Seward to Denali-on our own or with Princess?

[kristieokc]

Twice before my husband and I have done the north bound (Vancouver to Whittier) cruise with Princess and loved it. Both times we disembarked in Whittier, rented a car, drove down to Seward for a few days, then drove ourselves back up to Anchorage for the flight home. We are able to stay in the military lodge in Seward and its a great add-on to the trip. This time, we want to add on a few more days up near Denali. My question is should we keep our rental car and drive ourselves all the way up, from Seward to Denali, or catch a later land tour with Princess (or another recommended tour company) from Whittier or Anchorage? We are comfortable driving ourselves, but are there advantages to having personal transportation in Denali? I worry we will be missing out by not taking the train ............. thoughts? Suggestions? We have a pretty flexible schedule so can consider about any option. Thanks in advance!!

[Budget Queen]

Being you are willing to go on your own, then forget Princess. You have some skewed thinking- that Princess can offer you anything better for Denali- nope- they can't . There is no advantage to the Alaska RR on this portion. It parallels the Parks Highway with the same views. Having a car- allows FAR more freedom in Denali Park. Drive the Park Road in the evening for some wildlife views. :) Freedom to stay and eat where you want, take any shuttle bus you please. All positives.

 

Necessary- for you to get a copy of THE MILEPOST. Try your library, or pick up a cheap used copy a few years old.

 

Alternatives, depend on how much time you are adding? If you don't have at least 6 more days, I would suggest spend the money and rent a one way Avis car from Whittier and go direct to Seward. As you pass through Anchorage, you can turn it in for a round trip car the rest of your trip. Compare rental prices.

[kristieokc]

Excellent, thank you so much. That answers my question and will allow me to make more specific plans, knowing its better to do it on our own. I lurk on these boards more than I post when planning, and you have always been so gracious to help others ..... I sincerely appreciate it!

[Fran Record]

We (4 ladies) are doing Seward to Denali DIY. We will take the train from Seward to Anchorage. We are getting a rental car in Anchorage and driving to Denali. I don't think it is difficult to do this. Good luck with your plans!

[Fran Record]

We (4 ladies) are doing Seward to Denali DIY. We will take the train from Seward to Anchorage. We are getting a rental car in Anchorage and driving to Denali. I don't think it is difficult to do this. Good luck with your plans!

[cruisin0218]

I don't know how you feel about driving a motorhome, but you could exturn in the rental car in anchorage and pick up a rental rv. I just noticed that your time is flexible. We have taken a motorhome twice from anchorage to denali and back and really enjoyed the flexability of needing no reservations ahead of time except the 3 nights we chose to reserve at Riley Campground at Denali and our shuttle tickets into denali. The rest of the time we just used the Milepost book and did whatever we were in the mood for, stopping along the way for scenic views and wildlife. We did stock up on groceries in Anchorage or Wasilla since they are much less expensive there.