Our last port (also our disembarkation) was Seward,Alaska. Seward is a port city in southern Alaska in the Kenai Peninsula. It’s a gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park, where glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield into coastal fjords.
The day before we were provided the luggage tag information. If you do not wish to disembark with your luggage, you can put a specific luggage tag and leave it outside the room the night before. On disembarking you can then pick up your luggage at the specified time. Our family had decided to disembark with the bags for maximum flexibility.
The ship docked dock early morning at 5 am. We took it easy and disembarked around 9:30am.
The Seward port has a large waiting area that you will walk into. At one end of the waiting room we saw a booth for Kenjai Fjords Tours- which we had already booked. So here is the thing , our Kenjai Fjords tour was to run from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. After that we had to board the 6 pm Coastal Classic train from Seward to Anchorage. Our worries about cutting it too close were cut short when the Kenjai Fjords lady told us she would take all our bags and tag them so they would directly be checked in on the train and we would be luggage free to board the tour. Yohoo!
A small Kenjai Fjords shuttle bus took us from the port to their main office. Here we were checked in , given our tickets and asked for our onboard meal preference.
We still had plenty of time so we walked around the Seward port. The Kenjai Fjords National Park Visitor Center is a few doors down and has some great exhibits of Kenjai Fjords wildlife. We also sat down and watched a NPS movie about the area. The comparison of the glaciers then and now reinforces that global warming is real and not "fake news".
Our tour started on time at 11:30 am. Tickets for this tour were booked months in advance directly on their website. Here is the link - https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/kenai-fjords-national-park-tour/ . It is a 6 hour tour and lunch is included. The tour includes cruising the Kenjai Fjords National Park including some wildlife viewing and glacier cruising.
The port though clear, the Fjords were misty and foggy that day.
Our first stop was a cove where we spotted a ton of sea lion all lazing around on the rocks.
Our next stop was the Aialik Glacier. Its the largest glacier in the Kenjai Fjords national park. The weather had begun to clear up now and we got to see some massive glacial calving here.
Lunch onboard the ship was a chicken salad wrap, chips, granola bar and chocolate mint. After lunch the ship went deeper into the bay for some whale watching. But since the weather was so misty we had no luck. After some failed attempts it was time to head back to the docks. On the way back they offered everyone freshly baked cookies.
The ship returned on time to the docks around 5:30pm. Kenjai Fjords offered a free shuttle to the railway station. All aboard time for our train was 6 pm. Since we already had booked our tickets online, all we had to do was walk upto the cashier window, show passports/ID and get our tickets.
The Coastal Classic Railroad starts on the shores of the Resurrection Bay and then winds along the backcountry wilderness of the Kenai Peninsula; massive glacier, cascading waterfalls and rushing rivers can be seen along the way. We booked our Adventure Class tickets from the Alaska Railroad website here https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/route-map/coastal-classic
The train has a dining room onboard that has assigned seating time for each coach. You let your coach-man know if you want to dine aboard and he will seat your accordingly. The menu options were plenty- vegan meatball pasta, fish tacos, burger and even pork tenderloins. They also serve beer onboard.
As you begin to arrive in Anchorage around 10:15pm you will finally notice the the sun set.
On arrival in Anchorage, you have to walk upto this large area/shed where they set all the bags. It can be chaotic!! All our bags except for one was near each other. We were almost panicking that our bag was lost , when we noticed that it was at the other end of the shed.
Finding an Uber-X at Anchorage can be tricky. Not many taxi cabs either. Between that and Lyft we managed to find rides to our hotel.
That night we stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Anchorage Airport for the covinience of being able to rent a car from the airport the next morning.
Tip of the Day
The day before we were provided the luggage tag information. If you do not wish to disembark with your luggage, you can put a specific luggage tag and leave it outside the room the night before. On disembarking you can then pick up your luggage at the specified time. Our family had decided to disembark with the bags for maximum flexibility.
