cmmaxwell03

I am in awe of your knowledge and resources when it comes to Viking! 👏

Unfortunately, all pre-cruise extensions were sold out so we are doing Anchorage on our own and meeting the ship in Seward. I have an abundance of Marriott points, so we selected the Marriott. I will keep an eye out for Viking reps in the lobby. Thank you!

I also had this question and found the following discussion:

I think you have the right idea to do 3 different types of excursions: train, boat and flight seeing. This allows for 3 different experiences. If you only go on the helicopter excursion, there is a chance that bad weather could cause it to be canceled and then you miss out completely. Our cruise is in September and I have done my best to select different types of excursions so that we were not repeating the same type of excursion over and over.

I'm looking at our ship's schedule and we are in port at Ketchikan from 8am to 2pm. What time do you think the 'all aboard' time will be?

The have a location close to the dock that is almost always busy. I saw someone suggest walking to their other location, maybe 10 minutes, and it's less crowded.

I've seen it offered on other cruise lines so I thought I would ask.

Are their discounts offered for massages on port days?

My turn to share our plans...I think we are close to finished with the planning (I think, haha) We are doing an 11 day cruise with Viking and spending a 1.5 days in Anchorage pre-cruise. I'll only call out meals if they are something unique/special Tuesday Sept 5th (Seattle/Anchorage) Fly from Seattle to Anchorage (used points for flight) Hotel: Marriott (used points for hotel) D : Glacier Brewing or 49th State Brewing Wednesday (Anchorage) B: Snow Bird Cafe Helicopter/Dog Sled Excursion D : Crow's Nest (anniversary dinner so we are gettin' fancy, haha) Thursday (Anchorage/Seward) Train from Anchorage to Seward B: on train (reindeer sausage) L: TBD - might find something in Seward or lunch onboard ship Friday (Seward) Resurrection Bay Wildlife Cruise Excursion L: provided by excursion Saturday (Valdez) Tentative plans/day on our own Old Valdez Museum Valdez Museum L: Nat Shack food truck (Tacos? Yes, please!) Valdez Brewing Company Sunday/Monday Scenic Sailing Tuesday (Haines) American Bald Eagle Foundation Excursion Spa appts in afternoon (hopefully) Wednesday (Juneau) Taku Lodge Feast and Seaplane Excursion L: provided by excursion *If we have time: Gold Belt Tram and/or Alaskan Brewery Thursday (Sitka) RIB Excursion & Fin Island Lodge L: provided by excursion Friday (Ketchican) Bering Sea Fisherman Excursion (woohoo!!!!) Saturday Scenic Sailing Sunday (Vancouver/Seattle) Disembark (bummer!) Fly from Vancouver to Seattle *We have 2 "specialty reservations" that we are able to make ahead of time but they do not provide all of the menus for each day until we arrive....so I'm not 100% sure when and where we want our dinners.

Finger crossed! That would make it so much easier for everyone.

Love your plan!! I have read that Major Marine (I think that's the name) in Seward is pretty good for tours. We are thinking of doing their Resurrection Bay boat tour. Also - I recommend the train from Anchorage to Whittier 🙂

Pants are great but sometimes I can make a simple solid color dress work a few different times with a cardigan, scarf, belt, etc. I think dresses can take up less space.

For those that have sailed this year, do the Orion dock close to the main town in Valdez or are we at the dock that is further away and requires a shuttle bus? We are hoping to be close enough to walk to and from the ship during the day.

@no1racefan1 Tomorrow at 12pm PST my excursions through the cruise line open up. I'm stoked!! I have 3 that I am hoping to book through them and have already booked 1 independently. Fingers crossed. Then I will wait until June 30th to make dinner reservations for the specialty restaurants on board. I'll be channeling your inner planning power tomorrow 🙂

I would check the luggage FAQs on your specific airline. However, when I have flown with Delta or American Airlines, I have had a carry on roller bag suitcase and backpack while my husband has a carry on roller bag suitcase and his CPAP. The suitcase goes in the overhead storage bin and the other items go under the seat in front of us. Keep in mind when selecting your seats that some might not have under seat storage in front of you (bulkhead seats, some exit row, etc). But that information should be available on the seat map when you selected your seats.

Thanks for the updates. I'm also planning so I completely understand your excitement. Also, you are savvy with your points 🙂 I dig it!

This is the website: https://www.alaskarailroad.com You will want the Coastal Classic from Seward to Anchorage. It leaves at 6pm and arrives in Anchorage around 10:15pm. I think it's around $120 per person. Sounds pricey, if you watch some Youtube videos from people who have taken the train, it is almost as though you are on another excursion. The views of the landscape and animals are worth it.

No worries there. I'll be asking so many questions they will wonder if we are playing 20 Questions. Our ship is the Viking Orion. It will be in port the day we embark and the day after.

@martincath and @OrcaGirl Thank you both! I highly agree with shoes that are well broken in and (I hadn't thought about it...but) have ankle support. Both my husband and I have suffered from severely sprained ankles within the last 20 years. They are no fun at all.

Good info. What month did you cruise and were there many rainy days? We are going in early September and I think it's expected to rain most days. However, we live in WA so we are used to a little shower every now and then.

We did not book this ride through the cruise line so I think we have to check our luggage with the train and pick it up at the depot in Seward. But I am happy to hear they have shuttles.

In September, we are traveling from Anchorage via the Alaska Railroad to Seward. According to Google Maps, it is an 11 minute walk from the train depot to the cruise terminal. However, if it's raining too heavily I am not sure we would want to walk and get our luggage wet. Are there any other options other than a taxi or walking?

For those of you that have sailed out of Seward, what is the earliest we can leave the ship on day 2? We found an excursion from a reputable 3rd party vendor but it starts at 830am. I think we would need to be off the ship by 8am at the very latest. https://sewardoceanexcursions.com

How's the planning going, @no1racefan1? My excursions and dinner reservations open up in 1 week. I am excited to see what will still be available through our cruise line vs what is sold out.

I have been on the hunt (online) for tourist maps of each port that I can print out to take with us for our cruise. I noticed that most of the major ports in Alaska also have it noted on the map where the public restrooms are located.