Getting Home

[NightRN]

Our cruise will end in Seward on 7/10/09. I tried looking for a flight to Phoenix on Alaska Air since I read on another thread that they were a great airline. No luck. Any other recommendations?

[Budget Queen]

You need to look at an overall multi city booked flight, with getting to Vancouver returning from Anchorage. And what serves your city.

[NancyIL]

Do you have any extra time to spend in Alaska when the cruise ends? It's well worth the extra time and money to see some of the interior.

 

I looked at Alaska Airlines web site, and you can fly from Anchorage to Phoenix with a change of planes in either Seattle or Portland.

[NightRN]

So how do most people get from Seward to Anchorage?

 

I would love to check out more of Alaska, but my husband doesn't like extended vacations. 1 week is his max.

 

Sorry if I seem a little slow this morning. I shipped my son off to Navy boot camp yesterday, and I feel like I'm in a fog.

[NancyIL]

So how do most people get from Seward to Anchorage?

 

I would spend the day in Seward, if not an overnight. You can take the very scenic train that leaves at 6 p.m. - arriving in Anchorage about 10:20 p.m. There are also cruise transfers if you leave early in the day - but I wouldn't be in a hurry to get out of there.

[NightRN]

I would spend the day in Seward, if not an overnight. You can take the very scenic train that leaves at 6 p.m. - arriving in Anchorage about 10:20 p.m. There are also cruise transfers if you leave early in the day - but I wouldn't be in a hurry to get out of there.

 

What would you recommend in Seward? It would have to be something very good for DH to agree to it.

 

We'll be taking a train from Seattle to Vancouver, so I guess we can end our cruise with a train trip too. ;)

[NancyIL]

What would you recommend in Seward? It would have to be something very good for DH to agree to it.

 

We'll be taking a train from Seattle to Vancouver, so I guess we can end our cruise with a train trip too. ;)

 

I would recommend either the 6-hour Kenai Fjords boat trip from 11:30-5:30, or time spent at the SeaLife Center and Exit Glacier.

 

Can you spare more time for a few days in Denali National Park? If not - since your cruise ends on a Friday, I would take the Friday night train to Anchorage and spend the night there. Then take the latest red-eye out of Anchorage on Saturday night so you can spend some time there during the day.

[vbmom87]

You have several options getting from Seward to Anchorage. Your cruise ship will most likely offer a 7:00 am train transfer, and a bus transfer to Anchorage. There are also several independent transfers you can arrange, which would likely cost less. Some people just like the cruiseline to take care of everything for them. Others are watching their dollars more carefully and arrange their own transportation. My sisters and BIL took the cruise transfer via the train and loved it. They were on HAL and this year HAL offered an extra luggage service for $16. My sisters and BIL just left there luggage in the hall the night before debarkation and they didn't have to handle it again until they were back home in Detroit. They had a red eye flight, so they were able to tour Anchorage in the afternoon and not have to deal with luggage. They thought that was a very well spent $16. My DH and I stayed one night in Seward and left the following day on the evening train to Anchorage. The train ride was a real highlight for all of us.

 

As far as flights, try a website like www.kayak.com. Click on Multi-City and put in your dates of travel. It will give you an idea of which airlines fly out of and into your home airport. I know not all airlines participate in kayak, but many do. At least it is a good starting point. I believe Southwest is one that does not appear on kayak. I don't recall if I saw Alaska Airlines on it or not. I never buy tickets through kayak links, but go directly to the airlines where I see the better prices.

 

Although your husband doesn't like extended vacations, try to convince him to fly in at at least one day early. If you spend any time on this board you will realize it is not a good idea to fly out on the day of your cruise. With cancellations and summer storms, delays can happen. On our June cruise, I believe about 15 people missed our departure from Vancouver and had to catch up in Ketchikan. A poster this summer shared her unfortunate experience. She missed her departure due to flight cancellations and then delays on her new flights. Her first port day was on day 4 of her cruise. Thank goodness she had travel insurance that covered her missing her ship, but she lost 3 days of cruising with the rest of her family. Very sad!!!

 

Seward is a great little town, and my DH and I loved it. However, as I mentioned, my sisters and BIL decided that they did not want to extend their vacation either. They took advantage of some great excursions in the ports our ship visited, and they had a wonderfully memorable vacation, even without stopping in Seward. My cousins told us not to waste our time in Seward. I am not sure why, because we loved it. I guess we all have different interests. They also did not like their Cruise West cruise. It is important to know what kind of traveller you are and what you will enjoy.

[NancyIL]

I would love to check out more of Alaska, but my husband doesn't like extended vacations. 1 week is his max.

