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Alaska - need advice on itinerary for 4 days post cruise - Sept 09

Alaska - need advice on itinerary for 4 days post cruise - Sept 09

Old Sep 18th, 2008, 07:22 AM
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Alaska - need advice on itinerary for 4 days post cruise - Sept 09

Ok, after many pain-staking months of trying to include EVERYTHING into 4 days, I have decided that I am going to have to leave Denali for hopefully another time and just concentrate on the Kenai Pennisula. Here is my itinerary thus far:

We are cruising end of Aug next year to end in Seward. Here is my plan for land tour:

Day 1 (Fri-Sept 4) Off the ship EARLY- Spend the day in Seward, Kenai Fjords 8a-2p, pick up car Sea Life Center and Exit Glacier on the way out of town and spend the night in Cooper Landing.

Day 2 (Sat) Maybe a float trip in am, continue on to Homer stopping at Russian River to hopefully see bears and watch fisherman. Maybe other stops.(where?) Arrive in Homer late afternoon. Night in Homer.

Day 3 (Sun) Bears with Emerald Air.
Hopefully drive back to Cooper Landing for the night.

Day 4 (Mon) Early out towards Anchorage. Stops at Wildlife Center, Portage Glacier, Girdwood, Beluga Point and hopefully make it north at least to Wasilla for Iditarod Museum (Talkeetna-for view of the mntn? or to Independence Mine?). Back to Anchorage to turn in car and fly out at 11:50pm

Phew! There are so many things I want to do, but would say that seeing wildlife is the top priority. I'm hoping that staying on the Peninsula we might see more chance sightings? I really want to spend some time in Homer ? should we at least skip maybe the Sea Life Center and possibly Exit Glacier and get on the road after Kenai tour? Any suggestions will be most helpful.
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Old Sep 18th, 2008, 08:22 AM
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Tough choices. First, check to see if your KF cruise includes see glaciers calve. I think your choice may be too short to get out to the glaciers. I liked the Sealife Center but it could be skipped. Seward is a nice little town and you might want to browse the shops. The Sealife Center does have a nice gift shop. I know this makes me sound like a shopper but there are some interesting things. I enjoyed picking a print of Denali in Seward plus some notecards by an Alaskan photographer who specialized in the Northern Lights. Beautiful!
You might consider lunch in Soldotna on your way to Homer. There's not a lot of choices between Seward and Homer. There's a little seafood place near Clam Gulch. It's hard to find the right road and it's easy to miss. Can't say the food was great. Visit the Pratt Museum in Homer. It's small but wonderful. Great short videos such as homesteading in Alaska.
Although the view overlooking the Homer Spit as you near town is fabulous, you're going to get the really fantastic scenery when you head north to Anchorage along the Turnagain Arm. The Portage Glacier visitors center is very interesting but you can probably skip the glacier. Since you've been in the air, maybe skip Girdwood. Beluga Point is just a nice viewing spot. If the tide is out there's not much to see. I'd pick Independence Mine over the Iditarod Museum but I don't think you have the time to go as far as Talkeetna. The restored buildings at the mine are fascinating and it's another view of Alaska's history. The mountain is majestic but the mining town in the middle of nowhere is fascinating. In early Sept check how much daylight you have.
Best wishes!
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Old Sep 18th, 2008, 10:31 AM
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Thanks for your help. Yes the tour does include the glaciers (National Park Tour) it just doesn't go all the way to Northwestern Glacier. We just have to cut out something. My only concern with going to the Independence Mine (which sounds fascinating) is that it would be on Labor day, the last day of the state fair! I just wish I had a month to spend there Too many things to see.
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Old Sep 18th, 2008, 01:26 PM
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I would suggest spending 2 consecutive nights in Cooper Landing. We stayed at the Kenai Princess and it is very nice. Your first free day there can be spent taking a float trip down the beautiful Kenai river -- wish we had time to do that. Or you can drive a ways up to Girwood and take the tram up to see the views of the Turnagin Arm and then hike the trail at the base of the Aleskya resort. I think there is also a gold mine to check out in the area if that is of interest to you.

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Old Sep 18th, 2008, 01:44 PM
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The only way I could spend 2 days in CL is by eliminating Seward, but couldn't spend another night because we need to be in Homer early in the morning. Is that advisable? I do want to take the time to do the float trip though.
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Old Sep 21st, 2008, 04:56 PM
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I agree that you might want to do the longer Kenai Fjords tour to see the Glacier and more time to find whales and other wildlife. We went with Mariah, a smaller tour boat, and it was great...although a long day...well worth it.
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Old Sep 21st, 2008, 05:19 PM
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We took the six hour Kenai Fjords boat trip in September 2000 and saw everything we wanted - glaciers calving, orcas, dall porpoises, black bears on the hillside, bald eagles, otters, and sea lions. The only thing which was already gone was puffins.

