anyone taken the debarkation scenic Cruisetrain Seward to Anchorage Airport

[njkate]

27 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Plus if you book your trip as an NCL shore excursion or charter, NCL also provides bus transit between downtown Anchorage and the airport as well as baggage handling.

Oh where can I find that info as we will be staying Sat and sun night and didn’t want to be trapped in an airport hotel

[The Traveling Man]

3 minutes ago, Brian V said:

 

We looked at that but 7am...the wife's response was a "hard no" (more colourful words but the same message) to that 🙂

Was prepared to book a bus transfer when I noticed the time on the chartered train, 1 in the afternoon departure was met with a much kinder response...and the $50 excursion credit didn't hurt 👍

I'm fairly certain that the schedule on the NCL chartered train is to leave Seward around 7:00 or 7:30, shortly after the ship docks in Seward, then takes about four hours to get to the Anchorage airport.  After an hour or so for folks to exit the train, get their bags off, allow the afternoon passengers to board and get their luggage on the train, the return departure from the airport is scheduled for some time after noon, probably about 1:00.  The four hour (or so) return trip gets you to Seward just in time to complete you check-in and get on board before the ship departs.  NCL is not the only cruise line that docks in Seward, so some days the train runs roughly the same schedule for Holland America, Princess, etc.

[The Traveling Man]

12 minutes ago, njkate said:

Oh where can I find that info as we will be staying Sat and sun night and didn’t want to be trapped in an airport hotel

NCL only lists the info for the northbound train as a shore excursion on their website.  I would recommend calling NCL or using the chat feature on the website for info about the pre-cruise train.

[Brian V]

The description on the southbound makes no mention of bus transfers to the airport station - it does indicate checking in before noon for a 1:00 pm departure.

 

 

[njkate]

32 minutes ago, Brian V said:

 

We looked at that but 7am...the wife's response was a "hard no" (more colourful words but the same message) to that 🙂

Was prepared to book a bus transfer when I noticed the time on the chartered train, 1 in the afternoon departure was met with a much kinder response...and the $50 excursion credit didn't hurt 👍

Lol just booked the ncl train don’t want to risk it being sold out.Who knows with the time difference from east coast I maybe up before the birds lol yelling at my daughter to get out of the bed lol

Now to find hotel

[njkate]

2 minutes ago, Brian V said:

The description on the southbound makes no mention of bus transfers to the airport station - it does indicate checking in before noon for a 1:00 pm departure.

 

 

Uber or cab it is unless hotel I book has shuttle

[vacation44]

10 minutes ago, njkate said:

Lol just booked the ncl train don’t want to risk it being sold out.Who knows with the time difference from east coast I maybe up before the birds lol yelling at my daughter to get out of the bed lol

Now to find hotel

Did you go with the 7:00 a.m. on Sunday or Monday?

 

I price check the hotels every morning and it seems like most of the hotels have almost doubled since I booked.   Hopefully they will have another price drop soon.  

[njkate]

4 minutes ago, vacation44 said:

Did you go with the 7:00 a.m. on Sunday or Monday?

 

I price check the hotels every morning and it seems like most of the hotels have almost doubled since I booked.   Hopefully they will have another price drop soon.  

I booked the NCL pre cruise excursion train at 1pm on Monday between the excursion credit and latitude discount it was $169 for two

 

Had I booked the Alaska train I was toying with Sunday but then hotels in Seward weren’t doing anything for me

Edited March 30, 2023 by njkate

[kismetique]

We took this train many years ago. I remember waiting quite some time at the little station for the train to arrive and the ride was wonderful. We arrived at the airport at 11pm, as the sun was barely setting. The Anchorage airport was the busiest airport I've ever seen at 2am when our flight left. The airport security was training their drug dogs and they kept circling around us and we couldn't decide if they thought we were mules or what. It was disconcerting. We got on the flight as the sun was already coming back up at 2am. The flight had many long term hikers that hadn't bathed in a month. Unfortunately I sat next to one and he was so wiggly trying to sleep, I thought about offering him a $100 if he could be still for 30 min!! The stewardess came through and shut all the window shades as the sun was extremely bright and most everyone was trying to sleep. Weirdly, I have fond memories of this trip home! Enjoy your train ride!

