Alaska cruise advice

[Thumbcocker]

Mrs. Thumbcocker has shown interest in an Alaska cruise next summer. Since she has put up with me for 23 years it might be a good idea to keep her happy. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. We are looking at a combination boat train trip.

[6bg6ga]

I've been married over 41 years now and no cruise for the Mrs. yet. Had a brother that took his wife on the Alaskan cruise and she wasn't too thrilled with it and it was her idea. I would suggest buying her a nice new AR15 or something like that she would be willing to share with you.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I would be more inclined to take the train there. Then rent a car and wander about to our hearts content. Them boats are not my idea of fun.
Mike in Peru

[btroj]

No cruises for me. I was lucky, my wife wanted a trip to Italy for our 25th. Far more enjoyable than a cruise to me.

My suggestion is to find a way to get her what she wants. Life is far easier that way.

[HATCH]

We did the inside passage on Princess.
We flew into Seatle and boarded there. That is also where we returned too.
If you are doing the glacier viewing spend the money for a balcony.

Alaska is some nice country. If it didn't get so cold there i would move there.

[farmerjim]

Cruse to Alaska , Then rent a motorhome . Stop nights by a stream and catch your breakfast. Go at your own pace and see what you want. Motorhome rental was cheep when we went 5 years ago.

[phonejack]

Cruise ship up the inside passage to Anchorage, then train ride to Fairbanks

[27judge]

Three years ago my wife and I took the Alaska Cruise ship/land for 15 days for our 50th . Very nice, beautiful country but way to commercial. I wish I had checked into the motor home idea it would have been more of interest then all the diamond shops. The landscape is a true wonder to behold . tks ken

[fouronesix]

Yes, do the cruise up (one way) then get a rental car or small RV- if you're into that type thing. Take the loop- Denali-Fairbanks-Copper Center- Skanchorage- fly home. The distances to drive are long and the main highways are crowded during peak season so you might spend all your available time up there just driving- not to mention the stress of traffic in a larger rig along with everyone else, both locals and tourists, doing the same thing.

Or cruise up (one way) then rent a car, plan B&Bs or motels to poke around. From Anchorage area include at least one lodge stay- fishing, sightseeing, relaxing, etc. A fly out to the Iliamna/Lake Clark/Wood Tikchik area for a few days at a nice lodge would be my recommendation for at least half your stay time in AK. That area of the state is most beautiful, IMO.

No matter what you do, the area is large so time is your enemy. Plan for extra time and plan carefully your intended places to visit. Weather is always an issue. I'm afraid a roundtrip cruise up the SE coast could get old and without some other area to visit you'll probably miss some of the best of the state. Then again I've seen lots of perfectly happy touri packed in busses touring on pre-determined schedules and staying at pre-determined lodges operated by the cruise lines. To each their own.

[geargnasher]

Princess to Glacier Bay for sure, take the train off the boat to Denali park. Haines is worth the stop to spend a day and visit with the people, don't miss the hammer museum there.

Gear

[starmac]

My MIL did the cruise up, then the train to fairbanks. She loved it. From what I understand the cruise up the inside passage is beyond beautiful.

If you want to rent a car or rv when you get to anchorage, don't worry about traffic, even in peak periods it is way less than what anybody in the lower 48 is used to just trying to get to work.

[skeettx]

Wife wanted a cruise, I did not want a cruise,
But said I would pay for anyone she would take with her.
None of her girlfriends could go, so she asked our daughter (38)
She said great,
So they met in Seattle and had a wonderful time.
When she got back, she said, I had made the correct choice for me
and that she has a great time!!
She is one smart lady and I am blessed!!!
Mike

[fouronesix]

If you want to rent a car or rv when you get to anchorage, don't worry about traffic, even in peak periods it is way less than what anybody in the lower 48 is used to just trying to get to work.

