To cruise or stay that is my question..help
 

Hi my hubby and I have 9 days to spend in Alaska. SHould we take a cruise and drive to Denali and visit or just fly in to Ancorage and go from there. Am I missing out on some beautiful sights and adventures? I do not care if I cruise or not, I want to see a lot of Alaska in a short time frame. Thanks for your advice.

If Denali Park is your priority, then you don't have enough time for that and a cruise, since all are 7 days. I suggest you either add days, 14 ideal with land and cruise, or just do interior Alaska traveling this time.

Most certainly a cruise packs a lot of great Alaska into 7 days and Inside passage is wonderful sailing with great worthwhile varied ports.

With 9 days you can do a nice routing of interior travel, consider Seward, Homer, Denali Park, Fairbanks and a loop back to Anchorage via Valdez. Look at www.toursaver.com for savings on some great attractions. Necessary- purchase THE MILEPOST after 3-06 for the current edition.

If you want to really experience alaska skip the cruise. Take the Anchorage, Denali, wrangell St. Elias Valdez route. Denali to say you've been there, McCarthy for great hiking and affordable flight seeing (wrangell Mt. Air) Valdez for an amazing drive and visiting Columbia Glacier. Kayak with Pangaea Adventures or cruise with Stan Stephens Cruises. Take the ferry to whittier. Milepost is a good resource. Don't be scared off by the dirt roads to McCarthy.

It's not a factor of being scared off by the "dirt" roads to McCarthy, all the major rentals prohibit driving this road.

<Denali to say you've been there>

I disagree. You visit Denali because it is an amazing place for scenery, wildlife, because it is such a vast place where where you can hike for ever, where you have a chance to see Mt. McKinnely in a full glory.

Personnaly for the first visit I would recommend flying to Anchorage and chosing between northern or southern route. With 9 days you cannot possibly go to Seward, Homer, Denali Park, Fairbanks and a loop back to Anchorage via Valdez. Well, you can but that would means staying every night at different place and driving endlessly. This is not the way to experience Alaska. You need to take time to be able to stop, look, smell tundra, walk, and absorb what Alaska has to offer. I would suggest one of two loops.
1. Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez, back to Anchorage via ferry from Valdez to Whittier
2. Anchorage, Denali, Girdwood, Seward (or Homer)