rv rental vs car?
 

We are planning on doing a cruise (maybe) and road trip in Alaska next May. The road portion would be about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks, going from Anchorage to Homer. We've always wanted to do this in an RV, but are starting to wonder if this will be cost-worthy, vs renting a car. Would like to hear how much people have paid for total costs involved in renting an RV (gas, unlimited mileage vs ppm), as well as car rental (gas, motels, and restaurants)? We would prefer not paying over $200/nite in motels; is that possible? Also, concerning the RV, would it be worth the extra cost to rent a slide-out , and is parking a problem in restaurant parking lots,etc. with a unit over 25'?

Thanks to everyone who can help us decide.

We spent a lot of time on the KP in a borrowed old Buick station wagon. Parking in the downtown areas of Seward and Homer can be tough. There's also a wonderful steep Skyline Drive in Seward that started off with some switchbacks thru a residential neighborhood. I'm not sure that you could take that route in an RV. The downtown Seward campground looked great and I bet it is fun to stay there but if you're not fussy you can get a hotel/motel/b&b room for less than $200/nite. You can also visit sandwich shops or the grocery deli for lunch fixings. Just keep in mind that there can be many miles between grocery stores and restaurants. You'll find large grocery stores in Kenai and Soldotna and then nada until you get to Homer. Gas stations can be a source of inexpensive sandwiches and breakfast burritos esp in Anchorage. At home we use a travel trailer. If the RV has a bed that stays made up, you don't need a slide-out. If you have to unfold a bed and make it up every night, that's a pain. While the extra space of a slide-out is nice, if you can do without it's better. The spaces in the Seward campground are small so I would look into whether there's room for a slide out to be open. Sorry, we didn't keep records of expenses. We tended to stay in b&b's where there was always a microwave and small frig, sometimes a toaster. The one in Whittier was really a small apartment. Also consider that the RV bathroom might be extremely small and you won't like the cramped shower. I usually use campground showers.

dfrostnh-Thanks for your suggestions, esp about the b&b. I don't know much about them,except that I thought staying in one meant that you eat breakfast with a bunch of strangers early AM. Since I am not an early AM person, this has never appealed to me, but you mentioned having a microwave and frig in yours. Does that mean you can eat breakfast in your room? If so, I will have to investigate this option, since I have heard that b&b's are less expensive to stay in. I'm really not anti-social, it's just that I'm in a fog the first hour after I get up.
I'm still hoping to get some "cost" replies, but all info is appreciated. Thanks, again.

VictoriaB, check with each b&b you are considering. Some let you hide out in your room to eat when you feel like it. My favorite, however, Alaska Garden Gate in Palmer (north of Anchorage) did gourmet breakfasts. I think there was the option of private dining. The first night we were there there was a group traveling together who ate in the diningroom. Karen served us at a small table in the kitchen. I think she would have also delivered to our door if we had wanted. She is a super host. I prefer a b&b that has a public area so you can meet and chat with other guests but in AK we found some were a spare room over the garage/cash only. There was plenty of privacy. There's quite a range but they all seem to agree on one thing - no cleaning fish in the kitchen sink!

dfrostnh-If we do the car thing instead of the RV, I'll definitely keep this b&b in mind! Thanks!

we just rented a car for 1 week for 350$

ys--If you read this, who did you rent your car from and what was it?

If you travel in May, the costs are cheaper vs. summer when the fish are running. However the climate will be colder in May vs. July. To keep the hotel costs down, book early vs. waiting for the prices to go down. Same for car rentals. If you were to start pricing out the cost of trip right now, it would be more costly vs. during the winter months. As for cost, my trips usually cost between 1,000 & 1,500 USD, for 2 people for a 10 -14 day trip. We are frugal travelers. We take hikes vs. tours. Fish from the shore vs. charted boat. Stay in cabins or State parks vs. 4 star hotels.
You had not mentioned what you want to do in Alaska, just what it costs. If you post what your interests are, I am sure there will be enough posts here, that you will be able to plan a wonderful trip to AK.

