Forum Discussion

dreamer's avatar
dreamer
Explorer
Jun 28, 2016

What was your best Alaska Tour Saver experience?

This is our first trip to Alaska and our first time using the Alaska Tour Saver discounts. We missed out on a discounted train ride to Skagway because of our ignorance about the hoops we had to jump through. I'll admit it was our fault. We did get to use it for a boat tour in Valdez which has already paid for the cost of the plan. We are now heading for Homer, maybe Seward back up to Denali and Fairbanks back out to Tok. I would had to miss any 'Gems' that others may have experienced along that route. Thanks.

dreamer.
  • Kemai Fjords NP boat tour from Seward. That alone covered the cost (and then some) of the Toursaver book. After that anything we used it for was a bonus. figure it saved us approx. $400 back in '08, including the $99 purchase price. Kept this cheap Scottish Yankee happy! ST
  • While you are in Homer, you can use the TourSaver for the Seldova Bay Ferry, which is well worth it with the discount. Of course, Homer is famous for its fishing, so you could also use it for one of the Homer fishing charters.

    If you do get to Seward, definitely use it for the Sealife Center, which is also a marine wildlife rescue facility. Depending on your interests, the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum near Anchorage International Airport is in the book and is an excellent airplane/bush pilot museum. For us, the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks was well worth the price of admission, with or without the TourSaver.

    We have also taken the raft trip on the Nenana River at Denali, which is (very cold) fun too, especially with kids. Many years ago, I spent two weeks flying into Devil's Canyon on the Susitna River by helicopter (for a job, not for fun), which made for some exciting air time. Today many cruise ship passengers take the jet boat tour from Talkeetna into the canyon, although we haven't done it. Maybe the boat seems a little too tame compared to flying into that deep, narrow, winding canyon! And, while on the topic of river boats, the Riverboat Discovery tour in Fairbanks is in the TourSaver and is also very popular with RVers.

    For those who have taken glacier boat tours from Valdez or Seward, the Portage Glacier boat tours are, in my opinion, a waste of money.
  • Off the subject, If you can be in seward for the 4th do it we were there last year and had a great time.FYI most campsites in area are 1st come 1st served so you have to get there as early as possible
  • If they cover the Alaska Sealife Center, the Alaska Native American Heritage Center, the Reindeer farm and/or the Musk Ox farm I'd visit them. Even without a discount they are well worth it.
  • Stan Stephens Glacier Tour. We had a blast and saw lots of sealife including a pod of hunting orcas.
  • The airplane ride around Mt McKinley. Hope it is still in the TourSaver.