I guess it may seem "normal" to most any urbanite- suburbanite commuter around a large metro area. Especially scenic is the stretch from Anchorage to Wasilla twice a day or the highway from Anchorage to the Kenai with even the "rumor" of a good red run or during a dip net season. :)

[Ed Barrett]

My wife and I did the cruise to Alaska 4 years ago. We both loved it. Look into the different cruise lines. Some are for the young crowd and others are more suited for the older crowd. We like Holland America Line it is suited for the older crowd like me. A lot to do on the ship I liked it because you unpacked once and your room moved with you.

[Mk42gunner]

The only thing I can add is to make sure to take a couple of Jackets, summer on the North Pacific has a different meaning than summer in Illinois.

Beautiful country, I wish I could see my way clear to doing a trip or two like that in the next few years.

Robert

[Char-Gar]

I have not done the Alaskan cruise, but know many who have and all come back with wonderful stories. My BIL (now deceased) was in the travel business and told me Norwegian Cruise Lines did the very best job at this kind of cruise.

[C.F.Plinker]

We've done the Alaska cruise twice, both times on a small (100 passenger) ship. With a small ship it's about the scenery and what is outside of the ship. When we talked with the passengers on the regular cruise ships all they talked about was what was on the ship ( restaurants, casinos, shows, pools, organized activities, etc.) and how long it took to get off and on the ship. The small ships can and do go into fjiords the the large ships only talk about. I was out on deck one morning just before breakfast and one of the other passengers notice two kayaks out in the water ahead of us. I felt the engines slow down and told them that the people in the kayaks were going to be our tour guides for the day. Their was disbelief from them until the ship stopped and two Park Rangers came on board and told us all about the fjiord as we cruised the length of it. At the upper end we unloaded the zodiaks and those who wanted could get up closer and more personal with the glacier that fed into the fjiord. They still visit the little towns so you can enjoy the local color, take pictures, shop, and visit museums and tourist attractions.

Consider the small ships even though they will probably be more expensive. You can get the large ship experience at almost any large land based casino.

[AKtinman]

I’ve never been on a cruise ship, but the folks I have known who have taken the cruises have enjoyed them, especially the food.

My first trip up the Inside Passage was on a Coast Guard icebreaker in 1967. I swore I would get back to Alaska and ended up living there for 25 years, 5 in Kodiak, and 20 of which were in Sitka.

Tourism is a big deal in Sitka and on a day with two or maybe even three cruise ships in town, it was really a good idea to avoid the downtown area. Add 3 to 5 thousand tourists to a town with a population of 8,000 and it makes for a bit of a crowd. A local company runs bus tours and that’s a good way to get around and see a bit of the sights “out the road” from downtown.

One day my wife and I were out at Starrigavan, near the end of the road, and we stopped on the road to watch the bears out on the river flats. A small tour bus was there and we knew the driver, who was trying to “educate” her small flock of tourists about the bears and the ecosystem. I couldn’t resist asking in a loud voice “who’s taking their turn in the bear suit today?” The driver gave me a look that said “Thanks a lot, smart ***” We had a good laugh about it later.

Most of the shops that cater to tourists will have souvenirs that are made in China for sale. There are native artists who have local-made wares for sale. In Sitka the Centennial Hall, has performances by the Russian Dancers (an all-female troupe) and a small but good museum as well as other displays. Well worth a visit, in my opinion, if your ship stops in Sitka.

While it may just be a matter of personal preferences, if I were going to take a cruise, I would do what C.F. Plinker did and take the smaller vessel. I’d be much more relaxed on a boat with 100 versus 2,000. The larger vessels remind me of cattle-herding rather than going ashore for a relaxed, informative & fun visit.

The locals have some pretty good laughs at some of the questions the tourists ask. My daughter worked in a gift shop / art studio, and some of the questions she was asked are:

“Do you take American money””
“Do you live here year round?”
“How high above sea level are we?” (Clue: look down the street at the harbor you just came ashore from)
“Do you speak English?”
“How far are we from the United States?”
“Is that Russia over there?” (Looking at Mt. Edgecumbe on Kruzof Island, about 16 miles away)

I wish I were making those questions up, but those are all I can remember. Sure gave us something to chuckle about around the supper table.
One thing, too, I would be very careful on the large cruise ships to keep my hands washed and be careful of what you touch or eat and drink out of as there have been outbreaks of the Noro Virus, which would be most unpleasant to experience. Not often, but often enough that it would be something to be thinking about.

fouronesix had some great suggestions. Whichever way you choose to take the trip, get yourself a good camera and prepare to have a great time.

