Kenai / Anchorage /Seward Area on your Own

We are hoping for some help so that we can book our cruise. We have been looking at the Princess Land tours that go to Cooper River, Denali, Mt McKinley and back to Anchorage (13 days with 7 day cruise) but there seems to be so many hours being on a bus.

What we are really looking forward to on our cruise is the glaciers and water wildlife. We are wondering if we might be better to stay in the Anchorage, Kenai, Seward area and add on a Prince William Sound boat tour instead of taking the Princess land tour that goes to Wrangeli-St Elias Park and Denali? This would allow us time to hike some glaciers (I think)and complete some boat tours that would get us closer to the water wildlife. We are in our late 40's.

Would there be enough to keep us going for a week pre-cruise if we only stayed in these areas, rented a car, took the train etc.? Any suggestions for itineraries would be appreicated.

Our best cruises have all been to do with animals (Galapagos, Antarticia, Austrailia, Asia-elephants and monkeys), just to give you an idea of what we enjoy.

We are looking to go this September and we can't decide on just taking the Princess cruise/land tour or just the cruise and trying the land on our own. We don't really want to drive 8+ hours a day either to get to some of these places but certainly don't mind a few hours here and there.

Thank you for your suggestions,

Angela

If you are open to going independent with a rental car, then do so. Especially in Alaska, it is simple and the benefit of doing your own itinerary according to your plans is of the utmost advantage.

The jackpot wildlife areas are Denali Park and Kenai Fjords. Both these areas can be included with an additional 7 days, along with glacier trekking. I would suggest you think carefully about Sept travel, with ideal being a northbound cruise the last week of August being a better choice than later.

With your marine wildlife priority I would suggest you consider more than one Kenai fjords boat tour. I have that priority as well, and last year went out on 4 trips. I would suggest you may want to consider going at least twice. IF you include Denali Park, the fall is spectacular, with my suggestion to try and go as far as Wonder Lake on the shuttle bus. But Eielson is a great choice as well for those who don't want as long a trip. Having a booking with a Matanuska trekking guide fits nicely between Denali Park and Seward. If you happen to hit the dates and go earlier, you can enjoy the Alaska State Fair. :)

Rough itinerary- a day where you port, if with Princess, enjoy a PWS boat tour, then transfer to Anchorage, rent your car, then head back to Seward for a couple nights. a night in Mat Su- Palmer/Anchorage, glacier trek. Denali Park 2/3 nights.

This doesn't involve more than 5 hours of driving at a time.

LOTS to do to keep you busy for a week and very easy to arrange yourself.

But you need to do some research to determine your priorities; six days isn't much time, esp if Day is your flight from Toronto to Anchorage. Do you want to see Denali (a 5 hr drive north of Anc) or do you want to explore the Kenai Peninsula? And did you mean Cooper Landing or Copper River ? Cooper Landing is on the Kenai and would be easy to include .... Copper River would be tough.

Many of us have done diy land trips in Alaska. Easy to arrange on your own. You can travel by RV, car, train, bus or a combination. A vehicle will certainly give you more flexibility over where to go and when, since the train has only 1 departure per day and makes few stops. A small RV will give you even more flexibility since your bed,bathrom and kitchen are always with you!

If Sept is set in stone I would encourage you to travel as close to the 1st as possible.

For land travel, the Alaska forum of Tripadvisor will be a better resource than cruise critic. Look under the Top Questions for 'planning resources', trip reports which will give you ideas for an itinerary, RV info, weather, etc

This is a helpful chart for travel times between popular destinations:

http://www.alaska.org/advice/mileage-chart

That same site also provides suggested stopping points for various scenic drives: http://www.alaska.org/things-to-do/scenic-drives

Bottom line ..... with only 6 days, a vehicle will be your best option as it will allow you to cover more territory and in a shorter period of time. You need to do some research to come up with an itinerary that supports your interests and priorities.

.......Our best cruises have all been to do with animals (Galapagos, Antarticia, Austrailia, Asia-elephants and monkeys), just to give you an idea of what we enjoy.

 

We are looking to go this September and we can't decide on just taking the Princess cruise/land tour or just the cruise and trying the land on our own. We don't really want to drive 8+ hours a day either to get to some of these places but certainly don't mind a few hours here and there.

The best part of touring independently is being able to stop wherever and whenever you want, stay as long as you like, and continue on when you are ready instead of being tied to a commercial tour operator's schedule, or wasting time waiting around for strangers who are late getting back to the bus.

