Your thoughts on my itinerary?

[Party Teacher]

Please critique my itinerary!

 

7 day June cruise on Island Princess + 5 day independent land tour

(no rental car! YIKES!)

 

Ports: Ketchikan - Lumberjack Show, Totem Bight Park, Creek Street

Juneau - Mt. Roberts Tram, Shuttle bus to Mendenhall,

possible museum

Skagway - Yukon Jeep Stampede, Klondike Gold Dredge Tour,

possible Jewell Gardens

 

Day - 8 Whittier to Anchorage to airport

Pick up DD and transfer to Ship Creek Comfort Inn for 2 days

Day 9 - Jet Boat Glacier Tour and Salmon Fishing

Day 10 - Train to Denali and Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre (8:30)

2 nights at McKinley Chalet Lodge

Day 11 - Denali Park Shuttle (8 hrs) and river rafting (6:30)

Day 12 - Late bus back to Anchorage

Stay 1 more night at Ship Creek Comfort Inn

Day 13 - Early morning flight home

 

Thanks so much for looking this over!

[ellbon]

Please critique my itinerary!

 

7 day June cruise on Island Princess + 5 day independent land tour

(no rental car! YIKES!)

 

Ports: Ketchikan - Lumberjack Show, Totem Bight Park, Creek Street-what no flightseeing with crab fest

Juneau - Mt. Roberts Tram, Shuttle bus to Mendenhall,

possible museum-you will only use the tram if weather is good, forgot the beer factory-yum!

Skagway - Yukon Jeep Stampede, Klondike Gold Dredge Tour,

possible Jewell Gardens-ok

 

Day - 8 Whittier to Anchorage to airport

Pick up DD and transfer to Ship Creek Comfort Inn for 2 days

Day 9 - Jet Boat Glacier Tour and Salmon Fishing

Day 10 - Train to Denali and Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre (8:30)

2 nights at McKinley Chalet Lodge

Day 11 - Denali Park Shuttle (8 hrs) and river rafting (6:30) =to much in one day. you will be ready for bed after 8 hours on a bus. i loved the rafting buti did it on an easy day

Day 12 - Late bus back to Anchorage-could you raft here, alos you left out jeff king's home

Stay 1 more night at Ship Creek Comfort Inn

Day 13 - Early morning flight home

 

Thanks so much for looking this over!

 

you are welcome

[wolfshadow]

Well, the biggest thing that I would change is to do it in reverse. Do your longer flight going, then do your landtour and follow it with the cruise. Then the shorter flight home. Much nicer to do most of the activity stuff at the beginning and then relax more on the cruise. At least this is the way we did it and I wouldn't do it any other way! ;)

[kenish]

The Comfort Inn at Ship Creek is convenient to the RR station. However you may get a much better value by staying at a B&B. There are many of them all over ANC; we stayed at Actic Fox and they were great!

 

The same goes for Denali, there's nothing wrong with McKinley Chalet except it's right in the middle of Glitter Gulch! Consider renting a car...it will give you a lot more options in lodging and dining as well as more flexibility in your general itenerary. Driving and navigating on paved Alaska highways is easy!

 

Agree that you should do rafting the evening you arrive or the 3rd evening in Denali. We used Denali Outdoor Center but all of the companies are great from what I've read.

 

One last suggestion is a stop in Talkeetna to look around the town or for a flightseeing tour.

[Budget Queen]

Without wanting your own transportation, this itinerary is OK. You do have some time tied up in transit and having to adhere to prehaps waits and time limitations. I do agree that your Denali Park day is perhaps too loaded, and the raft trip may work better the next morning. I also agree that the Ship Creek hotel location will have you doing more walking for Anchorage. Many B&B's require your own transportation so not likely the better option. I'll assume you are going to depend on cabs where needed and have plans for Anchorage??