The Great Land is truly that, but a cruise will only show you the “tip of the iceberg” so to speak.

[Thin Man]

SWMBO and I have been talking about an Alaska cruise for the past few years, so many of the comments above are enlightening. Now that I am somewhat retired we have much more flexibility in our scheduling. She is self-employed and can make any calendar arrangements she decides. Would appreciate anyone making additional recommendations about when and how to get to Alaska, where to tour, when to go and not go, etc. Many thanks.
Thin Man

[starmac]

I guess it may seem "normal" to most any urbanite- suburbanite commuter around a large metro area. Especially scenic is the stretch from Anchorage to Wasilla twice a day or the highway from Anchorage to the Kenai with even the "rumor" of a good red run or during a dip net season. :)

Been in that exact mess quite a bit, but it would take two weeks straight to add up to driving through any major city down south one time. lol

[quilbilly]

Personally, in stead of a cruise ship, I would catch one of the Alaska State Ferries out of Bellingham, Wa. and bring all of the appropriate fishing, camping, and hosteling gear. Take my time driving around one of the islands (Prince of Wales Is. comes to mind) then just hit a couple ports like Juneau, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Craig etc. Some just take a small car with all their camping gear and camp on deck between ports. Of course being catered to with fine cuisine and entertainment in comfort also has its merits.

[coleman]

This is a great post, The wife and I are thinking about a Alaska cruise in the future 1- 2 yrs. I want to go to stuff my self full of seafood. Can some one give me some smaller cruise ships that will cater to the mid life crowd? I just don't see the mrs and I enjoying the younger crowd and 2000 other people. When is a good time to go and avoid a lot of tourist and great food I love salmon and crab?
Thanks

[JakeBlanton]

The problem with any of the cruises (not just Alaskan ones) is that you don't get to visit the ports for that long of a time. You pull into port that morning and pull out later that evening. You do not get to experience any of the night life of the ports. You do not get to experience the regular life of the town. You only get to see a snapshot of the town that they want to present to the tourists. It's like saying that you have experienced Mexico when all you've done is fly into Cancun and stayed at one of the all-inclusive resorts.

A few years back, a few of us old farts got together and rode (or hauled them as the case might have been) our motorcycles up to Washington and took the ferry to Anchorage. It's called the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) (http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs). We stopped at various towns along the way, got off with our bikes, and toured a bit. Some of the roads were probably a bit more attuned to dual-sport bikes unfortunately, but it was an interesting experience. Some of the ferries have cabins to rent and for others, you can camp out on deck or just find some place to put your sleeping bag. One of the things that we discovered is that some of the towns that you get to visit in Alaska do not have roads connecting them to any other town. The best thing about this sort of trip is that you don't have someone going through all your stuff and saying what you can or cannot bring aboard (i.e. firearms). Although it is possible to drive from the lower 48 states to Alaska, you have to go through Canada to do so and dealing with their firearm restrictions is not worth it in my opinion.

It's probably not as cheap as the cruises, especially if you can catch one of the last minute discounted rates, but you get to spend days in some of the towns instead of just hours.

[grumman581]

My wife and I have done a few cruises. She likes them, I hate them. I'm ex-Navy, so I have no real desire to be on a ship again, even if the food is orders of magnitude better than what we had way back then. At least back then, when we hit port, we would stay in port for a few days and you didn't have to try to squeeze every bar into an 8 hour time frame. :) I used to be of the opinion that if I lived close enough to the sea that there were seagulls around, then I needed to move further inland. Then I visited Salt Lake City and discovered that they have seagulls even that far inland.

