Hello everyone,

I want to Thank everyone for all of the previous posts to help plan our trip.

We rented a RV from Great Alaskan Holidays for 12 days, then stayed at the Dimond Hotel with our 2 for 1 tour saver. We drove almost 2000 miles in the RV. We flew into ANC then headed to Denali NP for 3 nights at Riley Creek Campground.. very lovely. We went on the bus tour to Wonder Lake, this was the highlight of our trip. Our driver was very funny and we will be talking about him for a long time! The mosquitoes at Wonder Lake were very numerous but we found the mosquitoes in Alaska to be are very docile... very big, easy to kill and don't attack you like the ones in the lower 48.

From Denali we headed to Independence State Mine which was really cool. We spent the next night in Palmer at the Homestead RV... no complaints. From Palmer we drove the GlennAllen Highway which was very beautiful to the Thompson Highway - Thompson Pass is incredible! We had an overcast day and it was still beautiful.. I can't imagine what a clear day must look like. We drove to Valdez, looked around and left to drive back to ANC. After getting more supplies in ANC we headed to Homer.

We really liked Homer and the sunset on the way along Anchor Point was beautiful. In Homer we ate at Captain Patties and the halibut was the best! After Homer we headed to Seward... we tried to hike the Harding Ice-field but ran into a black bear 20 ft from us in the path.. so we headed back down. Black bears were very active at Exit Glacier. We went on the Renown Tour with the coupon saver and were disappointed.... the boat, the ranger on board and overall. We talked to people who went on a different boat the same day and they had a much better experience. I wouldn't go with Renown again. We went to Ray's in Seward which was good, but we thought Captain Patties in Homer was better. Back in Anchorage we went to the Outback Steak house and it was one of the better ones.. I recommend them if you are tired of fish.

If you have any question please let me know and I'll try to help.

Alaska is a beautiful state with jaw-dropping beauty for which there are no words to describe.

So glad you enjoyed your trip! No matter how many photos we see, it still doesn't prepare any of us for the incredible beauty we find there. Thanks for the great trip report. What size RV did you rent? How many of you were there? We're thinking about trying this route next visit to Alaska, Summer 2007. Would you recommend it?

Bayou Gal,
We rented a 25 foot RV for myself, husband and 2 children ( 9 and 11 ).
The camper had it's pro's and con's... it was good to be able to eat lunch, dinner where-ever and when-ever we wanted to and always had our stuff with us.. so we only packed and unpacked 2x. The con's were the small showers with limited water, small bathroom and the bumpier ride than a car. Also it was difficult to go down some of the dirt roads and pull over if we saw an animal. Would I rent a RV again? Probably, but only for a week of the trip. I can't tell you how long of a shower we took at the Hotel

As for our trip.. it was a bit rushed... we would drive until sometimes 1:00 am, but thats when all of the aminals are out and it never really got dark. Since it was our first trip to the interior, we wanted to see as much as possible.... so yes, I'd do it all over again. Next time, we will devote more to the areas we liked best like Denali and I'd definately drive the Thompson Pass again!

Why specifically were you disappointed in Renown tours? We have tickets for 3 weeks from now and are wondering if we should bail and chose another tour. Thanks.

We did the Renown tour on July 3rd and it was spectacular, Captain was very knowledgeable on the history and wildlife of the area. We saw a humpback whale, a fin whale, dall pourpoises, sea lions, harbor seals, an incredible bird rookery, but the highlight was the 30 minutes we spent watching the glacier calf over and over again. The boat was very clean and comfortable. Can't think of any reason to go back to Seward(it was way to crowded because of the 4th!) except to go on another tour of Kenai Fjords!

sfg,

The boat was very clean and the crew was great as CLynn Weg stated, and the young captain was very nice.

However, the ranger on board wasn't very personable as compared to other rangers and tours we have been on and we really didn't see any whales or sealife. Lunch was a bagel, vaccum-packed smoked salmon which none of us ate because of the high seas coming up and an o.k. cookie. Later in the day we spoke to another couple who took the trip the same day with a different company and saw so much more wildlife, even a black bear walking along the shore. This couple's trip sounded fabalous compared to ours.

I still wouldn't go with Renown again. Perhaps the Renown boat was more crowded than the other tours due to the tour-saver.

In addition, there were a lot of people sick on the boat when we went out into the open water, as has been previously mentioned on other posts. If you have any concern about sea-sickness take the medication as a precaution.

Maybe you will have a better trip then we did. Have a great time.

Thanks to both of you for your review of Renown. I'll post when we get back and let you know how our experience was.

My husband and I and our 2 kids (11 and 7) just got back from Alaska and would highly recommend the Kenai Fjords National Park tour including Fox Island (10:00 am). There are no coupons available but it was a great day with 2 meals included. Lunch was halibut fingers or chicken fingers, potato chips, an apple, leamonade or water. Coffee and tea were complementary throughout the tour. Dinner was served on Fox Island and included grilled salmon, rice, salad, rolls, dessert and a drink. It felt so good to get off the boat and walk around. After dinner the kids skipped stones into the water while we took pictures of the scenery. On our tour 6/27 we saw 3 humpback whales and a grey whale, 2 porpoises, sea lions, puffins, eagles, and a sea otter. The park ranger provided Jr. Ranger booklets for the kids to complete and at the end gave them their plastic Kenai Fjords Ranger pin. The crew fished out a large chunk of glacial ice and put it in a bowl for passengers to observe. On the lower deck there was a plasma screen displaying the current route of the boat and at one time the captain displayed "depth finder" images that showed the terain underwater. I did not see anyone sick on our boat but I did notice quite a few people sleeping (including our 2 kids) because Dramamine at it's peak dose and the rocking of the boat together can make you drowsey. Perhaps we were just lucky but it was worth every penny!

