OT: 10 days in Alaska tour: take a cruise? or drive?

eddief · #1 11-23-2019, 07:01 PM

Never been on a "cruise ship" before but hear it can be a good way to see the main tourist parts of Alaska. But lean more toward "off the beaten track" sorts of travel ie. credit card touring in Europe by bike. Can easily fly to Vancouver or Anchorage and rent a car so that seems reasonable.

What ya got?

charliedid · #2 11-23-2019, 07:21 PM

Vancouver to Anchorage is 2000 miles. I'd fly to Anchorage if you want to be in a car and only have 10 days. I drove there from Chicago 20 years ago. Don't really need to do that one again.

charliedid · #3 11-23-2019, 07:22 PM

That said if you're just going as a tourist I'd do a cruise.

Ralph · #4 11-23-2019, 07:29 PM

About 10 years ago.....Toward end of May.....I drove to Alaska with a friend....from Orlando Fl. We traveled in a diesel F 150 pick up truck pulling a 5th wheel trailer. He went to spend the summer fishing. I went along just for the sights. Stayed a few days...turns out we didn't get along that well....and I flew home. Could have done the trip in any kind of reliable vehicle.

It was one of the highlights of my life. We went into Canada thru N Dakota. Going NW until we reached the Alaskan HWY 4500 miles from home. Then another 1500 miles to Anchorage.....and another 500 miles to the Kenai Peninsula. Wildlife everywhere. Deer, elk, moose, brown bears, black bears, grizzly….eating alongside the hwy.

Canada was so beautiful especially after we got to the territories. So different from the USA. Canada was clean and orderly. After we finally crossed the Rockies and dropped down into Palmer, AK, it began to look more like a rural American city. Maybe more like SE in the 50's and 60's.....with Walmarts, etc. Beautiful....but cluttered also with junk. My initial impression is every pick up truck we have sent to Alaska since WW11 is now sitting in someone's front yard rusting away. So different from Canada. Still plenty of impressive sights.

If I were a young single man.....and I had a skill, trade, or special training.....I would head there in a heartbeat. Whatever you know how to do.....my impression is they need you.

My personal view about traveling there...and if I were to do it again....I would drive up....and take a ferry boat back...and hop off at a few places....like Sitka for a visit on way back.

There are lots of travel books.....but the one I saw in every vehicle was called "The Milepost". Themilepost.com I think, or similar. It has info about every road, hotel, ferry schedule, town info, gas stations, everything. In most public libraries. Especially info on the Alaskan HWY milepost by milepost. As I said above....any vehicle can do the trip. It just takes some time.

likebikes · #5 11-23-2019, 07:42 PM

if it were me...i'd fly to anchorage, rent a car.

Ralph · #6 11-23-2019, 07:46 PM

Agree with others....Alaska is a big place.....for 10 days....fly to Anchorage and rent a car. Get a good travel guide....can save you a lot of time. People who went on cruises (eating trips I call them) didn't see what I saw. But probably still had a good time.

bjf · #7 11-23-2019, 08:11 PM

I have done both. IMO, a cruise only lets you see some smaller cities. Fly to Anchorage, you'll have lots of options.

mjb266 · #8 11-23-2019, 08:19 PM

Jump on the state ferry in Bellingham and ride up the coast to Haines/Skagway. You can camp out on the deck without booking a suite.

Once in Haines (or Juneau), fly to Anchorage, rent a car, and make a run for Seward or Denali or Talkeetna or...anywhere. Save the cruise ship for when you are old.

eddief · #9 11-23-2019, 08:57 PM

but somehow not ready to eat and drink my way through Alaska on a cruise ship the size of Detroit. Will look into a driving vaca of some sort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjb266

Jump on the state ferry in Bellingham and ride up the coast to Haines/Skagway. You can camp out on the deck without booking a suite.

Once in Haines (or Juneau), fly to Anchorage, rent a car, and make a run for Seward or Denali or Talkeetna or...anywhere. Save the cruise ship for when you are old.

Ralph · #10 11-23-2019, 09:00 PM

For great reading....go to themilepost.com for reading about all of Alaska and Northern Territories.

makoti · #11 11-23-2019, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddief

but somehow not ready to eat and drink my way through Alaska on a cruise ship the size of Detroit. Will look into a driving vaca of some sort.

Too bad. I did that when I was 27, and it was one of the best vacations I ever had. You WILL relax, mostly because what else are you going to do? Honestly, I'd do that again.

nighthawk · #12 11-23-2019, 09:30 PM

Do you have a sense of what you want to do when you are there? See nature (bears and moose)? Hike? Ride bikes? Fish? Hunt? See glaciers? Eat halibut and salmon?

I’ve never been on a cruise ship, so not sure what that would be like. From talking to family and friends I would imagine low pressure and no anxiety about planning out details, but can be limiting as to what you see and experience, right?

I lived in remote Alaska for a few years and spent a fair amount of time in Anchorage. As far as the city, I don’t think it’s that nice to be honest. But you have access to so much from there. Again, it kind of depends on what you want to do. I could suggest some hiking and biking (rentals available) around the city... and some of the nicer less expensive hotels. Hotels are expensive there. The economy revolves around tourism.

As others mentioned, there’s some nice places within a days drive of Anchorage... Talkeetna (gateway to denali), Homer (lovely fishing/tourist town), Whittier, Seward... etc..

I also drove from Homer, AK to WA State in just about 10 days exactly... and it was one of the best trips. Lots of wildlife. The Yukon Territory (top of the world highway) is amazing... Dawson City and Whitehorse are great towns. BC also amazing. I want to do that trip again with three weeks to play with.

Kodiak island is also pretty nice and can be reached by a ferry from Homer, or a short flight from Homer or Anchorage.

BTW, Regional airlines there if you want to do some hopping around include Alaska, PenAir, and Raven... from large to small. That was the case two years ago anyways. There’s also companies that you can charter small planes and helicopters for sight seeing flights or bush access (if you want to be dropped at a cabin on a remote lake by a float plane that takes off from the Anchorage float base.)

So much possibility... It’s a big beautiful place.

eddief · #13 11-23-2019, 10:40 PM

wanting to do active stuff, at least hiking, biking, seeing the towns, and as much wildlife as possible. i guess that can be arranged via shore excursions when on a cruise but more available via your own car. other than food and a place to sleep every night, what's the advantage of a cruise?

2LeftCleats · #14 11-23-2019, 10:43 PM

Some years ago, we flew to Anchorage and rented a car. Drove south to Seward, then followed the main highway north to Denali, Fairbanks, then southeast. Took a little plane into Wrangell-St. Elias NP (truly amazing), down to Valdez, then back to Anchorage. I think about 1500 miles over a week. Got a good look at the interior. Saw and hiked on glaciers but a different experience I’ve heard than seeing them by boat.

Louis · #15 11-23-2019, 11:17 PM

I read somewhere that there's at least one abandoned Fairbanks city bus that can be used for shelter if you want to spend some time alone, although these days it may not be as lonely a spot as it was years ago...

I've never been there, but have heard that like Australia, the place is so huge and the distances so vast that if your time is limited and you're getting around by car you can wind up spending more time in the car than out of it. I wouldn't do a cruise, but plan things so I didn't spend most of my time behind the wheel.

Have fun and watch out for bears.