I just booked a cruise on Royal Caribbean to Alaska for my parents and 4 yrs old nephew. We will be leaving out of Vancouver and deporting at Seward in late August to early September. I would like to stay in alaska for a few more days. Any suggestion on taking a train from Seward to either Denali Park or Kjork? park and going to Anchorage for flight back to NY? Any recommended tour company? Thank you.

I rented a car for the two weeks I was in Alaska. It's cheaper than paying tour fees for four people and you have more freedom.

When I cruise in Alaska next year I'll do the same thing - rent a car when I get off the cruise.

Thanks for the car suggestion. Would I be missing out on the scenery by taking the train? What recommendation do you suggest we do after the cruise?

Most likely I will be driving by myself.

We drove from Seward to Anchorage and then took the train back. While the drive is very very scenic, to us- the train was much better. Alyeska is a good place to stop between Seward and Anchorage for a day or two if you drive. We took a Helicopter/Glacier landing/Dog sled tour there. Winner Creek Trail is good hike. Exit Glacier in Seward is a good hike. You could do these with a 4 year old, or at least part of them. They are not very long. Tram up the mountain in Alyeska is good.

If you are going to Denali, ride the train from Seward to Anchorage. Rent a car in Anchorage. You could back track to Alyeska (its not very far) and/or head to Denali. Seward to Anchorage train ride is supposed to be the most scenic in Alaska. 4 hours is just the right length of time. You never get bored. We enjoyed a meal on the train as well.

We went to Soldotna and did a fly-out fishing on a float plane. That was very good tour as well. Caught our limit and fished with bears 20 feet away from our boat. I don't think a 4 year old could do the fishing, as it is most of the day.
our daughter was very easy to manage at that age, and I just don't think she would have lasted that long, but it might be possible for some.

I know you already booked this cruise - some advice would be to bring multiple amusing things, toys, etc for your 4 year old nephew. We found there were very few kids of that age on our Princess Alaska cruise and there will likely be even fewer during end Aug/early Sept timeframe. Not that he will not be able to have a good time - but there will be enough downtime that he will need something to amuse himself with for longer periods of time than on other cruises, especially since weather will not likely be good enough for pool time on sea days.

No flames, but really, a 4 year old is not appropriate for Denali park and barely for Kenai fjords boat tours. You may want to consider spending at least a night in Seward since there is plenty to see and do there. Exit Glacier, Seavey's Sled dogs, Alaska Sealife Center. I never recommend Denali Park for under 8, and that is a judgement call, many 8 year olds don't do well either.

The train, Anchorage/Seward is excellent. But definately rent a car elsewhere, so to have the freedom to stop and go as needed and take in some the small attractions that are all over Alaska.

Thank you everyone for their suggestions. Appreciated very much. We finally booked our flight tickets (leaving ANC on Sept 11 in the afternoon). The ship docks at Seward on Sept 5 in the morning. That would leave six nights on our own. Questions: Do I really need a car in Seward if we stay there for 2-3 nights? I am thinking of taking the train from Seward to Anchorage, just so we can experience the train ride. Rent a car in ANC to drive to Denali. Is one night stay enough for Denali? Thanks.

Re Denali. One night stay there does not get you much on your schedule. If you drive (or train) Anchorage to Denali, that takes 5-6 hours non-stop, and you will certainly stop for food/fuel, if not views. So assuming you leave in AM, by the time you get there, it is late afternoon anyway.

Seeing anything in Denali involves taking either a Park shuttle or privately run tour - one can only take car 15 miles into Denali. So assuming then on Day 2 you do that, which also takes the better part of the day, you almost must spend an additional night then at Denali since it is toolate to drive anywhere.

So 2 nights are really necessary to spend one day at Denali.

Re Seward and car. If you stay right along the harbor area, an adult would not need a car. Four year old would not be able to reasonably walk those distances without whining - so a stroller would make it a better experience if he will sit in one. Then it depends on the walking ability/age of your parents.

Gail Thanks. I think 2 nights and one day in Denali should be enough. My parents are physically fit and I figure most of the time, I will carry my nephew on my back.
Would you agree 2 nights in Seward is sufficient? I am thinking of going to Exit Glacier, SLC, and Kenai Park. Anything else I am missing in Seward? Thanks.

We spent that amount of time in Seward - took a 6-hour wildlife cruise, which was great even though we were going on regular cruise after - much more sea mammals much closer and smaller boat got very close to glaciers. Also Sealife Center. Exit Glacier is supposed to be great - not sure how you get there without car, though. We skipped it because we did glacier landing while on cruise.

You would need a car to get to Exit Glacier. Do take bear spray and do hike in a group. Pretty likely to see bears there. It was a short hike to the glacier, but my daughter and I were alone and pretty much the first visitors of the morning. We didn't see a bear but we were scared to death. The signs all said "multiple sightings-bears and cubs on all trails" it was dated the day before. SLC only takes a couple of hours, but is worth going to. Kayaking tour we did in Kenai was very intersting and we hiked a short distance to a waterfall on the tour. It was just our guide and us in the middle of nowhere.

kenai fjords, not Kenai. this was out of Seward.