Anchorage Alaska to Seward

[fishy9]

Just booked a Alaska cruise May 8, 2023.  We fly in a day before into Anchorage. Can you tell me the best way to get to Seward

[GeezerCouple]

7 minutes ago, fishy9 said:

Just booked a Alaska cruise May 8, 2023.  We fly in a day before into Anchorage. Can you tell me the best way to get to Seward

 

 

There is a wonderful train, very scenic.  We did the reverse, Seward to Anchorage.

 

If you can, spend the extra for the "Observation car", which is higher and has huge windows, including into part of the ceiling.  The views are lovely.  At least on our trip, the train stopped a few times for photos (but not to let anyone off).  I don't know about the regular cars, but ours had an open-air platform on the rear, which was a real treat, too.

 

Enjoy!  That was one of our favorite cruises. 🙂 

 

GC

[vacation44]

We also recently booked this cruise for August 2023 and did a lot of research on how to get to Seward from Anchorage.   We opted for the train and did upgrade to the Gold Star Dome.  NCL offers this as an excursion,  but we booked it directly as we wanted the earlier train.

[bluesea777]

Check the excursions for your cruise via MyNCL .... there should be one under Seward - the first day - it's the train ride .... 

 

Under Explore & Plan, select Seward Day 1 and then Shore Excursions ... 

 

[bluesea777]

1 minute ago, vacation44 said:

We also recently booked this cruise for August 2023 and did a lot of research on how to get to Seward from Anchorage.   We opted for the train and did upgrade to the Gold Star Dome.  NCL offers this as an excursion,  but we booked it directly as we wanted the earlier train.

 

There is an earlier train? I thought train runs once a day each way. From Seward to Anchorage in the morning and from Anchorage to Seward in the afternoon.

 

Website?

 

Thanks.

 

[bluesea777]

Well, I did some researching .... Yes, @vacation44 is correct, there is an earlier train from Anchorage, however, the OP @fishy9 is not lucky as this service starts on May 13, 2023 for the season.

 

Let's hope NCL puts out their embarkation train excursion for your May 8th cruise out of Seward.

 

We are on the Spirit B2B in May 2023 (24 and 31) Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver.

 

 

[vacation44]

18 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

There is an earlier train? I thought train runs once a day each way. From Seward to Anchorage in the morning and from Anchorage to Seward in the afternoon.

 

Website?

 

Thanks.

 

Yes.  It leaves at 6:30 a.m. and they will also tag your luggage to go directly on the ship.

 

Www.alakarailroad.com is their direct website but we booked it through alaskatrain.com.

 

 

[GeezerCouple]

58 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

There is an earlier train? I thought train runs once a day each way. From Seward to Anchorage in the morning and from Anchorage to Seward in the afternoon.

 

Website?

 

Thanks.

 

 

The schedules may have changed, but pre-COVID (by a couple of years), there were two trains, but only one was listed then through the NCL excursions.  We booked ourselves on the Seward to Anchorage in the afternoon.  (At that time, it didn't seem that the times of the NCL trains had the Gold level observation cars, but that could have changed, of course.  Or perhaps it was only a temporary situation.)

 

GC

[cruiserbear55]

1 hour ago, bluesea777 said:

We are on the Spirit B2B in May 2023 (24 and 31) Vancouver-Seward-Vancouver.

   You've got some serious air time in your future!

[bluesea777]

1 hour ago, cruiserbear55 said:

   You've got some serious air time in your future!

 

??? What do you mean? 🙃

 

[don't-use-real-name]

Check this over carefully to catch the right train - - -

 

Alaska RR operates the Coastal Classic leaving at 6:30 from the Anchorage Depot and arriving

at the Seward Depot about 11:15am -

Cruise line passengers have their baggage checked and transported separately to the ship - Passengers destined for Seward have their luggage checked by AK RR for claiming at Seward.

 

The cruise lines on the day of sailing operate a charter train leaving the Anchorage AIRPORT

at about noon arriving dock side to board the ship at about 5pm.

