Day 3 : July 26th (Seward) : We awoke at 7am to find that our good luck with the weather was continuing. It was sunny and clear, although there was some fog overhang on the ground. The B&B was well stocked with breakfast provisions, and we were off by 9am. We left our car at the B&B all day, and preferred to walk to the Small Boat Harbor. We were booked on the Major Marines Kenai Fjord cruise of 7.5 hrs, starting at 10am. We had booked this with a NL 2-for-1 coupon, and we handed over the coupon at the check-in counter and picked up our boarding cards. As we boarded the vessel, we liked the arrangements. Two levels of covered inside seating, with large glass windows. But of course the best views were out on the open deck in the front of the boat, where we spent a lot of our time.

As we moved out of the Seward harbor, we immediately spotted an otter lazily swimming on its back, and very soon thereafter were some humpback whales quite close by. Lots of porpoise sightings. The surroundings were very pretty, and the overhanging low clouds and fog added to the mystique of the landscape. There was an excellent Ranger on board, who provided good narration of all sightings. The bartender mixed up some delicious Bloody Mary’s, and we were having a great time.

We soon crossed the Chiswell Islands, where we saw a huge number of nesting birds. Tons of puffins. Bunch of sea lions lounging on the rocks. The islands themselves were very pretty, with unusual shapes. As we left the islands behind, and sailed into the Gulf of Alaska, we came across a large pod of orca whales (about 7-8 of them), frolicking about near our vessel. Great photo ops. The fog had completely cleared by now, and the views were excellent.

We had booked for the lunch on board. We had opted for the vegetarian meal, which was lasagna with salad, bread, bean rice, and sodas/coffee, followed by excellent deserts. Meanwhile, the vessel moved to the Holgate glacier, where it stopped for 20 minutes. Could see a lot of calving activity, every 3-4 minutes. Then off to the Aialik glacier, where we were fortunate to see similar glacier calving. Then the vessel started its return journey, and we came across more humpback whales and porpoise. Lovely to see the humpbacks take deep dives to the bottom, with their trademark tail above the water as they disappear ! Then we came across an unusual sighting of two humpbacks, who were flapping their pectoral fins wildly in the water; this went on for almost 30 minutes, which the Ranger described as being uncommon.

We returned to the Seward harbor by 5:45pm, after an awesome 7.5 hr trip. We then walked on 4th Avenue all the way to Sealife Center, and did some souvenir shopping in the shops nearby. Then boarded a free shuttle bus back to the harbor. Had a great beer at Chinooks (overlooking the waterfront), followed by super burritos at Railway Cantina across the street. Walked back to the B&B by 9pm and retired to bed.

Day 4: July 27th (Whittier & Matanuska) : Woke up again at 7am, and feasted once again on an excellent breakfast. Telephoned our hosts to say goodbye, loaded our stuff in the car, and drove off towards Whittier by 9am. This Bear’s Den B&B had been one of the best B&B that we had ever stayed in, and we would highly recommend it to anyone.

On the way to Whittier, we stopped at the Trail Lake overlook about 32 miles out of Seward, and then at Skoogum Glacier viewpoint about 80 miles from Seward. Then took the turnoff towards Whittier. The next 11 miles of driving towards Whittier was also pretty, and we stopped for photos more than once. We reached the tunnel by 11:15am, and caught the 11:30am opening. We parked at Whittier and checked into the Major Marines office for the Blackstone Glacier cruise, once again using the 2-for-1 NL coupon.

The vessel sailed at 12:45pm. It was a much smaller boat than the one on Kenai fjords the previous day, and was only 30% full. So we could spread out wherever we wanted on the vessel. As for the weather, what can we say about our good luck – it was the best day ever so far; lovely and sunny, with not even a hint of cloud in the sky. As the vessel set out, we had our lunch on board, which was the same fare as the previous day. The Bloody Mary was even better ! Prince William Sounds was superb. Never seen anything so beautiful in my life. We were completely surrounded by snow clad mountains and glaciers, and turquoise blue calm waters of the PWS. With the crystal clear weather, this was pure Heaven on earth !

