This summer’s BIG family vacation is a foray into the “land of the midnight sun”: Alaska! My itinerary suggestions can help you plan a trip to Alaska as well as get an idea of the costs to consider. This will be everyone’s first time to visit. I think it will be really different to have so many hours of daylight. When we go, the sunrise will be around 4:19 a.m. and the sun won’t set until around 11:39 p.m.! I’m curious how my family will adjust to the time change and the long days. We may have some grizzlies of our own for a few days as we adjust.
I’ve done a ton of research for my trip, as usual. I love trip planning which is why I became a home based travel agent. I enjoy planning my trips as well as others. See my recent blog post about being a home based travel agent.
I am going to break down my itinerary for you. I would love to get some input about any last minute changes or experiences to add. I will also add the approximate cost of each thing we do be it an excursion, tour, attraction, etc.
This is NO lie: Excursions in Alaska will give you sticker shock. Probably more so if you have a larger family of 6 like me. Yes, you can camp in Alaska and bring your own fishing gear and save money. Hiking is free (usually) or really cheap. But you may want to do more things than just camp and hike since you are coming out all this way. I don’t like camping (I’m weird that way), so that means more money for hotels, etc. Also, many of the really amazing attractions that are unique to Alaska require transportation like helicopters, boats, and airplanes.
Exploring and ice climbing a glacier is not something you want to do on your own unless you want to end up in a crevasse somewhere. You need to hire a guide for that. Unless you have 3 months to explore Alaska, I recommend a cruise or a type of marine boat tour in order to cover the most ground. There is only so much you can get to in a car in the amount of time that you have in your typical visit. We decided to do a 7 night cruise to see as much as we could with little headache. We also will be doing some interior touring on our own, although you can purchase a Cruise Tour before or after a cruise.
Also, I will admit I am not a budget traveler. I do like to get a good deal and save where I can. I know some of these costs could be reduced if you were a budget traveler. This is not a low budget trip.
With that being said, we will move on.
Day 1: Vancouver, B.C., Canada
We will fly in a Delta Comfort Plus seat because we get Sky Priority boarding and 4 inches more legroom. For us tall people, it is a must for long flights. My husband, who is 6’4”, said he was okay with paying the extra $90 per person to have the extra leg room. We wanted to sit all together too. You could save some money and not upgrade the seats. We have a short layover at LAX and will then fly on West Jest, a Canadian airline, from LAX to Vancouver International Airport.
Cost: $2426.58 ($404.43 per person)
We will stay 2 nights at 910 Beach Avenue, a contemporary apartment hotel. There were a couple reasons I chose this place, but there are some less expensive options.
Cost: $825 (USD) $349.56/night + tax x 2 nights
Day 2: Vancouver Landsea Tour & Adventures
While we are in Vancouver, we want to get an overview of the city. We are taking the “City Highlights” tour which is a 4-hour excursion through the city to popular stops such as: Stanley Park, Granville Island, the Vancouver Lookout, Gastown, Chinatown, Robson Street, English Bay Vancouver Harbour and more. I really like that they will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. They can also drop you off at the port if you are getting on or off a cruise that same day. I chose this option because we only had an afternoon to explore and time is of the essence. This one was also convenient and reasonably priced.
Cost: $280 ($62.28 per adult and $38.93 for kids (USD))
Day 3: 7 Night Voyage of the Glaciers Northbound Cruise from Vancouver (Princess Cruise Line)
From our hotel, we will take a taxi to the port and get there early enough to enjoy the ship! Since I booked the cruise a little later than I recommend (which would normally be right when they are released), I ended up with four of us in a mini suite and two across the hall in an inside cabin. That was the only way to get the cabins close together. I am fine as long as we have at least one room with a balcony. I actually am considering doing this in the future as it does save several hundred dollars than if we did connecting rooms with balconies. I highly recommend a balcony cabin for cruises. It makes it so much more enjoyable.
Cost: $8704 for both cabins
Day 4: Inside Passage
Today is an “at sea” day.
