Oceania Alaska 2012

[calexand]

Does anyone have a heads up on the itinerary, or early bookings for 2012. Want a Penthouse/Concierge one way to Alaska. We would like to sail up and then rent a vehicle and tour the area down to Calgary and fly home. If someone has info on the itinerary please email balexand@rogers.c m

[Rickey 88]

It's far too early for itineraries for 2012!

 

Probably the earliest may be in the spring of 2011......

[Paulchili]

It is not unreasonable to assume that they would be similar to the ones in 2011 (give or take). That has been the pattern with many other cruises in the past (Asia, S. America, Australia, etc); even the timing may be very similar, as itineraries do repeat for a while.

[frqttrvlr09]

If the cruise ends in Seward, Alaska, it is a very long drive to Calgary, BC. If you plan to rent a car in Seward, there are very few vehicles for rent there. You could take a train or coach to and rent one in Anchorage (or the cruise may end in Anchorage; I understand more cruises are going to come to Anchorage next year - I live there -), and then also drive around Southcentral Alaska with it, but if you were to then drive to BC, you will want to be sure you can 1) take it to Canada, 2) drop it off in Canada. Ad there would be a very hefty drop off charge I am sure for a one-way rental.

[calexand]

I realize that their will be a little bit of planning in my trip and know that with limited facilities will need to be proactive. We have sailed Alaska before and believe it to be one of the best ways to see the coast line (other than the ferries). But, we would also like to tour Alaska, NWT (my husband was born in Whitehorse) etc inland and the only way to do that is with a Vehicle. Calgary is a destination as our nephew is a Emergency room Doc. there and we will visit.

 

At one time when we last cruised the big lines their was an agent who booked a lot of Oceania and who had some what of an inside track, was hoping to track her down again.

 

Thanks

[hondorner]

If the cruise ends in Seward, Alaska, it is a very long drive to Calgary, BC. If you plan to rent a car in Seward, there are very few vehicles for rent there. You could take a train or coach to and rent one in Anchorage (or the cruise may end in Anchorage; I understand more cruises are going to come to Anchorage next year - I live there -), and then also drive around Southcentral Alaska with it, but if you were to then drive to BC, you will want to be sure you can 1) take it to Canada, 2) drop it off in Canada. Ad there would be a very hefty drop off charge I am sure for a one-way rental.

Oceania's itineraries for their one-way cruises to and from Alaska in 2011 are to sail all the way to and from Anchorage, not Seward. The cruises include Homer and Seward as ports along the way.

 

This will be Oceania's first season in Alaska; whether the itineraries remain similar in 2012 will be entirely up to how well they are received in 2011.

 

My research shows there are rental RV companies that provide drop off services in Seattle; this leads me to guess that car rentals may also be available.

[Queenk2]

We are on the Glacial Wilderness July 23,2011. There is a roll call, but there is only one other couple that has responded. It might be early, or it just might not be that popular. I guess we will have to wait it out. I imagine that Oceania is watching bookings to see if they will offer this in 2012.

[calexand]

Alaska 2012, on Oceania would be our No. 1 choice, but if all fails will sail reluctantly with someone else. Will enjoy reading how the cruises play out over the next 2 years.

 

thanks

[frqttrvlr09]

I was just on the phone with Hertz about a rental I have with them and asked about renting a car in Anchorage and dropping it off in Calgary and they do not do one way rentals between those 2 cities. Possibly another rental car agency, or an RV company, would. My advice, from very recent personal experience, is that if you are going to rent an RV in Anchorage (assuming the one way rental with a Calgary drop off is permitted), that you do so as soon as you know what dates you will be travelling. I had family and friends who tried to rent an RV in Anchorage for this past summer and discovered virtually all of the available RV's were rented out six months or more in advance. I always advise people who are travelling up here to make their plane, hotel and other reservations no later than January if they plan to come up in the summer. Even with the down economy, things have picked up up here, especially in the popular places like Homer, Seward, Denali, Hope, etc. From my very recent trips to Homer, Talkeetna and Seward, for example, vendors (accommodations, fishing, kayaking, water taxi, restaurants) were telling me that they are very busy, and it was obvious.

 

The charges for rental cars in Alaska in the summer are outrageous, and RVs are worse. If you do rent an RV, some of the vendors will rent an older (one or two year old model) for significantly less than a new one.

 

The drive from Anchorage to Calgary is very beautiful, passing through not just some of the less travelled parts of Alaska but also the Yukon Territories (and you mentioned going to the NWT, which are quite special), BC, and then Alberta. It is about 2200 miles just from Anch. to Calgary. You will be on the Alaska Highway for a long way. THere is a book I suggest that anyone driving in Alaska pick up, called The Milepost. You can get it through Amazon. It contains a mile by mile description of everything on all the roads in Alaska (there aren't very many) and includes parts of Canada. There is also a separate book on the Alaska Highway as well, which is in pretty good shape.