Twitch7

Hopefully this catches you before you head to Anchorage. You asked about car rental in Anchorage. I would give Midnight Sun Car and Van Rental a call. Just finished a 5 day DIY land tour starting in Whittier, with a drop off in Anchorage. Their rates were very competitive with Avis. Their customer service is jaw dropping. We had a couple of (self-inflicted) issues crop up, and Midnight Sun came to the rescue both times. Highly recommend giving them a call and let them work for you.

If it's an option, I suggest (re)booking on Princess, and go with either a Northbound or Southbound one-way cruise. Ketch/Skag/Jun/etc are technically AK, but geographically they're Pacific Canada. Fly or cruise into Anchorage and see more, and see the real AK.

We just completed a northbound cruise out of Vancouver with Princess, and there was a very nice progression to the scenery. From wow, to Wow, to WOW! Ketchikan, Juneau, Skaqway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord! Princess calls this one the Voyage of the Glaciers.

We also tacked on a DIY 5 day land tour by renting a van from Midnight Sun Car and Van Rental in Anchorage. They dropped the van off in Whittier for a very reasonable fee, so our party of 6 could head straight to Seward in time for an early lunch. (Can't say enough good things about Midnight Sun. Jaw dropping customer service, and better rates than Avis).

Flew Talkeetna Air Taxi a couple weeks ago. Originally booked a Grand Tour w/ Glacier Landing but the North side was socked in, so they turned it into a Southside Explorer (their term) w/ Glacier Landing (and charged us the lesser rate of course). Do not miss the glacier landing. Incredible views and experience. TAT was professional, helpful, and friendly from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Note that the Northern Lights book has a coupon for 25% off of a party of 4. We were 6 total, so four tickers received the discount, and the other two a standard 10% discount (I forgot where the 10% came from). Save us many times the cost of the coupon book.

If you go TAT, ask for Melissa. Very friendly and professional. Actually an ex-stunt and air show pilot, and pretty handy with a camera.