How the decision came about:
So every family has a different way of deciding where to go on their family vacation. We start out by saying...."So where do you want to go this year?" Everyone gets to put in their two-cents and we eventually come to a decision. Pretty normal to this point! This is when it starts to go a little crazy! Here's a little insight into what went into our decision this year.
We actually started out considering a trip to Boston and traveling north to Acadia National Park in Maine. My husband and I had done this trip years ago but our son hadn't been there. We checked prices for hotels in Boston in the summer and, as you would expect, they were pretty outrageous! Airfare prices were pretty good. Things to see and do. A trip to Fenway Park. This was a top contender.
The next suggestion was a West Coast trip....flying into San Francisco, heading north to the Redwood Forest and then heading even further north to Crater Lake in southern Oregon and then back to San Francisco. Then it went to "Well...we could fly into San Francisco, head north and keep going, ending in Seattle and flying back from Seattle." Then we got to "What about the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington? Could we manage a couple days there?" We looked up airfares and hotel costs and checked out attractions that we could see along the way. The San Juan Islands looked beautiful and had lots of things to do if you are into the outdoors and hiking and biking and WHALE WATCHING. Ok there's the key words....WHALE WATCHING. If you don't understand why this was a problem for us....read back a few blogs to my entry on Whale Watching! Been there done that...not so sure the trip to the San Juan Islands was for us. So I very innocently say....."How far is it to fly to Anchorage from Seattle?" Well maybe it wasn't quite that innocent because 1. I REALLY didn't want to go Whale Watching. 2. I have always wanted to go to Alaska and 3. It would make my list of states that I've been to....47!!! One step closer to my goal of seeing all 50 states and a really big one to cross off my list!
So we started to research Alaska....this always leads to the cruise suggestions. Now I will admit that I have never been on a cruise and for some reason it just doesn't appeal to me that much. Now I know a lot of cruise people that absolutely love the cruise experience and wouldn't do it any other way. I'm not trying to put that down at all....it is a great way to travel if you enjoy it and certainly a great way to see Alaska. Some day I may come around and give the cruising thing a go but for us....it just doesn't seem like all that good of an option. However, for an Alaskan vacation...we thought we would give it a good look! There were lots of options with the cruises...lots of different cruise lines offering everything from 7 day cruises around the coast of Alaska to 13-14 day land and sea cruises. There is certainly lots to choose from and I would highly recommend looking into the options if you are thinking of a trip to Alaska. We ultimately decided against it and here were our reasons....again...these are personal reasons and not meant to apply to everyone...just us....the rooms on a cruise ship are small....we are "space" people....the more space the better. We do not like to be cramped in a hotel room....let alone on a ship. Now everyone says that you are never in your room on a cruise ship so it doesn't matter...well...it matters to me! I am used to a king sized bed in my home as well as a decent sized bathroom. I don't really want to go on a "vacation" and cram into a double bed and a cube of a bathroom. I may not be in the room a lot but I will be in there to sleep and get ready for the day! We did look at larger rooms but even the largest room on the ship wasn't all that large!!! Ok...so second reason....we really like to travel at our own pace. We are the people who rent a car at Disney World so we can come and go as we please instead of taking Disney's very efficient transportation system! Being on a cruise ship and having to travel as a group or at someone else's pace would be very difficult for us. Third and final reason...we just aren't that social on our vacations. We like to spend time with each other but really...we don't travel with other people we know let alone don't know!
So...after ruling out the cruise option...and talking about what we really wanted to see in Alaska, we decided that our "must see" attraction is Mount McKinley in Denali National Park. I had an Aunt and Uncle who lived in Alaska for many years. Unfortunately, we were never able to visit them while they lived there and they have since passed away. One of the last things that my Uncle said to me before he passed was "I hove you make it to Alaska one day." They lived in the Anchorage area and loved Mount McKinley and Denali National Park more than anything. This makes for a very personal reason for me to want to visit this area of Alaska. So it was decided that these were our focus areas for our visit.
The New England trip was put on the back burner for now. Still an option for a later trip but it isn't dependent on season. We live close enough to the East Coast that airfares are reasonable and drive times aren't too bad. Denali National Park is only open in from Mid-May through Mid-September so if we were going to go there it had to be for a summer trip!
Tips:
1. Brainstorm places/areas that you might want to visit. Let everyone throw out an idea. Brainstorming means no one is wrong so feel free to toss out the wildest things possible.
2. Do some research before you make a final decision. Check out the areas, the cost of traveling there....airfare, rental vehicles, gas prices if you are traveling by car, hotel rooms and food costs. Weigh your options and know what kind of a budget you would like to stay around so there's no real surprise. There is so much info out there on the internet to help you plan....get out there and find it! Half the fun of the trip is the planning!
3. Know what kind of a traveler you are and what you like and don't like. Don't make a decision to something just because others love it. Explore all your options but know yourselves.
