Getting around in Seward post-cruise

[BoPeep7]

Our ship will dock on June 8, 2018 in Seward, and I wanted to spend a couple days in the area before heading home. I'm having a lot of trouble figuring it out. Here's a minimum of what I'd like to do: check out Seward itself, explore or take a tour of Kenai Fjords, explore or take a tour of Prince William Sound, and hopefully go to Anchorage for the purpose of taking a flightseeing trip to Denali. Please help me figure out how to get around, whether bus, taxi, rental, RV, train (if there's train service here) or just hope that the tour picks us up! :)

 

I checked into Hertz, and surely it must be wrong - perhaps because the date is so far out?? Their website quoted me $400 a day for a compact. Can that possibly be right? On the other hand, there's an RV rental place by the airport. I guess I could take a taxi there from the dock. I have no idea how far it is. I don't know their prices for next year, but right now they have a special for $199 a night. It's hard to judge on maps and I've apparently broken Googlemaps so I really don't know how far/long it is between these destinations. I'm assuming that Seward is too far from Anchorage to take a cab. I haven't seen any flightseeing to Denali out of Seward either. If you have a favorable or unfavorable review of a flightseeing from Anchorage to Denali, I'd love to hear it. I've figured out most of the trip (kind of) but this land portion is making me want to give up. We didn't want to have to drive or take the train all the way to Denali and then deal with the very long bus ride inside because we have two younger children. Thanks for any and all help!

[mapleleaves]

Its about 125 miles from Seward to Anchorage, 2 1/2 hrs plus stops.

Seward itself is quite small......the small boat harbor is at one end and downtown is at other, maybe 1 1/2 miles between. There are hotels and b&b's at both ends and scattered in between. A $7 cab .

You dont really need a car in seward, unless you stay out of town. The kenai cruises leave from the small boat harbor.

To reach anchorage, you could take the evening train, or Park Connection Bus, or one of the transfers. Rent a car when you get there. Then drive to whittier if you want a PWS Cruise plus make a stop at the wildlife conservation center and a few other fun locations.

Rusts Flying Service is a vendor who flies to Denali. There are others....look at the city w eb site. Or drive 2 1/2 hrs north to talkettna where flightseeing is very popular.

P.S. $400 sounds like a one-way fare. Theres only one car vendor so they've got you.

Edited July 11, 2017 by mapleleaves
P.s.

[Mitch2016]

How much time will you have post cruise to see the area? We were on the NCL Sun June 5-12. The cruise line had an excursion and took took train to Anchorage, there we picked up our rental car for 5 days. There are several bus transfers that will also get you to Anchorage fairly reasonable. We picked up a Jeep Grand Cherokee from Alamo for $382 for the 5 days we had. We were in the Mat-Su valley for a couple days traveling as far north as Talkeetna for a day, then drove down to Seward and spent 2 days before heading back to Anchorage to catch our evening flight. We used the Kenai Fjord Tours company and had an incredible trip.

[mapleleaves]

Whittier is about 70 miles from Anchorage. You have to go thru a tunnel just before whittier .....its shared with the train so only open once an hr in each direction. Takes about 1 1/2 hrs to get to the tunnel from anchorage.

 

The PWS cruises leave noon-ish, so no early morning rush to get there. And with the long days you can stop at the wildlife center and other places afterwards.

[BoPeep7]

Its about 125 miles from Seward to Anchorage, 2 1/2 hrs plus stops.

Seward itself is quite small......the small boat harbor is at one end and downtown is at other, maybe 1 1/2 miles between. There are hotels and b&b's at both ends and scattered in between. A $7 cab .

You dont really need a car in seward, unless you stay out of town. The kenai cruises leave from the small boat harbor.

To reach anchorage, you could take the evening train, or Park Connection Bus, or one of the transfers. Rent a car when you get there. Then drive to whittier if you want a PWS Cruise plus make a stop at the wildlife conservation center and a few other fun locations.

Rusts Flying Service is a vendor who flies to Denali. There are others....look at the city w eb site. Or drive 2 1/2 hrs north to talkettna where flightseeing is very popular.

