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Seward-Anchorage advice


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I suspect that these questions have been asked and answered several times already but the search doesn't seem to be working.

 

We are cruising to Alaska in July and I see that we get into Seward at 3 am.

We have a post cruise package including the train ride to Anchorage and it appears that the train departs at 6 pm. Assuming we get off the boat around 9-10 am,

 

1. Is there a place we can leave our luggage so we can visit around Seward?

2. Is the train station far from where the ship unloads?

3. Any particular "must-sees" in Seward?

4. Can you buy (for example) water on the train or should we be prepared to bring our own?

5. We'll have two full days in Anchorage- any "must-sees" there?

 

This will be our second cruise ever- we got the cruising addiction on a seven day cruise to Mexico in March with Princess and immediately booked this one with Royal Caribbean to get a comparison.

 

Thank you very much for your time and expertise,

 

Paul

 

(March 8-15, Golden Princess, Mexican Riviera):)

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Are you on a RCCL cruise tour? If so, I believe the RCCL train is different than the main Alaska Railroad train and will leave at a different time. You won't have to worry about things like luggage, and you probably won't get to see anything of Seward.

 

If you are not on a RCCL cruise tour, I highly recommend posting your question on the Alaska ports of call board. There are some extremely helpful posters that can give you suggestions about what to do.

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. Assuming we get off the boat around 9-10 am,

 

1. Is there a place we can leave our luggage so we can visit around Seward?

2. Is the train station far from where the ship unloads?

3. Any particular "must-sees" in Seward?

4. Can you buy (for example) water on the train or should we be prepared to bring our own?

 

1. If you have post-cruise excursion, I'm pretty sure the line will hold your luggage for you. I know when I took the train the other direction (not booked thru the cruiseline) they checked our luggage straight through to the ship and held it until the ship was ready for it.

 

2. The station is tiny, and is a very short distance from the pier - we took a taxi and felt really stupid when we saw how short it was. As long as you don't have mobility problems or lots of luggage, it's an easy walk.

 

3. The Kenai Fjords boat tours are very popular. Check the Alaska port of call board for more ideas.

 

4. on my trip (not the cruiseline train but the "regular" train) there was both a snack bar and sit-down restaurant on the train.

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We did purchase the post cruise from RCCL so if that is a different train, I probably won't have to worry about luggage or spending time in Seward.

Our travel agent is a little difficult to get information out of and I knew I could get more information here.

 

I greatly appreciate the feedback,

 

Paul

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Hi,

 

We lived in Anchorage for six years, so we will try to give you a few things you can do.

 

If you are in Anchorage on Saturday (Summer) try to go to the open market close to Ship Creek. They have some wonderful hand made things and different "alaskan" things. It is an easy walk from downtown hotels.

 

A couple of good places to eat...or least they were...the Alaskan Brew House, downtown, excellent microbrews or Sourdough Mining Company (you will need to take a cab or rent a car - because it is not located downtown) they serve the most wonderful corn fritters with honey butter.

 

Just walking downtown Anchorage is pretty cool...the flowers are beautiful, especially the hanging baskets.

 

If you want to rent a car...go to the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer (I think they are still "open"). Interesting creatures.

 

There are a ton of cabs in Anchorage and very easy to get around.

 

Enjoy your stay in Anchorage.

 

Carol

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Paul - IMO, the must-sees in Seward are 1) a Kenai Fjords day cruise (about 6 hours, and the operators will generally accommodate your luggage); 2) Exit Glacier (you can get a shuttle near the train station); and 3) the Alaska Wildlife Center.

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An absolute must is "BINOCULARS" do not forget them.

 

Fjord tour is great, they took us to a calving glacies, fished some ice out of the water and the captain said, "let the ice melt and wet your hands, and think that it is from snow that fell 10,000 years ago."

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We took the train from Anchorage to Seward. There were cars that were for passengers that purchased tickets privately and a few cars that were for passengers of RCCL that had booked cruise tours. The train station is walking distance to/from the ship. They offer shopping and dining on the train. The food is quite expensive, though.

 

We took an independent whale watching excursion in Seward. We had a great time. Sorry I can't give you any info about Anchorage. We arrived by plane shortly before midnight and had to board the train at 6:00 AM.

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