Seward arrival time from Denali via motorcoach

[cruizinfools]

Our HAL package is a land first, then cruise. Our itinerary indicates the motorcoach tour from Denali to Seward for embarkation is approximately 10 hours. I would like to get an idea of what time we will leave Denali. I am assuming, since it will most likely be very late afternoon/early evening when we arrive in Seward, that embarkation will be quick. Most others will already be onboard? We sail at 8 pm. Any information from your experience, especially the current season, is appreciated! Thanks!

[catl331]

Our C/T was 10 years ago so my memories are a little hazy, but I think we left Denali around 8:00 to 8:30, stopped for an hour in Wasila for lunch, stopped for an hour at an animal reserve, and arrived in Seward around 4:30 to 5:00.

[steamboats]

On August 13th / Zaandam bags had to be out by 6 am.

 

Our bus left at 8:30 am. "Lunch" at the McKinley Princess Lodge was at 10:30 am. Arrival in Seward was scheduled for 6 pm. But as there was a little "traffic" backing up at the cruise terminal we got an extra city tour. So we arrived a couple of minutes past 6 pm.

 

Muster drill was at 7:15 pm for the 8 pm departure.

 

steamboats

[catl331]

I looked at time stamps on my pictures and couldn't tell exactly when we left Denali, but my first picture on board in Seward was at 5:11 pm.

[cruizinfools]

Thanks everyone for the replies so far! We are on the last southbound Noordam cruise 9/17.

 

Lunch at 10:30! Wow! cattl331, did you have the same lunch experience/timing? Must have made for a long afternoon if so. Hoping our lunch stop is closer to noon. And hoping for one or two other stops to break up the day.

[catl331]

IIRC our buffet lunch stop in Wasilla was about 12:30 to 1:30, and our only other stop was the Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, about mid-way between Wasilla and Seward. I would have liked a photo stop along Turnagain Arm, but no such luck.

[oaktreerb]

Embarkation will probably not be quick. The busses and the train will all be arriving in Seward late afternoon.

[steamboats]

The only other real stop we had was at Fred Meyer in Anchorage (2 pm ish for 45 min) - the advice was: Fred Meyer has a liquer shop so we can buy our wine there to bring it onboard. Then there was a short stop for rest rooms only at Turnagain Pass (nothing to see there anyway).

 

I also found the lunch break at 10:30 am after 2 hours of driving a little bit odd. Lunch was a small buffet with Ceasars Salad, pasta with two sauces, meatballs and chicken (to add on the pasta/salad) and cookies - on paper plates.

 

I will post a link to my review of that day (which goes online later today).

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

Here´s my review of the bus trip to Seward. The text is in German but google translate works pretty well. Not too many photos in that part.

 

steamboats

[cruizinfools]

Embarkation will probably not be quick. The busses and the train will all be arriving in Seward late afternoon.

 

:o Well, duh! That makes perfect sense. Almost everyone on our roll call is either arriving by bus or train that day. Thanks for helping me see the light.

[cruizinfools]

Here´s my review of the bus trip to Seward. The text is in German but google translate works pretty well. Not too many photos in that part.

 

steamboats

 

Thank you so much for the link to your review and the information. Google translate worked fine!

 

And I thought I wouldn't have any chance to buy 'bubbly' to take on board :bottle-pop:! Hope they stop at Fred Meyer for our group. And I'll be sure to bring my Kroger customer card (actually Ralph's in California :D).

[donaldsc]

Our HAL package is a land first, then cruise. Our itinerary indicates the motorcoach tour from Denali to Seward for embarkation is approximately 10 hours. I would like to get an idea of what time we will leave Denali. I am assuming, since it will most likely be very late afternoon/early evening when we arrive in Seward, that embarkation will be quick. Most others will already be onboard? We sail at 8 pm. Any information from your experience, especially the current season, is appreciated! Thanks!

 

 

Don't forget that the highway between Anchorage and Seward is 2 lanes most of the way and can get horrible traffic jams. Check this out - https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2017/07/09/injury-crash-causing-delays-on-seward-highway/.

 

Also - http://www.homertribune.com/article/1728accident_on_seward_highway_causes_hours_of.

 

DON

[steamboats]

My daughter overheard a talk of some employees at the McKinley Chalet Resort and she heard numbers of 550 going on the bus and 150 on the train to Seward. There were earlier busses starting by 7 or 6:45 am. They might have had other stops than we had.

 

steamboats

[cruizinfools]

Thanks all for your replies - appreciate all the helpful information!