Trip Report: ALASKA. Northbound Hubbard Glacier. Millennium. June 22, 2018.

Thank you so much. Some day I will take my son on a trip of a lifetime. :p:D

Thank you, Anita! I really enjoyed your review and your pictures were AWESOME!!

I have really enjoyed reading your review! I am tentatively planning a cruise in 2021....I feel like it will take me that long to save up enough money to do it how I want to do it (in case it truly is a once in a lifetime experience). I want to spend a few days on land first, and then cruise South. That way, we would have a shorter flight on the way home (plus, I think I might have more energy for the land portion at the beginning of the trip.

I'm nervous about a cruise in the open water vs. just the Inside Passage due to seasickness. We've only cruised once, and it was a shorter cruise (five nights, I believe) but we missed one of the port days because the seas were too rough to tender. So we spent the day in our aft balcony cabin - pretty much in bed hoping we could sleep through it.

We have been to Alaska once, but our trip was completely centered around the Iditarod. We were there for the start of the race and actually volunteered to help and were paired with a specific musher. Our four days there were completely spent in Anchorage (and then Willow, for the restart).

I've been talking about going on a cruise to Alaska for years. It's time to make it happen. I'm not exactly sure when itineraries for 2021 will be announced, but that's when I'm shooting for. Plus, that will be our 20 years together....not married, just shacking up, haha.

Thank you so much. Some day I will take my son on a trip of a lifetime. :p:D

Thank you. I'm honored to be your first post on cruise critic! I hope you do take your son on a trip of a lifetime. As I shared previously, DS has just started his senior year...we considered this past summer to be our last real summer with him as next year will be crazy with him going off to college and us moving again. You sound very proactive...saying some day and not just "I hope". It takes some planning, but I hope to have shown here that it doesn't HAVE to be overwhelming to plan...just systematically go through what needs to be figured out.

Thank you, Anita! I really enjoyed your review and your pictures were AWESOME!!

Thank you so much! I had SO MANY pictures and I tried to not overwhelm this report with pictures...I really appreciate that feedback. Glad you enjoyed reading.

I have really enjoyed reading your review! I am tentatively planning a cruise in 2021....I feel like it will take me that long to save up enough money to do it how I want to do it (in case it truly is a once in a lifetime experience). I want to spend a few days on land first, and then cruise South. That way, we would have a shorter flight on the way home (plus, I think I might have more energy for the land portion at the beginning of the trip.

 

I'm nervous about a cruise in the open water vs. just the Inside Passage due to seasickness. We've only cruised once, and it was a shorter cruise (five nights, I believe) but we missed one of the port days because the seas were too rough to tender. So we spent the day in our aft balcony cabin - pretty much in bed hoping we could sleep through it.

 

We have been to Alaska once, but our trip was completely centered around the Iditarod. We were there for the start of the race and actually volunteered to help and were paired with a specific musher. Our four days there were completely spent in Anchorage (and then Willow, for the restart).

 

I've been talking about going on a cruise to Alaska for years. It's time to make it happen. I'm not exactly sure when itineraries for 2021 will be announced, but that's when I'm shooting for. Plus, that will be our 20 years together....not married, just shacking up, haha.

Please confirm my own impression, but I did get the impression that there was more open sea time when sailing from Seattle versus Vancouver...so if you are prone to seasickness on the open water...sailing to and from Vancouver will be your friend. I don't know if there are any one-ways that go to Seattle...so you should be good there.

Sailing south...crossing the Gulf of Alaska to get to Hubbard...definitely opportunity there for rough seas...also...back into the Gulf from Yukatat Bay until rounding Cape Spencer...we hit rough seas then as well. From that point on, you will be in more sheltered waters...so the likelihood of seas being rough enough to cause sea sickness is much less. I am aware of how Icy Strait Point used to be a tender port and that port was subject to cancelation due to seas being rough enough to make tenders unsafe...one reason why they decided to invest in the dock. I don't know how those rough seas, which could affect tender operation, would affect the much larger cruise ship though.

I don't think you can go wrong with picking an Alaska itinerary...northbound, southbound, land first, land post-cruise...I think that everyone is different and the fit for each family/person is unique and yay for there being choices available to suit everyone. An advantage to land first is the idea of the time difference working in your favor for early mornings.

Have fun planning! I don't know when we'll get to go back but I'm sure that we will...Alaska is such a wonderful break from the day to day.

I'm happy to share! I'm glad it's helpful! I think picking out whatever is most interesting to you is the way to go...that's in essence what we did.

Wow!! I had to jump in and tell you how much I have enjoyed your pre and thus far the post in Ketchikan which will be our last port when we are on the Millie for the June 14th 2019 cruise of a lifetime! Your first port. We have a full notebook of information, flights, and reservations started. You are giving me the energy to carry on!

My husband Tom, Myself (Debbie) and close friends of ours whom we cruise with nearly once a year (Rob & Gail) are starting our adventure in Anchorage on June 4th. We are doing it a little different. Our little group mentioned above were together 15 years ago doing the inside passage of Alaska. Back then we did "picture memoires" of the trip.;p This year I have started trip memo's on word. Sorry this is so long, but hoping you will read this and notice anything that may need adjusting in our plans. Let me get on with it!

