Rental car pickup in Anchorage help

My husband and I will be sailing into Seward on Friday Aug. 31st, 2018 and will take the Alaska RR into Anchorage that day. We don't fly out of Anchorage until 9:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 2nd, so I was thinking we should rent a car while we're in Anchorage. I was searching for rental cars and it gives me the Alaska RR station in Anchorage as a place to pick up, but when you select that, it then says how many miles away the rental car place will be. Can anyone tell me if there is a car rental place at the train station or nearby? We are staying at the Anchorage Grand hotel. which is right ny the train station, so we could drop our bags off and get to the rental place if need be, but it will be much less stressful on my travel adverse husband if the car rental is right there.

I will try to answer your question based on what I know.

If you are taking the Alaska RR from Seward, do you know if it is the cruiseline chartered train? If you take that transfer, sometimes the train will take you directly to the station at the airport, where you can easily walk to the car rental location. However, if you are taking the regular Alaska RR, you will probably debark in Anchorage, right by your hotel. ( I have stayed there before too.) Unfortunately, it is about a 15 minute drive to the airport from there. The Grand Hotel does not have a free shuttle either, so you will have to take a cab to pick up your car. You may be able to find a small rental place downtown, but as far as I know, you will have to take a cab to get to one of those places too. Just a quick thought: I stayed at another hotel that is a little bit further away from the train station that had a free shuttle to/from the station AND the airport. Are you locked into that particular hotel? We only stayed there one night, but found the train traffic disturbed us at night due to the hotel's proximity to the tracks.

I will try to answer your question based on what I know.

 

If you are taking the Alaska RR from Seward, do you know if it is the cruiseline chartered train? If you take that transfer, sometimes the train will take you directly to the station at the airport, where you can easily walk to the car rental location. However, if you are taking the regular Alaska RR, you will probably debark in Anchorage, right by your hotel. ( I have stayed there before too.) Unfortunately, it is about a 15 minute drive to the airport from there. The Grand Hotel does not have a free shuttle either, so you will have to take a cab to pick up your car. You may be able to find a small rental place downtown, but as far as I know, you will have to take a cab to get to one of those places too. Just a quick thought: I stayed at another hotel that is a little bit further away from the train station that had a free shuttle to/from the station AND the airport. Are you locked into that particular hotel? We only stayed there one night, but found the train traffic disturbed us at night due to the hotel's proximity to the tracks.

We are not locked into it. I chose it because it seemed close to downtown. I’d like to be within walking distance to restaurants/bars etc and in a good location. Which hotel did you stay at?

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We usually stay by the airport, but I have stayed at your hotel once, Captain Cook's once, and the Comfort Inn at Ship Creek once. The last one is the one that I felt was the best value, with the added shuttle transportation. We stayed there pre-cruise, and after I returned my rental car to the airport, I waited over a half hour for the shuttle. They finally told me to take and cab, and they would pay for it...which they did. that was about 4 years ago, but I was impressed. You might want to call and double check that they will pick you up at the train station, but I remember it being really close by...not as close as the Grand....but only a block or two away.

https://www.choicehotels.com/alaska/anchorage/comfort-inn-hotels/ak006?pmf=yext&mc=llyxyxpx

There are some rental car agencies downtown, but you need to check their hours. I know ion the weekends they have very limited hours.

If you book Enterprise, they have the we'll pick you up deal.

My husband and I will be sailing into Seward on Friday Aug. 31st, 2018 and will take the Alaska RR into Anchorage that day. We don't fly out of Anchorage until 9:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 2nd, so I was thinking we should rent a car while we're in Anchorage. I was searching for rental cars and it gives me the Alaska RR station in Anchorage as a place to pick up, but when you select that, it then says how many miles away the rental car place will be. Can anyone tell me if there is a car rental place at the train station or nearby? We are staying at the Anchorage Grand hotel. which is right ny the train station, so we could drop our bags off and get to the rental place if need be, but it will be much less stressful on my travel adverse husband if the car rental is right there.

How stressful could it be check into your hotel, relax a bit, take a taxi to the airport to pick up the car and then drive back to the hotel. It doesn't have to be the both of you. You husband could stay at the hotel when you pick up the car. Unless I am missing something or the OP has left something out, I can't see what the problem is.

DON

Avis, Hertz and Enterprise all have offices downtown within walking distance of the Anchorage Grand.

http://www.avisalaska.com/locations/anchorage-downtown/

How stressful could it be check into your hotel, relax a bit, take a taxi to the airport to pick up the car and then drive back to the hotel. It doesn't have to be the both of you. You husband could stay at the hotel when you pick up the car. Unless I am missing something or the OP has left something out, I can't see what the problem is.

 

 

 

DON

lol the problem is my husband who hates vacations of any kind and we will probably be getting in pretty late into anchorage.