 

Alaska RR operates the Coastal Classic train returning to Anchorage leaving about 6pm and

arriving at the Anchorage Depot about 10pm - Luggage checked is claimed at the Depot unless

other arrangements are made

 

The cruise lines on the day of arrival may offer a charter train leaving in the am hours and

arriving at the Anchorage AIRPORT - check with the cruise line for exact details.

 

The Alaska RR Coastal Classic train has two classes of service the Gold Star (Dome Class)

with beverages and meals included these cars have the open air observation platform.

This class of service sells out very quickly - book early for best results !

 

The other less expensive class is the Adventure class with spacious coach cars and include a cafe/snack car for items to purchase.

 

The Chartered cruise train is made up (consist) of Alaska RR cars determined by cruise line.

Check with the Cruise Line for pricing deals availability.

 

Make every effort to ride the train between Anchorage-Seward-Anchorage - it affords

spectacle views.  

[GTJ]

4 hours ago, fishy9 said:

Can you tell me the best way to get to Seward?

It is difficult to do so without knowing what travel attributes are important to you? Speed? Cost? Scenery? Comfort? Privacy? Reliability? And how should those attributes be balanced? There are multiple trains, buses, and cars, any of which could be "best" depending on personal preferences. My choice might not be your choice.

[Northern Aurora]

5 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

There is an earlier train? I thought train runs once a day each way. From Seward to Anchorage in the morning and from Anchorage to Seward in the afternoon.

 

Website?

 

Thanks.

 

 

I am sensing some serious confusion between the regularly scheduled Alaska Railroad route between Anchorage and Seward, and the cruise chartered special runs.

 

During the summer there will be a daily early morning train between Anchorage and Seward.   This route leaves Anchorage from the ARR Anchorage terminal early in the morning and goes directly to the Seward RR terminal.  It does not stop at the Anchorage airport either going or returning  It is booked directly with the ARR.  In the early evening it returns to Anchorage with another direct run from the Seward ARR terminal to the downtown ARR terminal. 

 

On ship days in Seward all of the cruise lines offer a special chartered rail trip between the Anchorage airport the Seward cruise ship terminal.  This charter will be offered as an afternoon trip between the Anchorage airport and Seward cruise ship terminal, and as an early morning run for ships disembarking in Seward.  This special charter can only be booked through the respective cruise line.

 

So the options are booking directly from the ARR to/from the ARR Anchorage terminal and the ARR Seward thermal. Or booking with the cruise line for the Anchorage Airport to/from the Seward cruise terminal.

 

[disneyochem]

My recommendation is to take the ARR train in the morning so one can spend time in Seward before the cruise (Kenai Fjord cruise, Alaska Sea life center, Exit Glacier, etc).  
 

There are also a number of companies that will get you to Seward by bus, van, or private car.  Alaska Cruise Transportation (ACT, https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/) has a couple of different options.  Salmon Berry Tours has a cruise transfer as well (https://www.salmonberrytours.com).  I can highly recommend Salmon Berry Tours—we have taken other tours with them throughout our visits to Alaska.

[cruisequeen4ever]

Book the train through the Alaska Railroad! You get to transit a section roads don’t access. It’s a relaxing, beautiful way of getting to Seward. 

[GTJ]

17 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

During the summer there will be a daily early morning train between Anchorage and Seward. This route leaves Anchorage from the ARR Anchorage terminal early in the morning and goes directly to the Seward RR terminal. It does not stop at the Anchorage airport either going or returning  It is booked directly with the ARR. In the early evening it returns to Anchorage with another direct run from the Seward ARR terminal to the downtown ARR terminal. 

