Trying to plan a 10th anniversary trip for April/May 2005 (temps?) and Alaska was mentioned. Initially wanted to do a cruise, but from what I've seen, I think we will want to spend our own time there, instead of being limited to ship's time.

If we fly in, and rent a car, where do we go? We usually rent a condo and buy groceries so is that doable there (something in the range of $125/nite)? A hotel suite with a kitchen would be fine too. It would be nice to have access to a pool, but not an absolute necessity. Would like a central area where there is a lot to do.

Is it possible to see glaciers without doing a cruise? For a trip like this, would probably plan on 10-14 days, so would like to unpack just once, but if necessary would be open to staying in two places if it makes it easier to see the sights.

Background: we're a couple who both just turned 40, and pretty active, so hiking, dog sled rides, shopping , etc. is right up our alley. Any other ideas for activities would be great - except I'm not a really good flyer so can't handle a helicopter or small plane ride, unfortunately. Understand some of the activites can be $$$, so ideas for some cheap outings would be helpful too.

Any info or helpful tips you can send my way would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Do yourself a huge favor and start by purchasing The Milepost or see if your library has a copy. This is a thick travelguide that is a must if you're planning a trip to Alaska. Several Fordorites had mentioned it to us when we were planning our trip and it was a great help. You can purchase a copy at any major bookstore chain.
We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. Here was our itinerary:
Flew into Anchorage. Stayed at Springhill Suites. The next day we went up to Copper Center by Glenallen and stayed at the Copper River Princess lodge(I think that was the name). This was a gorgous property and it's owned by Princess Cruise Lines. The following day we drove from Copper Center to Valdez (make sure you have a full tank of gas--no stations until Valdez). The drive was absolutly breathtaking.
We also went to Homer. Loved Homer.
Stayed one night, think next time I'd stay two. Quaint little shops, wonderful restaurants, and if you'd like, you can even go halibut fishing and visit other islands by ferry.
Make sure to go to Seward. Spent the night at an off-property beautiful duplex owned by the Harborview Inn.
Would definatly rent this place again.
In Seward, you can take day cruises of all types and lengths and they are not to be missed. Also, we enjoyed the Sea Life Center. On our way back to Anchorage, we stopped at Exit Glacier. Make sure to do this, if you get the chance. It's a very nice and easy 1/2 mile hike to be up close and personal with a huge glacier.
Two words of advise: Groceries in Alaska are VERY expensive. You're probably better off to eat out.
The other, we went the end of May and had great weather. I think, though, any earlier than this would be pushing it, and a lot of things may not be opened. Have a great time.

I think April is too early; some years spring is underway by then, other years you'll encounter "breakup" conditions, which make most touring rather unpleasant - mud, wet, dirty... plus most of the major attractions, like Denali Park, are still closed, not to open until late May/June. It's not unknown to have snow in April (hell, I remember it snowing in June).

The good news I suppose is that it's still fairly inexpensive, and some things can be accessed in April/May. In late May (at least) you can see glaciers on Prince William Sound, or drive to a couple along the Seward Hwy.

Note this all has to do with the Anchorage area. Southeast Alaska (Juneau etc.) will be farther along into spring, but potentially wet. Road trips don't work in SE because there aren't many.

You might split the difference and do a one-way cruise; seven days on the water followed by 7 on land, or v.v. - it will be affordable and you'll see more of the variety of the State than you'd see doing just one or the other. May cruises are quite affordable, too.

