Logistics questions for those in the know

[Travelight]

We ride the train from Anchorage to Seward arriving at 11:05. The Kenai Fjords National Park Tour starts at 11:45.

 

Will the tour people pick us up at the railroad station? :confused:

 

Also, what do we do with our luggage?

Should we have the hotel pick us up, or will the hotel pick up our luggage and take it to the hotel for us?:rolleyes:

 

I just like to dot all my i's and cross all the t's. ;)

 

Thanks for any info! :)

[travelbuds]

Hi,

We have signed up for the train to Seward and the Kenai Fjords Tour (thru Alaska Heritage) also. Was told by AH that they would pick us up at the Seward depot and get us to the boat. They would also store our luggage in locked room while we are on the tour. At the end, they will take us and our luggage to the ship. All for no extra charge.

Bruce

[Travelight]

Thank you for the info, Bruce! :)

 

We are going with Major Marine, so I guess I had better call them.

I didn't see anything on their website pertaining to this.

Hopefully, MM will have the same options as Alaska Hertitage.

[GlacierLady]

The big 3 companies will have buses with the name marked waiting at the train depot and store luggage. It's faster walking the 2 blocks than waiting for everyone to load/unload.

 

What hotel are you staying at? There are several within the 2-3 block area of the depot and where the cruises depart. You could very easily drop off your luggage at the Holiday Inn or Breeze Inn as you walk through the small boat harbor heading to the wildlife cruise.

 

If going on a big cruise ship the same day...you could drop off at the luggage bin(ship) on the way via taxi and have it waiting in your ship room.

[travelbuds]

....

If going on a big cruise ship the same day...you could drop off at the luggage bin(ship) on the way via taxi and have it waiting in your ship room.

Hi,

Do all of the cruiseships offer this luggage bin? I had asked RCI about dropping luggage off prior to the Kenai Fjords Tour and was told I couldn't drop it off. I'd have to stay with luggage. Maybe I'll call again and get someone with a different answer.

Thanks.

Bruce

[GlacierLady]

The longshore are usually ready and waiting for luggage at 11am when the train arrives. Never earlier and occansionally a bit later but as a general rule...train in..luggage can be dropped off. The big white bins are on the far east side of the parking lot/terminal. It's scanned through security and delivered to your room. Your not able to board till later, usually by 2-3pm.

 

( sorry.. but I always chuckled at the people lugging their luggage into the terminal just to be told to haul it across the parking lot...heehee doing homework saves work and time!!)

[sand0113]

We took the train from Anchorage to Seward in July and had made prior arrangements for Renown Tours to hold our luggage while we were on their tour (between the train and ship). When we checked in at the train terminal in Anchorage, they asked what cruise line we were going to be sailing with and gave us the option to have our luggage checked directly to the ship from the train. Once we gave it to the train people, we didn't have to do another thing with it. We checked our regular 'checkable' bags, as well as our two smaller, carry-on suitcases. All we carried with us was our backpacks and the camera bag. It was an unexpected surprise, but it made things so much easier. Hope this helps.

[GlacierLady]

We took the train from Anchorage to Seward in July and had made prior arrangements for Renown Tours to hold our luggage while we were on their tour (between the train and ship). When we checked in at the train terminal in Anchorage, they asked what cruise line we were going to be sailing with and gave us the option to have our luggage checked directly to the ship from the train. Once we gave it to the train people, we didn't have to do another thing with it. We checked our regular 'checkable' bags, as well as our two smaller, carry-on suitcases. All we carried with us was our backpacks and the camera bag. It was an unexpected surprise, but it made things so much easier. Hope this helps.

 

Unfortunately not all the ships do that. Jack (who runs the depot in Seward) is gone for the winter so I can't ask him which ones provide that service and I don't remember right now. Train depot in Anch would/should know.

[Travelight]

Glacier Lady,

 

Thank you! :)

 

We are staying at the Breeze Inn, so we can just leave our things there.

 

What info can you give us about going on our own to see Exit Glacier. My MIL cannot walk too far, but she would like to see it if possible.

 

Also, are there any other "not to miss" sights in Seward?

 

Thank you for the inside information!

 

Linda

[Travelight]

The longshore are usually ready and waiting for luggage at 11am when the train arrives. Never earlier and occansionally a bit later but as a general rule...train in..luggage can be dropped off. The big white bins are on the far east side of the parking lot/terminal. It's scanned through security and delivered to your room. Your not able to board till later, usually by 2-3pm.

 

( sorry.. but I always chuckled at the people lugging their luggage into the terminal just to be told to haul it across the parking lot...heehee doing homework saves work and time!!)

 

I LOVE this kind of tip. Anything that keeps us from hauling around luggage saves a lot of time and aggravation! :) :)

[GlacierLady]

Glacier Lady,

 

Thank you! :)

 

We are staying at the Breeze Inn, so we can just leave our things there.

 

What info can you give us about going on our own to see Exit Glacier. My MIL cannot walk too far, but she would like to see it if possible.

 

Also, are there any other "not to miss" sights in Seward?

 

Thank you for the inside information!

 

Linda

 

The main trail to the face of the glacier is paved. It's 3/4 mile and wheelchair accessible with a few benches along the way.The ranger station has a wheelchair available on a 1st come basis.

 

In August-Sept you can find salmon in the lagoon. The lagoon is right across the road from the Breeze Inn which is also where the Benny Benson Mermorial is. (he designed the Alaska Flag) This is also a popular place for spotting eagles and other birds,ducks. You can follow the boardwalk to along the waterfront, past the founder's monument and mile 0 of the historic Iditarod Trail and end at the Sealife Center/dt.

 

Something else not mentioned often is a nice drive across the bay. Take Nash rd (3.5 miles out of town) and follow that to the end. Springcreek prision, a fish processing plant and a dry dock are over there but often I spot moose and bear along the road. There's some very scenic spots for good pictures of Seward and ship photos.

[Travelight]

Thank you, Glacier Lady, especially for the good photo opportunity location. I just can't wait for this vacation!

[travelbuds]

We ride the train from Anchorage to Seward arriving at 11:05. The Kenai Fjords National Park Tour starts at 11:45.

 

Will the tour people pick us up at the railroad station? :confused:

 

Also, what do we do with our luggage?

 

 

Thanks for any info! :)

 

Hi,

I just got an email back from AKRR about luggage to the ship. I didn't ask about getting it to hotels in Seward, but Jenniger wrote "Yes, we send your luggage straight to the cruise ship. Just let one of our baggage staff members know which cruise company you are traveling with so they can tag it to the correct place." So you may want to email AKRR to ask about getting luggage to hotel.

Bruce

[GlacierLady]

." So you may want to email AKRR to ask about getting luggage to hotel.

Bruce

 

The RR doesn't care about luggage service to the hotels as there's no contracts as with the ships,( unless you buy a package hotel deal from the RR) but some of the bigger places such as The Windsong and Edgewater will pick up/ deliver luggage to/from the train depot, ships and even wildlife cruises if you contact them ahead of time.