Itinerary help

Our cruise ends in Seward at 5am on May 18th and our flight out of Anchorage is on May 22nd at 15h45.

That leaves us with 4 full days. We are 2 adults.

Initially we wanted to take the bus at 8am on our arrival to Seward to get to Anchorage where our car rental would be waiting for us. During our 4 days we wanted to explore those areas :

Alyeska, Portage, Whittier, Moose pass, Cooper Landing, Homer and we were planning to return again to Seward with our rental car to do the Kenai Fjords cruise and exit glacier.

But after reading more, and considering the limited time we have, we want to know if the following changes would make more sense.

Instead of taking the bus on the day of arrival, we plan on taking the 6 hour Kenai Fjords NP cruise at 11h30AM. (Looks like the 8 am cruise is not available yet on this date)

Then take a train at 6pm for Anchorage where we would stay overnight. This way, not only we would save 1 day of a car rental, we would not have to come back to Seward and can spend more time on other points of interest.

My only concern is whether it’s enough time to visit Exit glacier between disembarkation and our Kenai cruise.

Or, is our initial plan of taking a bus and eventually making our way to Seward by rental car is also possible. This way we won’t feel rushed and would take more time exploring the Exit glacier and Seward area.

Also, what would the most logical way of separating accommodations by night : 1 night in Anchorage, 1 around Cooper landing, 1 in Homer and last night Alyeska ? So we don’t have to travel too long on the day of departure.

I also noticed most places require a minimum of 2 nightstay. Hope it won’t be a problem to find a place for 1 night.

Any help will be much appreciated.

It seems logical to me to stay in Seward once you are off your ship, and do the Kenai Fjords NP tour at 11:30 AM. Plan on spending the first night in Seward so that you are sure to have time for Exit Glacier. Take the earliest train available from Seward to Anchorage the next day ~ it is a lovely ride! ~ then once in Anchorage pick up your rental car and proceed with your plans.

I have no info on hotels or minimum nights required, but possibly you could make reservations using trivago.com or whatever hotel booking site you prefer, and have that worry out of the way.

Another option:

I don't know what it would cost to rent a car in Seward vs. Anchorage, but I would consider renting the car in Seward either the day you arrive (and head straight to Homer) or the next day (take the Kenai Fjord cruise the first day) and then return the car to Seward on the 21st and take the 6 pm train to Anchorage on that day. Stay at a hotel near the train station on the 21st, explore Anchorage on foot the 22nd, and then take a cab to the airport. My opinion only, but unless you have an activity planned for Whittier, skip it. Depending on weather and what you find to do of interest between Homer and Seward, you may or may not want to head to Alyeska and Portage.

I think Homer is cool and often missed. We had a great time there - interesting place. One of my favorite Alaskan meals was the King Crab Legs at Captain Pattie's on the Spit. Very good food, a great view and the place was extremely clean with excellent service. We didn't stay in Homer but Soldotna and drove down for the day. Just before getting into Homer is a large pull off with a fantastic view of everything from up high - there's a small visitor's center there too.

If you do decide to go on to Anchorage the morning your cruise arrives the plus side is Seward is only about 30 minutes out of your way heading to Homer. You've got to take the Seward Highway to where you turn onto the Sterling Highway for Homer. Another plus would be having your car in Seward so you can drive out to Exit Glacier. Downtown Seward has some interesting shops and there are a few other things to see in the area where having a car would be handy. We stayed a night at Harborview Inn that sort of splits the difference of being downtown Seward and near the harbor area. It was one of our favorite hotels on a two week road trip last year - the room wasn't huge but well equipped and extra clean. The lady who managed the place was very nice in person and on the telephone when I made our reservation.

Good luck!

Your time is short, but you are also listing some areas that are hardly worth a stop, like- Moose Pass and Cooper Landing??? Why are you choosing time at these?

Frankly, the one way car rental makes the best use of your time- by far it is a significant advantage to consider this, despite the cost. How much is your time and experience worth?

You are short on time to include Exit Glacier, this is a skip perhaps due to the severe recession. Otherwise I'd suggest arranging a cab if a priority.

Homer for me, is a 2 night stay. It's 4 hours from Anchorage, and it deserves time and activities there.

You'll need to search lodging and find out what is available on your particular dates. There should be some single night locations,