Seward as a port of call

[Gaznjo]

Most of these threads cover Seward as either an embarkation or debark port. Our cruise visits just for the day so I was hoping that some of you can give us your thoughts...

 

I know anchorage is over 2 hours away, but I am sure that there would be other tours to do around Seward.

 

What is the best way to get in and out of town?

 

Can tours be found once you get there?

 

What do you recommend?

 

This cruise is part of a grand voyage and the other Alaskan ports we are visiting are Juneau, ISP and Ketchikan.

 

we are there from 6 am - 7pm but I am sure we are going to be held up with immigration as this is our first US port after Asia.

 

many thanks

Joanne

Australia

Edited August 5, 2015 by packetau

[Northern Aurora]

Seward is a small and fairly compact community. If you look at a map of Seward the cruise ship terminal is on one side of the small boat harbor with a number of shops on the other. This community was devastated by the 1964 Alaskan earthquake, and the older portion of town is located in the vicinity of the SeaLife Center.

 

Popular attractions in the immediate vicinity include the SeaLife Center, Exit Glacier and day cruises. There is a shuttle which loops around the community, so it is very easy to visit the SeaLife Center from the cruise terminal. There is also a different shuttle to Exit Glacier and its hiking trails; this shuttle service is available for a fee. Tour operators offering day cruises through the Kenai Fjords National Park are located in the shops and restaurants on the other side of the small boat harbor; unless you have severe mobility problems it is easy to walk to the offices of these tour operators.

 

The Hertz rental car agency is located very close to the cruise ship terminal. If you chose to rent a car you could visit such attractions as Portage Glacier or Girdwood.

[Gaznjo]

Thanks for that information....

 

We would like to pick up some type of tour here.... bit keen on Dog sledding so looking at the best place to do that... aswell

[Northern Aurora]

Since we live in Alaska I always find the dog sled tours somewhat curious, but the Seavey family offers a dog sled experience out of Seward.

[Gaznjo]

Since we live in Alaska I always find the dog sled tours somewhat curious, but the Seavey family offers a dog sled experience out of Seward.

 

 

We live in Australia so even snow is a treat for us lol..... Those dogs look so cute..... I want to do it on snow so it is a little pricey...... Our Aussie dollar is not doing too good against the green back

[Northern Aurora]

Have you checked this website for other ideas:

 

http://www.seward.com

 

Since we live in the interior of Alaska, where running dogs is an expensive hobby, I've always found the dog cart dog excursions, particularly when done with a cart on dirt, somewhat curious. But in Alaska when you have a bear in the neighborhood it isn't a pleasant experience, so I also don't really understand the tourist interest in bears.

 

We spent seven nights in Sydney in 2011 following a trans-Pacific cruise and thoroughly enjoyed our time in your city. We stayed at the Sir Stamford at Circular Quay. We enjoyed that hotel so much that we stayed at that hotel again last October following a second trans-Pacific + south Pacific B2B pairing.

 

Last October, after several days in Sydney, we flew out to Uluru for several more days. While we don't have another specific trip planed to Australia, we do know that our next trip will include a few more days at Uluru followed by a trip to WA (which doesn't mean Washington state for those in North America).

 

It appears from your posts you will not be visiting the interior of Alaska but if you did you might find that the characters who live here are very similar to those in NT. We felt somewhat at home.

[Gaznjo]

:D

Have you checked this website for other ideas:

 

But in Alaska when you have a bear in the neighborhood it isn't a pleasant experience, so I also don't really understand the tourist interest in bears.

 

.

 

ha ha ha ...that is probably how our farmers feel about our kangaroo's... they can be a real pest to our farmers when their numbers are in the hundreds.... or when you are driving in the country and jump infront of the car at dusk... They solid things and do a lot of damage to the car.... yet visitors can't wait to head to our zoo's to pet and feed them LOL... including me :D

 

Glad you like Sydney ... We do like being in the city and around the harbour.. one of the loveliest ports to sail away too.

 

We too would like to visit what we grew up knowing as Ayres Rock but now called Uluru......you need to do circumnavigation of Australia and would give you a taster of all our State Capitals... well except Canberra that is LOL...

