My sister and I are planning a trip to Alaska in August 2001. We want to see as much natural beauty of the area as possible, but we're not exactly the rugged, hiking/camping types. Can't decide if we want to take a cruise or fly into one of the major cities and rent a car and just go for it. Any suggestions?

When you cruise, you see what other people think you should see, for the amount of time they think you should see it, and when they think you should see it. You even eat when they think you should eat. Of course, you don't have to do any thinking or planning in this scenario; you just obey whatever you're told to do.

When you have a car, you see what you want to see, when you want to see it, and for how long you want to see it. You even get to eat when you want to. It does require some thinking and planning, however; as well as some phone calls ahead of time to make reservations (August is the high point of tourism). This may be more than you would want to handle.

It basically comes down to freedom vs convenience.

Did Alaska twice in the 90's. Both times did a 7 day cruise, Vancouver to Seward, and then rented a car and toured Alaska for a week.

RQF,
Did you cruise first and then rent the car, or vice versa? Which would you recommend. Also, do you recommend any particular cruiseline for Alaska? We want at least a 7 day cruise, maybe more. We found that there are a couple of cruise ships that include a post or pre extension in addition to the cruise. What do you think?

Maybe it's just a 'guy thing', but Paul and I always agree on this question: get a car and do Alaska your way, at your pace. The driving there is so easy and the things you can stop and see and do are so much more enjoyable when you have your freedom, as opposed to all the junket stops and cattle herding of a cruise. Yes, cruises do take all the thought and planning worries out of a trip. But the enjoyment is immensely greater when you can drive inland at your leisure.

I've read past postings about To cruise or not To Cruise ALASKA, and from what most people are saying, is it's going to cost an arm and a leg to rent a car and try to find accommodations in August. I'm just wondering which is more expensive?? And here's another thought, and some people are going to probably laugh when I ask this, but, what's the crime like in Alaska? I read the other day that Alaska is the #1 rape state in the US....

Both times we sailed from Vancouver to Alaska on a 7 day cruise. Both times we rented a car and toured for six days before flying home. At the time I determined it was less expensive to tour on our own as opposed to booking a land tour from the cruise line. The car gives you greater flexibility. If you decide the cruise, rent a car option be sure to get a copy of The Milepost - invaluable book when driving in Alaska. Almost all one way cruises are for seven days. The biggest players in the Alaska market are Princess and HAL. I prefer HAL since I am a senior and am looking for a quieter cruise experience. Most cruise ships hit the same ports on the Inside Passage so one is as good as another. Look for cruises that do Glacier Bay and or College Fjord. One that does both would be a good choice. Most people prefer Glacier Bay. I found College fjord to be just as interesting.

Tracy, the trouble is that you see two different Alaskas between the typical cruising experience and a land (car) based one. Virtually all the cruises show you the inside passage and Southeast Alaska, a green, mountainous, very marine environment (duh - it better be marine if a cruise ship goes there), while the car/land based alternative generally can't show off much of Southeast, or for that matter much coastline at all, because there are few coastal roads outside the towns, and they don't go anywhere - all the through routes from coastal Alaska to the interior, as well as the main Alaska highway system, are inland, away from the rugged and impassable coastline. There are some short exceptions along the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound, but virtually nothing besides those few miles.

As far as all the other main destinations for visitors to Alaska go, they're obviously not accessible to ships, so you have to go land- or air-based at some point.

So it boils down to what you want to see or experience. The scenery from a cruise ship is magnificent, but you'll only be seeing a tiny sample of all the variety of landscapes and environments this place can offer. A car-based trip will let you see the inland areas, but will not give you the full sense of the coastal environment, except that which you might be able to glean from short spur roads, like to Seward, or maybe a cross-Sound ferry ride from Whittier or Seward to Valdez, etc. Also, a car-based trip will still not expose you to much of the Alaska bush, which is only accessible by air.

The cost, with accommodation, transportation, meals, etc., may start getting comparable between low-end cruise fares and independent car-based travel if one is travelling alone. For two or more people travelling together it's hard to see how the land-based alternative wouldn't be lots cheaper. Remember, you'd still have to rent a car or ride the train or stay in a hotel once past the cruise dock.

Alaska is a pretty safe place, although alcohol and alcohol-related crime is a problem. I wouldn't let it deter you, just use common sense and the skills you've already acquired.

Tracy,
I went to Alaska on my honeymoon a few years ago. We flew into Anchorage, rented a car and drove north to Fairbanks, stopping along the way. I would highly recommend the driving. You really get to see the absolutely beautiful scenery at your own pace. Also, a trip to Denali is a real must. We camped a little bit, but spent most nights in small inns. It was a great way to meet locals and understand the Alaskan way of life. (It really is almost like living in another country). I bought the Lonely Planet guide and used it to book all our reservations. The hotels were relatively cheap outside the main cities. I would also recommed getting the Milepost book. Another hidden savings is the lack of sales tax. What you see is what you pay. I would love to go back again.