 

Sorry if I seem a little slow this morning. I shipped my son off to Navy boot camp yesterday, and I feel like I'm in a fog.

 

I didn't see your edit until now. Flights to Alaska are expensive, so might as well see what you can while you are there.

[NightRN]

Can you spare more time for a few days in Denali National Park? If not - since your cruise ends on a Friday, I would take the Friday night train to Anchorage and spend the night there. Then take the latest red-eye out of Anchorage on Saturday night so you can spend some time there during the day.

 

DH won't take the time in Denali. I tried to talk him into the cruisetour to do it. He refused. Party Pooper!!! :p I might be able to squeeze an extra day in Anchorage out of him though. Any great ideas for things to do in Anchorage? Is the SeaLife Center and exit Glacier in Seward like Sea World? I took a peek at their website, but it didn't explain it very well.

 

If we take the 7:00 am train transfer, will we be off the ship in time? I've only been on one cruise, but it took us FOREVER to get off. If we get offered the luggage transfer, I'm taking it. I love going to Walt Disney World partially because Disney takes care of my luggage from the time I board the plane to go out there until the time I get off the plane when I get home.

[wrp96]

As far as flights, try a website like www.kayak.com. Click on Multi-City and put in your dates of travel. It will give you an idea of which airlines fly out of and into your home airport. I know not all airlines participate in kayak, but many do. At least it is a good starting point. I believe Southwest is one that does not appear on kayak. I don't recall if I saw Alaska Airlines on it or not. I never buy tickets through kayak links, but go directly to the airlines where I see the better prices.

 

American Airlines is another one that doesn't show up on Kayak. In fact, American has a lawsuit against Kayak at the moment.

[NancyIL]

DH won't take the time in Denali. I tried to talk him into the cruisetour to do it. He refused. Party Pooper!!! :p I might be able to squeeze an extra day in Anchorage out of him though. Any great ideas for things to do in Anchorage? Is the SeaLife Center and exit Glacier in Seward like Sea World? I took a peek at their website, but it didn't explain it very well.

 

If we take the 7:00 am train transfer, will we be off the ship in time? I've only been on one cruise, but it took us FOREVER to get off. If we get offered the luggage transfer, I'm taking it. I love going to Walt Disney World partially because Disney takes care of my luggage from the time I board the plane to go out there until the time I get off the plane when I get home.

 

I'm a big Disney World fan, but have never been to Sea World. The SeaLife Center is much smaller than Sea World, and will take 1-2 hours at most to visit. Exit Glacier is a few miles out of town (there are hourly shuttles or you can take a taxi). If you don't mind one more boat trip to see wildlife and a glacier, a 6-hour Kenai Fjords cruise is time and money well spent.

 

The morning train is just for the cruise ships, and you will be off the ship in time. That train also costs more than the regular evening train at 6 p.m.

 

 

Anchorage has a neat market downtown on Saturdays and Sundays. There's also the Alaska Native Heritage Center (with a free shuttle from downtown), the Museum of History and Art, Earthquake Park, and some great places to eat. There's much more to do, but you won't be there that long.

[vbmom87]

DH won't take the time in Denali. I tried to talk him into the cruisetour to do it. He refused. Party Pooper!!! :p I might be able to squeeze an extra day in Anchorage out of him though. Any great ideas for things to do in Anchorage? Is the SeaLife Center and exit Glacier in Seward like Sea World? I took a peek at their website, but it didn't explain it very well.

 

If we take the 7:00 am train transfer, will we be off the ship in time? I've only been on one cruise, but it took us FOREVER to get off. If we get offered the luggage transfer, I'm taking it. I love going to Walt Disney World partially because Disney takes care of my luggage from the time I board the plane to go out there until the time I get off the plane when I get home.

 

With the 7:00 a.m train transfer, you are the first group off the ship. My sisters were off at 6:30 a.m. for their 7:00 a.m. train.

 

Sea World and the Sea Life Center are two totally different experiences. We were at the Sea Life Center from about 9:30 am. until about 12:30. We went on the Behind the Scenes tour they offer. I believe that tour was about an hour and a half. We might be in the minority here, but we could have spent more time at the Sea Life Center. We just enjoyed reading about all the exhibits and just watching the animals. I have read of some people who did not feel it was worth their time. Some said a half hour was enough. Again, I can't emphasize enough that we all have different interests. I have no idea if you would like it. All I can say is I could have used more time.

