Seward cruise port tips before or after your Alaska cruise

Hi there!

There are 7-day one-way cruises between Vancouver (Canada) and Seward (Alaska).

These are one of the best types of Alaska cruises because they usually include one of the best glacier sea days of Hubbard Glacier. And going to Seward means that you can go to a national park too!

If I were to do a Vancouver Seward cruise, I would be sure to book the small boat Hubbard Glacier wilderness excursion through the cruise line if available, and then do a Seward excursion to see the Kenai Fjords National Park glaciers.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity do one-way cruises between Vancouver and Seward. Note that these cruise lines do not offer any cruises that go to the glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park, the other best glacier sea day.

If you want to do a one-way cruise that includes Glacier Bay National Park, you want to cruise to/from Whittier cruise port.

Travel planning for Seward cruise port

If your cruise is starting in Seward, you’ll fly into Anchorage airport.

It’s always a good idea to arrive a day before your cruise starts because of potential flight delays.

Seward is a small town with some accommodation options. Some people stay in Seward before their cruise, and some stay in Anchorage.

Take a look at my list of things to do in Seward to see if you want to spend a night or 2 there.

You can also stay in Anchorage the night before your cruise, and then the morning of your cruise you can go to Seward by train or shuttle.

Also consider that if you’re flying from East Coast USA to Alaska, you have a 4-hour time difference. By arriving a day or 2 early, you can start to get used to the new time zone sooner and feel refreshed before your cruise!

I arrived 2 days early when I had my cruise from the Anchorage area (that cruise was from another Alaskan town, Whittier), so I stayed 2 nights in Anchorage. (Although I was coming from Europe so I wanted extra buffer time for sure!)

If your cruise ends in Seward, you’ll go to Anchorage after your cruise to fly out of Anchorage airport.

I flew out of Anchorage a day after my cruise ended when I had my cruise to the Anchorage area (that was also to Whittier), so I stayed a night in Anchorage.

You must consider traveling Alaska by train as an extension of your cruise to or from Seward! See more about the best Alaska train trips.

When searching for Anchorage hotels, look for the “view map” option!

Take a look at the Lakefront Anchorage hotel or Ingra House Hotel.

To stay in Seward before a cruise, the Harbor 360 hotel is a host hotel for the popular Kenai Fjords National Park glacier tours!

For flights, I like to compare prices at kayak.com and then book direct.