on a Princess shuttle to the ship.

 

Princess has a desk across from baggage carousel #1 at the airport. Their shuttles depart just out the door. Last year the first one departed at noon.

[Jimbo]

You would save a lot of money if you just rent the car in Fairbanks, do your entire trip, including Seward, return it to the airport in Anchorage and jump on a Princess shuttle to the ship. I personally would not spend more than one night in Seward. Other than the glacier tours, the Sea Life center and a trip to Exit Glacier, there's not much there and the town gets pretty crowded when a couple of cruise ships are turning around.

 

I would do that, but that would mean we would be doing no train rides in Alaska at all.........I have been reading that the Anchorage to Seward is really a beautiful ride fro the scenery. How do we get a train ride somewhere when renting a car in Fairbanks?

 

Jimbo:):)

[AKStafford]

Only thing is might we miss a lot of that neat information about Alaska that the tour guide would be telling us along the way?

Just so you know... Your tour guide is likely to be a college student from Utah who has only been in the state a few weeks before you got there... You might luck out and get a local or a returning student... I drove tour bus for Holland America for two summers and I was one of a dozen locals out of about 50 drivers.

[AKStafford]

I would do that, but that would mean we would be doing no train rides in Alaska at all.........I have been reading that the Anchorage to Seward is really a beautiful ride fro the scenery. How do we get a train ride somewhere when renting a car in Fairbanks?

 

Jimbo:):)

 

You can do the Glacier Discovery train with the Alaska Railroad: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/glacier-discovery . We did that to get to Spencer Glacier this summer: http://akstafford.blogspot.com/2017/08/spencer-glacier-via-alaska-railroad.html . We want to do some hiking so it worked great. If you want to stay on and go to Grandview, it's supposed to be pretty amazing.

[Jimbo]

You can do the Glacier Discovery train with the Alaska Railroad: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/glacier-discovery . We did that to get to Spencer Glacier this summer: http://akstafford.blogspot.com/2017/08/spencer-glacier-via-alaska-railroad.html . We want to do some hiking so it worked great. If you want to stay on and go to Grandview, it's supposed to be pretty amazing.

 

So this would be a roundtrip ride correct.............with no time to get off anywhere? rental car and luggauge ? where would that be?

 

 

I think I need someone to set up a personal tour for us........someone we can give the excursions we want to try to do and then plan it out for us so we can do it all in 6 or 7 days.

 

 

rom/ToDepartArriveAnchorage — Girdwood9:45 AM10:55 AMGirdwood — Portage 111:00 AM11:30 AMPortage 1 — Whittier11:35 AM12:05 PMWhittier — Portage 212:45 PM1:15 PMPortage 2 — Spencer Whistle Stop1:25 PM1:45 PMSpencer Whistle Stop — Grandview1:55 PM3:20 PMGrandview — Spencer Whistle Stop3:30 PM4:30 PMSpencer Whistle Stop — Portage4:40 PM5:15 PMPortage — Whittier5:25 PM6:05 PMWhittier — Portage6:45 PM7:15 PMPortage — Girdwood7:20 PM7:40 PMGirdwood — Anchorage7:45 PM9:15 PM

Edited February 2, 2018 by Jimbo

[AKStafford]

So this would be a roundtrip ride correct.............with no time to get off anywhere? rental car and luggauge ? where would that be?

If you start in Anchorage or the first Portage stop you can get off in Whittier for a few moments... I think it was about 20 minutes.

 

If you are doing the Spencer Glacier stop, you are off the train for about 3 hours while it continues onto Grandview. We used that time to walk up to the glacier and back. You can do it on your own or as part of a Ranger led hike. You can also book a float trip that looked pretty fun.

Luggage: we just had our backpacks for the day... And you don't stop any where that you would need a car...

