Help With Itinerary

[rdnpdx1]

We are booked on the 6/1/12 northbound Celebrity Millennium cruise. We intend to do 7-8 days land tour post cruise. There will be seven on the cruise including my father in law who will celebrate his 89th birthday on the first sea day - June 2nd. We are pretty sure of what we want to do for the land portion of our tour,but need some advice on the order. We have one logistical constraint. We dock on Friday June 8 and FIL will probably go home from ANC on Saturday 11:20 flight to Portland. So here is what I am planning, and my main question is whether it would be logistically better to do Denali first after dropping FIL off at airport or Homer.

 

Here is the itinerary with Homer first.

 

Thursday May 31 – Fly to Vancouver, explore

Friday June 1 – Explore Vancouver in AM, Board Celebrity Millennium PM

Saturday June 2 – Sea Day, Clyde’s 89th Birthday Celebration

Sunday June 3 – Ketchikan

Monday June 4 – Icy Strait Point

Tuesday June 5 – Juneau

Wednesday June 6 – Skagway

Thursday June 7 – Hubbard Glacier Cruising

Friday June 8 – Disembark – Seward – ship docks at 4 AM– Kenai Fjords, Exit Glacier, sea life center, take 6 PM Alaska RR to Anchorage

Saturday June 9 - Drop Clyde at Airport for 11:20 flt to PDX and Sunday PM flt to MCI. Pick up car rental at Avis, drive to Homer.

Sunday June 10 – Homer

Monday June 11 – Homer

Tuesday June 12 -- travel to Denali NP by car from Homer, overnight in Talkeetna

Wednesday June 13 – Flightseeing Mt. McKinley in Talkeetna in AM, afternoon to Healy/Denali NP entrance; do an excursion in this area

Thursday June 14 – Shuttle in Denali NP to Wonder Lake and return

Friday June 15 – AM in Denali, afternoon drive to Anchorage

Saturday June 16 – Fly to PDX 11:20 AM

We could extend this an additional day if it would be better, as those of us who are still working do not have to return to work until Monday.

I know flexibility is needed on some of the excursions, but this is a rough outline of a plan, primarily for getting our flight reservations in place. We have reserved a minivan/SUV with Avis in Anchorage for a week ($490), which is much cheaper than one with a pickup in Seward and dropoff in Anchorage($1700 - Hertz). We do add costs of the Alaska RR (@ $130 pp - Gold Dome), but even adding that fare to the car rental out of Anchorage it is $400 cheaper and adds the scenic rail ride to the tour.

Is this too much backtracking to the Kenai? Unfortunately we need to get FIL to Anchorage to fly home, and for that reason seems the best solution.

 

Any thoughts?

[Budget Queen]

We are booked on the 6/1/12 northbound Celebrity Millennium cruise. We intend to do 7-8 days land tour post cruise. There will be seven on the cruise including my father in law who will celebrate his 89th birthday on the first sea day - June 2nd. We are pretty sure of what we want to do for the land portion of our tour,but need some advice on the order. We have one logistical constraint. We dock on Friday June 8 and FIL will probably go home from ANC on Saturday 11:20 flight to Portland. So here is what I am planning, and my main question is whether it would be logistically better to do Denali first after dropping FIL off at airport or Homer.

 

Here is the itinerary with Homer first.

 

Thursday May 31 – Fly to Vancouver, explore

Friday June 1 – Explore Vancouver in AM, Board Celebrity Millennium PM

Saturday June 2 – Sea Day, Clyde’s 89th Birthday Celebration

Sunday June 3 – Ketchikan

Monday June 4 – Icy Strait Point

Tuesday June 5 – Juneau

Wednesday June 6 – Skagway

Thursday June 7 – Hubbard Glacier Cruising

Friday June 8 – Disembark – Seward – ship docks at 4 AM– Kenai Fjords, Exit Glacier, sea life center, take 6 PM Alaska RR to Anchorage

Saturday June 9 - Drop Clyde at Airport for 11:20 flt to PDX and Sunday PM flt to MCI. Pick up car rental at Avis, drive to Homer.

Sunday June 10 – Homer

Monday June 11 – Homer

Tuesday June 12 -- travel to Denali NP by car from Homer, overnight in Talkeetna

Wednesday June 13 – Flightseeing Mt. McKinley in Talkeetna in AM, afternoon to Healy/Denali NP entrance; do an excursion in this area

Thursday June 14 – Shuttle in Denali NP to Wonder Lake and return

Friday June 15 – AM in Denali, afternoon drive to Anchorage

Saturday June 16 – Fly to PDX 11:20 AM

We could extend this an additional day if it would be better, as those of us who are still working do not have to return to work until Monday.

