belarus

Visited Alaska with a friend in 2002. 7 day cruise out of Vancouver, 1 week RV, and 1 week car rental. Allowed for us to see alot of this beautiful state. Would like to return this summer with my husband but on a much tighter budget. Like the all inclusive of a cruise but wonder if it might be more economical(and worthwhile) to fly direct and drive. July or August....

explorenorth

It depends on what you want to see this time. Unless you rent an economy car and tent, cruises are still the cheapest way to see SE Alaska, and in one cruise you haven't seen much of it so that may still be your best option. By doing 2 one-ways on different ships and out of different ports (ie Vancouver-Seward northbound and Whittier-Seattle southbound) you could get a lot of variety at a fairly low price.

tom_creans_daughter

It does depend on how you like to travel, & with fuel prices climbing..I'd favor the cruise aspects. I thought the views from the water were impressive; and we did the ship excursions that Do offer variety, & train inland, for the view of wonderful scenery.
Did not miss all the TSA/airport hassles (like is required to get about in Australia or Hawaii, or time it takes to drive)

abram

The ferries on the Alaska marine Highway are a fun and less expensive way to go from place to place; the naturalists on board give interesting talks.

gail

What do you want to see in Alaska? Much of it is not driveable to - for example one can not drive to Juneau from anywhere. A cruise itself may seem reasonable, but one can not really see much at the ports without additional transportation - rental car, bus - and often air.

We found Alaska surprisingly expensive when we got there - even researching knowing this ahead of time. We investigated RV rental and found that for our itinerary it would actually cost more than hotels and rental car.

While I hesitate to recommend something I have never done, based on what I have read, if we were to return to Alaksa (also did 1 week cruise and 8 days on land in rental car) I would look into ferry system.

dfrostnh

The ferry system is wonderful but keep in mind that the cabins are very small and the food is just ok. The talks and scenery are the best part of the ferry ride. When you investigate the route, keep in mind that unless you get off the ferry to spend time in a town like Juneau and book passage on the next ferry coming through, there is not enough time to do 'shore excursions' during the short time a ferry stops. You might have time to walk around a bit. You certainly can plan a visit to different towns along the Inside Passage just be sure to book way in advance if you want a cabin on each ferry.

But I liked driving around south central AK the best because we could be on our own schedule. One visit included a tour of gardens in an Anchorage neighborhood that I had seen advertised in the local papers. We have also been to the Forest Fair in Girdwood and the 4th of July parade in Kenai. DH hates crowds so large cruise ships aren't a choice for us.

NorthwestMale

Included in the "economics" picture of this has to be TIME as well as money.

The bonus to flying to Anchorage and then driving around is that you can set your own schedule.

Obviously the state is so big that nobody could see all of it, yet you could fill up quite a nice vacation just with things you could see in DAY-TRIPS from an Anchorage base.

Furthermore, any path you take in Alaska, is bound to be so filled with mountains and scenery that sometimes which one you choose doesn't matter too much.


I would certainly look into flying into Anchorage, using Priceline.com for a hotel there, and doing most of your sightseeing in day trips from that less expensive base.

explorenorth

Many people, especially “locals”, think that the only way to see Southeast Alaska is via the Marine Highway ferry system. If you have lots of time and lots of money, I wouldn’t argue that point, but for a quick look, cruise ships can’t be beat. The cost for 2 people to take a ferry from Bellingham to Skagway and back, with an inside cabin, is $2,126 US without meals, and with only an hour or two in each port. The point of the ferry is really to spend a night or more at the ports that interest you, raising the price and time requirements substantially. You can get an inside cabin on a luxury cruise ship 7-night round trip itinerary in May/June for as little as $1,256 Cdn for 2 people – some 7-day one-ways (Seward-Vancouver, for example) are much cheaper and offer the opportunity to explore interior Alaska as well as Southeast. The cruise fare includes incredible food, all the entertainment you could possibly want, and 8-14 hours in each port to do some exploring. If you’ve wondered why these cruises are so popular, that’s the quick summary, and the main reasons we keep doing it.

christabir

The Alaska Railroad is a great way to get around if you want to see more inland. There are some beautiful routes and you can do day trips to see some of the coast, too. It all depends on what you want to see/do.

AShann

Hi there, have you thought about a cruisetour? They get you the best of both worlds and are really popular in Alaska because it really lends itself to getting on and off the ships. The tend to be longer, mostly 10 days+, so it depends on how much time you have to spend. There are some amazing things to see, though, and it's well worth the time and effort. There's a blog entry about an Alaskan cruisetour here: http://www.allthingscruise.com/in-de...our-cruisetour if you you're interested in what they entail.

belarus

Thanks for all the great information. I think the cruisetour may be just what we're looking for if we can fit it in our budget. Sure I'm going to have more questions down the road. Thanks again.

BudgetQueen

Frankly, I think the cruisetour recommendation is the most costly option, seeing the least. Many people are uninformed on cruisetours, so you would be best, to get yourself fully informed.

NatalieM

We traveled the inside passage several years ago on the marine ferry system and loved it...However, instead of taking the ferry from Seattle or Vancouver, we flew to Ketchikan, then took the ferry system from there. We stopped at several ports and spent 3-4 days at each, staying at b & b's or self-catering rentals (www.vrbo.com), with a rental car (Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Haines, Skagway). After much research, I think this option gave us the best of both worlds for a reasonable price, as we didn't take a car on the ferry. This takes ALOT of planning to figure out the ferries in a way that works with your itinerary, but it worked great for us. (comprehensive ferry info: www.akmhs.com/)