Help me plan my land tour before cruise

I had some questions about the land portion while in Alaska. Our cruise is from Seward. We will be flying into Anchorage couple of days before the cruise.

Day 1 - My plan is to land in Anchorage, stay in a hotel in downtown Anchorage(hopefully, they have a shuttle from the airport to the hotel) and rent the car from downtown Anchorage. I've read on this forum that it's much cheaper to rent a car from downtown Anchorage as opposed to the airport. Rent the car for 2 days.

Day 2 - Drive to Denali. We will arrive in Denali in the afternoon.

Day 3 - Do the Denali park shuttle ride. Stay overnight in Denali.

Day 4 - Drive back to Anchorage. Now is renting a car from Anchorage to Seward cheaper than taking the train from Anchorage to Seward ? We are 2 adults and 2 kids.

Also, do we need one entire day in Seward ? We wanted to do the Kenai Fjord tours and they have different kinds. Which one should we do ? Also, are there coupons in the Northern Lights or tour savers that we can use ? Will they let us use 2 of those for the 4 of us ?

Can we drive back on Day 3 to Seward and stay overnight there ? That way we get an early start in Seward. Our cruise departs at 9:00 pm. By what time do we need to be on the port ?

 

Day 4 - Drive back to Anchorage. Now is renting a car from Anchorage to Seward cheaper than taking the train from Anchorage to Seward ? We are 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

Also, do we need one entire day in Seward ? We wanted to do the Kenai Fjord tours and they have different kinds. Which one should we do ? Also, are there coupons in the Northern Lights or tour savers that we can use ? Will they let us use 2 of those for the 4 of us ?

 

Can we drive back on Day 3 to Seward and stay overnight there ? That way we get an early start in Seward. Our cruise departs at 9:00 pm. By what time do we need to be on the port ?

For day 4, you need to do the math. The fares are on the Alaska Railroad web site. I would also suggest that you price 2 different car options:

- a one-way HERTZ for the drive to Denali then to Seward

- a RT rental for Anc - Denali- Anc. Then a one-way HERTZ for the day you drive to Seward.

(Hertz is the only vendor in Seward so it's the only option)

On day 3 it would be a very long drive from Denali to Seward. At least 10 hrs.

People usually break up that drive by staying in Girdwood which is an hr south of Anchorage, or at Summit Lake Lodge.

If you do a Kenai cruise, choose one that is 6hrs+ and visits a glacier. Otherwise you don't leave the Bay .... boring.

If you can add days, I suggest you do so. What you are planning is a marathon road trip. I never recommend Denali/Seward in a single day. I am currently in Alaska, and have been tied up in a lot of construction waits. You don't mention the kid's ages, but usually younger kids, under 8, aren't interested as much in Denali. Wildlife is usually far off with binoculars being necessary. Overall this is a scenery trip, with some wildlife thrown in. :) 8 hours on an Eielson bus, is my minimum.

As for Seward, there weren't any "regular" tour discounts this year in the coupon books. Only tour available was a bay trip and Northwestern Fjords tour, $50pp off, that requires an overnight. The 2 for 1 discounts were available through a "groupon" like option. (was back in March when I took advantage).

If you can add days, I suggest you do so. What you are planning is a marathon road trip. I never recommend Denali/Seward in a single day. I am currently in Alaska, and have been tied up in a lot of construction waits. You don't mention the kid's ages, but usually younger kids, under 8, aren't interested as much in Denali. Wildlife is usually far off with binoculars being necessary. Overall this is a scenery trip, with some wildlife thrown in. :) 8 hours on an Eielson bus, is my minimum.

 

As for Seward, there weren't any "regular" tour discounts this year in the coupon books. Only tour available was a bay trip and Northwestern Fjords tour, $50pp off, that requires an overnight. The 2 for 1 discounts were available through a "groupon" like option. (was back in March when I took advantage).

My boys will be 9 and 11 next year. Do you suggest I skip Denali then ?

My boys will be 9 and 11 next year. Do you suggest I skip Denali then ?

