Logistics of East Coast to/from Anchorage flights.

[wcook]

I'm in the early stages of planning an Alaska cruise. Unfortunately, vacation time is going to be tight, so there's no opportunity for any land-based exploration before or after the cruise.

 

My initial thought was to completely write off all one-way trips. But there might be a better deal on a one-ways, and it does seem like you see more of Alaska. So now they may be back on the table.

 

I'm not too worried about the higher cost of flying to ANC, since that could be offset by cheaper cruise fares. I am a bit concerned about the logistics. I've starting thinking through the flight times, etc. But before I drive myself crazy, I thought I'd ask. Maybe some of you already have this figured out.

 

Let's assume a 7-day cruise leaving on Sunday. If I pick a Southbound and fly into ANC, are there enough flights that I can comfortably leave the east coast on Saturday. I.E. if something goes wrong, would I still be able to sail on Sunday? Or do I really need to fly in on Friday to be safe?

 

If I pick Northbound, can I dock on Sunday catch a plane out of ANC that gets back to the East Coast on Sunday? Or am I pretty much "stuck" spending Sunday in the area and, best case scenario, catching a red-eye out of ANC arriving home sometime Monday. (And, yes, I realize being stuck in the area isn't exactly the worst thing in the world…but time is tight.).

 

Or am I totally overthinking this? Does adding the flight in or out of ANC really add that much hassle vs flying R/T to Vancouver/Seattle?

[Great Sky Girl]

If you dock on Sunday, you can fly out of Anchorage on Sunday, but you are not going to get home until the middle of Monday! Those hours will get you. Plus you will dock either in Seward or Whittier and must get to Anchorage. Most flights we checked were late afternoon or really night time flights. However, you can sail Sat. to Sat., leave Anc. late Sat. and get home on Sunday, not that you will feel like going to work by Monday, though :D. That would also mean you would have to fly out on Fri. to make the Sat. ship.

Good luck and enjoy your Alaska vacation!:)

[bbwex]

We didn't fly into Anchorage, but did fly into Fairbanks with no arrival problems. The couple joining us flew to Fairbanks from Boston, did have a slight delay, and had to take a later flight on a plane change in Minneapolis (I think) but got in just a little later. I would suggest that you not take the last flight of the day just in case there is an issue, but the hours you lose flying east are made up on the westbound trip, so getting in on Saturday should be fine. Lots of people do fly in the day of departure which is always a little risky, but the time differential helps a bit.

 

Again, check the schedules for returns. The day will be shot, but you should be able to get home the day the ship comes back to port. Just be aware that with the loss of hours and the length of the flight, you will be getting back late.

 

We found good schedules with Alaska Air and Air Canada.

[bqkali]

Let's assume a 7-day cruise leaving on Sunday. If I pick a Southbound and fly into ANC, are there enough flights that I can comfortably leave the east coast on Saturday. I.E. if something goes wrong, would I still be able to sail on Sunday? Or do I really need to fly in on Friday to be safe?

 

I would say you are safe flying on Saturday for a Sunday cruise. There are several flights a day SEA-ANC, and usually plenty of flights from the east coast to Seattle, so if something falls through, you should have options to still get up there okay. Pick the first flight of the day, to build in as much wiggle room as possible (yes, that may mean waking up at 4am :rolleyes:) Delta actually has a flight from Washington Dulles, transferring through Minneapolis, that leaves around 6am and gets you to Anchorage in time for lunch. You could actually fly same-day and make it to port in time of a cruise that day if you were really risky (note: this is NOT a recommendation, just an observation to show you can safely do this the day before embarkation with plenty of wiggle room). So you could theoretically spend all Saturday afternoon/evening in Anchorage, touring and enjoying vacation, then Sunday take a train to the port, enjoy an all-afternoon glacier cruise, then board your ship for a week. (This is just one example of how to spend your time - lots of choices in Alaska) So even with no extra time off from work, you still get a taste of Alaska, more so than on round-trip cruises.

 

If you are really worried about making it on time and/or want to maximize your time pre-cruise in Alaska, look for a multi-city trip: fly from east coast to Seattle on Friday night after work, overnight in cheap airport hotel (for 4-6 hours of sleep :rolleyes:), then take an early flight SEA-ANC on Saturday morning, arriving 9am or earlier...tons of time to enjoy the great state of Alaska!

 

If I pick Northbound, can I dock on Sunday catch a plane out of ANC that gets back to the East Coast on Sunday? Or am I pretty much "stuck" spending Sunday in the area and, best case scenario, catching a red-eye out of ANC arriving home sometime Monday. (And, yes, I realize being stuck in the area isn't exactly the worst thing in the world…but time is tight.).

 

No, I don't believe that you could find a flight leaving ANC late enough (to disembark and make your way to the airport) that still arrives on the east coast on Sunday night. Technically you may find a red-eye arriving in your home-town early enough for work on Monday, but who wants to arrive at 6am and be in the office at 8am?!?!

 

With only one week, and a one-way cruise, I think you're better off looking for southbound cruises departing on Sunday.

 

Or am I totally overthinking this? Does adding the flight in or out of ANC really add that much hassle vs flying R/T to Vancouver/Seattle?

 

The only hassle it adds is about an extra 4 hours of flying time (versus flying to Seattle). Look at all the people (myself included...) who fly to Seattle, then add a one-way 4-hour train ride to get to Vancouver. No different, in my opinion.

 

You'd get to enjoy an extra day in Anchorage (or nearby), plus IMO, what tend to be superior itineraries vs. round-trip cruises. Of course, Seattle & Vancouver are also worth touring, so you'd miss them if you flew to Anchorage instead.

 

And...now that I've said all that...if you can scrape a few more days together, it would be even better to do a one-way :) I've been to Alaska twice now, and already planning trip #3 (and dreaming about #4, 5, 6, 7...)