 

On ship days in Seward all of the cruise lines offer a special chartered rail trip between the Anchorage airport the Seward cruise ship terminal. This charter will be offered as an afternoon trip between the Anchorage airport and Seward cruise ship terminal, and as an early morning run for ships disembarking in Seward. This special charter can only be booked through the respective cruise line

A good explanation, though I will add a few minor caveats. First, the morning train from downtown Anchorage to Seward, and its return in the evening from Seward to downtown Anchorage, is "direct" in the sense that this train does not travel along the branch line going to the Anchorage airport . . . it stays on the main line. (Details: The main line begins in Seward at milepost 0, with the downtown Anchorage station at milepost 114.30. The branch line to the airport is 2.45 miles in length, and joins the main line at CP 1102, located at milepost 110.13.) This train to and from downtown Anchorage is direct but not non-stop between downtown Anchorage and Seward. On the other hand, the chartered train does travel along the branch line going to the Anchorage airport. This train is direct and non-stop between Anchorage airport and Seward. Also, not all cruise lines at Seward will arrange for charter train service, but all the primary mass market lines do so. Generally, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises offer this service, but check with your cruise line to be certain. Finally, it should be noted that the charter train is also used for the vessels docking at Whittier (i.e., Princess Cruises and Holland America Line), though not to or from Anchorage airport.

Edited September 28, 2022 by GTJ

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

Book the train through the Alaska Railroad! You get to transit a section roads don’t access.

Actually, it does not matter if one books the train through the Alaska Railroad or through the cruise line. Both trains travel the same tracks, ad both trains offer the same scenery, between the junction of the railroad main line and the airport branch line, in Anchorage, and the railroad yard in Seward.

[don't-use-real-name]

All trains leaving Anchorage to either Whittier or Seward use the same common track

from Anchorage city limits to the Portage Junction where the two ports service diverge.

Google Map for reference: Zoooom it IN or OUT for more less detail and follow the

tracks where they go:

 

Google Maps

 

A Map is like a picture with a thousand word explanation

 

Basically Carnival Corp ships (Carnival Princess Holland-America) use Whittier

and the others Seward - - -

 

GTJ has a real good handle on the Alaska RR and cruise line operation in Alaska.

The railroad stop origin at the Anchorage AIRPORT was only a recent development

in the pass few years and creates a unique option alternative to transportation

to and from the ports in conjunction with cruise travel and airline connections.

 

Just remember to book as early as possible to take advantage of these arrangements !

[GTJ]

20 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

A Map is like a picture with a thousand word explanation

Earlier today I had been reflecting on the fact that there are many similar questions, and I started to sketch out a map that could show the various services available. I think it is doable using Inkscape, so I may try doing that over the next few days. I am thinking of the style that graphic artist Massimo Vignelli used in 1972 for showing New York City subway routes, given that the confusion over railroad trains in Alaska is related to the operational routes, more so than the geographical relationship (for which the current New York City map, designed in 1978 by my personal friend, the late Michael Hertz, aimed to do). Let's see if I can make some progress on this!

27 minutes ago, don't-use-real-name said:

The railroad stop origin at the Anchorage AIRPORT was only a recent development in the past few years and creates a unique option alternative to transportation to and from the ports in conjunction with cruise travel and airline connections.

The branch line has been a bit controversial given that money from the Federal Transit Administration was used in its construction, and yet it is vastly underutilized. Not only that but the only trains that use it are charter trains, which flies in the face of federal law and FTA regulations that effectively prohibit the use of federally-funded transit facilities for charter purposes (the Alaska Railroad gets away with it because the statute, 49 U.S.C. § 5323(d), technically applies only to charter bus service, not charter train service, coupled with the politics involved). Given that taxpayer dollars were spent on the airport branch line, there really ought to be train service available to everyone, and not charter train service available only to the patrons of cruise lines. The cruise lines probably like the exclusive nature of the charter train service, and I imagine that the bus lines (i.e., Alaska Cruise Transportation, Park Connection, Seward Bus Line) would not like to have train service available to everyone that would create more government-subsidized transportation competing against them. It would have to be some public interest organization, like the ACLU or the Sierra Club, to push or litigate for train service on the airport branch being available to everyone.

[don't-use-real-name]

Indeed the Anchorage Airport stop could be made into a short line metro link to downtown -

maybe with a stop here or there - frequency of operation dependent on planned traffic.

