Alaska... budget. Do they even belong in the same sentence?

[libraryfreak]

I'm turning 50 here shortly and starting to think about my bucket list. Alaska has always been a place I've wanted to visit. I don't think I'd want to do the cruise part of it (plus I don't think that would be in our budget), so for any of you that have been there what would you suggest as a "highlights" tour for one week? Would you concentrate on a couple areas? Is Delani a must? The train was a little on the expensive side (there would be 4 of us), is it an easy drive? What about the "marine highway" I read about in the southeastern part of the state, that sounds beautiful, are there certain sections that are better than others?

Thanks for any input!

 

[lisabarr]

Somrtimes Alaska cruises are freakishly cheap if you go in shoulder season, IE May and September.
We went in May and booked Holland America for $499 a per person and kids went free!
All meals were included. The weather was chilly, but we are from Florida so we loved it! We got to see Junaeu, ketchikan, Sitka and Victoria, BC.
TOo save money, we booked all our own excursions.
Good luck! It was fab!

 

[dhardawa]

I would actually recommend the cruise. You will get to see a lot of different places and cruising the inside passage is gorgeous. I have only talked to one person who did the train to Denali and she wasn't impressed. It was a super long train ride and she said the scenery was pretty much the same the whole way so it got old fast. I would recommend Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. Most cruise lines stop at all of those. It is definitely a trip everyone should take at least once.

 

[stichy]

I also recommend the cruise. We did one a few years ago and loved it. We are cruise people though. You might want to check out cruise critic to read about peoples experiences with Alaska cruises. We sailed Princess which is lovely.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Somrtimes Alaska cruises are freakishly cheap if you go in shoulder season, IE May and September.
We went in May and booked Holland America for $499 a per person and kids went free!
All meals were included. The weather was chilly, but we are from Florida so we loved it! We got to see Junaeu, ketchikan, Sitka and Victoria, BC.
TOo save money, we booked all our own excursions.
Good luck! It was fab!

I'd do May before I did September... OMG the rain! (At least when I lived there)

You'd probably have a very nice trip if you stayed in Anchorage, rented a car (a must) and went North for a day or two, explored the fun stuff in Anchorage for 2 or even 3 days, and went south for a day or two.

 

[apnep]

I'm with the other posters. A cruise is the best way to go. You'll get to see way more of Alaska than if you just flew in and saw one area. Also, I would recommend either a north bound or a south bound cruise, again, because you'll stop at more ports. You can find some deals on cruises and get something for as little as $499.

My mom and I went together on a northbound cruise and it was about $3000 for each of us. It was my first time booking a cruise, and if I had seen some cheaper deals we could've gone for about $2500 each. That said, we flew into Vancouver, Candana where we boarded our ship. Stopped in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Hoonah (What cruise lines are calling Icy Point) and Seward and then rented a car and drove to Anchorage on our way out. All that included our air, cruise, excursions in every port, souveniers, any other food off the ship, and rental car.

For excursion we did:whale boat tour, float plane tour, train ride, zip line, and a glacier boat tour.

It was the most wonderful trip of our lives and we'll never forget it. Cruising is definitely the way to go. Also, go during the shoulder seasons, May and September, it is cheaper.

Good luck however you decide to do it. Alaska is a beautiful place.

 

[amylevan]

I'll be the lone dissenter here. We did a week long cruise and a week long tour of the inland parts (Denali, Fairbanks & Anchorage); and while the cruise was nice, we actually preferred the inland part. Alaska is BIG and the inland part of our vacation really gave us a better feel of how big, empty, vast and BIG the land is up there. Denali is really beautiful. We enjoyed Anchorage. We felt like the cruise stops (Juneau, Ketchikan & Skagway) were nice, but had a much more touristy feel.

 

[rigs32]

My mom and I went to Alaska after I took the bar exam. And it was the middle of august, so NOT shoulder season

We flew to Seattle, stayed there for a day as mom had never been. Flew from Seattle to Anchorage and stayed for two days to see the city. Great B&B on the edge of town near the water - Susitna Place, we stayed in the Katmai room - would def recommend and/or stay there again. Took a tour from Anchorage to the port rather than just transportation, got to see the tides changing and some touristy stuff for the day. Cruised down to Vancouver, stayed there for a day since neither of us had been there. And a one day car rental to drive back to Seattle. It was, I think, a 12 day trip. But we saved a ton and got to see lots of places the way we did it.

 

[benolathe]

We did an Alaska cruise round-trip out of Vancouver a few years ago and it was a FABULOUS trip! In Juneau, we took a helicopter flight over the ice fields and landed on two different glaciers. It was something that I had wanted to do for years, and the experience was incredible. We opted for the more expensive personal heli tour versus the one that just flies to a point on Mendenhall Glacier and lands for a little bit there. From talking to others, I think our expanded tour was definitely worth the extra expense. We ended up standing on the edge of a cliff 1400 feet (2400 ft? don't remember exact distance) above Mendenhall.

 

[jstbcuz]

I love Alaska. Although I would love to cruise there, I think I would spend more time on land. So many pretty places........and your right.........its HUGE and you dont really get the feel of that on water.

