Suggestions for first trip to Alaska
 

edited, new itin below

edited, updated itin below

I'm in DEN getting my FT fix before trying to plan out where to stay and how to get there from the airport. Will try to bookmark this thread and come back to it in a few days, or tonight if where I decide to stay has free wireless.

Just one thought before parting--day trips from ANC sounds like a good idea from a hotel points perspective, but it means you'll be doing a good bit of backtracking and therefore wasting precious time (since you sound like the kind of person who likes to cram as much in as possible--just like me!). I'll see if I can think of something that will allow you to see more without compromising the hotel budget too much.

having done 2 similar trips over the past 3 years, here are some thoughts:
--cheap hotels? forget about it. not gonna happen. And in some areas (read: Denali) you'll find required 2 or 3 night stays in many hotels. Start searching now, and book what you can find up there. (We stayed at the Crow's Nest. It was fine, but not cheap and had a minimum stay. Liked the restaurant/bar!)
--consider this as an alternative or addition to the bus tour into the park: http://www.denalisights.com/. It's a monster truck tour of Denali, and you get to places you wouldn't see otherwise unless you hiked in 10-20 miles. It's expensive, but we LOVED it. The hard part is that the departure is about halfway between Talkeetna and Denali itself (at the Igloo, for those of you familiar with the area), so there's some extraneous driving involved.
--if you're going to Alaska to experience Alaska, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime type trip, skip the HH points nights in Anchorage and daytripping, and spend more time in Seward (in addition to the boat trip, visit the glacier, take the Ididaride tour with Iditarod dogs, hike out to the remote areas, visit the dive bars in town--they're great. And eat at Salmon Bake: Warm Beer and Cheap Food) or add Homer (a long drive, but well worth it), or spend some extra time in Talkeetna (flightseeing, some hikes in the area). It's not going to be cheap, but you're there to see Alaska, not Anchorage. The city itself is fine, but other than the stunning scenery surrounding, it kind of felt like Omaha. (Not a bad city, just not the kind of place you choose to travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars to visit unless you can avoid it.)

Consider B&Bs or small inns to minimize the costs--but 1 night in Anchorage is enough! You'll land, grab some food, walk down to Sunset Point and watch the sun set (at midnight-ish, although it never gets really dark), and do a little sightseeing in the morning, but then head out to see the real sights.

Enjoy--it's a great, great trip!

On day 7, instead of returning to Anchorage, go north to Fairbanks. Spend days 8/9 driving back to ANC via the Richardson/Glenn Highways. That way there's less backtracking, you see more, and you do a big loop through interior Alaska.

Although I don't necessarily agree with Chuppi's description of my chosen place of residence, the idea is spot-on about trying to find smaller inns/B&B's, especially out in the rural areas. Depending on what your final itinerary winds up being, I can probably point out a few recommendations for you.

On a side note, I'm doing my annual Anchorage-Valdez-Whittier-Anchorage road/ferry loop trip this weekend. Looking forward to it.

edited, updated itin below

Thank you. Your advice would be very helpful. I'm not tied to using HH points, particularly if I can get resonable accomodations. I just want to make sure that I have a once-in-a-lifetime-trip. If I can fit in using points, thats an added benefit..

My wife and I are planning our first trip to Alaska this summer.. I am VERY excited and would love to get feedback from the experts on my itin. Any thoughts would be highly appreciated!
(we have a 1 yr old and really cant do much hiking, etc).

Day 1: arrive 4:30 pm. Explore Anchorage. Overnight at the Hilton downtown
Day 2: rent a car & drive to Valdez stopping along the way on the Glenn Highway. Overnight in Valdez.
Day 3: 8 am ferry to Whittier, reach 1:45 pm. local attractions. Overnight at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Cooper Landing
Day 4: Girdwood tram, Portage Glacier, etc. Overnight at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Cooper Landing
Day 5: Kenai Fjords 9 hr cruise from Seward. Seward local and then drive to Anchorage. Overnight at the HGI.
Day 6: Drive to Denali with stops. Overnight at the McKinley Village Lodge.
Day 7: Shuttle bus into Denali upton Wonderlake (if possible with baby!) or Eilsen Visitor Center. Overnight at the McKinley Village Lodge.
Day 8: Drive to Fairbanks. Ice mueseum, other Fairbanks local attractions etc. Overnight in Fairbanks.
Day 9: Drive back to Anchorage. Flight back home.

As you can tell, I'm trying to pack in as much as I can!
Again, any expert advice would be highly appreciated.

All right--I'm out of town again and catching a train here in two hours and two minutes, but I'll take a sec here.

I don't remember your first itin, but the one you just posted looks like one I might do. It certainly crams in the sights, but if you're a whirlwind traveler like me, it's definitely doable and crams in most everything you can possibly see--and it gives you a nice overview so that if you come back someday, you can decide where to focus on next time in a slower, more relaxed mode. (Or you can do something adventurous next time like drive to Prudhoe Bay!)