We went first to the Beloit glacier, and then to the Blackstone glacier. Both were quite near each other. Both were very wide and quite a spectacular sight. We negotiated a lot of pack ice to come close to each glacier. Although the vessel halted for 20 minutes at each glacier, we were not witness to any calving activity today. However, the glaciers were extremely pretty, with lots of waterfalls of the glacial melts. Nice to see groups of kayakers everywhere. If Kenai fjords was about wildlife, the PWS cruise was just about natural beauty. Very different cruise, and even though our cruises were on consecutive days, it did not feel repetitive.

We returned to the harbor by 5:15pm, retrieved our car, and caught the 6pm tunnel opening out of Whittier. We had a long drive ahead, all the way to Matanuska glacier area, and we avoided any further photo stops. Crossed Anchorage just after 7pm, and were on the Glenn Highway. About 40 miles out, we stopped near Palmer to fuel up, and to stock up on some food supplies. Then continued driving on the Glenn highway, which turned very pretty after Palmer. We were forced to make repeated stops at various overlooks of the Matanuska river. The drive itself was fabulous, up and down mountain roads, with super scenery. People rave about the Seward highway, but I found the Glenn highway just as pretty (if not more !).

We finally reached our nesting point for the night : Homestead Cabins, near the Matanuska glacier, about 98 miles out of Anchorage. It was 10pm, and we had told our hosts we would be late. We were booked in a large log cabin in the wilderness, comprising of two bedrooms, a large sitting and dining area, and a bath which had washer/dryer too. Everything hand-crafted by the host family. In the middle of very beautiful wooded area, with no cell phone coverage or wi-fi !

We did our laundry, cooked some dinner, ate showered and retired to bed by midnight ! Should have stayed here for 2 nights, as it seemed such a waste to be leaving next morning.

Day 5 : July 28th (Matanuska & Talkeetna) : Got up at our usual 7am timing, cooked breakfast and loaded up again in the car. Host Sandy lived a short walk away, and we went over to say goodbye. The views from her garden were to die for – best so far in Alaska. We left at 9am, and reached MICA guides within 5 minutes. We were booked on their 9:30am Ice-fall trek. Our guide was Clare from Colorado. There was another Indian family in our group, and we were fitted out with hiking boots and crampons.

We all then departed in a vehicle towards the Matanuska glacier toe. It was another beautiful day, bright and sunny, with no hint of any cloud (I am not making this up, about the good weather !). As the vehicle started descending towards the glacier, superb panoramic views unfolded before our eyes. We reached the glacier toe by 10:30am, and started our glacial trek. The experience was adventurous and exhilarating as we crossed small streams of melt water, and came nearer the “moulon” ice-tunnels, the beautiful “seracs” that rose from the glacier, and the crevasses that we could see from a distance. Filled our water bottles with fresh glacial melt water. We clicked a huge number of photos, and had a great time on the ice for over 2 hours. Weather was perfect – it was mildly chilly near the glacier, but nothing very uncomfortable. We did not realize how time just flew by. Not at all strenuous.

All good things have to come to an end, and we finally had to return to our “base camp”, dress down from our hiking boots, and set off. It had definitely been one of the high points of our trip. We drove to Grand View Café about 7 miles away, and had lunch. Then we retraced our steps on the Glenn Highway, heading back towards Palmer. Enjoyed driving on the Glenn highway, and just before Palmer, we detoured towards the Independence Mine. We drove the paved portion of the Hatcher Pass Road, paid the $ 5 parking fee at the carpark area near the Visitor Center, and got off. The drive on Hatcher Pass Road had been pristine, with lovely green mountains on both sides.

