Visiting Anchorage on a cruise that begins or ends nearby
Most one-way cruises begin or end in Seward or Whittier, which are 2-4 hours from Anchorage. If you are taking a one-way cruise, you may be flying into or out of Anchorage. The good news is that Anchorage provides plenty of opportunities for dining, shopping, and walking.
Here’s a heads-up: your experience in Anchorage may be impacted by whether it is at the beginning or end of your cruise tour. Read on for our experiences, dining recommendations, and considerations.
Our hotel in Anchorage on a cruise tour
Our hotel stay (part of the cruise tour) was in a central tourist area with abundant restaurants and shops within easy walking distance.
We met this gang outside of one of the many shops near our Anchorage hotel.
Dining in Anchorage
If you like seafood, I recommend Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House. (And look for their outpost in the Anchorage Airport too).
With all of the cruise tour passengers in town, the restaurants adjacent to our hotel had ridiculously lengthy waits. But by walking a half dozen blocks to Humpy’s, we quickly found a seat. It’s a casual place with a varied menu – not all fried foods – and features salads, sandwiches, seafood entrees, and a nice beer list.
Other activities in Anchorage
Because our stay in Anchorage was brief, we missed out on a hiking trail we hope to hit some day – the city’s Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (reported to boast good views with occasional whale sightings).
And if we ever fly into Anchorage and rent a car, I would love to stay at the Alyeska Resort, located in Girdwood (about 27 miles from Anchorage) in the Chugach Mountain Range. (Norwegian’s “12-Day Denali/Alyeska Explorer” itinerary includes a stay there.)
If you’ve found time to fit in some other fun or relaxing activities on an Anchorage stop, please share some details by commenting below.
Is Anchorage towards the beginning or end of your cruise tour itinerary?
Visiting Anchorage on cruise tour that is northbound (enroute to Denali)
We visited Anchorage on our two past northbound cruise tours (cruise 1st, land 2nd).
On one itinerary, we arrived in Anchorage via motorcoach in the afternoon, had dinner, and stayed overnight. The next morning we rode a motorcoach to the train station where we boarded the train to Denali National Park.
Had we been night owls, we could have enjoyed some of Anchorage after dinner. But with the train’s early departure, we wanted a good rest to prepare for our days in Denali. (And from there we traveled further north to Fairbanks, our departure city on that trip.)
Flying out of Anchorage after a cruise tour
On a second itinerary, Anchorage was our departure city.
The itinerary indicated that we would fly home the morning after our arrival in Anchorage. Then we looked at the flight schedules that would get us back home to the eastern US. To our dismay, we noted that, due to the time zone changes, the flight home basically consumes an entire day.
We opted instead to fly home around 11pm on the day of our afternoon arrival in Anchorage. Because our hotel stay was bundled into the cruisetour price, we had a room to use before we headed to the airport. We freshened up, stashed our luggage, and headed out for a yummy seafood dinner before getting a taxi from the hotel to the airport.
Had we opted to fly out in the morning, we would have been doing so with lots of other travelers.
Our late-night departure was relaxing and easy — no crowds at the check-out desk or taxi area.
The late night departure also prevented us the worry of a four or five a.m. wake-up time. An early departure usually results in us tossing and turning, checking the clock, and fretting about sleeping through the alarm. We figured we’d sleep just as well on the plane. And it was still daylight as we made our way to the airport, giving us a good view of some other sections of Anchorage.
On a northbound itinerary, you’ll be visiting Anchorage towards the tail-end of your trip. Which for us means that by the time we get there, our energy is lagging. And we’ve done all of our shopping already – during the cruise’s port stops.
On a northbound itinerary, we look forward to Anchorage as a laid-back, relaxing stop. We do some walking, have a nice dinner, and reflect on the wonderful cruise vacation we’re wrapping up.
Visiting Anchorage on a cruise that is southbound (cruising from Whittier or Seward)
Some southbound cruisetour itineraries begin in Anchorage (land 1st, cruise 2nd). They feature a trip north from Anchorage to Denali and then south again to embark at Whittier or Seward.
If you are beginning your cruise vacation in Anchorage, you will most likely be energized. Remember to pace yourself since you have many days of travel ahead. And save some of your shopping funds for the many great stores in Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau. Depending on the number of vacation days you have available, you may even be able to fly into Anchorage more than one day early to do some additional sightseeing.
Cruisetours give you a great view of Interior Alaska. I hope you enjoy your cruisetour as much as we have!
Let’s make the most of our vacation days!