inexpensive Anchorage car rental summer 2007

[fti]

I am planning my trip to AK in July 2007 and came across what seems to me to be a very good deal. Compact car from Enterprise pickup and dropoff at the airport for a week including all taxes for $257. If I pick it up at their off-airport location about 10 minute taxi ride from the airport, the price drops by a full $100 to $157. Even a full-size car with them at the airport is $327. Seems MUCH cheaper than other companies I checked. You can always book now then cancel later if you find something better.

[NancyIL]

Glad to know I'm not the only one to plan WAY in advance! I booked a full-size car with Hertz for June 2007. With AAA discount and a downtown pick-up/airport drop-off - it's $248 for the week. Airport pick-up would make it over $300. We'll probably take the evening train or bus from Whittier to Anchorage, stay at the Hilton that night, then pick-up the car the next morning. We got a fabulous rate at the Hilton due to a goof on their web site, but we have a back-up reservation elsewhere if they don't honor the rate.

[fti]

Glad to know I'm not the only one to plan WAY in advance! I booked a full-size car with Hertz for June 2007. With AAA discount and a downtown pick-up/airport drop-off - it's $248 for the week. Airport pick-up would make it over $300. We'll probably take the evening train or bus from Whittier to Anchorage, stay at the Hilton that night, then pick-up the car the next morning. We got a fabulous rate at the Hilton due to a goof on their web site, but we have a back-up reservation elsewhere if they don't honor the rate.

 

Your rate sounds great with Hertz.

 

I have had a couple of fare/rate mistakes I have taken advantage of in the past. Flew from Minneapolis to Acapulco for $77 round trip, to London for $200 round trip and am flying to Cyprus business class for $133 round trip from Toronto. Every "goof" has been honored (though I can't say all those were goofs). One that was not honored was a Residence Inn in NYC for $25/night and hotels in Japan for $3/night (though some of those $3/night ones were honored).

 

Some people think I am crazy for planning so far ahead, but one can travel so much cheaper when they plan ahead. I often use frequent flyer (actually frequent charger) miles for my flights and they get taken fast. I am flying from central MN to Anchorage, stopping there, then a few days later flying to King Salmon, AK (Katmai National Park) all for $20 in first class. Just the flight from Anchorage to King Salmon would cost me $400-$500 round trip in economy class! I am not doing an AK cruise next year.

 

I am considering using miles in summer 2008 to fly to Gustavus (Glacier Bay NP) and then on to Anchorage/Denali. We will see.

 

John

[fti]

With AAA discount and a downtown pick-up/airport drop-off - it's $248 for the week. Airport pick-up would make it over $300.

 

I didn't want this to get buried in my fairly lengthy post above. I have a $10 off coupon with Hertz that you are welcome to have. Expires 11/30/07. If you want to call them first to see if it applies to your rental, tell them it is PC 976441. But you will need the physical coupon when you pick it up to get the $10 discount. Leave a post on this thread if you want it. We can work out how I get your address.

[NancyIL]

I didn't want this to get buried in my fairly lengthy post above. I have a $10 off coupon with Hertz that you are welcome to have. Expires 11/30/07. If you want to call them first to see if it applies to your rental, tell them it is PC 976441. But you will need the physical coupon when you pick it up to get the $10 discount. Leave a post on this thread if you want it. We can work out how I get your address.

 

Thanks for the offer. I have an Entertainment coupon for $20 off a weekly rental, but the web site wouldn't accept it. I think it's because I'm picking up and dropping off at different locations - thus it's a one-way rental.

 

FYI - I just checked Hertz again because I'm trying to talk my hubby into staying a few days longer and would need to extend the rental dates...and the weekly rental rate went from $201 to $301 before taxes....yikes! Yet another reason to book early!

 

If the Anchorage Hilton honors their internet rate - we'll get the Romance Package on the Club Level floor with breakfast for two - for $46/night! When they finally fixed the glitch in the computer - the regular rate was $350.95 per night!

 

Your land trip sounds great. There's so much to see in Alaska that I considered a land-only trip for next summer. But since it's our first time to Alaska, we'll do a cruise/land combo.

[fti]

FYI - I just checked Hertz again because I'm trying to talk my hubby into staying a few days longer and would need to extend the rental dates...and the weekly rental rate went from $201 to $301 before taxes....yikes! Yet another reason to book early!

 

Glad that you locked in your rate when you did. I too think the Enterprise rate won't last long (neither will the Ramada hotel rate I mentioned in another thread).

