Ryndam to Alaska 5/29/05 - Was "Are We Nuts?"

[willowoodf]

I started a another thread called "Are We Nuts" because my DH and I have a cruise (our first) to the Eastern Caribbean on the Westerdam booked for December, but are so excited about it we didn't think we could wait and started looking for another cruise we could do before then. Well, I found a likely candidate, and would greatly welcome any and all opinions, good and bad.

After talking with a travel agency in the nearby "big city" today, we are "this close" to booking a 7-day trip to Alaska on the Ryndam on 5/29/05. It's called "Northbound Glacier Discovery" which cruises up the inside passage and has ports in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka and cruising the Hubbard Glacier. It would be a category E outside stateroom. No balcony, but the cruise is very affordable. The airfare, on the other hand, is almost as much as the cruise! We would book the airfare with the travel agency, but not with HAL, since HAL's airfare was even more than the price of the cruise itself.

After looking at the itinerary, I have a question that I will have to ask the travel agent, but maybe any of you who have done this cruise might be able to answer for me. The TA said that we would fly home from Anchorage, but I see the cruise ends in Seward. How do we get from Anchorage to Seward?

Any comments about the ship or the itinerary, good or bad, are welcome. We want to give the yeah or nay to the travel agent tomorrow.

Thank you!

Mary

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL offers bus and train transfers from Seward to Anchorage. Some of the buses will take you directly to the airport in Anchorage. The train stops in town and you will have to make arrangements for a bus to take you to the airport.

In any event, you will be getting up very, very early in the morning for the transfers. The train boards first - usually around 6 - 6:30 (?) and then the bus people next. It is a very long day if you are planning to fly out in the late afternoon.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Mary, Conratulations, how exciting especially since that date is not that far away. We were on Ryndam last November and we were in Alaska last May. First you will love the Ryndam, she is a beautiful ship and we would love to find the right itinerary that she would be sailing to go on her again. Also IMO May is a great time to cruise Alaska, so many whales and there is still lots of snow to see in the mountains. It is so wonderful.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have you looked at round trip Alaskan cruises either from Seattle or Vancouver?

That way you can book round trip air tickets on line yourself and save money.

[willowoodf]

Thanks all who have replied. Another question - what will the weather be on the water in Alaska on May 29 through June 5? What kind of clothes do I need to pack? Mary

[Budget Queen]

I would strongly suggest you add a few days with any one way cruise choice. Since you are all the way there - take advantage. Especially in Seward- there are just excellent touring opportunities same with Denali Park. These are your wildlife areas, far greater than anything Inside Passage. As for getting from Seward -Anchorage. My top choice is the railroad- but not the almost double priced cruise contracted train. Leaves every day around 6pm. Bus is my last choice. There is a high cost one way car rental option with Hertz, but allows the greatest freedom especially on the Arm - this is WAY superior especially if you don't add days. At least you will be able to fit in a few options. Allow 3 hours for the transfer via road, 4 hours by rail.

I would also look your self for air- easy to do via direct airline sites under the multi city booking option. From Vancouver- it will run about $30++ for a cab from the airport and I do not recommend flying in the day of the cruise. Priceline is the way to go for downtown Vancouver hotel options. Budget fully for excursions- these are the highlight of Alaska travel. Any wildlife viewing will require tours, brochures are greatly enhanced. :) Necessary are a good pair of wide angle binoculars with 10x50's my preference. Have a great trip.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks all who have replied. Another question - what will the weather be on the water in Alaska on May 29 through June 5? What kind of clothes do I need to pack? Mary

No way to predict.
You need a wide range of attire, including a lined lightweight jacket, layers of turtle necks, sweatshirts, tshirts etc, rain gear, 2 pair of walking shoes, knit hat and gloves. Key is lightweight and QUICK DRYING. :)

[DaveOKC]

If you are lucky enough to have frequent flyer miles, this is the ideal time to use them as they do not charge you more for "open jaw" fights like you are taking. We are flying into San Diego and out of Vancouver next week for 25,000 miles while the airfare was like $600 plus each.
Just a thought.
DaveOKC

[willowoodf]

If we do this cruise, we will only be able to afford a couple of excursions. Any advice on which excursions are "must do's"? The ports are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka. All the excursions sound great on paper, which are the best ones, in your informed opinions? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Mary

Also in reply to others, Dave - DH has looked online and can't find any decent flights on our own, using frequent flyer miles or not. If the TA can really meet the price she gave us on the phone yesterday, we probably need to take it because we are doing worse looking on our own.