To just use it on cruise days for charters seems all too wrong and a failing on using taxpayers

money for everyone's benefit.

 

I am fortunate to live at Minneapolis/St Paul (MSP) where we do have such lite metro rail

to from the Mall of America - Airport - Fort Snelling Vets service - multiple connection points

to south Minneapolis - downtown entertainment - and an extension to St Paul and connections including Amtrak's Empire Builder Chicago-Seattle/Portland train.

 

Not everyone travels by ship flight rail everywhere but the combination gets people there.

A writer a while back wanted to go from Florida to Alaska by rail - well the pieces of the

puzzle are filled in with air and ship.

 

 

[GTJ]

15 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Indeed the Anchorage Airport stop could be made into a short line metro link to downtown - maybe with a stop here or there - frequency of operation dependent on planned traffic. To just use it on cruise days for charters seems all too wrong and a failing on using taxpayers money for everyone's benefit.

Probably overkill for a city metro system--the city bus is more than adequate--but as an intercity railroad it it overbuilt and underused. There would be greater utility if, for example, the Denali Star and the Aurora began their northward treks at the airport, stopping in downtown Anchorage as an intermediate stop, and then continuing to Fairbanks (and vice versa). Or the railroad could do as most North American railroads have done historically, and operate one fast train, making all the main stops as the Denali Star does now, and also one local train, making all stops, including the airport and replacing the Hurricane Turn. Indeed, in the summer there are no local trains serving intermediate stops (such as, for example, Healy). There really ought to be an examination of the railroad's passenger services, all of which at present are just a hodge-podge of largely incoherent . . . one cannot even travel the full route, from Seward to Fairbanks, in any reasonable manner but for a hotel overnight somewhere. It is only by chance that the passenger schedules fit together operationally.

 

Any comments on the attached map and service table for the Alaska Railroad?

Alaska Railroad Map and Service.pdf

[don't-use-real-name]

Alaskans are fortunate not to have the problems like the lower 48 continental states of

FREIGHT INTERFERENCE with Amtrak operation -

For the most part passenger trains operate in daylight and the freights at night or other odd hours -

Only problems to occur is the MOW (Maintenance Of Way) of the tracks.

[GTJ]

13 hours ago, don't-use-real-name said:

Alaskans are fortunate not to have the problems like the lower 48 continental states of FREIGHT INTERFERENCE with Amtrak operation

In Alaska, it is the same railroad that operates the passenger trains and the freight trains, so the tension that exists between Amtrak and the host railroads is absent. And with passenger trains in Alaska being profitable (or at least some of the passenger trains), they can be prioritized. In short, all the incentives are in place in Alaska, but are missing in the lower forty-eight.

[TT81]

On 9/28/2022 at 6:31 AM, fishy9 said:

Just booked a Alaska cruise May 8, 2023.  We fly in a day before into Anchorage. Can you tell me the best way to get to Seward

I'm booked on the same cruise, unfortunately the train doesn't start until the 13th so I'm waiting to see what options NCL offer or ill book the bus

[GTJ]

4 hours ago, TT81 said:

I'm booked on the same cruise, unfortunately the train doesn't start until the 13th so I'm waiting to see what options NCL offer or ill book the bus

Almost certainly, NCL will offer the most expensive and least convenient transportation options. The most convenient transportation, on May 8, 2023, likely at the best price, will be that provided by Alaska Cruise Transportation, from either downtown Anchorage or Anchorage airport, to Seward, with a one-way ticket offered for $65.

 

It is possible that NCL will have reached an agreement with the Alaska Railroad for it to operate a chartered train, from Anchorage airport to Seward, on May 8, 2023, which is prior to the start of the regular railroad season (that begins on May 13, 2023), and if this posibility does come to fruition, then you will need to keep an eye on the NCL website because it, and not the Alaska Railroad, will be the only vendor for these Alaska Railroad train tickets.

Edited October 9, 2022 by GTJ