Things to see in the Inside Passage:
- Glacier-carved fjords
- Pristine forested shores
- Whales, dolphins and other marine life
- Bald eagles and tufted puffins
- Towering granite cliffs
- Cascading waterfalls
- Majestic snowcapped mountains
- Thousands of untouched islands
As a tradition, I like to schedule a massage at the spa on “sea days”. I just get a basic Swedish massage so I can check out the spa areas. I also like to schedule a specialty dinner with just my husband on sea days. That way we don’t have to rush around trying to get ready after a long excursion day. I made a reservation for the Crown Grill. The kids will eat and enjoy activities in each of their clubs. I love getting to do date nights on cruises!
Day 5: Ketchikan
I’m excited to have booked the highly rated, Deadliest Catch Crab Fishermen’s Tour!:
“Experience the thrills of Bering Sea without leaving the calm, sheltered waters of the Inside Passage. This eventful 3-hour cruise aboard the Aleutian Ballad is the ideal Alaska adventure for the whole family. Imagine being aboard a real Bering Sea crab fishing boat from the award-winning TV series “Deadliest Catch” on a relaxing jaunt off the coast of Ketchikan. You’ll see amazing sea creatures and get hands-on experience while interacting with crabs, prawns, octopus and more: all designed to bring the world of the commercial fisherman to life….A stop near Annette Island may offer sightings of bald eagles, seals, sea lions, whales, and native Alaska fishermen at work.”–Alaska Crab Tours
Here is where I actually saved money. I booked this one with Princess because it was already sold out directly from the tour operator’s website. The nice thing about Princess Cruise Line, is that they have a 110% Excursion Price Match Guarantee. So if you find the same tour and it costs less, they will give you back 110% of the price difference as onboard credit. This tour qualified and got me a nice chunk of change back: $250 to be exact!!
Princess Cruise Line also offers a $100 onboard credit for military men and women! My husband, an Air Force Reservist and was able to get the $100 applied. It was super easy to do. Their customer service is very quick to respond.
Cost: $859.70 ($219.95 13+ yrs and $149.95 under 13 yrs) with $250 onboard credit
Day 5: Juneau
On this stop, we decided to sign up for salmon shoreside fishing. I would like to do a fishing excursion but they are usually several hours long. My 6 year old probably wouldn’t last long. I could almost hear him fussing: “When are we going to be done??” The shoreside option was also a lower price. This tour also includes visiting the salmon hatchery.
Princess has an option for an excursion that you can “Cook your Catch”. They will clean it and cook it up for you to be served at your table for dinner on the cruise ship. That would have been really neat, but that excursion did not work with our schedule so we chose the next best option. The shoreside salmon fishing will give you the opportunity to have the salmon that you caught, shipped to your home for a fee. This excursion was actually less expensive through Princess so I did not apply for the Price Match.
Cost: $779.70 ($149.95 per adult 13+ and $109.95 for under 13)
Lastly, for the afternoon in Juneau, we will be on Harv & Marv’s Whale Watching Tour. I booked this one on my own, not through Princess. From my understanding, it is a small, locally owned business and has great reviews.
The boat we are going on holds up to 6 passengers so it will essentially be a private tour on a smaller boat. If you have children under the age of 13, then your are required to do the smaller, private tour. Otherwise there are larger boats that hold up to 18 people for those with young children. Harv & Marv’s is a popular excursion in Juneau. They were really nice to work with our schedule as we will have to end our tour a little early to get back to the ship on time. I think they also gave us a little discount since it would be shorter. Great customer service!
Cost: $1020.00 ($165 pp plus tax)
Day 6: Skagway
On this day in Skagway, we have an excursion with Skagway Shore Tours: Yukon Discovery and Sled Dog Tour:
“This full-day scenic tour starts in Skagway and begins with a beautiful, picturesque ride north over the White Pass summit to Canada’s Yukon Territory, paralleling the White Pass scenic railway. The Yukon Discovery & Sled Dog Tour is narrated with local Klondike history by your guide and contains photo opportunities just about everywhere you look. What separates this tour from the Yukon Discovery Tour is an extra bonus: an exciting 1-mile ride on a customized, wheeled dog cart with real Iditarod huskies. Once you arrive in the Yukon, a lunch break with free time provides the opportunity to not only visit with the husky puppies, but to experience what it’s like being pulled by a team of these elite runners. Along the ride, the local mushers, who are professional racers in the winter, share stories about what it’s like training, caring for and racing up to 90 dogs at a time!” –Shore Tours website
I really wanted to do the dog sledding on the snow for this trip. But the only way to do that in the summer is fly in a helicopter onto a glacier. I wasn’t able to find an airplane/dog sled combo tour. Of course the prices are expensive (around $600 per person), but what deterred us is the helicopter. My husband flies planes and doesn’t feel safe flying in a helicopter and I agree with him on that. We also chose not to do it in Hawaii. We chose to do an airplane tour instead which was lovely. We will do an airplane excursion in Alaska, it just won’t be on a glacier. More about that later.