I had forgotten about them getting the glacial ice for us to look at last year on the 9.5 hr boat tour. Thanks for reminding us, Okay2006!

We did a land trip with 2 toursaver books about 4 years ago. Still remains the highlight of my life.
We had free airfare with an upgrade to first class going- think haagen daz sundaes served in fine china with a silver spoon.

We spent a few days in Anchorage, drove to Homer stayed at Lands End inn used the coupon for lunch across the Bay at a little restaurant that only opens for that one meal that the boat brings in.We also did Kayaking, and took our first ever small plane ride in a restored 1939 or thereaouts cessna (engine exposed on outside) with a pilot that I had researched on the internet. It was great.

Then we drove to Seward- did the Kenai boat tour, Ididaride with the Seavey family and Alaskan Sealife Center and the Glacier also kayaking there.

Then we took the ferry from Whit-whatever you call it to Valdez- Stayed in Valdez-did a great 45 minute whitewater rafting trip, watched the Salmon Spawn- had lunch on Homer pass, one of the coolest impromtu experiences ever. Drove to Copper center and the next day rented ATVs. The next day we few into Wrangell St. Elias national park and hired a guide that took us out on the glacier for a day.
Then we drove the Glenallen stopping at hatcher pass for a view back to Anchorage. Without a doubt, the best trip I ever took. And we had an 8 and 11 year old with us. We are not wealthy but that tourbook saved us thousands. Again, the trip of a lifetime.

Hi Travelor....thanks for your review....we're about to go for 3 weeks and I wondered if you thought Valdez was worth the travel time or if we chould stay in Homer and Seward longer? We're also traveling with a pop up camper......any good or BAD campgrounds you stayed in?

Katbi,
Yes I would drive again to Valdez just to see Thompson Pass! It was spectucular even on a cloudy day going both directions. The waterfall close to Valdez ( can't remember the name ) was very high and beautiful.

We were self-contained and "dry-docked" a lot, so we did not need the bathroom facilities as you would.

We stayed at Riley Creek Campground in Denali NP, which was our favorite... they have bathrooms and you can pay for a shower at the Mercantile.
The next night we stayed at the MooseHorn RV on the Glen-Allen MP 187.5
which was basically an Alaskan's backyard with electric and water hookups, but was good for the night... very quiet and I'd stay there again... But it had no bathrooms.

Then we stayed at the Homestead RV Park in Palmer... very nice with a nice bathroom and showers.. in fact we tryed to use the showers there but we got up too late and the water was cold!

We stayed at the Homer City Rv parking and dry-docked.. all they had were pit tolets.
Then we stayed at the Heritage RV park in Homer... very nice, great laundry, showers, your own private beach but is was $79.88 a night! Wouldn't stay there again due to the price.

In Seward we stayed at the city camping area... you can't miss it, they have 3 lots and you just find a spot, park then pay at the box.

In the Portage glacier area we stayed at Black Bear Alaska State Campground.. it was great, nicely shaded, quiet and the sites were really level... but again only a pit toliet.

Hope this helps... let me know if you have any other questions.... otherwise have a great time !

Katbi, I vote for the trip to Valdez, too. If you love beautiful, jaw-dropping scenery, then you'll love the drive to Valdez. Plus, there's lots to do there.

Also, spend as many days in Homer as you can. It's spectacular with just about every imaginable outdoor Alaskan activity available.

Thanks Travelor and BayouGal...that does it for us! We're off to Denali for a week and then we'll do Homer Valdez and Seward in the last 2 weeks........starting and ending in Anchorage...any suggestions for the order after Denali? We plan to do lots of hiking wherever we are, but where should we rent kayaks,take a boat ride and possibly one plane ride - if we can only do each one once?

These are only what we would do. I'm sure others will give you their opinions.

Boat Ride: Northwestern Glacier Kenai NP boat tour out of Seward, 9.5 hours, no toursaver coupon this year.

Kayaking: Valdez--Columbia or Shoup Glacier

Flightseeing: Denali summit flight, if it is visible.

on the road into valdez, there's a very small outfitters that takes you on a quick 45 minute rafting trip. It was rough, fun , we had one guide and his cousin folloing us in his own inflatable kayak. What a treat.

To get to Valdez, you should take the ferry from Whittier, you get to see all the icebergs coming from the Columbia glacier very cool. I only spent two nights in Valdez and good have done at least one or to more. The town is cute and Thompson pass is unbelievable. I have tons of pictures that you would not believe.

Also, consider doing what I did with thw flying into Wragell st Elias National park for a day. I negotiated round trip for four of us at 600. They dropped us in the town of MCcarthy Kennecott and we hired that guide to take us out on the glacier for the day. It was incredible. Pricey bur amazing.

I too vote for the plane ride over Wrangell St. Elias...I never thought of negotiating a better price.. great idea.

I think a lot depends on the weather about the flight, kayaking etc. We didn't have reservations anywhere except Denali and had no problems the last 2 weeks of June.

From ANC we went to Denali first, then to Valdez, then to Homer and finally Seward before heading back to ANC.

We tried to hike the Russian River Falls trail but couldn't get into the campground or find parking because of all the fisherman.

topping for wolf family

I am also renting an RV from Great Alakan Holidays on 8/8/06 for 2 weeks.Just a few questions.
1.How did you like dealing with Great Alaskan and what suggestions do you have.
2.Did tou drive straight to Denali or did you make a stopover in Talkeetna.

Travelor -
Excellent report.

Was wondering what the highlights were for the kids?

Thanks