[wolfie11]

The only really interesting train rides in Alaska are the stretch from Talkeetna to Denali and Anchorage to Seward, as well as the White Pass train in Skagway, especially the Lake Bennett trip. Other than that the scenery is monotonous (trees, trees, trees, pond, trees, trees, trees) and really, really slow..... In a car you can stop wherever you want when you want for as long as you want. The Spencer Glacier train is awesome and can be done as a day trip. It is one of the only sections of the railroad that doesn't parallel the road system.

[Jimbo]

So I guess maybe my best option would be to rent a car in Fairbanks and drop off in Anchorage..............then either take the train either to Seward or Whittier depending on if we do the 5-hour 26 Glacier Cruise from Whittier or the

Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay on a full or half-day cruise with Major Marine Tours from Seward, if we do this one we will need a roundtrip train ticket to get back to Anchorage to pick upa princess transfer to the ship for the cruise on Royal Princess.

Jimbo:)

[Glaciers]

Seems as though Seward is really screwing things up for you. It’s a great place for a day cruise but so is Whittier. Car rental from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Train to Whitter the day of your cruise. Take one of the day cruises with Phillips or maybe Lazy Otter before your cruise. You’ll miss Spencer and Grandview Glaciers but you’re going to miss 90% of what’s available in Alaska unless you’re willing to spend a month or more. And, nobody has mentioned Matanuska Glacier trekking…

[Jimbo]

Seems as though Seward is really screwing things up for you. It’s a great place for a day cruise but so is Whittier. Car rental from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Train to Whitter the day of your cruise. Take one of the day cruises with Phillips or maybe Lazy Otter before your cruise. You’ll miss Spencer and Grandview Glaciers but you’re going to miss 90% of what’s available in Alaska unless you’re willing to spend a month or more. And, nobody has mentioned Matanuska Glacier trekking…

 

 

Would not have been an issue if we had stuck with Royal Caribbean and went on Radiance of the Seas, but we went with Royal Princess so we could see Glacier Bay which Royal caribbean does not go to.

 

Seems all these glaciers are causing us trouble with making plans.

 

Why no car rental agencies in Seward? what's up with that ? What is it the end of the world?

 

Jimbo:)

[Jimbo]

Seems as though Seward is really screwing things up for you. It’s a great place for a day cruise but so is Whittier. Car rental from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Train to Whitter the day of your cruise. Take one of the day cruises with Phillips or maybe Lazy Otter before your cruise. You’ll miss Spencer and Grandview Glaciers but you’re going to miss 90% of what’s available in Alaska unless you’re willing to spend a month or more. And, nobody has mentioned Matanuska Glacier trekking…

 

What do we do with our luggauge once we get off the train? What time is the Phillips and Lazy Otter day cruises in Whittier?

[Glaciers]

Hertz is the only rental company in Seward, Avis is the only one in Whittier. The communities just can’t support anymore.

 

Most vendors will store your luggage for you while on a day cruise. You can check their websites for schedules but they usually accommodate passengers arriving by train and departing that day on the Princess.

 

It would be an easy deviation to head to Matanuska Glacier on the way from Fairbanks instead of going direct to Anchorage. It’s an exceptional experience trekking on the glacier. There are several guides that can take you out. We’ve been with MICA and they were good. Another is NOVA.

[GloriaF]

So I guess maybe my best option would be to rent a car in Fairbanks and drop off in Anchorage..............then either take the train either to Seward or Whittier depending on if we do the 5-hour 26 Glacier Cruise from Whittier or the

Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay on a full or half-day cruise with Major Marine Tours from Seward, if we do this one we will need a roundtrip train ticket to get back to Anchorage to pick upa princess transfer to the ship for the cruise on Royal Princess.

Jimbo:)

 

You've gotten some great advice, and I hesitate to say anything as I am not an AK expert as we've only done the trip once ~~~ but from my experience, I think you have the right idea to drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage, drop the car in Anchorage and take the AKRR from Anchorage to Seward. If you take the AKRR back to Anchorage then you can get the Princess transport to Whittier.

 

Have a fabulous trip!!