RV Pickup Orientation and Return  –  Did you know…

Just like a luxury hotel room, each Great Alaskan Holidays motorhome is completely serviced between rentals. In addition to being thoroughly cleaned by our housekeeping staff, each motorhome receives a forty-one point maintenance and safety inspection.

RV Pickup, Orientation, and Return Information

RV pickup orientation and return times are determined by motorhome availability, and will be scheduled as close to your requested pick up time as possible. We will not begin a orientation later than 5:15 p.m.  Before the vehicle is picked up, we will provide a complete orientation and introduction to your motorhome, which will include a brief video of basic instruction on driving the vehicle and the mechanical features of both the chassis and the coach.  Orientation will take approximately 45 minutes.  Please also note, in an effort to further assist our customers and to speed up the orientation process, we now offer our orientation video online, available for viewing prior to your arrival.  Please contact our Reservations Department for further details about your RV pickup, orientation, and return times.  Click here to continue with your reservation.

RV Pickup Orientation and Return – Payment Information

The days you have reserved must be paid for at the time of pick up. This must be paid in U.S. Dollars by cash, cashier’s check, traveler’s checks, Visa, MasterCard or Discover. Payment by personal check received 30 days prior to pick up is welcome. Sorry, we cannot accept personal checks or the American Express TravelFunds© card at pick up. If you select a Pay Per Mile rate, an estimate of your mileage will be collected at pick up.

A valid VISA, MASTERCARD, or DISCOVER credit card (not a check/debit card) will be required to pickup your motorhome.  A Damage Deposit Credit Hold will be secured at pickup on your valid credit card for the duration of your rental.

RV Return Time

Your return time is determined by your requested return time.  The return time you select when making the reservation is the time by which you need to vacate the motorhome  at our facility with all your belongs.  Please arrive before your return time to ensure you have enough time to pack your personal belongings.  This will allow us time to get the motorhome ready for the next family’s vacation.

Return times are not based on a 24 hour window.  You may return the motorhome earlier than your requested return time, however returning later than your scheduled time will incur late fees.  Our front gate is unlocked at 6:55 AM and our office opens at 7:00 AM.  All returns must be completed before 5:00 PM

Flight Arriving At Night – After Hours Pickup

Our flight arrives before 7:00 AM or after 5:00 PM.  What can we do?

You have two options, depending on how you would like to spend your first night. You can stay in a hotel and pick up the motorhome the following day during our normal pick up hours of 11:00 a.m. to no later than 5:15 p.m., (with most pick up times between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.), or you can spend the night in the motorhome at our location*. We call this an After Hours Pick Up.

Why would you want to do an After Hours Pick Up?

For several reasons:

  • You go directly from the airport to your motorhome; you only have to unpack once. And, you are already in the motorhome when you wake up in the morning. This is one of the beautiful reasons why you chose a motorhome; you only have to unpack once and your room goes with you where you choose whether it is Denali or Homer!
  • Our new location is only a short 12 to 15-minute walk on a paved sidewalk that follows the Old Seward Highway, where you will find many restaurants and the Dimond Mall with movie theaters and shopping. A list of area restaurants, including those that deliver will be in your motorhome. Additionally there is a gourmet coffee shop and deli next to our location. (Hours 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. – subject to change.)
  • If you choose the hotel option, you will have to pay for the hotel room and you will have to wait until the following afternoon to pick up your motorhome. Remember, all of the motorhomes must be cleaned and the maintenance performed before they are ready to go back out on the road.

With the After Hours Pick Up option you just take a taxi from the airport to our facility and sleep in the motorhome that night. The following morning we will conduct the motorhome orientation, complete the necessary paperwork and you are on the road!

You pay for the number of nights that you occupy the motorhome so your rental begins that first night. If you would like to use our After Hours Pick Up option you must reserve the space in advance. This option is subject to limited availability.

Detailed directions to Great Alaskan Holidays and also the location of the motorhome door key will be explained in your confirmation letter which will be mailed to you after your reservation has been processed.

To select the After Hours Pick Up option, follow these steps:

 

  1. On the Check Rates and Availability page (Step 1) make sure your pick up date reflects the afternoon you are arriving in Anchorage. For Example:
    • The Smith family is leaving their home in San Diego, California the afternoon of Tuesday, July 8th with their flight arriving in Anchorage at 6:30 p.m. On the Check Rates and Availability page, they need to select Pickup: July 8.
    • The Jackson family leaves their home in Miami, Florida the morning of Friday, August 8th . They arrive in Anchorage on Saturday August 9th at 12:25 a.m. On the Check Rates and Availability page, the Jackson’s need to select Pickup: August 8th. 
  2. On the Check Rates and Availability page, select After Hours in the Orientation Time drop down.