P.S. $400 sounds like a one-way fare. Theres only one car vendor so they've got you.

 

Thank you - that's excellent news about not needing a car in town. I had originally thought for some reason Prince William Sound was a Seward excursion, because I see a lot of comparison of Kenai and PWS, but I see you are certainly right that I'd need to get to Whittier. Where would I find out more about the Park Connection Bus? Is that something the Visitor's Center in Seward would tell me about? Thanks so much for the note on the conservation center. I will add it to my list and look around for more attractions in the area. I will definitely look into Talkeetna. I thought it was further than that from Anchorage. Thanks a bunch! :)

[BoPeep7]

How much time will you have post cruise to see the area? We were on the NCL Sun June 5-12. The cruise line had an excursion and took took train to Anchorage, there we picked up our rental car for 5 days. There are several bus transfers that will also get you to Anchorage fairly reasonable. We picked up a Jeep Grand Cherokee from Alamo for $382 for the 5 days we had. We were in the Mat-Su valley for a couple days traveling as far north as Talkeetna for a day, then drove down to Seward and spent 2 days before heading back to Anchorage to catch our evening flight. We used the Kenai Fjord Tours company and had an incredible trip.

 

I haven't book air travel yet since I was kind of trying to get a feel for how long I'd need to see my few "must-dos". I was "guessing" I'd need four days and then fly out of Anchorage. That's a very decent price on the rental. I'd be very happy with that. Thank you for your recommendations! I'm really thinking about going on to Talkeetna now.

[BoPeep7]

Whittier is about 70 miles from Anchorage. You have to go thru a tunnel just before whittier .....its shared with the train so only open once an hr in each direction. Takes about 1 1/2 hrs to get to the tunnel from anchorage.

 

The PWS cruises leave noon-ish, so no early morning rush to get there. And with the long days you can stop at the wildlife center and other places afterwards.

 

That is intriguing about the tunnel LOL. I guess I'll have to find out when they open it because I'd hate to sit there for 45 minutes. :D That is very good that they're not early. Hard to drag kids out of bed super early.

[Glaciers]

That is intriguing about the tunnel LOL. I guess I'll have to find out when they open it because I'd hate to sit there for 45 minutes. :D That is very good that they're not early. Hard to drag kids out of bed super early.

 

Whittier tunnel schedule:

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/creg/whittiertunnel/schedule.shtml

[mapleleaves]

I've gotten great rates from the Enterprise office on Int'l Airport rd, by renting a yr in advance. ie in june 2018, starting at $32day.

Rental rates fluctuate wildly so resrve the best rate you can find now then check all the sites regularly for a decrease. Pad it a few days if you're unsure of your time.

There is a lot to see and do along the Turnagain Arm, all within an hr of Anchorage......the wildlife center, Alyeska Resort tram, short hike to Byron Glacier to play in the snow, Potters Marsh boardwalk, looking for dall shepp in the ridges above rest area, Portage Glacier, pan for gold. Suggested stops in this link:

http://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

 

http://www.alaska.org is a great resource. Look under Things to do and Destinations. Look at transportation for info on travel times, vendors.

[new_cruiser]

There is a free shuttle service in Seward. I think it runs every half hour and it covers going most places in the town that a tourist would want to like the cruise ship terminal, railroad, small boat harbor and Alaska Sealife center. I think there is also some kind of shuttle service to Exit Glacier.for $15 a person. We are planning a Kenai Fjords boat trip, overnight in Seward, next day go to the Sealife center, perhaps go to Exit Glacier, spend some time in town and then take the evening train to Anchorage.

 

For what you want to do, it might be better to do what you want in Seward, then transfer to Anchorage, do your flight and perhaps get a rental car from there if you want to explore more. That way, you could get a round trip rental in a market where there is a bit more competition.