We drove an RV just a relative short distance to a neighboring music festival ( 1 hr. away) & we were so worried about the way it handled that we both agreed that's enough RV'ing for us. Maybe there is a 'learning curve' & we could get more comfortable with it, but in unfamiliar territory, & winding roads, I'd be uncomfortable.
Also, we didn't enjoy our 'partay on late' neighbors being so very close. Not sure if it's different in the road camps, but don't care to take the chance.

RV is almost always a lot more expensive than car rental + motels.

Thanks to everybody for their input!
joesorce...Your comment is exactly what I'm trying to get out of everybody! With Alaska being such an expensive state, is a car REALLY cheaper? I'm thinking the price of motels and meals alone (at least 2 meals daily) must really add up. Obviously, gas would be a lot cheaper than an RV. I don't know...this is why I'm still eager to hear from people who have done both. EVERYONE, PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS COMING! To hear actual experiences is such a plus! We still have some time before we make our decision, but we don't want to wait too long before starting to make phone calls. Thanks,again!

I forgot to add that I would really like to hear specifics about your rentals..if an RV, what size,slideout,comfort? If car,who did you rent from, and what did you rent? Also, best campgrounds/motels/hotels between Anchorage and Homer? Favorite places to eat? Any drawbacks to what you rented?

We rent a 30 ft with a slide. We prefer the back bedroom and full bath. As I mentioned earlier, check the price of a rental car for 10 days via Travelocity for next month just to see the costs of renting a car. Then price a hotel room in Anchorage for the same period. Restaurants will cost at least $40 a person a day. Then check Great Alaskan Holiday for a 30ft with a slide for the same period. I think you will be surprised in the price comparison.

bdawk--Great idea! Why didn't I think of that?! DUH!! Will do just that! Thanks.

Hi Viktoria -- My BF and I are renting a 26-foot RV (with a queen-size bed) from Great Alaskan Holiday for our 10-day trip which starts on Aug. 12, less than 2 weeks away! My BF is into spreadsheets and he did one which shows basically that the cost is just about equal between the RV and gas, and a car, gas, B&B's and eating out every day. We are going to stop at Target on the way out of Anchorage and stock up on everything we need. We are also bringing some things from home (paper towels, tea bags, sugar packets, plastic silverware -- for hiking -- and plastic containers etc) to save more money. We will be staying at RV parks in Homer, Seward, Denali and Talkeetna. They are relatively cheap -- I don't think we are paying more than $30 a night anywhere. I don't have the spreadsheet available right now but I can ask for it later if you are interested in the actual costs.

My BF is thrilled to drive a "big rig" in Alaska. We are in our early 40s if it matters.

The one thing that we did that wasn't so smart was to book it by Thanksgiving last year. we were so worried about reserving what we wanted during the tourist-season rush that it didn't occur to us to wait as the economic situation worsened. By January the price had gone down, but when we called, there was a charge to change the reservation and it almost equalled the discount for us. Oh well.

We used Greater Alaskan to rent a RV in Alaska. I recommend highly renting an RV over the car. I am not sure the costs are all that different. However, there are not a lot of motels in Alaska compared with the lower 48, particularly outside of Anchorage. I would describe many of the motels as 30 year old, 1 star, roadside places. You don't get much more than a simple room for your money (now there are some great rental cabins, and Princess has a couple of resort style hotels). With an RV, you can stop almost wherever and whenever you want.

Hey hikrchick (sorry for hijacking thread), You want to stop at a Fred Meyer, not Target, on your way out of Anchorage. FMs are the Target of Alaska, actually they are much better than Target (and cheaper because there are many more of them there- lower operating costs).

