Thanks to all the posts at this forum, we have come up with a trip we can hardly wait to take. Any final tips? We are a group of 11 varying ages 13-87..So far:

7 day Celebrity Cruise from Vancouver: arrive Seward on Fri a.m. Pick up rental cars. Do Exit Glacier. Drive to Homer and overnight at Alaskan Suites.

Day2: SLOW scenic drive back to ANC. Two from the group have to leave. Will PL room here & trade cars in, get supplies for trip.

DAY3eave ANC early for Denali stopping on the way for towns & sites, get shuttle tickets for park. Staying EARTHSONG Lodge 2 nights. They run sled rides & slide show .

Day4: Be 1st in line for Denali shuttle to the end..Explore. Earthsong again.

Day5: tour the kennels before we leave for Fairbanks. See the museum, Riverboat (or is that too touristy?)Overnight Cloudberry Lookout B&B.

Day6: off to Paxson to enjoy the scenary and lakes in the area and an evening float trip looking for wildlife. Staying at Denali Hwy.cabins on the river.

Day7: Scenic drive to Valdez & stops along the way..May stay in town or try to stay at THE LAKE HOUSE B&B. Has anyone been there?

Day8: back up the scenic hwy. and heading for Matanuska Gl. with lots of stops along the way. Overnight at Sheep Mtn. Lodge.

Day9: Slow drive back to Anc.and flights home at night...

Wish we could stay 2 nites everywhere,but I think this is as good as its going to get for this trip!

I have a comment regarding your day 1 and day 2

day 1. Celebrity Cruise from Vancouver: arrive Seward on Fri a.m. Pick up rental cars. Do Exit Glacier. Drive to Homer and overnight at Alaskan Suites.

Day2: SLOW scenic drive back to ANC. Two from the group have to leave. Will PL room here & trade cars in, get supplies for trip.

As much as we love Homer I don't think it is wise to go there just to stay overnight. Forget Exit Glacier and drive straiaght to Homer or just stay that night in Seward. Relax!
Any particular reason why do you want to go to Homer for 1 night? It takes about 4 hours from Seward to Homer and around 5 hours to get from Homer to ANC. What time do you have to be back in Anchorage? What time your friends' plane depart from ANC?

I also suggest to get your tickets for Denali shuttle in advance. For 9 people you should have reservation.

Riverboat is exclusively for tourist but it is fun and you will learn a thing or two.

Is there a specific reason why you want to go to Valdez for one night only? Do you know that it rains often there and if you are there for one night only you may not see much scenery that is spectacular but not when everything is in the clowds. With two days there you have a better chance experiencing Valdez area.
I would drive from Fairbanks to Valdez and forget about Paxson. Or stay in Paxon and forget about Valdez.

All places you chose are spectacular but it looks as you are trying to cover too much in a short time. Give yourself a break, relax, stop and really enjoy surrondings.

We visited all places you included in your itinerary but we had much, much more time.

Our friends had their wedding at THE LAKE HOUSE B&B near Valdez so it has to be beautiful but I don't know anything about it.

We stayed at the Sheep Mtn Lodge and loved it. Do you have reservations there? Are you planning on hiking Matanuska Glacier?

What time your plane departs from ANC? There are many things to do and see on the way from Sheep Mt Lodge to Anchorage. What are your interests?

PAT: Appreciate your review of the trip..I guess we are trying to see the scenic hwys. We're a limited group for hiking due to some bad knees and the 87yr old, who just wants to see "as much as she can." At one point she was even trying to get us on a 1 day tour trip to the Artic Cir. I read so much about the Kenai P. that i thought it worth the trip,and Homer sounded like a village to see. I could give up EXIT.The people leaving the next day, look like they have evening flights out at 8;30pm.. We are going to have reservations for Denali, I guess I thought we had to pick them up, haven't researched that far yet, just know we will be there. We were going to Valdez , again for ride down the scenic hwy, which is always listed as one of the beautiful drives. I was trying to keep the driving to under 250 miles a day, thus the places i chose to stop at. We are very easily entertained & on a limited budget after the cruise. So hence the driving, cuz most of the excursions are $$$. we have the reservation at the places mentioned, except Valdez&ANC. Our flights back from Anc. look like late in the day also.

I agree with the above poster in that you should pick between Homer and Seward you only have one night. Having stayed in both, my favorite is Homer for it's idyllic setting, but Seward is beautiful as well. But, with only one night, I think you need to decide. If you decide on Homer, make sure to stop off at Ninilchik and check out the beautiful Russian Orthodox church there.

I'm excited you are staying at the EarthSong Lodge! DW and I spend 2 nights there in 1999 and loved it! Jon and Karin are fabulous hosts, and they will make you feel like old friends. Their dogs are fun and friendly.

I would definitely get your bus tickets in advance, and not "stand in line"...why put that pressure on yourself? Get the tickets up front and don't have to worry. We went to Wonder Lake and back, and saw just about everything, including Denali up close. Stunning!

I can't speak for the rest of your trip, as we spent our time on the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, and Denali NP. You'll love this trip, whatever you decide.

The Matanuska Glacier is not worth the doubling-back required from Valdez. I would (a) skip Homer for reasons mentioned, then (b) replace the return drive from Valdez with the state ferry from Valdez to Whittier. IMO the scenery from the ferry crossing Prince William Sound is the equal or superior to Kachemak Bay (Homer) and looking at ice floes and/or Orcas from the ferry is a lot more enjoyable than looking at the brake lights on some pickup truck or camper on the road to Homer.

The first night, drive from Seward only as far as Girdwood and stay at or near the Alyeska resort; have dinner at the Double Musky. You can take the gondola up to the top of the mountain for drop-dead panoramas of Turnagain Arm and the Kenai & Chugach mountains. The next morning, have a cinnamon roll at the bakery at the Resort (this is a must do before driving the 40 scenic minutes to Anchorage.

With a big party you will need early reservations, especially the ferry. See http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html