[always-on-travel]

I booked from NCL the embarkation train from Anchorage airport to Seward for boarding Norwegian Jewel. My cruise depart 14 August. I have some question:

 

- when i receive the ticket for this train? It's a excursion to board the ship so, i need to receive ticket in advance.

 

-It' s possible to choise the seat on the train? I like to have a window forward facing seat.

 

-When i make check in online for my cruise last available boarding time slot to chose is 4:30-5:00 PM. The train arrive in Seward at 6 PM i hope they wait for all people arriving by train. 

[quack2]

58 minutes ago, always-on-travel said:

I booked from NCL the embarkation train from Anchorage airport to Seward for boarding Norwegian Jewel. My cruise depart 14 August. I have some question:

 

- when i receive the ticket for this train? It's a excursion to board the ship so, i need to receive ticket in advance.

 

-It' s possible to choise the seat on the train? I like to have a window forward facing seat.

 

-When i make check in online for my cruise last available boarding time slot to chose is 4:30-5:00 PM. The train arrive in Seward at 6 PM i hope they wait for all people arriving by train. 

I prefer the 6:45 a.m. train to Seward booked directly with Alaska RR.  No, you can't pick you seat location.  On Gold Star service (maybe Adventure too) all seats are forward facing.  I've never found the lack of a window seat to be an issue.  People are up and moving about the train and window views are available (at least temporarily) for most of the trip.

 

If you take the late NCL train, you will miss out on the taking a boat tour of the Kenai Fjords, which for me is the highlight of the cruise.

[quack2]

On 10/11/2022 at 11:43 AM, Fartlek said:

Took the bus.  It is exactly the same route and about 1/3 to 1/2 the time.  The bus also leave at much better times and is very reasonably priced.  

Not exactly the "same route".  The train, while slower and more expensive, is much more scenic, IMO.

[Socalev]

1 hour ago, always-on-travel said:

I booked from NCL the embarkation train from Anchorage airport to Seward for boarding Norwegian Jewel. My cruise depart 14 August. I have some question:

 

- when i receive the ticket for this train? It's a excursion to board the ship so, i need to receive ticket in advance.

 

-It' s possible to choise the seat on the train? I like to have a window forward facing seat.

 

-When i make check in online for my cruise last available boarding time slot to chose is 4:30-5:00 PM. The train arrive in Seward at 6 PM i hope they wait for all people arriving by train. 

There is no ticket.  They will have your name on a list.  You basically check-in at the train terminal at the airport.  We requested a front facing seat.  The response was that all seats provided a great view.  However, I was assigned a front facing seat.  I believe they gave us a wrist band to wear.  On the train you will be seated at a table with other passengers facing you.  This is a dedicated cruise train... you get off the train and walk to a building for security check and then on the ship. 

[Seas2mountains]

1 hour ago, always-on-travel said:

I booked from NCL the embarkation train from Anchorage airport to Seward for boarding Norwegian Jewel. My cruise depart 14 August. I have some question:

 

- when i receive the ticket for this train? It's a excursion to board the ship so, i need to receive ticket in advance.

 

-It' s possible to choise the seat on the train? I like to have a window forward facing seat.

 

-When i make check in online for my cruise last available boarding time slot to chose is 4:30-5:00 PM. The train arrive in Seward at 6 PM i hope they wait for all people arriving by train. 

When do you arrive in Anchorage?  I agree with @quack2 about taking the early morning train so you have time to do a boat excursion in Seward and also agree that it has been a highlight for cruises with port stops in Seward. You will see whales, glaciers and wildlife. 