[bear67]

We had been to Alaska before, but last summer we took NCL cruise up inside passage with 36 friends from 3 states who we dutch oven cook with at events. Enjoyed it and did not do the young folks/party crowd. Saw lots of whales and wildlife and sat on deck and took it all in. We are going back up with Rv and riding the Alaska ferry back to Washington.

Enjoyed the trip and fellowship, caught some fish, and walked on glaciers. Texans don't see that much ice, not much more than what is in our iced tea.

[paul h]

The problem with any of the cruises (not just Alaskan ones) is that you don't get to visit the ports for that long of a time. You pull into port that morning and pull out later that evening. You do not get to experience any of the night life of the ports. You do not get to experience the regular life of the town. You only get to see a snapshot of the town that they want to present to the tourists. It's like saying that you have experienced Mexico when all you've done is fly into Cancun and stayed at one of the all-inclusive resorts.

A few years back, a few of us old farts got together and rode (or hauled them as the case might have been) our motorcycles up to Washington and took the ferry to Anchorage. It's called the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) (http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs). We stopped at various towns along the way, got off with our bikes, and toured a bit. Some of the roads were probably a bit more attuned to dual-sport bikes unfortunately, but it was an interesting experience. Some of the ferries have cabins to rent and for others, you can camp out on deck or just find some place to put your sleeping bag. One of the things that we discovered is that some of the towns that you get to visit in Alaska do not have roads connecting them to any other town. The best thing about this sort of trip is that you don't have someone going through all your stuff and saying what you can or cannot bring aboard (i.e. firearms). Although it is possible to drive from the lower 48 states to Alaska, you have to go through Canada to do so and dealing with their firearm restrictions is not worth it in my opinion.

It's probably not as cheap as the cruises, especially if you can catch one of the last minute discounted rates, but you get to spend days in some of the towns instead of just hours.

Spot on.

The real question is, do you really want to experience Alaska, or do you want to go on a cruise that happens to go through Alaskan waters? On a cruise, most of the time is spent on the ship.

If you want a good Alaskan experience I can provide some suggestions and if you give me a time frame zero on what areas are best to see or species of fish to catch that time of year. You can't do the state justice in one trip, so figure out what's more important to see and spend enough time in those areas to get a feel for them.

[Baja_Traveler]

Unless I can fish off the fantail or shoot bears from the poopdeck I'd prefer inland travel - but I've heard those cruise trips can be nice...

[paul h]

To me being jammed with 100's or 1000's of strangers on a boat for a week or longer is not my idea of a vacation, nor being shuttled like cattle on and off the boat to visit gift shops selling t-shirts and trinkets.

Boating in AK is best done from a small boat and stopping to catch some fish.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/992895_10201225099930785_2015363162_n.jpg

buddy visiting from Texas

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One of my favorite bays to anchor in overnight

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[paul h]

A few more neat spots

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/evefiles/photo_albums/4/8/1/481101382/662102918_75186E131E4C97F175629796CA7F209A.JPG

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/evefiles/photo_albums/4/8/1/481101382/617101428_1A4D3B6527B345CB29C677C470FC7E8A.JPG

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http://forums.accuratereloading.com/evefiles/photo_albums/4/8/1/481101382/444108398_32B3EDE808712DCAE87F04A0AFE6F6A1.JPG

And stopping off at the various pulloffs driving South from Anchorage and hiking 15-30 minutes can result in some pretty spectacular scenes.

http://forums.accuratereloading.com/evefiles/photo_albums/4/8/1/481101382/995107458_9CFA116B1B15736872640AEDC7C00B19.JPG

[Shuz]

Mrs. Thumbcocker has shown interest in an Alaska cruise next summer. Since she has put up with me for 23 years it might be a good idea to keep her happy. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. We are looking at a combination boat train trip.

