Which cruise - limited on dates of travel

[NancyIL]

Some errors- There aren't any "rangers" on board at Hubbard Glacier. Southbound NCL cruises, do NOT go to Glacier Bay and the cruise ship does sail Tracy Arm. The option to visit Hoonah could be of interest as well.

 

Every cruise involves compromises. :)

 

1. We did did have a "ranger" onboard our HAL ship at Hubbard.

 

2. My mistake- that should've been Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm. (Glad to read that NCL actually sails to Tracy Arm. HAL does drop-offs now on their way to Juneau.) Still - a short day in Juneau.

Edited December 24, 2015 by NancyIL

[hjd36]

Before this thread turns into an argument about train vs. bus vs. car - the OP has stated that she and her husband want to take the train! I have no bones to pick with those who choose the Rocky Mountaineer. My sister and brother-in-law were on the Rocky Mountaineer several years ago and loved it. If they had offered to pay my way - I'd have been more than happy to go, too! :D ;)

Thank you, yes - that bit is non-negotiable!

[hjd36]

Well, we have been discussing this and have come up with the following:

Fri 22/07 fly London to Calgary (early evening flight) - shuttle to Banff, stay 2 nights in Banff.

Sun 24/07 am leave Banff on Rocky Mountaineer

Tues 26/07 eve arrive Vancouver. Stay in Vancouver for 4 nights. Sightsee and trips.

Sat 30/07 leave Vancouver to cruise on Star Princess Voyage of the Glaciers Northbound.

Sat 06/08 arrive Whittier early am. Transfer to Anchorage airport (via wildlife centre?)

Sat 06/08 early pm flight from Anchorage to London, with one change, probably Seattle.

Sun 07/08 early pm arrive London.

 

Does this look do-able?

We would have preferred to fly out on Sat 23/07 but flights arrive late pm that day and Rocky Mountaineer leaves early Sunday morning, so there would be no time built in for contingencies. OH finishes work lunchtime Fri 22/07 and we live pretty close to Heathrow, so that should work out.

 

Is it worth staying one night in Calgary and one in Banff rather than two nights in Calgary? Two nights in the same place is less disruptive (and with less unpacking!), but it will have been a long day already due to the 9 hour time difference with the UK.

 

Cruise with Princess means we get to see Glacier Bay.

 

At the end of the cruise, it seems that an early afternoon departure from Anchorage wouldn't be too rushed. Don't know how much in advance you have to check in. Some of the flights on Expedia give only just over 1 hour in Seattle which seems too short to me. Is 2 hours a reasonable time to allow for transit or should it be longer? There are various options.

 

Hope some of you will be able to comment on the practical points and thanks for reading.

Edited December 27, 2015 by hjd36

[NancyIL]

Well, we have been discussing this and have come up with the following:

Fri 22/07 fly London to Calgary (early evening flight) - shuttle to Banff, stay 2 nights in Banff.

Sun 24/07 am leave Banff on Rocky Mountaineer

Tues 26/07 eve arrive Vancouver.Stay in Vancouver for 4 nights. Sightsee and trips.

Sat 30/07 leave Vancouver to cruise on Star Princess Voyage of the Glaciers Northbound.

Sat 06/08 arrive Whittier early am. Transfer to Anchorage airport (via wildlife centre?)

Sat 06/08 early pm flight from Anchorage to London, with one change, probably Seattle.

Sun 07/08 early pm arrive London.

 

Does this look do-able?

We would have preferred to fly out on Sat 23/07 but flights arrive late pm that day and Rocky Mountaineer leaves early Sunday morning, so there would be no time built in for contingencies. OH finishes work lunchtime Fri 22/07 and we live pretty close to Heathrow, so that should work out.

 

Is it worth staying one night in Calgary and one in Banff rather than two nights in Calgary? Two nights in the same place is less disruptive (and with less unpacking!), but it will have been a long day already due to the 9 hour time difference with the UK.

 

Cruise with Princess means we get to see Glacier Bay.

 

At the end of the cruise, it seems that an early afternoon departure from Anchorage wouldn't be too rushed. Don't know how much in advance you have to check in. Some of the flights on Expedia give only just over 1 hour in Seattle which seems too short to me. Is 2 hours a reasonable time to allow for transit or should it be longer? There are various options.

 

Hope some of you will be able to comment on the practical points and thanks for reading.

 

The Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver is only 2 days/1 night, so you would arrive in Vancouver on Monday evening. Vancouver is a great city, but I wouldn't spend 4 days/5 nights there, at the expense of time in the Canadian Rockies. The July 27 Banff to Vancouver train is an option, allowing you more time to see Banff, Lake Louise, and maybe Jasper. However, that would give you only 2 nights and one full day in Vancouver.

 

Post cruise - since you don't have to be home until Tuesday the 9th, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to go to the airport when you disembark on the 6th. See a bit of Alaska and catch up on your sleep later!

[hjd36]

The Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver is only 2 days/1 night, so you would arrive in Vancouver on Monday evening. Vancouver is a great city, but I wouldn't spend 4 days/5 nights there, at the expense of time in the Canadian Rockies. The July 27 Banff to Vancouver train is an option, allowing you more time to see Banff, Lake Louise, and maybe Jasper. However, that would give you only 2 nights and one full day in Vancouver.

