A bit of the interior on a budget?

First, this is WAY early planning...We are doing an Alaska cruise--Seward to Vancouver--in June 2018. This came about from a family discussion over Thanksgiving. We will be going with six of us...

I've been to Alaska twice. First time, we went all out. Celebrity's top of the line cruisetour--starting in Fairbanks for two nights, then Denali, Talkeetna, Anchorage, Alyeska, Sky Suites on the cruise (with our daughters), two nights post-cruise in Vancouver. Luxury coaches and domed railroads. First class hotels. Second time, we were just trying to get a quick cruise in before a major summer vacation and had limited time...So we just flew into Anchorage the night before, spent a night at a hotel near the airport and took a van tour down to Seward the next day, then flew home immediately after the cruise from Vancouver.

My sister and BIL did a long cruisetour on Princess a few years back...So this will be their second Alaska cruise. All four of us are veteran, long time cruisers...and I don't think the budget is really a problem for any of us.

But my youngest brother and his wife have never been on a cruise...and never been to Alaska...So, we finally convinced them to do this one. And, from what I know, I think, for them, the budget is a MAJOR concern. I'd say let's just do the cruise alone, but I think my brother would really enjoy spending at least a little time in the interior as well...I just don't want to double or triple his costs by turning it into a cruisetour or a major expensive land tour...

So, the questions are:

How many extra nights should we plan on pre-cruise?

Should we rent a van/SUV of some sort or rely on some other form of transportation?

Should we just stay in, say, Anchorage as a base? Some other location? Or move from location to location each day?

Any good but reasonably priced hotels to recommend?

What should we visit, just to give my brother a taste of the interior? Denali?

Should we keep it to a loop from Anchorage to Denali and back, then down to Seward? Or should we try to fit in more?

I'm guessing a "minimal visit" might be two nights pre-cruise in Anchorage, either rent a car or use a tour service of some kind for a tour to Denali on the one full day, then a van service to the pier the next...Or, should we go to three nights...and, if so, what would you do with that second full day?

Any and all ideas are appreciated. Thanks...

So, the questions are:

 

How many extra nights should we plan on pre-cruise?

Should we rent a van/SUV of some sort or rely on some other form of transportation?

Should we just stay in, say, Anchorage as a base? Some other location? Or move from location to location each day?

Any good but reasonably priced hotels to recommend?

What should we visit, just to give my brother a taste of the interior? Denali?

Should we keep it to a loop from Anchorage to Denali and back, then down to Seward? Or should we try to fit in more?

 

I'm guessing a "minimal visit" might be two nights pre-cruise in Anchorage, either rent a car or use a tour service of some kind for a tour to Denali on the one full day, then a van service to the pier the next...Or, should we go to three nights...and, if so, what would you do with that second full day?

 

Any and all ideas are appreciated. Thanks...

The problem with Denali is that it's really a minimum three-day commitment, since getting into the park interior is only allowed using the park shuttle buses, and the round trip from the park HQ to the Eielson visitor center involves something like 8 hours on the bus. So you need most of a day to get there, a day to be there, and most of a day to come back.

My high-speed "show the visitors" tour of southcentral Alaska is more limited, and it won't be adequate for many people, but it's fairly affordable.

First, use an ordinary rental car, and the earlier you can book it it the better; the mid-summer rates become astronomical if you wait too long.

I'd spend a day in Anchorage visiting the Native Heritage Center, maybe a drive up to the Eklutna village cemetery, walk or ride bikes briefly along the coastal trail, and watch the float planes coming and going from Lake Hood. Have a couple of good meals at someplace that's not as touristy as many that are recommended here, and call it good.

Spend the second night at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, down the Seward Highway around 45 min. out of town. Because of its location (and the fact that it's mainly a ski area) it's surprisingly affordable in the summer, and a highlight is to take the aerial tram that runs from the hotel up onto Mt. Alyeska, for amazing views of the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm. For a splurge meal the Seven Glaciers restaurant at the top of the tram is excellent.

The next day, drive around 45 min. to Whittier and take a glacier cruise up into College Fjord on Prince William Sound. Since the cruise will be departing from Seward and not Whittier (used only by Princess if memory serves) you won't see many PWS glaciers on your cruise; the "26 glacier" cruise (or one of the others - google it) is spectacular and well worth doing.

