Train from Anchorage to Seward, or tour in Seward and bus to Anchorage

[Tropicsky1]

Hello! We are taking the Celebrity Millennium cruse from Vancouver to Seward on May 10.

 

We have a flight out of Anchorage at 11:45 p.m. the day we get into Seward. We are interested in taking the train from Seward because of what we heard there are great views; however, we'd like to take a tour of Seward in the morning.

 

I'm fairly certain the 6 p.m. train from Seward arriving to Anchorage at 10:15 is cutting this a little too close to our flight. Has anyone actually done this with such a short time between arrival and flight time? 

 

Should we do the tour in Seward and take a bus to Anchorage? OR forget about the tour and take the 7:30 a.m. train?

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[mapleleaves]

Way too close for the train !  The airport is VERY busy around midnight. Plus even if the train arrived on time, you'd still have to claim your luggage then wait for a cab to the airport ( 20 minute drive).

 

The Park Connection Bus has a 6:30pm departure that would enable you to spend the day in Seward.  Arrives in Anc at 9:30.  https://www.alaskacoach.com/schedule/

 

A one-way rental car would be pricey ( HERTZ is the only vendor) but if there are 4 in your party, it might be close in price to 4 transfer fees.  Or check on your roll call to see if you can someone to share the cost with .....

[Budget Queen]

This is something you need to determine for choice.   What do YOU want out of your trip?    Is wildlife and glaciers a priority?   Then  certainly a Kenai Fjords boat tour would be a priority.   Is train travel of particular interest?   Then only the cruise contracted train is a choice.    IF you choose this,  then I'd strongly suggest you get a car rental and take advantage of Alaska. (no not touring Anchorage  :)  :)   So much more)     You could get a lot depending on your planning.    

 

both options are great-   but again,  depends on you and what you want out of your trip?    

[rkacruiser]

Arriving in Anchorage at 10:15 P. M. via train is too close for you to comfortably make your flight.   Not knowing the details of your proposed tour in Seward, it's difficult for me to make a suggestion about the tour.  If your tour includes the Sea Life Center, it probably would be worthwhile.  I find Seward to be an interesting town.

 

Budget Queen's advice to get a rental car is worthy of your consideration because of the flexibility it gives you in what you decide to see/do in Seward and en route to Anchorage.  There are scenic and interesting stops en route that are worth a visit.  And, in Anchorage, there are sites that are worthwhile visiting.

 

Happy Planning!

[AuroraRose]

We are on the same cruise in August, and I see some combination tour and airport drop offs in my cruise planner. The tours say they are only available to guests departing Anchorage at 11 pm or later, so it looks like it would get you to the airport in plenty of time. Take a look at your cruise planner and see if these are options for you as well. 

 

Here are some other bus options not yet mentioned that would easily put you into Anchorage with enough time:

https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/tours/seward-anchorage-narrated-direct-bus-shuttle-transfer/

 

https://www.sewardalaskabus.com/

[Tropicsky1]

Thank you all so much! I appreciate the guidance and advice (and for reaffirming it was too close of a timeframe to take the train). I think we'll do a tour through celebrity which is the Kanai Fjords Cruise/Sealife center and drop-off OR the Kenai Fjords and Glacier Cruise w/ Airport drop-off.

 

Thank you again!

[CarolineXavier]

On 4/20/2019 at 5:47 PM, Tropicsky1 said:

Thank you all so much! I appreciate the guidance and advice (and for reaffirming it was too close of a timeframe to take the train). I think we'll do a tour through celebrity which is the Kanai Fjords Cruise/Sealife center and drop-off OR the Kenai Fjords and Glacier Cruise w/ Airport drop-off.

 

Thank you again!

 

Hi, Tropicsky1, did you end up doing this excursion and airport drop off on your recent cruise? And how did it work out for you if you did?  What time did you arrive at the Anchorage airport?

We are on the same cruise in August and our flight out of Anchorage is 11:05 pm.  The excursion info page seems to say only for “flights after 11pm”.  Wondering if it’s too close of a connection with our 11:05 pm flight.

Thanks for any info! 

[misguy]

TAKE THE TRAIN !!!!!!.  We juist came back and that was a highlight of our trip.  Here is the video. 

