Tips & Suggestions for ALL Alaska travelers

[ShelbyAD]

For those traveling to Alaska. A cruise tour is definately the best way to go. You see more than doing a RT.

 

Hubby & I did a 7 day cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Seward, AK. Then a 4 day land tour from Seward to Fairbanks. When you do the one way you get to go to Glacier Bay & College Fjord. College Fjord is absolutely beautiful!!!!

 

Tips: if you go out of Vancouver, go the day before and stay at the Four Seasons! It's a bit expensive, but worth every penny! The rooms are nice, the service was the best I've ever seen, the staff was friendly, the food was the best I've ever had - especially the fruit. Sorry, but the fruit in TN is not that good - not compared to fruit from the west coast! There is a swimming pool on the 4th floor that is heated and both indoors & outdoors. There is exercise equipment in the pool area, as well as hot tubs. You get free fruit to eat in the pool area and can even have your meal delivered to you there. There is a mall adjacent to the hotel. You can catch the city bus right outside the hotel - go to Stanley Park - real pretty.

 

In Alaska: The best shopping (IMHO) is in Juneau. There is a store called the "T-shirt Co" they have a little bit of everything and great prices too ;) .

 

We did the horse-drawn trolley around Ketchikan. Went whale watching & took a helicopter tour in Juneau. We were scheduled to do the dogsledding, but it was cancelled due to a lack of snow. Note: if you scheduled a dogsled excursion, make sure it is not cancelled. It has been cancelled for a few years now. You can book it, but it gets cancelled. I have know quite a few people over the past 4 years who this has happened to. But, still take the helicopter tour to a glacier. It's the most awe inspiring thing you will do. Skagway - we went kayaking and horseback riding. The kayaking was great! Kayaking on a lake is much better & easier than in the ocean. It was calming, peaceful. We felt at ease out there. We did see a juvenile black bear eating berries. That was cool. We were on the lake & he was on land.

 

Alaska is beautiful & scenic. You must have plenty of film / memory card(s). Between Hubby & I we took over 700 pictures in the 12 day trip. It's one of the best vacations we had ever taken. It's peaceful, all natural. I can't say enough good things about it. It's one of those you just have to experience it yourself.

 

Oh, if you've ever seen pictures of the blue in the glaciers on tv, TV does not to it justice. It's even more blue & beautiful in person!!

 

The ships (Princess) docks at each port. The towns are right there and you can go walking around w/out needing any mod of transportation.

 

I have some wonderful pictures if anyone is interested in seeing some of them. Just let me know what you want to see, I'm sure we have it.

 

On the 4 day land tour we went to: McKinley (2 nights), Denali & Fairbanks. Denali is awesome. Take the full day tour into the park. You are on a school bus for 91 miles. It seems like a long way, but when you're on it - it's not. We saw: 2 grizzly bears, Dall's sheep, 1 caribou (aparently got lost from it's herd), a moose family and bald eagles. There are rest stops w/bathrooms along the way - the bus does stop. On a clear day you will see Mt. McKinley. It was kind of cloudy when we went, so we only saw the bottom of it - not the peak.

 

I should be a travel agent for Alaska. :p

 

Please feel free to ask any questions. Oh - if you are going in June/July bring strong bug spray. We have heard (several times) that the bugs are in full force and huge, especially the mosquitos in those 2 months. Also, the sun does not go fully down. It will dust like until the sun comes back up. The sun is out for 18-20 straight in the summer.

 

Oh, the southern part of the state (the ports you will be going to) are a Rainforest - so it may drizzle, be misty while you are there. Don't worry about it - it just adds to the experience.

[SakeDad]

Sounds GREAT!!! Just wish my time would have allowed it. A 7 day cruise is all we could manage this year:cool:

[40yearcruiser]

Thanks, ShelbyAD, for the information. We will be taking a 13 day Princess cruisetour in June. This will be our first time in Alaska and I can't wait!!! What did you do at the McKinley Lodge? From what I've been reading it is pretty isolated. We will just be there 1 night and are thinking of going horseback riding.

[ShelbyAD]

We did spend 2 nights, but got to the lodge on the first day in the afternoon. So we just walked around the lodge, ate, took pictures. The second day we went off roading in jeeps. That was fun. Word of caution - if you do this - bring your own TP. There are no "official" restrooms (if you know what I mean). It was an experience. DH went panning for gold. Found a flake, but by the time he walked over to me it blew off :rolleyes: . Oh well.

 

We went in August (2003) and in August ALL of the lodges in AK are decoarated for Christmas. Apparently a long time ago, there was a nasty blizzard and trapped hikers decided to celebrate Christmas. I'm sure you can ask anyone who works at any of the lodges for the full story. It was decorated beautifully. Which was great for me, because I always wondered what the lodges would look like at Christmas time.