I figured this would be the next best thing: a wheeled dog cart. My kids are thrilled that they are going to get to play with the puppies!
Before heading back to the ship, we plan on exploring the town a little bit.
Cost: $830 ($145 per adult, $119 per child)
Day 7: Glacier Bay (Scenic Cruising)
“Princess is one of a select few cruise lines permitted to cruise the pristine waters of Glacier Bay, the highlight of our 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise. Just west of Juneau, this breathtaking national park and preserve boasts some of the world’s most spectacular tidewater glaciers, such as Margerie Glacier, which often drops colossal chunks of ice into the sea. Not surprisingly, Glacier Bay National Park and its epic ice giants are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Alaska’s magnificent park system. During your scenic cruise, friendly Park Rangers will join the ship to share their knowledge of this amazing place and host a fun Junior Ranger program for kids. They may even be able to help you identify Glacier Bay’s abundant wildlife, including humpback whales, sea otters, porpoises, harbor seals, black bears, mountain goats, bald eagles and large colonies of seabirds. Take in the awe-inspiring scenery as you enjoy an unforgettable day of sailing through this dazzling park, where you’ll glide along emerald waters and past calving icebergs, and can breathe in the crisp, fresh air to your heart’s content.”–Princess Cruise Line
Another date night with my husband on this night, including dinner in the Italian specialty restaurant, Sabatini.
Day 8: College Fjord (Scenic Cruising)
“Discovered in the northwest corner of Prince William Sound during an 1899 research expedition, spectacular College Fjord and its glaciers were named after prestigious east coast schools by the college professors who first laid eyes upon their majesty. Stretching for miles, these massive rivers of ice tumble down from mountains and through valleys, dipping into the pristine waters of the fjord. There you’ll have a chance to watch the awe-inspiring process of glaciers calving, or dropping enormous pillars of ice into the sea, as they crack and land with a thunderous splash – a once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed! College Fjord not only boasts the world’s largest collection of tidewater glaciers, but it features magnificent snowcapped mountains as far as the eyes can see. Plus, during the summer, it’s not unheard of to catch a glimpse of one of the area’s 40-ton humpback whales feeding in the waters of the fjord.”– Princess Cruise Line
Last day of the cruise!
Day 9: Whittier, Alaska: Disembark Princess Cruise Line
There are more excursions here in Whittier to cruise more glaciers, but we will hop on a shuttle bus towards Anchorage in the morning of disembarkation. I wanted to rent a car from Whittier but they sell out quickly and did not have any rentals for 6 people available. I would love to ride the rail out of here but it doesn’t leave until early evening so we chose to book the Narrated Non-Stop Transfer with Alaska Cruise Transportation. They have options with stops at places along the way like the Wildlife Conservation Center.
Cost: $208 ($38 per person with a 10% Early Bird discount)
This day will include a little more riding and driving than I would like. Once we get to the Anchorage airport to pick up our rental mini van, we will head north east to our glacier trek with Mica Guides near Sutton, Alaska.
Cost: $566 (rental van for approx. 4 days including taxes and fees)
The reason we are doing the glacier trek here instead of Mendenhall, is because this was the only company I could find that would allow kids as young as my littlest who is 6. All the other tours I found required the minimum age to be at least 8 years old or even 12+ yrs minimum, for good reason. You do have to book a private tour but I am so glad we will get to strap on some crampons and trek on a glacier instead of just looking at it from a distance. This tour is on the Matanuska Glacier. I believe they have different ranges of treks. I just hope I get to see an ice cave!
Cost: $620.64 ($89 ages 12+ yrs, $69 ages 8-11 yrs, plus $25 pp park fee)
After our trek, we will head to our hotel at the Anchorage Grande. We will stay the night and then head south.
