Hi,

I am just starting to research. Here is my situation: my aunt and uncle are doing a Cruisetour on Princess out of Vancouver - it's the 7 day cruise plus 7 day land (as follows):

8 Whittier/Copper River
Disembark the ship and board a catamaran through Prince William Sound to Valdez. Continue by motorcoach to the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge for a 2-night retreat.
9 Copper River
Enjoy a full day of leisure. Choose from many optional excursion that let you explore America's largest National Park - Wrangell-St. Elias. Overnight in the wilderness.
10 Copper River/Denali
Motorcoach to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge along the scenic Denali Highway. Be on the lookout for wildlife. Overnight at the lodge.
11 Denali
Take a morning Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax or explore.
12 Denali/Mt. McKinley
Travel to Talkeetna by luxurious Princess railcars, then onto the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge by motorcoach. Enjoy your night at the lodge.
13 Mt. McKinley/Anchorage
Enjoy the morning at your leisure, then sightsee by motorcoach to Anchorage for the night.
14 Anchorage
Your tour ends this morning in Anchorage.

After reading on here for a few days, and thinking about the fact that I don't like group tours, I'm thinking of doing the cruise but then doing the land portion myself.

What do you think? What would be a good 1-week itinerary to do on my own? I am active - so hiking glaciers, parks, rafting, kayaking are what I'm looking for. Also, I'm a photography buff. I want to spend a few days at Denali, and am thinking of camping there (at Wonder Lake, or somewhere else?). So, thoughts on that part would be appreciated also.

Assuming I rent a car, what would be a good loop - starting and starting in Anchorage?

Thanks - I know this is a little vague but I'm just starting to think about this.

We've gone on only one cruise, and that was on a small (compared to the huge cruise ships) river vessel (in Russia).

I can tell you that after a week we were absolutely thrilled to be able to go off on our own.

I definitely don't think you'll be ready to get off of a Princess ship! I sure wasn't! LOL!! Although the itenerary you listed sounds lots better than some I've seen, I think you'll LOVE doing the land part on your own. You definitely do NOT want to do the Tundra Wilderness tour!! Take a shuttle through the park - you can go further for LOTS less money. Camping in Wonder Lake would be great, but it's according to the time of year you're going - the mosquitoes will eat you alive!

With a one-week itenerary, I'd concentrate on Denali and the Kenai Peninsula. (Also don't miss the Native Heritage Center and weekend market in Anchorage.)

Hope you have as much fun planning as I've had over the last year!

Thanks cjnky - I'm going at toward the end of July/beginning of August next year.

I'm also trying to figure out how I would bring my camping stuff and my cruise stuff - I guess just leave my suitcase in the car at Delani. I probably have to buy a bigger/better backpack than I currently have too.

BudgetQueen or anyone else? Any more helpful tips?

TIA,
Karen

With one week for land adventures you can have a great time but should prioritize what you want to do. Travel distances in Alaska are farther than you may realize. Do you want to concentrate your time in one geographic area to minimize travel time and focus on activities like camping, hiking, rafting, etc? If so, do some research on your favorite activities to start with and some of the prime places to do those activities. If your preference is to see more of Alaska and you're willing to do more travel and perhaps less "activities" then research some of the places you've wanted to see. In Alaska you can spend an entire week camping and taking photos, easily! There are lots of very fun adventures - kayaking in Prince William Sound, camping, fishing, hiking, glacier hiking, sight seeing, etc. I'd recommend you begin narrowing your focus by deciding on how much travel you want to do.

Karen, some general thoughts from a person who loves organized tours.

How much do you love your aunt and uncle to spend another 7 days with them, 14 days total?

Also, while reading the land part: "leisure time" is usually translated into "the tour guide will press hard to sell the optional tours"

If you can plan your own travels, go for it. You don't have to be on your own all 7 days. Do the cruise, and then it's up to you: when, where, how long.

I always advise people who can travel on their own to skip tours.