We booked this Alaskian trip back in March when we were cruising the Panama Cannel from San Antonio, South America to Fort Lauderdale. That's another story, and I do have a blog I wrote about that experience here on Cruise Critic. (We all come from South Florida Tom and I from the South closer to the beginning of the Fl. Keys and R & G about 2 hours north of us ) We find that we save monies booking that way not so much in the price of the cruise but with the OBC they always give us which we then usually use on excursions. We booked a cruise out of Vancouver with a land package.

Then I started the research. Like you I am the researcher of the group. We do a lot of our own tours mixed with the occasional ship tour. While I was doing the research I came to the conclusion that 1. I wanted to do more than a few days in Denali. 2. The cruise line only paid for transportation and lodging and there was a whole lot of "your on your own time" 3. We could see and do more on our own longer for the same price. So.....now as I noted above we are flying into Anchorage from Miami. We saved between Tom and I about $2000. changing to the seven day cruise only. R&G were right with us.

The trip has evolved since then. At first I was frustrated because it was really to early to do anything! Flights could not be booked until the end of June, and really not much else as well. Just in the past few weeks have we booked a lot of the things we will be doing. Then there is the problem of R&G being far enough away that we can't meet frequently. We did meet last week and changed some things and set some things in stone! Let me give you the outline of the trip since I failed to do so--

We will be leaving Miami on the 3rd of June (Flights were a whole other story) and arriving June 4th via a stop in Seattle to Anchorage. That gives us 10 days before we have to board the Millie for our cruise. Yes we switched the order of the cruise! We thought that we would do the land portion first so that once we boarded the ship we could enjoy what it had to offer rather than thinking about the end of the trip. We are an older group so we needed the energy expended in the beginning! I have to tell anyone that might read this while planning their trip that our plans have changed several times, and will probably change many more as they say "you have to just go with the flow".

The plans thus far are for each of us to rent a class C RV and tour Alaska. I researched several companies and we ended up booking a 24 foot Thor Four Winds Motorhome with a queen & Dinette slide out with "Great Alaskian Holidays. greatalaskanholidays.com R & G called the same day and booked the same thing . The Cost for a week was $1387.45. It included insurance, a housekeeping package, linen package, unlimited miles, unlimited generator use, chairs, grill, toaster and a HDTV & DVD player. Why did I mention all that, well 1. They rent by the week and 2. Not all companies include the above mentioned things. This company had a A+ BBB rating and had many good reviews. Please do due diligence in researching and putting a deposit on your RV if you decide to go that route because there are companies out there that will be glad to take your money and not give you the product in good shape or not at all and some with when you arrive add on lots of expenses! I also have to add that the price noted above was given after we added some of the things listed.

To go back a few weeks I want to mention that we were going to book Hotel rooms for the 10 nights. When we saw the prices of both food and lodging we :eek:. Everything is very expensive in Alaska because everything has to get there, and that process in itself is expensive. Also ...there is a season in Alaska to make the monies to sustain you for the whole year. That season is End of May to End of September. Then most close their doors as it is to expensive to run them with fewer guests. Thus the decision for the camper. Did i mention we are young at heart but Old! In our younger days we camped, but now by necessity we need beds!

Flights Check, Housing Check. We plan to shop and do a lot of our meals in the RV and find the most recommended places to try Alaskian foods. We also plan to do some fishing. Oh you do need a fishing license as I believed you mentioned in your blog.

We have several versions of the following trip plan, and I am sure it will change several more times as we continue are research, but this is what I have right now:

Things to do:

Get annual nationalparks pass which will cancel parking fee at Denali.

Check into Alaska toursavers book (saves half on train etc.)

Hereis Itinerary:

Wednesday- June 4 – Arrive in Anchoragefrom Seattle. Pick up RV. Stop at Walmart for supplies for trip. Drive to Hatcher Pass RV Park & Cabins (23560 W Independence Way, Willow, Alaska,99688) Rate is $22.00 a night. This is 1 hour 30 minutes fromAnchorage. Phone: 907-495-4955 (see map). Things that are close are: 1. Independence MineState Historical site 2.Anchorage Museum 3. Eagle River Nature Center, 4. MuskOx Farm 5. Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Thursday – June 5 - Drivefrom Hatcher Pass RV to Midnight Sun RV &campground with full hookups. $38.00 per night. (Travel time 3 to 3.5 hours). 248.5 George ParksHighway. Healy, Alaska. Phone: 970-683-2379 (see map) See Denali Visitor Center displays and film,maybe free Ranger sled dog demo (at 10, 2, 4).

Early eveningflightseeing (sunset won't be until almost midnight, and in fact it never getsdark at that time of year). Either with The Denali flightseeing K2 Aviation.Flyk2.com $220 per couple withAlaska toursavor. Usually the coupon flights are 7pm flights.

FridayJune 6th- Shuttle to Eielson(8 hours) or Wonder lake (11 hours) Visitor center is at the 8 hour point. FreeRanger sled dog demo. Bring food andBeverages since none available for sale inside park. Bring Binoculars!!!!!Shuttle service is free. Spend the night at Midnight Sun campground.