 

If you need to extend your rental dates, you can do one of three things - (a) call Hertz directly and ask them what it costs to add the extra days - chances are they will quote you that $301/week rate, (b) plan your trip so that you can return the car after 7 days and make a new reservation for the additional days, or © once you arrive in Anchorage and are at the Hertz counter, ask them about extending your rental.

 

We ended up with a combination of (b) and © this summer. I made a backup reservation for two extra days with a different company since my rate had also jumped dramatically since booking just for a week, and Avis even said they didn't have any minivans available for the two extra days. So we were going to plan on swapping cars after a week. But once we got to Anchorage, Avis said it was fine to keep the car for two extra days and the extra day cost was a lot less than our plan b) backup reservation. So once we knew that, we cancelled the b) reservation. If I were you, I would book a b) reservation now - you can always cancel it.

 

If the Anchorage Hilton honors their internet rate - we'll get the Romance Package on the Club Level floor with breakfast for two - for $46/night! When they finally fixed the glitch in the computer - the regular rate was $350.95 per night!

 

Do you have a printout confirmation for your Hilton rate including a confirmation number? If so and they haven't contacted you about an error (or if whatever website you booked through hasn't contacted you), you are probably safe. Also, most hotel sites let you go onto the site, type in your last name and confirmation number and review your confirmation. You can do this just to see if the reservation is still in their system. I can't believe you are spending so much on a hotel in Anchorage.:D I wish I knew about that deal! Your DH should be able to give you a couple more days in AK, financed by your car rental savings!

 

Your land trip sounds great. There's so much to see in Alaska that I considered a land-only trip for next summer. But since it's our first time to Alaska, we'll do a cruise/land combo.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed my land/cruise combo in June/July (my first cruise). But I had been to AK twice before that (once was literally a total washout on the Kenai Peninsula about 5 years ago). I enjoyed the cruise, but personally I think I can do as much or more with just flights and land trips than cruising. If I end up going to Gustavus in 2008, I could combine Glacier Bay with Juneau and spend a couple of nights in each - much more than cruise ships give you in ports. We will see.

 

And I am obsessed with Denali now. In my opinion, camping inside the park at Wonder Lake gives you such much more than just day trips there. And hauling both camping gear and formalwear for cruise formal evenings in the same luggage is tough! This year it worked since friends came just for the land portion and took my camping gear home with them.

[NancyIL]

Glad that you locked in your rate when you did. I too think the Enterprise rate won't last long (neither will the Ramada hotel rate I mentioned in another thread).

 

If you need to extend your rental dates, you can do one of three things - (a) call Hertz directly and ask them what it costs to add the extra days - chances are they will quote you that $301/week rate, (b) plan your trip so that you can return the car after 7 days and make a new reservation for the additional days, or © once you arrive in Anchorage and are at the Hertz counter, ask them about extending your rental.

 

I went through the motions of modifying the reservation online, and as long as the pick-up date doesn't change, the weekly rate remaines the same, plus the cost of two extra days.

 

Do you have a printout confirmation for your Hilton rate including a confirmation number? If so and they haven't contacted you about an error (or if whatever website you booked through hasn't contacted you), you are probably safe. Also, most hotel sites let you go onto the site, type in your last name and confirmation number and review your confirmation. You can do this just to see if the reservation is still in their system. I can't believe you are spending so much on a hotel in Anchorage.:D I wish I knew about that deal! Your DH should be able to give you a couple more days in AK, financed by your car rental savings!

 

I printed the e-mail confirmation plus the original confirmation from when I booked the hotel on Hilton's web site. I checked it again today online, and it still shows the $46 rate! :) However, the fine print on the web site says that they don't have to honor rates that were an error, thus I have a reasonably priced back-up at Springhill Suites - but it isn't for $46!!!

 

And I am obsessed with Denali now. In my opinion, camping inside the park at Wonder Lake gives you such much more than just day trips there. And hauling both camping gear and formalwear for cruise formal evenings in the same luggage is tough! This year it worked since friends came just for the land portion and took my camping gear home with them.

 

I am NOT a camper (been there.....done that...30 years ago!) - but I would consider the Skyline Lodge in Kantishna.

[fti]

I am NOT a camper (been there.....done that...30 years ago!) - but I would consider the Skyline Lodge in Kantishna.

 

We tried to get in there, but even booking 8 months in advance, one of the three dates we needed was full. It sounds like a neat place. You can get your meals from them or bring your own and use the kitchen. If I went again with several people, I would definitely try again to book that.