The first time we went I think I stayed 10 days in the summer........both times staying in ANchorage........and some of the things we did were the following:

Went to Girdwood......and went up the gandela to the top of Alyeska. From here the view is phenomenal and you can view Turnagains Arm. This is the ski resort during the winter.

Went to Seward.....and took a wildlife/glacier cruise. The drive was breathtaking.......didnt really care for the cruise. The town is a neat little town tho.......and there is Exit Glacier that you can you stop at.

Went 4 wheeling in the mountains with Alaska ATV Adventures. This was FUN, FUN, FUN!!!

Had a surprise for hubby......paragliding of Mt Alyeska......... Check out the Mt Alyeska website for more info. He LOVED IT!!!!

Went to Matanuska Glacier..........its huge. YOu can walk out on it......It is quite a drive from Anchorage tho, but so worth it.

Stopped at the Iditarod Trail Headquarters, and went to a reindeer farm.

Took a Alaska Nostalgic DC3 Flightseeing Tour to Denali.....AWESOME AWESOME. THis was probably the highlight of my trip and Im a little leary on planes. Era Airlines operates this.

Drove to Fairbanks...........didnt find anything special about FB. Thought it was a dirty community lacking of things to do.

From FB we did drive to North Pole, AK. It was a fun town to piddle in. Santa and is available for pics year round.

The 2nd time I went was in March. A much different time of year. We went snowmobiling .......across frozen lakes and stayed in a cabin.

Altho.........I didnt like Fairbanks the first time.....we went back again and went to an ice sculpture exhibit. IT was the coolest thing.

Went to Chena Hot Springs....

Watched the Northern Lights.

Ice Skated on frozen ponds.

Went up Mt Alyeska again...

Talkeetna is also a fun town to piddle in.

Both times, I was facinated by the moose.

Now Im thinking of taking the kids, and if I had to pick the things to do this is what I would want to definately do:

Take the train to Denali. YOu can stop along the side of the road on the way to Fairbanks, but it would be cool to do. My friend used to work on the train.

Go to Matanuska Glacier.

I want to go to the Artic Circle too.

The DC3 tour...

Traveling takes so long in Alaska.......it maynot be very far, but roads are heavily populated, and curvy, and sometimes you have to take a road clear out of the way to get to the town you want to go to.

I know this is long, but I hope it helps.

 

[jstbcuz]

Right now flights are pretty decent too. I looked and found a flight for 455.....but I've seen them in excess of 800.

 

[natenapril]

I

Drove to Fairbanks...........didnt find anything special about FB. Thought it was a dirty community lacking of things to do.

From FB we did drive to North Pole, AK. It was a fun town to piddle in. Santa and is available for pics year round.



Altho.........I didnt like Fairbanks the first time.....we went back again and went to an ice sculpture exhibit. IT was the coolest thing.

Went to Chena Hot Springs....

Watched the Northern Lights.

Ice Skated on frozen ponds.

Went up Mt Alyeska again...

Talkeetna is also a fun town to piddle in.

Both times, I was facinated by the moose.

Now Im thinking of taking the kids, and if I had to pick the things to do this is what I would want to definately do:

Take the train to Denali. YOu can stop along the side of the road on the way to Fairbanks, but it would be cool to do. My friend used to work on the train.
.

I live in the Fairbanks area and would't consider it "dirty" That's a little harsh. But it does lack "touristy stuff" if that's what you are looking for.

 

[maiyasgram]

Another vote against a cruise. We wanted to see interior Alaska and were fortunate to be able to spend 2 weeks there. Not budget but it was the trip of our lifetime. We flew into Anchorage, rented a car and put a ton of miles on it. This was our itinerary and a few of the highlights:

Flew into Anchorage and headed south through The Kenai Peninsula.
In Seward we did a wildlife cruise and glacier viewing in Resurrection Bay.
In Homer we took a float plane to Katmai NP to walk with the Brown Bears.
Talkeetna we did a flightseeing trip around Mt McKinley and a landing on Ruth glacier. We went to Denali NP and took the bus to Wonder Lake. Polychrome Pass was beautiful, but I was scared to death. Anyone who has been there will know what I am talking about. We saw more wildlife outside of the park.

At this time my husband has end stage Cancer and I treasure these memories. We had the time of our lives, and are so glad we just bit the bullet and spent the money.

The 1 budget thing about the trip, was we were able to fly 1st class from Boston to Anchorage for the price of coach tix

Whatever style of vacation you choose have a great time.

Cherie

 

[hambirg]

I live near Seattle and tho I haven't been to Alaska, I know the cruises can be had fairly cheap in the shoulder season. My Mom took a Holland America one with a friend and loved it. I do think that would be the cheaper option, because my ex-inlaws came from Germany and toured Alaska in a rented RV. They couldn't get over how expensive everything was. . .and they live in Europe where everything is already expensive! However they did go to Denali and thought it was amazing!

