Land in ANC at 2:30p for 9p seward sail - enough time?

[cusegirl]

hi - we're sailing celebrity millennium on july 2, which departs seward at 9 pm. if we land at anchorage at 2:30 p.m. can we take the bus and have enough time to board the ship in time? our other option is to arrive Anchorage at 12:30 a.m. that day, get a few hours sleep in a hotel nearl the airport and then we'd have all day to make our way to seward.

 

would love advice from anyone who has made this transfer. also, is there any advantage to booking the bus through an independent operator vs. celebrity?

 

thanks!

[Adri204]

I live here so havent taken the tour, but my suggestion is you come in a day early or if you can even two days early. Enjoy Anchorage and see some of the sights around. But defently come in a day early. The whole flying in the day of the cruise gives me nightmares. Im flying from Anchorage to LA the day before my first cruise. That way I get up and im ready to go.

 

Adri :)

[frugaltravel]

Hmm. You don't say where you are flying from. But let's just assume the best-case scenario that it is non-stop. Your flight gets delayed (as they often do - an airline with a 75% on-time performance is considered good!).

 

But then your luggage gets delayed so you need to file a lost baggage report.

 

And then you take a bus but there is an accident on the Seward Highway that closes it for 2-4 hours.

 

And after it opens, you get behind a caravan of slow RV's.

 

And let's not forget about the rock slide that happened near there last year. Or the mudslide on the Parks Highway that closed that road for what seemed like forever.

 

Hmm. I would arrive at least the day before :eek:

[TheCruisingBrewers]

I also would always recommend flying in a day ahead.

 

The ONLY way I would do a flight like you describe is if Celebrity put you on the flight and you had THEIR transfers. Otherwise it is JUST not worth the worry.

[cusegirl]

Thanks everyone. We're flying Delta from Atlanta. The nonstop would leave Thursday afternoon, arriving in ANC around 6 p.m. Or we can fly through Salt Lake City after work thursday and arrive ANC at 12:30 a.m. Friday. Our work schedules don't allow us to take much more time off and I'd prefer to work all day Thursday but absolutely understand (and agree) that we're building a ton of risk into this itinerary if we arrive with only a few hours to spare.

 

so, if we can't leave Thursday afternoon it sounds like the all-night flight through Salt Lake City is the better option and we can find a hotel near the airport.

 

Thanks!!

[44disney]

Four years ago we flew from Nashville to Vancouver prior to our Alaskan cruise. We arrived 26 hours after we were supposed to (and we had only one layover). Thankfully, we had planned to arrive 2 days early so we made the cruise without a problem.

 

When the ship docked in Ketchikan, after spending a stunning day at sea sailing along the inside passage, there about 25 people waiting by the dock area getting ready to board. They had missed the boat in Vancouver and had missed an incredible day of sailing.

 

If I were you, I would plan to arrive at least 1 day early.

[Igloogrl]

Yep, go with the 12:30am. I'm a resident and have been delayed by a volcano, and have had numerous problems with my luggage not arriving with my flight. There are several motels on C Street, which are walking distance to Lonestar, Golden Corral, Applebees, TGIFriday's, and Cattle Company. If you are looking to get a bit of sleep and not really picky about accomodations, there is a Motel 6 that is fairly new. I'm assuming that a room will cost less there, and you are in a decent/safe area, with the bonus of being close to a variety of restaurants. I'm guessing it will be about a $10-$15 cab ride to get there, but then again, they might have a free shuttle.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks everyone. We're flying Delta from Atlanta. The nonstop would leave Thursday afternoon, arriving in ANC around 6 p.m. Or we can fly through Salt Lake City after work thursday and arrive ANC at 12:30 a.m. Friday. Our work schedules don't allow us to take much more time off and I'd prefer to work all day Thursday but absolutely understand (and agree) that we're building a ton of risk into this itinerary if we arrive with only a few hours to spare.

 

so, if we can't leave Thursday afternoon it sounds like the all-night flight through Salt Lake City is the better option and we can find a hotel near the airport.

 

Thanks!!

 

With your question, I am not sure, if you are cruising this year?? IF so, then I'm going to assume you are an airline emp etc, to have this flexable flying available?? Adds to the mix?

[cusegirl]

Hi Budget Queen - yes, i'm incredibly lucky to be a delta employee. I have the opportunity to fly confirmed this time so no worry about standby issues. i think we're going to go through salt lake thursday night, arriving in ANC at 12:30 a.m. Friday. looks like there are several nice hotels within a few miles of the airport (courtyard marriott, hilton garden inn, fairfield suites) so we'll sleep in and make our way to the ship.

 

thanks for everyone's feedback. we love cruising and are so excited to visit alaska!!

[vbmom87]

I am just not that much of a risk taker. I would fly in two days early. Alaska is such an expensive destination; what a bummer if you miss your ship. We had 15 people miss our ship in Vancouver. They also caught up with us in Ketchikan.