A short day in Seward with Sealife, books and yarn.
SEWARD ARRIVAL
When we arrived at 7 am, heavy fog prevented us from seeing much. The temperatures were supposed to be in the 60s, but they stubbornly stayed in the 40s, as the fog hid the warming sun.
Visibility was less than 1/4 mile in the morning.
We planned to visit the Alaska Sea Life Center and browse around some of the downtown shops.
A free shuttle bus runs in a loop from the cruise terminal to the Alaska SeaLife Center, the furthest stop, with about a dozen stops in between. You can catch the free shuttle bus outside the cruise terminal. More information is HERE. Seward has taxis, but we didn’t see any waiting around the terminal.
We left the ship around 11 am and headed to the large cruise terminal across the foggy pier. The terminal is a large empty space big enough to hold luggage when ships begin or end their cruises here. A few vending machines and a Hertz/Avis rental car kiosk were in the corner. The Hertz/Avis rental car office is nearby.
Inside the Seward Cruise Terminal
We boarded a waiting bus and were soon on our way. It took 10 minutes to get to the Alaska Sea Life Center.
ALASKA SEALIFE CENTER
Alaska SeaLife Center sells timed tickets, and the price varies by day and time of day, but expect to pay around $30 per person. We bought our tickets online in advance, which is cheaper than if you wait to buy them at the door. Buying your tickets about a week in advance will give you the best price. Tickets are available on their website HERE.
Alaska Sea Life Center Lobby
Most of the exhibits are on the second floor, and after paying, you are directed up an escalator to start your tour. See the layout of the Sea Life Center HERE.
The most popular exhibits were shallow tanks filled with starfish and other sea creatures you could touch. These were quite popular with the many children touring the center.
The touch tanks are very popular
A large room was filled with various seabirds, including many types of Puffins.
This room was filled with various sea birds
The Sea Life Center is a great place to see Puffins up close
Olivia and Betsy are working here for the summer. Very helpful and friendly.
On the ground floor, you can see an underwater view of large tanks containing seals and sea lions and watch them swim around.
Steller Sea Lion viewed from the ground floor
We left the Sealife Center around 1 pm after spending 1 hour and 15 minutes exploring the exhibits and browsing the gift shop. Once outside we were happy to see blue skies – the fog was gone!
DREAMLAND BOOKS AND YARN
Seward’s newest and only bookstore and yarn shop, Dreamland Books and Yarn, opened on April 27, 2024. Only a block away from the Sea Life Center, we stopped by to check it out.
The front of the store had books, while the back of the store was dedicated to yarn. We spoke with Michelely, the owner, who was very helpful and enthusiastic about bringing books and yarn to Seward. The store stocks popular yarns including Malabrigo, Sirdar, Blue Sky Fibers and Noro. There were also kits to knit the hat patterns in the National Parks series by Nancy Bates.
Most of the yarn is in the back
Michelely and her husband, Michael, also own Resurrect Art Coffee House in Downtown Seward.
Dreamland Books and Yarn owner – Michelely
We didn’t have time to stop by their coffee house, but we won’t miss it next time we are in Seward.
Judy outside Dreamland Books and Yarn. She bought two mini balls of Happy by Sirdar.
We quickly walked up and down 3rd Avenue before heading back to the Sea Life Center and catching the 2 pm shuttle back to the ship. We arrived at the cruise terminal and picked up a few snacks from the vending machines before returning to the ship. All aboard time was 2:30.
Downtown Seward under blue skies
The fog finally lifted – nice views
MASQUERADE BALL
Great dinner in the main dining room. Check out the menu HERE
Tonight was our second dressy night. The highlight was the Masquerade Ball, which started at 9 pm in the Rolling Stone Lounge. The ship provided masks at the entrance, and one of the Assistant Cruise Directors kicked off the festivities at 9 pm. The lounge was full, and the dance floor was crowded. We left after about 1 hour, but the party was still going strong.
All masked up!
Free masks were available at the door
Susan and Judy enjoying the party
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This is making me want to do another Alaska cruise! Forgot how great it was.
Can I ask you a non-Alaska question? I was just reading your WC blog and saw you stayed in 8070 on the Zuiderdam. We’re considering this area for the ’25 WC. Did you hear noise from above in the Lido? Thank you and thanks for all the information. I’ve also gone back to read some of the ’23 WC blog as well for tips.
Here is my video review of Cabin 8070 https://youtu.be/KKRfm-8QZAM?si=5f69KEPKPtae4oe7
You can hear the lido trollies late at night and early – if you listen for them. I put them in the background noise catergory. Like the sound of a distant train or freeway (if you live in the city) The sound is detectable – but didn’t bother us. If you are bothered by ANY sound – then probably not a good choice. We spend 35 days in this cabin in 2022 and 128 days in 2024. Would cheerfully book this cabin again.