At the Independence Mine, we did a self-guided tour of their Assay building, the Water Tunnel etc. We were more interested in the scenery than the mine, and we soaked up the views all round. Then we stopped at the Hatcher Pass Lodge for a coffee (what a lovely place !). Then we retraced our steps on the Hatcher Pass Road, turning on the Wasilla Fishhook Road (another lovely drive), until we joined with the Parks Highway. Then we drove non-stop till we reached Talkeetna, at about 8:15pm. Went straight to the small “downtown” area, and had dinner at the Twister Creek restaurant. It was a popular place, and there were long wait lines. We had veg burgers, twisted fries, Thai curry, and superb Chuli Stout beer.

It was almost 10pm when we reached our Talkeetna Chalet B&B. Our room was really tiny. The toilet was not ensuite, but across the hall (did not know this before). Anyway, we were really tired after another long day, and crashed out immediately.

Day 6: July 29th (Talkeetna & Denali) : Woke up at 7am to find no hot water in the toilet. Went up to locate our hosts; they were already aware of the hot water problem in our bath. They said our water heater had just blown up, and that it would take time to fix, and they were helpless. All other rooms were occupied, and we could use another toilet only when some other guest left. I could not believe this. They even offered to make our stay free, but that was no solution to the problem.

As we finished our other chores, the hostess came and refunded our 50% deposit. There was nothing we could do but wait. Shortly thereafter, the guest in one neighboring room departed for the day. The hostess has their bath tidied up, and we were allowed to use it for our shower. When we went up for breakfast, we saw that the hosts were genuinely sorry, were trying to make amends, and we had just been plain unlucky. They were nice people. It did not feel right to have stayed here for free, so we insisted that she take back the 50% deposit, as even a 50% discount was adequate compensation for our woes. She relented with some persuasion, and we felt less guilty. We loaded up again in the car, and were off again to downtown Talkeetna. The souvenir shops had started to open up, and we looked around every one of them. Best place to do shopping in Alaska.

Then we headed off to Talkeetna airport, as we had a Mckinley flightseeing tour booked at 11am with Talkeetna Aero Services (also with a 2-for 1 NL coupon). There were some clouds in the sky and we were worried. We were told that the clouds were at a low level, and the mountain was in good view above the clouds, so we would be fine. There were a total of 6 passengers on the flight including us. This turned out to be the best experience on this entire Alaska trip, and we cannot praise it enough. As we rose above the clouds, the sky was crystal clear. Both the north and south peaks of the mountain were in very clear view. We circled the mountain for a full hour. The pilot was excellent. He would tip the aircraft on one side to give the best view, then bring the same view on the other side and tip that side over. His commentary was very good, and we had an amazing flightseeing experience.
Everything that he wanted to show us on the mountain was very clearly visible. A small cloud which clung to one peak also disappeared after some time, and we could not believe our luck.

After the flight, we again drove to downtown Talkeetna – if you can call one and a half bocks of shops to be much of a downtown ! Very cute town. Today was Sunday, and there was an artists’ craft market on display. We did a lot of souvenir shopping, both at the craft market and at the souvenir shops. Then went to the Flying Squirrel Bakery for lunch. Loved this café, where we had quiche, spinach pastries and wonderful potato salad. After lunch, it was time to head towards Denali, and we reached the park entrance just after 5pm.

We first drove to the Visitor Center and saw their lovely film – “Heartbeats of Denali”. Then to the WAC where we collected our pre-booked shuttle tickets for the next 2 days. Then we drove to the Savage River, parked our car, and undertook the River Loop trail of about 2 km total. It was a nice walk, and the weather was clear. We did not sight any wildlife, but really enjoyed the walk. After the walk, we exited the park and headed towards Healy. Stopped at the 49th State Brewery for dinner, with some excellent self-brewed dark beers. Fueled up gas, bought some grocery provisions, and drove off into Healy.