I know flexibility is needed on some of the excursions, but this is a rough outline of a plan, primarily for getting our flight reservations in place. We have reserved a minivan/SUV with Avis in Anchorage for a week ($490), which is much cheaper than one with a pickup in Seward and dropoff in Anchorage($1700 - Hertz). We do add costs of the Alaska RR (@ $130 pp - Gold Dome), but even adding that fare to the car rental out of Anchorage it is $400 cheaper and adds the scenic rail ride to the tour.

Is this too much backtracking to the Kenai? Unfortunately we need to get FIL to Anchorage to fly home, and for that reason seems the best solution.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Someone has to go with your FIL?? This is a lot of back tracking, in my opinion, and absolutely add time. You aren't going to fit in your Seward List. Skip the Sealife Center, you will be lucky to get back and forth to Exit. You can walk off your ship early, after 6am.

 

You are going to Homer for???? If a bear tour, be certain to verify it is peak time.

[rdnpdx1]

Someone has to go with your FIL?? This is a lot of back tracking, in my opinion, and absolutely add time. You aren't going to fit in your Seward List. Skip the Sealife Center, you will be lucky to get back and forth to Exit. You can walk off your ship early, after 6am.

 

You are going to Homer for???? If a bear tour, be certain to verify it is peak time.

 

Arrgh, just spent thirty minutes on a reply full of questions then lost it all. Here goes again.

 

Thanks for the reply BQ. Your comments are very helpful.

 

I am not sure how to avoid the backtracking unless FIL does the entire Kenai with us. If we rent a car in Seward and drop in Anchorage the night before flying home, at a cost of $1700 from Hertz, we could avoid much of the backtracking. That would give us more time in Seward, still 2+ days in Homer for fishing, CACS tour, Seldovia, Gull Island, other hiking or cycling opportunities, plus a drink or two at the Salty Dog.

 

If we did that we would leave Homer Monday evening and have FIL at airport Tuesday AM. [Escorting him is necessary because of his health - short term memory issues and more frail, though still fully ambulatory and otherwise capable, after two minor strokes last year.]

 

Then on Tuesday morning we would head for Talkeetna and Denali, about which I have some questions.

 

If we get to Talkeetna in the PM, we could do flightseeing then or the next AM. Which is preferable time?

 

Is one operator better than others - both K2 and Talkeetna Air Taxi get good reviews it seems.

 

Would it be better to do flightseeing at Talkeetna on Tuesday PM? If we did, we would have two full days in Denali NP/Healy area - one on shuttle to Wonder Lake, second to other excursions and exploring, with a final AM in Denali on Friday before the drive to Anchorage for Saturday flight home.

 

Is this too ambitious a trip? We could lengthen it a day and return Sunday as we have yet to purchase our airfare.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[scapel]

If you are in to riding ATV, I would suggest contacting Alaska wilderness tours run by Dan & Rene Eidem Cell: 907-399-6264 If he doesn't answer he may be in the mountains. Address is PO Box 21 2505 Spruce Lane Homer, AK.

Home phone is 907-235-8567. He doesn't do e-mail but does have a web site.

He carries a big gun on his ATV along with a chain saw to cut trees blocking the trail. He carries a 44 mag on his hip and a little pistol in a top inside pocket. He is a true mountain man and loves his wilderness. You might think of an Arkansas Hillbilly or a Jeremiah Johnson when you see him.

He uses 4wd ATV which makes it safer to ride. I wish we could have gone longer but we had to get back to the ship. We accidently got a picture of a bear when we taking pictures of the bear track on the trail we rode.

This is a true wilderness tour.

Each person had their own ATV. Not sure how many he can take at one time. There were only three of us, but had scheduled 4. I think he can take 5 and maybe borrow some ATV from a friend if needed. We really had a good time. I'm 73 and was tired after the trip and had sore muscles the next day, but I would do it again anytime.

[rdnpdx1]

If you are in to riding ATV, I would suggest contacting Alaska wilderness tours run by Dan & Rene Eidem Cell: 907-399-6264 If he doesn't answer he may be in the mountains. Address is PO Box 21 2505 Spruce Lane Homer, AK.