BudgetQueen - gotta get out the winter clothes again, I guess! Yes, we are thinking of adding a couple of days onto the back end of the trip.

Krazy - this must have been a "remainder" or something because the price was excellent - the round trip prices we have looked at were way more expensive. More than makes up for the more expensive airfare. Thanks for the info on the trains/buses. We have heard there is a train separate from the HAL train that is cheaper and leaves at a decent time.

LAFN - thanks for the kind words! We are excited and heard the Ryndam is a beautiful ship.

Mary

[RuthC]

In Juneau you can easily take the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts for a walk-around and great view. There is a blue bus that will take you to Mendenhall Glacier. A stop at the Red Dog Saloon is lots of fun. The State Museum is well worth a visit.

Skagway is a great little town just to walk around. Do go to the Park Service Office to check out the Museum. Take a look at the front of the Arctic Brotherhood Lodge. By all means take the White Pass Railroad for a worthwhile excursion.

In Sitka I especially enjoyed the Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest. I saw sea otters, seals, a pair of bald eagles, bears...oh, and whales! Lots of whales!
You can walk to the Sheldon Jackson Museum, and then down the street to a park with lots of totem poles.

There's a start for you, and most of these ideas won't break the bank!
Have a great time in The Great Land.

[Himself]

Train or bus. Let me tell you when you get to Seward, you will be up nice and early. I did this cruise a few years ago as a round trip and the departing PAX were off by 7:30 or 8:00 AM and the new people didn't start arriving until very late afternoon. We left Seward about 8:30 PM or 8:45 PM

Himself

[willowoodf]

Well, we did it! We booked the Ryndam cruise! We're so excited! DH is going to call Northwest tomorrow and see what, if anything, he can work out with the airfare using frequent flyer miles. Otherwise, will go with the TA. Himself - I think we are going to book our own transport and not use the HAL train. We might spend a day or two in Seward and then head over to Anchorage. Ruth - thanks for the tips on excursions! We have a brand new credit card with 0% financing until September, so if we can arrange only to spend what we can pay off by September, we'll be cool. Thanks everybody for all your help, I'm so glad we found Cruise Critic! You guys are the best! Mary

[Budget Queen]

I hate to sound discouraging but it is very doubtful any ff mile seats will be available??

As for excursions- there are many EXCELLENT options to consider but for best recommendations- narrow down your interests and repost. Work some overtime etc for the needed fund, this isn't the place to skimp in my opinion. In Seward strongly consider the boat tours of Kenai Fjords, just a superb tour. I never recommend the cruise contracted train- also be aware- this train is ONLY available morning of the cruise. The regular run of the Alaska RR is 6pm daily.

[dakrewser]

I think we are going to book our own transport and not use the HAL train.


Get a car. There's a Hertz place right at the dock in Seward and the road from there to Anchorage is gorgeous - we stopped for pictures every 100 yards or so!

[willowoodf]

BudgetQueen - DH and I put our heads together and agreed we were being stupid - do some excursions! We may never get to Alaska again, so spend the bucks and do some excursions. Beautiful beautiful country we may never see again. As for FF miles, we're just checking. You never know!!

Dekrewser - same thing. Beautiful beautiful country. Why don't we rend a car and be able to see it. Things to think about!

[Budget Queen]

. As for FF miles, we're just checking. You never know!!

!



Especially if you have a boatload of miles, there may be something available using more miles. I tried to redeem using the min. and could not find any availablity for a week prior or after- with a three week span. I decided to use them again in March where the "value" for the min. miles was worth more to me. Good luck.

