Is this possible?

[justmarie]

We want to fly in on a Saturday, stay the night in Anchorage take a bus tour to Denali, stay the night in Denali, at one of the lodges and then get a transfer to the ship (Whittier) do we have enough time and is there a transfer that will take us to the ship from Denali- We sail out on a Monday (the hotels are not a problem but time may be). Any help would be appreciated.Thanks!

[StillLooking4Adventure]

We want to fly in on a Saturday, stay the night in Anchorage take a bus tour to Denali, stay the night in Denali, at one of the lodges and then get a transfer to the ship (Whittier) do we have enough time and is there a transfer that will take us to the ship from Denali- We sail out on a Monday (the hotels are not a problem but time may be). Any help would be appreciated.Thanks!

 

It would help to say what time you are arriving on Saturday and what day and time you are leaving.

[Yukon]

We want to fly in on a Saturday, stay the night in Anchorage take a bus tour to Denali, stay the night in Denali, at one of the lodges and then get a transfer to the ship (Whittier) do we have enough time and is there a transfer that will take us to the ship from Denali- We sail out on a Monday (the hotels are not a problem but time may be). Any help would be appreciated.Thanks!

 

Time is definitely a problem - this is just not reasonable due to the distances involved. You can see the Anchorage area on Sat/Sun and then take a fairly leisurely tour/drive to the ship, but that's about it.

 

Murray

[fti]

If you arrive into Anchorage on Saturday and do not leave for Denali until Sunday, that means you leave early Sunday and maybe catch a 2pm shuttle into the park, arriving back about 10pm. Monday you go all the way from Denali to Whittier. That is exhausting. The only possible way I would do this is to head on Saturday directly from Anchorage to Denali so you have a full day and two nights at Denali. But that means even if you arrive into Anchorage about 2pm you would not get to Denali until 8-9pm figuring the time it takes to get your luggage, get a rental car, whatever.

 

If you don't arrive on Friday, I would skip Denali and head to Seward on Sunday. Spend the night there. You can easily spend Sunday and Monday there before heading to Whittier. Sunday drive through Turnagain Arm, maybe see Exit Glacier, SeaLife Center. Monday take a 6 hour day cruise out of Seward which I understand is excellent (I am doing it next summer). Then make your way from Seward to Whittier (car rental with Avis from Anchorage) or if you take the train from Anchorage to Seward, then you have to reserve a taxi/shuttle from Seward to Whittier.

 

Plus, you didn't mention when you would be traveling. Denali NP hardly opens up for the summer until June 1. It is open before then, but the park road is not usually open very far for the busses.

[justmarie]

Sorry I didn't mention times, we are hoping to get to Anchorage in the lafternoon. We are planning on the June 11 Cruise, I did not realize everything is so far apart. I think we just might come in on Saturday and spend 2 nights in Anchorage and then take the bus to the port. I would like to take a day tour- is there one that we could do on Sunday that leaves and returns from Anchorage, it doesn't have to be Denali but I want to see some of the sights while we are there. Thanks for you help.

[bunduo]

Here's another option. It's not exactly cheap but if you really want to see Denali, like we did, it fits into the intinerary perfectly. My wife and I are on the Coral Princess on June 11, too. Like you, we are flying in on Saturday, June 9th. We really wanted to go to Katmai but it's too early in the season for the charters. Our second choice was Denali. Thanks to these boards, we were directed to Talkeetna Aero Services. They run a flightseeing tour out of Anchorage that leaves at 7am, flies around McKinley before landing at a strip about 15 minutes outside the park. From there, they run a transfer to Denali. They provide a box lunch and a shuttle bus ticket to Fish Creek. After the shuttle bus tour, they run a transfer back to airport with a return to Anchorage about 830pm. All of the above is provided for $495pp. It's not cheap, but we have more money than time. We aren't rich but we didn't want to skimp and regret it later.

 

To get from Anchorage to Whittier, we booked Alaskan Leopard which runs a shuttle to Whittier for about $25pp. This is not a tour, just a transfer. They pick you up at your hotel at 7am arriving at Whittier about 845am. It's a little early to get on the ship, but if you want to book a tour or something, it gives you plenty of time. We decided to kayak in Whittier since PWS is really calm.

 

Hope this helps. Matt :)

[fti]

We really wanted to go to Katmai but it's too early in the season for the charters.

 

The prime season for Katmai is July and September when the salmon are in the river. I am going there in July for three nights. It sounds like a really exciting place. I was able to add Anchorage-King Salmon round trip to my frequent flyer ticket for no extra charge so all I need to pay is the King Salmon-Katmai (Brooks Camp) round trip floatplane fare.

 

Others who posted on this board who have been there have enjoyed it.

 

You will enjoy your time at Denali even though it might be expensive. But hey, it is cheaper than paying to get back there another time!

[Budget Queen]

With your short time, the Talkeetna fly in to Denali Park is a great suggestion. I also highly recommend you make the most of your time and decide on Seward or Denali Park and not just "hang out" in Anchorage, there is significantly more to experience. For Seward I recommend the Alaska RR your second day, tour Anchorage the afternoon/evening prior. Spend your time in Seward and get a direct shuttle to Whittier, in the afternoon of your sailing. Make the most of your time, overlook costs in my opinion.

[mytime53]

I wouldn't suggest "hanging out" in Anchorage, either. But if you go to Talkeetna for the air tour, there is plenty to do between Anchorage and Talkeetna for 2 days. Spend the first night in Talkeetna (2 hours out of Anchorage) or Wasilla (1 hour out of Anchorage). Go hiking, sightseeing, fishing, dogsled tour, glacier tour, atv tour, musk ox farm, Hatcher Pass (historical gold mining area in the mountains, very scenic, hiking trails of all difficulty levels), the list goes on and on. Spend the other night in the other town, and enjoy the drive to Whittier. It's a very scenic drive from Anchorage to Whittier. Or return to Anchorage in the morning and catch the train to Whittier. That leaves you with time for a "26-glacier" cruise before boarding, I think. Actually, I don't know if it would. You'd have to check on if there's an afternoon tour, and I don't know what time you depart Whittier.

[justmarie]

If we go to Seward is there transfers to the pier or do we have to go back to Anchorage to do that? Also what hotel's would you recommend in Anchorage and Seward? We are looking at a 6 hr tour in Seward. We have decide on just two days before the cruise, due to scheduling at work/school-Thanks

[Budget Queen]

If we go to Seward is there transfers to the pier or do we have to go back to Anchorage to do that? Also what hotel's would you recommend in Anchorage and Seward? We are looking at a 6 hr tour in Seward. We have decide on just two days before the cruise, due to scheduling at work/school-Thanks

 

 

Yes there are direct Seward/Whittier transfers available. http://sewardak.org/dir_getaround.asp?ID=7