It's an option, especially, if you don't add another day. http://www.nps.gov/dena read it over, and determine if what you want to include this destination. There is also plenty to see and do along the way. Another reason, I don't recommend marathon driving trips. It's a shame to miss the option to stop anywhere you want.

you are asking for exhaustion in my opinion.....There are major delays on the roads because this is summer and that is the only time we get to fix them. It will take you 7-9 hrs from Anchorage to get there if you are delayed. The tours leave very early in Denali if you want to see any animals....There is plenty to do in the Anchorage area for a couple of days...We have a nice zoo, lots of hiking, 2 great museums....one of them has a children's imagiterium in it and the other is mostly outside with lots of native athletics and lots of room to run around in and still learn a lot about native culture. Those alone will take in a couple of days....Not sure you need to rent a car, and not sure when you are coming but our state fair opens on August 21, and that can take a whole day....If you want to do a long road trip, go east towards Canada and go to Valdez....One of the original towns in Alaska...Grab a fishing/sightseeing trip for the boys with G'day charters or on of the other boats and let them catch some shrimp and silver salmon. I guarantee that they will remember that trip...and you are likely to see many more animals on that trip in the no Disney atmosphere of Denali.

We are vegetarians so fishing won't be for us. Also, I feel like I don't want to travel all the way to Alaska to visit museums. We have seen some very good museums in NY, Chicago and other cities. We are coming in July next year. Our cruise sails on July 13th from Seward. So far the only thing booked is our cruise. Still trying to figure out other things. I was so sure that Denali would be a don't miss it thing and now you guys have got me thinking again. :)

Quite simply .... you're trying to do too much in a short period of time.

I've been on Denali shuttles with children much younger than yours and they thoroughly enjoyed it. You can pick up Jr Ranger kits at the park for them to work on, and you can bring books, gadgets to help keep them busy. It's only 4 hrs in, then a 30-40 minute lunch break at the Center, then 3 1/2 hrs back to the entrance. Only you can know how your children will respond to a bus ride. But if you're worried about them on the shuttle, how will they handle the marathon drive from Denali to Seward?

There was a trip report recently from stiley. They opted to forego Denali and spent time in Whittier and Seward instead. Your situation is similar to theirs ... limited time so a decision needed to be made about where to spend 3days.

I suggest you read trip reports here and on tripadvisor (especially tripadvisor for land travel). Read about the experiences of other familes with kids. Here's one .... a 9 day land trip. They had a blast but are your kids similar in personality? Do any other thier activities look appealing for your family?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28923-i349-k5474692-Trip_Report_Girdwood_Seward_Talkeenta_Denail_in_May_w_Kids-Alaska.html#41348087

I could add one more day if that will make the trip easier. I will read the land trip reports too as you suggested. My kids love wild life as much as I do. Last year we did a safari trip in Africa and were on safari jeeps all day long. The Masai Mara national park is 7 hrs away from Nairobi and the roads much worse. They fared well. I'll read some more though.

Mapleleaves has discussed the cost considerations of driving to Seward versus taking the train and this certainly has to be considered. I will talk about the experiences of each of the options. Sometimes the cheapest option is not the best option.

As most of you know, I am prejudiced and will gladly admit it - I do not like train trips because I am not in control and I like to be able to stop when and where I want to look at stuff and to take pictures.

I have not taken the Anchorage to Seward train but I did make the mistake of taking the Anchorage to Denali train on my first trip to Alaska maybe 15 years ago because I just did not know any better. I will not say that I hated the train but my reactions to the trip were certainly extreme dislike. I define a train trip as a "blink and you miss it" trip. The train travels past interesting sights without stopping. If you are not looking out the window at precisely the right moment, you miss sights such as wildlife and interesting views. If your camera is on your lap at the moment when there is a wonderful photo op, you miss your chance.

Compare this to a car trip. First of all, there are lots of wonderful scenic views on the Anchorage - Seward drive. The Turnagain (did I get the spelling right?) Arm part of the trip in fantastic. There is a wonderful wildlife rescue place you can stop at and visit. There is a glacier that is not far off the main road. It is a fantastic drive. You will experience none of this except maybe good views whizzing past your window if you take the train.

Cost is not everything. Drive!!

With regard to your time in Seward, you could easily spend 2 days there. I would take the longer Kenai Fjord trip. I have done it twice. Both were great. ON one of our trips, we saw more orcas than the captain had ever seen. On the 2nd trip, some orcas but not nearly as many.

The SeaLife Center is very interesting. The center has excellent displays including many live displays. They have some wonderful optional tours that take you to places in the building that visitors do not normally see -

http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/visitors/index.php?page=programs-tours.php

We have done the Behind-the-Scenes tour, the Puffin Encounter and the Octopus Encounter. All three were excellent.

