Our 2024 Alaska Adventure--including planning!

[no1racefan1]

We made it to Vancouver Airport! We were in second walkoff group D at 7:45. They were about 15 minutes behind schedule. Even so, it was very fast and the taxi line moved quickly. We got to the airport in less than an hour. Going through security and passport control was almost no lines. Now we wait... 🙂

[no1racefan1]

Here's some photos from the inside passage last night and the bridge this morning. The weather was perfect.

[Oscar13]

Really enjoyed reading your planning and then your reports and pictures once aboard.

Now onto the next adventure.

 

K2

[no1racefan1]

We got home late last night. DH brought home a cold/sinus infection and I feel like I'm fighting something off, so today's a rest day. There was definitely some 'crud' going around onboard. I'll come back to post some more thorough follow ups.

[BBGrace273]

8 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

We got home late last night. DH brought home a cold/sinus infection and I feel like I'm fighting something off, so today's a rest day. There was definitely some 'crud' going around onboard. I'll come back to post some more thorough follow ups.

I hope you feel better ASAP! Thanks for sharing your adventure!

[no1racefan1]

Post-cruise #1: Weather and Packing

Weather-wise, we knew to expect similar conditions to what we have at home. I did check the forecast for all the places we were visiting and we packed accordingly. We ended up being blessed with great weather almost the entire trip--high 50s and partly sunny. For us, that's nice enough for a light jacket or sometimes just long sleeves. There were a couple of times that it was pretty cold though, such as Hubbard Glacier. For those times we needed all of our layers, gloves, hats, etc.

What I was glad to have:

Thermal layers--I brought lightweight and midweight thermals, as well as quick-dry hiking pants, a fleece pullover, puffy jacket, and rain jacket. I wore some combination of these every day, and on the coldest days I wore all of them together.

Gloves/hat/earmuff--We didn't need these every day, but you'll be very glad to have them on the days you need them! I brought those cheap stretch gloves that were fingerless, with the mitten top that could fold over. That made it easy to take pictures but cover up my fingers in between photos. I could also slip the Hot Hands hand warmer pouches into the mitten tops.

Cold/sinus medicine--lots of coughing and sneezing and people even telling us at the MDR that they had colds. Sure enough, DH ended up sick the last couple of days and I was really glad I had packed sinus medicine, kleenex, zicam, and cough drops.

Waterproof phone case--these were really cheap on Amazon and a last minute purchase. I was glad to have these for our kayak and raft trips so we could hang our phones around our neck and not worry about them getting wet or lost. They were also handy when it was raining all day.

 

What we didn't need:

We used pretty much everything we brought with us. The only thing we didn't really need is the bug repellent wipes. The mosquitoes aren't bad yet, although we did encounter a few. I would imagine we would want these if it were later in the season.

We didn't need to purchase medallions ahead of time, and I'm glad we didn't. It was just as fast to get them at check in.

I didn't need my hair straightener. I thought I might do my hair for formal nights (we did dress up) but it just seemed like too much work, so I never used it.

I didn't need as many workout clothes. I brought 3 sets (shorts/tee/sports bra) and I could have just brought 1 and re-used it. Although we were active every day, most of the time it was while we were out doing excursions, not going to the gym.

[no1racefan1]

Post-cruise #2: Places

I want to give a little review and shoutout to all the places we visited, in case it gives anybody else some ideas. 

 

Anchorage:

Hyatt Place--chosen because we could book with points. Midtown was a great location and easy to get around to restaurants and other places. Would stay again.

Hyatt House--also chosen because we had points to use. Also in the Midtown area. I found this area easier to get around than Downtown, and if we were to go back I'd stay in the Midtown area. Would stay here again.

Moose's Tooth Pizza--easy to find and really delicious! They have a very unique menu of pizzas. Ours had reindeer sausage and I don't remember what else. They have an awesome gf cauliflower crust. They don't take reservations but the wait wasn't too bad. It's a very popular place. One of the cheaper places we ate in Alaska, too!

Wild Scoops--oh my, best ice cream shop ever!! They have really unique flavors and their ingredients are locally sourced. We went to the Midtown location the first night, and the downtown location the second afternoon we were in Anchorage. The Midtown location is bigger with dine-in tables. The downtown location was just a walk-up window. Great if you're walking around downtown and want to take your ice cream to go!

Intl House of Hot Dogs--this was really good! Decent menu selection. It is a little out of the way now because apparently it just moved locations. We were able to walk there but it was about .6 miles from the bike shop. We thought it was worth the effort!