We were booked at Aspenhaus, which had been highly recommended on travel sites. We had made a habit of checking in at our B&Bs around 10pm, and we maintained our record. Ann Marie was a wonderful hostess, and came over to chat with us and settle us in. It was well past 11pm when we hit the bed.

Day 7: July 30th (Denali) : Ann Marie had provided some baked items for breakfast, and we had provisions for the rest. We set off by 8:15am, stopping at the Subway at Glitter Gulch to pack some sandwiches for lunch. We boarded our 9:15am shuttle bus to Wonder Lake, on which we were booked. It was an overcast day, with dense low clouds and strong winds. However, fortunately there was no sign of any rain.

The bus driver Wayne gave excellent commentary. We stopped at the Teklanika Rest stop, and then at Polychrome for photo ops. I immediately fell in love with the Polychrome area, as it was so pretty. Further stops at Toklat River and at Eielson. Were blessed with multiple sightings of grizzly bears and caribou, including some grizzly sightings very near the bus. We ate our lunch at Eielson, and decided against proceeding to Wonder lake that day, in view of the overcast sky. There did not appear to be any chance of seeing the mountain that day, and we had another day in hand. At Eielson, we saw the film on McKinley climbers, and took the loop trail hike below the Visitors Center, including the spur road which projects off it. We then veered off on to the George Creek trail, which took us a great distance down before we turned back and returned.

We boarded a bus back at 3:15pm, and crossed the Polychrome area at about 4:30pm. We got off the bus here, walked the short loop trail here, and proceeded to walk on the park road. It was very windy, and we flagged another shuttle bus and headed out of the park, reaching the WAC at 7:15pm. Had several other grizzly and caribou sightings on the way out, including a caribou walking alongside our bus on the park road. It had been a nice day, but could have been better if the weather had been clearer.

We went to Prospector’s Pizza for dinner, where there was a 30 minute wait for seating. Well worth it, as the pizza and the beer was great. Had Juneau brewed King Stout beer ! Then back to Aspenhaus for much deserved sleep and rest.

Day 8 : July 31st (Denali) : The itinerary for today was the same as yesterday. We again had 9:15am shuttle bus tickets to Wonder Lake. Once again, we had breakfast at our B&B, packed sandwiches at Subway, and boarded the shuttle bus into the park. The driver today was Mike, whose commentary was just as good. The day was much clearer than yesterday, and as we entered the park, the peak of McKinley came in full view. So did a grizzly bear, just 10 meters away from our bus. As the bus paused and the cameras clicked, the bear remained oblivious of our presence, and went about its berry-eating task unperturbed.

When we reached Eielson, it was a lot warmer than yesterday, non-windy and clear. But the mountain had attracted a bunch of clouds, and was not visible. Ate our lunch, and decided to chance it and proceed to Wonder Lake. We kept hoping that the clouds around the mountain would suddenly clear up, but alas that was not to be. Yes, we had seen it in all its glory during our flightseeing, but it would have been nice to have seen it at Eielson or at Wonder Lake. We had to contend ourselves with the beautiful views of Wonder Lake itself, minus the mountain reflection ! On the return journey, we repeated the loop trail hike at Eielson, which appeared very different today in the clear weather. As we headed back towards the park entrance, we saw several animals, including a Dall sheep. At Sable Pass, the bus driver paused to allow us to get off and click our cameras. The light was particularly good here, and the views made for great photos.

We reached the WAC by 8:15pm, and today we drove a few miles south to 229 Parks for dinner. It was a somewhat classy restaurant, with great organic food. Had a veg phylo, along with spring rolls. Very fresh ingredients, and excellent cooking. Returned to our B&B before 10pm for a change, and went to bed.

