Transportation from Seward to Anchorage

[Mailgirl]

Anyone have any ideas on how to get from Seward to Anchorage as cheaply as possible. I will be staying an additional 5 days in Alaska after my cruise and I am renting a car in Anchorage. I booked next year with NCL and they dock in Seward.

I tried Hertz rent a car in Seward and they want a bunch of money to return it in Anchorage. Any input would be appreciated.

[alaska_planner]

i would guess that the bus is the least expensive way to go, but we went by train and really enjoyed it - the view is breathtaking!!

[mapleleaves]

your options include cruiseline transfer, private transfer, Alaska Railroad, Park Connection Bus, Seward Busline.

Check with your Roll Call to see if anyone wants to share the one-way rental cost with you.

 

You'll find private transfers companies on http://www.anchorage.net and http://www.seward.com or get a first-hand recommendation by reading trip reports.

[Ashland]

When time/budget is of a concern we've used:

 

www.alaskacruisetransfer.com

 

Great service.

[treesah]

We used http://www.sewardbuslines.net. Inexpensive, $39.95 per person. We were satisfied with the service. Train is lovely but quite pricey and the schedule did not work for us. Scenery is spectacular.

[ronandannette]

When time/budget is of a concern we've used:

 

www.alaskacruisetransfer.com

 

Great service.

 

Cost for your trip will be $42/pp. It's a good deal; you're unlikely to beat it. We booked the exact same thing through RCCL for the reverse transfer (Anchorage to Seward) and the price was $98/pp.

Edited September 13, 2015 by ronandannette

[lag9122]

How long does to take to drive from Seward to Anchorage?

[AKStafford]

How long does to take to drive from Seward to Anchorage?

In my truck with no traffic, right at two hours. In a bus with traffic, three hours. So, 2 to 3 hours depending on the circumstances. In the summer, I would plan on 3 hours.

[alaska_planner]

How long does to take to drive from Seward to Anchorage?

 

15 hours on the day our ship was supposed to sail.

But there was an accident that day that closed the road to seward for 12 hours, stranding 900 passengers en route to the ship.

The road only reopened at midnight.

No worries, the ship waited for them and finally sailed at 3 am.

YMMV.

Edited December 5, 2015 by alaska_planner

[diesel1973]

During the summer the travel times can vary. The worst day to travel down to Seward is Friday evening. When the salmon are running or during dip netting season it seems like everyone up North heads South.Sunday evening is the worst time to head North. Remember there is only one road to the Kenai Pen. I have spent many hours sitting on that road. Just plan accordingly.

[CaribbeanIsland]

The train is not the cheapest but was very enjoyable. I would even spend the extra money and upgrade from a bus as this was an excursion in itself.

[Glaciers]

15 hours on the day our ship was supposed to sail.

But there was an accident that day that closed the road to seward for 12 hours, stranding 900 passengers en route to the ship.

The road only reopened at midnight.

No worries, the ship waited for them and finally sailed at 3 am.

YMMV.

 

That was one of the longer closures. There were two small planes with mechanical problems that closed the highway after they were forced to land on it last summer in addition to several other accidents.

 

This is the Seward Highway heading south toward Seward on Memorial Day this year.

 

[donaldsc]

Anyone have any ideas on how to get from Seward to Anchorage as cheaply as possible. I will be staying an additional 5 days in Alaska after my cruise and I am renting a car in Anchorage. I booked next year with NCL and they dock in Seward.

I tried Hertz rent a car in Seward and they want a bunch of money to return it in Anchorage. Any input would be appreciated.

 

I have driven it 3 times and it is one of the great drives in the US. I would do it again and may this summer. Much better than the bus or train option in my opinion regardless of the increased cost.

 

Have you ever tried to stop a train because the scenery you are going past at 30 MPG is so gorgeous that you want to stare at it for a while. Have you ever tried to stop a bus that is on a schedule because there is some wildlife on the side of the road that you want to watch and take pictures of. Have you ever wanted to go down a side road because a road sign looks interesting or just because is there. None of these is likely to happen if you are in a bus or on a train but it is easy in a car.

 

DON

[frugaltravel]

That was one of the longer closures. There were two small planes with mechanical problems that closed the highway after they were forced to land on it last summer in addition to several other accidents.

 

It also might have been the time the Park Connections bus had a head-on collision with a car near the Wildlife Conservation Center. I am pretty sure that was on a Friday and caused a delay much like the poster described.

 

This is the Seward Highway heading south toward Seward on Memorial Day this year.

 

 

I would be surprised the traffic on Memorial Day would be so heavy heading south. I would think that most the traffic on Memorial Day would from the Seward direction to Anchorage with people returning from the long weekend (and the most traffic to Seward would be on the Saturday before Memorial Day).

Edited December 5, 2015 by frugaltravel

[alaska_planner]

It also might have been the time the Park Connections bus had a head-on collision with a car near the Wildlife Conservation Center. I am pretty sure that was on a Friday and caused a delay much like the poster described.

 

 

it was indeed on a friday. And you're right, it was an accident between a bus and a car (or maybe a bus and two cars, i don't recall exactly).

the person driving the car was killed (it wasn't his fault, but he was the fatality).

 

we arrived in seward on wednesday for our friday sailing (on the radiance of the seas)...

i NEVER arrive in port on the same day as a cruise, no matter where it is.

But in addition, seward is such a beautiful place, it's a shame not to arrive a few days earlier to enjoy it a bit before the cruise..

We boarded the ship at 1 PM. I don't recall at what point they let us know that we weren't going to make it into hubbard glacier the next day as we couldn't sail on time since there were 900 passengers stuck on the road between anchorage and seward.

The accident occurred at about noon from what i remember. The road reopened at midnight. I waited on deck of the ship.

We could see when the road opened as the lights started to come through.

the cars and buses came trickling into the port after that. It took about 2 hours for all the vehicles to arrive and then we sailed a short while after that.

They greeted the people with champagne as they boarded and then sent them upstairs to the windjammer for food (if they wanted, or they could just head to their staterooms).

 

crazily, during the day,when it became known that we wouldn't be able to get to hubbard glacier due to the delay, several passengers actually screamed at the captain and his crew. I mean really? seriously? a man was killed (and we already knew that there had been a fatality). You're going to scream at the captain and tell him he should leave behind the 900 passengers? There were people who demanded compensation. Insane.

Edited December 5, 2015 by alaska_planner

[Glaciers]

It also might have been the time the Park Connections bus had a head-on collision with a car near the Wildlife Conservation Center. I am pretty sure that was on a Friday and caused a delay much like the poster described.

 

Yes, that’s the one I was referring to, the end of July. We were down at Bird Creek watching a brown bear that day and saw all of the emergency vehicles passing by. The aircraft landings only closed it for a short time.

 

I would be surprised the traffic on Memorial Day would be so heavy heading south. I would think that most the traffic on Memorial Day would from the Seward direction to Anchorage with people returning from the long weekend (and the most traffic to Seward would be on the Saturday before Memorial Day).

 

My mistake, the photo was actually on Friday, July 3rd this year.

[diesel1973]

I also was up there when that terrible accident happened. We usually head down to Seward for that weekend but instead headed in the opposite direction to Talkeetna for the annual Moose Dropping Drop. Most exciting weekend I have ever had!LOL

[cruiseonthebrain]

I strongly recommend the train. If you upgrade you are in a compartment that is glass on both sides and the ceiling and the is an outside observation deck. Beautiful!