Saturday -June 7 – morning ATV in Denali. Denali Wilderness Adventure ATV for 21/2hours. 1 driver and passenger $175 per couple or 1 driver 3 passengers $315 for 4. Times are 8am, 1pm 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm. Drive to Matanuska River Park 925 E Arctic Ave. Phone:907-746-8612 $27.00 a night. We could go to HatcherPass/Independence Mine or stop at Wasilla to see Iditarod HQ and in Palmer tosee the Musk Ox Farm. Or do the abovethe next day. The trip will take 4 hours without stops

Sunday-June 8 – Maybe Matanuska Glacier on Glenn Hwy drive right up to the gate ownerand pay $30 pp fee. Native Heritage Center, museum, 1 hr. trolley tour of city and overnight again at Matanuska River Park.

Monday– June 9 - Drive to AlyeskaTram ( 2 hours ) Seniors $22 pp if weather is clear, or try again tomorrow.Could also do Portage Glacier Cruise, or visit Begich Boggs Visitor Center(National Park so free with Parks pass) which is 2 hours away, also can go toWildlife conservation center open 8:30am-7pm, or Creek Mine National HistoricSite . Spend the night at MatanuskaRiver Park.

Tuesday– June 10 - Spencer Glacier day train trip (Floattour/Spencer Glacier Iceberg float rafting) $250. 7 hours. Reservation number 1-800-266-8625 info@alaskatrain.com Overnight Matanuska River Park.

Wednesday June 11- Return RV and check in to Hotel to be decided.

June12 – costal Classicmorning train Alaska Railroad at 6:45 am arriving in Seward at 11:05 am. $99 pp for Adventure Class, or $191pp for Goldstar Dome. Sea Life Center, Exit Glacier Overnight Seward. Harbor 360 Hotel $185 with breakfast

June13 – 7.5 hr. Kenai Fjords cruise (Kenai Fjordsnational Park Cruise 6 hours $109.00 pp or $177.00 pp with Lunch call to book 1-800-544-0552 or NorthwesternGlacier cruise. Over night.

June 14 – Sea Life Center or Exit Glacier today if didn’t do on the 12th. Board the ship for Lunch.

This Itinerary has change several times. At one point we went up to Fairbanks and do the Riverboat Discovery tour as well, but R&G did not want to include Fairbanks so we revised the schedule! We also had a drive to Whittier Tunnel and the Blackstone Glacier Cruise through majormarinetours.com . We may find ourselves there anyway and I will try and come back and give you a summation of our trip. My personality is do until you drop and R&G always give the things we do a little more time. We even each other out! My husband Tom is happy with most of everything I plan.

I am sure you noticed that some of our travels do include Hotel stays and we wanted to do at least one train ride. The ride from Anchorage to Seward (where we actually pick up the ship) is suppose to be beautiful and since the Alaska tour savor book has that ticket BYOB we decided to do it. The other reason for the hotel lodging is that we only had a week with the RV, and they would have charged a substantial amount more to drop the RV off at another site as well as a lot more in rental fees since it would not be a week.

Would love some feed back from anyone! I promise I won't be offended if you see a flow in anything I have written rather it may help me continue on my road to planning!

A few hints before I finish this note which is way to long!

Check out getting The Alaska tour saver books as I mentioned above. We can't purchase it until November of 2018. Get the annual national parks pass. Saves you a little bit as well. If you are traveling in either a car or RV be sure to get the Milepost. (bought mine through Amazon) I did not check, but I bet you could get a earlier copy (which would work) at the library.

Debbie! First...I'm honored that you share your trip plans here. Putting your plans out there for critique can be stressful...you're putting yourself out there so that you can make this once in a lifetime vacation the best it can be...and while that can be helpful and reassuring, at the same time, it invites critique which can sometimes be rough...especially if it means more work because you have to tweak something in your plans. So again...I'm flattered that you would share here and open yourself up to all of that.

I can talk to you about your vacation but if you want to get even more response, think about starting a thread in the Alaska forum. There are several well seasoned Alaska travelers and Alaska residents over there that regularly post and help people with plans. If you haven't been over to that forum, it's under Ports of Call.

Second, I'm very interested in actually looking at what you have planned. I will receive a personal benefit to research the RV parks, etc., that you have found and see what is around them...so I do want to take the time to do that and picture how your days will unfold, especially since I have been around some of the areas that you are planning to visit.

Now...a big question for you. Have you used an RV before? Are you familiar with all the connections (like water at the camp sites, etc.) to make the RV a working "home away from home"? I'm not asking to be discouraging...I'm asking because it kind of relates to my next thought...which is...

How will you be traveling from the RV parks to the touring plans you have? I understand if you are moving from one park to another that you can make stops along the way, but if you are planning on staying in the same RV park for more than one night, but you have plans during the day...will you be using the RV to get yourself to and from the park and the plans?

For instance, on the day that you plan to take a shuttle in Denali...you are spending the night before and that night at the Midnight Sun Campground. Is there a shuttle from that campground to Denali? Or are you having to wake up...disconnect everything, slide the slide out back into place...then drive the RV to Denali...and then afterward drive back to your RV site, and reconnect everything. Or have you designated one RV to be the back a forth RV? Or are you taking turns?

That's just one example of what I'm trying to ask...I see the same situation multiple times in your touring plans. I have never camped with an RV, but I have seen many in the campgrounds that I have visited and often they are towing a normal car that the people use to get to and from the campgrounds and whatever day plans they have so that they can set up once and be done for the length of their stay in one place.

