Whittier qustion

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PEB

Guest
I know that it has been a while since the cruise ships have been to Whittier. We will be on the Dawn Princess which will go to Whittier and be their all day. I know the cruise lines use to go to Whittier so does anyone have any information of what there is to see and do in Whittier based on a past trip to there regardless of how long ago it was?
 
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Dale

Guest
Princess and Carnival chose Whittier to save money. There are only two excursion options listed on the Princess website. There are three companies that offer day cruises out of Whittier. 26 Glaciers (Phillips) with a fast catamaran that visits Barry Arm and College Fjord. Major Marine that has two tours but only one during May; it visits only Barry Arm in May; it also visits Blackstone Bay after school is out (the boat is used for school field trips). And finally Prince William Sound Cruises and Tours; it does Barry Arm but starts at 11am-5pm (others start at 1:00pm to 5:30 or 6:00)

The above is from research done on the web. I have not cruised on any of these. I am Alaska bound prior to the May 24 sailing of Princess Sun out of Whittier. My wife and I will be doing Kenai Fjords National Park out of Seward a couple of days before. We may well do one of the day cruises out of Whittier on the day we embark the Sun. We are somewhat hesitant since the Sun travels to College Fjord and then Glacier Bay.

Currently Major Marine doesn't offer 1 way travel by coach to Whittier from Anchorage. With 26 Glaciers you get to pay the round trip fare of $40 for one way. Prince William Sound Tours (owned by KFTs) does have $26 one way coach transportation; but its pickup is at 8:00am at the Anchorage Hilton (also the Aspen and Ayleska Prince Inn in Girdwood). The train from Anchorage to Whittier does NOT allow luggage. So it is not an option for Cruise bound passengers. You must use a bus. There is no drop off for a rented car. Whittier is tiny...

These day cruises may be great for those who have never cruised the Inside Passage including Glacier Bay and College Fjord. I am wondering if it is worth the $99 (Major Marine w/o buffet) to $119 (26 Glaciers) for those who will be cruising with Princess or Carnival out of Whittier

I would like other people's thoughts.
Thanks
 
P

PEB

Guest
Dale thanks for the information. We are doing back to back on the Dawn Princess May 10 and May 17 sailings. We will not be going to Ankorage this time around. The Dawn will be in Whittier all day so any of the day tours will be easy for us to do. The ship doesn't leave until something like 10 or 11 at night.

We have done the Kenai Fjords tours out of Seward several times in the past both from the cruise ships and on our own when we stayed in Ankorage for several days between cruises.

Watching whales and seeing glaciers are our favorite things to do in Alaska so I am sure I will find something to do LOL.
 
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Kay C

Guest
Dale,
My husband, myself, and another coupke were planning on taking the train from Anchorage to Whittier the day of our cruise. Are you sure about the luggage. Our travel agent didn't say anything about not being able to take luggage on this train segment.. We will be leaving on the Coral Princess on May 15. I hadn't made the train reservations yet, but had planned on doing that in the next few days. Need to find out about this for sure. Thanks..Kay
 
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Kay C

Guest
Dale, I emailed Alaska Railroad and here is their reply:

Thank you for your inquiry. The Glacier Discovery train does allow for
luggage to be checked in Anchorage and unloaded in Whittier.

The Glacier Discovery train departs Anchorage at 10:00 AM and arrives
into Whittier at 12:20 PM. The one-way fare is $49.00 per person.

If you would like to book reservations, please call us at
1-800-544-0552. We are open Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Alaska
Standard Time.

Thank you,
Dawn
Alaska Railroad Reservations


I didn' know if anyone else might be interested in this
 
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Dale

Guest
Thanks for the info. Major Marine and KFT led me astray. This is the first year for cruises out of Whittier and things really aren't well established.
If you plan on taking the train, you will be limited to Phillips 26 Glaciers leaving at 1:00 or Major Marine leaving at 1:15 (Prince William Sound Cruises owned by KFT leaves at 11:00, too early for the train). Sounds like you won't have time to drop to check in with Princess prior to a small boat excursion. So the small boat people will need to store your luggage.
 
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murchison

Guest
Whittier

My cruise ends up in Whittier. Is there a way to get to Seward without going back to Anchorage? My first cruise is scheduled for next July on the Dawn Princess.
Thanks, Jean
 
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Kay C

Guest
Re: Whittier

I believe you can rent a car in Whittier. Here is a website. www.whittierforum.yukontel.com It has alot of useful information . Someone in Seward might come to Whittier and take you back to Seward. I'm sure there is a website for Seward.
 
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cruisegary

Guest
Back to the original poster and being on the ship all day in Whittier, other than taking the mentioned local cruises, you might as well just enjoy a nice quiet day on the ship. Let everyone else deal with getting on and off while you chill out. There really is nothing in Whittier to do.

I guess you could ride the bus to Anchorage, walk around town, then ride back..... but... chill out sounds really good.
 
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mrAlaska

Guest
Hi Alaska cruisers.

Just to claify something, Carnival and Princess did not choose Whittier to save money! Since this is the starting and ending point of Alaska cruises, Whittier was chosen for its accessibility for cruisetour passengers. Princess will be bringing their rail cars into Whittier. Southbound cruisetour passengers will take the train into Whittier and board the ship directly, whereas Northbound cruisetour passengers will debark the ship and directly board the train right for Denali the same day. Cost had nothing to do with this decision. I'm sure Carnival/Holland America will follow Princess with this idea. This will make it much easier for passengers to transition from cruise to land and vice versa, and it is a great idea!
 
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