After the glacier cruise, head back out to the Seward Hwy from Whittier and stop at the Wildlife Conservation Center near the junction; you'll see a full range of Alaska wildlife in pretty decent settings.

Then continue down to Seward for the night. The next day, do a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward. This will give you spectacular scenery and lots of wildlife. Depending on when your cruise sails you could board when you get back, or - better - spend a second night in Seward, visit the Sea Life Center maybe, then board your ship and off you go.

A one-way car rental from Anchorage to Seward will be expensive, but you can divide the cost by the number of passengers and compare it to what a train or bus transfer from Anchorage would have cost, and it should reduce the sting a little.

On the cruise itself, I also recommend being independent. For example, rent a car in Skagway and drive up into the Yukon with it. Visit the Carcross Desert, stop at Emerald Lake, and my own recommendation is to continue a few miles farther on the S. Klondike Hwy to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town.

Or get another car in Ketchikan and use it to visit Totem Bight State Park and head down to the Tlingit village of Saxman, for totem poles and real people rather than the honky tonk of the town.

Just some budget-conscious suggestions.

The problem with Denali is that it's really a minimum three-day commitment, since getting into the park interior is only allowed using the park shuttle buses, and the round trip from the park HQ to the Eielson visitor center involves something like 8 hours on the bus. So you need most of a day to get there, a day to be there, and most of a day to come back.

 

My high-speed "show the visitors" tour of southcentral Alaska is more limited, and it won't be adequate for many people, but it's fairly affordable.

 

First, use an ordinary rental car, and the earlier you can book it it the better; the mid-summer rates become astronomical if you wait too long.

 

I'd spend a day in Anchorage visiting the Native Heritage Center, maybe a drive up to the Eklutna village cemetery, walk or ride bikes briefly along the coastal trail, and watch the float planes coming and going from Lake Hood. Have a couple of good meals at someplace that's not as touristy as many that are recommended here, and call it good.

 

Spend the second night at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, down the Seward Highway around 45 min. out of town. Because of its location (and the fact that it's mainly a ski area) it's surprisingly affordable in the summer, and a highlight is to take the aerial tram that runs from the hotel up onto Mt. Alyeska, for amazing views of the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm. For a splurge meal the Seven Glaciers restaurant at the top of the tram is excellent.

 

The next day, drive around 45 min. to Whittier and take a glacier cruise up into College Fjord on Prince William Sound. Since the cruise will be departing from Seward and not Whittier (used only by Princess if memory serves) you won't see many PWS glaciers on your cruise; the "26 glacier" cruise (or one of the others - google it) is spectacular and well worth doing.

 

After the glacier cruise, head back out to the Seward Hwy from Whittier and stop at the Wildlife Conservation Center near the junction; you'll see a full range of Alaska wildlife in pretty decent settings.

 

Then continue down to Seward for the night. The next day, do a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward. This will give you spectacular scenery and lots of wildlife. Depending on when your cruise sails you could board when you get back, or - better - spend a second night in Seward, visit the Sea Life Center maybe, then board your ship and off you go.

 

A one-way car rental from Anchorage to Seward will be expensive, but you can divide the cost by the number of passengers and compare it to what a train or bus transfer from Anchorage would have cost, and it should reduce the sting a little.

 

On the cruise itself, I also recommend being independent. For example, rent a car in Skagway and drive up into the Yukon with it. Visit the Carcross Desert, stop at Emerald Lake, and my own recommendation is to continue a few miles farther on the S. Klondike Hwy to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town.

 

Or get another car in Ketchikan and use it to visit Totem Bight State Park and head down to the Tlingit village of Saxman, for totem poles and real people rather than the honky tonk of the town.

 

Just some budget-conscious suggestions.

You have some good suggestions, as DW and I are looking for a cruisetour with our 2018 Alaska cruise. But after reading an article here in CC, I want to check out doing my own cruise tour. I think I can do a great one for about half what the extra cost would be from the cruise line. Maybe more

Hey Bruin Steve,

I don't think your research is too early at all. I've started researching my own cruise tour and I won't be going (probably) until August 2018.