Thanks to everyone for your invaluable advice and experiences. I must be honest, and say that I am THOROUGHLY confused now as to whether to cruise or drive!!! It sounds like a great experience either way.....so how could we go wrong...thanks again.

Adding to your confusion:

I took a cruise up from Seattle to Alaska several years ago in August. I thought it was breathtakingly spectacular. I am not a particular fan of the cruise genre by any stretch, but felt that I saw a tremendous amount. We went to Valdez, seeing mountainous, pine-covered lands; Glacier Bay and took a helicopter to see incredible glaciers; went white-water rafting in Ketchikan; also stopped in Seward. I will never forget being on the deck of the ship and seeing the most phenomenal sunset I have ever seen, with the reds and oranges in the sky playing against the eerie blues and whites of the glaciers. I thought it was marvelous.

I'd LOVE to take a cruise to Alaska!If that's what you decide to do, have you checked to see if there is availability on the cruise line(s) of your choice for August? Though not as popular as June & July, August is still a popular month to vacation. I'd advise you not to wait too long to book.

Tracy: we went to Alaska in '96, drove Anchorage to Homer area (lower left side of Kenai), flew to Juneau (you can't get there by car: there are no roads!) and did a 2 day cruise into Glacier Bay that was phenomenal. We used a boat that I assume is still around: Alaska Sightseeing West. we have wanted since then to go on their 9 day (I believe) cruise from Vancouver on up.
The difference vs the big ships: 52 passengers on our trip, adequate cabin space, great food and staff. They are totally wildlife/scenery oriented. On our 48 hour cruise: See grizzlies on shore: park the boat! See mountain goats (male, 3 females, 3 babies): park the boat! The glacier is calving like crazy: park the boat for an extra hour or so! A highlight for us: my husband and I in the pilot house of the boat/ship at 5am as it pulled into Marjorie Glacier area, having coffee with the (female) captain. The naturalist on board had full access to in-board microphone the whole time, and spent much of it pointing out items of interest all around us. She told us that on Princess cruises she was allowed to use the mike for 15 minutes max, and then only at 2 minute intervals, so the guests who were partying wouldn't be disturbed.
Several passengers had just come from Princess line cruises, which had just been in Glacier Bay, and confirmed this for us. The big cruise lines are not there to catch the sights available.
Their full trip hits the typical spots that are hit by the bigger ships, but, instead of getting stated number of hours on shore, the passengers stay overnight in hotels. Certainly, lots of shipping bags (but definitely a state to pack light for!) but really get to enjoy each spot.
Good luck deciding - it's simply a gloriously beautiful state!

Why not have the best of both worlds by renting a car and taking the Alaskan Marine Highway? The Alaskan Marine Highway is the ferry system that you can take your rental car on. This way you can see both the maritime and inland parts of Alaska. I worked with the Cruise industry for some years. I spent some time in Alaska with this job and most Alaskans I met suggested seeing their home in this fashion. Why not purchase a book on Alaska and read about the Alaskan Marine Highway? Alaska is a wonderful place to visit. Taking a cruise could limit your experieinces. You are not in port very long. The nightlife and restaurants in some of the port towns are great. Once you want to move on, take your car on the ferry to the next port you choose. The cruise experience is great for those who do not want to plan their trip. However, the cruise has it's limitations. When I travel I like to get the feeling of the place and it's people. This is something that is difficult to do on a cruise. Do your homework before you go and have a great trip.

My $.02.

To really experience Alaska you must go to the interior. As earlier stated, cruising gives access to port cities not accessable by road.

If you fly/drive, you can go to Seward, for example, and take a Kenai Fjord park tour (boat tour) and see the beauty of the water and glaciers (and sea lions, seals, orcas/humpbacks, Dall Porpoise, Dall Sheep and sea otters). Similar to the Glacier Bay Spirit of Adventure tour. Or you can go to Valdez for a similar experience.

Then, you can also drive almost anywhere you want to go; Denali, Fairbanks, Tok, Glennallen and stop at tremendous places of beauty, such as Tetlin Wildlife Refuge.

Along the way you could take a flightseeing tour of Denali and the glaciers, in say Talkeetna. I strongly recommend taking a flightseeing tour whatever you decide. You really want to feel like a human out of her element, just look out of an airplane around Denali. Humans are just visiting the place; they don't belong permanently.

On the other hand, I have heard wonderful things from people who took the Princess cruises. This isn't my cup of tea (yet), but they rave about their combo water/inland tours. Princess "owns" Alaska, as they have the nicest hotels and total access to all ports (not true for HAL in all cities); special railroad cars. Order their Alaska brochures, etc.. as they will give you a really good plan on some possibilities (even if you do it on your own).