Bottom line is that you have to find some way to add some days or (alas) cut some stuff.

DON

Thank you Don and Mapleleaves. Ok so far I am going to still keep Denali on my itinerary. Add atleast 1 day more for my return trip from Denali to Seward via Anchorage(to drop the car and rebook unless one way from Anchorage to Seward is cost effective) . Any place between Denali and Seward that we could spend a night or should we return to Anchorage ?

Mon arrive in Anc in the evening.

Tue pick up car. drive to Denali. Maybe stop at Eklutna Spirit Houses, Eagle River Nature Center, Talkeetna ( 1/2 hr detour off the hwy)

Wed shuttle to Eielson 9-5

Thu 10am free sled dog demo. Leave the park at noon. Drive to Girdwood to overnight.

Fri Girdwood area activities .... Wildlife Conservation center, Potters Marsh, Portage lake/glacier, Alyeska Resort. Late afternoon. drive to Seward stopping at Exit Glacier

Sat Kenai cruise 11-5. Then board ship.

I just looked at Hertz. Tue-Sat is $525 for a one-way.

If you want budget accomomodations at Denali ... Denali Park Hotel is a clean basic place. Or a private cabin at the hostel if you'll share a bathroom. Lots of options on the Denali Chamber site:

http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

Girdwood has a hostel or try Glacier View B&B, or the Girdwood Chamber.

Mon arrive in Anc in the evening.

Tue pick up car. drive to Denali. Maybe stop at Eklutna Spirit Houses, Eagle River Nature Center, Talkeetna ( 1/2 hr detour off the hwy)

Wed shuttle to Eielson 9-5

Thu 10am free sled dog demo. Leave the park at noon. Drive to Girdwood to overnight.

Fri Girdwood area activities .... Wildlife Conservation center, Potters Marsh, Portage lake/glacier, Alyeska Resort. Late afternoon. drive to Seward stopping at Exit Glacier

Sat Kenai cruise 11-5. Then board ship.

 

I just looked at Hertz. Tue-Sat is $525 for a one-way.

If you want budget accomomodations at Denali ... Denali Park Hotel is a clean basic place. Or a private cabin at the hostel if you'll share a bathroom. Lots of options on the Denali Chamber site:

http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

 

Girdwood has a hostel or try Glacier View B&B, or the Girdwood Chamber.

mapleleaves, I could kiss you right now. Thank you so much for doing so much research for me. I'll stick close to the plan you drew out for me. Thank you :)

You're welcome, but the only research I did was Hertz. The rest of it was from making the drive several times myself.

Another option to consider ... price a flight into Fairbanks instead of Anc and the Hertz car from Fairbanks to Seward. Then your drive to Denali is only 2 1/2 hrs that first day instead of 6 hrs, and eliminates back-tracking.

You're welcome, but the only research I did was Hertz. The rest of it was from making the drive several times myself.

 

Another option to consider ... price a flight into Fairbanks instead of Anc and the Hertz car from Fairbanks to Seward. Then your drive to Denali is only 2 1/2 hrs that first day instead of 6 hrs, and eliminates back-tracking.

ok will check flights from Fairbanks.

If you want budget accomomodations at Denali ... Denali Park Hotel is a clean basic place. Or a private cabin at the hostel if you'll share a bathroom. Lots of options on the Denali Chamber site:

http://www.a1cms.com/_dcc/accommodations/

 

Girdwood has a hostel or try Glacier View B&B, or the Girdwood Chamber.

Another suggestion for saving a bit of money in Denali to help offset the expensive car rental. Stay in a cabin in Healy. Assuming that there is no road construction between Healy and Denali, it is only a 10 minute drive. it will be cheaper, you are away from the Denali Glitter Gulch, dinner will cost less, the cabins will have a kitchen so you can make breakfast, and it is a much better experience.

DON

There IS road construction this yr between Denali and Fairbanks. They'll need to check the DOT for info around their travel dates.

Another suggestion for saving a bit of money in Denali to help offset the expensive car rental. Stay in a cabin in Healy. Assuming that there is no road construction between Healy and Denali, it is only a 10 minute drive. it will be cheaper, you are away from the Denali Glitter Gulch, dinner will cost less, the cabins will have a kitchen so you can make breakfast, and it is a much better experience.

