DIY pre cruise - what do you think of our plan?

We are doing the Southbound on Radiance next summer. We've decided to do our own thing rather that do the cruise tour, mostly because we want to do trains all the way.

We're flying from the east coast, so we're going to fly into Seattle (nonstop flight), spend a day or so there, then fly to Fairbanks, spend the night, and then head south on the train.

We're going to do the Gold Star dome train all the way south to Seward. We're stopping a day and a half for Denali, and heading to Anchorage. We'll overnight there.

We'll leave Anchorage early on the first day of our cruise and arrive in Seward around 11:00.

Then off we go!

Once we arrive in Vancouver, we'll spend the day there and then head to Seattle to fly out the next day (again, we chose this for the nonstop flight)

Thoughts?

The downside to using the train for Denali is that it limits your dining and lodging options...

Also, if it was me, I'd add another day to the train from Anchorage to Whittier and then do a Prince William Sound Glacier cruise.

There's lots of travel sites that will offer Alaska Railroad bookings, but I would recommend using the official Alaska Railroad page to book.

There really isn't much to comment on..... it's pretty straightforward.

so your time in Alaska looks like this?

day 1 arrive in Fairbanks

day 2 train to Denali 8 - noon

day 3 full day in Denali

day 4 train to Anchorage noon - 8pm

day 5 train to Seward 7am - 11am

I agree with the PP to add 1 or 2 nites in Anchorage. Do a Whittier cruise or rent a car and explore a little .... Matanuska Glacier, Independence Mine, Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Glacier.

May also want to consider adding a Kenai Fjords excursion at Seward before your cruise, if that is something that would appeal to you.

May also want to consider adding a Kenai Fjords excursion at Seward before your cruise, if that is something that would appeal to you.

I second that.

We are doing the Southbound on Radiance next summer. We've decided to do our own thing rather that do the cruise tour, mostly because we want to do trains all the way.

We're flying from the east coast, so we're going to fly into Seattle (nonstop flight), spend a day or so there, then fly to Fairbanks, spend the night, and then head south on the train.

We're going to do the Gold Star dome train all the way south to Seward. We're stopping a day and a half for Denali, and heading to Anchorage. We'll overnight there.

We'll leave Anchorage early on the first day of our cruise and arrive in Seward around 11:00.

 

Then off we go!

 

Once we arrive in Vancouver, we'll spend the day there and then head to Seattle to fly out the next day (again, we chose this for the nonstop flight)

 

Thoughts?

Other than I would fly back out of Vancouver I like it, though I think instead of spending the night in Seattle on the way, I would just get to Fairbanks sooner so you could spend an extra day in Denali. If you want to spend time in Seattle do it on the way back. I agree that an extra day in Steward would be great!

Sorry, frankly, not what I would consider a good itinerary. You are way too much time in transit, and NO time at any destination, including Fairbanks, Denali , Anchorage and Seward. I would suggest you add at least 3 more days, so as to take advantage of being "there". You get extremely little of Alaska, looking out a window. I find nothing special, and the most repetitive run of the Alaska RR Fairbanks/Anchorage. I always recommend having 3 nights at Denali- if using the train. This section visually parallels the Parks Highway, most of the way.

We did a similar precruise itinerary as yours but we spent 7 days doing it. I would suggest a few more days exploring Alaska if you have the time.

We are doing another Alaska southbound cruise next summer and we hope to spend 10 days in Alaska pre cruise then.

Have a blast exploring - we certainly did!

You might need extra days in Vancouver.... it's bigger than all the Alaskan ports combined....

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Which date does your cruise end in Vancouver? We can respond with seasonal opportunities.

We are doing the Southbound on Radiance next summer. We've decided to do our own thing rather that do the cruise tour, mostly because we want to do trains all the way.

We're flying from the east coast, so we're going to fly into Seattle (nonstop flight), spend a day or so there, then fly to Fairbanks, spend the night, and then head south on the train.

We're going to do the Gold Star dome train all the way south to Seward. We're stopping a day and a half for Denali, and heading to Anchorage. We'll overnight there.

We'll leave Anchorage early on the first day of our cruise and arrive in Seward around 11:00.

 

Then off we go!

 

Once we arrive in Vancouver, we'll spend the day there and then head to Seattle to fly out the next day (again, we chose this for the nonstop flight)

 

Thoughts?

Way, way too much time on trains and not nearly enough time experiencing Alaska IMHO. Why not rent a car for a DIY tour where you can stop along the way and explore? We did that this summer, using the train for only one leg of our trip (Anchorage to Whittier), and it was easy. Probably the easiest driving vacation we've ever taken. I'd recommend more time at Denali and in Seward, a lovely little town with lots to do. At the very least, give yourself enough time there to do one of the longer Kenai Fjords boat tours.