Ryndam Alaska Southbound; Time to visit Seward?

[trgthatsme]

Hello! My family and I will be cruising on the Ryndam (Southbound Glacier Bay Discovery) from Anchorage/Seward to Vancouver in July. We are taking the train from Anchorage to Seward the day we board the ship. We arrive in Seward around 11:00am. Do we have time to set up an independent excursion in Seward before sailing? OR...Is it important to get on board as quickly as possible to make dinner or spa reservations? What time can we board the ship? Thank you in advance for all responses.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You say the trin get in Seward at 11 AM? By the time you get your luggage and tranfer over to the pier, I would advise getting on the ship first. Passengers can get on the ship anywhere between 11 and 11:30. However, the spa and Pinnacle won't open until around 1 or 1:30 to make reservations. You won't be ablt to get in your cabin until 1 or 1:30. But you can go to the Lido nad have lunch.

 

There is a trolly that stops in front of the terminal - runs about every half hour or so. You can go back into town on it.

[flashdog_1]

If you go to the ports of call board/Alaska you will find info on what to do in Seward. I believe there is an 11:30 a.m. national parks cruise of the Kenai Fjords and I've heard they'll hold your bags.

 

You would probably not be the only ones arriving by train that a.m. and if you make your reservation for the Kenai Fjords, I think I've heard that they'll wait for you if they know you are coming straight away.

 

if that seems too risky, there are other things you can do out of Seward. Some would advise you to arrive yet another day earlier in order to do some of them.

 

I used cruise/air and did not arrive until 7 p.m. on day of sailing, so had no time to do Seward at all, and was exhausted after leaving at 6 a.m. for the airport on the east coast. If I had it to do again, I'd stay in Seward a couple of nights and see it all, realizing I might never get back that way again.

[trgthatsme]

My thanks to both of you for responding to my question. We are flying in on Friday night to Anchorage and plan on spending the day there on Saturday. Sunday morning we will take the train to Seward. Making reservations for dinner and spa treatments is important to us so we will probably wait to explore Seward until after we check in and make the reservations. I'm glad to know there is transportation back into Seward. I would at least like to walk around a little bit since as you say, I may not be back again. Thank you!!:)