It also allows you the freedom and spontaneity to deviate from your original plans along the way if an appealing opportunity arises.

IMHO you can't go wrong following the advice of Budget Queen.

I do not know her personally and have never even met her, but have been reading and following her advice for years, as have many others. She knows what she is talking about and has never steered us wrong on what to see and do in Alaska and how to go about it.

In fact, the only area where I refuse to follow her advice is when it comes to booking shipboard accommodations.

As much as I admire her ability to be satisfied with an inside cabin, rise early and spend hours out on public decks, I myself am an early morning sleepyhead, a slow starter who really enjoys having my own balcony. :D

P.S. Mapleleaves is another poster here who provides very good information.

I also vote for putting together your own trip with a rental car. I drove motorcoach for the cruiselines for two years here in Alaska. I get that some people like to leave the planning and driving to someone else, but for the most part I felt like I was herding sheep around. And as a local, I knew there were great places they weren't getting to go to 'cause they were stuck on a big bus.

Thank you all for your help. I'm booked! We just booked the cruise, Princess Southbound Sept 12. We are limited to the 2 weeks from Sept 5 - 19 due to our vacation time.

Now the fun part, planning. We don't normally take ships tours so why not try booking the land part on our own as well. The cabins were really filling up so I was worried about leaving it too long.

I'm going to book our flights for Sept 5th from Toronto. I hate to have to pack up at each hotel too often, could we stay in Anchorage maybe the first night (Sept 5) and last night (Sept 11). I could get the Best Western for $94 a night from Sept 7 - 11 in Seward so we can spend most of our time in the Kenai area. I still want to take a Prince William Sound boat tour but I'm not sure about staying there. Any suggestions would help and then I will start looking more in depth of things to do in the area.

Thanks

Angela

Thank you all for your help. I'm booked! We just booked the cruise, Princess Southbound Sept 12. We are limited to the 2 weeks from Sept 5 - 19 due to our vacation time.

 

Now the fun part, planning. We don't normally take ships tours so why not try booking the land part on our own as well. The cabins were really filling up so I was worried about leaving it too long.

 

I'm going to book our flights for Sept 5th from Toronto. I hate to have to pack up at each hotel too often, could we stay in Anchorage maybe the first night (Sept 5) and last night (Sept 11). I could get the Best Western for $94 a night from Sept 7 - 11 in Seward so we can spend most of our time in the Kenai area. I still want to take a Prince William Sound boat tour but I'm not sure about staying there. Any suggestions would help and then I will start looking more in depth of things to do in the area.

 

Thanks

Angela

For clarification- I'm certain it is not Kenai you want to stay at. That is a small town on the Cook Inlet, by Soldotna. the Kenai Peninsula, is full of touring areas, but is large, Seward and Homer are both cities on the peninsula, as an example. Boat tours out of Seward do go to the Kenai Fjords. :)

Certainly staying in Anchorage your first and last night is doable. Embarkation day- a PWS boat tour, fits in well this day. You are in luck as the tour ends the next day. :)

More important- be very well prepared with your attire and accepting of the worse potential weather on the inside passage. Another negative is lack of daylight.

With you now having booked, determine, what activities you are going to include before you get into hotel reservations. Denali Park is getting late in your timeframe, with snow a good possibility, good for northern lights. :) If you don't already- get that car rental firmed up. Keep reworking your ideas on paper until the itinerary is what you want to include. A necessary reference is THE MILEPOST, try and get a copy from your library, doesn't matter if an older edition. Then read the details of the Parks, and Seward Highway.

so you have eliminated Denali from the itinerary and wish to concentrate on the Kenai Peninsula ?

if so, lots of useful info in the Kenai Peninsula web site. You can also send for their free visitor guide. If you go to the destination section, there's a link to each town's visitor information and more free guides. You're travelling off-season so there will be bargains in lodging, etc. If you want to visit Homer, best to plan on an overnight trip.

http://kenaipeninsula.org/

so you have eliminated Denali from the itinerary and wish to concentrate on the Kenai Peninsula ?

 

if so, lots of useful info in the Kenai Peninsula web site. You can also send for their free visitor guide. If you go to the destination section, there's a link to each town's visitor information and more free guides. You're travelling off-season so there will be bargains in lodging, etc. If you want to visit Homer, best to plan on an overnight trip.

 

http://kenaipeninsula.org/

That could be? But 4 days in Seward is a lot of time, reason, I suggest they determine ALL their planned activities first. So to be in the right place. :) If this is their plan, now, they could get along without a car.

