Full disclosure, I am not paying for much of this trip. My MIL wants to go and pay for our entire family since my FIL passed away a few months ago and her lunch cancer has returned. She has set aside $14K and I don't have a problem putting funds into the pot, but can't swing much since my daughter starts college in 18 months.

She was thinking an Alaskan cruise leaving from Vancouver, Canada. My wife has been speaking with people she knows who has been and the idea of renting an RV and driving through the interior of AK has some promise. I have been to Clear AFS, about 2.5 hours SW of Fairbanks a few years ago in the winter for about a week for work, but that's my extent of experience with AK. It was magnificent scenery though.

Recommendations on cruise or road trip and the MUST SEE/DO places most welcome. We will be there for about two weeks. My MIL is in her later 60's, wife and I 40's and kids range from 17-10 years old.

If you’re starting in Canada be sure to look into flights to SeaTac and Bellingham as Vancouver is historically outrageous to fly into.

If going to Denali, plan on 3 days there.

Princess cruise can do cruises as well as land portion as they own hotel near Denali entrance.

If you do RV, you’ll nlikely need to start in Anchorage. Several companies will pick you up at airport. Beware they nickel & dime you (eg rental is RV only and you pay additional rent for every fork and towel). If you go this route then Seward and Denali are must see.

EDIT: I'm on a real computer now, and wanted to add a link on "What to do in South Central Alaska." I had a lot of visitors during my 5 years and instead of answering endless e-mails I consolidated everything into this 6 page document. The only thing out of date is my last summer I did a RV trip to Valdez (don't recommend Valdez), but had a great stay in Copper Center at the Klutina Salmon Charters and Campground . Could catch salmon 15' in front of RV, and did a king salmon float fishing trip (start near glacier and fish clear waters for kings).

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,

Two weeks in an RV with 3 adults and multiple kids would be tough. Take the cruise one way from BC to Anchotage if possible, then spend a few days knocking around Anchorage and points south around the Kenia Peninsula in an RV. Then fly home from Anchorage. This would be the most bang for the buck as far as seeing a lot of scenery and mixing it up between cruising and camping.

My wife and I did an up and back from Seattle on Princess last August. Cost was nominal at $500 per person in an ocean view stateroom. The trip was outstanding.

Princess offers 7 day trips farther north with a separate 7 day trip back down called a back to back. Check their website. July or August are great times to go as the rains are behind you and the weather is nice. We had great weather.

Come to Anchorage, see the ruins of the earthquake.

quote:

Originally posted by 2000Z-71:
Come to Anchorage, see the ruins of the earthquake.

Do not go in June or September. Your odds of rainy weather are much higher. August is your best bet.

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:
Do not go in June or September. Your odds of rainy weather are much higher. August is your best bet.

In my 5 years in Anchorage, my experience was the second half of August tends to be a hit or miss in South Central Alaska (e.g. Anchorage and Seward) as far as rainy ass Alaska fair weather getting a head start. First half of August is generally good plus the added bonus of both sockeye (aka reds) and coho (aka silvers) running if the OP is going to fish with a guide.

quote:

Originally posted by FishOn:
Do not go in June or September. Your odds of rainy weather are much higher. August is your best bet.

This.

Fly into AK, tour with the Alaska Railroad.
ARR offers many tours. Be sure to fly up to Nome if possible as part of the tour. I regret not doing that when I visited AK in 2006.


Hopefully, damage was minimal due to the earthquake

We did a cruise out of Vancouver, flew in early and explored the city over the weekend, very nice weather and had a good time, it's worth spending a day or so there.

The cruse out of Vancouver was nice, you'll see plenty of Alaska coastline, whales, dolphins etc, and they make stops along the way Juneau, Ketchican, etc. The Glacier was great viewing from the stern of the ship.

For a large crew like you're discussing having room to roam, get some time away, meals prepared for you, would be a plus. Every stop has plenty of things to do.

If Vancouver is part of the game, don't fail to go to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. I've been to Alaska twice, both times with a firm called John Hall's Alaska: https://www.kissalaska.com/. They do a really nice job and offer tours with and without cruises. This may not be what you have in mind, but it never hurts to peruse their web site. My photos of both Alaska tours are here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/...s/72157702714958041/.

Besides a cruise, which stops at several ports, I would recommend at least some time in Anchorage and perhaps the train from there to Denali NP and Fairbanks. Denali NP is quite interesting (Denali is the highest mountain in North America) and worth spending some time there. Fairbanks is also fun--there's a wonderful museum located there, and side trips available to do some gold panning, too. (You won't get rich, I guarantee it!)

This tour would be really nice for you, but I'm afraid it would cost way more for 6 people than you are prepared to spend: https://www.kissalaska.com/denali-explorer.html.

flashguy

I've cruised to Alaska twice before and now I'm living up here. First off you have the right idea about staring in Vancouver and sailing north. The further north you go, the more spectacular the scenery becomes. I'd recommend a one way cruise that terminates in Seward/Anchorage. The round trip cruise that start in Seattle/Vancouver and return do not go nearly as far north and you'll miss the best parts. At a minimum, get an outside cabin with a window, even better get one with a balcony.

Review itineraries, try and find one that includes at least 2 days of glacier cruising. The glaciers are all very different and unique. Glacier Bay is spectacular, Humboldt is also spectacular but not nearly as many glaciers. Try to avoid cruises that include Icy Strait as a port of call. It's a town that's been constructed by the cruise lines to look like an Alaskan village.