Cost: $526 (two rooms for one night)
Day 10: Soldotna
Today we will drive south towards Soldotna to spend a couple days down south. We are thinking of stopping at the Wildlife Conservation Center on our way down. If we do this stop, it will be our cheapest excursion of them all!
Cost: $54 (tickets range from $10-15 with 6 and under being free)
We have an Airbnb reservation in Soldotna so we will check out the area and then hunker down for the night.
Cost: $593 (2 nights)
Day 11: Bear Viewing and Flight-seeing
Today will be exciting as we will be doing a flight-seeing tour in an airplane with Natron Air. We will land on the beach at Cook Inlet in order to see brown bears up close.
“This flight takes us over the Cook Inlet oil platforms, past two active volcanoes (Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Iliamna) in Lake Clark National Park, and over the bays and estuaries of the western shore of Cook Inlet. We then traverse Double Glacier down to the wet lands where we quite often see Beavers, Wolves, Moose, Bears, and Seals. This flight includes a beach landing in which we will stop and stretch our legs and take pictures of the bears in their natural environment.This tour is so awesome, you get your monies worth the first 30 minutes, and the rest of the tour is free!”–Natron Air
I left the rest of the afternoon open to either chill out at the rental house or to go kayaking.
Cost: $2400 ($395 pp plus tax)
Day 12: Anchorage
Today we will drive back to Anchorage and will probably spend some time exploring the city. We fly out of Anchorage to Seattle the following day.
I know it is a shocker that we did not plan a trip up to Denali National Park. Isn’t it a “quintessential” stop in Alaska? Why are we not going there, you ask? Well after much thought and research, I had to weigh the time, cost, and return on investment. It would be a 10 hour drive round trip from Anchorage or 16 hours by rail which is super expensive. Although it would be a fun way to go if we had more time and money. It will require at least 2 nights hotel minimum to visit DNP. All to ride on a (free except for the park entrance fee) slow, bumpy, packed school bus for 8 or more hours (53 miles in but longer if you go the entire 90+ miles) round trip in the hopes of seeing a bear, moose, or dall sheep up close.
There are 6 million acres and 9,500 sq. miles in Denali park. There is no guarantee you will see much up close other than trees, grass, and big rocks. Plus trying to see an animal close up with about 60 other people scrambling to get a picture doesn’t sound very fun. It’s a gamble. It’s an expensive crap shoot. Dall sheep are usually little white dots far away on a cliffside. I will see bears up close with only 6 other people and no barrier on our flight tour with Natron Air. I’m sure I will see a moose at some point in time along the entire trip as many are sighted in town and around neighborhoods (or the Wildlife Conservation Center). I know my younger kids would not be happy campers stuck on a bus with loud people or whiny kids (probably mine) for that long. Yes, they have short attention spans but honestly I would probably be bored after about an hour of that ride too unless there were oodles of animals pouring out from behind the bushes.
Even if you want to see the highest peak in North America, Mt. McKinley, it is only visible 30% of the time and is covered by clouds the other 70% of the time. Another option is a flight seeing tour which gets you a bird’s eye view of the mountain. I would opt for that but it would be another $500-600 per person. Our budget is maxed out. Our Natron Air flight goes over Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Iliamna, so I feel like that will be close enough. I will just pretend it is Mt. Mckinley. So I won’t be getting that t-shirt that says, “I visited Mt. McKinley”. I just don’t think that the return on investment is worth it. Call me crazy. Maybe I’m completely wrong. That is ok.
Day 13: Fly to Seattle, Washington
We will do some touring on our own. Probably will include the Space Needle, Pike’s Place, the first Starbucks, etc. We will stay that night at the Embassy Suites hotel.
Cost: $1018 ($169.80 pp) for flights to Seattle
Cost: $355/night for hotel
Day 14: Fly Home
We will again be flying Delta Comfort Plus for our flight from Seattle to Raleigh.
Cost: $2137 ($356 pp)
The total trip cost doesn’t include food outside of the cruise, souvenirs, and insurance, etc.
Approximate Total Trip Cost: $24,203
I am getting so excited about our trip coming up!! Have you visited or lived in Alaska? What are your favorite stops or things to do? Share in the comments below and subscribe to my blog Fit Travel Mom to read about my post-trip recap.