 

McKinley does have hot tubs. There is a changing room by the hot tubs as well. It was about 40 degrees and drizzling when we went to the hot tub. But it was still fun.

 

We didn't let anything "spoil" the trip. We just looked at it as part of the experience.

[Yukon]

>>We went in August (2003) and in August ALL of the lodges in AK are decorated for Christmas.<<

 

All Princess lodges, perhaps - I've stayed at a lot of Alaska lodges over the years and have never seen Xmas decorations except at Xmas.

[ShelbyAD]

Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights.

 

You can request to be notified (woken up) if the AB is visible. You can do this on the ship - just remember to put in a request every day - as well as at the lodges.

 

We finally got to see it on our last night in Fairbanks. We were woken up at 2:00am. There were a bunch of people on the patio in their pajamas, robes, coats over their PJs, sitting/standing outside in 20 degree weather watching it. Yes, it was really in the 20s at 2am.

 

When we got to the airport in the morning it was 32 degrees and 95 degrees when we got home (TN). DH got sick from the temp change.

[Kruiser1]

ShelbyAD:

 

What time of year were you in Alaska? Thanks.

[ShelbyAD]

In August towards the end. I know we were on the land tour by the 24th. When we were at Denali the temp was 44 degrees F. We took a picture of the thermometer. ;)

[fti]

Thanks for your post. I just have a few comments.

 

For those traveling to Alaska. A cruise tour is definately the best way to go. You see more than doing a RT.

 

I definitely believe doing a land tour before/after your cruise is a great idea. Whether you do a cruise line's cruisetour or do it independently is your own decision. Most on this board, me included, would probably say that you get to do and see more for a lot less money if you do the land tour independently.

 

Alaska is beautiful & scenic. You must have plenty of film / memory card(s). Between Hubby & I we took over 700 pictures in the 12 day trip.

 

Agree. Or bring a laptop or some device to download/store your photos - there is more than one thread on this board about various options. I probably took close to 2000 photos on my 14 day trip last year.

 

Oh - if you are going in June/July bring strong bug spray. We have heard (several times) that the bugs are in full force and huge, especially the mosquitos in those 2 months.

 

This depends on where you are going. For the ports where the cruise ships go, it is usually not much of a problem. At Denali NP near Wonder Lake it can be a huge problem - bring 100% DEET or mosquito nets.

 

When we were at Denali the temp was 44 degrees F. We took a picture of the thermometer. ;)

 

When I was at Wonder Lake on September 12th a couple of years ago, we literally got snowed in - had over a foot of snow and it took us 12 hours to take the bus just one way from Wonder Lake to the park entrance!

[mytime53]

Just so people traveling to Fairbanks in August don't get freaked out, the RECORD lows range from 25 - 40 degrees. The RECORD highs range from 75 - 91 degrees. Averages for the latter 1/2 of the month are highs in the 60s, lows in the 40s. Of course those lows are in the middle of the night.

 

http://weatherbug.excite.com/Forecast/Excite/Forecast.aspx?month=8&zcode=z4639&fore_type=4&lid=NAV2-3

[ShelbyAD]

When we go back to AK I would be happy just exploring the interior. Staying a different lodges. Of course, my plan of doing that would take a month or 2 or 3 ;) . I would love to be able to do that. That would be heavenly for me :D

 

WOW, 2000 pictures. Hail to the photography queen/king. DH brought his laptop and downloaded pictures that were taken each day. At the time his memory card did not hold alot.

 

The camera I got, just before our Caribbean cruise, can take 1,015 on one card. It's a 2 gig card! I only took 300 pictures though. There would have been more, but we were in the water every day.

 

When we came home from our AK trip, we loved it so much we started talking about moving there. But changed our minds when we heard about their winters and how much snow they get. I love the snow, just not that much of it. Although I would love to spend Christmas up there, just once. I bet it's beautiful. *sigh* I miss white Christmas'. I'm originally from CT, but currently live in TN.

But, if we ever win the lottery, will we most definately buy a Summer home there ;)

[fti]

When we came home from our AK trip, we loved it so much we started talking about moving there. But changed our minds when we heard about their winters and how much snow they get. I love the snow, just not that much of it. Although I would love to spend Christmas up there, just once. I bet it's beautiful. *sigh* I miss white Christmas'. I'm originally from CT, but currently live in TN.