Fred Myers have cheap groceries too. There are Freddies in Anchorage and Soldotna too for when you head to Homer. You can get fishing license there as well. Believe it or not, you can camp in their parking lots in desiginated areas for free.

As a former resident and frequent visitor, I just have to say that if you rent an RV, PLEASE remember that the people behind you in ordinary cars can't see around you, and they have to go slow and form a queue behind you because <i>your</i> attention is divided between navigating a lumbering dinosaur on a two-lane road and gawking at the scenery out the windows.

Sadly Alaska residents, especially those wearing ball caps and driving big-wheel pickups, tend to be an impatient lot, so a lot of fairly dangerous maneuvers take place on two-lane roads, especially the Seward Highway and parts of the Parks and Glenn Hwys. Two of our best friends in Anchorage were killed in one such case, another permanently disabled. I believe this year's toll on the Seward is nearing a record.

Not blaming RVers for all this, of course, but just a warning and a request - if you rent an RV, please adopt RV driving courtesies and protocols.

(As to the main question, I think renting an SUV and staying in bed and breakfasts or small h/motels is the way to go. That way you get to meet real people when you stop. Alaska has a lot of interesting people as well as critters and scenery.)

hikrchick-Hope your vacation is great! Can you do me a favor and let me know how everything went, when you get back? Didn't tell me if your unit will be slide-out, but let me know how it handled. Also, what campground you went to around Homer and Seward--were they clean?showers clean?spacious sites? Did you make reservations? I'm getting ready to go away for a week, so today will be the last I will be on this site for a week. Thanks for your response.

Everyone- Thanks for your suggestions and advice! Gardyloo, so sorry to hear about your friends! I've read other cautions about driving in Alaska (particularly RV's), and we will definitely remember and drive responsibly.

On Homer, we stayed On Homer Spit. I highly recommend staying in a RV park on the Spit. There are several.

Be sure to have a 2009 copy of The Milepost. It is the only travel guide you need for Alaska (sorry Fodors), particularly when touring by RV. Every major road in Alaska is covered mile by mile (even by tenths of mile). It will list all of the RV parks. We preferred the state and national RV parks as they provide much more space than the most of the commercial RV parks and are usually more scenic.

As for Gardyloo's comment about driving an SUV and staying in B&Bs to meet "real people", we found that many of the other RVers (particularly in the state campgrounds) were Alaskans. We met plenty of real Alaskans.

I finally have time to look back at our Alaska RV vacation pictures and information. It was a fabulous vacation and it's hard to believe it was in July of 2002. Seems like just a couple years ago! We would absolutely do it again.

(I may make my reply in several bits as I look back at your questions and look through my information from our trip.)

We are a family of four and, at the time of our Alaska RV vacation, our kids were 13 (daughter) and 9 (son). I did a cost comparison with renting a car and staying in hotel/motels, but I do not have that comparison any longer, sorry. Our MAIN reasons for deciding to do Alaska in an RV were for the experience of it all. We love car camping and this just seemed like a step up from that. We love the atmosphere of campgrounds, especially state and federal campgrounds. Very relaxing and serene. It's more of a wilderness experience than driving from town to town and staying in hotels/motels. Also, we liked the idea of having NO TV during the vacation. It's always such a temptation for the kids to plop themselves down on a hotel room bed and do nothing but stare at the tube. Without the distraction of a TV, we did a lot more outdoor exploring.

We went in July (for two weeks), so I don't know about the weather in May or June. I'm guessing it can be quite cool in the evenings. I'm sure you could find an Alaska tourist website that would show you the average highs and lows during the months of May and June.

We rented a 22' RV from Sweet Retreat Motorhome Rentals. I tried to find them just now on the internet and was unsuccessful, so maybe they are out of business. The RV was really quite easy to maneuver. And we had plenty of space for the 4 of us. I think a slide-out is totally unnecessary. If you are concerned about maneuverability and parking, I'd suggest going for a smaller size RV rather than a larger one. You'll still have plenty of room, I think.

