Alaska

[Fl Star]

Anyone traveling on the Ryndam June 5 northbound leaving from Vancouver? Trying to put a few land excursions together.;);)

[jtl513]

So far two different people have started roll calls with one post each:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=895951

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=936723

I suggest you post on each of those and try to get it coordinated! Or ask a Host to combine the two ...

[poolwife]

Sorry, I am not going on June 5 but am scheduled to sail northbound on the Ryndam on 8/28/09. I have been to Alaska 3 times and I really recommend doing your land portion independently and not a cruise tour unless you are a person who likes to be in a group all of the time and told what time to be where.

 

We like to go independently by renting a car and going where we want when we want. We spent 10 days in June, 2007 just doing a land trip of mostly the Kenai Peninsula. We love taking the Kenai Fjords boat tours out of Seward. You will see whales, puffins, seals, etc. Take at least a 6 hour trip so you go far enough out into the bay. Also, the boat tours out of Whittier are very scenic and get you much closer up than your ship will if it goes to college fjord. We saw lots and lots of otters on the "26 glacier tour" out of Whittier. Also, if you have the time to drive to Homer, it is very scenic if clear. The view of the mountains across Kachemak Bay are just awesome. When you get off the ship in Seward whether you get to Anchorage by car or train or bus it is very scenic. You might want to rent a car in Anchorage and back track a little and go up the tramway at the Westin Mt. Alyeska. The view from the top watching the hang gliders take off across the valley is indescribable. Then there is the Wildlife Refuge right near there and Portage glacier and if you keep going a little farther towards Seward on your left is Summit Lake and Lodge. It is a restaurant you can have lunch or dinner in. The food is very good both times we ate there. That lake and the mountain behind it are definitely worth the trip. You can drive from Anchorage and go to the wildlife refuge, do the tramway and summit lake all in one day. Take your time and stop when you feel like it. One time we saw a mama moose and her calf walking across the water at the beach. Of course, all the cars were stopping taking pictures.

 

And if you want to go north towards Denali, don't forget to stop in Talkeetna for at least a few hours. It is a cute, older town and it is the place the mountain climbers start at to get organized to climb the mountain. Also, it is a good place to take a flight around Mt. McKinley. If you stay in Talkeetna, try the Talkeena Alaskan Lodge. Very nice! But, make sure you stay in the main lodge portion. The view of the mountain, if it is out, is great from behind the lodge.

 

Then, of course, if you want to go all the way to Denali, there are the many shuttles into the park.

 

Do a lot of research and read pages and pages on the Alaska board here on cruise critic. I learned a lot from these boards. The following are notes that I copied and pasted from other people's posts.

 

ALASKA NOTES

SKAGWAY

Chilkoot Tours

We did this last month with Chilkoot tours. We took the train to Frasier and they met us there with a mini bus. Very comfortable and only about 14 of us on the bus. We went into the Yukon stopping at about 6 places for pictures and went as far as Emerald Lake. This is about 10 minutes, at most, past Caribou Crossing.

 

We then went back to Caribou Crossing and had the included barbecue lunch, not bad. The museum would appeal to those that like to see many, many stuffed large (and obviously dead) animals. I wanted to stop here to play/hold the puppies. They had about 5 puppies that were really, really cute that we could hold and pet for a few minutes as well as some adult sled dogs that also wanted out attention. I did not do the dog sled ride (on wheels) but it was available.

 

For me it was a great stop as the ride into the Yukon allowed us to see a lot of the countryside. The tour drives back to Skagway, we did not take the train back. When we got back to Skagway they allowed us to either be dropped off in town or at the dock. We went into town but the town has tons of shops and we were there for the scenery and wildlife, not to purchase shirts that were made in Taiwan.

 

I would recommend Chilkoot Tours highly.

 

Definitely go in combination with the train ride. It's not really a destination. More of something to do once you take the train.

 

We took the train and then went to see Emerald Lake the desert and then stopped in Carcross for lunch (I picked up lunch in Skagway) and ice cream.