*Subject to limited availability. If you check After Hours, the reservation system will check and see if there are still After Hours Pick Up spaces available, and will advise you if they are not available. Call our office for additional information if you have more questions.

Late Night Departure – Early Return

If you have a flight departing late in the evening or early in the morning we can make arrangements for you to check in the afternoon before the motorhome is due back. In this case you would return the motorhome before 4:30 p.m. on the day before it is due. We will check in the motorhome at that time and complete the necessary return paperwork. Once the motorhome is checked in, the driving portion of your rental ends. After we park the motorhome on our lot, you may stay in the vehicle for the evening. If you will be taking our complimentary shuttle to the airport prior to closing, you will need to arrive at our location no later than 5:00 pm, have your return process completed and your luggage curbside no later than 5:15 pm. If you have a later flight we will arrange for a taxi to take you to the airport for your flight. You will be responsible for payment of the taxi fare.

Keep in mind, you pay for the number of nights that you have rights to occupy the vehicle so your rental needs to run to the morning following your Return by 5:00 p.m.

For Example:

Your family has a flight on Alaska Airlines leaving Anchorage at 11:15 p.m. on August 12th. You need to select a Return Date of August 13

We call this a “Return by 5:00 p.m.”

Why would you want to do a Return by 5:00 p.m.?

For several reasons:

  • If you have a late night or an early morning flight, it gives you the opportunity to drive the motorhome right up until 4:45 pm the day before your scheduled return day. 5:00 p.m. is our latest return time. At that point the driving portion of the rental is over but you can still occupy the motorhome to shower and pack your suitcases and get ready for your flight home.
  • It is a very relaxing ending to a relaxing vacation. No need to find an RV park in or near Anchorage. When you choose our return by 5:00 p.m. option, you can stay at our facilities without any additional charge. Hint: If you are going to shower and get cleaned up before your flight allow enough time to fill the motorhome with water and empty your gray water tank (shower and sink water) at our private, convenient and complimentary dump station (Great Alaskan Holidays customers only).
  • Our new location is only a short 12 to 15 minute walk on a paved bike path that follows the Old Seward Highway , where you will find many restaurants and the Dimond Mall with movie theaters and shopping. A list of area restaurants, including those that deliver will be in your motorhome. Additionally there is a gourmet coffee shop and deli next to our location.
  • If you have a late night departure we will arrange for a very reliable taxi service to pick you up at our facility at any hour.
  • If you have a very early departure the following morning, the motorhome will already be checked in and your luggage packed. You can take our first courtesy shuttle van to the airport which is available to leave between 7:05 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. The shuttle will arrive at the airport approximately 15 minutes later.

Again, you pay for the number of nights you have the rights to occupy the motorhome. If, for example, you wish to do a Return by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, you need to select Wednesday as your return day. Otherwise, the motorhome will be required to be brought back on Tuesday at the scheduled return time.

Courtesy Van Service (for RV Pickup Orientation and Return)

We offer courtesy van service to and from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport . Details of airport pick up will be explained in your confirmation letter which will be mailed to you after your reservation has been processed.  To assist your trip planning, the hours for our courtesy van service when picking up your motorhome are from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30* p.m., (again, with most pick up times between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. with the last orientation beginning no later than 5:15 p.m.).

We are unable to transport children in our Courtesy Van under Alaska Child Passenger Safety Law without the proper customer-provided child safety device.

Shuttle Pickup

Although we will pick you up at the airport if you have your luggage and call us by 5:29 pm, you must be at our front desk no later than 5:15 p.m. to begin your orientation to drive away in the motorhome that evening. If you are delayed from arriving by 5:15 p.m. you will automatically become an After Hours Pick Up.

Child Passenger Safety Law Summary (Alaska)

Alaska’s law requires children ages 7 & under who are less than 57” in height and weigh less than 65 pounds to be secured in a child passenger restraint system. Children less than 1 year of age, or children who weigh less than 20 pounds must be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat. Children ages 1 through 4 who weighs 20 pounds or more shall be secured in a child restraint device. Children ages 5 through 7 who are less than 57” in height and weigh at least 20 pounds, but less than 65 pounds shall be secured in a booster seat.

You must provide these devices, as Great Alaskan Holidays, Inc. does not provide child safety devices for infants or children. If you do not have the proper child safety device with you, you will need to provide your own transportation to and from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Most taxi services do provide a child safety device in the taxi. Again, you must provide these devices, as Great Alaskan Holidays, Inc. does not provide child safety devices for infants or children.

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