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Avis, Hertz and Enterprise all have offices downtown within walking distance of the Anchorage Grand.

 

http://www.avisalaska.com/locations/anchorage-downtown/

Thank you!

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We picked up our car at AVIS in downtown. It was about a 15 minute walk from the Comfort Inn Ship Creek, where we stayed. Definitely check the hours though, because they can be limited. Happy planning :D

There's Enterprise, Avis, and Hertz all downtown. There are also a few scattered around midtown (usually the cheapest) and of course at the Airport. It would probably be easier to book at wherever is cheapest and then take Uber/Lyft to the rental car place. I've found that Uber/Lyft in Anchorage is much cheaper than the cabs (and they smell better too!).

What is the best strategy for a car rental when arriving in Whittier from a Princess cruise? I will arrive on the Coral which will be a Wednesday. Does the train or bus from Whittier go to the airport to pick up a car or should I rent at a downtown locatiln? I would need to dr off the car at the airport a week later upon flying home from ANC.

My plan is to drive out to Denali for 2 nights, head back to Kenai and Seward area for 3 nights, then back to Anchorage.

My husband and I will be sailing into Seward on Friday Aug. 31st, 2018 and will take the Alaska RR into Anchorage that day. We don't fly out of Anchorage until 9:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 2nd, so I was thinking we should rent a car while we're in Anchorage. I was searching for rental cars and it gives me the Alaska RR station in Anchorage as a place to pick up, but when you select that, it then says how many miles away the rental car place will be. Can anyone tell me if there is a car rental place at the train station or nearby? We are staying at the Anchorage Grand hotel. which is right ny the train station, so we could drop our bags off and get to the rental place if need be, but it will be much less stressful on my travel adverse husband if the car rental is right there.

Not sure of a close one but i can tell you that the enterprise car rental downtown will pick you up.

lol the problem is my husband who hates vacations of any kind

 

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:'):'):')

I know your pain

We are staying at the Anchorage Grand hotel. which is right ny the train station, so we could drop our bags off and get to the rental place if need be, but it will be much less stressful on my travel adverse husband if the car rental is right there.

Hi! I will also be staying at the Anchorage Grand Hotel in August 2018. I wanted to post here because I just noticed last night that the Anchorage Grand Hotel is listed, as of a day or two ago, on realtor.com for a selling price of $3,250,000. Our trip is booked and paid for, and now I'm concerned that if the building is sold, we'll be left without a room. Figured I'd give you a heads-up also since you'll be staying there around the same time. I'm really not sure what happens to existing reservations when a hotel is sold. Does the new owner have to honor them? Maybe the hotel stops taking reservations after a certain date and just honors the ones that it already accepted in anticipation of the sale? I hope it works out for both of us and our trips go well. :)

Hi! I will also be staying at the Anchorage Grand Hotel in August 2018. I wanted to post here because I just noticed last night that the Anchorage Grand Hotel is listed, as of a day or two ago, on realtor.com for a selling price of $3,250,000. Our trip is booked and paid for, and now I'm concerned that if the building is sold, we'll be left without a room. Figured I'd give you a heads-up also since you'll be staying there around the same time. I'm really not sure what happens to existing reservations when a hotel is sold. Does the new owner have to honor them? Maybe the hotel stops taking reservations after a certain date and just honors the ones that it already accepted in anticipation of the sale? I hope it works out for both of us and our trips go well. :)

Thanks for the heads up! I’ll definitely keep an eye on it. Hopefully they’ll let booked guests know either way in an appropriate amount of time.

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:'):'):')

 

 

 

I know your pain

Ha! Glad I’m not alone. Why must husbands be so difficult? [emoji15]

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My husband and I will be sailing into Seward on Friday Aug. 31st, 2018 and will take the Alaska RR into Anchorage that day. We don't fly out of Anchorage until 9:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 2nd, so I was thinking we should rent a car while we're in Anchorage. I was searching for rental cars and it gives me the Alaska RR station in Anchorage as a place to pick up, but when you select that, it then says how many miles away the rental car place will be. Can anyone tell me if there is a car rental place at the train station or nearby? We are staying at the Anchorage Grand hotel. which is right ny the train station, so we could drop our bags off and get to the rental place if need be, but it will be much less stressful on my travel adverse husband if the car rental is right there.

Enterprise Car rental Is Located Downtown Not Far From Your Hotel. I Am Renting From There- My Hotel Will Pick Us Up At Airport And Takes Us To Hotel And It Is Two Blocks From Enterprise.

Couple things I discovered when renting a car in Alaska:

1 - join the frequent guest club for the car rental places. Rates are cheaper for "frequent guests" no matter the level.

2 - rent away from the airport.

We rented an SUV from Avis downtown using my ex's Avis Wizard # and saved a couple hundred dollars on a full week rental. The hours to return were limited, but there is a drop box for Avis so you can return cars after hours.