The ship docked dock early morning at 5 am. We took it easy and disembarked around 9:30am.
The Seward port has a large waiting area that you will walk into. At one end of the waiting room we saw a booth for Kenjai Fjords Tours- which we had already booked. So here is the thing , our Kenjai Fjords tour was to run from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. After that we had to board the 6 pm Coastal Classic train from Seward to Anchorage. Our worries about cutting it too close were cut short when the Kenjai Fjords lady told us she would take all our bags and tag them so they would directly be checked in on the train and we would be luggage free to board the tour. Yohoo!
A small Kenjai Fjords shuttle bus took us from the port to their main office. Here we were checked in , given our tickets and asked for our onboard meal preference.
We still had plenty of time so we walked around the Seward port. The Kenjai Fjords National Park Visitor Center is a few doors down and has some great exhibits of Kenjai Fjords wildlife. We also sat down and watched a NPS movie about the area. The comparison of the glaciers then and now reinforces that global warming is real and not "fake news".
Our tour started on time at 11:30 am. Tickets for this tour were booked months in advance directly on their website. Here is the link - https://www.alaskacollection.com/day-tours/kenai-fjords-tours/kenai-fjords-national-park-tour/ . It is a 6 hour tour and lunch is included. The tour includes cruising the Kenjai Fjords National Park including some wildlife viewing and glacier cruising.
The port though clear, the Fjords were misty and foggy that day.
Our first stop was a cove where we spotted a ton of sea lion all lazing around on the rocks.
Our next stop was the Aialik Glacier. Its the largest glacier in the Kenjai Fjords national park. The weather had begun to clear up now and we got to see some massive glacial calving here.
Lunch onboard the ship was a chicken salad wrap, chips, granola bar and chocolate mint. After lunch the ship went deeper into the bay for some whale watching. But since the weather was so misty we had no luck. After some failed attempts it was time to head back to the docks. On the way back they offered everyone freshly baked cookies.
The ship returned on time to the docks around 5:30pm. Kenjai Fjords offered a free shuttle to the railway station. All aboard time for our train was 6 pm. Since we already had booked our tickets online, all we had to do was walk upto the cashier window, show passports/ID and get our tickets.
The Coastal Classic Railroad starts on the shores of the Resurrection Bay and then winds along the backcountry wilderness of the Kenai Peninsula; massive glacier, cascading waterfalls and rushing rivers can be seen along the way. We booked our Adventure Class tickets from the Alaska Railroad website here https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/route-map/coastal-classic
The train has a dining room onboard that has assigned seating time for each coach. You let your coach-man know if you want to dine aboard and he will seat your accordingly. The menu options were plenty- vegan meatball pasta, fish tacos, burger and even pork tenderloins. They also serve beer onboard.
As you begin to arrive in Anchorage around 10:15pm you will finally notice the the sun set.
On arrival in Anchorage, you have to walk upto this large area/shed where they set all the bags. It can be chaotic!! All our bags except for one was near each other. We were almost panicking that our bag was lost , when we noticed that it was at the other end of the shed.
Finding an Uber-X at Anchorage can be tricky. Not many taxi cabs either. Between that and Lyft we managed to find rides to our hotel.
That night we stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham Anchorage Airport for the covinience of being able to rent a car from the airport the next morning.
Tip of the Day
- If you dont have massive suitcases, disembarking with your baggage is not that hard. This way you have the luxury of enjoying the last few hours on the ship while others are disembarking !
- Hotels in Anchorage can be quite expensive, so beware.
- Most hotels in Anchorage do not have AC. Prior to our arrival we had read reviews for the hotel that said that rooms could get very hot. That said, when we arrived we did find the lobby at the hotel a bit warm but the rooms were cooled well.
- Before getting off at Anchorage, make sure to charge your phone. We saw many stranded with dead phones unable to Uber or Lyft. At 10:15 pm the railroad office is closed.
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