Is Avis the only car rental place in Whittier?
I can't seem to find anything else and the cheapest rate they had for the day (with drop off in Anchorage) is $263.35!
We only need it for 12 hours max. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Mary

AVIS is the rental place we used. Yes, that is an expensive rate, but compared to 5 people on the shuttle @ $125 each it was a bargin. That's why I said you would have to do the math for your situation. BUT even if its just the two of you, its almost a wash and then you can do your own sight seeing and take your time on the way to Anchorage. If you figure in the cost of an excursion in Anchorage and then being dropped off at the airport hours early, the cost is not that out of line.

We quickly found out that the cost of an Alaskan cruise are 3 to 4 times the costs of a Caribbean cruise...

I'm sorry I don't have any other suggestions.

Thanks Jim. Is the shuttle different than the motor coach? Because we have the option of that for $55 each but then I don't know what we'd do until 1:30 am!

The shuttle I referred to was the cruise transfer motor coach. $55 is not as bad as I remember. Maybe I was thinking of the total price of transfers on each end of the cruise??? I remember it being $125...

So, yes I can see your sticker shock on the car rental. So you can look at it as the $110 plus the cost of cruise booked excursions (that offer a tour and a trip to the airport) versus the cost fo the rental car. Like you said, what would you do until 1:30am? Our flight was about the same time, you can do alot in that time if you have transport. There is an animal refuge on the way to Anchorage and there are glaciers... You can see things in Anchorage too or even take in a movie. Drop the car off at the airport and off you go...

I'll leave you to your choices. For us with so many it was a "no brainer" but for only two, you will have to decide if you want to sit in the airport all day or not. You will be off the ship by 9AM. Its at most 2 hours to the airport. That's a lot of airport sitting time in my book. OR just book one of the tours that drops you and your luggage at the airport. But I don't know what those cost as we didn't do it. But that way you wouldn't have to worry about driving.

Thank you again for your input Jim.
I think we'll go with the car and explore a little on our own. Just needed a little reasurance that we weren't doing the wrong thing or spending too much!

quote:

Originally posted by worrier:
Thank you again for your input Jim.
I think we'll go with the car and explore a little on our own. Just needed a little reasurance that we weren't doing the wrong thing or spending too much!

If it makes you feel any better, it is 1 1/2 hour drive from Whittier to Anchorage...and there is nothing (and I do mean nothing) in Whittier. So I don't know if they will have to deadhead the car back or if they would be able to rent it.

LHP-

They probably just rent them out to cruisers going to Whittier from Anchorage for the southbound cruises.

Hi!
Well, our cruise is over but I just wanted to reply to the last comment: We did rent from Whittier to Anchorage, but they charge you big for the airport drop off. It was well worth it to us though since we had until 1:00am. We got to check out Anchorage at our leisure.

quote:

It was well worth it to us though since we had until 1:00am. We got to check out Anchorage at our leisure.

Thanks for checking back in and letting us know about it! I hope your cruise went well.