[B J]

Get on Priceline.com and start bidding on a rental car. You have plenty of time so you should be able to get a really good price and you can pick up the car at the airport. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose!. I got ours really cheap.

B J

[fti]

Get on Priceline.com and start bidding on a rental car. You have plenty of time so you should be able to get a really good price and you can pick up the car at the airport. Give it a try, you have nothing to lose!. I got ours really cheap.

B J

 

I know prices on priceline vary by date, etc. But what is "really cheap"? How many days did you bid for, what size and what is your total price? I have found priceline to be great for hotels but car rentals I have always found lower elsewhere.

[lthomas]

I, like others, are still trying to rent from Anchorage and return to Whittier which it will not allow due to "seasonal" statement. I was told by the Avis toll free number to call Whittier direct and he was not helpful or nice at all!!

Is there any other service that rents in Anchorage and Whittier. I have only heard of Avis having locations at both. I may just have to do r/t to Anchorage and shuttle back over that day. Any suggestions??

[stired]

I, like others, are still trying to rent from Anchorage and return to Whittier which it will not allow due to "seasonal" statement. I was told by the Avis toll free number to call Whittier direct and he was not helpful or nice at all!!

Is there any other service that rents in Anchorage and Whittier. I have only heard of Avis having locations at both. I may just have to do r/t to Anchorage and shuttle back over that day. Any suggestions??

 

Try Harley's at http://www.harleysrentalaska.com/

[NancyIL]

I, like others, are still trying to rent from Anchorage and return to Whittier which it will not allow due to "seasonal" statement. I was told by the Avis toll free number to call Whittier direct and he was not helpful or nice at all!!

Is there any other service that rents in Anchorage and Whittier. I have only heard of Avis having locations at both. I may just have to do r/t to Anchorage and shuttle back over that day. Any suggestions??

 

Is this for 2007? We are going the opposite direction, so will probably do a Prince William Sound cruise when our northbound cruise ends, then take the train to Anchorage and pick-up a Hertz rental car downtown the next morning. Even if we were going directly to Anchorage after the cruise, I wouldn't rent a car in Whittier because it's more than I want to pay. I would take the Alaskan Leopard shuttle, then pick-up my rental car in Anchorage: http://www.alaskanleopard.com/Tours/index.htm

 

If your land trip has you ending in Anchorage, it's not difficult to return your rental car there and take the train or a shuttle bus to Whittier. However, if you are coming from Seward or have very limited time for touring before you sail, then maybe saving time by dropping off the car in Whittier is worth paying much more.

[sparklingstar]

Try Harley's at http://www.harleysrentalaska.com/

 

FYI - I contacted Harley's the other day to inquire about 2007 prices. I was told that they will be closing after this season and will not operate in 2007.

[fti]

FYI - I contacted Harley's the other day to inquire about 2007 prices. I was told that they will be closing after this season and will not operate in 2007.

 

Thanks for the info again. It was reported here earlier on the board but the posts tend to get buried!

[vfb2girls]

We also are renting a car from Avis located in Anchorage and have opted for the very expensive one way drop off rate in Whitter. I went ahead and contacted the Avis people at the Anchorage airport to make the reservations and the lady also mentioned the seasonal Whittier office but did manage to do a reservation for us. Like I mentioned before it is very expensive but we have decided there is no way that we are going to backtrack all the way from Seward to Anchorage, drop off the car, catch another form of transportation to take us to Whittier to board our ship. I don't want to have to deal with dragging around our luggage since not only are we doing a cruise for 7 days but doing a land tour for 12 days before hand. I do worry since the lady at the reservation office only gave me a confirmation number and I really would like to have a piece of paper or an e-mail with the reservation on it so I will be calling again this week to see what they can do for me.

[NancyIL]

We also are renting a car from Avis located in Anchorage and have opted for the very expensive one way drop off rate in Whitter. I went ahead and contacted the Avis people at the Anchorage airport to make the reservations and the lady also mentioned the seasonal Whittier office but did manage to do a reservation for us. Like I mentioned before it is very expensive but we have decided there is no way that we are going to backtrack all the way from Seward to Anchorage, drop off the car, catch another form of transportation to take us to Whittier to board our ship. I don't want to have to deal with dragging around our luggage since not only are we doing a cruise for 7 days but doing a land tour for 12 days before hand. I do worry since the lady at the reservation office only gave me a confirmation number and I really would like to have a piece of paper or an e-mail with the reservation on it so I will be calling again this week to see what they can do for me.

