Looking for Land Tour Opinions

[bonvoyagie]

We are booked on a cruise for late June 2121 that ends in Seward.

DW wants something guided, I am not so sure and so I turn to this collective for some help.

We will both be 65 and in good health - we like scenery, wildlife, moderate hiking, and adventure.

Things I am considering are:

Full DYI with a rented car out of Anchorage (would take the train from Seward to Anchorage)

Use the AKRR tour packages - or go DIY

Book a tour with Alaska Travels (self guided mostly train with some motor coach) Their packages include some tours, lodging, and transportation - you are responsible for getting yourself to the meeting points with your luggage etc. I have also looked at their guided tours but they all start on Sunday and we arrive on Monday.

 

NCL offers cruise tours but I have not seen many reviews and the ones I have seen are mostly negative. 

 

Some questions - is there any narration  on the train that talks about the scenery, history etc?

 

Are there other tour companies you can recommend for me to look at.

[donaldsc]

You will gets lots of opinions.  However, my answer is that almost w/o fail, any DIY tour will be better than a guided tour.  This is especially true in AK where everyone speaks English.

 

DON

[Budget Queen]

Do,  some reading of the trip reviews.   I am no fan of "guided".    🙂     There are very few roads in Alaska,   simple driving,   mostly 2 lane,  NO way to get lost;.    The beauty is the ability to see and do what YOU want.  Point to point in Alaska is the most limiting type of visit.    There is so much more in my opinion.     

 

If taking a guided option-   I suggest  going for as long as you can afford-  at least a week.   Unfortunately   there is down time involved.   Have at least 2 nights at Denali  and the TWT included.   

 

Ideal is to add time for Seward.   Plenty to see and do,   take advantage of being there.   Kenai Fjords is a jackpot for glaciers (superior viewing compared to a cruise ship)  and varied wildlife.    😉    

[thegoaliegirl]

My personal vote is for DIY, especially since you said "we like scenery, wildlife, moderate hiking, and adventure." There is a lot to do in Seward. I'd suggest spending a few days there- take a boat tour to Kenai Fjords (I did the 6 hour with Major Marine, book Black Friday weekend, can book open ended dates and still get best price) and another day do Seavey's Ididaride dog sleds and Exit Glacier as they are near each other. Exit Glacier has some nice trails and great views of the Glacier, even if you don't hike all the way to the glacier. Byron Glacier (near Portage Glacier and the Whittier turn off) is another easy to hike to glacier but would not work if you are taking the train. After Seward, then take the train to Anchorage. 

[lynncarol]

My husband and I, along with his cousin and her spouse, all of us in our seventies, rented a car in Anchorage and spent a week post cruise on our own. It was a wonderful experience and we saw Denali in its full glory with nary a cloud in sight. The only problem we encountered was a flat tire on the old Denali highway. Fortunately, we were able to use the doughnut to get back to civilization and repair the car's tire. When we reported this to our car rental agency, they were completely unfazed, and told us 'this happens all the time'. Just something to think about though.

Edited April 26, 2020 by lynncarol

[bonvoyagie]

13 hours ago, lynncarol said:

My husband and I, along with his cousin and her spouse, all of us in our seventies, rented a car in Anchorage and spent a week post cruise on our own. It was a wonderful experience and we saw Denali in its full glory with nary a cloud in sight. The only problem we encountered was a flat tire on the old Denali highway. Fortunately, we were able to use the doughnut to get back to civilization and repair the car's tire. When we reported this to our car rental agency, they were completely unfazed, and told us 'this happens all the time'. Just something to think about though.

When did you start making reservations for motels etc. How did you  layout your itinerary and find the attractions etc. 

At some point we want to take the train -  is there a "best section" to ride. 

[cruisin0218]

We like booking a motorhome in Anchorage. We have used both Great Alaskan Holidays and ABC with good service from both. We did not worry about making reservations for RV spaces except at Denali. In Alaska there are so many places to pull in for the night & we prefer to be able to take our time & not adhere to a schedule. We also purchased the Milepost book which has narrative of what is located at each Milepost including sights to see, places to stay, gas, restaurants, etc. I agree that taking your time to see the sights in Seward with maybe an overnight or 2 in Seward & then taking the train from Seward to Anchorage. You can then take a taxi to one of the rv rental places. If you prefer you can take a taxi to the airport then call the rv place for their shuttle service to take you to their location. Another option is a car rental from Hertz in Seward with drop off at the airport in Anchorage.

[lynncarol]

Bonvayagie- Our cruise was in Sept. 2014, so I started making arrangements in Jan. of 2014. After our one week Princess cruise ended in Whittier, we took the ship bus shuttle to Anchorage where we hopped out at the convention center and walked 3 blocks to pick up our rental car at the downtown Avis office (much cheaper than renting at the airport). During initial planning, the four of us had discussed our priorities for the land portion and number one goal was to see Denali. To that end, we allotted 3 nights there to maximize our chance of good weather (and it worked: 2 of the 3 days there wasn't a cloud in sight). We stayed in Healy at Alaskan Spruce Cabins, only a 15 min. drive from the park itself. From there we originally planned to drive the Old Denali Highway to Copper River, but that was thwarted by the flat tire. Instead we diverted to the paved Glen Highway but ended up running out of daylight. Fortunately we got the last two cabins at Sheep Mountain Lodge  and liked this place so much (nice accommodations, good on-site restaurant, great hiking and Matanuska Glacier) that we spent another night. Then back to Girdwood where we had reservations at Bud and Carol's BnB. (Since there were four of us I had rented their entire two bedroom apartment). In Girdwood we accessed the Alyeska Sky Resort's lift for great views and trails. Later that day we dropped off the other couple at the Anchorage airport, returned our rental car downtown, and walked to our overnight accommodations at Comfort Inn at Ship Creek. The next morning my husband and I caught the Alaskan RR train to Seward. The train station was very close to the Comfort Inn and they provided free shuttle service. Loved the train...we were a few cars back from the front and it worked out perfectly. Train got to Seward around noon where I had previously signed up for a Kenai Fjord boat tour,  the highlight of which was an encounter with a huge pod of orcas. Spent the night in Seward at Windsong Lodge, explored Seward the next day (aquarium and Exit Glacier) and caught the 6:00 evening train back to Anchorage and the same Comfort Inn. The final day, the Inn kept our luggage while we  explored Anchorage's attractions and that night we took the Inn's free shuttle back to the airport for an 8:00 pm flight. I can recommend all of our accommodations, which I had chosen thanks to TripAdvisor and guidebooks. 

Oh yes, I almost forgot our big splurge during the cruise stop in Ketchikan. Probably 10 months earlier I had booked reservations with Island Wings (which fills up quickly) where we were flown to Traitors Cove, and saw a number of bears fishing for salmon. Only 12 visitors at a time are allowed at that particular vantage point so we had the place almost to ourselves.

Edited April 27, 2020 by lynncarol

[Travelling2Some]

Another vote for DIY.  Personally I don't like being herded around on a rigid schedule with a bunch of people I may or may not like.  (Now I sound crabby, lol, but it's true.)   Why put up with it when you are in a country where you can speak the language, count the money and drive on the side of the road you're used to?  We are retired so I've planned out a cruise plus a two week DIY land itinerary.  We are going to do the first week using the Alaska Railroad up to Denali and back and the second week using a rental car, making a circle out of Anchorage to Copper Center and down to Valdez.  From Valdez we will ferry to Whittier and spend some time in Girdwood on our way back to Anchorage.