Shore excursions can get very expensive so research and book in advance. On our first cruise we were able to search online and find the outfitters providing the excursions. We were able to book the same excursions with them directly for significantly less money. They've tried to clamp down and eliminate that and it was not nearly as easy on our second cruise. If you plan on going out on a charter boat and fishing for salmon or halibut, definitely book on your own with a quality outfitter. By far a better experience than what is offered by booking through the cruise line. If you're thinking of doing a whale watching tour, don't. Book a fishing charter, you'll see whales and get to fish too.

As far as ports of call;

Juneau

Been there twice and loved it each time. First time went out on a charter on Auke Bay, caught a wild white king salmon and had a great time. Even if I didn't catch my salmon, just being on the water and seeing, whales, dolphins, orcas, eagles and bears was worth it. There's also the tramway that goes to the top of the mountain with some great views.

Second time canoed across Mendenhall Lake to the face of Mendenhall Glacier, Great experience and phenomenal sights. Your mother in law may no like it since there's physical exertion in paddling the canoe. Red Dog Saloon in town is definitely touristy, but they do have Wyatt Earp's gun hanging on the wall behind the bar.

Ketchikan

Been there twice as well. This last time went out on a charter boat, it sucked. The whole charter fleet just sails around single file line in a little circle in the bay. First time walked around and town and toured some of the local museums. Creek Street is built literally over the creek and has some cool shops. I did buy custom knife there from a blade smith who had his shop right there.

It also sounds strange but go to the hardware store that's right next to the cruise ship dock. Holy mother of God is it ever the epitome of Guydom. 2 stories, some touristy stuff on the bottom floor and really hardcore outdoor gear on the second floor; knives, ammunition, rifles, handguns, outdoor gear, clothing, etc. It was fun to watch most of the ship's crew empty out and literally run across the parking lot to get in and start shopping for things to bring back.

Skagway

Been there twice as well. First time did a guided Jeep trip up White Pass to the Yukon Territory. Second time did the White Pass Railroad. Both are great, I actually liked the Jeep tour better. The railroad was fun though, I spent the entire trip on the platform between cars. Tormented Valley is absolutely amazing, it looks like an illustration from a Dr. Seuss book. I'm actually planning a trip back, putting the truck on the ferry and going over then driving overland back to Anchorage. After my first trip through Tormented Valley, I've always wanted to go back on my own schedule and take all the time I want photographing it. Be careful booking the railroad tours because you're more than likely to see several options. We kind of got screwed, booked what we thought was a railroad tour but it turned out to be a bus ride to the top of the pass and the train ride backdown. I was not a fan of the bus.

Town itself is touristy but it does have a lot of history with the Gold Rush. They do have a museum in town. Worth it to get a perspective of just what the miners went through trying to reach the gold fields.

Valdez

Been there once. The town is the southern terminus of the Alaska Pipeline and is an absolute pit. However, it's got great fishing in Prince William Sound and there are a lot of outdoor activities there with the Copper River.

Whittier

I think Princess docks there now since it is closer to Anchorage. As the locals say, it's shittier in Whittier. It's the absolute most bizarre town I've ever been in. Three big concrete barracks were built by the Army as part of the Alaskan Railroad construction. Two are abandoned and really are a ready made set for a horror movie. The third is still standing, painted rainbow colors, converted to apartments and is literally where everybody in town lives. Funky train/auto one way tunnel that connects Whittier to the Seward Highway to get to Anchorage.

Seward

Where most of the cruise ships dock at the end of the cruise. You'll probably be either boarding a bus for Anchorage or a train to go north and inland. If you spend time in town, the aquarium there is really worth it. It is totally based on Alaskan marine life. The drive up to Anchorage is absolutely beautiful, there is a wildlife rehabilitation center close to the turn off for Whittier that is worth it as well.

Denali

I didn't get to Denali until my third trip to Alaska. After seeing it I was really pissed that I waited so long to go. Be ware, you can't actually drive into the interior of the park. It's bus rides in from the main visitor center. Do not cheap out and take the short tour. Go on the long one that goes much further in.

You'll find several extensions for Denali, be it bus, train, or riverboat. Some may leave directly from the cruise ship dock, while others may have a bus trip to Anchorage and then connecting to the train or other bus in Anchorage. We did bus trip up and train back. Not a fan of the bus, loved the train.

If you can afford it, plan to extend your trip after the cruise. The sucky part is that can get expensive. As mentioned RV rental is not cheap, you will get tickled and dimed, cussed out by every local who can't pass you on the Parks Highway and take out a second mortgage for gas. Gas prices in Anchorage are currently about $3.20/gallon and gets more expensive the further away from Anchorage that you get. Rental cars and hotels are also expensive up here.

We've looked into several different Alaska vacations in the past and we keep coming back to the cruise lines. It's one of two times where booking through the cruise company for an extension to Denali becomes worth it. the other is airfare. On our last trip we had planned out flying to Anchorage, renting a car, doing our own self guided tours and staying in hotels. It was far cheaper to book through the cruise company for the cruise, airfare and Denali extension than doing it ourselves.

Hope all my rambling helps.

Look into the Marine Highway.
We used it when we left Alaska. It made a vast difference from traveling the ALCAN. You do need to make reservations early on.

The system has a number of runs. Back when we left the only route was Haines to Prince Rupert, BC.


http://www.dot.alaska.gov/amhs/vessel_routes.shtml