Anchorage (Seward) as a departure point?

[Elkins45]

I'm surprised not to see this port here in Departures (instead of Ports of Call) since there are several cruises that depart from either Seward or Whittier. I'm looking at one of the NCL cruises from Seward to Vancouver and am trying to get info on how it works to board at Seward. It appears you fly into Anchorage and then take a 2+ hour bus ride to the port, correct? It would seem to be almost a give that you would come in the day before, especially if traveling from the east coast.

 

Does anyone have hotel recommendations that are close to the airport but also convenient to port transportation? Are there any particular transport options to the port you would recommend? In doing some searching it looks like there's a train as well as a bus.

[wolfie11]

The easiest way is to fly to Anchorage, book a hotel close to the airport with a shuttle, then shuttle back to the airport the next day to pick up a cruise line transfer bus to Seward.  Anchorage is crazy busy in the summer, so book well ahead for a hotel.

[Aquahound]

My favorite hotel in Anchorage is the Embassy Suites. I'm pretty sure they run a shuttle to/from airport.

[Coral]

I absolutely love Seward. If you can arrive a day or two early, I would recommend it. It is a beautiful town with lots of fun things to do.

[Northern Aurora]

@Elkins45:  Seward does not have commercial air service.  Your options from Anchorage to Seward are either by road (about 2.5 hours) or by the Alaska Railroad (about 4 hours).  

 

There are private motor coach transfers between Anchorage and Seward.  A few, at least pre-covid, included a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  Your cruise line will also be happy to sell you a motor coach transfer.

 

The Alaska Railroad track parallels the highway until roughly Portage.  The train then deviates into another valley and re-joins the road at roughly Moose Pass (yes -- that is a community).  The ARR can be booked directly through the ARR for an early morning departure from the downtown ARR depot to the Seward depot.  Your cruise line will again be very happy to sell you a ARR specially chartered run from the Anchorage Airport (not the ARR downtown station) directly to the Seward cruise terminal; these special charters can only be booked through the cruise line and will depart about 1 PM-ish.

 

While the scenery from the road is lovely, many folks find the scenery from the ARR to be better.  You will be happy with which option which is best for you.

 

I would also suggest flying in to Anchorage the day before embarkation.  There are a number of hotels near the Anchorage Airport.

[roupa]

For a September cruise….Our plan is to fly to Anchorage, rent a car and take a road trip to Seward … first going to Homer then backtracking a bit to go to Seward.  Previously did the drive straight to Seward….a nice, easy route.  Not sure yet how many days/overnights to do this time.

FYI:  I did book a room right away in Seward for the night before the cruise.  Seward is a small town and I just don’t know how quickly accommodations might fill up with cruise passengers.

[Aquahound]

5 minutes ago, roupa said:

For a September cruise….Our plan is to fly to Anchorage, rent a car and take a road trip to Seward … first going to Homer then backtracking a bit to go to Seward.  Previously did the drive straight to Seward….a nice, easy route.  Not sure yet how many days/overnights to do this time.

FYI:  I did book a room right away in Seward for the night before the cruise.  Seward is a small town and I just don’t know how quickly accommodations might fill up with cruise passengers.

 

That's the way to do it.  If folks have the time, this is a trip that demands several days pre-cruise with a rental car.  Consider an overnight at Alyeska instead of Anchorage.  Visit Whittier and on the way, stop and take the Portage Glacier cruise.  In Whittier, take the Phillips 26 Glaciers cruise.  To or from Homer, take the detour to visit the neat little town of Hope.  Allow yourself enough time in Seward to explore the town and to go visit Exit Glacier.  There's so much to explore between Anchorage and Seward, it's a shame to just drive past it all.  

[roupa]

Hope!!  🤣.  Went there on previous trip for just a few minutes … a step back in time!

Be aware of time needed to travel thru the tunnel to/from Whittier…scheduled passage I believe. You can drive right up to EXIT GLACIER and walk beside it… a nice preview of much more to come on the cruise!

MILEPOST is a good publication to get.  An accompanying CD can narrate/guide  your trip.

[Boo's Mom]

23 hours ago, Elkins45 said:

I'm surprised not to see this port here in Departures (instead of Ports of Call) since there are several cruises that depart from either Seward or Whittier. I'm looking at one of the NCL cruises from Seward to Vancouver and am trying to get info on how it works to board at Seward. It appears you fly into Anchorage and then take a 2+ hour bus ride to the port, correct? It would seem to be almost a give that you would come in the day before, especially if traveling from the east coast.

