Alaska:Cruise vs. Car
Mar 3rd, 2001 | 08:50 AM
#1
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Alaska:Cruise vs. Car
Planning an Alaska trip July 2001. Trying to decide between cruise/tour inside passage/land combo package (Holland America) vs. 'independent itinerary' travel via automobile (and possibly some rail). Primarily interested in exploring scenic/wildlife areas (Denali, Kenai, etc.) I prefer the freedom of independent travel vs. being 'locked' into a cruise/tour schedule, but am fearful of lodging/excursion availability during peak season without advance reservation. Would appreciate advice from anyone who might have tried both options.
Mar 3rd, 2001 | 09:47 AM
#2
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Andrea, from your preferences I have to think the independent route will serve you better. But you're right, accommodations, especially at Denali, can fill quickly so you should book soon. You might think of arranging a ground-only tour to Denali via the Alaska Railroad (http://www.akrr.com/) or a travel agent, and do the rest by car.
I also suspect doing it independently will save a lot of money over the cruise alternative, which might allow you to spend more time or do some more adventurous things - wildlife flightseeing, etc.
I also suspect doing it independently will save a lot of money over the cruise alternative, which might allow you to spend more time or do some more adventurous things - wildlife flightseeing, etc.
Mar 4th, 2001 | 06:47 PM
#5
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We did the fly-drive tour last summer and found it very easy to arrange, loved the independence and freedom to adjust our schedule, and feel like we saw a lot more of what WE wanted to see...not what some kickback-prejudiced tour operator wanted to subject us to in attempt to line their pockets (did that routine ONCE...never again).
Mar 5th, 2001 | 02:47 AM
#6
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Did a cruise, Vancouver to Seward, twice during the 90's. Both times rented a car in Alaska and toured for six days before returning home. Arranged my own air both times. Should you decide to do something like this purchase a copy of The Milepost, avaiable at most book stores. The book will enable you to plan your itinerary. It will also show places to stay so reservations can be made in advance. Rail service in Alaska is limited. Using Anchorage as a hub you can only go as far south as Seward and as far north as Fairbanks.
Mar 5th, 2001 | 07:06 AM
#7
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Andrea
I'm also in the middle or planning and booking a drive after our cruise gets to Seward at the end of June. After seeing some of the comments on the cruise forum re: how people are herded around on some of the cruise combos, that convinced us even more to travel independently. The only national car hire from Seward (I assume that's where your cruise ends) is Hertz. We then have 7 days, which I think gives us time for a day in Seward, then going north of Anchorage to Palmer, a couple nights in Denali, then Fairbanks and back down to Anchorage. Figured wouldn't have enough time for Homer and the rest of the Kenai Peninsula. If you want to see Denali yourself, you will still need to book the shuttle bus for the park road - see www.nps.gov and choose Denali. You can book by phone if you know the days you'll be there. After reading stories of two day waits for the bus, I figured the main priority was to book it first and everything else would fall in to place. It seems that its wise to book well in advance: so far, I've not encountered much difficulty for cabins etc for July, but I would get booking quick!
The Lonely Planet seems to have good recommendations. As Alaska doesn't seem very popular on this forum, any comments re Denali, Independence Mine (Palmer) and Talkeetna lodging would be appreciated from anyone out there!
I'm also in the middle or planning and booking a drive after our cruise gets to Seward at the end of June. After seeing some of the comments on the cruise forum re: how people are herded around on some of the cruise combos, that convinced us even more to travel independently. The only national car hire from Seward (I assume that's where your cruise ends) is Hertz. We then have 7 days, which I think gives us time for a day in Seward, then going north of Anchorage to Palmer, a couple nights in Denali, then Fairbanks and back down to Anchorage. Figured wouldn't have enough time for Homer and the rest of the Kenai Peninsula. If you want to see Denali yourself, you will still need to book the shuttle bus for the park road - see www.nps.gov and choose Denali. You can book by phone if you know the days you'll be there. After reading stories of two day waits for the bus, I figured the main priority was to book it first and everything else would fall in to place. It seems that its wise to book well in advance: so far, I've not encountered much difficulty for cabins etc for July, but I would get booking quick!
The Lonely Planet seems to have good recommendations. As Alaska doesn't seem very popular on this forum, any comments re Denali, Independence Mine (Palmer) and Talkeetna lodging would be appreciated from anyone out there!
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Mar 5th, 2001 | 01:16 PM
#8
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Alex,
Agree, not much on this forum for Alaska. Found alt.culture.alaska and alt.rv (?) newsgroups give sporadic into; the cruise newsgoups are filled with AK travellers, but few can shed their 'cruise is the only way to go' attitudes.
Was your q on Denali (general) or Denali lodging? If lodging, I'd say the only thing you will want is a place that is close to the entrance, because you will want to get to the bus tours as early as possible. We stopped in the Princess place, which was very close. The hotel inside the Park was very basic and 'old'. Nothing outside the park made us say "wow" - even the Princess was just 'ok' although much better than the locally run inns, motels, etc..
For what it's worth, we saw several Holland American busses along the highways in AK. We were glad we were not on the bus, as half the fun was to stop whenever and wherever we felt like it.
