Seward arrival

[Steve in Omaha]

We arrive in Seward at 5am on the Jewel.  Our transportation to Anchorage airport is through NCL.  Approximately what time will we leave for the airport?

[SkeeterPilot]

Are you taking the train or a bus?  If you are taking the train you will meet in the theater at around 6:30am.  You will go out as a group and go straight to the train waiting right by the ship.

[Steve in Omaha]

14 minutes ago, SkeeterPilot said:

Are you taking the train or a bus?  If you are taking the train you will meet in the theater at around 6:30am.  You will go out as a group and go straight to the train waiting right by the ship.

I have no idea.  We're taking whatever transportation NCL has set up for us to take.

[libtrek]

We took the train in June. Bought the tickets as an excursion from NCL so got the $50 credit. It was quite a rush to get off the ship and onto the train. They do serve food on the train so we had a nice breakfast while enjoying the beautiful scenery on the way to Anchorage. The cost was not bad for a tourist town. We were given special tags for our luggage the night before we got off the boat. They transported the luggage to Anchorage, we went into a large convention center and picked it up. If you have a late flight out of Anchorage, I believe you can arrange to have your luggage stored while you tour the town. Mary

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Steve in Omaha said:

I have no idea.  We're taking whatever transportation NCL has set up for us to take.

You want to take the train and enjoy the scenery. So, you better check what you booked. 

[bonvoyagie]

The train is more expensive and is sold as an excursion. The bus is the standard mode of transportation. Both will have instructions given to you on the last night. The bus ride is around 2.5 hrs while the train is closer to 4

[Steve in Omaha]

I booked flights through NCL, and included in that is transportation from the ship to the airport.  That's all I know.  Is there something I did wrong?  I don't think I was given a choice of a train or a bus.

[julig22]

26 minutes ago, Steve in Omaha said:

I booked flights through NCL, and included in that is transportation from the ship to the airport.  That's all I know.  Is there something I did wrong?  I don't think I was given a choice of a train or a bus.

NCL adds a bus transfer when you book air through them.  But for some ports they also offer post- cruise excursions, which you would book just like you book an excursion in any port.  If you book the excursion, they refund the cost if the bus transfer.

[Scurrent]

We just got off the Spirit in Seward last Wednesday. Those who were taking the NCL bus to the Anchorage airport departed the ship very early. When we went to the buffet at 7:00, those transfers had already left the ship. The train for Anchorage leaves much later. 

[Steve in Omaha]

The only excursion listed on the NCL website for Seward is called "Turnagain Arm, Wildlife Center & Hospitality Center (Debark)".  It says "scenic drive" twice and refers to a "coastal road".  That doesn't sound like a train ride. (I know that's not the bus transportation that comes with the flights I booked thru NCL)   

[bstreep]

Not sure if you have left yet, or not.  We encountered about an hour in traffic in each direction.  Plan on that.

[Steve in Omaha]

6 minutes ago, bstreep said:

Not sure if you have left yet, or not.  We encountered about an hour in traffic in each direction.  Plan on that.

Did you have an inordinate amount of time waiting for your flight at the airport?  Did you go into Anchorage at all?

[bstreep]

We took Norwegian Spirit up, spent 9 days with family in Anchorage, then Royal Caribbean Radiance back.  I was referring to the traffic going to and from Seward, to and from Anchorage.

[Steve in Omaha]

I am the one who asked the original question. Just back yesterday.  NCL's entire disembarkation process ran very smooth, but it was also poorly communicated by NCL before we got on the boat.

If you book NCL's train excursion you are off the boat by 6:30am.

 

Other disembarkation times ranged from 6:30 - 9:15am. We were 9am. We booked our airfare thru NCL, so we took their bus from Seward to Anchorage. Very scenic, and our driver did a great job narrating.  Saw bald eagles, a golden eagle, and beluga whales.  3 hours due to construction traffic.

If your flight is before 4pm, you go directly from the ship to the airport.  If your flight is after 4pm, you go to the Hospitality Center in Anchorage.  Your luggage is already there when you arrive, and the room is supervised the entire time. They run free airport shuttles every hour until 10pm.  We ate lunch and walked around Anchorage for a couple of hours.  The weather was glorious, and it was the first day it hadn't rained in 3 weeks!
 

[psalm104]

Any idea what time you get off the ship if you booked the bus directly from the vendor? My confirmation from vendor says board the bus at 7:30, but I haven't seen anything about what time we can get off ship. And can anyone who has experience speak to if one can arrange for luggage to be in the earliest group of luggage that is taken off the ship? Or could that be a potential problem that our luggage may not show up in time for us to board bus at 7:30? Have large family with a few mobility issues so prefer not to self-carry luggage off ship, but will do it if the consensus is that we may not have our luggage waiting for us before/by 7:30. Also, any experience on if there will be a big line to get off around 7am that we need to factor in? Sailing the Jewel to Seward next week.

Thanks for all your insights!

[Steve in Omaha]

3 hours ago, psalm104 said:

Any idea what time you get off the ship if you booked the bus directly from the vendor? My confirmation from vendor says board the bus at 7:30, but I haven't seen anything about what time we can get off ship. And can anyone who has experience speak to if one can arrange for luggage to be in the earliest group of luggage that is taken off the ship? Or could that be a potential problem that our luggage may not show up in time for us to board bus at 7:30? Have large family with a few mobility issues so prefer not to self-carry luggage off ship, but will do it if the consensus is that we may not have our luggage waiting for us before/by 7:30. Also, any experience on if there will be a big line to get off around 7am that we need to factor in? Sailing the Jewel to Seward next week.

Thanks for all your insights!

Here's the info we have from disembarkation this past Monday.  Carrying your own luggage (self assist) could leave any time after 6am. They made frequent reminders that you would be carrying bags down stairs and ramps.  The first time Independent Guests could disembark was 7:30am, and you would pick up your luggage in the Seward Cruise Terminal.  I don't know what the line was like at that point.

Neither of those sounds ideal for you. But your vendor must have done this for many people in the past. I'd contact them first to ask how to make it work.  Then maybe contact NCL.

[psalm104]

Thank you!

[jbcallender]

Train was  well worth it.