 

[donaldsc]

On 4/20/2019 at 9:48 AM, mapleleaves said:

Way too close for the train !  The airport is VERY busy around midnight. Plus even if the train arrived on time, you'd still have to claim your luggage then wait for a cab to the airport ( 20 minute drive).

 

The Park Connection Bus has a 6:30pm departure that would enable you to spend the day in Seward.  Arrives in Anc at 9:30.  https://www.alaskacoach.com/schedule/

 

A one-way rental car would be pricey ( HERTZ is the only vendor) but if there are 4 in your party, it might be close in price to 4 transfer fees.  Or check on your roll call to see if you can someone to share the cost with .....

 

I would rent a car but then as everyone on CC knows, I loath trains.

 

DON

[hubofhockey]

That train and the domed car was a costly  mistake I wish we had back.  If we had a do over, I'd have taken the bus.

[rkacruiser]

7 hours ago, hubofhockey said:

That train and the domed car was a costly  mistake I wish we had back.  If we had a do over, I'd have taken the bus.

 

Why?  Please explain, if you will.

[takemeaway2008]

On 4/20/2019 at 6:47 PM, Tropicsky1 said:

Thank you all so much! I appreciate the guidance and advice (and for reaffirming it was too close of a timeframe to take the train). I think we'll do a tour through celebrity which is the Kanai Fjords Cruise/Sealife center and drop-off OR the Kenai Fjords and Glacier Cruise w/ Airport drop-off.

 

Thank you again!

 

Hello. I was wondering which one you choose and how it went. I'm booked for the fjords and airport drop off. 

 

Thanks,. 

 

 

 

 

[Tropicsky1]

Hello! We ended up doing the fjords cruise 5-hour) and airport drop off. The tour and even the drive to the airport was a highlight of our trip!!! 

 

The tour was amazing - we saw sea lions, otters, a variety of whales, eagles, etc. I did get a bit queasy somewhat into the trip, but it was slightly raining on and off so I think the seas were just tough that day. Regardless, if you tend to get sea sick (I usually don’t) it may be beneficial to take some meds that day).

 

The bus ride to the airport was really nice; beautiful scenery and very knowledgeable bus driver. I can’t remember how long the drive was, but our flight was 11:45 and we got to the airport in plenty of time (we even had a sit-down dinner). 

 

I know the traun would would have had gorgeous scenery, but I’m very glad we decided on the cruise tour/bus to airport.

[takemeaway2008]

9 minutes ago, Tropicsky1 said:

Hello! We ended up doing the fjords cruise 5-hour) and airport drop off. The tour and even the drive to the airport was a highlight of our trip!!! 

 

The tour was amazing - we saw sea lions, otters, a variety of whales, eagles, etc. I did get a bit queasy somewhat into the trip, but it was slightly raining on and off so I think the seas were just tough that day. Regardless, if you tend to get sea sick (I usually don’t) it may be beneficial to take some meds that day).

 

The bus ride to the airport was really nice; beautiful scenery and very knowledgeable bus driver. I can’t remember how long the drive was, but our flight was 11:45 and we got to the airport in plenty of time (we even had a sit-down dinner). 

 

I know the traun would would have had gorgeous scenery, but I’m very glad we decided on the cruise tour/bus to airport.

 

 

Oh, gosh, that sounds great! Did you get the salmon lunch? And tour Seward? I'm hoping to get some food there to eat on the bus. We try to stay on regular eating times. Oh, and did you take your luggage to the bus first thing. 

 

Thanks soooooo much. 

 

 

[misguy]

For those making the trip, I would recommend an extra day in Seward as there is so much to do.  We had a half a day after traveling in on the train and we spent the night.  We had to push to see what we did, and another day would have allowed us to go deeper into the Kenai Fjords.

[mrell345]

are the cruise lines not running the trains from seward directly to the airport station anymore?

[masterdrago]

11 hours ago, misguy said:

For those making the trip, I would recommend an extra day in Seward as there is so much to do.  We had a half a day after traveling in on the train and we spent the night.  We had to push to see what we did, and another day would have allowed us to go deeper into the Kenai Fjords.

Totally agree on this. We just did a 16 day in Alaska and more time in Seward would have been great. Less time at Alyeska, although it was a really nice place to stay, it did not make that much of a big splash in our trip. More could have been done in Seward.