flfreeman

We are a group of 9 (all adults) traveling from Tennessee for a 7-day Alaskan cruise July 7, 2023-July14, 2023. We fly into Anchorage on July 6, then catch the Alaskan Railroad to Seward at 6:45am on July 7 - leaving ample time to get to the ship.
The problem is that the airline keeps changing our flight times, and even adding extra legs, causing our arrival time to be later and later. The current itinerary has us arriving in Anchorage at 1am! We have to be at the train depot at 5:45am - that leaves us in limbo for around 3.5 hours in the middle of the night. Currently, we have a reserved Airbnb that is around 15 min from the airport, but in the opposite direction of the train depot. The logistics of getting 9 people + luggage from the airport to the Airbnb, just to again have transportation a few hours later for the same group to the train depot seems daunting, but hanging out in the airport just does not appeal.
At the point we arrive in Anchorage, we will have been traveling for almost 24hrs (including a 4 hr drive to Nashville to catch the initial flight). We will all need some rest and/or a way to freshen up, even if it's just for a few hours. I'm sure the better option would have been to leave a day earlier, but some members of the group have limited vacation time so that was not possible. Originally, we were arriving around 10pm so had a few more hours to get some rest.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Leave as is? Is there a B&B closer to the train depot that may be a better option that could accommodate a group our size? Hotels near the train depot are outrageously expensive for the few short hours we need (a dbl room runs $350-$450/night and we would have to have multiple rooms). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

janisj

Welcome to Fodors. Its very possible the flights will change again before July. Since the schedule has been substantially changed it is likely you can change the flight for no change fees or up fare. I'd seriously consider flying in no later than the morning before your cruise -- or even the night before that. (Its always a good idea to travel in a day ahead of a cruise but especially now with the constant changes and cancellations)

janisj

I had only skimmed the full post -- I do see you mentioned flying in a day early isn't possible. Seems you are between a rock and a hard place. This was a difficult plan from the beginning. Cutting it close can be expensive

dfrostnh

It's not unusual for flights to arrive that late. I would just cross my fingers and hope it gets changed again to a better time. The last time I flew I was unhappy with a long layover but my flight was delayed so I ended up with a short layover in Paris.

You could check into one way car rentals from Anchorage to Seward. https://www.alaskatravel.com/anchora...seward-return/ You won't see much in the middle of the night although it will be dusky not dark. It's about a three hour drive to Seward. The Seward Highway is an easy drive on good road. There should be some all night place open in Anchorage for food and beverage. You'll need two cars and hopeful you can get train refund to pay for cars and you have two alert drivers who slept on the plane.

of course, car rental might not be open in the middle of the night.

The train station looks like it is 15 minutes from the airport. But they won't store luggage.

Have the people who can arrive a day early. Rent cars. Get a good night's sleep someplace reasonable. Pick rest of party up at airport, get refreshments, and Drive to Seward.

good luck.

janisj

They have nine people -- plus my guess a LOT of luggage it being a cruise. Driving would require at least 2 vehicles.

Gardyloo

Which airline is jerking you around? Where is the last connection point before Anchorage, and how much time will you have there? It might be best for you to "freshen up" en route rather than on arrival at Anchorage.

I suspect that with everybody toting cruise luggage, and after a long day/night sitting on planes, the last thing you'll want to do is wrangle with logistics - transportation to some intermediate location for a couple of hours, then repeating the hassle to get to the train station. Anchorage airport is no masterpiece of comfort, but it's probably better than trying to find someplace to sit next to the train station, out in the open (and even in July it can be chilly or wet.) So I'd suck it up and stay in the airport - there's a 24h Starbucks near the bag claim, so maybe use some caffeine to chase the cobwebs. Then just taxi/uber/whatever to the train station and call it good.

Note it will be twilight throughout your time.

tom_mn

Is this Delta via Minneapolis or Alaska via Seattle? Either airline has earlier options the same day. United does too, find a better option yourself, and then call and ask for it.

Editing to add: The reasons for a getting a free change (or full refund) vary, but adding a stop to an itinerary works for any airline. A change in start/end time varies by airline, I believe Delta is any thing over 2 hours, and the rest are anything over 2-1/2 hours, but check. Call knowing in advance if they must consider a free change.

flfreeman

Delta is the airline. Originally, we were to fly direct from Nashville to Seattle, Seattle to Anchorage. Now, we fly from Nashville to Atlanta to Seattle, Seattle to Anchorage. If we had known we were going to be routed to Atlanta, we could have just drove there since it is about the same distance as Nashville. We have about a 2 hr layover in Seattle, so no real time to get rest or freshen up there.
With a group of 9, we haven't looked at changing flights - mainly bc we plan to carpool to Nashville and thought it best to stick together. But, it is a good idea to check on flights and maybe we could still carpool for those that could leave a day earlier. And, yes, the last thing we want to do is hassle with transportation twice within just a few hours when we're already road worn - especially with cruise luggage, as pointed out.
Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions - and the information about the Anchorage airport (at least there's Starbucks). We're hoping the airline will get us back closer to our original schedule between now and then, but with the way airlines are lately, we're not very optimistic. The main reason we decided to take the train was so that it would be more relaxing than trying to drive and luggage/group size wouldn't matter - logistically easier than trying to arrange enough cars to accommodate the whole group. But, it's nice to know it's a fairly easy drive if we decide to go that route instead.