Pablo's Bike Rentals--I rented bikes in advance to bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They had our bikes ready for us and the staff there was really cool and knows the trail very well. They made sure to point our their phone # and tell us to call if we have any issues and they would come and get us. Apparently some people got a flat tire and just walked all the way back instead of calling for help. 

49th State Brewing--this was a really busy downtown restaurant that I had made reservations for about a month in advance. Well, when I called to see if we could change the time of our reservation, they said I didn't have one! I had an email and text confirmation. The manager did end up fitting us in so it all worked out. They have a really diverse menu and the food was excellent. We took an Uber here from our hotel, Ubers were really easy to get in Anchorage.

Alaska Railroad--we took an Uber to the train station in Anchorage. They are very organized with dropping off bags, checking people in, etc. The train ride was enjoyable. 

 

Girdwood:

Alyeska Resort--we stayed here one night (booked free with Alaska Airlines miles) and it was nice. It's a very glitzy-feeling resort, and I'm sure we wouldn't be able to afford it if we had paid for it 😉 We booked the Nordic spa--you have to book the spa separately, it's not included with your stay, and that was one of DH's favorite experiences from our trip! 

The Bake Shop--we went here for breakfast. It was average--probably the most underwhelming meal of our whole trip. This place was highly recommended so I think I had a little bit higher expectations, but we still got a decent meal and it fueled us up for our driving day. 

 

Glacier View:

We stopped at Butte Burger Place for lunch. It's a little run-down looking shack on the side of the highway that I would not have known about except for Trip Advisor, and it was awesome!!! The burgers were huge, cooked to order and soooo good. We sat out at a picnic table next to highway with views of the mountains. Definitely recommend if you're in that area!

 

Seward

Woody's Thai Kitchen--we liked it so much we went there twice! We had dinner here both nights we were in Seward. I felt a little bad about not trying other restaurants, but it was so good and we don't have a lot of opportunities for good Thai food. Obviously recommend this one!

Gold Rush Bistro--we went here for lunch. It was pretty good but I felt like the halibut was overcooked and the portion sizes were a little skimpy. 

Adventure 60 North--this is the company we used for our kayak excursion. They are locally owned and all the staff we interacted with seemed to be really happy and enjoying their jobs. Our guide, Declan, was fun but also took safety super seriously, which I appreciated. They were very professional and I would not hesitate to recommend them. They offer a variety of other tours as well.

Major Marine Tours--they have the tour thing down pat and everything was very smooth. They did ask us to park in the paid parking lot across the street so we weren't taking up hotel guest parking. We did the 4-hour Orca Quest cruise and it was really great, although it did get pretty chilly! We were really happy with it.

 

Skagway

Hike and Float--we booked this excursion through Princess but it was a local tour company. There were 10 people in our group. The hiking portion is definitely technical, so take that part of the tour description seriously. Lots of stairs and rocks and moss. Our guide was very conscious of everyone's speed and ability. It was a really cool, adventurous excursion.

Skagway Brewing Co--we had lunch here and it was really good. They were busy, but a little off the beaten path so it wasn't a huge wait. They had some really good salad options which was a nice change of pace. 

 

Juneau

Bike & Brew Glacier View--this was booked through Princess but was once again a local company. There were only four people on our tour! It was awesome. There were two guides, one who rode with us and one who drove the support van. We felt really spoiled by this small group. They dropped us off at the beer tasting which was right on the wharf.

Alaska Fish & Chips Co--we ordered halibut and cod so we could try both. They were both amazing! I highly recommend this place. Second-best fish and chips we had, right behind...

 

Ketchikan

Alaska Fish House--BEST fish and chips we found in Alaska! Like, so good. I can't even describe it.

Fishing & Wilderness Dining--booked this excursion for DH through Princess. It was with Baranof Fishing, which seems to be a pretty popular local company. There were only 5 people on the tour. DH said it was really fun and everybody caught fish. The food was good and they were able to accommodate his food allergy with no issues.

[no1racefan1]

Post-cruise #3: Budget

Alright, here's how everything landed budget-wise! 

 

$1,000.05 Plane tickets--I used a combination of miles, a companion fare, and cash. I did splurge on Economy Plus for the SEA-ANC and ANC-DEN legs, which seemed worth it.

$219.07 Rental car--booked through Budget.

