XP- Alaska in December?? Really??

SarahPLiz

I posted this on Honeymoons too, but this board has more activity:

We are getting married at the end of November, and FI wants to honeymoon in Alaska. I have lived in the south all my life, and neither of us has ever skied )I'm wiling to try). I do love the outdoors (hiking, fishing, etc), but I don't see much of that going on if I go into popscicle mode right when I walk out the door. He claims to have found a resort with included spa treatments, but I am worried that there will be no sunlight and I will just be cold all week.
We have to stay in the US because he is not yet a citizen and can't get a passport. I wanted Hawaii but he is set on Alaska.

Did anyone ever vacation in Alaska in December? Do you still have all of your extremeties intact?

nda_roxybabe

I was born and raised in Alaska. Can I ask, what resort?
It will be cold, it will be dark, but it can be very pretty. You'd mostly only be able to ski, snowboard, snow machine.
Personally, I wouldn't do it.

nda_roxybabe

If you're ok attempting the outdoor activities it could be fun, especially if its a nice resort such as Alyeska where you can eat at nice restaurants, enjoy the spa and just relax.

sucrets4

You can ski in many, many places in the continental US...

banana468

I could be off but it looks like sunrise in Anchorage is after 8:30 AM and Sunset is around 5 PM based on this website (and I don't know how accurate this is):

http://www.gaisma.com/en/location/anchorage-alaska.html

If you have your hearts set on skiing though, what about Colorado?  I'd talk to a travel agent about the best flights and rates for a winter honeymoon.

SarahPLiz

I asked him what resort and he wouldn't tell me. He likes to plan and surprise me, but I am hoping I can convince him to go somewhere warm, or to postpone the honeymoon until the spring. I would love to be able to visit when I could see more than snow and ice, you know?

nda_roxybabe

Banana, thats fairly accurate. I definitely remember the sun going down by 4pm though. Basically, go to school in the morning its dak, get out of school, its dark again.

ExpatPumpkin

If you want a winter experience with skiing, etc., go to Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, etc.  One of the top 10 resorts.  The Vail Valley is amazing, and I particularly recommend Beaver Creek.  I might be biased, though

I don't think the ski resorts in Alaska are that great - certainly not worth the long flight - and there is a such thing as too cold to enjoy yourself.  There's a reason why summer is Alaska's tourist season.  I think if you went you'd be too cold to have any outdoor fun.

Alaska IS beautiful, however.  I went a few years back in September and it was amazing.  But it was already quite cold in Anchorage and Juneau and VERY COLD in Fairbanks...

SarahPLiz

I'm not really set on skiing, but he is set on going to Alaska for some strange reason. Maybe I'll try to move him in the direction of skiiing, and then to like Colorado or Tahoe..

nda_roxybabe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_xp-alaska-december-really?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:148b7dd6-35f8-4350-b6c0-e516cb82ee00Post:8ed07978-0ea3-4a1b-814f-3ae1fec99df2">Re: XP- Alaska in December?? Really??</a>:
[QUOTE]I asked him what resort and he wouldn't tell me. He likes to plan and surprise me, but I am hoping I can convince him to go somewhere warm, or to postpone the honeymoon until the spring. I would love to be able to visit when I could see more than snow and ice, you know?
Posted by SarahPLiz[/QUOTE]
I would definitely recommend Alaska but I always suggest the summer. It's gorgeous in the summer (when its not raining) and theres some amazing hiking trails and other outdoor stuff to do.

SarahPLiz

THanks for the input ladies! I really appreciate it.

sucrets4

I love that roxy is from Alaksa.  That's so freakin' cool.

mandysmear

I'd go to Colorado or Tahoe if I was you.  Alaska is a great suggestion, just not for the time of year. 

Too bad he has to stay in the states, otherwise I'd say go to Whistler, Banff, Jasper or Lake Louise. (Canada)  Absolutely gorgeous!!  I am actually going to Banff tomorrow for my 1 year anniversary.

nda_roxybabe

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_xp-alaska-december-really?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:148b7dd6-35f8-4350-b6c0-e516cb82ee00Post:f48107c6-cae3-4f82-9b39-682ef7b42e3e">Re: XP- Alaska in December?? Really??</a>:
[QUOTE]I love that roxy is from Alaksa.  That's so freakin' cool.
Posted by sucrets4[/QUOTE]
Hahaha Thanks! Because I went to school in South Carolina people thought it was awesome I was from Alaska and they'd ask me question all. the. time. I considered just making a FAQ book, they called me "Alaska" too. I'm proud of it :)

sucrets4

I would be, too!

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_xp-alaska-december-really?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:148b7dd6-35f8-4350-b6c0-e516cb82ee00Post:29d494d1-5aab-4499-8481-e36d0d742978">Re: XP- Alaska in December?? Really??</a>:
[QUOTE]Banana, thats fairly accurate. I definitely remember the sun going down by 4pm though. Basically, go to school in the morning its dak, get out of school, its dark again.
Posted by nda_roxybabe[/QUOTE]

<div>The sun goes down around 3:30/4 here and I'm in England.</div>

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I'd vote for postponing until May!

mrsamyjones

go to aspen, co you'd still get the skiing and outdoors-y stuff and it's gorgeous, my FI is there about 8 times a month and suggest staying at the hotel gerome

aMrsin09

Even if he isn't a US citizen, why can't he travel on his passport from his current country? 

SarahPLiz

He left Romania 17 years ago under asylum status. He doesn't have a Romanian passport. THey wouldn't even let him back in the country when his grandmother died, so he doubts they would give him a passport. He became eligible for citizenship in August, and has filed his application, but the processing times are horrible, so even if he gets his citizenship before the wedding, we still have to wait for a passport process after that.

megk8oz

I say if he wants Alaska, maybe postpone the HM until a time when there's more than like 6 hours of sunlight in the day. I've always wanted to see Alaska, but I know I couldn't handle it in the winter.

 I'm also not a cold weather person (Thus, I had foolishly chosen Florida for my HM, unaware that it could still snow there, lol). I firmly believe that going someplace cold doesn't even count as a vacation, so I may be just a tad on the biased side, hahaha.

tenofcups4me

Alaska in the winter sounds like torture to me. But from your description, it sounds like you feel the same way!

Why not choose another site for your honeymoon and then plan a vacation to Alaska some other time?

If you want someplace warmer in the US during the winter where you can still do lots of outdoor activities, consider Arizona or Nevada, or of course California.