This is why I ask if you are familiar with all the connections and everything that happen with RV camping because if you are a pro at set up and take down and set up again...ok fine...rock on and let's keep talking about your days. That's just my first concern looking at what you have planned, because that just seems like a real PITA to deal with if that is what you are doing.

OR...what is the plan there? Could you elaborate on that detail with your touring plans?

Thursday – June 5 - Drivefrom Hatcher Pass RV to Midnight Sun RV &campground with full hookups. $38.00 per night. (Travel time 3 to 3.5 hours). 248.5 George ParksHighway. Healy, Alaska. Phone: 970-683-2379 (see map) See Denali Visitor Center displays and film,maybe free Ranger sled dog demo (at 10, 2, 4).

Early eveningflightseeing (sunset won't be until almost midnight, and in fact it never getsdark at that time of year). Either with The Denali flightseeing K2 Aviation.Flyk2.com $220 per couple withAlaska toursavor. Usually the coupon flights are 7pm flights.

FridayJune 6th- Shuttle to Eielson(8 hours) or Wonder lake (11 hours) Visitor center is at the 8 hour point. FreeRanger sled dog demo. Bring food andBeverages since none available for sale inside park. Bring Binoculars!!!!!Shuttle service is free. Spend the night at Midnight Sun campground.

So I took a look at the Midnight Sun campground. You have read the reviews? You understand how there is new ownership and they are trying to fix up that campground? BUT that there have been major issues with the amenities there?

Do you also understand that there may NOT be a free shuttle? The campground website states that the shuttle is run by a third party and fees vary by season. The only local shuttle that I can find it is Denali Transportation. There is a $45 pp fee to use that shuttle from Healy to Denali.

http://denalitaxishuttle.com

Or were you thinking that the shuttle within Denali is free? Because it is NOT. The 2018 rates for Eilson is $40 pp and the Wonder Lake is $55 pp. ALSO...the Wonder Lake shuttle may NOT be an option because service may not have opened up to there for the season? In 2018, service to Wonder Lake didn't start until June 8. IDK if shuttle service begins the same every year. Eilson service starts June 1.

Also...regarding the Denali Park shuttles. You can reserve those online. They do hold back 35% of the tickets to be reserved at the Wilderness Access Center in person within 2 days of when you want to take the shuttles. I happen to know that some of those walk in seats are held back for backpackers that will overnight in the park. They have to take the shuttles into the park and they cannot reserve their area of Denali for backpacking overnight until they are there in person. SO, I would be thinking that some of those 35% of tickets will be gone prior to the day of the running of the shuttles, so you would probably want to reserve seats on the shuttles in advance and not wait until you get there, just in case.

Hey Debbie...what a wonderful thing Tom and you were able to do in the summers! DH and I have talked about doing the same thing. Not sure exactly how or when. I discovered the idea of a Skoolie (where you take a retired school bus and renovate it into a tiny house) and from there we have explored many variations of the idea of having a traveling home for periods of time.

So good. Now I can picture your plans with knowing that final piece of the logistics. This is what I do. I live the days in my mind...and that's how I evaluate everything. This is my process and what I was trying to show with my trip report here...talking about the planning stages...basically showing how I picture the different days and the pieces of the trip and then work to bring all those pieces together.

You posted on my thread...so I'm thinking that you want me to do what I do with your plans. Here's my thoughts...

The week long RV means thats that you can have fewer nights in a hotel. It makes sense to me that you pick Seward for the hotel nights. Harbor 360 was a nice looking hotel. I walked past it coming to and from the harbor when we did our kayaking excursion. Bonus if you stay there is that you might be able to get a discount with Major Marines for the Kenai Fjords Day Cruise because they are business partners.

The taxes for the hotels in Seward city limits are pretty high. This hotel is a splurge to me...but if it is within your budget, awesome.

I've read so many wonderful things about the Kenai Fjords cruise. That will definitely be a highlight of your stay in Seward. Definitely something to plan for the day that you wake up and go to sleep in Seward. Don't plan anything else that day...leave the evening open for whatever strikes your fancy. Thumbs up on June 13.

Last Black Friday, Major Marines had a big sale and many people booked their Kenai Fjords cruises on that day with a big discount. I don't recall what the discount was, but there was a lot of talk about it on the Alaska forum here, so look into that...consider booking the cruise on that day.

So getting to Seward. I've heard great things about the train ride. I'll have to find the trip report...but there was one where the couple managed to do a 10 day land tour without renting a car...completely relying on the train and other public transportation for their plans. There is good information in that report regarding the Adventure class versus the dome. I can look for the link... That should be helpful in your decision making.

That'll be an early morning, but you should have no problem at least storing your bags at Harbor 360 so that you can do whatever touring you want to do. There's a beautiful walk down the shoreline...and there may be a free shuttle around downtown Seward? So doing the Sea Life Center would be an easy thing to do. I didn't go there...but if you read my report, you'll find that I wasn't enthused to do much that was indoors in Alaska.

Exit Glacier Guides has a shuttle to get to Exit Glacier. Whether or not you use them for an actual guided walk, pretty all sure. IIRC there are ranger led hikes from the Exit Glacier Visitor Center which is free admission and the ranger led walks are also free. So the big thing would be getting to and from...but I don't think that necessarily has to be determined too much in advance...

Likely, you will arrive hungry and wanting some lunch after the train ride. And maybe you could even decide during lunch which would be better...a more indoor activity or a more outdoor activity...depending on the weather.