The only thing that concerns me is your last day (Day 9). The drive between Fairbanks and Anchorage is a minimum of six hours, and depending on motorhome traffic, stops for food (and baby changings), and other delays, it can be more. If you've got a really late red-eye flight that night, it might be doable, but otherwise, I might either start driving back south on Day 8 (staying somewhere back near McKinley or perhaps in Cantwell or something--not many places, but a few) or even cut Fairbanks out entirely (saving it for next time, of course!).

Otherwise, things look good to me!

Of course, on Day 1, we ANC FTers do expect to host you for mini gathering if everyone's schedules make it work!

Thanks again Jackal. I would love to meet up with the ANC FT crew..

Our flight back on Day 9 is at 10 pm. So we have all day to reach ANC from Fairanks. It seems doable, although it almost seems like a waste of a day.. Honestly, I am not overly excited about spending Day 8 in Fairbanks and Day 9 traveling back to ANC. But all the other options for these days that I've uncovered so far are either not feasible (with the baby) or not exciting enough. Any suggestions?

And yes, I do plan on coming back to Alaska in the future and doing a more 'exotic' trip like Prudhoe Bay/Barrow/Nome, etc :).

cruise advice
 

Just wanted to get some quick thoughts on cruises.

We're thinking of-
1. ferry from Valdez to Whittier - PWS
2. Kenai Fjords Northwestern cruise - wildlife + glacier

Is there any point in doing a Prince William Sound cruise (like the "26glaciers" cruise or the "Glacier Adventurer" cruise).

The ferry will not take us as close to the glaciers, so we're thinking of doing the 1 hr Portage Glacier cruise to go up-close and see (and hear) the glacier crackle.

I'm in AK now actually in ANC tonight. Denali can be done in 4 hours if you never drop under 90 MPH (just did it) Fairbanks is another 2.5hrs. If in Fairbanks do NOT eat a Pike's Landing, go to Big Daddy's BBQ and say I was told to say hello to the Chicago Red Neck and the Biker Babe Waitress. Santa Claus's House actually has good prices on gifts, unlike any place else. The Old Dredge #8 is educational and fun. The El Dorado Gold Mine is Interesting as well, entertainment is good. You will pass the pipeline that everyone wants to touch on the way. Buy your fuel at Fred Meyer and put in your phone number it discounts it 4 cents. Pioneer Park has a descent air museum. If you want to see Mt McKinley it is better viewed from Denali State Park South view than any where in the park on the road. It is much closer too. McKinley Lodge Chalets can be had at $99 per night and it is very nice (modern resort style w/ rustic flair)

The one-hour Portage Glacier cruise is a nice little mini-cruise and is nice if you've never done any other glacier cruises, but in comparison to the "real" (tidewater) glacier cruises, it's kiddie play. The only day cruise I've done is the 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier, and I'll tell you that sitting still in front of Surprise Glacier and hearing the ice crackle and then seeing a huge chunk calve off is a sight and sound nearly beyond comprehension.

I'm not sure how the other Whittier cruises compare; as far as Seward, I've never done them, but I understand that Seward half-day cruises are better for wildlife while the full-day cruises combine wildlife with some good glacier action.

I guess it will be your call on whether you can afford the time for any of these options.

I agree with almost everything you said...except I (as a thirteen-year Alaska resident and avid traveler) wouldn't call the pipeline stupid. It really is an engineering marvel, and touching it and seeing it close up is worth the ten-minute stop--especially since it's free. (And for someone with more time, stopping at a pump station that offers tours--if any still exist--is worth the hour tour!)

We took the Kenai Tours National Parks (6 hour) tour on on Sunday, May 25th

Pictures from the cruise may be found in my online album here.

updated itin
 

Thanks again to all for your replies! Please keep them coming!!

Here is my updated itin. Comments welcome and I hope others will find it useful :)

Day 1: arrive 4:30 pm. Explore Anchorage. Overnight at the Hilton downtown
Day 2: rent a car & drive to Valdez stopping along the way on the Glenn Highway. Overnight in Valdez at Best Western.
Day 3: 8 am ferry to Whittier, reach 1:45 pm. local attractions. Overnight at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Cooper Landing
Day 4: Kenai Fjords 9.5 hr cruise from Seward. (Maybe other Seward attractions if we have time). Overnight at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge in Cooper Landing
Day 5: Girdwood tram, Portage Glacier, Seward Exit Glacier, maybe Marine Sea Life Center. Drive to McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge (~4 hrs)
Day 6: Explore Talkeetna, etc. Drive to Denali with stops, explore park. Overnight at the McKinley Village Lodge.
Day 7: Shuttle bus into Denali upto Wonderlake (if possible with baby!) or else upto Eilsen Visitor Center. Overnight at the McKinley Village Lodge.
Day 8: Drive to Fairbanks. Ice museum, UAF museum, town of North Pole, one of the Gold mining tours & other Fairbanks local attractions. Overnight in Fairbanks at Princess Lodge.
Day 9: Drive back to Anchorage. Flight back home late pm.