I do think you're trying to cram way too much into that first day. What time are you supposed to debark your ship? What will you do with your luggage while you're on the cruise?

Exit Glacier is on the way out of town so that will only add about 30-45 minutes to your trip, but I would definitely skip the Sealife Center. Spend 30 minutes strolling town instead.

I've taken the float trip out of Cooper Landing and I'd rather spend more time in Homer. Consider skipping the float trip and getting to Homer so you'll have at least a little time to wander aimlessly there!

I would also skip Portage Glacier and Girdwood if you really want to get north of Anchorage. The visitor center at Portage IS very good, but there's basically nothing left of the glacier - nothing you haven't already seen, anyway.

I got exhausted reading your post. I did the same trip you're doing but I took seven days to do it!
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Old Sep 22nd, 2008, 03:18 PM
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I really appreciate your advice. Believe me, this was a "toned down" version. We will debark the ship at about 7:00am if all goes well. We will just carry our luggage off the ship and hope to make that 8am tour. They (tour place) will store our luggage for us. If we have to take the later one, we will pick up the rental car, probably do town and exit glacier then head back for the tour. I will heed your advice on the other things. It's so hard to know what to sacrifice for other things. If I wasn't so determined to do the bear tour, I don't think it would be as bad.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2008, 03:19 PM
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Hope the puffins are still around for me. I REALLY want to see them.
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Old Sep 28th, 2008, 01:44 PM
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Frankly, you are taking a big chance with only 1 night in Homer and your priority for a fly in bear watch, you need 2 nights. These tours, frequently are rescheduled or delayed. And it's a poor choice in my opinion to plan on that night back in Cooper Landing and more marathon driving???

IF this is your priority, I would just spend the time in Homer and Seward and forget about anything else. Your itinerary at this point has too tight a schedule and no added time for any glitches that are possible to occur.
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Old Sep 28th, 2008, 01:45 PM
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In your timeframe, puffins are still around, through the first days of Sept.
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Old Sep 29th, 2008, 10:55 AM
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Thanks BQ. I think what I am going to do now is do KFT and stop and hit Exit Glacier on the way out of town-and drive on to Homer. (now if the weather is bad in Seward that morning I will be hosed for the KFT, as I will have reservations already in Homer). I am going to schedule the bear tour for Sat with hopefully a back up on Sun (if they can take us). Then spend whatever day we don't use for the bears to scope out Homer. Then hit some sites on the way to the airport on MON. I hate not having enough time, but at this particular point in our life that's just the way it is. If the economy doesn't bounce back we may never get back either.

Thanks for your continued help here and on CC.
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Old Oct 26th, 2008, 05:09 PM
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I don't know if you are still interested in suggestions for your Kenai Peninsula trip, but if you are I thought I'd make a few suggestions. I live in Kenai and the top places that our visitors love to see at least once if not every time they visit are the following: (at least once) Exit Glacier out of Seward, (everytime) a trip to Halibut Cove from Homer on the Danny J and dinner at the restaurant there(whales have been sighted and Halibut Cove is surreal and dinner is delicious),(everytime) a drift out of the Kenai-Soldotna area on the Kenai or Kasilof River fishing for salmon (kings preferred) and (everytime)a halibut charter out of Homer (whales have been sighted). They also enjoy Old Kenai (2 Old Russian Orthodox Churches) and eating at Veronica's in Old Kenai, Kenai Landing off K-Beach Rd. out of Kenai, Pratt Museum and Ocean Refuge Center (free) in Homer, shopping on the Spit in Homer and going to the Salty Dog (a unique bar) which is also located on the Spit. With your short time frame and our unpredictable weather (year-round) its best to leave yourself very flexible. Cooper Landing is only an hour out of Seward. Homer is about a 2-1/2 hour drive from Cooper Landing. The float is nice, but you can see the river from the road. I'd skip it and head for Homer and spend the day in Homer then you could explore and take the afternoon Danny J to Halibut Cove. Seriously, we go when we don't have company too. Skip the Iditarod Museum and check out Independence Mine if you have time. We've done that trip from Kenai up with all of the stops (our visitor's insisted). It made for a very long day. Leave out the stops and head for the mine. Forget Talkeetna this trip. (Sometimes you can see Denali from the Anchorage airport and sometimes you can't see it when you're right next to it - it's so big that it makes its own weather). This is a very big state and you'll be back. Have a great trip.
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Old Nov 23rd, 2008, 05:47 PM
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Thank you Seamama....sorry I have checked in here for awhile. I appreciate all your advice. We are now driving straight to Homer after our Kenai Fjords tour and spending 2 nights in Homer. Then we are spending Sun night in Kasilof, to get jump on getting back to Anchorage so we can hopefully make it to Independence Mine. Thanks again for your suggestions and we will be doing at least a couple of them in our short stay....this time.
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