Day 9: Aug 1st (Fairbanks) : Today was a light day in our schedule, and we decided to take things a little easy. Got up much later, and did our laundry. A leisurely breakfast and packing, and it was 11:30am before we said goodbye to our hostess and hit the road to Fairbanks. Short drive, and we were there by 1:30pm. Drove to the Morris Thompson Cultural Center downtown, which also doubles as a Visitors Center. We saw their interesting exhibits, and picked up maps. Then we took a stroll beside the Chena river, leading to the Golden Heart plaza. Popped in to Gambardella’s for lunch on 2nd Avenue.

After a good pasta lunch, we decided to do a lot of souvenir shopping in the many shops nearby. We particularly liked the Arctic Travelers’ shop, where we splurged a lot. Then we drove to the University of Alaska (UAF) campus, and parked near the Engineering building. We had included Fairbanks in our itinerary because our daughter had studied at the UAF for 3 years, completing her Masters in engineering. We could never make it to Alaska during her stay here, and we wanted to visit Fairbanks and UAF to “share” her experience. There were two families from India here whom we knew, both teaching at UAF, and one of them was hosting us for our stay here. Our host was still in his office on campus, and he came out and met us. He then took us for a short tour of the engineering department where our daughter had studied, and drove us around the UAF campus, which was much larger and more impressive than what I had expected.

We then drove to his home, caught up with old times with his family over dinner, and retired to bed in his palatial mansion set in beautiful surroundings.

Day 10: Aug 2nd (Fairbanks) : Today was our sightseeing day at Fairbanks. We got ready, had breakfasts with our hosts, and left by 8:15am for the Discovery Riverboat tour. We were booked to do this tour in the morning, and the Gold Dredge No. 8 tour in the afternoon. A few months earlier, an advertisement had appeared in the Fairbanks newspaper, offering a 40% discount on both these tours, for a limited period. Our host had brought it to our attention then, and we had made the booking.

The Riverboat Discovery boarding point had a huge and worthwhile gift shop, where we browsed around, and boarded our vessel at 9am. It was a lovely sternwheeler, with 3 levels of seating, both enclosed inside seating as well as covered outside decks. It was a lovely clear sunny day, and quite warm in Fairbanks. So we sat on one of the outside decks, as the boat cruised down the Chena river, and the lovely houses came in view on both sides, which made our mouths drool. The cruise was very relaxing and enjoyable.

The boat stopped alongside the house of late Susan Butcher (4 times Iditarod winner), and her husband was out in their garden, giving a demo of dogsleds and mushing activity, similar to what we had seen at Seavey’s in Seward. Then the boat moved on to the junction of the Chena river with the Tanana river, and then retraced its path back. On the return leg it stopped at a mock native Indian village, where we all got down. There were a series of demos about their attire, their way of living in the wilderness, animal furs etc etc. It was all very touristy stuff, but we did not mind; actually quite enjoyable. Then we re-boarded the vessel, and it was a gentle cruise back to the boarding docks by noon. Fun thing to do in Fairbanks.

We drove to Pike’s Landing nearby for lunch. A lovely place by the waterfront. We had a wonderful lunch in picturesque surroundings, and drove out of town to Gold Dredge No. 8 mine. Here we boarded an antique train into the old mine. There were explanations of how gold mining was done in the olden days, and then a demo of gold panning. Then we were all given our “poke bags” and pans, and encouraged to pan for gold. We all ended up with a few specks of gold ! Then the painful touristy stuff followed. Get your gold appraised for value; everyone was told that they had about $ 10-30 worth of gold ! Then we were encouraged to pay an additional amount to have our gold framed, which we resisted. A forced stop of 90 minutes in their gift shop, before the train ferried us back to our car park. We found the tour average in quality, and quite avoidable.

We then drove back to the UAF campus and had a leisurely stroll around. We went to the bookstore to pick up some memorabilia, and visited the apartment buildings where our daughter had lived in. Finally we drove to the Museum of North and went in. The museum was extremely good and interesting, and we enjoyed the film on the Aurora Borealis.