$131.83 Gas in rental car--we used a lot more gas than I originally budgeted because we decided to have a driving day and ended up driving up to Glacier View before heading down to Seward. We had prepaid for a tank of gas at pick up and ended up putting in another half tank of gas.

$1,161.74 Cruise fare+protection--paid for partially with AARP gift cards bought at a discount

$0.00 Lodging at Alyeska Resort--booked using Alaska Airlines miles

$0.00 Parking at Alyeska Resort--when I read the website I thought the only option was $27 valet parking, but turns out there was a free parking lot also!

$192.00 Lodging in Anchorage--this was to purchase extra Hyatt points so I could book both Hyatt hotels 

$512.94 Lodging in Seward--this was a little bit of a splurge at the Resurrection Lodge on the Bay. Worth it!

$178.00 Alyeska Nordic spa--definitely worth it!

$0.00 Wifi on board--I had budgeted for this because I wasn't sure if we'd want to have wifi to keep an eye on our dog, but we decided we could go without it. It was hard for those two sea days though!

$224.00 Onboard gratuities

$848.60 Shore excursions

$80.00 Anchorage bike rentals

$280.71 Orca quest tour

$196.54 Seward kayak tour

$700.00 Dog sitting--I counted visits wrong so this ended up being more than I had budgeted, plus we included a tip. Obviously worth it for the peace of mind!

$160.00 Guide tips

$40.00 Tip for steward

$1,008.13 Meals--we went way overbudget on dining. This was partly because eating out in AK is very expensive, and partly because DH likes to leave generous tips so he was hitting 20% even on the checkout kiosks, lol. I originally was thinking we'd buy some groceries to save money on eating out, but we discussed it and agreed that one of our favorite parts of vacation is getting to eat out at local restaurants, so we splurged.

$202.00 Train to Whittier

$99.18 Taxi/Ubers--I underestimated this a little bit. Ubers are slightly cheaper than taxis but sometimes getting a taxi was just easier.

$145.03 Miscellaneous--I got a massage, DH had a few drinks. Came in a few dollars under budget though!

$30.00 Fishing license--I budgeted $15, then the paper we got from Princess said to add the salmon stamp for an additional $15, so DH did that. Then found out from the fishing captain that they couldn't catch salmon yet and he didn't need the salmon stamp. Oh well!

$31.50 Laundry--I ended up doing laundry more than I though I would, because it was nice to have all of our layers available to us.

$0.00 Bear spray--we decided we weren't going to be in any situations that we would need bear spray so we didn't purchase any. All the guides on our tours carried it.

$331.93 Shopping--underbudget on shopping! We aren't really big souvenir shopping. We each bought an Alaska Railroad jacket and we bought some truffles and other goodies.

Total $7,773.25

 

All in all I think we did a pretty good job! I was aiming for under $7K and I think having that goal in mind helped us keep it manageable. 

[no1racefan1]

That's a wrap on my Alaska planning adventure! Feel free to ask any questions and thanks for following along and cheering us on! We really had an amazing time.

[ninka26]

Thank you, thank you! I love all of your posts and the wonderful information you have shared. DH and I will be headed to Anchorage 7/14 before our cruise on 7/20. Thought we might check out the Tony Knowles trail and will probably rent bikes from Pablo's now! I had read reviews about the International House of Hotdogs but wasn't sure, think we'll give it a try too! Your posts have really gotten us both super excited for our upcoming adventure. Thank you again for sharing your experience! 

[abbydancer2003]

5 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

Post-cruise #2: Places

I want to give a little review and shoutout to all the places we visited, in case it gives anybody else some ideas. 

 

 

 

Skagway

Hike and Float--we booked this excursion through Princess but it was a local tour company. There were 10 people in our group. The hiking portion is definitely technical, so take that part of the tour description seriously. Lots of stairs and rocks and moss. Our guide was very conscious of everyone's speed and ability. It was a really cool, adventurous excursion.

 

 

Juneau

Bike & Brew Glacier View--this was booked through Princess but was once again a local company. There were only four people on our tour! It was awesome. There were two guides, one who rode with us and one who drove the support van. We felt really spoiled by this small group. They dropped us off at the beer tasting which was right on the wharf.

 

 

Ketchikan

 

Fishing & Wilderness Dining--booked this excursion for DH through Princess. It was with Baranof Fishing, which seems to be a pretty popular local company. There were only 5 people on the tour. DH said it was really fun and everybody caught fish. The food was good and they were able to accommodate his food allergy with no issues.