Something to think about. . .I frequently drive disabled vets from Alaska on my job. We always talk about how I'd like to go there and they always say to consider taking the ferry up there. . .I think it's called the Alaska Marine Highway. . .you can take it from Bellingham, WA. They say it's cheaper than a cruise and you still get to see all the beautiful scenery of the inside passage. If you don't want to do a cruise, maybe consider taking the ferry up and then touring on land. Maybe somebody here from Alaska can elaborate on that.

ETA. . .here's the link to the ferry website. . .lots of info and looks like they have some specials.

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.shtml

 

[apnep]

Went to Seward.....and took a wildlife/glacier cruise. The drive was breathtaking....... The town is a neat little town tho.......and there is Exit Glacier that you can you stop at.

Mom and I did these too! I have to admit out of all the things we did, going on the glacier boat tour was the best! We also stopped at the Sealife Center and YES, the drive between Seward to Anchorage is beautiful. We also stopped at Exit glacier and we thought it was SO neat!

This was a great post, jstbcuz! I want to get my DH and kids to Alaska someday and thought flying in and driving and see Denali would be a great thing to do. your itinerary sounds great. Those northern lights are a bucket list item.

 

[antmaril]

I took a cruise to Alaska last year round trip out of Seattle on Holland America and it was fabulous. Alaska was on my bucket list and I LOVED it. I would love to go back. We went in late August/early September and the weather was spectacular. It wasn't a cheap trip, but it was worth every penny.

 

[lizbaby007]

I have been on 4 Alaska cruises and have loved every single one of them. Alaska is one of my most favorite places in the whole world to visit. It is breathtakingly beautiful. Like others have said you can get some really good cruise deals and since it includes food they really are a bargain. I am very fortunate that my DH works for an airline so we fly for free and this year only paid $150p/p for a 7night on Holland AMerica but I saw many offered at $499 to the public which is practically a steal!

A cruise is a good way to get your feet wet when it comes to seeing Alaska as you get the joys of watching whales, you go to a couple of glaciers (usually includes glacier bay which is the true definition of the word AWEsome) and you get to visit a couple of really cool towns. If you cruise into or out of Seward I highly recommend skipping the Cruise transportation and booking yourself onto the Alaska Railroad scenic train. It is a great train ride (much shorter than the one to Denali) and you get to see some of the interior of Alaska.

I think the only regret with a cruise is by the end you wish it were longer, lol! One day I plan on spending an entire summer in Alaska but until I have the money for that I will continue my annual cruise

 

[libraryfreak]

OP here. I knew I was in the right place to ask my Alaska question - thank you for the excellent suggestions to put on my to do list.
As much as I agree that a cruise sounds great, I can only go mid-June through the end of July and I'm thinking rates will be high. My daughter is in college, my son in high school, and I want very much to bring them with us. Both my parents and my husbands parents died in their early 60's, and its not so far away from where I am now. I would like this to be a family trip, hopefully the kids will remember it forever.
Does anybody have any guide books they recommend? Websites? Too bad Bob Sehlinger or Rick Steeves don't write about Alaska.

Again, many thanks to your suggestions, and if you thought of more please let me know.

 

[adkkev]

What kinds of things do you & your family like to do when you're on vacation?

A cruise/cruisetour is one way to see quite a bit of Alaska, but you are restricted to what the cruise/cruisetour has to offer. And the side excursions can be expensive. But if you like to have everything taken care of for you, then this may be the way to go.

You could rent an RV (they come in many sizes) and drive around AK ... you can then stop and see things as you wish ... and there are many places to camp around the state. Sometimes you can score a cheaper RV rental rate by booking well in advance of your vacation (I have seen 50% off rates for early reservations).

Renting a car is also a great way to see the state, but there are some interesting roads that would be off limits to your rental (Denali Hwy for example).

There are a number of interesting B&Bs around the state ... we've found this to be one of the most cost-effective (notice I didn't say inexpensive) ways to stay when visiting Alaska.

Our favorites?

Denali - it's different each time you go
Homer - one of our most memorable stays in AK
Valdez - beautiful ride into this small town, and we liked the town very much
Tangle Lakes - limited accommodations, but good RV sites, lots to explore
Chena Hot Springs - just driving the road to the hot springs is like driving through a moose festival ... they're everywhere! Soaking in the springs is an experience, especially in winter.

Our son lives in Fairbanks, and while it isn't a tourist oriented place, there are a number of things to do there. Of course it helps to know a 'local' so you can find out where you can explore!

We have not visited the Inside Passage area yet ... we will be doing that this August. I have been to Skagway, but didn't see much of the town as we were there for our hike of the Chilkoot Trail. The ride into town is pretty spectacular though!

And the Marine Highway looks less expensive than a cruise, but when you add meals, etc., into your ferry trip, the costs add up to be more than a cruise. Unless you're willing to sleep out on the deck of the ferry and eat dehydrated foods ...

I would suggest concentrating on one area (like the Kenai, or Denali) for your visit ... once you visit you'll want to return for more.

 

[lillygator]

this is a great thread. We are heading to Alaska next summer on a cruise and would like to add a week on land, not sure if we should opt for before or after the cruise, but we are going out of vancouver.