So, June 12...train day...travel to Seward day looks good.

June 14...embarkation day...leaving it open also seems good. Perhaps the weather will dictate what happens on June 12 and June 14. Sea Life Center one day...Exit Glacier the other...

And quite possibly...you won't be up for doing much of anything that day. Honestly, you will have been touring for 10 days now...and you could be just fine with waking up, having a leisurely breakfast and getting on the ship. Leave the Kenai Fjords cruise as the exclamation point at the end of your land touring and have this day just be one that you go with the flow and transition into the cruise portion of your vacation.

Everything about Seward looks great.

And June 11 looks good too. That's kind of a chore day right? Let's be real here. You have to return the RV. It's likely that you'll need to clean it out, pack up your stuff. IDK how your clothing situation will be...but this might be a good day to do some laundry? Your hotel pick in Anchorage may be driven by the need for laundry. Maybe you get an VBRO type situation or AirBnB where there is a washer and dryer for you to use.

Regardless...June 11 is an unplanned day...and that's a great day to have somewhere in the middle of your vacation.

So you've got:

June 11...Return RV. Anchorage Hotel. Laundry?

June 12...Train to Seward. Harbor 360 Hotel. Sea Life Center or Exit Glacier.

June 13...No relocation. Kenai Fjords Cruise.

June 14...Board Millennium. Possible morning touring for Sea Life Center or Exit Glacier.

The big question is where are you waking up on June 11?

And that's where I start to question your plans.

The helicopter was fantastic. I hope you can go! Happy vacation planning!

I called Marathon and they said there was no problem shifting my friend Mike from his full time wheelchair onto the helicopter. In Juneau, they had a seat on a ramp to take him up to helicopter seat. Marathons helicopters are lower to the ground so it is an easy shift.

Mike wouldn't be able to get out on the landing spot so we may opt for the longer flight seeing with no landing.

So you land in Anchorage on June 4. You've been traveling overnight. You've lost 4 hours. Whatever time it is, it feels like 4 hours later according to your body clock...and you haven't really slept in a bed because you've been on planes. You are likely tired. And a shower would be awesome.

I don't know when you land. But you say that you pick up the RV this day.

Before you leave Anchorage, you do need to stock up...get your supplies. Anchorage is your best bet for selection and price.

Now where do you go?

Right now...your plans are taking you to Denali, which seems to be a driving force for your plans. Denali is high on the list and therefore the first place you are going to. You've picked an overnight that isn't too far from Anchorage but on the way to Denali.

Then your Denali plans seem to go from seeing Denali from above (flight seeing), from the bus, and then being IN Denali a bit with the ATVs...or wherever the ATVs go. And then you leave Denali...

And you've picked a new home base that is far away from the attractions that you are interested in seeing. Traveling to and from Palmer and Girdwood/Portage/Spencer Glacier doesn't make any sense to me. I would find an RV park down around Turnagain Arm and cut out many of those driving hours for those days.

BUT...

I'm wondering if you have your destinations backwards?

Last year...Wonder Lake shuttle wasn't even an option until June 8...so if that is of interest to you...I'm thinking that you plan to go to Denali for the second half of your RV week. Head south from Anchorage FIRST...see Girdwood, Portage Glacier and Spencer Glacier...all wonderful...and make Denali the kind of exclamation point at the end of your time RVing.

SO...I'm having a hard time with June 4 because I don't know when you are actually arriving and picking up your RV.

Regardless...I've driven on the Seward Highway and down around Turnagain Arm. It's beautiful. There's a lot to see. You can immediately find yourself in a place where you can land for the next few nights. Which sounds so much better to me that tacking on more travel days to your airplane travel days.

Because essentially, that's what your June 4 is like. You are making a pit stop with thoughts of how to enhance your pit stop...but essentially...you fly on June 3. You arrive and drive on June 4. You wake up and drive some more on June 5. Ugh. Sounds awful to me. June 3, 4, 5 all have the goal of getting you to the next place and little else to recommend them for being days to remember.

Better to LAND on June 4. Girdwood and Portage are 45 minutes and about one hour respectively south of Anchorage. I haven't done any major research, but I found this fun site:

http://www.tworvgypsies.us/Alaska/alaska-notes.html

In 2009, there are a lot of write ups for different RV parks. What if you stayed in a place like Portage Valley RV Park? I only mention it because it is written up in this report. There are many options in the area though...but not all have electricity hook ups...so, more research is needed to pick the EXACT place...but going with our what if scenario.

Portage Valley RV Park is only about 1 hour south of Anchorage. This puts you in the middle of the area to be able to tour Girdwood (Alyeska tram), Portage Glacier, Spencer Glacier...there are TONS of hiking trails and other activities. I'm sure there is fishing around here.

So what if you stay there a couple or few nights?

Then you have to decide if you want to just push through a day to get from Portage, AK up to around Denali, AK...or if you want to break that up.

So let's back up again...

June 11...the day you turn in the RV. What if you woke up near Denali? IDK what your return time is...but let's just say that you decide to dedicate June 11 to "taking care of business". RV return. Laundry. Getting back to Anchorage and being able to stretch out in a hotel that night. HOT private showers...IDK if you are showering in your RV or using public showers or both. A hotel shower will be one of those wonderful things...