Home phone is 907-235-8567. He doesn't do e-mail but does have a web site.

He carries a big gun on his ATV along with a chain saw to cut trees blocking the trail. He carries a 44 mag on his hip and a little pistol in a top inside pocket. He is a true mountain man and loves his wilderness. You might think of an Arkansas Hillbilly or a Jeremiah Johnson when you see him.

He uses 4wd ATV which makes it safer to ride. I wish we could have gone longer but we had to get back to the ship. We accidently got a picture of a bear when we taking pictures of the bear track on the trail we rode.

This is a true wilderness tour.

Each person had their own ATV. Not sure how many he can take at one time. There were only three of us, but had scheduled 4. I think he can take 5 and maybe borrow some ATV from a friend if needed. We really had a good time. I'm 73 and was tired after the trip and had sore muscles the next day, but I would do it again anytime.

 

Thanks, Joe. That excursion sounds like a blast, one that the youngsters in our group (56-66) might enjoy. 89 y.o.father in law might give it a pass though.

 

I'll add it to the list.

[scapel]

There is a Black Bear watching us as we look at his tracks. My wife took a picture of the tracks, and the bear just appeared in the background. I wish I knew how to post it in this post.

[Budget Queen]

Arrgh, just spent thirty minutes on a reply full of questions then lost it all. Here goes again.

 

Thanks for the reply BQ. Your comments are very helpful.

 

I am not sure how to avoid the backtracking unless FIL does the entire Kenai with us. If we rent a car in Seward and drop in Anchorage the night before flying home, at a cost of $1700 from Hertz, we could avoid much of the backtracking. That would give us more time in Seward, still 2+ days in Homer for fishing, CACS tour, Seldovia, Gull Island, other hiking or cycling opportunities, plus a drink or two at the Salty Dog.

 

If we did that we would leave Homer Monday evening and have FIL at airport Tuesday AM. [Escorting him is necessary because of his health - short term memory issues and more frail, though still fully ambulatory and otherwise capable, after two minor strokes last year.]

 

Then on Tuesday morning we would head for Talkeetna and Denali, about which I have some questions.

 

If we get to Talkeetna in the PM, we could do flightseeing then or the next AM. Which is preferable time?

 

Is one operator better than others - both K2 and Talkeetna Air Taxi get good reviews it seems.

 

Would it be better to do flightseeing at Talkeetna on Tuesday PM? If we did, we would have two full days in Denali NP/Healy area - one on shuttle to Wonder Lake, second to other excursions and exploring, with a final AM in Denali on Friday before the drive to Anchorage for Saturday flight home.

 

Is this too ambitious a trip? We could lengthen it a day and return Sunday as we have yet to purchase our airfare.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

I would absolutely encourage you to add all the days you can. It is well worth the time for the added touring in Alaska. There may be some savings, if you haven't already- turn in your car when you get to Anchorage, and rent a cheaper round trip car for your northbound trip.

 

What flightseeing are you looking at for McKinley? You may want to make the selection based on coupon usage by one of the purchased coupon books. May also have coupons that could be used in your other locations for activities. As for the time, if a priority to go, then book it at your first opportunity, then you have more time to reschedule. I've flown at all the times, all are great. :)

[rdnpdx1]

I would absolutely encourage you to add all the days you can. It is well worth the time for the added touring in Alaska. There may be some savings, if you haven't already- turn in your car when you get to Anchorage, and rent a cheaper round trip car for your northbound trip.

 

What flightseeing are you looking at for McKinley? You may want to make the selection based on coupon usage by one of the purchased coupon books. May also have coupons that could be used in your other locations for activities. As for the time, if a priority to go, then book it at your first opportunity, then you have more time to reschedule. I've flown at all the times, all are great. :)

 

 

BQ - we will book at the coupon books to see what is offered. Especially for flightseeing 2 for 1 pays for the book. We haven't nsiled down specific excursions yet in that regard. I was interested in board feedback on the alternatives out of Talkeetna, which seems the best location near Denali, right? Are there preferred companies? Ones to avoid?

 

Dropping the car off in Anchorage and taking a new rental doesn't save much. By far the cheapest is a rental for one week r/t Anchorage, but doing that we would incur the AK RR cost which narrows but does not eliminate the cost difference. But it does save 400 miles or so of backtracking by doint the more expensive one way rental, which we need to consider.