Thumbcocker--If you really wanna treat your wife to a great time, consider going to an all inclusive resort in the Caribbean or Mexico. My wife hates the water, and got oh so sick on a salmon fishing trip one year, that I couldn't talk her into a cruise. Our daughter, who is now 44, said that if I really wanted to show Mom a good time, where she can relax, and be waited on hand and foot if she chooses; do what her and her hubby did, they went to an all inclusive in Jamaica, called Sandals. Well, we did, and the first time was 1999, and we've been going to an all-inclusive in the Caribbean every year since. We get there, unpack, and then do what we want to do, and eat when we want to, and wear what we want to, and go off the resort and see the island when we want to. No schedules, fine dining at 5 star restaurants, and NO FORMAL attire required. Best of all there is no tipping of the wait staff unless you go the English butler route. Just something else to consider. Have fun whatever you folks do!

[medalguy]

Alaska cruises offer anything you want. Large ships are ultra luxurious and small ships offer the real Alaska experience. We have done Holland America and Princess ships, and Cruises West small ships twice (they are now out of business). The small ships do go places the large ships can't think of going, and are an excellent way of travelling. The large ships treat you like royalty but as someone said, they spend limited time in port. We are planning a drive up the Alaska Highway next spring with an RV so that's another option. The Maritime Highway offers some very inexpensive transportation but it's pretty Spartan all the way. Reservations are a very good idea which do put you on a schedule which I do not like.

It just depends what kind of travel you want to do. There are a lot of choices.

[JakeBlanton]

We are planning a drive up the Alaska Highway next spring with an RV so that's another option.

The Alaska Highway will not get you to a lot of the places that the cruise ships or the ferry boats go to. It will get you from Seattle to Anchorage (via Canada), but it will not get you to Juneau (the capital of AK). The Alaska Maritime Highway System is really a necessity for getting to many of the coastal cities / towns in Alaska. There is just not a way by land (short of snowmobile / dog sled / off-road vehicle) that will get you to some of these locales. It's not necessarily because of the weather, but just that no one ever decided to build roads connecting these areas. When we were up there though, I did notice quite a few of the amphib type aircraft.

[starmac]

I have never wanted to take a cruise, that said if I ever take one it will be the alaska cruise. I have driven it overland every way possible many times, but have never been able to take my time. One of these days I would like to take a month or more with camping and fishing gear and just take my time on the beautiful parts going over the road.

[Thumbcocker]

Mrs. Thumbcocker loves beaches. I don't. The prospect of staying in a third world country, even with European bathing rules, is a no go for me. Alaska is what we both though we would enjoy. If we could do something less canned than a cruise that would be great. Suggestions are appreciated.

[fouronesix]

Beach eh? How about Yakutat. Might even see a brown bear or a few. :)

[starmac]

You really need to just come on up with a wad of cash and spend a year or two to see all of what Alaska has to offer. It really depends on what you want to see to try to do it in a couple weeks, you would basically have to narrow it down to either the coast country or the interior. I live in the interior, but for a sightseeing vacation I would probably stick more to the coastal areas and maybe go on some boat charters.

[paul h]

It would help if you could narrow down some things you'd like to see and do, and if you're planning a 1 week trip or a 2 week trip. Here are a few things that might interest you:

Fishing (saltwater, freshwater)
Wildlife
Sealife
Gold mining
Dog Mushing
Native Culture
Mt. McKinley
Alaskan crafts

It also helps to know if you want rustic accomodations, 5 star, bed and breakfast, rv, pup tent, ... Do you want to be as remote as possible or do you want to see more developed areas?

You can barely scratch the surface in a week and should try and figure out if you want a couple of great experiences but barely see any of the state, or drive 1000's of miles to see alot of the state but not really get to experience it.

[JakeBlanton]

I travel around quite a bit, being a permanent RVer these days. I have found that a week doesn't even give you enough time to see everything that most medium sized cities have to offer, much less an entire state. With a state as large as Alaska, I would think that you would need to live there for a year or two before you even came close to seeing everything that it has to offer. I lived a good portion of my life in Florida and I'm pretty sure that I didn't see everything it had to offer.

[waksupi]

I travel around quite a bit, being a permanent RVer these days. I have found that a week doesn't even give you enough time to see everything that most medium sized cities have to offer, much less an entire state. With a state as large as Alaska, I would think that you would need to live there for a year or two before you even came close to seeing everything that it has to offer. I lived a good portion of my life in Florida and I'm pretty sure that I didn't see everything it had to offer.