Back up to June 10...you say that flight seeing coupons are generally for the evening flight. What if you planned that flight to be the kind of exclamation point for the end of your RV time? All things lead up to that flight. I say this because our helicopter flight was at the end of our land tour and it was a perfect end...

That morning...you could do the walk around the Visitor Center...the trails and stuff and such that is there...

June 9 then...that's the shuttle day. Based on 2018 dates, you should have your choice between Eilson and Wonder Lake.

You need to be in Denali on June 8...

Back up again...

June 4 drive down the Turnagain Arm.

June 5. Touring Turnagain Arm area. (Girdwood, Portage Glacier, Spencer Glacier)

June 6. Touring Turnagain Arm area.

June 7 and June 8...here is where you decide if you want to break up the relocation to Denali into two driving days with some activity on each one...

So thinking about June 11...that's a BIG driving day. All the way from Denali to Anchorage. Most people say to allow for the full day to do that.

So it might make sense to break up your Denali arrival...IF there is something that you really want to see and do...Otherwise...maybe you just want to push through to get up to Denali on one of those days and then have another day up around Denali to explore? Or stay a day longer around Turnagain Arm?

This are just my initial thoughts...based on the fact that you are interested in Denali and the area around Turnagain Arm. If I were planning to see the things that you are interested in seeing...that would be how I would approach your vacation.

At this point...I'd be trying to find the exact place to stay around Portage. Because regardless of how you organize your days...I really think you need to overnight around Portage in between the Portage Glacier and Spencer Glacier touring days...

I called Marathon and they said there was no problem shifting my friend Mike from his full time wheelchair onto the helicopter. In Juneau, they had a seat on a ramp to take him up to helicopter seat. Marathons helicopters are lower to the ground so it is an easy shift.

 

Mike wouldn't be able to get out on the landing spot so we may opt for the longer flight seeing with no landing.

AWESOME!!

Based on my own experience...I wouldn't think there would be a problem either with the transfer. Working within our limits is just life...the helicopter ride will still be amazing without the glacier landing. It's so special to get up into the air. I hope you have great weather!

Anita,

Well, have spent many hours of researching the boards, Trip Advisor and your notes and have changed the Itinerary again!

Something you said about a splurge at Harbor 360 made me take a look at the rates for our dates. If you notice on my previous Itinerary I listed the amount for $180.00 per night which was what it was last June when I looked it up. I couldn't get the 2019 rates as they were not available so I checked the 2018 rates! What a difference!!:o I called and was given a rate of $348 per night and that was with a discount. Then I started looking around at the other hotels and noticed that the establishments I would stay at were booked:eek: We are how many months out !!

Ok time to reevaluate! We are now hotel free! We added to our RV rental and GAH is letting us spend the night of the 13th on site. We will take the Coastal Classic the 14th and board the ship once we arrive.

I also found that when I had changed the Itinerary because my friend didn't want to do some of the activities i think i transposed some of the things:confused:

Here is a new and revised plan. I've been looking at this thing for a week, so.... maybe you wouldn't mind checking it out and giving my your opinions.

Hopefully people seeing my many changes and adjustments will benefit.

I will definitely do a trip review and let everyone know what worked and didn't!

Hereis itinerary:

Wednesday- June 4 – Arrive in Anchoragefrom Seattle at 4:07pm. Shuttle from airport and pick up RV. Stop at Walmartfor supplies for trip. Check in to Creek wood Inn 2150 Seward Hwy. 907-258-6006 or 800-478-6008.Full hook ups, Cable TV and Wi fi

Thursday– June 5 – Anchorage to Seward 2-3 hours Enjoy the day driving down the Seward Highway to Seward. Spendthe night at Miller’s Landing with electric hookups 907-331-3113 or Seward waterfront Campground City Park. 907-24-4055 Or Stoney Creek RV Park 877-437-6366 (Stoney Creek has shuttle to town). Sea lifeCenter. Fishing Exit Glacier.

Friday – June 6 – Kenai Fjordsnational park cruise 6 or 7.5 cruise. Overnight in campground.

Saturday & Sunday June 7th and 8th – Drive 2 hours to Portage/Girdwood. Alyeska Tram. And or Creek Mine NationalHistoric Site and or Wildlife Conservation center open 8;30am to 7pm and or Portage Lake Glacier tours & visitorsCenter. Spend the night at Portage Glacier Campgrounds & RV park (seesheet)

Spencer Glacier Ice Berg Float (See sheet) Reservation number 1-800-266-8625info@alasatrain.com

Monday June 9th – Drive to Hatcher Pass RV - 23560 W Independence Way, Willow 907-495-455We could go to HatcherPass/Independence mine or to Palmer to see the Must Ox farm, or MatanuskaGlacier on Glenn Hwy drive right up to the gate owner and pay fee ($30).

Tuesday June 10th – Drive from Willow to Denali Riverside RV Park Mile240 Parks Hwy. (3 Hours).

See Denali VisitorCenter displays and film, maybe Ranger sled dog demonstration (at 10,2,4).

