Seward&Anchorage after cruising-need advice
 

I´m planning a cruise with my husband and son on July 01 that ends at Seward. Is it worthy to spend 1 day at Seward? And Anchorage? Is there anything to see?

My husband and I went on a Alaska cruise two summers ago and loved it. We rented a car in Anchorage and spent 3 nights inland. When on the cruise, you only get to see the towns on the coast,and to get the full perspective of Alaska you should go inland. It is fantastic. We went to Mt. McKinley and the view was fabulous. We like to get away from the tourist areas and visit where the locals live, etc. You will love the cruise. Don't forget to carry a coat.

Take the Kenai Fjords trip out of Seward. We did and it was the high point of our trip. We saw sea otters swim around our boat (about 100 people), a bear with 2 cubs on shore, all sorts of birds--eagles, puffins and ?, walrus island, and whales came up right by our boat. Stopped to watch a glacier up close. <BR> <BR>I agree with Dinah that renting a car and driving inland would be wonderful too--will you get to spend any time at Denali? The drive from Seward to Anchorage is awesome--and the drive from Seward to Soldotna and Homer is equally beautiful. All of Alaska is interesting! Hope to go back a third time.

Exit glacier is very close to Seward. There is a nice park there if you want to do some hiking. <BR> <BR>The train between Seward and Anchorage is very scenic as well.

Seward is as ugly as the sites around Seward are Beautiful. Hang on to you son in this wild town. Every other building is a bar, load of drugs and a bunch of wild residents that escaped from the lower 49s. but, when you look above or past the buildings, you see the best that nature can make. Snow capped jagged mountains. Glaciers and crytal waterways. The Kenai Fjords trip is awesome. Don't know whether of not it duplicates the sites you will see on your cruise.

JoAnn, why would Simone want to pay $$ to take the Kenai Fjords trip when she's coming in off a cruise? I've taken the that trip and I can't imagine spending an extra half day to see basically the same stuff she'll see on her cruise into Seward. <BR>Simone: I agree with 'herself'. Seward is not very attractive and offers virtually nothing that would keep me there more than a couple hours. What you miss on a cruise is the unbelievably picturesque inland scenery. Just the drive from Seward up to Turnagain Arm (highway 9) is worth whatever trouble you have to go to. Alaska provides an unspoiled postcard-a-minute trip. (Seward notwithstanding).

Jerry, the Kenai Fjords trip was just a suggestion--the 15 of us that went on it thought it was worth it. My husband and I went on the Inside Passage cruise in '90 and didn't see much wildlife at all and very few whales on that cruise because of the large ship we were on--whereas the smaller Kenai Fjords ship got us in much closer. I agree otherwise, that Seward didn't show me much, except for the scenery going to and leaving the town. I am certain Simone will do as she pleases--she was asking for suggestions.

JoAnn: didn't mean to sound inflammatory. What I meant was that if Joann was coming off a cruise, had limited time, and wanted to maximize her overall experience, that I'd skip 'more cruising' and get inland. I know what you meant....the small day cruise boats allow passengers to get a better view of the wildlife than the big ships. I just wouldn't recommend that someone sacrifice inland time to get a better view of the same water/shore life they'd already seen.

"....if SIMONE was coming off a cruise" <BR>(Now that I've really twisted things around backwards.)

Guys, <BR> <BR>I´d like to thank you all for yr opinions, from which I could learn I should not spend my time in Seward, unless I decide to go to Kenai Fjords or Discovery Bay. For someone who lives in a tropical city and doesn´t have any idea of what is going to find in Alaska, is a beginning. That´s how I can better plan my trip. <BR>Any opinions about Anchorage?

Anchorage offers some pretty decent restaurants, some very nice local scenery, and can serve as a good base to do some day trips from. It's not really a 'destination city' you'd want to spend more than a couple days in IMO. And by comparison, it's 200% better than Seward.

Hi Simone, <BR> <BR>I did this trip, like everyone else here, about 6 years ago when my husband and I went on our honeymoon. We did a 7 day cruise, northbound to Seward and then 7 nights in Alaska. I'll give you some words of advice that a friend gave me while I was planning my "well-planned" trip that originally included 3 nights in Anchorage at the time. Her exact words were, "no one goes to Alaska to see Anchorage". I didn't understand at the time I thought there'd be a lot to do there but after having been to Alaska I can say with authority, she was 100% right. I can't imagine what a person would do there. It's flat and not real pretty, especially when considering the rest of the state. I would truly want to spend my time in places that are what Alaska is about, it is so majestic. Try to spend your time in places such as Denali (Mount McKinley)....go all the way to the end to the Kantishna Roadhouse...that's fabulous and an all day trip! The Kenai Penninsula as others have said or if you could swing it try going to Kodiak to see the brown bears. This is what Alaska is all about! <BR> <BR>Since then I have had the good fortune of traveling throughout a lot of the world but Alaska is still by far my favorite place on earth. You will LOVE it regardless of what you do and hey, whatever you miss this time you can save for your next trip! <BR> <BR>Robin

I must disagree!! Seward is a fine place to visit. It is a SMALL town, so one day there is ample, but it is full of history and offers a good museum, the Sealife Center, which is a marine research facility, and some pretty good restaurants. When you get off your cruise you probably will have time to venture into town and look around. Take the train to Anchorage, then begin your furthers adventures there. You can rent a car or go by train to Denali. <BR>ANchorage also has some creditable places to visit, but is much like all cities. You'll be glad to get away.

I would rather spend a day in Seward than a day in Anchorage. (There is nothing wrong with Anchorage - it's just that there is so much more of what most people go to Alaska to see and do outside of Anchorage.) Even though Anchorage is a large city by Alaskan standards, it is a small city by almost any other standards. <BR>Another town that I like on the Kenai peninsula is Homer. <BR>If you have time, visit the inerior of Alaska - Fairbanks, Denali Park, etc. The interior is quite different from the coastal areas. But if you just have 1 or 2 days at the end of your cruise, I would spend the night in Seward and then go on up to Anchorage on the train/bus or else rent a car for the drive.