 

Does anyone have hotel recommendations that are close to the airport but also convenient to port transportation? Are there any particular transport options to the port you would recommend? In doing some searching it looks like there's a train as well as a bus.

Just to add to what the others have already stated:  Based on where you live, flying to Anchorage is almost like an international flight. 

To fly and get anywhere fast is going to beat you up. 

If you have the time, spend at least 2 - 3 nights somewhere (Anchorage or somewhere else) before boarding the ship in Seward. 

 

Seward is indeed a lovely little Alaska town. 

 

My recommendation:  2 nights in Anchorage + 1 night in Seward

Keep in mind that your flight will likely land in Anchorage in the evening AND the train to Seward is super early in the morning.

 

Note:  the train ride is lovely.  Try to get Goldstar Service.  It's the upper dome deck and includes a full breakfast in the dining car and 2 adult beverages (per person) in the upper dome. 

 

🛳EnJOY 

[quack2]

Just shocking to me how much Anchorage hotels are charging.  Everywhere is up, but Anchorage is outrageous.  But, what are ya gonna do?

[Suzanne123]

On your way to or from Homer, stop at the Princess Kenai Lodge in Cooper Landing to have lunch overlooking the river.  
We stayed at Mt. Alyeska for a couple nights and then at Kenai Princess while touring the area for a week.  Kenai Princess is more affordable, but Mt. Alyeska is really special.

[AKJonesy]

54 minutes ago, quack2 said:

Just shocking to me how much Anchorage hotels are charging.  Everywhere is up, but Anchorage is outrageous.  But, what are ya gonna do?

Yes, and for those high prices don't expect the rooms/amenties to match the prices.  

[KruisinKath]

In 2013, we flew into Anchorage three days early.  Just had dinner the first night. The next day we took the train to Whittier and went on the 26 glaciers tour, then back to Anchorage. Nice train ride (had moose running next to the train!). The day after we took the train to Seward-highly recommend! Awesome views/vistas and various wildlife sightings.  In Seward, we took the half day boat tour-again, highly recommend! Oodles of wildlife and Orcas in the bay before we got to the ocean. Afterward we boarded the ship for departure.  Unless things have changed since we went, all ships out of Seward or Whittier leave in the evening so plenty of time to do things prior.

[Kathscof]

If you book far enough in advance, the hotels aren't bad at all (I booked last summer in Anchorage for this month and its almost double now, our Fairbanks hotel is more than double!)

 

Yes, you will definitely fly in at LEAST the day before, and why not start your vacation when you leave instead of making the travel to Seward "just" part of the "transportation" leg?  I would recommend the railroad, as when do you get to ride a train through such a beautiful place?? It has more freedom than a bus for walking around for sure.  I did a shorter version of this year's trip last year and we flew Wednesday for a Friday ship departure from Seward.  We took the train Thursday morning, did the sled dog and city tour of Seward with Ididaride (the family of the guy who invented the Iditarod, and they have won a few times!) upon arrival and then the day of departure, we went on the Kenai Fjords tour....AMAZING!!! It was really the best tour/excursion/activity of my entire trip/cruise last year and it was even before we got on the ship!  It was 6 hours, we saw SO MUCH wildlife, beautiful views, and spent almost an hour at the glacier watching it calve into the water (I really didn't know I was gonna go to a glacier on the tour, I don't know why hahah) from only 1/4 of a mile.  The next day after we were on the ship, the ship's excursion to the glacier was over 2x the price, double the distance, and less time at the glacier than our tour.  SO AMAZING!

 

Our ship this year leaves a little earlier than it did last year, so the end of the post-train (if you took the train THAT morning) tour would be cutting it close, but starting in June there is an earlier trip that gets you off in time, meaning that being in Seward for the morning of the ship departure day is the BEST idea just to not be rushed and possibly missing the ship.  

[gaudi89]

On 5/7/2023 at 6:38 AM, quack2 said:

Just shocking to me how much Anchorage hotels are charging.  Everywhere is up, but Anchorage is outrageous.  But, what are ya gonna do?

yes, my wife has been doing research for a hopefully last minute cruise and first trip to Alaska and was super shocked by the prices such as $387 a night at a Holiday Inn Express. We could never afford that and are looking at non chain hotels but most get bad reviews.

[wolfie11]

Try the smaller places like the Puffin Inn or the Ingra House Hotel.  They are generally around $150 in the summer.  I believe all three hostels in town have private rooms for under $100.  I’ve stayed at the hostel before.  It’s not bad.

[roupa]

Maybe a little off subject here, but looking for inexpensive/no frills but clean accommodation in Anchorage before road trip to Seward.…perhaps near airport in order to get a rental car and head out early the next day.
 Motel 6. ? 😉

(Not going into Anchorage this trip.)