tom_mn

The 5+ hour layover is not ideal, but there is this:

Departing flight Thu, Jul 6


10:18 AM Nashville International Airport (BNA)
Travel time: 2 hr 7 min
12:25 PM Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
Delta
Economy
Airbus A320DL 2955

• Average legroom (31 in)
• Free Wi-Fi
• In-seat power & USB outlets
• Live TV

5 hr 40 min layover Minneapolis (MSP)

6:05 PM Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)
Travel time: 5 hr 46 min
8:51 PM Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)

It's almost as the crow flies so the least amount of time spent flying. They will definitely change your origin at no charge to Atlanta if that's what you want.

ap2185

For what it's worth, Sleeping in Airports has suggestions of quiet places to rest or sleep if you end up staying overnight in the Anchorage Airport.

They also note that the airport is cold, so you may need to bundle up.

I can't post the link, but it's at sleepinginairports.net/guides/anchorage-airport-guide.htm

tom_mn

I didn't even think to check for a nonstop from Atlanta:

Departing flightThu, Jul 6

3:10 PMHartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

Travel time: 7 hr 42 min

6:52 PMTed Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)

mlgb

I would not under any circumstances consider driving to Seward with only a few hours sleep.
Yes, hotels are expensive in Anchorage especially for your time frame as you are around the July 4 holiday and peak cruise season.
Honestly I'd just keep the Airbnb and taxis are available 24/7. An extra 15 minutes travel time won't make much difference.

Sassafrass

Tom_mn, wow! Such a good find. I may seek your help next time I am struggling with flights.

flfreeman

Sleeping in Airports! Wow! Thanks for this information - I didn't know there was a site for this and it may come in very handy!

Update: I contacted Delta yesterday to see what could be done for an earlier arrival in Anchorage. They were able to get 5 of us on an earlier flight from Nashville to Atlanta, then a direct flight from Atlanta to Anchorage. We now arrive around 7pm on the flight mentioned above (yay!!!). The other 4 are still working with Delta to see what can be done. The direct flight from ATL to ANC is sold out. They offered from a flight from Nashville to Minneapolis then direct to Anchorage for them (the one that arrives at 8:51p), but there was only a 34 min layover which is not possible. Hoping they can work out an earlier flight to Minneapolis. Apparently, per Delta, part of the issue is that it is the week of the Fourth of July and there are a lot of vacations and cruises around that time, as someone stated above. When I looked at flights from ATL to ANC yesterday, all the Basic Economy seats were sold out on every flight.
Thanks to everyone for all the great information - Anchorage, accommodations, airports, airlines, suggestions and ideas! I so appreciate the benefit of experience that all of you have and are willing to share!

P.S. When I asked about changing the origin of the flight from Nashville to Atlanta, they stated they would have to reissue the tickets and the cost was $610 pp.

tom_mn

They say stuff like this but there is a reason many suggest when calling airlines if the answer is undesirable to "hang up, call again" or HUCA for short. This works because agents make stuff up to get rid of you, or they just don't know the policies or systems very well. Since you were eligible for a full refund (they added a segment), agents are allowed to keep your money/business by changing a 3 segment trip via Atlanta to 2 segment trip starting in Atlanta if that's what you want. But it doesn't matter since you seem to have done all right.

BTW: You are getting the run around on Minneapolis. The flight I mentioned leaving BNA at 10:18 is still available for 4 at less cost than the one with the 30 minute layover. It's an easy train ride to Mall of America to burn up the 5-1/2 hours, about a 15 minute ride plus any wait.

Editing to add: Your call should be brief and omit personal details like the cruise or hours of driving on either end. You are not trying to elicit sympathy: you have rights you are trying to exercise. Also don't ask open-ended questions like "how can we get there earlier." Just say:

1. "Our itinerary has been changed from 2 segments to 3." [Immediately the Delta person will know that this is a bad situation and you have rights to a full refund].

2. "Delta.com is showing availability on flight DL 2955 connecting to DL 517 [or other flights you prefer]. We want to be put on those flights."

That should do it.

mlgb

Since I was just in Anchorage this past Saturday flying Delta back home, I'll mention that I saw a sign that their Lounge is $50 per person (follow the signs to Observation Lounge). Limited hours at present (11:15am to 9:45pm). Looked nice.

ANC is one of the nicest US airports I've flown through in recent years. Being stuck there for a few hours wouldn't be all that bad.

tom_mn

There may be local exceptions but Delta officially no longer allows buying lounge access (even for Delta passengers). I wonder if the sign was outdated.

mlgb

Since the Lounge was closed when I went up there, I wasn't able to test it out.

janisj

Weird since purchase of day passes to Delta Sky Clubs was eliminated at least 4 or 5 years ago. Those who are already members can pay $39 for a guest.

Plus AFAIK there is currently only a temporary Sky Club at ANC which they call a 'pop up'.

mlgb

I can vouch that the Delta Lounge is in fact there, in the South Terminal at the mezzanine elevator exit approximately above Starbucks. FWIW this was a personal observation 5/13/23 and not something I Googled.

It seems as if Delta has occupied the space called Observation Lounge, perhaps for the summer cruise season which has just started? The sign looked new. The only part of the setup I could see was the food service area.

Maybe the Day Pass offer is a promo deal for the start of season?