Help with logistics July 2019

[mickeyfanz]

Hi-

 

I have recently booked a 7-day Northern Cruise on the NCL Jewel which goes from Vancouver->Seward. The cruise stops are:

Cruise Inside Passage -> Ketchikan -> Juneau -> Skagway -> Cruise Glacier Bay -> Cruise Hubbard Glacier

 

We also plan to do land touring on our own after the cruise (possibly up to 2 more weeks) - a couple of days in Seward, several days in Homer, then head up towards Denali to see that. We would fly out of either Anchorage or Fairbanks.

 

I am mostly confused on transportation. We will be traveling with a couple of other families and I am not sure if it makes more sense to split a 12-15 passenger van or just rent separate cars. Since we disembark the ship in Seward, it seems pretty limited to car/van rentals. I know Hertz has a rental place in Seward.

 

I was thinking maybe we should rent cars in Seward and use them to go to Homer and then return them back to Seward and then take shuttle (cheaper) or train (expensive) to Anchorage. Then we could get other cars/van in Anchorage to do the Denali area and return to Anchorage. It would be fine with me to keep going to Fairbanks but not sure if that becomes a problem with the car rental. Does anyone know if certain rental companies do different pick-up/drop-off places without charging a hefty fine? Anyone rent a van and have good places for that?

 

I would also love advice on what kind of excursions to do in which place. I can't get a feel for if I should do smaller cruises once on land (like Kenai Fjords/Major Marine) since we are seeing Glacier Bay and Hubbard. Is that more of the same? We want to do excursions but don't want to unnecessarily spend money to see/do the same things.

 

Should we still hike to glaciers? Where is our best place to kayak? Where should we do dog sledding? There are so many things - I am just overwhelmed and I don't want to do duplicate things at different spots.

 

Thanks for any advice!

[mapleleaves]

Have you considered RV rentals for your land portion? One for each family. They're not cheap but if there are 3 or more people it can be cheaper than a rental car plus hotels and restaurant meals. I've rented several times from Great Alaska Holidays in Anchorage, a first class operation. They usually have pre-season specials in Nov/Dec or Jan.

 

I can't imagine spending more than a day with 12-15 people in a car, esp if there are kids wanting frequent stops. Nope. So you need to really think about the reality of what that would be like. Plus you'll need more than one large van .... each of those people will have at least one suitcase and probably a daypack.

 

I read a trip report 2 or 3 yrs ago, where the driver took a shuttle to Anchorage to pick up the rental car, while the family stayed in Seward exploring for the day. They met up again late afternoon. That option worked out much cheaper for them . Guess you'd have to crunch the numbers. I think ABC Motorhomes has large pax vans to rent.

 

No need to be overwhelmed. Just take the time to research and determine what you want to see and do. I find that things kinda fall into place once I've done the research and know all my options. Look at your ships excursion list and see what interests you. Borrow some Alaska travel books from the library, look at the town web sites and download their Visitor Guides, look at the Alaska Dept of Toursism site. Read past reports, esp ;and travel reports on the Alaska forum of tripadvisor.com. Lots of on-line resources to help you.

 

As for a kenai cruise, its not the same as your cruiseship visit to Glacier Bay. On a small boat you're closer to shore, to the glaciers and the wildlife; not 12 stories up from the water and a mile away .

 

Heli dog sledding is available in a few spots ... Juneau, Skagway and Seward immediately come to mind. Juneau tends to get weathered out frequently from what I've read. Not an interest of mine so I don't pay much attention. For a cheaper option there's dog carting, also in Seward and other locations during your land portion or the cruise. IF you're not sure WHERE to do a specific activity, look at what other options are available at that location and determine priorities. This isn't a good example but ... if you do heli dog sledding in Juneau maybe you would have to give up whale watching and that's the only stop where you would do whale watching. So if whale watching is a priority, then you would do the dog sledding somewhere else. Maybe Skagway .... but it that meant giving up a car ride to the Yukon, maybe you would put off the dog sledding to Seward. Like I said, things will fall into place once you've done your research and know your options.

 

Sounds like a great trip !

[masterdrago]

Check out The Ultimate Alaska Road Map Book on Alaska.org. 12-15 people!! Yikes!! I cannot get 3 to agree on stuff. I think y'all need 4 cars so everyone can kinda go their own way. Or maybe travel together. Get walkie talkies so everyone can discuss while traveling.