My wife and I will be taking a southbound cruise (Island Princess) on Monday 5/22. We will arrive in Anchorage late in the day on Friday 5/19. We are kicking around a few option and would like some advice. We would love to see wildlife, such as moose and bears.

1) We are considering staying in Anchorage Friday night and leaving early for Denali NP (probably via rental car as opposed to the longer train ride) on Saturday morning, and exploring the park on Sat. and Sun, with the possibly a flight over Mt. McKinley on Sunday. Monday morning we would drive back to Anchorage, drop off the rental car and take the Princess shuttle to Whittier, board the ship and then try to take a boat trip around Prince William Sound. Our ship leaves Whittier at 9:30pm.

or

2) Drive to Seward upon arriving in Anchorage Friday night (or possible going early Saturday since our bodies will be on EST). Stay in Seward, bout tour of Ressurection Bay, visit Exit Glacier and leave Seward on Sunday, returning to Anchorage for sightseeing and hotel stay for Sunday night. Catch the Princess shuttle to Whittier on Monday and have plenty of time for the boat tour of Prince William Sound.

Any advice on the above would be much appreciated.

Almost certainly too early for the interior of Denali Park, so go with the Seward option. I'd look for a tour of the Kenai Fjords (dress warmly) instead of just the local waters around Seward, but you could play that by ear to some degree.

Regardless, though, if the weather is okay (and that part of May can be hit and miss) I'd still try to get up in the air if possible. There are numerous flightseeing trips based out of Anchorage (Lake Hood float operators or Merrill Field wheel operations) that could show you the Chugach Mts, or local icefields, or fly over to the other side of the Inlet and see some pretty big, empty land... many options.

Chances are you'll see a moose or two just about anywhere you drive out of Anchorage. Around Seward you may also see sheep. If you want to be sure of seeing lot of wildlife, go to Denali. As Gardyloo says, the weather may not be so great in the interior in May, but some years it's not so bad. We did a backpacking trip one year in Denali over Memorial Day weekend and there was some snow and some cold but not too bad. Since you're going to be on a cruise, you will have seen coastal Alaska, so you may weigh that with a longer time in the interior. Does anyone know when the bald eagles migrate and may be seen in the Seward peninsula? It's been a few years since I lived in Alaska, and I've forgotten, but it seems like it may be May. We had the good luck of watching about 20 eagles walking on the tidal flats eating the smelt (I think) that had been left behind by the tide.

Hi, Mike! You should still be able to find some great boats tours of Kenai Fjords NP out of Seward during your timeframe. http://www.kenaifjords.com/733.cfm
http://www.renowntours.com/kenai-fjords-park-cruise.htm

Check out toursaver.com to see if it'd be worth it for you to purchase a coupon book. We saved a bundle, but with your limited time there, you find it's not worth it.

Enjoy your trip! You'll love Alaska!

In late June we saw a lot of eagles in the Homer area but, of course, no where near the number that winter there. Starting this year, only the eagle lady will be allowed to feed the eagles. http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/eagle/JeanKeene.html
I like Gardyloo's suggestion of a flightseeing trip from Anchorage. We taken a commuter flight to Kenai but the views aren't fantastic. Maybe one to Homer would be better. That time of year should be a good chance to see mother moose with calves in the Anchorage area. Definitely in the Kenai area.
If the weather is good I'd opt for a Seward overnight, long boat trip and flightseeing from Anchorage on the 21st. The drive between Anchorage and Talkeetna is not as scenic as between Anchorage and Seward. Make stops to scan for mountain sheep. If tide is right you might see whales. Seward is a great little town.

You don't have enough time for Denali Park and you are too early anyway. It is unreasonable to think you will be driving from Denali Park the same day as you are cruising. You need to allow 6 hours for the drive, then no time for a PWS tour.

So I too would recommend spending the time in Seward, but forget a Bay cruise, you need at least 6 hours on the water, nothing less is worth it. Look at a one way rental car with Harley's. Makes the best use of your short time and skips the unnecessary backtracking taking up time you don't have. http://www.harleysrentalaska.com/

Even though costly drop fees, still well worth it. Then you can go direct from Seward to Whittier and get your PWS boat tour. Be aware of tunnel schedules. A stop at the Portage Glacier Visitor center is worth a stop, very interesting.

To see moose in Anchorage, bike the coastal trail. You can rent a bike/helmet down town and pick up the trail just a couple blocks from the bike rental place. Your hotel will be able to help you with the exact location of bike rentals. I almost always see moose riding the coastal trail.

Or stay at the Alaska Walkabout B&B, direct acess to the Coastal trail and free bikes.