[vbmom87]

Well, the biggest thing that I would change is to do it in reverse. Do your longer flight going, then do your landtour and follow it with the cruise. Then the shorter flight home. Much nicer to do most of the activity stuff at the beginning and then relax more on the cruise. At least this is the way we did it and I wouldn't do it any other way! ;)

 

I have read this over and over, however, we decided for various reasons, to take a NB followed by our independent land tour. We actually found the land part much more relaxing than the cruise. For either scenic viewing on the Sea Days and on all early port days, we had to be up early on our cruise every day but one. On the land portion we could sleep in if we wanted and we travelled at the pace we wanted to, changing our schedule as we went along. Now, the OP is not renting a car, so that will mean they will be on more of a tight schedule and may find it more hectic. I am a fan of driving yourself. That way you can make your own schedule.

 

As far as he flights go, it is one hour more coming home from Anchorage instead of Vancouver. Frankly, that does not make a difference to someone like me who is used to long car trips.

[wolfshadow]

I have read this over and over, however, we decided for various reasons, to take a NB followed by our independent land tour. We actually found the land part much more relaxing than the cruise. For either scenic viewing on the Sea Days and on all early port days, we had to be up early on our cruise every day but one. On the land portion we could sleep in if we wanted and we travelled at the pace we wanted to, changing our schedule as we went along. Now, the OP is not renting a car, so that will mean they will be on more of a tight schedule and may find it more hectic. I am a fan of driving yourself. That way you can make your own schedule.

 

As far as he flights go, it is one hour more coming home from Anchorage instead of Vancouver. Frankly, that does not make a difference to someone like me who is used to long car trips.

To each their own I guess. We had to be up and out early every morning of the landtour and had very full days. Opening and closing up luggage. For us, it was nice having the most activity at the beginning of the trip because once we were on the ship everything was unpacked and moved with us. Much less hassle. And, we flew up to Fairbanks and started there and made our way down to Seward. So the longer flight was nice to get out of the way first since it was a 3 part flight. Flying home from Vancouver was a non-stop quick flight which we appreciated after 13 days. JMHO!

[wolfshadow]

I have read this over and over, however, we decided for various reasons, to take a NB followed by our independent land tour. We actually found the land part much more relaxing than the cruise. For either scenic viewing on the Sea Days and on all early port days, we had to be up early on our cruise every day but one. On the land portion we could sleep in if we wanted and we travelled at the pace we wanted to, changing our schedule as we went along. Now, the OP is not renting a car, so that will mean they will be on more of a tight schedule and may find it more hectic. I am a fan of driving yourself. That way you can make your own schedule.

 

As far as he flights go, it is one hour more coming home from Anchorage instead of Vancouver. Frankly, that does not make a difference to someone like me who is used to long car trips.

To each their own I guess. We had to be up and out early every morning of the landtour and had very full days. Opening and closing up luggage. For us, it was nice having the most activity at the beginning of the trip because once we were on the ship everything was unpacked and moved with us. Much less hassle. And, we flew up to Fairbanks and started there and made our way down to Seward. So the longer flight was nice to get out of the way first since it was a 3 part flight. Flying home from Vancouver was a non-stop quick flight which we appreciated after 13 days. JMHO!

[Party Teacher]

To answer some questions here:

 

Ellbon - Hubby is not fond of small boats or planes so flightseeing

is out. Although the crabfest looks interesting and where

is the beer factory? He'd love both of those!

Wolfshadow - Reversing the trip won't work. We've booked a ANC-LAX

flight with a layover in SEA to meet up with friends for a couple

hours.

Kenish -The reason I chose Ship Creek Comfort Inn is hubby wants to

fish Ship Creek. It's literally right out the back door. The

hotel has a shuttle that will take you anywhere and there's

a couple alternate shuttle options from that location as well.

BQ - Our plans for Anchorage include a Jet Boat Glacier tour (just

myself and DD most likely) and fishing at Ship Creek.

[kenish]

Party Teacher- We spent two weeks last July in Alaska. We didn't see a single salmon in a stream until our last night when we saw some in Ship Creek. There were 15-20 fishermen in waders in the creek right by Comfort Inn. The Ulu Factory is nextdoor to your hotel.

 

Where in SoCal are you? We are down in South OC.

[Party Teacher]

Oooh! DH will LOVE to hear that!

 

We're in Santa Clarita, up by Magic Mountain.