We then drove back to our host’s house. The other family from India that we knew was to join us all for dinner. It was a lovely evening with old friends, catching up on each others’ lives. A lovely Indian meal, then for some final packing before we retired to bed.

Day 11: Aug 3rd (Drive to Anchorage) : We had breakfast with our host family in the morning, loaded everything in the car, and were off by 8:15am. Today was to be a long day of driving back to Anchorage, where we were to board a late night flight to return to India. We had decided on taking the longer route back, i.e. via the Richardson and Glenn Highways, which were supposed to be more scenic, rather than the Parks Hwy.

First stop was at Santa’s House at North Pole. Again, a very touristy thing, but wife seemed to love it ! Next stop was at the Knotty shop, which had lovely hand crafted items of Alaska, where we shopped a bit. The drive got interesting after Delta Junction, especially near the Donnelly Dome area and the Rainbow Ridge area. Lots of scenic snow clad mountains, glaciers and lakes everywhere, and lots of photo ops along the way. And absolutely zero traffic on the Richardson highway – you could travel for miles without seeing another vehicle.

So far we had not seen even a drop of rain on this trip ! Today, there were a few minor sprinkles, and we could finally operate our windshield wiper for 4 sweeps in all ! We finally reached Glenallen at about 3:30pm and had a late lunch at the Caribou restaurant. Then the lovely drive on the Glenn highway started, and I thoroughly enjoyed the portion from milepost 135 to milepost 40. Too bad all this was coming to an end.

Reached Anchorage at 7:45pm, and went to meet some family friends there on the city outskirts. Had a lovely dinner, and set off for the airport after 9pm. At the airport, we returned the rental car, checked into Air Alaska, and started our long long journey back home. It was to be Anchorage – Seattle, Seattle – JFK, JFK – London and London – Mumbai for us, taking a total of 36 hours of travel !

I doubt if we will ever make it to Alaska again, but the memories will certainly last this lifetime. Without doubt it was the most beautiful place we have ever visited, and the beauty became all the more spectacular with the excellent weather that we enjoyed throughout. This concludes my Trip Report. I know it was a bit too long, but I wanted a permanent record of this wonderful trip, which I could myself re-read later and cherish the moments on this trip.

What a great trip report. Thanks.

Very nice report, makes me want to visit Alaska even more! Thank you for taking the time to write it.

Thank you for the great, detailed report.

Thanks everyone for the compliments. Glad you enjoyed it.

Awesome trip report! I'm hoping to go to Alaska within the next few years and this sounds like a great itinerary.

I noticed that you stayed in B&Bs. Was that just a matter of personal preference or is that mostly what's available?

Your ice-trek sounded really interesting. How physically fit would you need to be to do that? I don't get a lot of exercise but I have no problem walking a few hours a day on vacation. Also, do they climb up high? I'm a bit fearful of heights.

Thanks for posting this!

What a wonderful and enthusiastic report. I am glad the weather was good while you were here. Many are surprised by the warm interior temperatures, but the river boat ride must have been delightful, as was your time with your host in Fairbanks.

Hatcher Pass is a fun recreational and scenic area, about an hour north from the Palmer/Wasilla area.

Seward is a treasure trove of activities, from hiking, to boat tours, to fishing for salmon and halibut. Some of the B&B's there are truly outstanding.
I would pass up a noisy motel for a B&B with home cooked local food, and a personal touch and local history, any day.

Pat_in_Mich : you ask about B&B . Well cost wise they are about the same as hotels. We just find hotels a bit impersonal. Generally,and I believe specially so in Alaska, B&Bs offer superior comfort, a homely touch, and more spacious rooms than a hotel. At many of the smaller places, hotels are anyway not available. So we opted for B&Bs and were not disappointed.

The ice trek on the glacier was not at all strenuous, and can be done easily by anyone from 5 yrs - 75 yrs of age with no experience in hiking; good physical fitness is not at all necessary, and there are no heights to be negotiated. It is all on level ground.

jetset1, thanks for your appreciation. Yes, the river cruise in Fairbanks was enjoyable, as was Independence Mine at Hatcher Pass, and all activities at Seward. Fishing was not on our agenda, since we are vegetarians !