1 week? hiking, glaciers, denali? i would do some hiking and the glacier hiking at exit glacier...you can do the harding icefield hike 1 day ( on sat you can go w a park ranger at 9 am ) they say 8 miles rt...awesome view, altho when we did it it rained/cold the whole hike..was still worth it...exit glacier guides takes people hiking on the glacier...exitglacierguides.com...we didnt do this one as my girlfriend had surgery and this requires a 1 mile hike up the icefield trail etc...we did matanuska glacier....then u have seward there...then its a day drive to denali ( about. altho a DAY in july never ends...s u n )and your few days in denali...quick week, huh? float plane ride? maybe on the way in moose pass? enjoy..we just returned in august 15....

Kaudrey,

We went on our own last Sept - wow that feels so long ago it may be time to go again - and we had a great time. My wife and I also do not like crowds and tour groups. We are fairly active and wanted to do many thing we knew a tour group would not be conducive to.

I posted a fairly detailed trip report when we returned along with pictures. If you'd like a link to it - it might give you some ideas - I'd be happy to send you a link to it.

Just let me know. were to send it or if you'd prefer I post it here.

I vote for independent travel for your second week. You should be able to head north to Denali and then Seward to the south. While your excitement is fresh, that would be a good time to spend time by yourself and not mind the long drive (I would stop off at Independence Mine and Talkeetna). The drive south of Anchorage is gorgeous so you will want to take your time getting to Seward.
My only concern is about how much alone time you like. I like comparing notes with someone else whether it's my husband or business pal. If you can talk easily with strangers, I think it would add to the trip. Maybe spend the night in a good BB with sociable hosts. (Some are friendly, some you never see.) Since one of my interests is gardening, I went on a local garden tour by myself and had a great time. Great way to see other peoples' backyards. One of the strangers we talked to was a net fisherman who gave us a salmon for dinner. Have you checked to see if there are any photography clubs in Anchorage? You might get some good inside info on great places for photo ops. We opted for a BB while relatives chose to camp. The mosquitos were horrendous that night (late June) but no problem during the day. We had a small view of a mountain from our window. The relative laughed because they were camping at the fairgrounds in Palmer where you can see mountains all around you. They definitely got the better view (but our breakfast was better).

I too agree that one week is a good amount of time for Denali Park and Seward. Frankly, the cruisetour listed, misses Valdez completely- which is worth at least a full day and they put you out at the remote Copper Princess lodge. In this location, it is definately the highlight to consider a fly in to McCarthey/Kennicott. There isn't much else in the area, fishing is excellent. The Denali Highway, by bus would be my last choice. This is a place to get out when and where you wish, since the scenery is spectacular.

So for a week, I would spend 2-3 nights in Denali Park, and 2 nights in Seward. You'd need another in between. Plenty to see and do along the way, so allow time for it. Glacier Trekking with MICA guides is another good option if of interest.

I've only been on one cruise (so far) and I felt the same way about groups and preferred to arrange my own. I would definitely do that again - it was cheaper than going through the ship and I was able to plan around my families preferences.
I found great info and contacts through the message boards at www.cruisecritic.com an excellent source for cruise specific info.

Thank you all so much!

I know I am in the beginning stages of planning, but I definitely think I'll tour on my own. Also, I am trying to convince some friends to come with me - so "alone" might not be so alone after all!

I also have an acquaintence who has offered a free place to stay when I/we are in Anchorage, which will be nice.

I have cut and pasted your suggestions into a document of things to research, and I'll be looking into camping vs. B&Bs, glacier hiking, flightseeing, kayaking etc. Part of the plan may now rest of what my friends want to do if they join me.

jfm - I have emailed you for the link, with the subject of "Link to Alaska". Thanks for the offer!

I'll keep you posted of my progress on planning!

Karen

http://www.anchorage.net/454.cfm

I hope I did it right, the link above should allow you to order a free visitors guide. Might help with planning and ideas.

Thanks for the link. I think I now have brochures coming from the state, Skagway, Anchorage, and Juneau!