Parking was not a problem that I recall. When scouting out campgrounds look for ones that have "pull-through" spots for RVs. That way you simply drive in and keep driving in the same direction when you leave. No need to back up.

We ate in restaurants occasionally, but mostly ate our meals that we prepared in the RV or on a grill. Can' remember if the grill was "extra" or if it came with the RV.

Since our trip was 7 years ago, my information is a little sketchy, sorry.

I recall that we really liked all of the campgrounds we used. Here are the ones for which I was able to find the names and locations (in no particular order):
Millers Landing, Seward
Beluga Lookout RV Park, Kenai
Homestead RV Park, Palmer
Carlo Creek Lodge & RV Park, Healy
Tolsona Wilderness Campground, Glennallen

We did stay in Homer, on the spit, but I don't have the name of the campground.

Sites and activities I would recommend:
* Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage (check to see when the native dancers are performing)
* Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters in Wasilla
* Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward
* Matauska Glacier - one of our BEST vacation experiences EVER was doing a glacier hike with Mica Guides

We really like the atmosphere at campgrounds. People are friendly, open and helpful. As someone mentioned earlier, the showers in most RVs are teensy tiny, so we simply used the showers at the campgrounds. We found them to be clean. Make yourself a "shower caddy" with which you can carry your shower supplies to the campground showers.

Remember, you WILL have to dump the RV waste regularly. I was dreading it, but it is really no big deal.

You absolutely will want to get the Milepost guide, as someone mentioned earlier. It is indispensable. Woodalls makes RV and campground guides. I always just looked through them at the library to find information on campgrounds.

You asked about unlimited mileage vs ppm. When I was making that decision, I just didn't want to have to keep track and possibly restrict ourselves from exploring, so I went with unlimited mileage.

I don't know if you've had a chance yet to check car rental rates, but according to Newsweek, they have increased 74% in one year. So renting a car may not be such an economical option anymore.

Well, I hope some of this is helpful. No matter HOW you travel in Alaska it will be amazing. I don't know when I'll have an opportunity to go back, but I would jump at the chance in a heartbeat.

I've just returned from vacation, so am checking this site for the first time in a while.
padams and AJMelheim--Thanks for your responses! AJ, you touched on so many of my questions; I really enjoyed reading about your trip. So much information! I think we will take the advise of you and padams about staying in state or national campgrounds. I'm definitely starting to think that we will rent an RV rather than a car. I agree with you, AJ, that it is the experience of it all, being in the wilderness, when you camp. Thanks so much! Hope you get to go to Alaska,again!

When we went to Alaska, we rented a car. We wondered about the costs of that, hotels and all, vs. an RV, since we saw so many campers! And not to knock that at all, but just to make one point about food costs -- we had motels or B&Bs that had breakfast, and we bought a cheap styrofoam cooler and lunch supplies before we left Anchorage, and so all our lunches were picnics, and we only ate out for dinner. So that helped keep costs down (some).

ViktoriaB...Just getting back to life after our trip to AK. We spent 15 days traveling in our 30ft RV, with a slideout, that reserved via Great Alaskan Holidays. Our RV rental costs was 1,900.00USD. Gasoline was a $1.00 more per gallon vs the lower 48. Gasoline costs for the 15 days $350.00, traveled 1,200 miles. We went to Denali, Whittier and Homer. Campground costs $375.00. Loved the WILLIWAW campground in Portage Glacier. Got to see the salmon in the stream. Lots of Waterfalls and wonderful hicking trails in the area as well as the Whittier Glacier trips. We stayed in the Savage River campground in Denali. Really surprised as to how clean the campground restrooms were, especially since it was the end of the season. During our trip we saw numerous bears and moose but few Eagles. Fishing was successful, caught both salmon & Halibut. And the biggest surprise, it got to 70 degrees as couple of the days we were there. It would rain and then it would stop, so the rainy season wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Next year we will go back in May as I prefer that time of year vs the August trip. However by going in August, we got to see the Fireweed in bloom. And the best part of traveling in the RV, you have a restroom on board so you will never have to worry that it's 100 miles to the next restroom.

bdawk--Thanks so much for getting back to me and giving me all the specifics of your trip, especially all the costs. We reserved a 25' RV from Great Alaskan Holidays for the first two weeks of June next year. Our cost will be $1981. I am hoping that the cost will go down at some point; if it does, our price will automatically go down as well.

