The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of vacation do you want? Do you want it to be relaxing? active? native style? How long do you want to go for? When do you want to go? How is your health? Most people going to Alaska are older. The current average age of someone going to a National Park is 53 years old. I'm going to guess on my experience that it was even older on my tour.
ALERT: Alaska is cold and often rainy: pack appropriately! Just because it's July does not mean it will be warm there. I went in July. I packed a long underwear shirt, and yes, I used it, and was glad I had it!
If you really want to see a lot of glaciers, you need to take a cruise, or a cruise tour. Yes it's expensive. Anything in Alaska is expensive. You have to tip everybody, too! And everyone says that "Princess owns Alaska". Meaning they have their own resorts on land, the best itineraries, and they have arrangements for the best tours. No, I do not work for the company, but that's what I heard from other travelers, travel agents, the locals, and the tour people. I am basing this blog post on a cruise tour from Princess. In the future, I am considering also taking a camping trip up through Alaska, there are a number of campgrounds along the way. I saw a really nice one on the edge of Talkeetna, for example.
The most important thing I learned from someone else who had gone before me was:
If you are taking an excursion, go through Princess for your excursion, because if you're excursion is late, they will leave without you if it's not a Princess sponsored excursion. Then you have to find out how to get back to your group which is realllllly expensive: which may even require hiring a private airplane. I got back late and Princess had to get me to my group. No extra expense on my part, and they even got me there in time for my next excursion. Thank you for that advice Mr. Schram!
I went the same time as a friend of mine, but we went with two totally different goals and itineraries.
For me: I also took a friend with me. I knew this may be the only chance I get to go to Alaska, and I've always wanted to go. I am a naturalist. I like doing the outside stuff, I want to see the plants, the animals, and learn as much as I can. I crammed my schedule so full that the Princess staff thought I had made a mistake because I didn't leave myself enough time for meals. No mistake, I packed extra food from the coffee shops or gift shops like fruit and granola bars to hold me over while I traveled back and forth between excursions. I ran us hard. We had no time for down time except on the busses transporting us place to place. But everything is far apart in Alaska, you spend a lot of time on busses. My friend is in better physical shape than I am, but she is older than I am by about 10 years. The trip was difficult for her with the constant running and sleeping at a different place every few nights. She would have liked a little more down time.
For my friend: She went with her 2 adult sisters and her parents. Her parents are 80ish? They wanted a relaxing, not vigorous, trip. They wanted to see Alaska, but not have to do strenuous activity. They chose to do a cruise only with land excursions. They chose excursions that were not physically demanding.
So basically, you can do and see whatever you would like. Make a list of things you wish you could do. What is important for you to see? Do you want to see Moose in their natural habitat? Do you want to see bald eagles? What about sea lions or sea otters? glaciers? sea ice? snowshoe hare? mountain goats? caribou? plants? dogs training for the Iditarod? the trail people took to find Yukon gold? native people? totem poles? the mountains? Denali? rivers of glacier melt? rock formations? do you want to fish for salmon? take plane rides around the mountains? pan for gold like the miners? I could go on, but you get the idea. Figure out what you want and physically can do.
Before you call a travel agent, or a cruise line, or your time share company, take time to investigate what there is to see and do and what your health will allow. Then make a list of your priorities. That way you will be better able to get the trip you want when you actually make your reservations. Don't forget to check timing of animal migration or spawning. If you want to fish, make sure you go when you possibly can catch something!
I have put pictures on my blog of the different places I stopped at and activities I did. Feel free to browse through and see if any help you to decide what you want to do.
I did the: 13 day Princess "Off the Beaten Path" cruise-tour. My excursions beyond the standard trip included:
- Byer's lake paddle
- Chulitna Scenic River Rafting
- Denali Natural History Tour
- Nenana Gorge Whitewater Rafting
- Black Diamond ATV Adventure
- Husky Homestead Tour
- Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise
- Experience the Yukon & Suspension Bridge
- Best of Juneau: Mendynhall glacier, Whale Watch, and Salmon Bake
- Native Village and Totem Poles
Good luck planning your trip. It was one of the best trips I've been on and I would love to go again.
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