[always-on-travel]

I arrive in Anchorage 12 August and i stay two night to visit. I already booked the train from Airport, it' s also more cheaper using 50$ excursion credit. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by always-on-travel

[bluesea777]

We arrived in Anchorage at noon 3 days before the cruise. We had a sightseeing tour over Anchorage on the floatplane from Lake Hood  in the afternoon - it took 30 mins and it was enough but good. 
 

Early the following morning we took the hotel shuttle to the rail depot in Anchorage and caught the 6:45 am train to Seward. We booked the GoldStar Dome seats and it was worth the money as the ride (4 1/2 hours) was so scenic and so beautiful and the outdoor observation deck was so well used by me. I took loads of pictures and videos. Note: when we checked in they tagged our luggage to our Seward hotel as they will deliver it to hotel themselves. 
 

When we arrived in Seward we just walked a short distance to the hotel but rooms weren’t ready so we went out for some lunch and took the free Seward shuttle to the Sea Life. Very good. Later we returned to hotel and had a little nap and walked over to Ray’s for an excellent dinner. After dinner it was still bright and light so we went for a walk around the marina looking at the boats. It was after 11pm!

 

Next morning we took the 7.5 hour Kenai Fjords cruise (Major Marine) … that excursion just blew our minds away and we were so thankful to have  gone on that boat! 
 

After that we went back to Ray’s for another excellent dinner! And another walk-about in the Marina was in order after dinner. 
 

When we checked out of hotel the next morning they said if we tagged our luggage with ship’s and cabin details they would take them to the ship later on in the day. 
 

We took the free Seward shuttle to the ship - we took the long way to the ship as we want another mini tour around Seward. The check in was so easy and we were the first ones on ship. 
 

We loved Seward - better than Anchorage.

 

 

[julig22]

21 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

We arrived in Anchorage at noon 3 days before the cruise. We had a sightseeing tour over Anchorage on the floatplane from Lake Hood  in the afternoon - it took 30 mins and it was enough but good. 
 

Early the following morning we took the hotel shuttle to the rail depot in Anchorage and caught the 6:45 am train to Seward. We booked the GoldStar Dome seats and it was worth the money as the ride (4 1/2 hours) was so scenic and so beautiful and the outdoor observation deck was so well used by me. I took loads of pictures and videos. Note: when we checked in they tagged our luggage to our Seward hotel as they will deliver it to hotel themselves. 
 

When we arrived in Seward we just walked a short distance to the hotel but rooms weren’t ready so we went out for some lunch and took the free Seward shuttle to the Sea Life. Very good. Later we returned to hotel and had a little nap and walked over to Ray’s for an excellent dinner. After dinner it was still bright and light so we went for a walk around the marina looking at the boats. It was after 11pm!

 

Next morning we took the 7.5 hour Kenai Fjords cruise (Major Marine) … that excursion just blew our minds away and we were so thankful to have  gone on that boat! 
 

After that we went back to Ray’s for another excellent dinner! And another walk-about in the Marina was in order after dinner. 
 

When we checked out of hotel the next morning they said if we tagged our luggage with ship’s and cabin details they would take them to the ship later on in the day. 
 

We took the free Seward shuttle to the ship - we took the long way to the ship as we want another mini tour around Seward. The check in was so easy and we were the first ones on ship. 
 

We loved Seward - better than Anchorage.

 

 

I'm arriving in Anchorage at 3:30 am the day before my upcoming cruise.  Taking the early train, then the 1/2 day tour with Major Marine.  Taking another 6hr tour the morning of the cruise. Good to hear that the hotel will probably take care of luggage - probably a little simpler, although I knew that the excursion people will also store luggage.  Leaving in 3 weeks, hoping for good weather!!!

Logistically speaking, going directly to Seward seems to be giving me more bang for my buck, although a probably a little ambitious.  I will sleep well my first night on the ship!

[bluesea777]

3 minutes ago, julig22 said:

I'm arriving in Anchorage at 3:30 am the day before my upcoming cruise.  Taking the early train, then the 1/2 day tour with Major Marine.  Taking another 6hr tour the morning of the cruise. Good to hear that the hotel will probably take care of luggage - probably a little simpler, although I knew that the excursion people will also store luggage.  Leaving in 3 weeks, hoping for good weather!!!