We are doing 3 nights post-cruise in Seward. As our cruise ends in Whittier, we are taking the Princess transfer to Anchorage, picking up our car and doing the scenic drive to Seward. We will stop in Girdwood along the way and take the tram, maybe do a short hike. In Seward we will do the Kenai Fjords cruise and Alaska Sealife center, hike to Exit Glacier, and see the Alaska Wildlife Conservatory.

I love Gardyloo's suggestions and if we had another night, we would have definitely spent it in Girdwood. We also ruled out Denali as we just don't have the time to devote to it and the family did not want to spend all of the time we do have in the car and in busses.

Bruin Steve, we liked our short land tour in 2012 so much that we are duplicating it in 2018 and bringing friends along.

In 2012 we flew into Anchorage and spent one night there. We walked around, ate a reindeer sausage, and took one of the trolley tours offered in front of the Anchorage Visitor Center. The next morning we took the Alaska Railroad Coastal Classic train to Seward. It's an absolutely beautiful trip.

We spent two nights in Seward. The first day there we went to the Alaska Sea Life Center (we took part in their Puffin Encounter) and then walked around town. The second day in Seward we took a 6-hour tour of Kenai Fjords with Major Marine (they serve a fabulous lunch). The third day we boarded the ship. The whole trip was very relaxing, and we were very happy with what we decided to do.

When we go in 2018, we would like to visit the Exit Glacier while in Seward. When we went in 2012, it was too early to get close to the glacier.

If you decide you don't have enough time to go north to Denali, give a thought to seeing what's around Seward before you board your ship. If you don't want the expense of a hotel in Seward, the train will get you into Seward just in time to get onto one of the Kenai Fjords cruises, which will be over in plenty of time to board your ship late in the afternoon. If you want to save on hotels, that is a way to do it.

Have fun with your planning.

Here's a link to my pictures of our 2012 trip:

I think, for them, the budget is a MAJOR concern. I'd say let's just do the cruise alone.....

Are there savings by avoiding the peak months? Or do you have a specific week or month in mind?

I agree that Denali is best with a minimum of 3 days, just for Denali, if you’re planning to get back into the park. There’s more than enough to do in Southcentral. Gardyloo provided a nice itinerary. Rent a car and take at least a few days and head south. If someone wants a peek at Denali, Talkeetna is 2.5 hours north and provides excellent views without going into the park. You can only see the mountain about ¼ or the time due to clouds.

The hotels near the airport will be more reasonable than downtown. Anchorage has also been adding at least one hotel per year in the midtown area that is a bit more reasonable. Won’t make a big difference which part of town you stay in if you have the car. Downtown is much more convenient to activities and restaurants but many of the hotels can be ridiculously priced during the summer.

In Anchorage there are several shuttles that stop next to the Log Cabin Visitor Center (Visit Anchorage). The Trolley is a 50 minute ride through downtown and out towards the airport to Earthquake Park for $20. Other shuttles that stop there are one to the Alaska Zoo, Ulu Factory and one that goes to the Anchorage Museum and then out to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. The shuttle is free and there is a combo ticket for $30 that allows entry into both the museum and heritage center.

There are occasional bore tides along Turnagain Arm as well as beluga whales although infrequent. They were seen out there for several weeks this year. For birding, Potter Marsh is a good spot. Dall sheep can be seen many times about 20 minutes south of Anchorage along the Arm at Windy Point.

The Alaska Railroad’s Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop is a gem and overlooked many times. It can be combined with an iceberg and Placer River float. A very neat experience being paddled about the huge icebergs. The train from the Portage station to Spencer takes about 30 minutes.

https://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel-planning/destinations/spencer-glacier-whistle-stop

On the way to Whittier is the Begich Boggs Visitor Center and Portage Glacier. The glacier is accessible by a one hour boat tour to the face.

Another option is heading north east to Matanuska Glacier. It’s the most easily accessible glacier in Alaska. You can drive to the parking lot and be on the glacier after a 10-15 minute walk. There are 3 guiding business in the area.

Just a different thought. I am married to another hates -to -spend -money guy. Adding anything to a fairly expensive cruise could well be too much for him and sour him on the whole trip. OTOH, if you just do the cruise and he falls in love with Alaska and wants to see more, you can add a land tour to your next Alaska cruise at HIS request. But with my DH, even a great buy doesn't meet with his approval.