Many of the Princess hotels are booked so I couldn't book them. I got a little worried that we will need somewhere to stay so that is why I booked the 7th - 11th at the Best Western in Seward. I can cancel any of the days once we figure out what we will do each day but I thought $95 a day was good.

The only thing that we don't want to do on this trip is drive the 5 hours up to Denali from Anchorage. If we did it, maybe taking the train is a better option. The only negative with not taking the Princess tour is that we will have our luggage with us if we check out/in of hotels and taking the train.

I'm just in the process of looking for a car rental now. I think it is easier to just have it for the full week, do you agree? Then we can come and go as we want.

We did the Inside Passage cruise about 20 years ago but we really wanted to go further north so that we could take a smaller boat ride and get closer to the glaciers. That's our hope for this trip.

If we rent the car in Anchorage when we arrive on the 5th (around 4pm), when we drop it off the following Saturday, we will need to take a bus to Whittier. I found a company that does that but only on cruise days. If we were to take the PWF tour that day, I'll have to find a different bus option to get there earlier.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. This is still really new for me, I'm just starting my researching. I wanted to at least get the cruise and flights booked.

Angela

My husband & I are taking the same cruise you are on Sept 12. We are taking 8 days before the cruise to spend in the Kenai. We are staying 4 nights in Homer so we can fish for halibut one day and one night in Soldotna and 3 nights in Seward. There is plenty to see and do in the area. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to help.

ENJOY!!

That could be? But 4 days in Seward is a lot of time, reason, I suggest they determine ALL their planned activities first. So to be in the right place. :) If this is their plan, now, they could get along without a car.

I agree and they actually have 6 days to play with. With that time frame I could do Denali AND Seward !!

That's why I mentioned Homer and provided the mileage chart. Hopefully they plan to do more than a few day excursions from Seward. A little research will enable them to flesh out their itinerary as they learn about sights and activities.

I agree and they actually have 6 days to play with. With that time frame I could do Denali AND Seward !!

That's why I mentioned Homer and provided the mileage chart. Hopefully they plan to do more than a few day excursions from Seward. A little research will enable them to flesh out their itinerary as they learn about sights and activities.

I wouldn't miss Denali either. :) But this is their trip, and they don't want to go there. There is plenty else to see and do, certainly. :)

Thanks again for your help. I'm just worried that we might be trying to cram too much in a short period of time when there is so much driving. I'm normally very bad at doing this and then not actually taking any time to enjoy as you are rushing too much. I have the Fodor's Alaska book that I started reading on Saturday and it said you needed a week in the Seward - Wrangell-St Elias area and another week for the Whittier to Denali area. I thought it would be best just to pick one. I'll try to research more to see what I can fit in.

mlymd - Yes, lets get in touch, sounds like we are looking for similar things to do. I just checked our Roll Call and it appears that everyone is taking the Princess Land tour. We might be on our own.

Thanks

Angela

If of any interest, here is a link to an old New York Times article I had saved about a 6 day road trip around the Kenai Peninsula

Alaska by Road - Travel - NYTimes.com

and another review (4 pages) of a DIY Kenai Peninsula tour from one of the posters right here on Cruise Critic

DIY Tour of Kenai Peninsula & Southbound Cruise on the Millenium - Lengthy - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

If of any interest, here is a link to an old New York Times article I had saved about a 6 day road trip around the Kenai Peninsula

 

Alaska by Road - Travel - NYTimes.com

 

 

and another review (4 pages) of a DIY Kenai Peninsula tour from one of the posters right here on Cruise Critic

 

DIY Tour of Kenai Peninsula & Southbound Cruise on the Millenium - Lengthy - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

 

 

This is great information... thank you! I'll be sure to keep this

Thanks again for your help. I'm just worried that we might be trying to cram too much in a short period of time when there is so much driving. I'm normally very bad at doing this and then not actually taking any time to enjoy as you are rushing too much. I have the Fodor's Alaska book that I started reading on Saturday and it said you needed a week in the Seward - Wrangell-St Elias area and another week for the Whittier to Denali area. I thought it would be best just to pick one. I'll try to research more to see what I can fit in.

 

mlymd - Yes, lets get in touch, sounds like we are looking for similar things to do. I just checked our Roll Call and it appears that everyone is taking the Princess Land tour. We might be on our own.

 

Thanks

Angela

I'll speculate there have been thousands of people on this board who have done Denali Park and Seward in a week. It is NOT rushing anywhere and very doable. What is the itinerary with what you are looking at? Whittier/Denali? I'm sure it has activities every day? Including places of no interest to you.

