3-4 Day Stay in Seward

[janetmojo]

We are flying into Anchorage on July 26th and taking the train to Seward the morning of the 27th.  We have a room at Resurrection on the Bay until our cruise leaves on the 31st.  We were hoping to have them organize a package of activities like they have offered in the past but they are no longer doing that.  We were not planning on getting a car since again we were hoping to do a package.  We know we want to do the Major Marine 8.5 hour trip.  What other tours/trips are must do's and do we need a car?

 

We have done 4 Alaska cruises but never stayed in Alaska.  We are active and in our 40's and 50's (no kids.)

[Northern Aurora]

Each person's "much do's" are different, but I would visit the SeaLife Center and also Exit Glacier.  In the past there has been a shuttle to Exit Glacier; Seward's visitors center should have details (www.seward.com).  There is a car rental agency in Seward if you want to rent for a day and drive either to or toward Homer.  Others will chime in with more ideas and suggestions.

[mapleleaves]

Is this the Resurrection Lodge on the Bay?  If so, I believe it's out on Lowell Point, so you will need a car unless you plan on sitting at the Lodge all day.  OR do they have shuttle service to take you into town?

 

If you don't WANT to rent a car, you should change your accomodation to somewhere in town, either by the harbor or downtown.   When you stay in town you can use the free shuttle to get around town, or there's a wonderful path that goes from downtown (by SeaLife Center) to the harbor.  It's a paved path, about 1 1/2 miles that follows the shoreline .... great views of glaciers across the bay, all the boat activity, usually eagles flying overhead, and otters playing near the shore.   

If you want to visit  Exit Glacier, there's a $15 RT shuttle that leaves from the harbor.

There are vendors in town to ..  kayak, fish, dog cart, heli dogsledding, flightseeing.  But again you need to be in town .   http://www.seward.com/

 

Personally I would get a car (Hertz is the only vendor in town) .... take a short drive up to Cooper Landing and watch the combat fishing, and walk to Russian River Falls. Or cut time off Seward and drive to Homer for a couple of days.  OR even backtrack to Girdwood area and visit the Wildlife Conservation Center, do the tram at Alyeska,  visit the Visitor Center at Begich Boggs, easy hike to Byron Glacier.  So many options with a car. 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by mapleleaves

[janetmojo]

28 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

Is this the Resurrection Lodge on the Bay?  If so, I believe it's out on Lowell Point, so you will need a car unless you plan on sitting at the Lodge all day.  OR do they have shuttle service to take you into town?

 

 

 

 

They do offer shuttle service between I think between 8am and 6pm.  I was looking at two tours that were all day (6-8 hours so I just wasn't sure if I needed one or not.)  Thanks for all the great tips!!

[RSF Cruiser]

If you like hiking you can hike to the Harding Icefields at Exit Glacier.

[AuroraRose]

We went to Exit Glacier (taking the shuttle for $15), ate lunch by the bay at Zudy's cafe (highly recommend! good food and great views from the deck!), went to the Sea Life Center, and just walked around enjoying the various shops. We stayed in Seward for 3 days post cruise this past August. 

[Anita Latte]

So I totally get the idea of whether or not you need a car because you may be planning such long tours...hard to think about paying for a car that will be parked for 6-8 hours during the day and then also overnight...so I would recommend figuring out your own package and maybe picking to have a car for not the whole time...but for the days that have plans that rely or would benefit from the use of a car.

 

Seward itself has a lot to offer...but if you have never spent time on the interior of Alaska, I second mapleleaves's suggestion to go down the Sterling Highway. A fun day in a rental could make for a great day. You'll see Turnagain Arm on the train, but that may make you want to see more. Planning for a touring day where you head off on the Seward Highway to the Sterling Highway...stopping wherever you feel so inclined...and then getting to see the amazing glacier-fed Kenai River. We spent the day on the river fishing with a guide...and it was incredible. But the area itself is a draw and I would highly recommend going in as far as Copper Landing, as mapleleaves said...we had the tour so I'm not familiar with what you would do as a day tour. But that would definitely be worth researching.

 

You could combine a hike on Byron Glacier Trail on that day. It's outside Girdwood I think. I've read it's an easy trail to do.

