Getting to Seward from Anchorage
Every Kenai Fjords cruise leaves from Seward, a small harbor town about 125 miles (200 km) south of Anchorage. Most visitors either drive the Seward Highway or ride the Alaska Railroad's summer train, and shuttles fill the gaps between. How you get there decides how long a cruise fits into the day, and whether you should sleep in Seward.
How far Seward is
Seward is a town of about 2,700 year-round residents at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula. The town began in 1903 as the railroad's terminus on the sea and sits at mile 0 of the historic Iditarod Trail. The 1964 Good Friday earthquake hit it hard. Every boat into Kenai Fjords National Park leaves from its small boat harbor.
From Anchorage the road is the Seward Highway, a National Scenic Byway that hugs Turnagain Arm before climbing through the mountains of the peninsula. The 125 miles take about 2.5 hours without stops. Nobody drives it without stops, so plan on longer, because the pullouts along the arm are hard to pass.
Driving yourself
A rental car gives you the most freedom. You leave when you like and stop where you want, and you can drive the short road to Exit Glacier near Seward, the one part of the national park you can reach by road. Both operators check you in near the harbor. Major Marine uses the Harbor 360 Hotel at 1412 4th Ave, and Kenai Fjords Tours works from 1304 4th Ave on the same street. Parking is near the small boat harbor and not part of any cruise fare.
The drawback is the drive back after a long day on the water. After 7 or 8 hours of wind and swell, 2.5 hours behind the wheel feels longer than it did in the morning, especially if anyone in the car felt seasick.
The summer train
The Alaska Railroad runs a summer train between Anchorage and Seward that takes about 4 hours each way, according to a Viator listing. A one-way ride from Seward to Anchorage starts at about $133 on Viator. The route runs through backcountry the highway never sees, and many travelers count the ride as a highlight of the trip.
The schedule is the problem for a same-day cruise. The train heads south in the morning and returns north in the evening, which leaves a window in Seward that fits some cruises and not others. Check the timetable for your date before you book a boat. If the window looks too short, ride the train one way and drive or take a transfer for the other leg. The operators know this traffic well.
- Major Marine's full-day listing on GetYourGuide includes a shuttle from the railroad depot and from the cruise ship port
- Kenai Fjords Tours' 6-hour listing carries a note for travelers arriving by train the same day
- Major Marine asks train passengers to tell them in advance, so the boat knows to expect you
A full day that meets the train
Major Marine's 7.5-hour cruise into Aialik Bay includes a shuttle from the Seward railroad depot, with two tidewater glacier stops and a naturalist to explain them, from ~$319. Tell the operator you are coming by train, and cancel free until 24 hours ahead.
Shuttles and transfer tours
Travelers with neither a car nor a train seat can cover the road by shuttle or on a transfer tour. Viator lists transfers between Seward and Anchorage from about $75–89 per person. They suit travelers heading north to the airport after a cruise, or cruise-ship passengers who land in Seward and fly out of Anchorage. Confirm the pickup point in Seward when you book, and leave some slack after the cruise's scheduled return in case the boat comes in late.
For that crowd Kenai Fjords Tours also sells a shore-excursion version of its 6-hour park cruise, from ~$230. It is built for cruise-ship days, but anyone can book it, and one Viator reviewer mentions leaving luggage at the office while out on the water. Its catch is that it only appears on Viator, and it still needs 6 hours on the water plus check-in. Our page on ship days works out the timing in detail.
A day trip or a night in Seward
A day trip from Anchorage works best with a short cruise. Drive down early for the Resurrection Bay half day, from ~$150. A 6-hour cruise such as Kenai Fjords Tours' park cruise, from ~$230 fits too if you start early. Either way you are back in Anchorage late in the evening. In June and July the long light helps a lot.
For the longer cruises we would sleep in Seward. The Northwestern Fjord tour, from ~$288, is an 8-hour day that wants you at check-in an hour ahead. The early boats leave before a morning drive from Anchorage could get you there comfortably. A night in town also leaves time for Exit Glacier and for the Alaska SeaLife Center, a good plan for a rainy afternoon. If the weather turns, a spare day in Seward lets you move the cruise rather than lose it.
To test a day trip on paper, work backward from the boat. Take the hours on the water, add check-in time (a full hour for Northwestern Fjord), then the 2.5-hour drive in each direction, and leave a margin for photo stops and slow traffic on the highway. If the sum runs past what you want to spend awake, book a room.
Which cruise fits which plan
- Day trip by car. The half day or a 6-hour cruise, then drive back in the evening light;
- Day trip by train. A cruise that fits between the morning arrival and the evening departure. Check the timetable first, and tell the operator;
- One night in Seward. Any cruise works, including our pick, Major Marine's full day, from ~$319. Captain's Choice, from ~$255 is another good fit;
- Coming off a ship. The shore-excursion cruise above, then a transfer north.
Before you book, our route-length guide explains what each length reaches. The price guide adds the train or car to the fare, and our month-by-month guide says when the trains and boats run most often. If the swell worries you, the seasickness guide helps you pick a gentler route.