I agree. I have lived in this county for 30 years, and still haven't seen all of it, let alone the whole state.

[sniper]

The wife and I have been on 3 cruises,:-P once to Mexico, and twice to Alaska with Holland America, and Royal Caribbean, which is my fave; and I enjoyed them all.

My dream is to fly there, See Denali, fish out of Homer, drive around, cruise back. The L.A. airport is a hateful experience,[smilie=b: but that's California for you. But iirc, Seattle was better.

Took a fishing trip there once, with my favorite nephew...airline pilot...$40 air round trip!:mrgreen: Enjoyed them all. The ships are are fine, the country beautiful, and I totally avoided the casinos on board.

My Brother-in Law was also in the Navy, and he didn't like the idea of a ship, either. I told him"Look, sport, then you you were merely an enlisted swine...on these ships, even the officers are making sure you have a good time!" He now thinks he invented cruising.;)

Oh, you're gonna have a grand time!

[LeftyDon]

Did the inside passage some years and and we met up with the BIL/SIL onboard ship, first words out of the BIL's mouth was "I don't care what you guys do, but I'm going salmon fishing some place during the cruise." We did it flying out of Juneau for a day's fishing. Oh, how I miss him. Passed last July. RIP, Bob.

[Frozone]

Do the 'reverse' tour.
fly into anchorage and get a rental (you don't want to try to rent elsewhere) ,
see what you want in the state, and return to anchorage.
from anchorage get a transfer to whittier or seward (only places the big cruise ships come that has a Road to em) depending on cruise line. Princess and Norwegian in whittier, Celeberty, Holland, and Silent in seward.
Cruise will likely end up in vancover BC bring a passsport.

From Anchorage the drive to Homer on the seward and sterling highways is good. Great fishing at Coopers landing on the Russian and Kenia rivers, continue to soldatna for dipnetting of reds in august.
Very quaint villages on the way from there to homer. Ninilchik is interesting as it is a home of the "Dissenters". great halibut fishing in homer.
It is one way however - from Anchorage ~ 220 in and the same back north to anchorage. If your cruise line leaves from Whittier coming back from Homer is the time for a side trip to Seward.
Visit Exit glacier, take the Kenia fords glacier tour ( good wildlife and whale watching opportunity ) good fishing, hiking, do the mt marathon climb on the 4th of july(kidding).
from there it's 2:20 back to anchorage.
North on the glenn/parks hyway to Wasilla (you can beat your head on the ground at Sara Palins old home if you want) from there skip the Parks hwy (you only miss Houston, the only place to get fireworks in AK)and take 'Hatcher's Pass' to Willow. from there its on to Denali , be sure to visit Talketna.

if you have time, the 'loop' to fairbanks and back down through Delta junction and Glennalan with a visit to North Pole (just to say you've been there).
DON'T USE THE DENALI HWY! you won't like it.
Visit the Matanuska glacier or drive the couple hundred miles to Valdez and back, before returning to Anchorage.

I don't recommend the train to/from anchorage and denali, better views from a car and you can stop for pix anywhere. The train tends to be a long green roofless tunnel.
A good train trip is from anchorage to seward.
If it floats your boat look at the 'spencer glacier whistle stop', you take the train from Anc to seward early in the morning, it drops you at spencer glacier about 10:00am, you kayak on the glacier lake for the day then catch the train from seward about 6:00 that evening back in to anchorage. Skip Whittier (unless your ship leaves from there) you won't regret it.

< a couple of things I forgot>
In Talketna, go to K2 aviation (make reservations, it's popular) about base camp landings on mt Denali (there is no mt McKinley in AK) they take you to the 14K foot level on the mountain and you can "see russia" from there ;-) (almost)

The 6 mile river on the seward hwy is world class white water rafting, check with shops in Anchorage for that.

And a 1 1/2 hour side trip to Hope, AK (just after 6 mile canyon) is always interesting, it is one of the original Turnagain Arm gold rush boom towns from 1895.

