First Weekend in June '08 or Second Weekend?
 

I am planning to travel to Alaska in the first or second weekend of June. Can you tell me what are the pros cons of reaching ANC on June 6th vs. June 13. Air tickets for June 6th are much less expensive than June 13!

Of course one of the highlights of the trip would be Denali National Park. Some of the other activities I am planning are:
1. Day cruise from Seward/Kenai Fjords
2. Whale watching

My parents (age 61 and 58) will be traveling with me & my husband. Any ideas on what we should do? They can complete easy to moderate day hikes.

Thanks :)

The tourism operators aim to raise their rates for the tourist season on June 1, but because the traffic always isn't quite there yet, they usually end up fighting over the smaller numbers of tourists and keeping rates low until about June 10.

I did a search for a weekend rental car June 6-8 (picking up AM and returning PM) and June 13-15 (same thing), since that's the part of the tourism industry with which I am most familiar.

Cheapest car for the first weekend: $192 all-in
Cheapest car for the second weekend: $320 all-in

I would assume hotels have a similar spread (my wireless router's being fussy and dropping packets, or else I'd do a random check now). Factor the price of the things up here on top of the airfare--the later weekend might break the bank.

As for the disadvantages of going the first weekend:
-The weather will likely be warmer the second weekend, although there is always the chance we'll have 75 degrees the first weekend and it will rain and be 60 the second weekend--but in general, the later in June you go, the better and warmer the weather
-The earlier in the season you go, the less time the roads have had to dry out--important if you're going to Denali, as the park shuttles may not operate the full length of the park road until it's dry

You'd think a week might not make much difference, but there's a reason the prices are higher the second weekend and there are twenty times as many tourists in Alaska the second weekend. Spring and summer hits fast and hard here--a week and a half ago it was 25° and snowed 22 inches, and then this weekend, it was 55°. I don't think you'll have particularly cold or bad weather the first weekend, but the chances of it being warm and sunny and the park road (which is dirt) to be completely dried out and everything open for business is much higher the second weekend.

Then again, some people like the shoulder season for its thinner crowds--you might want to take that into consideration...

I've got a car June 7 to 9 for $120 plus change. It was $45 a day plus the taxes and the rest. Avis through Amex. Not sure why it was so much less expensive then the others, but I'll do it.

My date checks were for a three-day rental (June 6 10am to June 8 8pm and June 13 10am to June 15 8pm), which partially explains the difference (yours is probably a two-day rental). I've already closed the windows, but I think the first weekend's cheapest car was about $45/day through Enterprise and the second weekend's cheapest car was about $75/day through Budget. (I searched on Travelocity, which shows all companies on their grid, whereas Orbitz and Expedia tend to only show "preferred" vendors--i.e. vendors that pay higher commissions to them.)

[QUOTE=jackal;9687383]

-The earlier in the season you go, the less time the roads have had to dry out--important if you're going to Denali, as the park shuttles may not operate the full length of the park road until it's dry


Thanks for the information. I do like the shoulder period due to the cost savings and less crowds. I am planning to schdule 5-6 days to spend in Alaska anytime between June 6 and June 18.

I tried booking the bus shuttles online. It seems I can book till Wonder Lake for June 8. It is there a possibility that the shuttle will be canceled or re-routed back due to the road conditions? Is yes, I might schedule the Denali visit for later in my trip.

Also, I can visit Kenai Fjords before Denali or after. Which is preferable? What are the pros / cons?
1. Visit Kenai Fjords (day cruise) on June 7/8 and then drive to Denali on June 9 and take the shuttle on June 10
2. Drive to Denali on June 7, take the shuttle on June 8 and Kenai Fjords (cruise) on June 9/10

[QUOTE=shailey79;9689717]I just emailed someone who has gobs of experience in this area to see what he recommends for this.

Not sure if this a pro or a con but
 

[QUOTE=shailey79;9689717]I'll likely be doing a day long Fjord tour on June 7th or 8th ;)

and probably an Exit Glacier tour/visit the other day

bk who would've rather taken the trains from ANC to Seward but can't really say no to the $53.10 a/i Hertz rental (6/6 am -6/9 pm) rental :D

For those around on June 8th who are somewhat fit and like oddball events, that's the date of the annual Walk to Whittier where the 2.5 mile tunnel is closed to road and rail traffic and opened to walkers.

Personally I think it would be better marketing if they went the other direction and called it the "Run from Whittier".

[After a visit, you'll understand :) ]

Quote: I tried booking the bus shuttles online. It seems I can book till Wonder Lake for June 8. It is there a possibility that the shuttle will be canceled or re-routed back due to the road conditions? Is yes, I might schedule the Denali visit for later in my trip.

I drive at Denali and based upon everything I've heard, we're good to go to Wonder Lake on June 8th. Of course, a rare storm large enough to affect the park road to Wonder Lake or anywhere else could always happen in June but we should be accepting reservations for Wonder Lake as per usual.

As to the online reservations system, I cannot speak to any glitches it may have but like most any company, Aramark does have a phone number for those who either don't have Internet (Many of our older visitors) or for whatever reason can't get through or experience problems via the online system. Those numbers are:

Phone Reservations:
1 866-761-6629
1 800-622-7275
(907) 272-7275

http://www.reservedenali.com/contact/index.cfm

Good luck! See ya out on the road ~