Early flightseeing(sunset won’t be until almost midnight and in fact it never gets dark at thattime of year) –Denali flightseeing K2 Aviation. Flyk2.com. Ifweather permits

Wednesday June 11th - Shuttle to Eielson (8 hours) or Wonder lake(11 hours) Visitor center is at the 8 hour point. Free Ranger sled dogdemo. Bring food and Beverages sincenone available for sale inside park. Bring Binoculars!!!!! Spend night DenaliRiverside RV Park

Thursday June 12th – morning ATV in Denali. Denali WildernessAdventure ATV for 21/2 hours. 1 driver and passenger $175 per couple or 1 driver 3 passengers $315 for 4. Times are 8am, 1pm 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm Spend the night atDenali Riverside RV park.

FridayJune 13th – Laundry if needed. Drivefrom Denali back to Anchorage. Spend the night at Great Alaskian Holidays.

June14 –Taxie toCostal Classic Morning train AlaskaRailroad at 6:45 am arriving in Seward at 11:05 Am Board the ship for Lunch.

It will be interesting to hear what you think! You have a good mind for vacation planning!;)

Debbie!

First, I'm so glad that you double checked on the rates for Harbor 360. I had seen your nightly rate and thought it was very low compared to what I recalled when researching for our own trip...but thought that maybe that was an early season pricing? So, very glad that something sparked you there for you to do this overhaul of your itinerary...

Because it looks like a fabulous itinerary!!

This one looks real to me. Absolutely real...which I guess means do-able and more than do-able, it looks like a really enjoyable vacation. It has an element of vacation to the travel because by and large you have allowed quite a bit of breathing room into your day!! The distances you are traveling and the time you have allocated to travel...there should be little to no stress related to time pressures to get from one place to the next...you should have time to stop and admire anything that strikes your fancy along the way.

And also...you will have time to enjoy where you are. Sit with your coffee (or whatever you prefer) and just drink in the view without feeling rushed to get to the next place.

Did you get the Milepost? It is a great resource...I highly suggest you get it before your trip. I know that I saw a copy in my local Barnes and Noble, but I had purchased it online...I was surprised to see it in my local store. You might have one too...just to check out.

I don't know how far into my report you have reached...we saw one of the RV parks in Seward as we were taking the boat out to Bear Glacier Lagoon. Along the shore, nestled in the shadow of the mountains. It's a beautiful place...it makes me happy to think that is your first true overnight after you have rested up a bit and go to your first DESTINATION. OMG...Seward is lovely. That drive along Turnagain Arm is lovely. You will NOT be disappointed in doing that first. Not at all.

And with the daylight being what it is. You can begin that drive as early on June 5 as works for your sleep schedule and tiredness levels. I don't know about checking in but you can fully meander your way down the Seward Highway and still have so much time to enjoy the sights. I am a little confused by the Fishing Exit Glacier note. Did you just miss a period? You might fish OR go to Exit Glacier...

Anyway...I didn't look at your RV park picks. I think that's a personal decision...since you owned an RV and did so much RV travel, you are so much more qualified to read reviews and make sense of people's opinions...but looking at the different RV park locations...I think you have planned a wonderful trip.

I didn't go into the grocery store in Seward, but we drove past it. It looks like a normal sized (if on the smaller end of normal and not a super sized version) grocery store. IIRC, there's even a Starbucks in it? So you could hit that up again on your way out if needed.

This is a trip that I would like to go on!

Anita,

Thanks for rechecking our plans! It means a lot as I value your opinion. :*

If this site is still here I will be sure to come back and post our trip - that is- if you don't mind.

I do have the Milepost. I bought it a while back on Amazon. It is very helpful and it will get packed to go to Alaska.

The fishing thing is still under exploration as I mentioned in past notes my husband nor I enjoy fishing, but our friends do and so I have asked them to explore that part of the trip. It may be added in latter, or they may do that and we do something else!

I am still talking to the Alaska forum on trip advisor. So tweaking some of the plans may occur. I am told it will not be necessary to book the Camp sites until October or November, and I want to check on some of the discount books that will be coming out the first part of November.

Again thank you so much for your interest and time spent reading and responding about our trip plans:D

Oh---yes I did read every page of the account of your vacation. It reads like a good book. I enjoyed it!!

Debbie

Debbie, you are quite welcome. I enjoy planning...and have the ability to visualize days and schedules, so I am happy to put that skill to use! I can only plan as many vacations as we can take and right now that isn't too many! LOL.

If you are asking if you can add your trip report to my trip report thread...it isn't so much that I mind if you want to do that, but I think that it would benefit the forum more for you to create your own thread. You could post a link here to your threads when you write your report.

Because your land touring is so long, I would suggest that you post your trip report on the Alaska forum. So many people would benefit from learning about what you are doing. Many people combine land touring with their cruise vacations, either pre or post cruise, and that information is applicable to everyone cruising Alaska.

I'm sure that your itinerary will continue to be adjusted and tweaked...then things will lock into place as you make your reservations and book your excursions. That's part of the fun of planning a trip! I hope you have a great trip. I'll be excited to read all about it. Our next Alaska trip may be a land only vacation...so I'll definitely look forward to reading all about your RV travels.

Formal Night on Millennium…

 

 

I didn’t have a single memorable meal otherwise. I only remember what I ordered tonight because it was a big disappointment. I remember what I ordered on other nights because I took notes. Otherwise…no stand out meals.

 

I’ve read many things about the poor food recently and I have to concur. In general, the food is bland. Much of it is poorly prepared.