 

If I had the choice between Anchorage and Seward, it would definitely be Seward. My DH and I are not city people. When we vacation we like to be in the midst of nature. We went to the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. It was okay, but no highlight for us. One of our days we overnighted in Anchorage, we drove the Turnagain Arm. That was very enjoyable for us. We just didn't find things in Anchorage that appealled to use. The only reason we went ot the Native Heritage Center was because of the rave reviews. I thought it was a highlight not to be missed. I could have easily skipped it, but it gave us something to do while waiting for our red eye flight. So again, read about the places you are considering visiting and then decide if they appeal to you or not. I liked things others did not care for and vice versa. We need to know who we are when we plan our trips.

 

As mentioned, it is expensive to fly to Alaska, so if you are there, it would be great to see as much as you can of the things that would interest you.

 

Enjoy your trip. I am sure you will love whatever you plan to do.

[NightRN]

I'm a big Disney World fan, but have never been to Sea World. The SeaLife Center is much smaller than Sea World, and will take 1-2 hours at most to visit. Exit Glacier is a few miles out of town (there are hourly shuttles or you can take a taxi). If you don't mind one more boat trip to see wildlife and a glacier, a 6-hour Kenai Fjords cruise is time and money well spent.

 

The morning train is just for the cruise ships, and you will be off the ship in time. That train also costs more than the regular evening train at 6 p.m.

 

 

Anchorage has a neat market downtown on Saturdays and Sundays. There's also the Alaska Native Heritage Center (with a free shuttle from downtown), the Museum of History and Art, Earthquake Park, and some great places to eat. There's much more to do, but you won't be there that long.

 

Ah-ha. DH will stay the day if the evening train is cheaper. He'll never do a 6-hour cruise, but we may be able to see the SeaLife Center. Do they sell stuffed animals at the SeaLife Center? I always collect a stuffed animal when we visit a new place, and I'll have to find one in Alaska.

 

Is the market in Anchorage a farmer's market or somewhere we can pick up souvenirs?

[vbmom87]

Ah-ha. DH will stay the day if the evening train is cheaper. He'll never do a 6-hour cruise, but we may be able to see the SeaLife Center. Do they sell stuffed animals at the SeaLife Center? I always collect a stuffed animal when we visit a new place, and I'll have to find one in Alaska.

 

Is the market in Anchorage a farmer's market or somewhere we can pick up souvenirs?

 

Yes, you can find stuffed animals at the Sealife Center. Check out their other optional tours if sealife is of interest to you. If you are interested in sealife, it really is a fascinating place to visit.

 

The evening train is cheaper. Almost half price this past year. I know next year they are supposed to have some newer cars, that will come at a premium price.

 

If you stay the day in Seward, you can easily see both the Sealife Center and Exit Glacier before you need to head to the train. Going on the night train allows you to sleep in a bit if you want, have breakfast on the ship, disembark, take your luggage to the train station, and then start your day. You can visit the Sea Life Center and head out to Exit Glacier or do it in reverse. We enjoyed taking the ranger guided hike to Exit Glacier.

 

Other things to do in Seward are: a helicopter flight/dog sledding; dog cart rides, and rental bikes. The downtown area closer to the Sea Life Center has some nice shops. We found one that had quite a few Alaska made gifts.

[Budget Queen]

The cruise contracted train is about $40 more per person.

 

Although your husband seems to be set in his ideas, he may be very receptive to change, once he finds out what your airfare is going to cost, along with transfers?? I am a big advocate of taking advantage and seeing all you can while interior Alaska- how often are you going to get there??? For myself, I never do one way cruises without it. :)

 

In my opinion, the top attraction of Seward is a Kenai Fjords boat tour, just spectacular and FAR superior to anything seen from your cruise ship. Loaded with varied wildlife and close up glacier viewing. You need to consider only trips of at least 6 hours on the water, nothing less. It is also a 3 hour bus ride to Anchorage and a 4.25 hour trip to Anchorage.

 

So, take advantage of being all the way there. Here is a small photo sample with Kenai fjords, if you care to show him. http://community.webshots.com/user/budgetqueen

[NightRN]

 

Although your husband seems to be set in his ideas, he may be very receptive to change, once he finds out what your airfare is going to cost, along with transfers?? I am a big advocate of taking advantage and seeing all you can while interior Alaska- how often are you going to get there???

 

This is part of the problem. For him, our vacations are "test runs" to see if he likes it or not. He figures that if he likes it, we'll go back to see more. If he doesn't like it, his time there is limited so he doesn't have to suffer.

 

We took a weekend cruise down to Mexico once, just so he could have a cruise "test run". He enjoyed it, so we're going for a longer cruise to Alaska. He says that if he likes it, we'll go back for the cruisetour when the kids get out of the house (4 -5 years from now). Also, if he doesn't get bored being on the ship for that long, we'll be taking a cruise to Hawaii.

