Anchorage day -- car/no car?

Hello everybody! I have been reading the cruise critic threads since booking our Alaska cruise a few months ago, and appreciate everyone's thoughts/comments/advice. I've done quite a few searches already to try to narrow down some options, but I'd like to get opinions on a couple of days in Anchorage and how to maximize time/money.

Our cruise departs June 20 out of Whittier (first time Alaska trip for both of us). We are arriving June 18 around 8 pm and have a car/hotel booked for June 18-20. While a trip to Alaska by nature is not cheap, I'm looking to try to save a few dollars here and there so we can hopefully put our money towards a flightseeing Misty Fjords tour in Ketchikan. :) I also like to research ahead of time so that even if we decide to "play by ear" we at least know the options available to us... staying at the Holiday Inn Express on points, so not really downtown and don't want to spend our time twiddling our thumbs at the hotel!

1. Should we forgo the car rental since the hotel has a shuttle from the airport and just pay for a taxi downtown on our full day in Anchorage? Car rental is currently $139 for both days... Was looking at biking Tony Knowles trail, maybe hiking Flattop, exploring the museums etc downtown if we wanted to stick closer to Anchorage. Is there anything else you would add with 36 hours in Anchorage?

1a. It looks like it's light most of the day in June, so does this mean we can squeeze in more sight seeing or does everything shut down at a certain point?

2. Or alternately do we use the car to make a couple of drives out of town to explore? One of the reasons I'm confused is it looks like the shuttle we can book to Whittier stops "for views" and at the Wildlife Conservation Center on the way to the ship anyway, so was thinking it might feel redundant if we did this with a car the day before (if we were going south).

I'm overwhelmed by the myriad of options for how to spend our time in Anchorage. I recognize we can't possibly can't squeeze anything in and am not even trying to "do" Denali since it's such a short time. Based on the comments I've seen on the boards about suggestions for what to do -- we're not interested in glacier hiking (already did this in Iceland :)) but love scenery, views, wildlife/outdoors experience if that helps gives some suggestions about what we'd be interested in. We are not planning on taking the PWS cruises in Whittier (again - trying to save some cash for the flightseeing!). I guess what I'm really asking is if our car might end up being unused and if it's better for us to cancel it, and how to best use our time in Anchorage from Thursday night - Saturday morning.

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide!! :)

Check out the public transport system. Looks as though you will be close to a bus line into downtown. http://www.muni.org/Departments/transit/PeopleMover/PublishingImages/PM_SystemMap_2014.pdf

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Holiday+Inn+Express+Anchorage,+4411+Spenard+Road,+Anchorage,+AK+99517/Anchorage+Museum+at+Rasmuson+Center,+C+Street,+Anchorage,+AK/@61.1979983,-149.9580055,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m17!4m16!1m5!1m1!1s0x56c897fd233a0357:0x2b28b237ecfb76ed!2m2!1d-149.936623!2d61.179702!1m5!1m1!1s0x56c896296ce7438d:0x5745ca1a5052f9af!2m2!1d-149.884413!2d61.216331!2m2!7e2!8j1430128380!3e3

Either option is good. Which option looks most enjoyable to you ? Have you priced both options? Would rain change your mind about that plan?

If you stay in town for a bike ride and Flattop Mtn hike, the bike rental will be about $40pp plus the taxi to/from $12 ow and the flattop shuttle is about $20pp The Whittier shuttle will be a drive thru of the wildlife center ... you don't hop off at each exhibit to spend time viewing. You can wander around town for free ... weekend market, Visitor Center, museum.

With a car you can drive to flattop for the hike, spend time at the wildlife center, boardwalk at Potters Marsh, Portage Lake/Glacier Visitor Center, Winner creek trail at Girdwood, walk a portion of the tony Knowles trail, hike to the gondola at Alyeska Resort and the ride down is free. (BTW, check the rental car at ABC Motorhome .... probably cheaper than $130 since you only need it for the 19th).

Like I said, both options are good ... which sounds most enjoyable to you.

We have rented a car twice in Anchorage and will probably do it again this summer. The drive down to Portage Glacier is a really nice drive if the weather is decent. Doing that you will see Turnagain Arm at both high and low tides. The views are quite different. There are many places to stop along the way. I don't think it would seem like a repeat of the transfer from Whittier.

To us, Anchorage just seemed like a big town/small city and had little character. When we rented a car the first time we drove through town but didn't really do anything there. We went to the Ulu Factory and to lunch at the Arctic Roadrunner and The Moose's Tooth for dinner. We also went to a city park where you could watch the seaplanes take off and land. They all required a car.

Another option with a car would be to drive north and go inland for a while. That is what we are considering doing this time.

This is a link to pictures that we took on our day in Anchorage and the drive south:

https://plus.google.com/photos/102720032296955701968/albums/5613712280481942449?banner=pwa

Hello everybody! I have been reading the cruise critic threads since booking our Alaska cruise a few months ago, and appreciate everyone's thoughts/comments/advice. I've done quite a few searches already to try to narrow down some options, but I'd like to get opinions on a couple of days in Anchorage and how to maximize time/money.