Your gas costs were not quite as bad as I had imagined. Of course, by next June I'm sure the prices will be a whole lot higher! Right now, I don't even like to think about it!

Our actual itinerary is still evolving, although I know we will concentrate on the Kenai Peninsula--Homer, Seward,etc. How many miles we will end up putting on our rig, I can't even guess. Who knows, we may end up going above Anchorage,too.

Glad your weather turned out alright, knowing (from what I've read)how much rain Alaska gets at that time of year. I hope our weather is decent, but I'm trying to prepare myself for not-so-great weather, as well. I know that May and early June are supposed to be drier months.

In case you read this, did you stay at campgrounds every night, or did you ever just pull over and overnight in a parking lot or a pull-off, somewhere?

Thanks again for "dropping by" with all your details. I am surprised that this post is still getting any replies at all, but I enjoy reading anything that comes my way!

We pulled into parking lots to eat but not to sleep. We stopped at various pull outs along the road system. We stayed in State & Fed campgrounds. We went 1,100 miles but we stayed put in Homer for 8 days of our 2 wk trip. I would recommend getting this book from Amazon: Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Alaska and Yukon Camping with RV or Tent. In the book, the author's list water & dump stations which is a great bit of info that you won't find just anywhere. Also, in the book are descriptions of campgrounds and their recommended sites in the various campgrounds. And just an FYI, RV get about 10 mpg so plan you stops in gas stations accordingly. Cost of gasoline didn't differ between the stations available, so it made sense to which ever station had the best access for the RV. There is a gas station just north of Great Alaskan to refill with Gasoline & Propane, so I wouldn't take the option of prepaying for your fuel.

bdawk--I already have the Alaskan camping book that you talk about. Someone in an earlier reply recommended it to me (maybe it was you?). It's very informative.

About you staying 8 days in Homer: What did you do there for all that time? Just fish? Did you go over to Halibut Cove, by any chance? If so, how was it? It seems like most people have said that they would recommend only staying in Homer for maybe 2 to 3 days, at most. We are looking forward to Homer, so I'm interested in that. It sounds like a funky little town! Any good shops that you would recommend?

We fished, picked berries, went to Seldovia. Pratt museum was worth the visit. There are shops along the Spit and a few around town. My favorite is "A Better Sweater". If you are just passing thru, 2 days is enough, If you are fishing, then it's a different story. If time allows, Seward is pretty nice too. Seward is a fishing town too, but they do have the Fjords boat trip. That side is more Glacier vs beach & fishing. Favorite Homer restaurants: Fat Olive's and Two Sister's bakery.

