Fairbanks or Kenai area?

[torybruno]

Trying to plan an Alaskan vacation for several active couples in their 60’s.  This will be their one time Alaska trip.  
If you had a choice between a northbound Alaskan cruise tour with Princess that visited Mt McKinley Wilderness Lodge, Denali and Fairbanks, or a cruise (doesn’t matter  northbound or southbound) with a do it yourself tour to see Kenai area, and a Matanuska glacier hike with MICA , which would you choose?  

[donaldsc]

You have not specified what ship the Princess is and also what line MICA is and what ship it is. Knowing the itinerary and port stops and port times would also be useful.  Why force us to guess on abbreviations and why ask questions with incomplete information?  Regardless it sounds like the Princess is a cruisetour and the MICA is a DIY cruise.  Based on this guess and this guess only I would do the MICA cruise because it is NOT a cruisetour.  A more complete question would get you a much better answer.

 

One other thing.  I assume that you do know that Denali is closed at mile marker 43 so you do not get into the best parts of the park on your Denali tour.  If it were me I would not even go to Denali until the riad is completed in hopefully a few years and would pick a tour that is not so restricted.

 

DON

[diesel1973]

Have been to both and hands down, Kenai Peninsula. The drive down from Anchorage along the Turnagain Arm itself is amazing. There are plenty of mountain views, rivers, lakes, and places of interest to visit. Homer Spit  is one of a kind and Seward is another interesting area as well as Whittier and Girdwood. Been up to Fairbanks and Denali once and was not impressed . Since then have been spending all of my time down South. Just my opinion.

[disneyochem]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

You have not specified what ship the Princess is and also what line MICA is and what ship it is. Knowing the itinerary and port stops and port times would also be useful.  Why force us to guess on abbreviations and why ask questions with incomplete information?  Regardless it sounds like the Princess is a cruisetour and the MICA is a DIY cruise.  Based on this guess and this guess only I would do the MICA cruise because it is NOT a cruisetour.  A more complete question would get you a much better answer.

 

One other thing.  I assume that you do know that Denali is closed at mile marker 43 so you do not get into the best parts of the park on your Denali tour.  If it were me I would not even go to Denali until the riad is completed in hopefully a few years and would pick a tour that is not so restricted.

 

DON

The MICA that the OP referred to is a company that leads tours on the Matanuska glacier.  It’s not a cruise line.

[disneyochem]

5 hours ago, torybruno said:

Trying to plan an Alaskan vacation for several active couples in their 60’s.  This will be their one time Alaska trip.  
If you had a choice between a northbound Alaskan cruise tour with Princess that visited Mt McKinley Wilderness Lodge, Denali and Fairbanks, or a cruise (doesn’t matter  northbound or southbound) with a do it yourself tour to see Kenai area, and a Matanuska glacier hike with MICA , which would you choose?  

I would definitely do a DIY tour of the Kenai Peninsula and the Matanuska glacier trek.  Spend a few days in Seward, take a Kenai Fjords wildlife cruise, kayak Resurrection Bay, visit a dog sled kennel, etc.  Homer is also another wonderful place to visit.

 

I’ve done the Matanuska glacier trek a few times.  I still consider the glacier trek as one of my all time favorite activities in Alaska.

 

 

[Northern Aurora]

I also sensed the confusion regarding MICA.  As @disneyochem has clarified that this company is a guiding firm.  In addition to glacier treks on the Matanuska Glacier they offer other adventurous excursions.  Check their website.

 

And I am surprised that @diesel1973 wasn't impressed with Denali.  And I wonder if he went north of Fairbanks into the White Mountains National Recreation Area or the Steese National Conservation Area; both offer incredible recreation options for those into more vigorous outdoor activities.  But I am always so impressed with the Imuruk Basin on the road from Nome to Teller but recognize that some folks can't deal with wilderness areas.  

 

Now for some random thoughts -- A number of the cruise line sponsored land tours either start or end in Fairbanks.  They simply look so herded to me.  And anything they offer can be booked on your own.