 

But, if we ever win the lottery, will we most definately buy a Summer home there ;)

 

A couple of months ago a small town between Denali NP and Fairbanks was offering free land to the first 26 people who showed up on a Monday morning. I seriously thought about going there but then realized that you needed to build a 1000 square foot house on it within 2 years. As much as I would love to move to AK, it would not be within the next 2 years. That town routinely gets to -60F in the winter (that honestly would not bother me as much as +100F). Sorry you missed out on that offer :D

[fti]

dupe

[ShelbyAD]

that honestly would not bother me as much as +100F

It gets to over 100 degrees in AK? Where?

[Jeepers385]

It gets to over 100 degrees in AK? Where?

 

FTI wrote, "That town routinely gets to -60F in the winter (that honestly would not bother me as much as +100F). :D

[Yukon]

Although that's not what the OP meant, some sources say that Fort Yukon, Alaska has hit 100 degrees (even Fairbanks has hit 97).

[Suedog]

Thanks for all the good tips & information regarding Alaska--in the early planning stages for a family cruise in '08

[RCCLismyfav]

For those traveling to Alaska. A cruise tour is definately the best way to go. You see more than doing a RT.

 

Hubby & I did a 7 day cruise from Vancouver, Canada to Seward, AK. Then a 4 day land tour from Seward to Fairbanks. When you do the one way you get to go to Glacier Bay & College Fjord. College Fjord is absolutely beautiful!!!!

 

Tips: if you go out of Vancouver, go the day before and stay at the Four Seasons! It's a bit expensive, but worth every penny! The rooms are nice, the service was the best I've ever seen, the staff was friendly, the food was the best I've ever had - especially the fruit. Sorry, but the fruit in TN is not that good - not compared to fruit from the west coast! There is a swimming pool on the 4th floor that is heated and both indoors & outdoors. There is exercise equipment in the pool area, as well as hot tubs. You get free fruit to eat in the pool area and can even have your meal delivered to you there. There is a mall adjacent to the hotel. You can catch the city bus right outside the hotel - go to Stanley Park - real pretty.

 

In Alaska: The best shopping (IMHO) is in Juneau. There is a store called the "T-shirt Co" they have a little bit of everything and great prices too ;) .

 

We did the horse-drawn trolley around Ketchikan. Went whale watching & took a helicopter tour in Juneau. We were scheduled to do the dogsledding, but it was cancelled due to a lack of snow. Note: if you scheduled a dogsled excursion, make sure it is not cancelled. It has been cancelled for a few years now. You can book it, but it gets cancelled. I have know quite a few people over the past 4 years who this has happened to. But, still take the helicopter tour to a glacier. It's the most awe inspiring thing you will do. Skagway - we went kayaking and horseback riding. The kayaking was great! Kayaking on a lake is much better & easier than in the ocean. It was calming, peaceful. We felt at ease out there. We did see a juvenile black bear eating berries. That was cool. We were on the lake & he was on land.

 

Alaska is beautiful & scenic. You must have plenty of film / memory card(s). Between Hubby & I we took over 700 pictures in the 12 day trip. It's one of the best vacations we had ever taken. It's peaceful, all natural. I can't say enough good things about it. It's one of those you just have to experience it yourself.

 

Oh, if you've ever seen pictures of the blue in the glaciers on tv, TV does not to it justice. It's even more blue & beautiful in person!!

 

The ships (Princess) docks at each port. The towns are right there and you can go walking around w/out needing any mod of transportation.

 

I have some wonderful pictures if anyone is interested in seeing some of them. Just let me know what you want to see, I'm sure we have it.

 

On the 4 day land tour we went to: McKinley (2 nights), Denali & Fairbanks. Denali is awesome. Take the full day tour into the park. You are on a school bus for 91 miles. It seems like a long way, but when you're on it - it's not. We saw: 2 grizzly bears, Dall's sheep, 1 caribou (aparently got lost from it's herd), a moose family and bald eagles. There are rest stops w/bathrooms along the way - the bus does stop. On a clear day you will see Mt. McKinley. It was kind of cloudy when we went, so we only saw the bottom of it - not the peak.

 

I should be a travel agent for Alaska. :p

 

Please feel free to ask any questions. Oh - if you are going in June/July bring strong bug spray. We have heard (several times) that the bugs are in full force and huge, especially the mosquitos in those 2 months. Also, the sun does not go fully down. It will dust like until the sun comes back up. The sun is out for 18-20 straight in the summer.

 

Oh, the southern part of the state (the ports you will be going to) are a Rainforest - so it may drizzle, be misty while you are there. Don't worry about it - it just adds to the experience.

 

 

Can you tell me where or who you booked your land tour with and about what the cost of it was?