Alaska is best seen on the move and basing out of one location will severely limit your touring. Distances are just vast. I was in Alaska beg of April and unless you want winter conditions I wouldn't go much before the end of May for better weather and activities running. And definately with up to 14 days- SEE Alaska!!!! Easy to do a "loop" tour- Anchorage- Denali Park-Fairbanks- Glennallen- Valdez-Whittier- Seward/Homer- Anchorage. Both Seward and Homer deserve 2 nights. For BEST glacier viewing- yes a boat is needed with the top trips out of Whittier. Out of Seward offers varied wildlife with a glacier view. Exit Glacier and the extended Harding ice field hike is a great choice. Using MICA guides offers glacier trekking- 2 hours NE of Anchorage. Denali Park is always a must do for me- with the SHUTTLE to Eielson my min. distance in. I greatly prefer staying in Alaska B&B's many excellent choices. Just offers so much more "Alaska Experience" If you still want April- then back it up a few weeks and get there mid March and head to Fairbanks- ice sculptor championships, northern lights, endless dog sledding opportunities, snowmobiling AND just the most excellent scenic viewing. www.icealaska.com Also request the Fairbanks winter visitor guide.

Thanks for all the tips - we're not set in stone for the date so looks like later is better than sooner, and love the idea of cruising one way and driving back - never thought of that.

Anyone else?

Some of the b&b's we stayed at had kitchen facilities. I second the motion that two or more nights each be spent in Homer and Seward. You can several glaciers if you take the tram up Mt Alyeska in Girdwood but watching and waiting for a glacier to "calve" is breath taking. The boat will stop for about half an hour and turn off the engines. Until you get there, I don't think you can appreciate the distance between places and it takes longer if you stop. I enjoyed a mid-June visit because of the flowers and salmon had started running. But even then was too early for the road over Hatcher's Pass so we had to drive from Palmer back to Wasilla and then north to Talkeetna. You might check a calendar of events to visit when a big event is going on whether it's Fur Rondy in March or 4th of July in Homer. I have yet to try sea kayaking so if I had had time to add that to a Homer visit, for example, you would need to add another day. From Homer we did an overnight package to a small hotel in Seldovia. Boat over, fly back. You could boat both ways since you don't like small planes.

Prior to May 15 is off-season and you'll save a lot of money by going then. We spent two weeks in Anchorage and the kenai Peninsula in off-season and paid about $100 per night (two nights) for the new Marriott in downtown Anchorage, which is lovely and has an indoor pool, then drove to Homer and spent three nights there (at Wildrose B&B with full kitchen), then three nights at the Kenai Princess Lodge in Cooper Landing (gorgeous, with indoor hot tubs), two nights in Seward (stayed in military lodging), and then the final five nights in Anchorage at Salmon Run B&B which was our own two bedroom cottage with full kitchen and hot tub. All the places we stayed were wonderful.

Cruisin_tigger, if you plan on staying in Anchorage consider the Residence Inn by Marriott. For accommodations in Homer check www.cabinsinhomer.com and chose whetever suits your needs. Most of the listed cabins have full kitchens.
Have fun planning.

You won't be able to drive back after a cruise; what I meant was cruise one way, then spend a week driving around the Southcentral region (Anchorage, Kenai, Denali etc.) then fly home, or reverse (fly, drive, cruise). I'm not aware of any rental car agencies that will allow one-ways to/from Alaska, and it would cost a fortune if they did. However, open-jaw and/or one-way airfares are easily arranged and not overly costly.

All of the one-way cruises are between Vancouver BC and tidewater ports on Prince William Sound (Seward or Whittier) each an hour or two from Anchorage. You might also plan for a couple of extra days in Vancouver at one end of the trip or the other - a great city, well suited for anniversary celebrations.

There's no way you can base in one place and see even a small area of Alaska.

For perspective, it is a 5 hour one way drive up to Denali National Park. It takes an 8 hour bus ride to see the park and then 5 hours back.

Regular hotel rooms run in the $100-150 range. I'm sure a condo would be much more.

Yes, groceries are high but we bought all our groceries and cooked nearly all our meals in our RV and saved A LOT of money.

Speaking of RV's, if you don't want to ever unpack, we loved doing Alaska this way.

It's 2-3 hours (depending on bumper to bumper traffic) to Seward and even further to Homer. The day cruises are a minimum of 6 hours (I'd recommend longer). You will miss a lot if you don't do at least one day cruise.

Anchorage is a nice city but is still just a city. If you're going to go all the way to Alaska, you've got to get out of town to see it.