Now you know where you are going....planing an itinerary:
Ok so this is where we are not normal. We have now decided on a location. Now this would be "the" location for most people. Head to Alaska....spend a week and come home. Oh...no...not with us....this is just the beginning!
So we started with a flight from Cleveland to Anchorage. As I've stated before, my husband travels a lot for business and he has accrued quite a few miles with United. So in order to be able to use the miles he has earned and earn more....we are pretty loyal to United. That doesn't mean that if there isn't a better deal with another carrier we won't look at it but you have to weigh the frequent flyer miles and perks in there. Flights to Anchorage were pricey but doable.
We started discussing our itinerary and the one thing that I couldn't get out of my mind was the desire to go to Crater Lake National Park also. The two of us had taken a trip to the Seattle/Portland area last October and just didn't have the time to make the drive down to Crater Lake. Plus it was on the cusp of their season and being able to see as much as possible of the park so we left it on our list of a place that we definitely want to visit. We started feeling badly that we wouldn't be able to get to this park on this particular trip. WELL.......
One thing led to another and we started to look at multi-destination flights.....hmmm...really wasn't all that much difference from a round trip to and from Anchorage to Cleveland. This is how the craziness starts...... By the end of our discussion and planning....we have concocted one crazy plan for our summer vacation.....here's what we ended up with!
Saturday June 23 - Fly from Cleveland to Anchorage. (15 hours with a 5 hour layover in San Francisco) Upgraded to First Class for this leg using my husband's mileage! Definitely worth it for this long of a trip!
Sunday June 24 - Drive to Denali National Park
Monday June 25 - We are doing the 8 hour Tundra Wilderness Bus tour through Denali (this is the time of year that Alaska has almost 24 hours of sunlight so it helps when planing the bus tour),
Tuesday June 26 - Heading back to Anchorage and seeing the city
Wednesday June 27 - Heading south from Anchorage to Turnagain Arm and Portage Glacier. We then have to drive back to Anchorage and make it to the airport in time for our early evening flight from Anchorage to Seattle.
Thursday June 28 - We are heading to Olympic National Park and then driving south to Eugene, Oregon
Friday June 29 - Visiting Crater Lake National Park and then heading north to spend the night in Portland, Oregon.
Saturday June 30 - We are going to visit Columbia River Gorge and possibly a quick trip to Mount Rainier National Park. These are repeats for my husband and I but new to our son so we would like to make a quick stop so he can see these beautiful areas. Then we are heading to Seattle.
Sunday July 1 - We are going to head into Downtown Seattle to go to Pike's Market and take in a Mariner's game and finish up with dinner at the Space Needle before heading to the airport for our return "red-eye" flight to Cleveland!
Remember I warned you it was pretty crazy!!! However....it wouldn't be a vacation for us unless it was this crazy!!
Tip: Plan your itinerary ahead and keep your options open.
Booking Hotels and Reservations Based on Your Itinerary:
Now that you have your itinerary pretty well set, it's time to take a look at the things you want to do and see and places that you want to eat that require reservations. Book anything ahead that you will be disappointed if you miss. This can happen during busy summer traveling times as certain things do book up for the times that you want.
So for instance, we took a look at our itinerary, checked out Tripadvisor.com (always my beginning spot) to see what was recommended in the areas we were staying. If you have read my blogs you know that due to my husbands travel, we are loyal to Hilton brands and choose to accrue points through them. For this trip we were actually able to use our points for a couple nights of the more expensive hotels to cut the cost of accommodations.
We took a look at our itinerary day by day, checked out TripAdvisor and the Hilton Website and booked away. When we got to Denali...there were no Hiltons! We checked out the area's lodging options and and settled on a two night stay at the Denali Princess Lodge (we shall see how this experience is....stay tuned!). So once our Hilton's were booked for the trip, we turned our attention to attractions and dinners. Since Denali National Park has a short tourist season, tours and lodging fill up quickly. We are only going to be there for two days so it was really important to plan ahead. We had our lodging but really wanted to do a tour. We made sure to book that online so we could get the time and date that we needed. Same thing for dinner at the Space Needle. We only have one option for making that happen with our tight schedule so we made sure to book that reservation ahead of time. We are also huge Ruth's Chris Steakhouse fans and no trip would be complete without a visit there so we made sure we booked that dinner for one of our nights in Seattle.
Tip: Book ahead for any hotels or "must see" attractions to avoid disappointment. You may also get an advance pay internet special price on hotels this way so make sure to check ahead!
And we're off.....
Well almost...a little more than a week left before we embark on our latest adventure. I'm getting so anxious to get there and to see the wonders that await us..... I'm not really good on patience so the next 10 days is going to be a killer for me but there's lots to do to get ready still! I hope that you can come along with me and follow my adventures as we go!
Follow me on twitter @travelswithmelb
Next up.....Packing for our next adventure...my favorite travel items and packing tips!
No comments:
Post a Comment