Can I Make a 12:50 pm Flight from Anchorage?

We are sailing on the HAL Noordam which is scheduled to arrive in Seward at 6:00am. I am now in the process of trying to book our flight from Anchorage to LAX for that same day. I'd prefer to take a flight I saw leaving Anchorage around 1pm, but wonder if we can manage to get to the airport in time.

Question 1: What time can we realistically expect to get off the ship, go through customs and immigration, etc. and be ready to head to Anchorage?

Question 2: Is there any way we can get to the Anchorage airport by 11 - 11:30 am in order to make this flight outside of renting a car? (The ACT bus doesn't do direct transfers on Sundays and the HAL website their transfers can only be purchased on the day of debarkation, so I don't know what time our bus would leave.)

We are sailing on the HAL Noordam which is scheduled to arrive in Seward at 6:00am. I am now in the process of trying to book our flight from Anchorage to LAX for that same day. I'd prefer to take a flight I saw leaving Anchorage around 1pm, but wonder if we can manage to get to the airport in time.

 

Question 1: What time can we realistically expect to get off the ship, go through customs and immigration, etc. and be ready to head to Anchorage?

 

Question 2: Is there any way we can get to the Anchorage airport by 11 - 11:30 am in order to make this flight outside of renting a car? (The ACT bus doesn't do direct transfers on Sundays and the HAL website their transfers can only be purchased on the day of debarkation, so I don't know what time our bus would leave.)

Any mode of transportation on the road will take 2 1/2 to 3 hours assuming that there are zero delays due to traffic, construction or any other problems which often happen during the summer. That means that you have to be on on your vehicle and moving by 8:30. Do you want to take the chance considering that the road between Seward and Anchorage is mostly 2 lane and there is a lot of traffic and construction during the summer. That is not a chance that I would like to take.

There are a bunch of AK regulars on CC and I am sure that they will chime in with their opinions.

DON

That is making things a bit tight. As the previous poster noted, that trip from Seward can easily take more time due to ongoing road projects in the summer. Better to take a later flight to LAX; you might also want to look into return trips to BUR, SNA, or other local LA airports. They will involve a connection in either Seattle or Portland.

We are sailing on the HAL Noordam which is scheduled to arrive in Seward at 6:00am. I am now in the process of trying to book our flight from Anchorage to LAX for that same day. I'd prefer to take a flight I saw leaving Anchorage around 1pm, but wonder if we can manage to get to the airport in time.

 

Question 1: What time can we realistically expect to get off the ship, go through customs and immigration, etc. and be ready to head to Anchorage?

 

Question 2: Is there any way we can get to the Anchorage airport by 11 - 11:30 am in order to make this flight outside of renting a car? (The ACT bus doesn't do direct transfers on Sundays and the HAL website their transfers can only be purchased on the day of debarkation, so I don't know what time our bus would leave.)

It's been awhile since I disembarked in Seward. However, you go through US Customs and Immigration at the cruise terminal in Vancouver.

See if HAL offers an early cruise train to the airport. I know that some on my May RCI cruise have already booked that.

**I just did a search for info about the cruise train to ANC. For our ship (Radiance of the Seas arriving in Seward on May 26) - it departs at 6:45 a.m., arrives at the airport at 12:00, and costs $125 pp.

We easily made a 1:30pm flight from ANC-LAX using transportation by

http://www.alaskacruisetransfer.com

A great private bus company with comfortable bus's that have a restroom. Checkout their website and book this directly by yourself.

We arrived directly at ANC (non-stop) about 10:30am.

It's been awhile since I disembarked in Seward. However, you go through US Customs and Immigration at the cruise terminal in Vancouver.

 

See if HAL offers an early cruise train to the airport. I know that some on my May RCI cruise have already booked that.

 

**I just did a search for info about the cruise train to ANC. For our ship (Radiance of the Seas arriving in Seward on May 26) - it departs at 6:45 a.m., arrives at the airport at 12:00, and costs $125 pp.

We have been on Radiance and used the cruiseline train transfer option and could not have used this train option for same day flights from ANC booked before 2:30pm...Our train left at approx 7:30am and arrived into ANC at 11:00am....unless something has recently changed :confused:

We are sailing on the HAL Noordam which is scheduled to arrive in Seward at 6:00am. I am now in the process of trying to book our flight from Anchorage to LAX for that same day. I'd prefer to take a flight I saw leaving Anchorage around 1pm, but wonder if we can manage to get to the airport in time.

 

Question 1: What time can we realistically expect to get off the ship, go through customs and immigration, etc. and be ready to head to Anchorage?

 

Question 2: Is there any way we can get to the Anchorage airport by 11 - 11:30 am in order to make this flight outside of renting a car? (The ACT bus doesn't do direct transfers on Sundays and the HAL website their transfers can only be purchased on the day of debarkation, so I don't know what time our bus would leave.)

Keep in mind you need a 2 hour window at the Anchorage airport. You do NOT go though any "customs" in Seward. You can just walk off the ship around 7am. See what independent transfers you can find. www,anchorage.net http://www.seward.com

My husband is now retired, but for a number of years, both winter and summer, he had to fly down to Anchorage on business for the day. Some days, both winter and summer, the TSA line at the Anchorage airport can be extremely loooong and slooooow. If the OP would be in the non-expedited TSA line (for example, no TSA pre-check) they really need to be standing at the entrance to that TSA line two hours prior to departure. They could be lucky and the line is short that day, but if the line is long and slow they will need that time.

We have been on Radiance and used the cruiseline train transfer option and could not have used this train option for same day flights from ANC booked before 2:30pm...Our train left at approx 7:30am and arrived into ANC at 11:00am....unless something has recently changed :confused:

That seems like a long train ride to me, too - but those times are what the person on my roll call posted.

That seems like a long train ride to me, too - but those times are what the person on my roll call posted.

Doesn't seem overly long when you consider the regular scheduled train is 4 1/4 hrs, leaves Seward at 6pm, arrives at 10:15pm.

That seems like a long train ride to me, too - but those times are what the person on my roll call posted.

It's a 3 1/2 hour 126 mile train trip...I'm pretty sure of my time schedule posted...I would double check with your cruiseline to confirm...and you usually can only book this directly with your cruiseline at least this is true with RCI.

It's a 3 1/2 hour 126 mile train trip...I'm pretty sure of my time schedule posted...I would double check with your cruiseline to confirm...and you usually can only book this directly with your cruiseline at least this is true with RCI.

"4", - never could be "3", for Seward/Anchorage via train

The trains I have been on have been closer to the 4.5 hour time frame.