If you are open- there are experts on this board that can offer you plans.

You've made several mentions about drive time. I would like to suggest, before you shut down the 5 hour possibility, is you get to your library and see if you can get a copy of THE MILEPOST. Read the Parks Highway. I think you will find, you would sights of interest every few hours, to break up the drive. In some cases, people can spend the entire day driving those 250 miles with multiple stops and activities. If you don't know- it's not 75mph freeway driving. It's a two line road, you can figure on average 45/50mph.

I'll speculate there have been thousands of people on this board who have done Denali Park and Seward in a week. It is NOT rushing anywhere and very doable. What is the itinerary with what you are looking at? Whittier/Denali? I'm sure it has activities every day? Including places of no interest to you.

 

If you are open- there are experts on this board that can offer you plans.

 

You've made several mentions about drive time. I would like to suggest, before you shut down the 5 hour possibility, is you get to your library and see if you can get a copy of THE MILEPOST. Read the Parks Highway. I think you will find, you would sights of interest every few hours, to break up the drive. In some cases, people can spend the entire day driving those 250 miles with multiple stops and activities. If you don't know- it's not 75mph freeway driving. It's a two line road, you can figure on average 45/50mph.

Is it really that dangerous to drive with the possibility of hitting a moose? What would be your suggestion for itinerary if we were to go to Denali. If we focused on the Kenai/Seward area and Denali, we are starting to rethink this but we aren't sure which way to plan this out.

We arrive Saturday, Sept 5 around 4pm in Anchorage and we need to board our Princess ship Saturday, Sept 12 in Whittier.

Would you suggest both the Kenai Fjords boat trip and PWS or just one of them?

Other things that we would like to do:

- walk on a glacier? which one or are there more options?

- Alaska Wildlife Centre

- visit Exit Glacier

Would we visit Denai at the beginning or the end and would you suggest driving or the train for the scenery - maybe bridges that we wouldn't see if we were driving? or is there a different route that we can take by train to enjoy the scenery?

Sorry for all the questions, I appreciate your help.

Thanks

Angela

Is it really that dangerous to drive with the possibility of hitting a moose? What would be your suggestion for itinerary if we were to go to Denali. If we focused on the Kenai/Seward area and Denali, we are starting to rethink this but we aren't sure which way to plan this out.

We arrive Saturday, Sept 5 around 4pm in Anchorage and we need to board our Princess ship Saturday, Sept 12 in Whittier.

 

Would you suggest both the Kenai Fjords boat trip and PWS or just one of them?

 

Other things that we would like to do:

- walk on a glacier? which one or are there more options?

- Alaska Wildlife Centre

- visit Exit Glacier

 

Would we visit Denai at the beginning or the end and would you suggest driving or the train for the scenery - maybe bridges that we wouldn't see if we were driving? or is there a different route that we can take by train to enjoy the scenery?

What's the rush? You only booked your cruise today.:)

Why don't you take a week or more to research Alaska. Learn about all the options available, decide on sightseeing priorities, then develop a rough itinerary. You're still asking about what to see and do, so obviously you need a little more time to research and plan.

Once you decide on priorities, it's much easier to develop a plan. We can help fine tune the itinerary but it would be best if you start it. Otherwise your itinerary will be based on OUR priorities.

p.s. if you look at trip reports on tripadvisor.com you'll see that people from all over the world visit Alaska and they manage to plan elaborate itineraries using RVs, ferries, bush planes, etc. So don't be intimidated ... just do some research and determine priorities.

What's the rush? You only booked your cruise today.:)

Why don't you take a week or more to research Alaska. Learn about all the options available, decide on sightseeing priorities, then develop a rough itinerary. You're still asking about what to see and do, so obviously you need a little more time to research and plan.

Once you decide on priorities, it's much easier to develop a plan. We can help fine tune the itinerary but it would be best if you start it. Otherwise your itinerary will be based on OUR priorities.

 

p.s. if you look at trip reports on tripadvisor.com you'll see that people from all over the world visit Alaska and they manage to plan elaborate itineraries using RVs, ferries, bush planes, etc. So don't be intimidated ... just do some research and determine priorities.

I was just concerned with be able to secure hotel stays and car rentals as many hotels already seem to be sold out.

Thanks

Angela

I was just concerned with be able to secure hotel stays and car rentals as many hotels already seem to be sold out.

Car rental prices fluctuate wildly. As long as there is no cancel fee, you can make a reservation now for the best deal you can find. Check all the sites frequently for a better deal. (You may even find a weekly rental is cheaper than 6 days.)