I posted this after our two weeks in Alaska in September of last year. Perhaps it will help to make your RV experience most enjoyable.
Some thoughts on renting an RV in Alaska
My husband and I rented an RV for 15 days at the end of August, beginning September, 2008. It was a wonderful experience and we would do it again.
I thought some would appreciate my comments.
We rented from Great Alaska Holidays with the unlimited mileage option. After much comparison, we felt they included much more in their price than other companies. We picked the 22 foot for pricing and as there were two of us. The bed over the cab is good for a 6’2 man as the pull out couch was much too short. We put our luggage up there with hubby and I used the pull out. The dinette could also have made into a bed, albeit a short one.
Our long flight from Orlando arrived at 6.15p.m. and by the time we collected luggage it was too late for the company pick up. They should accommodate the later arrivals, as the taxi cost $25. We chose to pay to sleep in the motor home the first night, so we could check it over well. After such a long flight, we wanted a hot shower – but there was no soap…..we used hair shampoo. For that reason, and the fact that a good night’s sleep is nice after traveling, next time we would go to a hotel.
There was no list available to do an inventory – there were several items missing from our RV. such as a broom and dustpan and cooking utensils. Minor, but annoying.
Checkout took well over an hour, as people were checking in and checking out with only two employees on duty.
First one sits through a 20 minute video that shows everything one can do wrong while driving an RV. I think that is to encourage you to take the CDW insurance, which we did for an unexpected expense of $239. I must add that we have owned motor homes for twenty years, the largest 26 feet, so driving was no worry.
We had to pay $5 for two weeks rental on a toaster we had just bought for home for $6.
We also paid $22.50 for an inverter for the laptop.
Our first stop was Fred Meyer supermarket – and were directed by the employee to one that was totally in the wrong direction from our southward travel. Fortunately we were re-directed by an incoming camper to one closer.
Shopping, what an experience in Alaska. I knew food would be more expensive, but WOW. We had to buy 4 lbs. of sugar to use 15 teaspoons for tea; 1,000 matches in order to use perhaps a dozen; paper towels, toilet paper (one roll was with the RV); and the smallest dish detergent would last a month. So, the moral is to bring whatever you can from home in small quantities.
Being seniors, we were able to use the Golden Age Pass in the National Parks – so they cost $9.00. There were no facilities, but we were very self sufficient in the motor home. Otherwise we paid between $25 and $38 for camp grounds.
When we checked the motor home in at the end of our trip we gave all our left overs to a departing camper – who was very grateful.
This is absolutely the way to see Alaska, we traveled 1500 miles in fourteen days, from Anchorage south to Seward and Homer, and north to Fairbanks (where we did a tour north of the Arctic Circle). I hope this has helped some travelers.

Other thoughts: For us, Homer did not rate more than a couple of days. Actually we should have spent the time in other places. Do try and add Denali to your experience
Regarding driving a motorhome on the narrow highways, I think the rule is that if there are four vehicles behind a motorhome, then you HAVE to pull over. And there are many pullover spots.
Jean

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Twoaussies made a good point about bringing some caffee, tea bags, creamer and suger packets. Having suffered the same as you did, next trip we were more prepared. Great Alaskan would have reimbursed you for your after hours cab ride if you had informed them of such an expense. Just another FYI, broom and dust pan are under the couch, you just have to feel for it. Another lesson we had learned after we purchased a broom on our first trip. There is a Safeway grocery store right down the road on the left but their prices are higher than Fred Myers, but then again, lesser quanities are better for a week vacation.

Camperrentalusa Renter BEWARE:Very Nice RV that I only drove locally to the Beach. Rented it with the full cleanup fee. Great Experience UNTIL returned and got the surprise of my life. I should have known when the Owner, Erik, was telling that I was getting a great deal. I guess he's makes it up on the backend.when he charged me an additional $165 for a fine scratch on the top foot of the RV. When he encouraged me to come to his facility to discuss and he show me the next day, he NO-Showed and I had to hunt down maintenance staff to explain the issue. Having been told it was a 20 to 30 min. buff job plus seeing the the RVs next to mine were scratch 10X worse, I figured whatever 25 minutes costs. And after no-showing he never had the professionalism to call me back, tell me what he was charging me. He got his extra day rental fee which is what he wanted and lost a customer for LIFE. I would rent from ANY of the other camper places in Ventura County

twbaker,

Can you contest this fee though you charge card company since he didn't show up? I'll bet this is a scam he pulls on a lot of people. That's why when we rent any vehicle we check it inside out and UNDERNEATH and not any marks, scratches etc!

To everyone else...just a note the orginial thread is from July 2009.

Utahtea