 

We blew right by the Caribou Crossing. It seemed very touristy. Carcross was charming and not overrun with tour busses.

Think of Caribou Crossing as "part" of your day adventures. IF you can drive yourself, you can schedule this as you like. It's right on the Klondike Highway, before Emerald Lake. In the past, you had to do the museum fee, to get to the dogs. Verify current policy. With your interests, it would be a worthwhile stop. http://www.cariboucrossing.ca/

 

The above's poster reference to "lots of wildlife" is definately not typical, they were extremely lucky.

__________________

I enjoyed the time at Cariboo crossing, but we were there before the tour buses and had the place to ourselves. Took the dog cart ride and it was very interesting, and cheap compared to other excursions, only $30/pp. I consider the museum a waste. I was not impressed with the stuff animals. The puppies were cute and would be of interest to many people.

 

Cheapest way for the excursion is to rent a car and drive there and on to emerald lake. However, if you are a Canadian resident, you are not allowed to do that as customs will not allow you to enter Canada with an American rental car. Alternative is to hire someone to take you there, price vary from $50-$100pp if you go by bus, if you want the rail experience, that adds about another $130 to the cost.

 

I agree that it should be part of the excursion, not the sole excursion. The rail is highly rated if the weather is nice, on the day I went, the summit was covered in fog so we skipped the rail part of the trip.

 

Hope that helps.

DENALI

For clarification. the Park Road into Denali Park is 90 miles. The first 16 is a pave public road, what the NHT is, overall, for repeat visitors, a big waste of time, to be your only option there. The Tundra Wilderness tour, is to mile 53, grossly superior for wildlife and scenery, which you do not get on the NHT. (many people see NO wildlife). For independents, and my only mode in is the 1/3 priced shuttle bus to at least Eielson, mile 66 and Wonder Lake, mile 85 being ideal for my travels.

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND TOURS

It is actually the Prince William Sound company. Look up the 6 hour Wilderness Explorer Glacer cruise on princewilliamsound.com

By the way, they are allowing us to use the coupon that is for a shorter cruise in Northern Lights discount book toward this longer cruise. However, you must make a telephone booking and not book online for this deal. There are 2 coupons in each book. The offer is 2 for 1. What this means is that 2 people in our family of 4 receive a discount of $109 each for the Glacier cruise which certainly outweighs the price of the book ($50)

Jen

Yes, it is Prince William Sound Cruises and Tours (www.princewilliamsound.com) that does the Esther Passage trip and the glaciers of Barry Arm and Harriman Fjord. Actually, all companies out of Whittier do a great job but I like the Esther Passage trip for the additional scenery. It's a beautiful side trip of about 10 miles that is very reminiscent of the passageways found in Southeast Alaska. While nothing is guaranteed, we've seen black bear, eagles, and orcas up this passage. Weather permitting, when you exit the passage, you get a beautiful view of the Chugach Mountains across College Fjord as you approach the glaciers.

 

Speaking of weather, my wife recommends some type of raingear since the weather is unpredictable. That's the general rule when visiting Alaska since even the National Weather Service admits forecasts are often variable due to changing conditions. You can get some decent raingear for the Prince William Sound trip in Anchorage at places like Walmart and Fred Meyers. If you are staying in downtown Anchorage, try the Army Navy surplus store on 4th avenue; it's something of a local favorite.

 

[Fl Star]

Thanks for all the great info on touring Alaska. Unfortunately, we have already booked our cruise both sea and land. If I had my way I too would have rented a car and gone from there. I do not like to have to follow a set itinerary but that's the way the cookie crumbles.:(

 

We'll certainly keep your suggestions in mind when booking our outings. You were very through in your description of places to visit can't wait to get going.

 

Coming from Tampa, Fl we know only too well about the tourist attractions and we try to stay away from that stuff!!!

 

It was great hearing from you too bad you won't be sailing in June would like to to have met you.

 

Randi