Denali - make at least 2 or 3 days reservations for the busses. You can get a refund (have to wait in line, though). This way you can wait for the last minute and pick a sunny day (if there is one) or avoid a bad day.
Again, as I say to everybody, take a flightseeing tour or Denali and the glaciers.. Worth every penny...
Agree, not much on this forum for Alaska. Found alt.culture.alaska and alt.rv (?) newsgroups give sporadic into; the cruise newsgoups are filled with AK travellers, but few can shed their 'cruise is the only way to go' attitudes.
Was your q on Denali (general) or Denali lodging? If lodging, I'd say the only thing you will want is a place that is close to the entrance, because you will want to get to the bus tours as early as possible. We stopped in the Princess place, which was very close. The hotel inside the Park was very basic and 'old'. Nothing outside the park made us say "wow" - even the Princess was just 'ok' although much better than the locally run inns, motels, etc..
For what it's worth, we saw several Holland American busses along the highways in AK. We were glad we were not on the bus, as half the fun was to stop whenever and wherever we felt like it.
Denali - make at least 2 or 3 days reservations for the busses. You can get a refund (have to wait in line, though). This way you can wait for the last minute and pick a sunny day (if there is one) or avoid a bad day.
Again, as I say to everybody, take a flightseeing tour or Denali and the glaciers.. Worth every penny...
Mar 5th, 2001 | 01:29 PM
#9
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Forgot to state this opinion: This site is great, but not conducive to conversational posts, trip reports, searches, specific topics, threads and/or filters. We get Headline News ish type of questions and posts, which is good for most things. But, a comprehensive, detailed, interactive (follow up, post follow up with multiple interations) session does not occur often. I think this is due to the format; If threads could be opened and closed and multiple subjects could be viewed on one screen, we would see longer, more detailed responses. I don't see the morphing of posts that occur in other places, where the topic changes slightly in a constructive manner; We don't often see secondary questions from others in the posts; It is like the initial poster "owns" the post and nobody feels like they can hop on..
I don't want Fodors to change, as they have proven they can't manage site updates or maintenance.
If you find a good place for Alaska posts, please let me know
I don't want Fodors to change, as they have proven they can't manage site updates or maintenance.
If you find a good place for Alaska posts, please let me know
Mar 6th, 2001 | 08:23 AM
#10
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Andrea and GOL
Thanks for the advice so far. The link below has plenty of info on national parks etc. It also seems that boat trips on the Kenai Fjords near Seward are recommended - has anyone experienced these also?
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/location/ak/ak.htm
Thanks for the advice so far. The link below has plenty of info on national parks etc. It also seems that boat trips on the Kenai Fjords near Seward are recommended - has anyone experienced these also?
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/location/ak/ak.htm
Mar 6th, 2001 | 09:00 AM
#11
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The train from Seward to Anchorage is very scenic - if renting a car there would fit your plans better. If you are going to be driving, the current "Milepost" is invaluable! (You might also see if you can find the "Alaska" magazine. I found it's ads as useful as its articles.)
Do book as much as you can for Denali as early as you can!
www.frommers.com last week mentioned something about a voucher booklet for Alaska available from www.toursaver.com that might be worth looking into for hotels and such. (I haven't used it and don't claim to know the details...)
We did our own "land tour" a few years ago before going on a cruise. I wasn't very happy with the pace of the tour offered by the cruise line. (Bus tours aren't generally my cup of tea...)
We rented a pickup truck with a camper top for a week and camped in Denali as well as a couple of places along the Richardson Highway. (Driving the Richardson Highway is amazingly scenic!)
We didn't have any trouble with availability - but we went in Sept.
Enjoy your trip!
Do book as much as you can for Denali as early as you can!
www.frommers.com last week mentioned something about a voucher booklet for Alaska available from www.toursaver.com that might be worth looking into for hotels and such. (I haven't used it and don't claim to know the details...)
We did our own "land tour" a few years ago before going on a cruise. I wasn't very happy with the pace of the tour offered by the cruise line. (Bus tours aren't generally my cup of tea...)
We rented a pickup truck with a camper top for a week and camped in Denali as well as a couple of places along the Richardson Highway. (Driving the Richardson Highway is amazingly scenic!)
We didn't have any trouble with availability - but we went in Sept.
Enjoy your trip!
Apr 1st, 2001 | 01:19 PM
#12
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From trip 9 years ago:
The Kenai full-day trip is great for whales, puffins, glacier views. We took it on our driving trip--don't know if you would want to if you've just been on the cruise.
We had a great bus drive into Denali with lots of wildlife spotting. We also hiked a hill to eat our picnic lunch so not just on the bus all day. We stayed just outside the park in Crows Nest cabins--individual modern cabins with nearby restaurants and easy park access.
The Kenai full-day trip is great for whales, puffins, glacier views. We took it on our driving trip--don't know if you would want to if you've just been on the cruise.
We had a great bus drive into Denali with lots of wildlife spotting. We also hiked a hill to eat our picnic lunch so not just on the bus all day. We stayed just outside the park in Crows Nest cabins--individual modern cabins with nearby restaurants and easy park access.