[lynncarol]

Here's what we did. Finished cruise in Seward and took cruiseline's bus to Anchorage, getting off at the first stop downtown (not at the airport). From there we walked less than 15 min. to the downtown Alamo rental car agency where I had previously booked a car for a week for a very reasonable rate. (Plus, they even upgraded us). Drove to Healy where we stayed for 3 days in a nice cabin, driving to Denali visitor center to take the park's bus tour into Denali. (Tickets booked online in advance). A week later, after visiting all the sites we had in mind, we returned the car, and walked to the Comfort Inn at ShipCreek for an overnight stay. Next morning took train (very close to Comfort Inn, plus they have a free shuttle) and traveled to Seward, spending the night at Windsong Lodge (picked up by their free shuttle) after an afternoon cruise on Kenai Fjords. Next day, lodge had excursions to Exit Glacier and then hotel shuttle got us to train station for 6:00 p.m departure to Anchorage. Spent another night at Comfort Inn, walked into the city and visited their wonderful museum, then took Comfort Inn's free shuttle to airport and flew home that evening.

[OhJinkies]

I was also on the June 5-12 cruise on the Norwegian Sun (hi, Mitch!) and spend a couple of days in Seward. I booked a room at the Breeze Inn – just a really basic overnight accommodation in the small boat Harbor area. I took a Kenai fjords cruise with Alaska Saltwater Lodge – this is a small boat that holds about 15 people max. It was a wonderful experience – we saw lots of seals and sea lions, Dall porpoises, humpback whales, puffins, and lots of other birds.

The next day, I decided to walk the coastal trail from the small boat harbor area to downtown Seward. What a beautiful walk! I took my time taking lots of photos, and it took me about an hour. I visited the Sea Life Center, had some lunch, and took the free shuttle back to my hotel. I boarded the 6 PM train to Anchorage, stayed overnight at the Lakeshore Inn and Suites, and then got a ride to the airport to pick up my rental car. I drove to Palmer, had some lunch, and then took the Knik glacier tour (Thanks, Brian!) It was so beautiful! I thoroughly recommend this experience. I stayed overnight in Wasilla, at a place called Pioneer Ridge Inn Bed and Breakfast. It was a charming place and had beautiful views.

The next morning, I drove up to Talkeetna for a flightseeing tour into the Alaska Range. I could spot Denali directly ahead as I drove north… I flew with Talkeetna Air Taxi, and it was a great experience. We had a glacier landing, and the views could not have been better. I got an up-close look at Denali that was unforgettable. I stayed overnight in Talkeetna at the Denali Fireside Cabins and Suites.

The next day I headed back down south. I stopped along the way to take a walk around Reflection Lake, and headed down to the Turnagain Arm. I continued south and visited the Alaska Wildlife conservation Center. I headed into Anchorage that evening for a sunset photography tour, and stayed overnight at the Turnagain View bed and Breakfast. Another place I highly recommend!

On my last day, and headed up to Girdwood and the Alyeska Inn to do a dog mushing experience. Lots of fun! Then it was time to drive back up to Anchorage for my flight back home that night.

I would recommend making your car reservations as soon as possible.

 

 

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[donaldsc]

You need to go to your public library, take out several books on Alaska and then do a lot of research. You also need to learn how to use Google Maps before you try to plan your trip.

 

DON

[BoPeep7]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I think, now that I know Seward is so small, I will just walk or possibly use the shuttle if it's raining. I'm going to let my family decide if they want to take the train or the bus into Anchorage where we'll rent a car and go from there. Thanks so much for the itineraries and the mention of places to stay and vendors. it is such a help. Just for the record, I do know how to use Google maps. I meant it was literally broken as in not working on my iPad anymore.

[mapleleaves]

keep in mind that the shuttle is a school bus, so not set up for travellers with lots of luggage. Fine if you travel light and great for getting around town once you're settled into your lodging. The cabs are dirt cheap but not plentiful .... maybe have a leisurely b'fast on the ship and be among the last to disembark.

Look thru the HELPFUL RESOURCES thread and you'll find a link to download Seward's Visitor Guide. I'm pretty sure I included a link for the shuttle schedule somewhere in that thread.

The train and Park Connection Bus both have departures around 6pm, which basically gives you another full day to explore in Seward.

[BoPeep7]

Thank you, Mapleleaves! I am definitely going to that link and getting the visitor's guide. Thanks for the heads up on the bus.