I see, but even vegetarians could buy a $10 trophy ticket, catch a whopper, and pocket a cool 30k or so, depending on the derby.

Let no one claim I didn't give you tourists a chance for riches! ha ha. $$$$$$$$$

Hope you'll see this since it's several months since your trip. Thanks for this great report on your vacation in Alaska.

Except for having no friends at UAF, I would copy your trip exactly!! I remember following some of your footsteps in Salzburg a few years ago and that worked out very well.

How long does it take to recover after 36 hours of travel back to India?

Glad to know you are both well and continue to travel. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!
K2

This sounds like a wonderful trip! Did you happen to look for Denali from Fairbanks? When we were there it was amazingly visible.

Thanks for the report.

Enjoyed reading your report

Just found your trip report and greatly enjoyed it. Have printed it out and hope to talk my DH into something similar soon. Your report will be very helpful. Thanks.

Bookmarking to read in full later. Enjoying so far.

The report was not too long at all! I hope you are checking on your thread occasionally as I want to let you know how much I enjoyed following your trip. Alaska is on my wish list, and my brother and nephew live there, so I enjoy reading about it.

Sorry, I was not checking on my Trip Report the last few weeks, and missed noting the comments that were posted during the last 2 weeks.
k2ok, it's great to know that someone like you benefited from my comments about Salzburg, and remembered it ! It makes writing these reports so worthwhile. BTW, we recovered from our long flight to India surprisingly fast - not much of jet lag - maybe a day or two of disturbed sleep, not much ! Thanks for your good wishes.
emalloy, we did look out for Denali from Fairbanks, but it was socked out ! Too bad !
spirobulldog, irishswampyankee, and Toucan2 : thanks for your appreciation and kind words.

Excellent report. I am glad you enjoyed the riverboat ride in Fairbanks and the U of A museum. Those were two of our favorite activities on our trip. I am always puzzled that so many on various forums say to skip Fairbanks.

We were in Alaska a few weeks after you. I agree, such a wonderful place! Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed reading

Thanks bigtyke and mms for the nice words. Glad you enjoyed the TR.

This is an awesome trip report. I am also planning to travel Alaska for 9 days. After reading your trip report, I am making some, no lots of changed to my trip report. I am from Delhi, but now both me and my husband are in California. Really liek the way you described everything.
Thanks!

Thanks Maggie. Hope you have a wonderful trip to Alaska. It is the closest place to Heaven on this planet !

Nice report, am using your info for my trip . I had a question, did you pay in full for the 2 For 1 MM Wildlife tour and then get reimbursed on the day of the cruise ? I don't see a choice on their site for entering any coupon code for the 2nd free ticket...Thanks !

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your TR. I'm in the beginning stages of planning an Alaskan trip from Pennsylvania. Bookmarked this page. Thanks again.

Tigerphotog, I think you have to book over telephone to avail of the 2-for-1 discount ; atleast that is what we did. If you mention that you will be using the coupon, you will be charged for only 1 ticket. The ticket will mention that the booking has been done based on the coupon, which you will have to produce at the time of boarding (else you pay then for the extra ticket). I don't think you can pay for 2 tickets and get a refund for 1 later. So I suggest you call them up and do a telephonic booking.

incognitochic, first of all, I love your screen name ! Secondly, thanks for writing in your appreciation ! Have a great trip.

I want to jump in and add my compliments to a well-written and informative trip report. I'm in the beginning stages of planning a trip to Alaska and your report really helped. I am impressed by your energy; you certainly did not waste your valuable travel time.

Thanks for the kudos joangk. Hope you have as lovely an Alaskan vacation as we had ! If I can be of any help, please let me know.