 

You should be able to view your reservation online with your confirmation number.

[fti]

We also are renting a car from Avis located in Anchorage and have opted for the very expensive one way drop off rate in Whitter. I went ahead and contacted the Avis people at the Anchorage airport to make the reservations and the lady also mentioned the seasonal Whittier office but did manage to do a reservation for us. Like I mentioned before it is very expensive but we have decided there is no way that we are going to backtrack all the way from Seward to Anchorage, drop off the car, catch another form of transportation to take us to Whittier to board our ship. I don't want to have to deal with dragging around our luggage since not only are we doing a cruise for 7 days but doing a land tour for 12 days before hand. I do worry since the lady at the reservation office only gave me a confirmation number and I really would like to have a piece of paper or an e-mail with the reservation on it so I will be calling again this week to see what they can do for me.

 

Depending on your ship's departure time, what you are doing between Seward and Whittier and how desperate you are to save money, one option might be to drive from Seward to Whittier, drop everyone and all the luggage off in Whittier at the ship, then only the driver head back to Anchorage, return the car and take another form of transport back to Whittier. It means several hours of wasted time that way but if some might be taking the day cruise from Whittier, you would need to be there by 1pm anyway. Just an option to consider.

 

Another way to think of the drop fee is this - it will cost you +-$50/person to get from Anchorage to Whittier. If there are four of you, that is $200. The drop fee for returning to Whittier is not much more than that. So in reality you are breaking even. Just a thought.

 

One way to drastically reduce the cost of your rental is to pick the car up downtown, not at the airport. If you are renting the car for 12 days, you will easily save $100 by picking the car up downtown compared with the airport. You may have already thought of this.

[sea_u_onboard]

Avis rates for next season will be avaialble after this season closes per the operations manager in Anchorage. Start checking again the end of Sept early Oct.

[sea_u_onboard]

I checked it again today online, and it still shows the $46 rate! :)

I know it's been a few days - but I went to check and didn't see that rate for our dates. Either they have fixed it or the dates I'm going it's not available. What week are you planning in?

[sea_u_onboard]

PS - It did drop from $269 to $170 when I clicked the Government/Military rate.

[NancyIL]

I know it's been a few days - but I went to check and didn't see that rate for our dates. Either they have fixed it or the dates I'm going it's not available. What week are you planning in?

 

I meant that I confirmed our reservations online, and Hilton hadn't changed our rate. I reserved June 13th and June 16th. The $46 Romance Package was available for booking next May/June this past June. I know of one other person here at CC that booked at that rate, before someone at Hilton fixed the glitch.

[vfb2girls]

I did check with picking the car up in the downtown location of Anchorage but the problem is that the office closes early and our flight coming in is at a latter time so the option of picking up the car downtown was out. Both myself and husband know that the car rental is going to be expensive, so we will plan for this expense and set that amount of money aside this year. This is our 25 anniversary trip that we have talked about for the last 25 years so we do not plan on skimping on anything, even if it means we have to cut back on having dinner out, not going to the movies, we are planning for the trip of a lifetime and will have the money saved up before we go.

[NancyIL]

I did check with picking the car up in the downtown location of Anchorage but the problem is that the office closes early and our flight coming in is at a latter time so the option of picking up the car downtown was out. Both myself and husband know that the car rental is going to be expensive, so we will plan for this expense and set that amount of money aside this year. This is our 25 anniversary trip that we have talked about for the last 25 years so we do not plan on skimping on anything, even if it means we have to cut back on having dinner out, not going to the movies, we are planning for the trip of a lifetime and will have the money saved up before we go.

 

Our Alaska cruise is also our 25th anniversary "once in a lifetime" trip - but my husband isn't as liberal minded about spending money for it as yours! I asked him this weekend about extending the land portion 2 more days, and he asked how much it was going to cost! Without adding the extra days, I estimated our original 18-day trip would cost ~ $6500 (3 days pre-cruise in Vancouver, 7-day cruise, and 7 nights in Alaska afterwards). He wasn't happy about that figure, so think I'll stick with the travel dates as originally booked.

[stan wood]

If your flight arrives late, you may consider spending the night in Anchorage at a place that picks you up at the airport. The next morning you can go to a downtown location (many will pick you up) and get your rental car at a savings.

 

Also, we were at Wonder Lake last month. It was gorgeous-but we ran to the restrooms and ran back to the bus. There were many times more mosquitoes at Wonder Lake than any other place in Alaska during our eight days. I would have a tough time camping there if that is the norm for mosquitoes.