The Park Connection Motorcoach provides scheduled service through South-central Alaska on many of  Alaska’s most scenic highways  The Parks Highway north of Anchorage travels the fertile Matanuska-Susitna valley, up through Denali State Park which offers some of the best views of Mt. McKinley, and into the Alaska Range to Denali National Park. South of Anchorage, the Seward Highway runs alongside the Turnagain Arm, and over two scenic mountain passes down to the picturesque seaside town of Seward. This route well deserves its designation as Alaska’s only National Scenic Byway.

The Park Connection Motorcoach gives independent travelers to Alaska the opportunity to customize their own itineraries to Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and even Whittier.  Many travelers combine the use of the Alaska Railroad and the Park Connection Motorcoach to create unique itineraries that suit their own travel interests. (more…)

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The good news is there is still plenty of time to plan your trip to Alaska this summer. The great news is there has never been a better time to visit Alaska and take advantage of special community events, great travel deals and excellent availability on some of Alaska’s most popular destinations and attractions. We are happy to share our short list of top reasons why now is the perfect time to book your Alaska vacation. We have also invited our fellow Alaska residents and travel industry partners to add their suggestions, so check back soon.

Reason 1 - Alaska’s 50th Anniversary of Statehood
Join in with Alaskans as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary of Statehood this year. Many communities and local tourism business are participating with special events and supper savings for Alaska visitors. Alaska Tour & Travel is sponsoring a photo contest for visitors and residents featuring a grand prize of a commemorative print by Sydney Laurence signed by all of Alaska’s living governors. Are you celebrating your 50th birthday this year as well? If so, you can ride the Alaska Railroad or Park Connection Motorcoach for Free.

Reason 2 – Freakishly Low Alaska Cruise Rates
It is no secret that cruise lines like to sail full, and will offer significant discounts if needed to make that happen. With the soft economy, and significant Alaska cruise capacity to fill, that is exactly what is happening now. It is still common to see Gulf of Alaska cruise promotions as low as $399 for a seven night cruise, even for peak season cruises for this coming June, July and August. Here is another thing to consider. Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, NCL and Carnival Cruise Line have all modified their 2010 ship deployment to reduce capacity of seven night Gulf of Alaska cruises to Whittier or Seward. With a recovering economy and reduced capacity for 2010, most travel experts expect higher prices for Gulf of Alaska cruises for next year.

Reason 3 – Excellent Availability and Prices on Alaska Land Tours
The savings don’t stop with cheap cruise prices. Unprecedented discounts and travel deals on Alaska hotels, activities, transportation and even complete vacation packages are still available for this summer. You will find savings of 30% or more for typical vacation packages or savings of over $100 per night on many hotels, in addition to specials like cash back rebates, double airline miles and contest giveaways. More importantly there is still excellent availability on hard to get reservations that are typically sold out by this time of year, such as peak season Denali National Park bus tours and hotels. There are even still plenty of rooms available in Seward for their famous Fourth of July celebration, a not to be missed event for visitors and residents alike.

Reasons 4 through 99 – You Tell Us
We need your help! Have you come across a great reason to visit Alaska this summer? Perhaps you are an Alaska resident whose community has a special event planned, or maybe you work in the Alaska travel industry and your company has a special travel deal for visitors this summer. Share your reason to visit Alaska below and we will let folks know and include a link your web site if you have one. (more…)

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Having booked reservations for Anchorage hotels for years, I often get asked where you should eat while here.  Anchorage is blessed with many great restaurants, but in downtown I have a few favorites.  If you are overnighting in downtown, it’s important to know where to get a great breakfast, and some hot coffee.  Locals love Snow City Café located at 1034 W. 4th Avenue, open from 7:00am – 3:00pm.  A reward winning local favorite, Snow City has a great atmosphere and fresh, original breakfasts such as their Ship Creek Benedict which include salmon cakes instead of the traditional Canadian bacon (which they have too).  Breakfast is served all day, but they have great sandwiches, pasta, and salads as well.  (more…)