[willowoodf]

DH had a "boatload" of miles and cashed some in for the flight. The flight home is a little odd, but it let's us spend some extra time in Alaska, which is great. We'll have Sunday and Monday nights in Alaska, question - should we stay in Seward, or go right to Anchorage? Our plane out is late afternoon Tuesday. I think we will try to rent a car. Any recommendations for a nice hotel in Seward or Anchorage?

Does anybody know (have any idea?) what the temperature range (40's? 50's? 60's?) in Alaska is late May, early June? It will help me in planning my layers!

Mary

[dakrewser]

DH had a "boatload" of miles and cashed some in for the flight. The flight home is a little odd, but it let's us spend some extra time in Alaska, which is great. We'll have Sunday and Monday nights in Alaska, question - should we stay in Seward, or go right to Anchorage? Our plane out is late afternoon Tuesday. I think we will try to rent a car. Any recommendations for a nice hotel in Seward or Anchorage?

Does anybody know (have any idea?) what the temperature range (40's? 50's? 60's?) in Alaska is late May, early June? It will help me in planning my layers!

Mary

There's not much in Seward, but there is the Alyeska Lodge (http://www.alyeskaresort.com/page.asp?intNodeID=10807)along the road to Anchorage or go on past to the great little town of Talkeetna (supposedly the model for the town in Northern Exposure) and the Talkeetna Lodge (http://www.alaskaheritagetours.com/google1/).

http://vquill.com/gallery/Image/AKtalkeetna_sign.jpg

[willowoodf]

Thanks for the links, Dekrewser, I'll check 'em out! Love the picture! Mary

[Hondu]

Have you used Priceline before? Maybe you could bid for a hotel in Anchorage.

[willowoodf]

Hondu - that's a thought! We've never used it, but there's always a first time!

[Budget Queen]

I disagree there is PLENTY of excellent activities in Seward.

I would definately spend at least the day in Seward with my top recommendation the Kenai fjords boat tours, superior to anything you will see on your cruise. There is one that leave at 11:30am. Then just take the train to Anchorage- leaves around 6pm. You would drop your bags at the depot before the boat tour. I would definately rent a car in Anchorage. If funds aren't a consideration , there are many nice Anchorage hotels, but a bonus is one that has depot and airport shuttles, so always check on that. Request the Anchorage visitor guide. www.anchorage.net plenty to see and do. Talkeetna is 2 hours north of Anchorage, worth a visit but look closely at WHAT is a priority for you with your short time.

[willowoodf]

Thank you for th einfo, Budget Queen! Decisions, decisions.....

[wandb]

Hi Willowoodf!!! I just realized that we will be boarding the Rhyndam for our cruise from Seward to Vancouver on the day that you disembark! I'm sure that you got a much better deal than we did, since yours was a "last minute" booking---I was just wondering what kind of cabins were available then. Do you mind sharing if you have inside, outside, suite, verandah, etc.? We will be in a category C cabin, traveling with a group of 5 couples (so had to make reservations early). One day we hope to take advantage of late booking specials and just sail away! This is our first ever cruise, so I'm doing lots of research and planning. I think that next time, I could leave with very little notice, since I've gotten so much good info and advice on this board.

[willowoodf]

Hi Wandb:
We'll be waving at each other on the dock!
Yes, we got a good deal - I think better deals can be had to closer you get to leaving. Makes me almost want to move to Ft. Lauderdale so I could be ready at a moment's notice! LOL!
We have a category E outside cabin. That was the best available at a good price. There was a C available, but it was SIGNIFICANTLY higher in price. We've got our TA looking for better available cabins at decent rates. You never know!
This is our first ever cruise, too, and we are excited! I'm going to try to post aboard the Ryndam, so be watching for my posts!
Mary

[Rabbitlady]

Has anyone tried the following excursions in Alaska---
Ketchikan Historical Waterfront Cruise
Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show
Mendenhall Glacier and Alaska-style Salmon Bake
Mushers' Camp and Sled Dog Experience
???
If so, please share your opinions.

Thanks so much,
Rabbitlady