 

Look up Exit Glacier. One of the draws there for me was the fact that they have free ranger-led tours. Also, the visitor center there is free. You can pay for a guided hike...and also include hiking on the glacier with a tour company. There is the shuttle out to that glacier, but if you had a rental car for any period of time, this might be a day that would benefit from having the car, depending on price. $15 pp for a shuttle could go a long way toward paying a daily rate on a rental car with the added bonus of flexibility and being able to do something else that day.

 

We took a reasonably priced helicopter tour out of Seward. It is something else to get ABOVE Alaska. We did a glacier landing that was on the moraine of a glacier. That was a highlight, even though it was only a 30 minute ride. OMG...some 30 minutes in life are more memorable than others. Honestly...any more than 30 minutes might put your brain in overload...there's so much to take in.

 

We also took a kayak excursion to Bear Glacier Lagoon. It's so repetitive to say how awesome everything is all the time, but again, kayaking in relatively calm waters with gigantic ice bergs floating all around. That would be the kind of day that you could NOT have a car for, provided the hotel shuttles you into Seward and you can get to the meet point for the kayak tour. Then spend the day enjoying Seward's waterfront area...and down by the Sea Center thing (didn't visit) where it's very old town like with shops and bars and restaurants.

 

Here's the thing that is hard to grasp about a place like Seward until you get there and experience it for yourself. Just being in the seaside town of Seward, surrounded by the mountains, the view of the bay, picking out...is that a glacier over there?...just having your morning coffee can be special. I guess what I'm trying to say is...don't over plan your day. Give yourself the time to just soak it all in. LOVE Alaska!!

[janetmojo]

Thank you for the wonderful ideas Anita Latte 🙂  I think we will look into a car at least part of the time.  I hate feeling stranded.

[Jimbo]

Don't want to hyjack this thread, but rather then make another thread. What do people think about the Breeze Inn and it's location without a car.....................coming in on train, staying 2 nights. Arriving late morning, next day will be our excursion with Major Marine., following day board our cruise ship.

 

Prior to all this arriving in Anchorage staying the one night, renting a car for 4 days before returning to Anchorage for another night and taking the train  early the next morning to Seward.

Edited November 24, 2019 by Jimbo

[Anita Latte]

We went in the gift shop at the Breeze Inn. I bought a sweet fleece hat in a pillbox style with a kind of First Nation motif around the brim...I got the salmon motif...looks like the salmon symbol that would appear on a totem. Made in Alaska. They also had fleece vest, jackets, etc. Many other things that aren't necessarily Made in Alaska.

 

We had gotten some coffee at the window that is nearby if not right there. I'd have to look at my own trip report to figure it out, but basically it was like a walk-up window. There were a couple of booth style benches with tables outside. It was the best to sit there across the street from the waterfront area, seeing the bay and the snow capped mountains in the distance. Crisp air. OMG...just wonderful.

 

Breeze Inn looked nice and I would stay there. Its location in the middle of a lot so I think you could definitely easily get around. We could've just walked across the street to eat our lunch at Ray's Waterfront after coffee, but we were parked on the street at the time and I think the lot was free for people visiting the businesses associated with the lot. Can't recall if the street was metered or what...but it seemed good to get the car in the lot...so we did that...even though it was easy walking distance.

 

If I were you though...I'd be pulling up Breeze Inn on a map. Google or Maps. Figure out what everything is around the Inn. Switch the view to satellite to really get a good look and even do the street view on Google to get another perspective. Contrast that information with the route information for the shuttle that operates in town...and also mapping out a few walking distances so that you can get a feel for the area and what you are likely to do. My guess though is that you will find it no problem at all to not have a car while staying at Breeze Inn.

Edited November 24, 2019 by Anita Latte

[Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Anita Latte said:

We went in the gift shop at the Breeze Inn. I bought a sweet fleece hat in a pillbox style with a kind of First Nation motif around the brim...I got the salmon motif...looks like the salmon symbol that would appear on a totem. Made in Alaska. They also had fleece vest, jackets, etc. Many other things that aren't necessarily Made in Alaska.

 

We had gotten some coffee at the window that is nearby if not right there. I'd have to look at my own trip report to figure it out, but basically it was like a walk-up window. There were a couple of booth style benches with tables outside. It was the best to sit there across the street from the waterfront area, seeing the bay and the snow capped mountains in the distance. Crisp air. OMG...just wonderful.

 

Breeze Inn looked nice and I would stay there. Its location in the middle of a lot so I think you could definitely easily get around. We could've just walked across the street to eat our lunch at Ray's Waterfront after coffee, but we were parked on the street at the time and I think the lot was free for people visiting the businesses associated with the lot. Can't recall if the street was metered or what...but it seemed good to get the car in the lot...so we did that...even though it was easy walking distance.