Same thing with a hotel. No reason you can't book the Seward BW now , an Anchorage hotel now ; you may end up picking up the car and driving to Girdwood the first night when you get plans firmed up. Just watch for a cancel fee. You're travelling off-season so there will be availability.

Is it really that dangerous to drive with the possibility of hitting a moose? What would be your suggestion for itinerary if we were to go to Denali. If we focused on the Kenai/Seward area and Denali, we are starting to rethink this but we aren't sure which way to plan this out.

We arrive Saturday, Sept 5 around 4pm in Anchorage and we need to board our Princess ship Saturday, Sept 12 in Whittier.

 

Would you suggest both the Kenai Fjords boat trip and PWS or just one of them?

 

Other things that we would like to do:

- walk on a glacier? which one or are there more options?

- Alaska Wildlife Centre

- visit Exit Glacier

 

Would we visit Denai at the beginning or the end and would you suggest driving or the train for the scenery - maybe bridges that we wouldn't see if we were driving? or is there a different route that we can take by train to enjoy the scenery?

 

Sorry for all the questions, I appreciate your help.

 

Thanks

Angela

Hitting moose is a rare event. To reduce the possibility, don't go over the speed limit, be well rested, be alert, etc. There are moose on the Kenai Peninsula too, as well as in Anchorage, so no way getting away from there, by just not going to Denali.

I am always on both Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound boat tours, multiple times, each trip. If you have the interest, they are each very worthwhile. The PWS boat tour also fits in great on cruise embarkation day.

It depends on you what direction you wish to go. This may be determined based on lodging costs and availability? It doesn't matter which way you go first.

For glacier trekking, Matanuska Glacier is an easy add to an itinerary. Check out MICA guides which I have gone with. There is also another vendor to compare.

Simple to add the Wildlife Conservatory, and Exit Glacier.

Maple offers you great direction and advice. Do consider it.

You can do both Denali and Seward in a week. If so, I would recommend Denali first, as you're getting late in the season.

Here's one way you could do it: Stay in Anchorage on arrival (pick up your supplies for the week); hit the road early the next morning up to Denali. It's an easy drive. Stop in Talkeetna (worth the short detour off the main road) on the way up if desired. Spend 1-1/2 days in Denali (long bus tour and a short one; maybe a little hiking). On the afternoon of the 2nd day in Denali (8th), head down the road. Stay in one of the towns north of Anchorage or even in Anchorage itself. On the 9th, drive the rest of the way to Seward, stopping along the way at the Wildlife Conservation Center or Exit Glacier, etc. 10-11th for 2 cruises in Kenai/PWS. Visit the Sea Life Center if you get a chance. There are B&B's all over the place. We stayed at lovely ones in both Seward and Healy (probably Healy is too far away from Denali for you in a shortened visit). You'll have 13-1/2 hours of daylight, at the start anyway, plus some light before sunrise and after sunset.

Personally, we did Kenai and Denali land-only over 12 days (and that was in early June with loooonnng days). We wanted to do some hiking, and spend a lot of time. If you plan on making it back to Alaska, maybe choose one spot (there are fun things to do in and around Anchorage, too). If one trip was going to be my only visit, I would try to fit in both.

As others have said, though - it is YOUR decision. Consider whether you need down time, or whether you get bored if you're not out and doing something. You are the one who knows what you're up for.

You are late in the season for both areas, with it really no benefit to get to Denali prior to Kenai fjords, but, if you have an interest in seabirds, going to Seward first would be beneficial. Actually later in Denali is ideal for the Caribou herding up and active moose, and if not snow covered, bears intent on the berry eating. If it is snow covered, the wildlife is easily viewable.

Being you are taking a cruise, out of Whittier, I would only do a PWS boat tour embarkation day.

Thanks all.

For the PWS boat trip on Embarkation Day, what do we do with our luggage? I've read a few things, one that you can check it in on the Rail line when you board and they will deliver it to the ship or should we just store it with Major Marine when we check in? If we take the rail/boat on this day, are there any chances that we might miss the boat trip or get back late from the boat trip? I'm sure they do this all the time and there will be many others on the same trip.

I've read as well that there were 2 for 1 coupons in a Northern Lights book for this but I couldn't find any in this years book, is that correct? It does look like there are quite a few good coupons on this book for places that we do want to visit. With it being a slower time of the year, would we be better to wait, will there be booking deals/coupons later in the year or is purchasing this book a better option?