Anchorage as a base for glacier boat trips, or? (Juneau and: hotels, price)

[Wheatridger]

A quick check on Kayak quoted me almost a grand for four days in a small rental.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Wheatridger

A quick check on Kayak quoted me almost a grand for four days in a small rental.

Everything is overpriced right now and we were lucky to get a rental car (see my prior rant about the pricing for this). You'll also want to ensure there is availability for hotels/tours before you book. We got lucky because we booked 3+ months in advance.

[Wheatridger]

Im seeing good availability for my target, the second week of Sept. That's the end of the tourist season and the last runs of the Denali train. We'll need to make reservations within a week, I think.

[Northrick]

Roadworrior has some good advice. If you are riding the train, definitely go for Seward over Whittier. However, if he got bored in one afternoon in Anchorage, he wasn't trying very hard. If you find yourself at the 49th State Brewery, the king crappy grilled cheese is awesome.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, the smaller cruise ships (not the huge behemoths, where half the passengers end up quaranttined due to a disease outbreak) are able to visit some of the narrower fjords for more spectacular scenery, and they also tend to have university professors lecturing on aspects of history, Native culture, geology, or whatever their specialty is. The smaller ships are more expensive, but people say they're worth it.

Everyone should see Skagway. Whether it's on a small cruise boat (the big ones go there too, unfortunately), or by flying in from elsewhere, and spending a couple of days, it's a must-see/do. It's at the head of a long fjord lined by mountains with a sheer drop into the bay, like something in Norway. The little town is very peaceful (in-between tour boats, but you can easily get away from the tiny "downtown" and its crowds, away into the little neighborhood bakery/coffee shops, and such); it's a nice place to unwind, enjoy the scenery, rent kayaks perhaps, and there are hiking trails on the edge of town that go up to a lake and more scenery. I'd love to spend several days there, myself. I've only been once.

Sometimes it's nice to stop for a few days, and just enjoy a place and what it has to over, rather than always going on and on to the next place. Skagway's a good place to do that. No city hustle-bustle; just a little village in the middle of nature.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

...Sometimes it's nice to stop for a few days, and just enjoy a place and what it has to over, rather than always going on and on to the next place. Skagway's a good place to do that. No city hustle-bustle; just a little village in the middle of nature.

One can take the Alaska state ferry from Juneau to Haines/Skagway, as an alternative to cruise ships.

The ultimate glacier boat trip for SE is Glacier Bay National Park. Day trips from Gustavus are available. Gustavus is accessed via air taxi or Alaska Airlines from Juneau.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Northrick

Roadworrior has some good advice. If you are riding the train, definitely go for Seward over Whittier. However, if he got bored in one afternoon in Anchorage, he wasn't trying very hard. If you find yourself at the 49th State Brewery, the king crappy grilled cheese is awesome.

Not saying Anchorage is a terrible place. But, most people come to Alaska for the nature. If I want the urban experience, I can get that here in California in greater quantities. Also, we were with kids and it was raining, so that limited our options. We went to the zoo, but I didn't think it was the best one I'd been to or even as good as the Wildlife Conservation Center, which we did on our drive to Anchorage.

But, 49th State Brewery was really really good.

[Gator Fan 79]

We flew into Juneau and spent 7 nights on an UnCruise to Glacier Bay. An excellent way to see SE Alaska and you avoid the need for hotels and car rentals. Just about everything's included in the price including morning and afternoon activities such as kayaking, glacier hikes, bushwacking and skiff rides. Absolutely loved it. At one point, in the Icy Straits, we were literally surrounded by humpback whales. We listed all of the plants and animals we saw on a whiteboard and it was full when we left. The icing on the cake was that there were no megaships in port in Juneau. Highly recommended.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Gator Fan 79

We flew into Juneau and spent 7 nights on an UnCruise to Glacier Bay. An excellent way to see SE Alaska and you avoid the need for hotels and car rentals. Just about everything's included in the price including morning and afternoon activities such as kayaking, glacier hikes, bushwacking and skiff rides. Absolutely loved it. At one point, in the Icy Straits, we were literally surrounded by humpback whales. We listed all of the plants and animals we saw on a whiteboard and it was full when we left. The icing on the cake was that there were no megaships in port in Juneau. Highly recommended.

Yep, this is right where the humpbacks will be packing on the pounds in August...near Point Adolphus, right? Their population has really rebounded over the last 20 years! When I first moved to Gustavus you might see a few humpbacks feeding in Glacier Bay. Now you can hardly sail anywhere without bumping into one during the summer. Sea otters have also exploded. They've re-colonized so fast it is rapidly altering the underwater ecosystem.

[Okey Dokie]

2nd week in September may REALLY be pushing it, weather wise. We were there once right after Labor Day, it rained the entire time. There’s a reason the price drops off then.