Edited May 9, 2023 by roupa

[Kathscof]

The two most prominent hotels in Seward (Harbor 360 and Seward Gateway) are ending up cheaper than the other ones this time around strangely enough (but not as cheap as under $150 like you have found)...Breeze Inn is another one that is on the larger side....

 

we stayed at the Coast hotel at the airport (if we were going to take transport to the train station in the morning anyway, easier to only take it once and stay at a hotel at the airport with a shuttle!) under a AAA rate and it was a decent hotel....they also have a hotel in Vancouver that my friend is staying in....(apparently a west coast chain) it is across the street from Lake Hood (apparently the busiest float plane airport in the country?) and the fancy hotel that has a patio restaurant overlooking the lake which could be nice if you just need dinner before your departure...

Edited May 9, 2023 by Kathscof

[poohbear8]

@Kathscof Did you fly from Georgia when you arrived on a Wednesday, Train / Tour on Thursday, then got on the ship on Friday?

 

I am flying from Washington DC and I am worried I will be exhausted on Thursday. Flight arrivals (the more affordable ones) on Wednesday might be as late at 1:59 am. (more expensive could get us there from 8pm - 11:59pm)  I am not sure getting a hotel even makes sense of we take the cheaper flight. 

 

Any thoughts or suggestions based on your experience? Does staying at the airport until the train leaves make sense? I worry we would be too tired to enjoy it, but arriving on Tuesday and getting a hotel isn't an option.

[Kathscof]

On 5/13/2023 at 6:39 PM, poohbear8 said:

@Kathscof Did you fly from Georgia when you arrived on a Wednesday, Train / Tour on Thursday, then got on the ship on Friday?

 

I am flying from Washington DC and I am worried I will be exhausted on Thursday. Flight arrivals (the more affordable ones) on Wednesday might be as late at 1:59 am. (more expensive could get us there from 8pm - 11:59pm)  I am not sure getting a hotel even makes sense of we take the cheaper flight. 

 

Any thoughts or suggestions based on your experience? Does staying at the airport until the train leaves make sense? I worry we would be too tired to enjoy it, but arriving on Tuesday and getting a hotel isn't an option.

Yes, I flew early Wednesday morning on American to Dallas from Atlanta, and an afternoon flight to Anchorage from there....we were supposed to land around 7:30, but delays got us there close to 10. I would always default to a more expensive flight and an overnight hotel, as I did the “overnight in the airport” twice when I was younger and after BOTH times I said “never again” (didn’t learn the first time haha).  I don’t know what you would do until 5:15 when you would go to the train station, and I wouldn’t want to be missing out on the great scenery on the train because I didn’t get any sleep the night before.  My friend and I got about 9 hours of sleep total over 2 nights between getting up early for the flight plus the 4-5 hours we got in the hotel before waking up for the train.  We were running on adrenaline, but at least we got SOME sleep! 

 

If if you do decide to remain at the airport, I would make sure they are actually open (our airport closes in the middle of the night).  I vote earlier flight and hotel (if flight times don’t work, could you manage to fly to a gateway city Tuesday night and take the earliest one to Anchorage Wednesday and maybe get to explore a bit?).

Edited May 15, 2023 by Kathscof

[poohbear8]

@Kathscof Thank you! This was in line with what I was thinking. I didn't want to sleep on the train, but a hotel for a few hours didn't make sense either. We researched every possible option and found flights that will arrive Wednesday around dinner time.  

 

 

[Elkins45]

For those of you that have sailed from Seward before: what time do they usually start boarding the ship? My cruise doesn't leave until 9:00pm so that's a long time to be waiting around if they don't let me on the ship.

[Kathscof]

7 hours ago, Elkins45 said:

For those of you that have sailed from Seward before: what time do they usually start boarding the ship? My cruise doesn't leave until 9:00pm so that's a long time to be waiting around if they don't let me on the ship.

I went on Royal last year and am going again next week.  Our first “check in time” is noon.  But if you come in on the 6:45 train, you won’t be waiting around anywhere at all, ideally.  You will be going on one of the many tours offered there which end around 5:30 (in order to get daytrippers on the return train).  If you don’t know which to do, I would start looking into a tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park.  It was my FAVORITE “excursion” of the whole cruise last year and it was before we got on the ship!  It was cheaper than any small boat glacier excursion from the ship and I dare say it was a better experience, closer to the glacier, longer time there, more pleasant boat atmosphere.  

 

So so when you get done with your tour it will be just in time to get on the ship!