 

If I were you though...I'd be pulling up Breeze Inn on a map. Google or Maps. Figure out what everything is around the Inn. Switch the view to satellite to really get a good look and even do the street view on Google to get another perspective. Contrast that information with the route information for the shuttle that operates in town...and also mapping out a few walking distances so that you can get a feel for the area and what you are likely to do. My guess though is that you will find it no problem at all to not have a car while staying at Breeze Inn.

Sounds like it will be okay then, it's only for a half day after the train ride and for 4 or 5 hours after the Major Marine Excursion, so it should suit us fine, we got a harbor facing room also so that should be good.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Mountaineer0313]

I would rent a car. Renting from Hertz in Seward is not expensive at all, as long as you return it to the same place. With 3-4 days, you could easily head on and go to Girdwood, go to the wildlife conservation center, explore the Kenai Peninsula and see all the beautiful scenery there is between Anchorage and Seward. Definitely agree with Mapleleaves, Homer or Cooper Landing would be great, and there's a great little bar in Hope, which is a very cute place. My husband and I basically just found roads and took them and saw where we ended up after we got there.

Edited November 26, 2019 by Mountaineer0313

[SempreMare]

@janetmojo my DIY trip and cruise to Alaska last summer gave me the most 'Zen' feeling I've had perhaps in my entire life.

 

I stayed in a different lodge than yours on Lowell Point, so some of this might not apply to the cabin you booked.

 

- The cabin I was in had no climate control other than heat. 

Lesson for me:  I will never book a room in Alaska without full climate control.

 

I did not anticipate this would be a problem in ALASKA.  However, it was really hot on Lowell Point.   Below - the Lacrosse Scientific room thermometer showing exactly how warm it was...    The thermometer frequently showed 10-20 degrees warmer than any official Seward weather readings  It felt at least this warm... 

 

 

My choices were: 

1) Open the windows and have the room fill with lingering smoke from the one of the nearby fires that was supposedly almost out.

2) Keep the windows closed and have the room get really hot and stuffy.  A box fan made it less stuffy but also made a lot of noise.

 

When the fire broke out several months earlier,  I did call to see if it could be changed, but the room paid in full was already non-refundable.   I should have changed anyway...

 

Lesson for me:  Don't book rooms in fire-prone areas with a similar cancellation policy.   All of Alaska seemed to be a fire prone area in 2019.   The local University prof quoted in the Anchorage Daily News said it's going to get worse, not better...

 

I was very glad I had a rental car while staying on Lowell Point.  Being able to leave the room and drive into Seward was something I wanted to do several times / day.   Needing a shuttle would have come at a big flexibility cost.

 

re: Driving to Lowell Point

 

The 25mph speed limit seemed right for the road connecting Lowell Point and Seward

In other words, I did not feel inclined to drive fast on this road.

I was grateful it did not get too dark till late.

 

 

Oh, see that "Caution Falling Rocks" sign above?  That was no joke.  On the Sunday after I checked out, I was driving back into Seward from Lowell Point to drop off the rental car,  (right hand side in above road),  and there were HUGE rocks on the left side of the road.  It must have just happened.   So I notified the friendly Seward Police ,  and let every car driving the other way to watch out for BIG rocks around the curve.  

 

Why did I have the Seward Police phone number already in my phone?

That's a different  story... 

 

However, on the good, One of the many wonderful things about Seward is you can access beautiful sites like this without staying directly on the water.   Sites like this are visible all over. 

 

It's not like staying at a lakeside lodge where if you aren't at lodges directly on the lake you don't have a view or access to the lake amenities.    Grand views are easily available all over the town.  Check out Google Earth to see this. 

 

My favorite activities on the DIY pre-cruise part were

- the Phillips 26 Glaciers cruise was awesome

https://phillipscruises.com/

- an unplanned day meandering through downtown Seward when there was a combination of small craft advisory + smoke that would have meant not seeing much and having a rough ride on the Major Marine tour

 

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2019 by SempreMare

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We did a tour to Exit Glacier and the Seavey homestead and kennels.  They picked up at various places in Seward.  The trip was the Real Alaska Day tour and was 6 hours, including lunch

 

https://ididaride.com/tours/summer-dog-sledding/