 

I'm the opposite, if I'm gonna do it, I want to do it all in one shot. But as was mentioned earlier, you have to know what type of traveler you are before you book anything in order to have a good time. Well, I have to know what kind of traveler he is in order for all of us to have a good time. If Daddy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. ;)

 

Following his lead does have its advantages. I thought our first trip to Walt Disney World in 2005 would be our only trip. Turns out we've been there every year since then (sometimes more than once) except this year. Didn't go this year because I was unhappy with the changes they were making. Boy was I a happy camper for all those other trips though :D .

 

I love your photos. Is the ice really blue like that or did you photoshop it?

[NightRN]

Yes, you can find stuffed animals at the Sealife Center. Check out their other optional tours if sealife is of interest to you. If you are interested in sealife, it really is a fascinating place to visit.

 

Other things to do in Seward are: a helicopter flight/dog sledding

 

Do they do just the dog sledding with the puppies? My daughter really wants to do this. I saw it on the cruise line's website in Skagway, but I would really like to see the eagle preserve there instead.

 

Thanks for the info about the stuffed animals. Now I know I won't have to stress out about it if I don't find one by the end of our cruise. I just about went nuts trying to find one in Oklahoma one year.

[vbmom87]

Do they do just the dog sledding with the puppies? My daughter really wants to do this. I saw it on the cruise line's website in Skagway, but I would really like to see the eagle preserve there instead.

 

 

I have not personally gone, but have read a lot about them. They seem to be a great tour company. I have also read that their tours are cancelled less often than the ones out of Juneau and Skagway.

 

Here is their website:

 

http://www.alaskadogsled.com/

[NightRN]

I have not personally gone, but have read a lot about them. They seem to be a great tour company. I have also read that their tours are cancelled less often than the ones out of Juneau and Skagway.

 

Here is their website:

 

http://www.alaskadogsled.com/

 

 

Thanks for the link.

[Chat Noir]

Okay, I had to laugh at this... I wondered what kind of 'test run' your DH put you through before he decided he wanted to marry?!!!!:)

 

If you are spending the day in Seward, I too, would recommend the Kenai Fjords National Park day cruise. Even though you are just off the cruise ship, the experience is so different. Wildlife/marine-life viewing from the ship doesn't even begin to compare, and the close-up (safe distance) sights and sounds of glaciers calving are simply magnificent. Let him party-poop alone and take this excursion! One warning however, if you're prone to seasickness, take precautions.... I cast my vote for the train transfer to Anchorage, also.

 

I'm still trying to figure out just when we had a stuffed animal shortage here in Oklahoma???

[knorrisb07]

I have not personally gone, but have read a lot about them. They seem to be a great tour company. I have also read that their tours are cancelled less often than the ones out of Juneau and Skagway.

 

Here is their website:

 

http://www.alaskadogsled.com/

 

Thanks for sharing the link.

[NancyIL]

Ah-ha. DH will stay the day if the evening train is cheaper. He'll never do a 6-hour cruise, but we may be able to see the SeaLife Center. Do they sell stuffed animals at the SeaLife Center? I always collect a stuffed animal when we visit a new place, and I'll have to find one in Alaska.

 

Is the market in Anchorage a farmer's market or somewhere we can pick up souvenirs?

 

The market in Anchorage is both a farmers market plus souvenirs.

[NightRN]

Okay, I had to laugh at this... I wondered what kind of 'test run' your DH put you through before he decided he wanted to marry?!!!!:)

 

I'm still trying to figure out just when we had a stuffed animal shortage here in Oklahoma???

 

I think I'll let you keep wondering out about the "test run" before we got married. Hee-hee-hee:p Just kidding, we actually lived together for 4 years before we got married.

 

The stuffed animal shortage would've been 5 1/2 years ago.

[Budget Queen]

Do they do just the dog sledding with the puppies? My daughter really wants to do this. I saw it on the cruise line's website in Skagway, but I would really like to see the eagle preserve there instead.

 

Thanks for the info about the stuffed animals. Now I know I won't have to stress out about it if I don't find one by the end of our cruise. I just about went nuts trying to find one in Oklahoma one year.

 

Not sure of your "puppie" question. These dogs do not do dog sledding. Actually, you might want to look into the facts of dog sledding. Dogs have specific jobs- there are 3 and positions and partners.

 

Eagles are everywhere in Alaska, if you take the time to look. The Haines "eagle" preserve is out of season for cruise ship visitors, the huge numbers come after the season ends. Have a good pair of binoculars, I recommend 10 power, but also wide angle since it is definately necessary if you want a look at marine wildlife.