WE are debating to either book a tour, do it on our own or forget about it all together and just do the 14 day cruise. I would love to do the tour but I am not sure if I feel comfortable planning this with as little knowledge as we have about Alaska. We would like to do a 7 day cruise and a 7 day tour.

Do you wish now that you would have gone it alone on your land portion?

[ShelbyAD]

We did go through a travel agent when we booked the whole thing. It was a package deal - the airfaire (RT), the hotel the night before, the cruise & land tour. I think that package was around $8,000 - however, that was in 2003. Prices most likely have gone up.

 

We are glad we did everything through the cruise line. All of your transportation is taken care of. So you get to relax and enjoy the ride, take pictures, take a nap (if you get tired). We took a bus tour from Seward to Mt. McKinley. We stopped in Anchorage for a few hours, stopped at a wildlife rescue, and the headquarters for the Ididarod. So, it was a day trip. It was wonderful though.

 

Took the Midnight Sun Express train from McKinley to Denali and Denali to Fairbanks. That's a real nice trip. The food on the train is awesome! If you feel adventurous (and it's still available) try the reindeer chili. My husband had it. He loved it. Oh, and the 7 berry desert is out of this world. You do have to pay for the food on the train, but it is well worth it!!! You are in the top portion of the train for the trip - it has glass dome, so you can see everything. The dinning room is "downstairs" - which you do walk down stairs.

 

Spent 2 nights at Mt. McKinley, one night at Denali and one night in Fairbanks.

 

The only thing we regreted was not spending more time at Denali (lodge) and at Fairbanks. North Pole, AK is only 30-45 minutes from Fairbanks. We got to Fairbanks too late to go to the North Pole.

 

Next time we are going to extend our land tour a few days.

 

Yes, one day I would love to be able to explore AK on my own (with family) - but I would have to win the lottery first for that - it would take (for me) 2-4 months ;)

[qiangf2]

Great tips. especially there are some fresh ideas that were not covered before. thanks

[boewok]

Agree - the best way is a land tour and a cruise.

 

We are doing 5-day Canadian Rockies (Calgary to Vancouver) land and 7-day cruise this year on RCI. I booked the first day they were available (over a year ago) and we got a balcony room. Cost just $2300 per person. Now is over 5K per person. Long time to wait, but we've done other cruises to pass the time.

 

Our first Alaska experience was HAL in 2003. Don't remember the cost. We flew to Ankorage, train to Denali, then on to Fairbanks, Tok, Dawson City, and met the ship in Skagway. This was the best. HAL is the only one who does this Alaskan/Yukon tour. Would recommend to anyone. Lots of activities. You are not on the bus for hours and hours on end (and you know which one). DH and I had a better time on this particular vacation because you are with a bus/traincar full of people and get to know each other.

 

And, yes, pictures. Every view is worth a picture whether from your hotel room or passing on the bus. They come so fast, just one right after the other! Everything is beautiful.

 

Barb

[NancyIL]

Our first Alaska experience was HAL in 2003. Don't remember the cost. We flew to Ankorage, train to Denali, then on to Fairbanks, Tok, Dawson City, and met the ship in Skagway. This was the best. HAL is the only one who does this Alaskan/Yukon tour. Would recommend to anyone. Lots of activities. You are not on the bus for hours and hours on end (and you know which one). DH and I had a better time on this particular vacation because you are with a bus/traincar full of people and get to know each other.

 

Princess also has a cruisetour that goes to the Yukon, but it's in conjunction with a 7-day cruise rather than HAL's 3 or 4-day cruise: http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=2715&tourCode=T7A18N&resType=T

[agabbymama]

Princess also has a cruisetour that goes to the Yukon, but it's in conjunction with a 7-day cruise rather than HAL's 3 or 4-day cruise: http://www.princess.com/pb/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=2715&tourCode=T7A18N&resType=T

 

NancyIL,

You're right, Princess does go to Dawson City for an overnight, but their cruise is 7 nights and land I believe was 9 for 16 nights, making the whole trip $4,400 per person for a balcony cabin as opposed to HAL 3 night cruise and 8 days land for $2700 and more like 3 days in the Yukon taking the White Pass Yukon RR and Coach to Whitehorse, Dawson City and the Yukon River to Eagle. Then back on the coach to interior Alaska. I couldn't justify almost twice the cost for Princess even though I realize it was 4 nights longer, just didn't see enough of the Yukon for me. I thought HAL's Yukon Wilderness Cruisetour #1 was a well balanced tour to the Yukon and Alaska. I had already done the Inside Passage so only 3 nights on the cruise wasn't a factor for me whereas I wanted to see some of the Yukon and interior Alaska that we missed the first time.