Need help narrowing choices Please

[SheilaS]

I am a newby to the Alaska cruises. Please forgive beginner questions.

 

Ok, I think we have it narrowed down to do 5 days pre-cruise and then cruise Princess 7 days Southbound - Whittier to Vancouver. We want at least 2 days Denali and we want to do Mt. McKinnley area.

 

Questions- Any cons for this schedule?

Should we book precruise with Princess or independently?

If independent, where should we sleep? :)

Which airport should we fly into?

Which parts of this itinirary will we need a rentacar and which part will we take the train?

Any other suggestions?

 

Trying to get a feel for this Alaska trip. Planning for it is much more complicated than the Caribbean. :D

 

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Sheila<----------thinks these boards rock!

[Budget Queen]

Are you referring to the Denali area?? :) McKinley can be viewable from Anchorage. :) Anyway- with only 5 days- definately go on your own. Rent a round trip car from Anchorage. Spend a night in Talkeetna and 2 at Denali Park- near the entrance. Take the SHUTTLE to Fish Creek- at the min. you much bring in all your own food and drink. So the schedule arrive in Anchorage, overnight, drive to Talkeetna- consider flightseeing, only option most likely to see McKinley, overnight, drive to Denali Park, overnight 2 nights, consider Healy B&B's with Touch of Wilderness my top pick. In Talkeetna- if you want a real Alaskan experience consider the Talkeetna Roadhouse, shared bath with 3 rooms, spotless, only consider the upstairs rooms. Day 4 perhaps stay in the Palmer area- explore Hatcher Pass, glacier trek with MICA guides? Then last night in Anchorage. Look at a downtown hotel then the train to Whittier the next day leaving at 10am arriving around noon in Whittier about $50pp. this is a sample of course- plenty of space to fill in your interests. Head to your library and take out Frommer's Alaska and Fodor's Alaska also THE MILEPOST- a necessary reference. The more you know the better. :)

[Yukon]

The only "con" is the always-existing one - it's too short! :D

 

Pre-cruise independently - you'll find it to be a far more rewarding experience, because you can do what you want. It does require that you research ahead, but since that's what you're doing now, that shouldn't be a problem. A copy of The Milepost ( http://www.milepost.com/ but cheaper from Amazon ) will be very handy for planning and traveling - your local library may be able to get a copy so you can just photocopy the 30 pages or so that cover the area you want.

 

Fly into Anchorage and rent a car there. If a trip on the Alaska Railroad is a high priority, take the train to Whittier (or Seward).

 

My suggestion for 5 days: spend a day in Anchorage, a day driving to Denali, a day taking the shuttle waaaay into the park, a day driving back to Anchorage and a day in Seward before taking a shuttle to Whittier.

 

Where to stay? Well, there are hundreds of options - The Milepost will help, as will the Community and Lodging guides at http://www.explorenorth.com/ and other online resources (most of which are linked from those guides).

 

Murray

[Budget Queen]

Murray- yes certainly a great option with Seward especially if "we" can get them to add some days. :) Do you know currently of a shuttle Seward - Whittier? I heard Polar Express is out of business? There is PJ's taxi available however.

[Yukon]

PJS Taxi appears to be the only Seward-Whittier option right now - http://www.pjstaxi.com/ - but it seems to be a reasonable option, and things change so rapidly (especially regarding Whittier) it's hard to say what might be available 4 months from now.

 

Murray

[SheilaS]

consider Healy B&B's with Touch of Wilderness my top pick. In Talkeetna- if you want a real Alaskan experience consider the Talkeetna Roadhouse, shared bath with 3 rooms, spotless, only consider the upstairs rooms. :)

 

Thanks for the advice everyone. This is just what I need.

Question- Exactly what is "a real Alaskan experience" ? :) And why the upstairs?

 

Sheila<------------will get the books asap

[SheilaS]

The only "con" is the always-existing one - it's too short! :D

 

Murray

 

LOL- On this we agree. However, some things are just not negotiable.The main one being the amount of vacation time allowed per year. :) Thanks for all the other advice.

 

Sheila<-----------narrowing it down with a little help from my friends:)

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the advice everyone. This is just what I need.

Question- Exactly what is "a real Alaskan experience" ? :) And why the upstairs?

 

Sheila<------------will get the books asap

 

 

Hotels are impersonal, my opinion only. Seeing only other tourists. :) I want contact with Alaska native travelers as well as residents. The upstairs rooms are private. The downstairs share the bath with all the resturant patrons and are quite dorm like. :)