I'm planning to take a 7 days cruise from Vancouver to Seward, but not sure how many days I should stay in the Anchorage area afterwards to hit some of the must-sees/must-dos. I'm thinking of 3 full days to do Seward and Denali NP. Possible?

The places that we'll hit on the cruise are: Ketchican, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, College Fjord.

Given the cruise itinerary, will Seward add anything different to my Alaska experience? Someone told me after a while, all the sceneries are pretty much the same. You see one glacier, you've seen them all. Ok, I take that with a grain of salt.

Should I devote less or no time to Seward and all to Denali NP? But I'm kinda turned off by the idea of taking a school bus for 16 hours around the park! I'm into hiking and out and about doing stuff.

Please advise. Thanks!

We were in Alaska for 17 days and never got tired of seeing glaciers.

The SeaLife Center in Seward is excellent, and I'd recommend the behind the scenes tour. We also took an all day Kenai boat trip from Seward, and saw puffins and sea lions and lots of whales.

I was skeptical before hand, but found the school bus tour of Denali wonderful--but I think ours was only about eight hours. The driver did a fabulous job narrating and pointing out wildlife.

When your boat sits 3/4 miles from a glacier with the engines turned off, it's a remarkable experience. The Kenai Fjords trip out of Seward also offers some close up views of birds and whales. Our boat sat while we watched some orcas swim and feed. I agree, the Sealife Center is interesting and Seward is a beautiful town. The scenery between Anchorage and Seward is some of the best in the world. Only 3 days is rushing it and it's a long drive between Denali and Seward.

DH and I will be in Alaska for 22 days. All plans and reservations have been made. We are booked for 8 nights in Fairbanks, two nights in Denali and we will be taking the 11 hour Wonder Lake Tour. 1 night in Seward, 7 nights in Anchorage. We have a train/boat tour to Seward/overnight on the 26 Glacier tour and the Kenai Fjords/Real Alaska tour. There is so much to see and do. DH has relatives living in Fairbanks and Anchorage so we are spending afew extra days there for that reason. We also have two nights in Valdez and a night in Tok then home. It depends on what you want to see and the time you have. DH and I are not hikers, we do not fish nor does kayaking interest us. We are doing what we are interested in and I know we will have a great time. Someone told us we are wasting our time because we will go away not truly knowing Alaska, because we are not doing the hiking, flight tours and kayaking. Well we are senior citizens, DH has problems walking so we had our trip planed around our interests and ability. Each their own as I say lol. So you have a great time. I know we will.

Three days is not enough time for both Seward and Denali Park. So I suggest you overnight in Seward and see that area including a Kenai Fjords boat tour. Take the train to Anchorage and spend your last day seeing that interesting city. Unless you want to add at least another 3 for Denali Park?

So glad to see BQ is here to give you advice!

Marlene, your trip sounds great to me. I think we all come away from Alaska with awe and appreciation for its size and beauty, regardless of what we "did" while there. Have a great trip!

BayouGal, Thank you. I did not mention that we will be driving. We live in Mn. So actually we will be leaving here around the 10th of May. And seeing things in Canada. And arriving in Fairbanks on May 30th. We are so excited over this trip. May cannot come soon enough.