Excursion Help

[gymjudge55]

We are on a cruisetour (please no DIY comments, it is what it is) with Celebrity. We have 1 night Anchorage, 2 nights Denali, 1 Talkeetna, one Alyeska. We will be touring on the domed railcar and taking the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

I pretty much have decided on ship excursions, whale watching, renting a car in Skagway to go to Emerald Lake, Mendenhall glacier with maybe kayaking in Juneau, and flightseeing over the Misty Fjords in Ketchikan. Just all of that will be $1200 for the two of us and we are on sort of a budget. Is there anything other than what is provided on the land portion that we must see/do? I was planning on some nature hikes while in Denali and the Aleyska tram ride, but that was really it.

[agabbymama]

We are on a cruisetour (please no DIY comments, it is what it is) with Celebrity. We have 1 night Anchorage, 2 nights Denali, 1 Talkeetna, one Alyeska. We will be touring on the domed railcar and taking the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

I pretty much have decided on ship excursions, whale watching, renting a car in Skagway to go to Emerald Lake, Mendenhall glacier with maybe kayaking in Juneau, and flightseeing over the Misty Fjords in Ketchikan. Just all of that will be $1200 for the two of us and we are on sort of a budget. Is there anything other than what is provided on the land portion that we must see/do? I was planning on some nature hikes while in Denali and the Aleyska tram ride, but that was really it.

 

What you have mentioned for the cruise portion sounds good. I'd go to the Celebrity site and see what tours they offer on the land portion. I did HAL cruisetour and they would only let you sign up for tours if you had enough time at that stop. I would assume Celebrity would do the same. Our land tour was 8 days and really did and saw enough without added on tours. I did add Iditarod Champ Jeff King's "Husky Homestead" tour, but Denali has sled dog demonstrations for free if of interest.

 

I wasn't interested in flight seeing or glacier landing, so saved money on that. We did go to Mendenhall on the blue bus. Our land tour included Emerald Lake so didn't need to do that independently.

 

Have a great trip!

[Budget Queen]

We are on a cruisetour (please no DIY comments, it is what it is) with Celebrity. We have 1 night Anchorage, 2 nights Denali, 1 Talkeetna, one Alyeska. We will be touring on the domed railcar and taking the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

I pretty much have decided on ship excursions, whale watching, renting a car in Skagway to go to Emerald Lake, Mendenhall glacier with maybe kayaking in Juneau, and flightseeing over the Misty Fjords in Ketchikan. Just all of that will be $1200 for the two of us and we are on sort of a budget. Is there anything other than what is provided on the land portion that we must see/do? I was planning on some nature hikes while in Denali and the Aleyska tram ride, but that was really it.

 

Denali Park has a lot of activites, including the shuttle buses, if of interest, could consider the Savage River with ranger activities. The Visitor Center is an interesting stop, sled dog demo, you must have heard about- all free. http://www.nps.gov/dena

[gymjudge55]

We do have the Tundra Wilderness Tour included, but we may try to do something else the evening we arrive. I will check and see how long the visitor center is open.

[Suzanne123]

I loved the Mt. Alyeska Lodge. (Be sure to take your swimsuit. Their indoor pool is huge and gorgeous.)

Anyway, behind the lodge there is a tent set up to purchase guided walks, but you don't need to pay a guide. There are several trails and all are free.

[mapleleaves]

In Ketchikan you can get a free map at a visitor booth for the town walking tour and/or take the city bus out to Totem Bight for $1. If you're trying to economize, you could skip the kayaking and spend more time hiking around Mendenhall. The Mendenhall shuttle is under $20.

 

Denali has some hiking around the entrance, or take the free bus to Savage River 1 hr, at mile 15. Just pay attention to when the last bus leaves! This link has info on the courtesy buses (sled dog demos are at 10am, 2pm and 4pm)

http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/courtesy-shuttle-buses.htm

 

The hike: http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/savage-river-area.htm