Anchorage to Seward Rail Transfer

[DENNSDMNCE]

We are cruising on the Statendam departing Seward on May 23 2010. Does anyone know what time the HAL rail transfer leaves Anchorage for Seward? Also, does it stop in Girdwood to pick up guests staying at the Alyeska Hotel?

 

I'm trying to decide between independent travel or the HAL rail transfer.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

We did the train a few years ago.

 

Our luggage went via a truck.

 

The train left Anchorage at 1 PM -- we did not make any stops along the way.

[Wesley Furman]

Does the Coach (bus) transportation to Seward leave the Hilton Anchorage Hotel about the same time on the Cruise Tour?

Wesley

[sylteach]

When we traveled by bus from Anchorage to Seward we met at the Egan Center in the morning. We left around 11:30am. We did this as a transfer cost with HAL. I was under the impression that the train leaves very early in the morning-maybe it is at a different time this year.

[trvlcrzy]

While there may be a train earlier in the day, we were in-transit and did the bus up to Anchorage with the train back. We were to meet back at Egan Center at 12:45 pm, I believe, to transfer by bus to the train depot for 2:00 pm departure. This was a train with newly boarding passengers on it as some had to go through embarkation procedures when we arrived in Seward.

 

We did not make any stops along the way... except for the unexpected meeting with a minivan and a pretty long pause to allow another train to get out of our way.

[cvpends]

When we did this last summer we took Alaska Railroad and arranged the travel on our own. Their website is:

 

http://www.alaskarailroad.com/

 

The train leaves Anchorage at 6:45 and arrives in Seward at 11:05, which was really neat because we got to do some fun things in Seward before we had to be on board the ship. The fare is $75 for the one way trip, and you do not get off the train in Girdwood. The train trip is beautiful and we saw lots of beautiful wildlife along the way.