On VO Alaska and the Inside Passage, has anyone taken the Viking transfer from Seward

[moatenote]

On the Viking Alaska cruise at the end from Vancouver to Seward, has anyone taken the Viking transfer from Seward to the airport in Anchorage??  Looks like a long day.

[Jim Avery]

17 minutes ago, moatenote said:

On the Viking Alaska cruise at the end from Vancouver to Seward, has anyone taken the Viking transfer from Seward to the airport in Anchorage??  Looks like a long day.

We have taken it the other way.  From Anchorage airport to Seward docks.  It is a beautiful drive and the coach we were on was only about a third full and a comfortable coach to boot.  Not much traffic the day we did it and the weather was clear.  As always in Alaska, your mileage may vary..😎

[Jim Avery]

Oops. Our transfer was with Seabourn but the coach was locally sourced so Viking's should be similar.  Only one way to get there by road.  There is a train that makes the run and is supposed to have even better views but have not ridden that train.

[aungrl]

Similar to Jim, we did the trip from Seward to Anchorage on the Mariner-provided coach.  This is Regent, but also locally-sourced, so I expect similar.   The trip wasn’t bad at all, about 2 hours and 45 minutes, beautiful scenery including several wild-life sightings, etc.  We did get to the airport really early, so had a long wait there, but had a long lunch, walked around the terminal a bit, and the time passed quickly enough.  The train schedule didn’t work at all for the Seward to Anchorage trip.  Overall, no issues with the cruise-line-provided transportation.  

[moatenote]

Thanks, Jim and aungrl for that information.  Flights from Anchorage to Atlanta aren't offered at the best times of day, but at least the bus ride sounds enjoyable.

[Jim Avery]

32 minutes ago, moatenote said:

Thanks, Jim and aungrl for that information.  Flights from Anchorage to Atlanta aren't offered at the best times of day, but at least the bus ride sounds enjoyable.

Back when we lived in Destin we could never find a decent, or even tolerable flight schedule to Anchorage.  Waited till we moved west to cruise Alaska.  So we understand your problems with the airlines.  Guess no one from the South goes to Alaska??  Haha, I did when I ran ships there but then crew changes were always in Seattle.🍸

[moatenote]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Back when we lived in Destin we could never find a decent, or even tolerable flight schedule to Anchorage.  Waited till we moved west to cruise Alaska.  So we understand your problems with the airlines.  Guess no one from the South goes to Alaska??  Haha, I did when I ran ships there but then crew changes were always in Seattle.🍸

 

The best flight (and I use that term loosely) from Anchorage to Atlanta on disembarkation day (via Delta) is at 7:45 pm!  Hope there's lots to do there in the airport, because Viking will probably bus us there very early.  Oh, well.......

[old biddy]

We have recently returned from Alaska and the Inside Passage on Orion. I can confirm the journey from Seward to Anchorage, by coach, which Viking use, takes 2.30 to 3hrs depending on traffic. The coach was nothing outstanding, but I've been in far worse. We had a lovely driver who gave us commentary during the journey, he was very entertaining, which helped pass the time. Yes, the scenery is lovely and the chance to see wildlife is there, although we saw nothing, on that particular journey.

The journey certainly shouldn't be deal breaker. We were delivered to the airport about 2hrs before our flight, so quite an acceptable time. Our flight was at 2pm. The last coach left the ship at 10am-ish.

Edited August 12, 2019 by old biddy
additional information

[Heidi13]

In addition to the coach between Seward & Anchorage, you also have the train option. Haven't tried it, but researched it when planning an RV trip to Alaska. From what I read, it is more scenic than the road.

[moatenote]

We plan to use Viking Air and their transfer to the airport, so it looks like a bus ride for us.  However, we likely will  pay the "deviation fee" (that sounds so scandalous) and fly to Vancouver a day early just in case there are problems with the flights.  Every other VO we've been on spent the first night in the embarkation port, but I guess since Vancouver is a tender port, that this one's different.

[Heidi13]

16 minutes ago, moatenote said:

We plan to use Viking Air and their transfer to the airport, so it looks like a bus ride for us.  However, we likely will  pay the "deviation fee" (that sounds so scandalous) and fly to Vancouver a day early just in case there are problems with the flights.  Every other VO we've been on spent the first night in the embarkation port, but I guess since Vancouver is a tender port, that this one's different.

She only tendered in Vancouver on the first arrival May 26th. On all other days she was alongside, including her last visit on Wednesday.

 

Don't have 2020 schedule posted yet so unable to check for next year.

[moatenote]

6 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

She only tendered in Vancouver on the first arrival May 26th. On all other days she was alongside, including her last visit on Wednesday.

 

Don't have 2020 schedule posted yet so unable to check for next year.

 

Our cruise is June 8, 2021.  The schedule Viking included in our invoice said the ship leaves Vancouver at 5:00 pm the same day we board.  Interestingly, every port is listed as a "tender."

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, moatenote said:

 

Our cruise is June 8, 2021.  The schedule Viking included in our invoice said the ship leaves Vancouver at 5:00 pm the same day we board.  Interestingly, every port is listed as a "tender."

If you remind me at the end of 2020, I'll check the schedule. If I meet any of the chaps from Port Metro Vancouver I'll try and get an early copy, if they will share.

[moatenote]

10 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

If you remind me at the end of 2020, I'll check the schedule. If I meet any of the chaps from Port Metro Vancouver I'll try and get an early copy, if they will share.

 

Thanks, Heidi13, I'll definitely do that!  

[shadowlover]

The train from Seward to Anchorage is wonderful!  We also drove Seward to Anchorage and the scenery was also very nice.  The kenai Fjords tour in Seward was the highlight of our Alaskan trip if you can delay your trip back to the airport it is well worth doing.  https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/kenai-fjords-national-park-tour/

[melindda]

Hi, we flew in to Anchorage, stayed one night and took the train (dome car) to Seward the next morning.  We loved the trip, very enjoyable & comfortable.  Very happy with the choice we made.