Transportation from Seward to ANC

[surgie]

Family of 11 - 6 adults, 5 kids ages 5-11 - need transportation from Seward to Anchorage airport the day after our cruise as we are spending one night in Seward. We do not want to spend any time in Anchorage - going straight to the airport. I have investigated these options:

 

Train - arrives too late for ANC flights

Bus - (arranged through Alaska Tour & Travel) - arrives ANC at 1:30 pm - approximately $700 for all of us - quite early for those of us with 8:00 pm flights

Private transportation services - I have checked a few - we have too many people

Car rental - can only find availability through Thrifty  - am I missing others? About $600 per minivan and we need 2. This option is most expensive but gives us flexibility for stops on the way.

 

Is there anything else I should consider? 

[disneyochem]

You can book directly with the bus company:  https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/schedule/.

 

There are several departures from Seward directly to Anchorage during the day.  One can spend the day in Seward (dog sled, Kenai Fjord Wildlife cruise, Alaska Sealife Center, Exit Galcier) and go to Anchorage (5:30 pm bus).

 

Or go early to Anchorage and spend the day there.  It just depends on what you’d like to do.  There are places to store luggage in Seward and Anchorage so you can go places.

 

Another option is to take the longer bus trip that stops at the Alaska Wildlife Center and Girdwood.

 

I priced out a couple of options for you as well and it does appear that the cheapest is to take the bus.

 

Edited to add that while it is not my preferred mode of transportation, the ACT bus is nice and drivers are very professional.

Edited October 25, 2023 by disneyochem

[surgie]

I appreciate your input. I have to weight the cost-effectiveness of the bus vs. the flexibility of having our own vehicles. 

[AKStafford]

Hertz is another option in Seward.

[GTJ]

4 hours ago, disneyochem said:

You can book directly with the bus company:  https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/schedule/.

 

There are several departures from Seward directly to Anchorage during the day.  One can spend the day in Seward (dog sled, Kenai Fjord Wildlife cruise, Alaska Sealife Center, Exit Galcier) and go to Anchorage (5:30 pm bus).

The noted bus company, Alaska Cruise Transportation, operates regularly scheduled service between Seward and the Anchorage airport, but does so in connection with cruise vessel schedules. Thus, it only operates from Seward on Fridays and alternate Mondays (there are additional trips on Wednesdays and Thursdays, but these are in the morning and arrive at the airport at 11:00 a.m., even earlier than the Park Connection bus schedule). Buses depart Seward on Fridays and alternate Mondays at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m., arriving at the airport in 2-1/2 hours. So unless one is alighting from a Silversea Cruises vessel on a Thursday morning, and planning to travel to the airport on Friday, the Alaska Cruise Transportation schedule is unlikely to work. (The bus company had planned to operate a daily schedule, including non-cruise days, but that plan seems to have fallen through.)

 

Another bus company is Seward Bus Lines, www.sewardbuslines.net, a local company that operates a daily service from Seward to Anchorage, departing at 9:30 a.m. and arriving at 12:00 noon. Given the size of your group, the company might be able to offer an additional departure, or a chartered trip, using a mini-bus, on a schedule that meets your particular needs. You might want to make inquiry of the company, mentioning in particular the size of your group.

 

As for a rental vehicle: what stops might you be planning to make? Girdwood? It seems that incurring a high cost to rent two vehicles, for the purpose of making a relatively short stop, might not be economically efficient.

[surgie]

7 hours ago, GTJ said:

 

As for a rental vehicle: what stops might you be planning to make? Girdwood? It seems that incurring a high cost to rent two vehicles, for the purpose of making a relatively short stop, might not be economically efficient.

We are planning to stop at Bear Creek Weir, the Byron Glacier Trail for a short hike, and the AK Wildlife Conservation Center...maybe other stops depending on time. We hope to eat in Anchorage and then return the cars for our 8:00 pm flights. I did look at Seward Bus Lines and the bus is $95 pp to drop us at ANC ($1045) and they get there at noon as you indicated which is way too much time at the airport with the kids. So two minivans for $1200 doesn't seem as bad with the flexibility we'd have. But I will contact Seward Bus Lines directly to see if they have other options. Thanks for ideas!