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I’ve been an Alaska resident for 43 years and in Alaska tourism since 1983 and I can’t ever recall having as many reasons to be excited about Alaska as what it has to offer visitors this summer. Alaska is celebrating its 50th Anniversary of Statehood this year.  Many communities and businesses are finding ways to recognize this event.  Alaska Tour & Travel is recognizing the Anniversary by giving away Sydney Laurence’s “Legacy of Alaska” print signed by all of Alaska’s living governors to one lucky photographer who sends in the winning photograph of their Alaska vacation to us.  It’s sure to be a fun way to share Alaska travel experiences and we’re looking forward to sharing all the submissions with you on our photo website.  In addition, the Park Connection Motorcoach is giving free rides if your turning 50 years old this year; Everyone else can save $10 off per person on the Park Connection all season long by choosing our Denali Express and Seward Express departures. (more…)

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There isn’t a more independent way of experiencing Alaska at your own pace then to create a custom travel itinerary which includes a rental car as your means of transportation for your Alaska vacation. All of Alaska Tour & Travel’s packages can be customized to provide visitors the option of traveling via rental car instead of the Park Connection Motorcoach or the Alaska Railroad.  We sometimes call these packages  Self-drives, and have found they are a popular means of touring Alaska.  Our Self-drive’s include all the hotels, tours, car rental and any other necessities that you’ll find in our other packages.

One of the advantages of Self-Drive packages is that you can visit some off-the beaten-path Alaskan communities which are not otherwise included in travel packages.  Communities such as Homer, Cooper Landing, Valdez, as well as some great parks such as Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Kachemak Bay State Park, and even Chugach State Park will be readily accessible to explore at your own pace with a Self-drive package.  (more…)

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The small town of Whittier, Alaska is the Gateway to Prince William Sound and home to South-central Alaska’s newest cruise ship terminal.  Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line currently use the Whittier Cruise Terminal as the northern hub or “turn” operation for their 7-day “Voyage of the Glacier” cruises.   Whittier is set on scenic Passage Canal and is surrounded by the Chugach National Forest.  The community is home to about 300 residents and several small boat harbors which serve as the home to the local fishing fleet as well as charter and day cruise operators that provide service into Prince William Sound. (more…)

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Often I’m asked what I think would be the perfect tour if I was visiting Alaska.  Fortunately, I’ve found that each client I work with has different interests and we’re able to customize each trip to meet their unique interests in travel and adventure.  But since I’m asked so often, its easy to imagine the tour I would customize for myself if I was taking an Alaska trip - based on my experience living in Alaska, and working in tourism here. All our packages can be modified to either travel by rail, motorcoach or rental car.  I think the best of option would be to travel in combination of all three modes.

My perfect tour would start out with a visit to Anchorage and then the Kenai Peninsula.

Day 1, Arrival Day! Pick up a rental car in Anchorage and check into the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa.  What better way to adjust to a long day of travel then to take in a spa treatment before enjoying dinner in downtown Anchorage.  My favorite for dinner is the Glacier BrewHouse in downtown Anchorage just up the street from the Sheraton. They have great food and plenty of fresh Alaskan seafood options. (more…)

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The Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska is not likely similar to any aquarium you’ve ever visited and is distinctly different then a Sea World type theme park.  It is uniquely Alaskan and covers many things specific to Alaska like its eco-system, wildlife, sea life and even has an exhibit on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. We visit the Alaska SeaLife on a regular basis.  Each and every visit we seem to discover something new.  The SeaLife center is a great family affair.  Admission is for $20 adults and $10 child (ages 4-11). The Center offers displays to keep the young minds entertained but also has informative displays for adults to learn from. The upper level is set up so you can explore everything from a salmon’s life span, touch tanks, an observation deck, and entry to three different wildlife exhibits called the Rocky Coast Gallery which has harbor seals, sea lions and sea birds.  (more…)

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