michele_d

Hi Everyone, Last week of July 2017 there will be 6-12, of us, all couples, taking a cruise through the Inside Passage. It ends in Seward. We would like to stay 3 more days so they guys can go Halibut fishing one day. Before the cruise we are visiting Butchart gardens for the girls. We have been to Alaska twice and just weren't thrilled with Anchorage, plus the cost of hotel rooms are crazy.

I was hoping you could give me some input if anyone has done a log cabin rental down near Seward/Kenai Peninsula. Maybe on a river or lake.Are the mosquitoes crazy in July? I thought we would disembark the ship on Friday, get two rental cars ( I think only 6-8 will stay the extra days and four will fly home from Anchorage that day) get groceries, get to the house, the guys would go fishing on Sat, all of us could visit Alyeska and surrounds, Conservation Center etc on Sunday. Return cars on Monday morning, train to Anchorage and fly home. Or maybe stay til Tuesday and do the Misty Fjords tour.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Alaska is just so beautiful I hate to spend time in a city and would love any input you have.
Thank you...Michele

traveller1959

The problem is renting a car in Seward. The rates are crazy. This is what we did:

We booked a bus transfer from the cruise ship terminal in Seward to Anchorage airport. (We booked this one, which was half price of the cruise ship's transfer: https://www.alaskabusconnections.com/)

It was a half-day tour which included stops at the Wildlife Conservation Center and at a viewpoint on Turnagain Arm.

At the airport we took our rental car (full-size SUV from Enterprise) and drove back to Seward, not without having a lunch at a roadside BBQ spot at Turnagain Arm.

It was a nice and scenic trip and we saved $$$$$.

michele_d

Thank you traveller...this is exactly the kind of info we are looking for. What activities did you enjoy in the Seward/Kenai area? We want to do the conservation center and Alyeska and I would also like to do the Misty Fjords cruise. Any other drives that you really enjoyed that included glaciers?

Gardyloo

Some comments...

Cars will be cheaper if you return to Seward instead of driving to Anchorage with them; however a quick check with Expedia shows that a 3-day rental in Seward (Hertz) in late July is running around $530 for a mid-size car, while the same rental picked up and dropped at Anchorage airport is $260, i.e. half. It might be worth it to go to Anchorage right off the boat, get a car, and spend that night back in Girdwood or even back to Seward. I know it's a lot of driving, but just a consideration. With that big a group I think you're going to have trouble with accommodations in Seward or really anywhere on the Kenai Peninsula. Maybe there are some VRBO-type places in Seward; you might also look at Homer for one day/night - good halibut fishing there, albeit with more driving.

For rentals in the area, look also at Cooper Landing, but don't get your hopes up for log cabin or similar accommodations. And yes, next to rivers and lakes in July you're going to have bugs. Not so bad near salt water.

I did want to comment on this: Before the cruise we are visiting Butchart gardens for the girls.

Since your cruise starts in Vancouver, let me just suggest you consider visiting gardens in that city rather than the expensive and long schlep over to Victoria. Right in town, the Queen Elizabeth Park gardens and adjacent Bloedel Conservatory are world-class and - in my view - pretty comparable with Butchart Gardens but way, way less crowded and, in the case of the park's gardens, free as opposed to very expensive Butchart. (The conservatory has a small admission fee.) And if that's not enough, the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens are very close to QE Park, equally wonderful but quite different. Then in downtown Vancouver you have the terrific Dr. Sun Yat Sen Chinese garden, and, of course, the phenomenal rose gardens (along with everything else) in marvelous Stanley Park.

http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation...beth-park.aspx
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation...servatory.aspx
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation...al-garden.aspx
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation...se-garden.aspx
http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation...nley-park.aspx

This would save a bunch of money and time - maybe you could apply the money to accommodations or cars in Alaska. You certainly wouldn't be short-changed on the garden front, and would have more time in amazing Vancouver. You'll see plenty of islands and salt water in the week to come.

michele_d

Thanks Gardyloo...more terrific info to share with everyone. Looks like six of us will be renting a log cabin. I have found several that are just in our price range and they look fantastic. Thanks for the garden info!!! Fantastic

MichelleY

I loved the setting of Seward on Resurrection Bay. So beautiful. We took the 8 hour Kenai Fjords cruise. Well worth the all day trip. We hiked around the Exit Glacier and went to Seavy's Iditaroad Sled Dog camp. So fun.

michele_d

Thank you Michelle..I think the Iditarod camp sounds fun.

MichelleY

Oops! Ididaride http://www.ididaride.com