 

DON

Don, if I stay in Healy how would I travel to Denali ? Are there shuttles that would be cheaper than car rental ? Also, to travel from Fairbanks or Anchorage to Denali I would have to rent a car so I guess I will have a rental car whether I like it or not. Am I missing something ?

if you don't have a car, your options are Alaska Railroad or Park Connection Bus, and your hotel options will be limited to Glitter Gulch, since you will either walk to the park entrance ( 1 1/2 miles) , or, stay at a hotel with a shuttle to the entrance.

Please borrow some Alaska travel books from your library and familiarize yourself with the locations and distances. And utilize web sites like http://www.alaska.org ,

http://www.alaska101.com, and the Alaska Dept of Tourism http://www.travelalaska.com/

You're getting ahead of yourself ... seems like you only booked the cruise a week ago and you're trying to plan cruise excursions and a land tour without doing the research. You still have another month +, to make reservations for next year at 2014 prices, so take your time, get familiar with the options rather than plan it all tomorrow but in a scattered kind of way.

At this point you're just asking 'should I do this' 'should I do that'; learn for yourself instead of relying on feedback from 5-6 people. When you feel comfortable with your choices, ask for feedback.

Good luck with your planning and research!

We just returned from cruise and week+ inland, with children 7.5 and 11. We docked at Whittier, not Seward, so didn't make it down to Kenai peninsula at all, which was too bad. But just for some more ideas for OP to think about: we did a small glacier boat cruise the day we got off the cruise ship in Whittier. That was a great choice for us, so I'd recommend you continue to think about doing your KFjords boat trip the day you embark. We did go to Denali and our kids LOVED it. We traveled at a more leisurely pace due to some other personal things we wanted to do (meet up with old friends in Anchorage, etc). But you can easily do the Denali-Anchorage drive in a day. We did flightseeing from Talkeetna on our way to Denali, and it was a fantastic way to see Mt.McKinley. Once we got to Denali, we went to the free dogsled show at 4pm, which was great. Kids loved seeing them run and getting to pet them. We also picked up our tickets for the 6:30 am shuttle to Eileson the following day. We stayed up in Healy at Park's Edge cabins. Clean, comfortable, friendly staff and the drive was not bad even with this year's construction. Early morning the second day, but well worth it for all the animals we saw. Not too long a ride for my kids -- though the last hour back they did drowse a bit, but we'd already seen and done so much. I would think your 9 and 11 year old would think it's fantastic. The driver of the shuttle told us many interesting stories and facts throughout the day and the time just flew by. Good dinner and sleep that night, then back to Anchorage with plenty of time to spare the following day before our flight. We were really happy with our itinerary and I think the one Mapleleaves outlined for you is a great place to start!

We just returned from cruise and week+ inland, with children 7.5 and 11. We docked at Whittier, not Seward, so didn't make it down to Kenai peninsula at all, which was too bad. But just for some more ideas for OP to think about: we did a small glacier boat cruise the day we got off the cruise ship in Whittier. That was a great choice for us, so I'd recommend you continue to think about doing your KFjords boat trip the day you embark. We did go to Denali and our kids LOVED it. We traveled at a more leisurely pace due to some other personal things we wanted to do (meet up with old friends in Anchorage, etc). But you can easily do the Denali-Anchorage drive in a day. We did flightseeing from Talkeetna on our way to Denali, and it was a fantastic way to see Mt.McKinley. Once we got to Denali, we went to the free dogsled show at 4pm, which was great. Kids loved seeing them run and getting to pet them. We also picked up our tickets for the 6:30 am shuttle to Eileson the following day. We stayed up in Healy at Park's Edge cabins. Clean, comfortable, friendly staff and the drive was not bad even with this year's construction. Early morning the second day, but well worth it for all the animals we saw. Not too long a ride for my kids -- though the last hour back they did drowse a bit, but we'd already seen and done so much. I would think your 9 and 11 year old would think it's fantastic. The driver of the shuttle told us many interesting stories and facts throughout the day and the time just flew by. Good dinner and sleep that night, then back to Anchorage with plenty of time to spare the following day before our flight. We were really happy with our itinerary and I think the one Mapleleaves outlined for you is a great place to start!

Thank you. Your review helps me a lot.