 

Post cruise - since you don't have to be home until Tuesday the 9th, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to go to the airport when you disembark on the 6th. See a bit of Alaska and catch up on your sleep later!

Well spotted - missed that bit!

Later train doesn't give enough time in Vancouver for what we want, though.

Re flying back at the end - maybe another day in Alaska but not more than that - with jet lag need some time to recover before going back to work.

[Coral]

I would not spend 4 nights or 5 days in Vancouver unless you plan on going to Whistler or Victoria.

 

2 nights/3 days is more than enough IMO.

[hjd36]

We'll definitely be going to Victoria and also have old friends to look up in Vancouver, so don't think the amount of time there will be a problem.

Whistler is a possibility.

Thank you.

Edited December 27, 2015 by hjd36
put Jasper instead of Whistler!

[Coral]

We'll definitely be going to Victoria and also have old friends to look up in Vancouver, so don't think the amount of time there will be a problem.

Jasper is a possibility.

Thank you.

 

If you are going to Victoria - then it won't be a problem. I would consider spending a night or two there. It is pretty long for a day trip there, do able but long.

[NancyIL]

Well spotted - missed that bit!

Later train doesn't give enough time in Vancouver for what we want, though.

Re flying back at the end - maybe another day in Alaska but not more than that - with jet lag need some time to recover before going back to work.

 

You asked about 2 nights in Calgary vs. 1 night each in Calgary and Banff. I like your original plan to shuttle directly to Banff for 2 nights. Calgary is a big city (as is Vancouver), and spending your limited pre-RM time in the Rockies would be my priority.

 

Everyone is different, but I have a harder time with jet lag when I fly home from Europe (west) than when I fly to Europe (east). Speaking only for myself - if I lived in Europe and this was my first and only trip to the Canadian Rockies and Alaska - I'd take maximum advantage of my time there. Recovery from jet lag is overrated. :D

[hjd36]

If you are going to Victoria - then it won't be a problem. I would consider spending a night or two there. It is pretty long for a day trip there, do able but long.

Thanks - we haven't gone into too much detail on the activities yet, just wanted to make sure the main itinerary stood up first.

[Gardyloo]

Sat 06/08 early pm flight from Anchorage to London, with one change, probably Seattle.

Sun 07/08 early pm arrive London.

Princess "allows" 11 AM but recommends 1 PM as the earliest departure from ANC. If you want to connect to BA out of SEA you might face a pretty short connection time in SEA with little time to spare; as of now Alaska Airlines has flights to SEA at 12:30 and 1:30 PM; the 1:30 flight only allows 1h 20m for the Seattle connection, which while "legal" will involve hustling from one remote satellite to another. It's doable but probably won't be super comfortable. Delta has another flight to London departing Seattle later, but Delta doesn't fly into Calgary from LHR so you'd need to ticket through a third party source such as Expedia.

 

For what it's worth, look at Condor (Lufthansa/Thomas Cook subsidiary) which flies from Frankfurt to Calgary and from Anchorage to Frankfurt, with numerous easy connections from/to LHR (via Lufthansa) in both directions. By flying LHR-xFRA-YYC//ANC-xFRA-LHR you'd save hours and avoid the high tranche of UK air passenger duty, and I suspect the base fare will be cheaper than BA too.

[martincath]

Just a quick not to point out that you will be only 7 hours adrift from BST, not 9, on arrival. Probably not enough to make a difference in your plans re: one night or two in Calgary, but just in case...

 

Calgary is on Mountain Time, not Pacific (there's even an oddity here inside BC, where a chunk in the east also sticks to Mountain Time even though they're west of the Rockies - on the train I'm not sure when they'll tell you to adjust your clocks). You'll be 8 hours behind as you start the cruise in Vancouver, 9 hours behind at the end, but since I haven't taken a one-way before I don't know when the ship will move from Pacific to Alaska time... on all our RTs they just stayed on Pacific Time. Double-check any notices about time changes to be sure not to miss your excursion start times, or the ship departing!

[xlxo]

I would not spend 4 nights or 5 days in Vancouver unless you plan on going to Whistler or Victoria.

 

2 nights/3 days is more than enough IMO.

Some ideas....

• Day 1 Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge
  
• Day 2 Hop On tours with a focus on Stanley Park and Granville Island
  
• Day 3 Victoria & Butchart Gardens
  
• Day 4 Whistler Day trip
  
• extra days... weather contingency? Storybrooke? Exploring the foods and restaurants? Shopping?
  

[YOUTUBE]ZLL6du--lQA[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]vIvtsz1b60Q[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]EvH_ROLyUZQ[/YOUTUBE]

Edited December 28, 2015 by xlxo

[Coral]

Some ideas....

• Day 1 Grouse Mountain and Capilano Suspension Bridge
  
• Day 2 Hop On tours with a focus on Stanley Park and Granville Island
  
• Day 3 Victoria & Butchart Gardens
  
• Day 4 Whistler Day trip
  
• extra days... weather contingency? Storybrooke? Exploring the foods and restaurants? Shopping?
  

 

I would not do Victoria or Whistler in one day. I would choose one and spend the night at either one.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Coral