I don’t know what has happened to the food lately…or to my memory…or to my own personal taste and what I want to eat, but the MDR was not ENJOYABLE. I ate because you have to eat. And generally, I could find things that were good to eat. I had very few misses on the trip…but I’m specifically using the word ENJOYABLE. I never truly looked forward to dinner on the cruise."

Couldn't agree more. We were very disappointed in the food - to the point we would perhaps consider an different cruise line for possible future cruises. However, it doesn't have to be that way. We sailed once with MSC (can't remember the name of the ship at the moment) and the food was excellent. MSC is Italian (maybe now Swiss) and dining was in the style of the Italians - numerous courses available and to my memory, well cooked and presented. Perhaps we should try MSC again.

(Anita - just getting round to reading your journal - I thought I had done a reasonable amount of pre-planning, but I am in awe of your preparation - and memory!)

(Anita - just getting round to reading your journal - I thought I had done a reasonable amount of pre-planning, but I am in awe of your preparation - and memory!)

My cruising has been limited to Celebrity, Royal, and one Carnival. I've been reading great things about MSC lately...it's making me very curious. With DS headed off to college next school year, DH and I will start a whole new chapter of life that will allow for a bit more experimentation with our trips as we won't be beholden to the academic year for our vacations. Very exciting! We're pretty even in our loyalty status so trying out the different cruise lines is more appealing now than it might be in the future.

Funny about the memory...I have a method for journaling. It's taken me a while to figure it out but really it's quite simple. I have tried the whole make notes...actually writing in a journal, but I find that it requires a very specific type of vacation to keep up with that. I want to be in the moment too much to want to take the time to make notes on the days as we live them. So I take what I call picture notes through out the day.

I often take pictures of signs...my drinks...anything that can serve as the equivalent of a note in a journal. It's the beauty of digital photography. You can take photos that don't serve any other purpose except to serve as a note of where you were and when, because the photos generally have a date and time stamp, so if you take enough picture notes throughout the day, you can piece your vacation together later using your photos as the equivalent of multiple journal entries throughout the day. The key is to have that camera be in your hand through out the day...which is one reason why I really liked having that rugged camera because it didn't require a case and it was so easy to use it for those quick pics.

For during the cruise, if you keep the daily schedules, either keeping the actual papers or taking photos of the schedule...then you can match up the photographic journal pictures to the schedule to recall how you spent the day. DS is in AP psych this semester and they did a unit on memory first...and so I can tell you that it is the different between recognition memory and recollection memory. I have very good recognition memory and can fill out the details of the day from the photos...IF I study the photos within a reasonable time frame after the vacation. For instance...if I were to just now review everything, I probably would struggle greatly to recover as much detail for each day as I could so quickly after returning from vacation.

Skagway Sailaway is SPECTACULAR.

 

People ask…what is not to be missed on an Alaskan Cruise?

 

Skagway Sailaway makes that list for me.

 

Look a map…on mine…Skagway is at the end of the Taiya Inlet. This is a narrow body of water…the land on either side can be appreciated with the naked eye…no binoculars required.

 

The mountains on one side are over 5000 feet in elevation. On June 27, 2018, they are still snow-capped. They have a tree line…

 

DH and I…and DH’s family…often talk about all the “mountains” in the various places where we have lived. Growing up in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains…most members of DH’s family do not consider many “mountains” across the US to be “real” mountains…hence…all the air quotes.

 

REAL mountains aren’t completely covered in trees…REAL mountains have the same shape year round…they don’t get fuzzy outlines with naked trees in the winter. REAL mountains have tree lines above which there is nothing but craggy, rocky tundra like terrain.

 

The Taiya Inlet is surrounded by gorgeous mountains…

Anita,

I am loving your review of this cruise! My DH and I are thinking of doing this in a few years with our adult children and any future spouses that might come along :)

I am LOLing about your mountain commentary. I grew up in Boulder, Colorado and know what REAL MOUNTAINS are too! Live in Texas now and always have to correct my DH when we are traveling and he admires a "mountain". No honey, that's a hill :D

Anita,

I am loving your review of this cruise! My DH and I are thinking of doing this in a few years with our adult children and any future spouses that might come along :)

 

I am LOLing about your mountain commentary. I grew up in Boulder, Colorado and know what REAL MOUNTAINS are too! Live in Texas now and always have to correct my DH when we are traveling and he admires a "mountain". No honey, that's a hill :D

I'm so glad you are enjoying my review! I highly recommend traveling to Alaska with family...while there are things there that can be enjoyed elsewhere in the world...this is our gateway into seeing such sights...and they are spectacular sights. And the excursions are ones that are distinct...they won't necessarily blend into other travel memories...and that is what makes it ideal for a family vacation to me. The memories made have the potential to be quite vivid and pointed...you won't mix up where you were doing what you were doing on that family trip you took back in whatever year.

Very funny about the mountains versus hills! I think that must be a common consequence of anyone who has lived around the Rockies.;)

Following

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Thanks for the great review. We are doing this same sailing June 2019. Looking forward to it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Forums mobile app

Thanks for the great review. We are doing this same sailing June 2019. Looking forward to it

 

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Are you on the June 7th cruise?

Even though it is now November I just wanted to say thank you for this book of a report.  It has been very helpful to me as I contemplate what we should do on our cruise and how to prepare.  

And PS, I know it says I only have one post, but somewhere in a different lifetime I had quite a few more.  We just haven't cruised in years and so I had to re register.  Oh well.