 

Thanks for that link ... I will take a look...

[Budget Queen]

Seward is a gem. Plenty to see and do. http://www.seward.com is must reading. There are 2 vendors- that I know of who do glacier Dog Sledding out of Seward. It is a consistently raved about tour. IF you want to make the most of your short time here- I do not recommend, waiting until you are there to book tours. There isn't "one" area to go for "tours". Each vendor has their own contact, so you are going to have to make the selections and contacts anyway. If it doesn't matter what you do, then certainly wait. But if can get your choices made in advance, then have all your bookings made in advance.

[Gaznjo]

Thanks Budget queen....

 

if we don't do the sledding there then I think we would like to maybe do a trip out to the glacier....

 

Seward.com is great and I downloaded there brochure.... we are not going till next year but knowledge is power LOL.... it is along way to go to miss anything :D

[aronde]

Thanks Budget queen....

 

if we don't do the sledding there then I think we would like to maybe do a trip out to the glacier....

 

Seward.com is great and I downloaded there brochure.... we are not going till next year but knowledge is power LOL.... it is along way to go to miss anything :D

 

We spent 4 days in Seward post cruise so I can give you an Aussie perspective if you like! In short we loved the place. We did a couple of day cruises - one longer one out to Aialik Glacier and the shorter half day one that visits Fox Island and cruises around Resurection Bay. If it is offered on your stopover the longer trip is the one to do - seeing the glacier drop mighty big chunks into the bay creating mini tidal waves was just amazing! We also enjoyed the shorter cruise but it gets a bad wrap on the forums here sometimes. On both cruises we saw lots of wildlife including whales, seals, otters, puffin birds etc and the scenery was very different to what we see in Canberra :). Your cruise ship does traverse the same general area as the ½ day cruise but of course does not get as close to the various points of interest eg little islands with seals lounging around. The Fox Island stopover had a nice lunch and a very informative ranger talk - and a whale popped up as we were docking there!

 

If you can't get on a day cruise or prefer to get some time on land then Exit glacier is worth a visit. If you can I would recommend trying to time it with one of the guided ranger walks (free). It was fascinating to hear how much the landscape has changed over such a relatively short amount of time and really added to our experience. The Seaveys dog sled base (also an excellent tour) is on the way to the glacier so you could make arrangements to do this on your way to or from the glacier. You could probably organise with Pjs or Mikes taxi to get you out to both or rent a car for the day from Hertz so you are not relying on others (the taxis do get busy on cruise ship days and the traffic in town is very light so driving on the 'wrong' side of the road should not be an issue!). The Sea Life Centre is also a good place to visit especially if you don't do a day cruise as you can see the local wildlife up close.

 

I probably would not rent a car and go to Portage Glacier or Girdwood - they are a bit of a hike and the Seward Highway though picturesque is notorious for delays (accidents and road works) that might make for a rushed/stressful experience.

 

Happy to answer any other questions you may have!

[Gaznjo]

Aronde

thanks for that .. that is great info and gives me something else to research...

 

I see that you are cruising on the Radiance... I work down at the pier on Check in ... keep an eye our for me and say hello...

 

Joanne

[aronde]

Aronde

thanks for that .. that is great info and gives me something else to research...

 

I see that you are cruising on the Radiance... I work down at the pier on Check in ... keep an eye our for me and say hello...

 

Joanne

 

Yes I think I've seen your posts on the Aust forum talking about the Sydney terminal. Our next cruise is from Brisbane but will keep an eye out when next departing Sydney!

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the other Alaskan ports your cruise is also going to. I am keen though for our kids to grow up so we can also enjoy a 'grand voyage' :)

[Gaznjo]

Yes I think I've seen your posts on the Aust forum talking about the Sydney terminal. Our next cruise is from Brisbane but will keep an eye out when next departing Sydney!

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the other Alaskan ports your cruise is also going to. I am keen though for our kids to grow up so we can also enjoy a 'grand voyage' :)

 

I am such a dag ... I really didn't look at your post properly....you have already been on the radiance LOL...