Great, balanced review.  Only one comment.  You seem surprised that your Princess excursions were with local companies.  All mainstream (I think), lines use local operators for all their tours.  In fact, if you book through a booking company such as, but not limited to, Viator will sell the tours at less money and sometimes smaller groups.  They'll do that when other companies hold the cruise line contracts.

 

 

[no1racefan1]

47 minutes ago, abbydancer2003 said:

Great, balanced review.  Only one comment.  You seem surprised that your Princess excursions were with local companies.  All mainstream (I think), lines use local operators for all their tours.  In fact, if you book through a booking company such as, but not limited to, Viator will sell the tours at less money and sometimes smaller groups.  They'll do that when other companies hold the cruise line contracts.

 

 

Not surprised, sharing because I think here on CC the advice tends to skew towards not booking cruise line excursions if you want them to be more 'local' or small. I was pointing out that our excursions were all local and small even booked through the cruise line 🙂 

[Georgia_Peaches]

7 hours ago, no1racefan1 said:

That's a wrap on my Alaska planning adventure! Feel free to ask any questions and thanks for following along and cheering us on! We really had an amazing time.

Thank you for this thread.  It has been most helpful and informative.  We embark for Alaska on Friday and I have benefitted greatly from your leg work.  This thread should be a sticky at the top of the page for all newbies like me to learn from.  Again, thank you!

[abbydancer2003]

1 hour ago, no1racefan1 said:

Not surprised, sharing because I think here on CC the advice tends to skew towards not booking cruise line excursions if you want them to be more 'local' or small. I was pointing out that our excursions were all local and small even booked through the cruise line 🙂 

Good point.  Keep in mind that you're in Alaska, and doing active excursions.  That makes a difference.  Although even the bus tours are run by local companies. For example, we did a small bus (10 people) wine tour in Ensenada.  It was private.  Our guide told us that they can't book privately when Royal Caribbean is there, because they hold that contract.  They use big buses for that.

 

But for anyone doing Alaska and active excursions, you will probably get the same result.  That said, if you were to book Mendenhall Glacier, without the bike tour for example, you'd be on a big bus.  I've seen them.

 

The other thing to consider is that the cruise lines do a bigger markup than the tour booking sites, so you'll likely pay a bit more.  And if you can find the direct company, you can save even more.  However, if it's your first cruise, you might consider the cruise line, just because it's a new experience, and you don't want to to be thinking about getting back in time.  (Which is really not a problem, but it does matter to some, which is OK).

[Jolie214]

If you went back to Alaska on another cruise, would you book another inside cabin or splurge for a balcony room?  Looking to book for next year and the price difference is crazy!

[sharon_pei]

I am amazed by the level of details and richness of information of this thread. Glad that I followed it and I learned so much for the cruise in less than 2 weeks. Thank you so much!

 

Wonder if you mind sharing how many pieces of suitcases did you end of packing for this trip? I started pre-packing. Layers, shoes, winter gears, etc are already overflowing one 28 inch check-in + one 25 inch check-in (for two adults). I wonder if I am over-packing already.

[cruisetonowhere10]

11 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Thank you for this thread.  It has been most helpful and informative.  We embark for Alaska on Friday and I have benefitted greatly from your leg work.  This thread should be a sticky at the top of the page for all newbies like me to learn from.  Again, thank you!

I’ll be waiting for @Georgia_Peaches to report on temp especially the inside dining venues.  I’m trying to determine if I can do short/sleeveless dresses for dinner or whether I should be packing dressy sweaters.  lol.

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

Wonder if you mind sharing how many pieces of suitcases did you end of packing for this trip? I started pre-packing. Layers, shoes, winter gears, etc are already overflowing one 28 inch check-in + one 25 inch check-in (for two adults). I wonder if I am over-packing already.

Our number one struggle!  DH is using a roller style duffle bag with multiple compartments.  He commented yesterday that he didn't think he had enough room...but he has managed.  I am using a 26 inch expandable hard case and a carry-on backpack like the one I've linked here.  It's incredibly spacious and has allowed me to cross pack in the event that my big case doesn't make it....a fear of mine.  We have both packed more for this cruise than ever before! I'm following a live from by @SerraG who validated some of my packed items by pointing out that it has rained a lot and rain jacket/pants/dry shoes are a must!  My motto this trip is more is better...I'd rather have too much and not need it than too little and wish I had it...