Awesome trip report. Please educate us if we need have any Canadian clearance in any of these places. We are both on a U.S. visa only and need to make sure we have a Canadian one too in advance. Thanks.

This itinerary is all in Alaska.

Many cruises start in Vancouver, which is in Canada. IF you are considering a cruise, you would need the Canadian visa

Hi 50states, as the post just after your query mentions, you need not get a Canadian visa if you are flying in and out of Alaska. We flew in from New York, and flew back to New York, and hence a Canadian visa was not required. However, if you are transiting through Canada, then it would be different.

Thanks LindainOhio & indiancouple. I have one more question pertaining to Fairbanks....We are planning a 9 day trip (8 full days). I see that you did a 11 day trip...Is it ok to trade off Fairbanks to compensate for the 2 day shortage? Please advice.

50states, yes I would leave out Fairbanks if I had limited time. I would not consider Fairbanks a high tourist priority in Alaska. Our reason for visiting Fairbanks was to see the University where our daughter had studied for 3 years, and to meet some friends. Since you have only 8-9 days, you should definitely leave out Fairbanks and concentrate on the more touristy spots. What time of the year are you going ? How are you reaching Alaska - by cruise or by air ?

@indiancouple - Thanks for the advice! We (Indian couple) have scheduled our trip from June 7-Jun16 2013...We will arrive in Anchorage by air on the evening of 7th and go from there. Also, can you let us know which coupon book is good for the trip (I see you used NL coupon).

Wonderful summary of your trip! We are planning our trip to Alaska in August. I can't wait. Our itinerary is still in the works, but very similar to yours, except for Fairbanks. A few questions, if you don't mind:
-You seemed happy with the N/L discount book. Did you purchase it online or when you arrived in AK? Did most businesses accept it easily?
-You did quite a few organized tours - Denali bus, flight seeing, glacier viewing by boat. How far in advance did you book them? I'm concerned about booking in advance and then not having good visibility.
-I'm going to try to book at Bears Den B&B. You had a good experience according to your report?
Thank you, Nancy

50states, there are 2 coupon books available. You can google them, and check out the exact discounts offered on each (by scrolling online). Both books are good, it is just a matter of which one suits your itinerary better. We found the Norther Lights coupon book much better for what we wanted to do.

Scrappr2, yes we did purchase the NL coupon book online in advance. There was absolutely no problem whatsoever in any merchant accepting or honoring the discounts listed. In fact they all welcomed it.

We booked most tours a few months in advance. This is essential especially for tours in which you want to use the coupon book. They offer limited seats on each tour for coupon holders, and if these have sold out, they may not offer you the discounted tour on that date. So I highly recommend booking them well in advance.

As for visibility, the only tour that could get affected by visibility issues is the McKinley flightseeing. If the weather is really bad, I think the flight does not go and you get a refund (you can check this while booking). The boat cruises out of Seward or Whittier do not get affected by visibility, and I doubt if bad visibility will really affect the trip. As far as Denali is concerned, if you are there, I am sure you will want to go inside the park irrespective of the weather (what else will you do sitting out anyway ?). Also, seeing Mt McKinley inside Denali may or may not happen (we did not see it on both days inside), but the Denali experience is not really affected anyway.

Although Alaskan weather is always a matter of chance, I do not think it takes away from the joys of viewing. So go ahead and plan, and make all your bookings. Even if the weather is iffy on some days, you will enjoy them anyway. Do not leave these bookings till the end, as they will get sold out (unless you are traveling in a lean season period).

Please definitely book the Bears Den B&B at Seward. It is simply awesome. Best B&B we have ever stayed in by a mile !

Great report.

We are planning to visit Alaska next summer (2014) and are trying to decide if doing the trip on our own versus a cruise would be more cost effective and more importantly, more enjoyable.

Did you feel you were rushed? Would you have opted for more time in any area? Also curious on the number of miles you put on the rental car.