That 'spencer glacier whistle stop' is through the AK Railroad company: http://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel/Destinations/BestDayTrips/GlacierExplorer/tabid/108/Default.aspx
No roads in the Grandview Valley only way there is by the train.

[starmac]

Isn't dipnetting only legal for residents only, or did I miss something.

[coblake]

Dip netting IS for residents only.

[Frozone]

no one ever checks

[fouronesix]

You can always tell the fishing (snagging), dip netting and hunting for that matter was good the previous fall. In the spring, all the "dumps" and gravel pits will be full of freezer burned fish and game.

[paul h]

no one ever checks

So that makes it ok to violate fish and game regulations?

[Frozone]

Screw em

call some one who is a resident mark up the take on their punch card and enjoy the fish.


When they catch someone poaching bears for the gal bladders they fine him a $500 when he made 50K from that pile of 30 bears.
I have no respect for the fish and game department in AK.

[starmac]

I don't think I would go by that (no one checks) thing. Dipnetting is for one purpose only, and that is getting the winters fish, I don't see it as something a tourist would want to do anyway.

As far as they won't like the Denali hiway, why not. To me those kind of roads is what Alaska is about, but then I don't care for crowds or tourist attractions for the most part.

[Frozone]

Watching Dipnetting IS a tourist thing you know. It can be fun just to view the madness.
Plus it's on a nice beach, one of the few you can actually drive to in AK. Overnight camping is allow ( even encouraged )

How would your wife feel about 120 mi of BAD road? But wait, for some reason I doubt you're married, are you starmac.

[Bullshop Junior]

Good morning
I would be more inclined to take the train there. Then rent a car and wander about to our hearts content. Them boats are not my idea of fun.
Mike in Peru

No trains that connect to canada from AK. We only have the one main line going from anchorage to fairbanks and that's about it

[starmac]

Married since 77, to the same woman (if it is any of your business) And she loves what you call a bad road, thank you. I think most folks that come to Alaska wish they could see something besides asphalt and crowds. I don't see where the camping on the beaches is encouraged, in fact the locals on the peninsula try to get dipnetting stopped every year because of the crowds and trash.

[Bullshop Junior]

My MIL did the cruise up, then the train to fairbanks. She loved it. From what I understand the cruise up the inside passage is beyond beautiful.

If you want to rent a car or rv when you get to anchorage, don't worry about traffic, even in peak periods it is way less than what anybody in the lower 48 is used to just trying to get to work.

Starmac has a point about the traffic except one thing. As a Alaskan there is
One thing that is the biggest jazz at on the road and that is all the tourist that stop in the middle
Of the road to try to go and pet a moose and get pics. Leave the dang moose along. They are not friendly, do not enjoy being pet, and a cow with a calf is 14x more dangerous then a bear. Not to mention having having someone else come around to Corner. and almost slam into the miter home parked sideways in the road with all the doors open.

[Bullshop Junior]

Watching Dipnetting IS a tourist thing you know. It can be fun just to view the madness.
Plus it's on a nice beach, one of the few you can actually drive to in AK. Overnight camping is allow ( even encouraged )

How would your wife feel about 120 mi of BAD road? But wait, for some reason I doubt you're married, are you starmac.

120 miles isn't anything. Take the haul road. 400 something miles of the worst road I have ever seen. Most beautiful drive in the state though, just take about 6 spares with you

[David2011]

Mrs. Thumbcocker loves beaches. I don't. The prospect of staying in a third world country, even with European bathing rules, is a no go for me. Alaska is what we both though we would enjoy. If we could do something less canned than a cruise that would be great. Suggestions are appreciated.

Beaches are fine as long as I'm viewing them as "shore." I agree with you. My idea of a cruise it to fly to somewhere in the Eastern Caribbean and get on a chartered, uncrewed sailboat and guide my own tour. If I like a place I can stay a day or two. If not, haul the anchor and move on.

