Places to stay/things to do in Anchorage before HAL tour

We are going on a combo Cruisetour with HAL July 30, 2007. The land portion departs from Anchorage July 31, 2007 and includes hotel in Anchorage for the night of July 30.

We are arriving in Anchorage at around 4PM on Saturday July 28.

Any recommendations on places to stay and things to do in and about Anchorage? We prefer Hotels to B%26amp;B

Right now my plans are to go to Seward on Sunday July 29 and take the 11:30 six hour cruise of Kenai Fjords National Park. If I take the train motor coach combo tour we would depart Seward at 6:00PM by train. If I rent a car I would have dinner first in Seward and than drive back to Anchorage.

On the next day I thought about renting a car and driving to Portage Glacier or some other sights outside of Anchorage.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Marty

Places to stay/things to do in Anchorage before HAL tour

Hi, you drive right by Portage to get to Seward (or back to Anchorage) so why not rent a car, drive to Seward, stay overnight and then drive back making the stops you want along the way? If you rent a car, you also open up the hotel list to any you like while without a car you are limited to those closer to what you want to see and do. Taxis are pretty expensive in Anchorage and public transportation is not very good. Don%26#39;t forget that you will have about 17 hours of daylight that time of year so you can see a lot quite late into the evening.

Hope this helps to give you some ideas - just post as you plan and we%26#39;ll be glad to give you more specific information!

Places to stay/things to do in Anchorage before HAL tour

The idea of renting and staying in Seward is not bad, except with your arrival at 4PM, but the time you get your bags, get the car and hit the road you will be at 6PM, or 10PM New York time - you have jet lag to consider. That is not an ideal time to drive 120 miles safely and enjoy it as well. If you do rent the car for the Seward trip, then either a hotel in the south of town or in Seward is to be recommended. Moose Pass is also a possibility, as it is in the mountains 40 miles short of Seward and they have a nice log roadhouse with rooms and a good restaurant.

If you take the train to Seward (which is also a great idea) then a hotel downtown near the railroad is recommended. If you take the train motor coach tour the one day and have the car a second day, you can drive north to Hatcher pass, extremely well worth it, or you can head south again if you are absolutely charmed by what you see on the way to Seward and back. Or you can follow the sun if it is raining in one place and not the other.

71