 

Another thing that has eased my mind with the amount of stuff is that we have signed up for the port valet luggage service, which is free.  We don't have to worry about schlepping our bags back to the airport on debarkation day.  

Edited May 28 by Georgia_Peaches

[no1racefan1]

10 hours ago, Jolie214 said:

If you went back to Alaska on another cruise, would you book another inside cabin or splurge for a balcony room?  Looking to book for next year and the price difference is crazy!

I think we would still book an inside cabin. We were happy with that. While I like the idea of having a balcony, I heard several people commenting it was too cold to use their balconies much. If you have money to pay for a balcony and excursions, I'd say go for it, but if spending that money on a balcony means having to forego some excursions, I think it's more important to spend on excursions so you can experience Alaska!

[no1racefan1]

9 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

I am amazed by the level of details and richness of information of this thread. Glad that I followed it and I learned so much for the cruise in less than 2 weeks. Thank you so much!

 

Wonder if you mind sharing how many pieces of suitcases did you end of packing for this trip? I started pre-packing. Layers, shoes, winter gears, etc are already overflowing one 28 inch check-in + one 25 inch check-in (for two adults). I wonder if I am over-packing already.

We each packed one 25" checked bag and one backpack. It was hard, lol. I made sure to use every inch of space, for example I stuffed my rolled up socks inside of my shoes. Anything that I didn't mind getting wrinkled (like bathing suits) got stuffed in the outside pockets of my suitcase. I also wore my bulkiest top (fleece pullover) on the plane. My puffy jacket stuffs down pretty small so I shoved that in the bottom of my backpack.

[no1racefan1]

5 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I’ll be waiting for @Georgia_Peaches to report on temp especially the inside dining venues.  I’m trying to determine if I can do short/sleeveless dresses for dinner or whether I should be packing dressy sweaters.  lol.

I am usually cold and I brought a cardigan to wear over sleeveless dresses. I ended up removing my cardigan most of the time because the interior spaces were warm! You'll want to bring a jacket to dinner if you want to step outside afterwards though.

[sharon_pei]

Maybe I indeed have overpacked, but just counting these bulky must-haves, i really don't know what to get rid of: 
1. 2 pairs of sneakers, one for each person (we will wear the most bulky hiking boots to board the plane, but will need running shoes for the gym, also as a backup in case the hiking boots get wet as ours are not waterproof and I don't have budget to invest on another pair of boots). 
2. 2 pairs of regular shoes for formal nights and other casual walk around on the cruise
3. 2 pairs of indoor slippers to wears in the cabin for comfort
4. 2 pieces of down coats (we can not wear them to board the plane as it's quite warm here in CA already)
5. 2 pieces of rain jackets
6. 2 pieces of formal attires
7. all other recommended cruise items (such as umbrella, water bottles, travel size handwash/shampoo, etc and layers needed. 
8. camera and accessories and battery bank and all other related charging cases and binoculars 
9. medicines 
these are already more than what can fit into my extra large suitcases .... oh well. 

[cruisetonowhere10]

1 hour ago, no1racefan1 said:

I am usually cold and I brought a cardigan to wear over sleeveless dresses. I ended up removing my cardigan most of the time because the interior spaces were warm! You'll want to bring a jacket to dinner if you want to step outside afterwards though.

I can usually tolerate cool (north east girl) but my only Alaskan cruise was sooooo cold in the MDR.  I’m not worried anywhere else because I can throw a layer on if needed.  I can bring less luggage if I can wear dressy tops and short and/or sleeveless dresses. DH scored a pair of dress shoes that gave both browns and black in them but so far I’m bringing multiple shoes.  lol. 

[ninka26]

13 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

I am amazed by the level of details and richness of information of this thread. Glad that I followed it and I learned so much for the cruise in less than 2 weeks. Thank you so much!

 

Wonder if you mind sharing how many pieces of suitcases did you end of packing for this trip? I started pre-packing. Layers, shoes, winter gears, etc are already overflowing one 28 inch check-in + one 25 inch check-in (for two adults). I wonder if I am over-packing already.

You could purchase roll up compression bags for bulky items. I tried them last summer and they worked pretty good. Just search on Amazon for roll up compression bags. They really saved me a lot of space.  This is just a sample image. I used them for sweaters and jackets.

[kchamp27]

That was awesome reading to get me going on our trip next year. Almost has me convinced to start a new thread but I still have so many unanswered decisions for our trip.!