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This is a bit off subject, but not entirely.

Our Alaska cruise started in Vancouver and we spent a week there pre-cruise as well as a four day Canadian Rockies bus tour.

That bus tour was very budget friendly. It was through Key West Tours.

http://keywesttravelandtours.com

The Circle West tour that we did cost about $700 Canadian pp. It was great.

Tossing in another option for budget "interior" viewing (sort of)...

Rent car in Anchorage and drive to Valdez via Matanuska Glacier, Tahneta Pass, Glennallen and Thompson Pass - with views (if clear) if the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains. Spend night in Valdez, perhaps at a B&B, and drive back to Anchorage next day. Mt. Wrangell, while not as tall as Denali, is very impressive due to shear mass. Lots of very pretty waterfalls along the road in the canyon between the pass and Valdez. An off the beaten tourist path taste of the interior while something new for the experienced folks.

Do the Interior of BC after you get off. There sre a few places even better than AK. :D Think about your budget and the dollar.

See you on the other side...:cool:

Hello from one Bruin to another (class of 72). I've lived in Alaska since graduation from Westwood (teaching job at UAA) and there is lots to see as you apparently know.

If you want to do Denali, it is a three day investment and I'd rent a van or a SUV that holds six. It's at least a five hour drive from Anchorage depending on road construction. If you want to save some money, stay in Healy vs. the main visitor area of the park. It's about 15 miles north of the area but less crowded. You can even get some cabins there; just do a google search for Healy Alaska lodging.

As a resident, I'm partial to going out on the water. I love the small boat trips from Whittier to see the glaciers of Prince William Sound or Seward to go into the fjords of Kenai Fjords National Park. Seward is a great place to overnight although, like most of Alaska, the prices are high during the summer season.

First, this is WAY early planning...We are doing an Alaska cruise--Seward to Vancouver--in June 2018. This came about from a family discussion over Thanksgiving. We will be going with six of us...

 

 

But my youngest brother and his wife have never been on a cruise...and never been to Alaska...So, we finally convinced them to do this one. And, from what I know, I think, for them, the budget is a MAJOR concern.

We were very satisfied with our first 7-night AK cruise (R/T Vancouver).

Since your family members may have budget concerns, I'd stick with just the cruise.

Arriving a day early just to eliminate the stress of "will we miss the boat" that comes with flying in the day of the cruise.

It is uncomfortable for the person without the means to know that they are limiting someone elses experience - so if you plan the simple/easy/less expensive trip then you eliminate add on options that inevitable add on to the expense

We did this in 2014 and it was better than the cruise tours we took. Early arrival flight to Anchorage. Evening in Anchorage with stay at the Comfort Inn Ship Creek. (Easy access to AKRR) Train to Seward. While at Seward: Exit Glacier, Fjords cruise, Sealife Center. Stayed at Windsong (They have packages with decent discounts and an hourly shuttle into town). We intended to rent a car and either go to Homer on Friday or gold panning near Girdwood but the weather was bad so we went to the Sealife Center. Saturday we took a taxi to Whittier. Could probably have squeezed in another tour Saturday morning but slept in and went into town for lunch. Ray's and Cristo's are good places to eat. Next time we will probably rent a car and stay at the Inn at Whittier and explore the Kenai from there. We usually cruise with Princess.

If we were sailing out of Seward we'd rent a car there.

Things to see and do around Whittier. Major Marine and Phillips do Prince William Sound glacier and wildlife cruises. Portage Glacier and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Girdwood--Aleyska, and Crow Creek Goldmine. Rafting on the Kenai, drive to Homer. Several options for glacier and wildlife cruises out of Seward. Exit Glacier. A lot you can do in 4 days, actually more to do than you can in 4 days. If you go to Seward take the train, Gold Star Service. It is spectacular. I know the train makes a stop in Girdwood so you might be able to board there. Avis has a location in Whittier so you should be able to do a one way rental.

I always suggest, finding out about Alaska, BEFORE jumping into plans. Although plenty above claim their tours worked well- many didn't get too far in Alaska. :) There is so much to see and do and countless options. Taking the time to consider the various areas- each has web visitor sites might find you on your perfect trip. There is way more than "Seward and Denali". :)