Need help with 8 day Alaska Itinerary
 

Hello Alaska experts,

Need your inputs to our first time Alaska trip. Our plans are as follows.

Day 1: Reach Anchorage around 7.00 pm. Overnight at Anchorage

Day 2: Morning: Look around in Anchorage.
Drive to Denali (by car) around 3.00pm. Overnight at Denali

Day 3: Denali Tour. Overnight at Denali.

Day 4: Morning: Look around in Denali/Healy.
Drive back to Anchorage (by car) around 3.00pm. Overnight at Anchorage

Day 5: Drive to Seward. Cruise*.
Overnight at Seward.

Day 6: Morning: Look around in Seward. Another cruise*. Late Evening: Drive back to Anchorage. Overnight in Anchorage.

Day 7: Anchorage. Overnight in Anchorage

Day 8: Morning: Look around in Anchorage. Take a late night flight out.

*Also, any suggestions/recommendations to cruises at Seward would be greatly helpful.

(We thought about RVing...but looks like it will not be an option for this trip.)

Thanks for your inputs,
Ananya

We returned from Alaska 6 weeks ago, and this was our itinerary. We chose to skip Denali because the imput from others about Denali was not that great. We loved our itinerary and would recommend it to anyone. This is just our opinion:
Day l: flew into Anchorage
Day 2: Stayed at the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge in Copper Center. This is between Anchorage and Valdez and is owned by Princess Cruise Lines. It was wonderful.
Day 3: Took a breathtaking drive from Copper Center to Valdez. Not much in Valdez, but the drive was spectacular.
Came back and stayed in Anchorage.
Day 4: Went to Homer. Loved Homer.
Stayed at the Ocean Shores Motel. Adequate accomodations, clean, but oh, the view!! Ask for the Bayfront rooms. They are right on this georgous bay and eagles everywhere. The shops out on the boardwalk and the town itself were really nice. If you didn't want to do Valdez, you could easily put another night on Homer.
Day 5: Stopped at Portage Glacier on the way to Seward. Glacier is in chunks now, but still very beautiful setting. Stayed in Seward at the Harborview Inn at their Apartments which are off-property. They were very nice. We enjoyed the cruise put on by Major Marine--just make sure to bring coat and gloves-you will need it on the boat. Also went to the SeaLife Center. Very nice.
Day6:Stayed again in Seward and went to Exit Glacier. Oh, what a treat.
This is a beautiful glacier that you take a very easy 1/2 mile hike to reach. Truly a highlight.
Day 7:Back to Anchorage, sightsee, excellent souveneir shopping in Anchorage.Stayed in Anchorage. Then at midnight flew home.

Your plan is certainly reasonable and gives you enough time to get where you are going. There seems to be two schools of thought on Denali-One belongs to the people who wouldn't miss it for anything, the other belongs to those who feel it is too crowded. The shuttle bus experience is not for everyone. The ride from up the Glenn Highway and the Richardson to Valdez is supposed to be breathtaking. Ideally if you could work it out you could take the ferry from valdez to whittier and then drive down to seward from there.You would have to check to see when the ferries (Alaska Marine Highway go and it is a six hour trip) .I think it's twice a week and that may or may not work out with your schedule. Also if you decide to stick with your itinerary, don't forget to stop in Talkeetna on the way up or down. That is the jump off point for the people who climb the mountain and it's supposed to be interesting and shouldn't take up too much of your time.Maybe consider skipping Healy and stopping in talkeetna on your return trip from Denali. Whatever you decide it should be fine.

I am one who NEVER missed Denali Park- it is an exceptional attraction and I have toured all over Alaska. For clairfication- there are 2 bus services in the Park- tour buses and shuttle buses, I only take the shuttles and my min distance in is Eielson- you must take in your own food and drink but the best wildlife spotting bargain around about $29 pp, the TOUR buses go to mile 53 (vs mile 66 Eielson), have a box lunch and are fully narrated, cost about $70, SO choose your mode carefully. I wouldn't take 2 cruises out of Seward and only consider the 6 hour tours so you can see significant wildlife and get out of the bay. I have gone on the Northwestern boat twice- 9+ hour trip. Always take seasickness precautions- I have seen sick passengers EVERY trip. If you want a second boat ride I would do a glacier cruise out of Whittier. I have gone with Phillips, very different from Seward departures. I concur- not much in Healy but a great B&B I usually stay at Touch of Wilderness. The Alaska marine highway- leaves Valdez - Whittier almost daily in season, it is a 7 hour trip.

Some questions based on responses.

- Is it a better idea to drive from Anchorage to Valdez, take a ferry to Whittier, Do the 26-Glaciers cruise out of Whittier, Drive to Seward, Do the Kenai Fjords cruise?

- Budget Queen, you recommended not doing both the cruises.... What are me missing if we are not doing the 26-Glaciers?

- Can anybody recommend some good places for souveneir or Made-In-Alaska shopping at Anchorage, Denali and Seward


Your inputs are highly appreciated as always :)

Thanks,
Ananya

Ananya, if you read Budget Queen's response, she said that she wouldn't do two cruises out of Seward. However, she did say that the cruise experience in Whittier is different than the cruise experience in Seward, so it would be better to do one in Whittier and one in Seward, which would also work out with your schedule. The other sideof this coin is that it is a 6 hour ferry trip from Valdez to Whittier, then another 6 hours for the glacier tour and then another 6 hours minimum for Kenai fjords. Every thing depends on what you want to do.

You are right rubigayle. My bad...

So ok, I think we will do both 26 Glaciers and the Kenai Fjords cruise.

Any inputs on shopping places please?

Thanks much,
Ananya

I found the best shopping was downtown Anchorage.

If you are in Anchorage on a saturday, there's a farmers market in the downtown area that has quite a few craft vendors. Great food vendors too. Good place to buy jams and jellies which are quite differnt than we have here. Everybody has to buy an uloo (sp?). It's a great knife with choices ranging from Walmart (really) to handmade knives with horn handles. I liked Seward gift shops the best since I found northern lights notecards by a great photographer and a good selection of matted prints by a variety of artists. We bought canned smoked salmon for the people at work. There is a variety of flavors so taste test first. Look for the Alaska Made stickers in shop windows.

You may want to also consider purchasing a www.toursaver.com coupon book, 2 for one at the boat attractions and lodging. See if it may be worth it for you?

Hello all,

My husband and I are both Vegetarians. I was wondering if that is going to be an issue while in B&Bs, Cruises etc.

Thanks,
Ananya