The one canned cruise I went on was everything I feared it would be. "OK, everyone, get off of the boat for four hours and experience this island." The food was plentiful and fair. I've lived most of my life in and around Houston and New Orleans. Those are two of the great cities in the US for dining. By reputation I expected the food to be at least of the quality of slightly above average restaurants in those cities. It was good but not great. The bars onboard were pricey. The saving grace was that a friend that has a successful tropical rock band had organized the trip and his band played every day on the ship. I knew a lot of the other attendees. Had it not been for that I would have been miserable and probably would have had an extremely high bar bill and there just wasn't much to attract me. There's a casino 10 minutes from the house. I can eat mediocre food any time. In spite of the bar bill comment I rarely go inside a bar. Why be confined to a shop with a few thousand strangers to do that stuff?

David

[North_of_60]

About 5 years ago my uncle bought a pop-up camper for his pickup. He and my mom drove to Prince Rupert and got on the ferry and came up through the inside passage to Haines and then drove to Fairbanks. They said it was a great trip. They could drive off the ferry at any stop and spend time and then get back on when they were ready to go again.

The Denali Highway is beautiful. Its one of my favorite places to go. Don't let the term highway mislead you, it is gravel. But you aren't on that stretch of road to drive fast. Just take your time and enjoy Alaska.

If you make it to Fairbanks send me a PM, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.

[starmac]

Starmac has a point about the traffic except one thing. As a Alaskan there is
One thing that is the biggest jazz at on the road and that is all the tourist that stop in the middle
Of the road to try to go and pet a moose and get pics. Leave the dang moose along. They are not friendly, do not enjoy being pet, and a cow with a calf is 14x more dangerous then a bear. Not to mention having having someone else come around to Corner. and almost slam into the miter home parked sideways in the road with all the doors open.

Good point, when I see this My air horn stays on until I am past them to get the animals back out of sight, especially if it is a brain dead supposedly professional tour bus driver.

[Frozone]

...when I see this My air horn stays on until I am past them....

I notice that your 'air horn' is on all the time you're online too.

[waksupi]

When someone tells me "No one checks," I always ask if they will pay the fine if I'm the exception?

[starmac]

I notice that your 'air horn' is on all the time you're online too.

LOL You like making friends don't you. lol

[paul h]

Hard to believe someones suffering from cabin fever when the snow hasn't even begun to fall this winter ;)

[starmac]

We did have a pretty good frost this morning. lol

[grumman581]

We did have a pretty good frost this morning. lol

Which means 6" of snow?

[Bullshop Junior]

Which means 6" of snow?

Had a little snow mid September. It's all melted off now. Kinda pissing me off actually cuzz I wanna cross te river to start setting out my trapline.

[Bullshop Junior]

Good point, when I see this My air horn stays on until I am past them to get the animals back out of sight, especially if it is a brain dead supposedly professional tour bus driver.

I usually lay on the horn on my truck too. I don't have a airhorn but it's good enough to make a moose move. I once had a guy in a jeep turn around after I did that and chase me about 10 miles down the road, then 6 miles
Back down a mid trail just to yell at me cuzz I scared it off just before his wife pet the calf of the pissed off cow on the other side of the highway. I don't know, but to me it's commen sense to leave them alone. But I grew up here. I have seriously seen 8 motor homes and parked in the middle of the road at the bottom on a big hill (tenderfoot) right on the badk side of a blind corner. Luckily I had just put new brakes on my truck and trailer or that would have ended badly.

[starmac]

Generally when I hit that curve at the bottom of tenderfoot I am pulling double tankers. These morons don't realize that stopping is not an option. I have had tour buses stop on a bridge an unload all there passengers. I stopped thinking they were broke down, nope just looking at a moose.

[Bullshop Junior]

Generally when I hit that curve at the bottom of tenderfoot I am pulling double tankers. These morons don't realize that stopping is not an option. I have had tour buses stop on a bridge an unload all there passengers. I stopped thinking they were broke down, nope just looking at a moose.

Stopping isn't much of a option in a 3/4 ton GMC with a gooseneck and two cars on it either.