Whenever you know the dates, make a Denali bus reservation IMMEDIATELY. If you didn't know, Denali park has one main road for 100+ miles. The first 15 are open to cars; the rest you have to take a bus tour. You will see abundant wildlife, and possibly the mountain.

For a low-key fun trip, rent a bike in downtown Anchorage and ride the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. You probably will see moose after the 5th mile or so. Plus, the ride is flat and nice. At one point, you will be directly under the airport runway. Literally you can see and hear the big jets take off from the ANC airport.

Tell us what you do...

I feel like paying one of you right now to create our itinerary.....you guys are a wealth of knowledge! I would hate to go to a travel agent because they obviously recommend certain venues/hotels because of the commission involved. We're suppose to leave at the beginnning of August, and I feel like I'm 3 months behind in the planning process. I'm definitely going to get Milepost, and get a few brochures from a travel agent....I'm leaning towards renting a car, and then taking day cruises, as opposed to doing the whole Princess thing....but I'm still not sure!

Half the fun of a big trip like Alaska is the planning. I found travel agents didn't have much. Send money and we will plan your trip! (ha ha).

Get an Alaska map and really look at it. Many places aren't connected by roads. Plus, it is so large it would be like asking what should I do in the lower 48 from Florida to Texas to Minnesota and the heartland. A large area.

I looked over every book in the library and book store; The Milepost, map & book from AAA; on-line resources (like [but not] Fodors), Princess Cruise and other cruise travel brochures, videos, on-line material and things from vendors in AK, and stuff I've forgotten. Some materials gave sample itineraries; I was interested in what things were the most common to all of them.

Denali
Flightseeing (around Denali or Wrangall St. Elias)

We wanted to see wildlife and specifically moose and humpbacks. I found that

Moose - Denali and Tony Knowles trail (among others)

humpbacks (over 15)- Pt. Adolphus in Gustavus. They summer there and winter in Hawaii. We also saw one (just one) on the Kenai Fjords Northwestern Fjord tour. They normally see Orcas...

Other great places that were common in the books:

Kenai Fjords (especially Exit Glacier and touching the ice)
Valdez area
Glacier Bay
Kodiak area.


Lodging was not as plentiful as the lower 48 interstates, so reservations were recommended.

Hi Tracy-
I'll give my vote for driving for all the same reasons mentioned above, especially for the variety and for the ability to spend as much time as you like in any given place. We flew into Anchorage, headed south to Seward (did the day cruise from there to get out on the water), went back north to Denali and then to Fairbanks, and then back south to fly out of Anchorage. We stayed in b&b's in small towns-Girdwood, Wasilla, Talkeetna and one other I can't remember the name of. We saw another couple following a similar route, but they were camping. I highly recommend the Denali View B&B in Talkeetna by the way-LesLee and Norm were fabulous hosts. We booked all of our b&bs on-line through b&bchannel.com and one other I can't remember the name of-someone out there likely knows what I'm talking about. Both sites offer pictures so that there isn't as much risk as booking blind. B&Bs were about $125/night when we went in '98. This trip was a lot of driving, but well worth it to see all the beauty on the way (including the numerous moose crossings). We did this trip in 12 days-don't know if that is a lot or little, but we like to keep moving. There have been a lot of good suggestions posted (buy the Bell's Mile by Mile, take a flight-seeing tour from Talkeetna, etc.)If you want more details, feel free to e-mail me.

I will be in Alaska end July/begin August. Booked airfare earlier when met our price requirements. I'm just now booking the hotels and B&Bs. With a USAA discount we got a car for $200 per week. I've been finding B&Bs with shared bath at $60-75 and private bath $80+, independent motels $70-100, and cabins of various types and quality $60-125. Top hotels and fancy B&Bs are more. Some recommended B&Bs are already booked, but I'm finding space at the small motels and less well known B&Bs. Hope this helps with your budget.

As for itenerary, everyone has been giving you great ideas. For natural beauty you'll find the standards will be great--Kenai Fjords, Denali. If you want a little culture stop by Eklutna (sp?) outside Anchorage, splurge on a flight/tour to Barrow or other village.

Maybe we'll pass you on the road.

Driving is the only way to go and experience it. B&Bs are great too.
It is possible to take a ocean shore tour from Whittier to Valdez (and back) to see the shore from the sea.
I travelled over one third all the paved highway there, seeing Denali and Fairbanks, and Valdez. Also hiked aroung Valdez with friends, and toured the oil facility. What a blast. Try it. PS. It is so different that you forget that your phone cards, credit cards and money is accepted everywhere if you are a yankee. And you speak the language. It is unique, so do not just do a cruise tour which is really the tourist Alaska, and not the true thing.