 

At this point the single road into Denali National Park is closed approximately midway.  Time estimates as to when the bridge over the problematic area will be completed seems to be pushed farther into the future.  Until the road  is open to Eielson Visitor's Center (mile 66) I don't see the point in visiting Denali.  But the cruise lines are still pushing those trips.

 

While I love Homer (but not Soldotna) there is another alternative to consider.  Denali is not the only incredible national park in our state (we have a number) but another reachable by road is the Wrangell -- St. Elias National Park and Preserve.  I suggest researching it and also the Kennecott mine ruins.   Absolutely gorgeous area.

[diesel1973]

I think the reason I was not impressed with Denali is because I spent most of my time on the Kenai Peninsula  before going to Denali. The KP area is much more impressive. Sitting on a school bus in the heat of the summer bouncing down a dusty road looking for wildlife ( never saw any ) is not appealing to me. I was planning to go to the Artic Circle this year but never got there ( maybe next year ) . On a clear day you can see Mt. McKinley(Denali) from Eagle River where I stay at. I have also taken a plane ride around McKinley in the winter. Awesome. Any where you go in Alaska is great. Some just better than others.

[Gardyloo]

It's important to include the "when" question with the "where" question.  You don't indicate what month this might take place, how long you have, or if you have any particular interests (or limitations) to take into account.  

 

The cruise tours make logistics easy, but they also only let you see (and stay) where it's best for the tour operators' bottom line.  On the other hand, independent travel in Alaska is expensive, distances are great, and you have to handle all those logistics yourself.  

 

MICA's treks on the Matanuska Glacier are well known and popular, but there are other options that might appeal; for example you could do a flightseeing tour of Denali with a plane that lands you on a glacier.  Pricey, yes, but talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience... 

 

Or you could take the money you'd spend on some pricey cruise excursion, add the money you'd spend on a couple of (also pricey) days of car rental in Southcentral Alaska, and use it to fly up to Kotzebue, an Inupiat Eskimo community located on an inlet of the Arctic Ocean (around $320 round trip on Alaska Airlines from Anchorage.)  Kotzebue is above the arctic circle, and if your trip occurs during most of June or the first half of July, you'll have 24 hour sunlight.  Learn about this remarkable part of the world and the remarkable people that live there, stay at a comfortable Native-owned hotel across the street from the beach, stick a toe in the Arctic Ocean... 

 

What I'm saying is that more research is better than less, but we need more information in order to be of more help.  

[torybruno]

2 hours ago, Gardyloo said:

It's important to include the "when" question with the "where" question.  You don't indicate what month this might take place, how long you have, or if you have any particular interests (or limitations) to take into account.  

 

The cruise tours make logistics easy, but they also only let you see (and stay) where it's best for the tour operators' bottom line.  On the other hand, independent travel in Alaska is expensive, distances are great, and you have to handle all those logistics yourself.  

 

MICA's treks on the Matanuska Glacier are well known and popular, but there are other options that might appeal; for example you could do a flightseeing tour of Denali with a plane that lands you on a glacier.  Pricey, yes, but talk about a once-in-a-lifetime experience... 

 

Or you could take the money you'd spend on some pricey cruise excursion, add the money you'd spend on a couple of (also pricey) days of car rental in Southcentral Alaska, and use it to fly up to Kotzebue, an Inupiat Eskimo community located on an inlet of the Arctic Ocean (around $320 round trip on Alaska Airlines from Anchorage.)  Kotzebue is above the arctic circle, and if your trip occurs during most of June or the first half of July, you'll have 24 hour sunlight.  Learn about this remarkable part of the world and the remarkable people that live there, stay at a comfortable Native-owned hotel across the street from the beach, stick a toe in the Arctic Ocean... 

 

What I'm saying is that more research is better than less, but we need more information in order to be of more help.  

Third week of June!

[Glaciers]

I’m partial to south-central Alaska, there is just so much to do. Two of our favorite excursions are the Matanuska Glacier hike and the Spencer Glacier Iceberg Float.  A day wildlife/glacier cruise out of Seward and/or Whittier are good.  Depending on your itinerary, drive times between Anchorage/Denali/Fairbanks eat up a lot of time that could be spent enjoying other areas rather than sitting in a car/bus/train for many hours.