Logistically speaking, going directly to Seward seems to be giving me more bang for my buck, although a probably a little ambitious.  I will sleep well my first night on the ship!

Can you change the 6 hour one to the 7.5 hour as you get to see the 2nd and bigger glacier and sail over the ice. The boat returns to Seward by 5pm and that’s plenty of time to board the ship. 
 

Yes, Seward is better to stay in and take tours than Anchorage!

 

[julig22]

1 minute ago, bluesea777 said:

Can you change the 6 hour one to the 7.5 hour as you get to see the 2nd and bigger glacier and sail over the ice. The boat returns to Seward by 5pm and that’s plenty of time to board the ship. 
 

Yes, Seward is better to stay in and take tours than Anchorage!

 

Not sure it's offered when I'm going - or else sold out. Been a few months since I booked everything but I'll check on it- thanks.  They also listed a really nice Orca excursion but it's only offered early in the season.

[Seas2mountains]

5 hours ago, always-on-travel said:

I arrive in Anchorage 12 August and i stay two night to visit. I already booked the train from Airport, it' s also more cheaper using 50$ excursion credit. 

Being able to see Kenai Fjords with the glacier, whales and wildlife would be worth the time and money, in my opinion, rather than getting a $50 excursion credit. 

[quack2]

12 hours ago, Seas2mountains said:

Being able to see Kenai Fjords with the glacier, whales and wildlife would be worth the time and money, in my opinion, rather than getting a $50 excursion credit. 

Absolutely.

[always-on-travel]

I agree but i'm travelling on budget from Europe, and i have booked others excursion during the cruise to view glaciers and wildlife.

[julig22]

22 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

Can you change the 6 hour one to the 7.5 hour as you get to see the 2nd and bigger glacier and sail over the ice. The boat returns to Seward by 5pm and that’s plenty of time to board the ship. 
 

Yes, Seward is better to stay in and take tours than Anchorage!

 

So thanks for the suggestion - it is offered and I did make the change.  For some reason I thought all aboard was 5 and that's when the tour is scheduled to get back and was nervous that it was cutting it too close.  But we sail at 9 so have until 7 to check in and board.

[bluesea777]

2 minutes ago, julig22 said:

So thanks for the suggestion - it is offered and I did make the change.  For some reason I thought all aboard was 5 and that's when the tour is scheduled to get back and was nervous that it was cutting it too close.  But we sail at 9 so have until 7 to check in and board.

 

Great!!! Are you staying at Harbor 360 hotel? If so, it's a great hotel and very handy. When you check out tag your luggage to the ship and they will take it to the ship for you during the day 😁.

 

ENJOY!! That 7.5.hour cruise is about the best excursion I've been on - wild life, TWO glaciers, ice, etc. But keep in mind we went at the end of May, so your Aug will be as good as ours.

 

Once you've done that you don't need to go on the NCL's Hubbard Glacier exploration excursion that cost an arm and a leg!

 

 

[julig22]

36 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Great!!! Are you staying at Harbor 360 hotel? If so, it's a great hotel and very handy. When you check out tag your luggage to the ship and they will take it to the ship for you during the day 😁.

 

ENJOY!! That 7.5.hour cruise is about the best excursion I've been on - wild life, TWO glaciers, ice, etc. But keep in mind we went at the end of May, so your Aug will be as good as ours.

 

Once you've done that you don't need to go on the NCL's Hubbard Glacier exploration excursion that cost an arm and a leg!

 

 

Staying at the Breeze, across the street. But also booked on the Hubbard Glacier excursion will probably keep it, always looking for those spectacular photo opportunities - it helps to have a latitudes discount but still pretty spendy for a 3hr trip.  I wanted the Endicott Arm excursion but they cancelled it - 2nd time that's happened to me. Guess I'll have to just book another Alaska cruise next year...