[GTJ]

5 minutes ago, surgie said:

We are planning to stop at Bear Creek Weir, the Byron Glacier Trail for a short hike, and the AK Wildlife Conservation Center...maybe other stops depending on time. We hope to eat in Anchorage and then return the cars for our 8:00 pm flights. I did look at Seward Bus Lines and the bus is $95 pp to drop us at ANC ($1045) and they get there at noon as you indicated which is way too much time at the airport with the kids. So two minivans for $1200 doesn't seem as bad with the flexibility we'd have. But I will contact Seward Bus Lines directly to see if they have other options. Thanks for ideas!

With those planned stops, you would not have a practicable choice but for a rental vehicle. The various bus lines might stop to let you off at those locations, but they won't wait for you, and it could be difficult arranging for a pick-up by the following bus. If you were to charter a bus (which is, in effect, a "rental vehicle"), then you could make these planned stops . . . but beware that you will be charged for the time consumed by these stops.

 

As to bus lines generally: I would recommend other bus lines over Seward Bus Lines because the other bus lines would provide better service. However, given that Seward Bus Lines is a smaller operation, with much less internal bureaucracy, you would likely have greater opportunity to negotiate a lower fare, either a group fare (meaning, the cost per person) or a charter fare (meaning, the cost for the entire bus). Keep in mind that the larger the group, the more room you have to negotiate . . . you don't have to accept a fixed price.

 

As to a charter fare: The typical cost for an all-day charter of a mini-bus in the lower 48 is $1,000 (higher in the big cities). You would need only a six-hour charter (three hours each way between Seward and Anchorage), so figure $750 to be a fair cost. Alaska Cruise Transportation advertises charter bus cost starting at $120 per hour, or $720 for a six-hour charter. You would likely get better service from Alaska Cruise Transportation than from Seward Bus Lines, so factor that into any negotiations. You could also contact Premier Alaska Tours for a charter bus quote. This is the company that provides buses to Alaska Tour & Travel for its Park Connection bus service. However, it is likely that this company will only be able to offer full size motorcoaches, and for that reason I would not expect it to be able to provide a competitive quote. Competing with Premier Alaska Tours is Royal Hyway Tours (a subsidiary of Carnival Cruise Corporation), but I don't think that the company has mini-buses or even offers charter bus service. Maybe I am wrong about that. Get as good of an offer as possible from Alaska Cruise Transportation (or Premier Alaska Tours or Royal Hyway Tours), then see if Seward Bus Lines will undercut it.

 

As to a group fare: The standard fare charged by Alaska Cruise Transportation, for a single adult from Seward to Anchorage airport, is $69, and the child fare is $60, so its regular fare for your group would be $714. That company also offers group fares, though those rates are not advertised, I would expect the bus company would offer, or be willing to entertain an offer for, a group fare of around $500. With that in mind, you could offer Seward Bus Lines a slightly lower amount as a group fare.

[sr71_1]

I was going to use Alaska auto rental to get us from Fairbanks to Seward but changed our plans.  I took a quick look and they do offer 1-way rentals between Seward and Anchorage and have 15 person vans.  Good Luck  

[surgie]

On 10/25/2023 at 10:43 PM, GTJ said:

With those planned stops, you would not have a practicable choice but for a rental vehicle.

That's what I am thinking. The bus options are a reasonable cost relatively speaking but we won't be back to Alaska for a while so we want to make the most of our short land journey. 

[Coral]

Just make sure the mini-vans have room for all of the luggage.

[tbird2252]

I did the Anchorage to Vancouver in 2010. Hired a private van that accommodated 15 and shared with another family. The Ak Hwy 1 and 9 is a beautiful drive. I am taking my daughter's family in late May '24 and will be originating in Vancouver to Seward. I found one option from an individual who operates a transportation service to and from Seward/Anchorage. I have not reserved with this service but the contact I had was professional and should be good. Because it is an easy drive, I may rent a SUV or mini van to haul my crowd as my flight does not depart ANC until 9pm. Good luck in your search!

 

PJS Taxi & Tours  Renee is your contact...   https://www.pjstaxi.net/

[AKStafford]

1 hour ago, tbird2252 said:

The Ak Hwy 1 and 9 is a beautiful drive

Just one minor note: Alaskans usually refer to Highways by their names, not numbers. Most Alaskans have no idea what the highway numbers are. So from Seward to Anchorage is the Seward Highway.