 

Our cruise departs June 20 out of Whittier (first time Alaska trip for both of us). We are arriving June 18 around 8 pm and have a car/hotel booked for June 18-20. While a trip to Alaska by nature is not cheap, I'm looking to try to save a few dollars here and there so we can hopefully put our money towards a flightseeing Misty Fjords tour in Ketchikan. :) I also like to research ahead of time so that even if we decide to "play by ear" we at least know the options available to us... staying at the Holiday Inn Express on points, so not really downtown and don't want to spend our time twiddling our thumbs at the hotel!

 

1. Should we forgo the car rental since the hotel has a shuttle from the airport and just pay for a taxi downtown on our full day in Anchorage? Car rental is currently $139 for both days... Was looking at biking Tony Knowles trail, maybe hiking Flattop, exploring the museums etc downtown if we wanted to stick closer to Anchorage. Is there anything else you would add with 36 hours in Anchorage?

1a. It looks like it's light most of the day in June, so does this mean we can squeeze in more sight seeing or does everything shut down at a certain point?

2. Or alternately do we use the car to make a couple of drives out of town to explore? One of the reasons I'm confused is it looks like the shuttle we can book to Whittier stops "for views" and at the Wildlife Conservation Center on the way to the ship anyway, so was thinking it might feel redundant if we did this with a car the day before (if we were going south).

 

I'm overwhelmed by the myriad of options for how to spend our time in Anchorage. I recognize we can't possibly can't squeeze anything in and am not even trying to "do" Denali since it's such a short time. Based on the comments I've seen on the boards about suggestions for what to do -- we're not interested in glacier hiking (already did this in Iceland :)) but love scenery, views, wildlife/outdoors experience if that helps gives some suggestions about what we'd be interested in. We are not planning on taking the PWS cruises in Whittier (again - trying to save some cash for the flightseeing!). I guess what I'm really asking is if our car might end up being unused and if it's better for us to cancel it, and how to best use our time in Anchorage from Thursday night - Saturday morning.

 

Thanks for any suggestions you can provide!! :)

you mention "saving cash" several times. will having the rental cause you to eliminate something else? What is your preference- if it does? How about, just renting a car based on a 24 hour rental? And pack this time with Flattop and the Arm. Would be some savings.

There is plenty to see and do, but adding significant amounts of "transfer" time, may not be a good choice with a short stay. Anchorage public transportation is not frequent for many routes.

http://www.anchorage.net

Thanks for the responses, everyone. It looks like maybe we'll hold onto the car for now as it does seem like it provides greater flexibility. I think the only way I'll drop it is if it turns out -- as Budget Queen mentioned - that dropping it allows us to do something else (i.e. flightseeing etc).

To give more context, after booking the trip, found out that my job will not be existing in a couple of months, so trying to go ahead and enjoy the trip as my last vacation days from work (haha) while still trying to be fiscally responsible if I am coming back to only one more week's worth of paycheck :). So, maybe it will be a decision we have to make closer to the time... but, $139 isn't really breaking the bank right now... it seems that the costs of shuttles/taxis etc would add up pretty quickly from what you all state.

Appreciate the different perspectives! I'm sure I'll have some additional questions as our cruise gets closer :)

sofiapotier: I suspect that once you make firmer plans for Anchorage the decision whether to keep the car rental or not will be clear. But while Anchorage does have a public transit system it is not extensive.

But I really wanted to comment regarding Iceland as compared to Alaska. We spent a week in Iceland last May as a break on a return to Alaska from Europe. Parts of Iceland looked similar to parts of Alaska, but in general the terrain looks very different. So while you did a similar activity in Iceland, don't rule out a "repeat" in Alaska.

if the $139 is for a 24 hr rental, be sure to look around for a better price.

http://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

http://www.alaska.org/guide/portage-valley

http://www.anchorage.net/ak/summer-activities

if the $139 is for a 24 hr rental, be sure to look around for a better price.

 

http://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

http://www.alaska.org/guide/portage-valley

 

http://www.anchorage.net/ak/summer-activities

I took it to mean for "both" days, which in rereading could also mean, per day. :)

It's $139 for two days - Thursday evening through Saturday.

It's $139 for two days - Thursday evening through Saturday.

Why not see, if there are similar priced, per day rentals for 2 separate days- Friday and Saturday. This gives you some time, to determine- if one day would be enough. Easy to cancel when you firm up your plans.

Frankly- the price, is rock bottom, for even considering giving it up.

You have to also consider the value of your short time in Anchorage and whether you will see more if you have a car. Every time I have been to Anchorage, I have rented a car although you should know that I have also stayed at a B&B that is not in the center of town.

DON

1. Should we forgo the car rental since the hotel has a shuttle from the airport and just pay for a taxi downtown on our full day in Anchorage?

So then what is your transportation plan of getting to Whittier to board the ship?