Am I reading this right???

[cherryharley]

Sailing Princess to Alaska, disembarking in Whittier. Figured we'd ride the train to Anchorage where we will have a rental car waiting for us. Checking schedules just now it seems that the ONLY train out of Whittier is at 6:45 pm whereas the motorcoaches leave at 9:45 am. And our ship arrives in Whittier at 12:30 AM! Really??? Do we have to get off the ship in the middle of the night? If so what do we do in Whittier until we can get transportation to Anchorage? We also wanted to go to Seward, but it seems "you can't get there from here", meaning that no public transportation runs between the 2 ports. You have to go to Anchorage and then back down to Seward. Please advise if I am understanding the situation correctly.

[kimberja14]

Hey there...I live in Anchorage and the trains don't run very often but that does seem like a long wait for you. You might want to check the train schedule directly for more info. Whittier is accessed by a tunnel that the train and cars must take turns using.Although the ship may arrive at 12:30am I'm sure the disembarkation time is much later. If you have that time in Whittier I would recommend taking a boat tour of some sort. Whittier is beautiful and there is a wild feel to it. Enjoy your time there and the rest of Alaska:-)

 

 

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[300dtc]

We were on Princess and although you dock very early, you don't get off the ship till morning..I think we got off at 9 am. We took a bus tour to Anchorage and a animal preserve.

 

 

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[Glaciers]

There used to be a Princess contracted train that departed Whittier very early in the morning. It’s booked through Princess. Have you contacted them about transfers?

You arrive about midnight but you don’t disembark until later.

Anyone providing transportation between Whittier and Seward has to drive from Seward or Anchorage just to pick folks up. It is very pricey. I’ve heard PJ’s Taxi in Seward does it.

Although there is a hefty drop fee, renting a car in Whittier would solve all of your issues.

Another option is to take a day glacier/wildlife cruise out of Whittier and then take the evening train to Anchorage.

[cherryharley]

There used to be a Princess contracted train that departed Whittier very early in the morning. It’s booked through Princess. Have you contacted them about transfers?

 

You arrive about midnight but you don’t disembark until later.

 

Anyone providing transportation between Whittier and Seward has to drive from Seward or Anchorage just to pick folks up. It is very pricey. I’ve heard PJ’s Taxi in Seward does it.

 

Although there is a hefty drop fee, renting a car in Whittier would solve all of your issues.

 

Another option is to take a day glacier/wildlife cruise out of Whittier and then take the evening train to Anchorage.

 

Taxi is definitely out of the question and car rental in Whittier probably is too. Glad disembarking is at a normal time! I will check with Princess to see if they have a cruise transfer train that is not listed on the Alaska Train website, otherwise it looks like the bus for us. :)

[MVPinBoynton]

It is a very narrow tunnel that is used for trains, cars and busses. Everyone has to wait their turn.

 

[Chenega]

That 6:45pm departure is the regularly scheduled train. The cruise lines always have special charter trains in the morniing from Whittier. Same applies for Seward arrivals.

 

Yes, you will spend the night on the ship before leaving Whittier when the tunnel opens in the morning.

[cherryharley]

That 6:45pm departure is the regularly scheduled train. The cruise lines always have special charter trains in the morniing from Whittier. Same applies for Seward arrivals.

 

Yes, you will spend the night on the ship before leaving Whittier when the tunnel opens in the morning.

 

Thank you for the info. Don't know what I would do without CC! Seems the train website would at least have a note that cruise lines charter morning trains on the days they are in port.

[Beachiekeen]

Alot of people do the Prince William Sound boat cruise before taking the evening train to Anchorage.

 

https://majormarine.com/tour-areas/prince-william-sound/

 

Are you flying home the same day or the next morning? If so, this might be a nice excursion before heading to Anchorage.

[AKStafford]

Bear Valley Roadrunner might be able to get you direct from Whittier to Seward. https://www.bearvalleyroadrunner.com/

The mid-morning train is done through your cruise line. The evening train is operated and booked through the Alaska Railroad.

My first preference would be to rent a car. You'll have the flexibility to explore as you like along the way, including stops at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center or Alyeska Resort. But there is the one way drop off fee...

My second choice would bet do a Prince William Sound glacier cruise and then take the evening train.

[Budget Queen]

I too highly recommend a car rental, then with keeping an eye on the 24 hour rental clock turn it in in Anchorage and get a cheaper round trip rental for the rest of your trip. This is the BEST use of time if your itinerary is short. I don't find, focusing on the cost of overall value of what you get out of this arrangement. For me, my time is far more valuable than money. Especially if you have to skip a location.

 

The other issue is IF there is a ship contracted train, this goes to the airport, if using the regular service, that goes to the downtown depot. So would make a BIG difference where a car is picked up. Frankly- there is no advantage in using the train on this portion. Common parallel views with the Seward Highway. An option I'd suggest, is to get the cheapest transfer you can find, to Anchorage, pick up the car, then have in your itinerary, enough days to spend an overnight in Seward. The Arm is a transit that I do multiple times each trip, and never tire of, so even with a duplication, so what? :)

 

Keep fine tuning the plans without making decisions for next year yet. Lots of options to consider.

[cherryharley]

Alot of people do the Prince William Sound boat cruise before taking the evening train to Anchorage.

 

https://majormarine.com/tour-areas/prince-william-sound/

 

Are you flying home the same day or the next morning? If so, this might be a nice excursion before heading to Anchorage.

 

actually picking up a rental car in Anchorage and heading to Denali for a few days before flying home.

[Nancyquilts]

With bus or train, we prefer the left side for views.

[Melinda Brasher]

If you could find somewhere to drop your luggage, there's a great hike you could do while waiting for the train. It's the Portage Pass Trail, and it gets you from sea level to basically above the tree line in 45 minutes, with great views of Passage Canal, the surrounding mountains, and beautiful Portage Glacier. It was a gray day when I went, but it was fantastic. You can see my pictures here: http://www.melindabrasher.com/2017/05/portage-glacier-hike-from-whittier.html

[5waldos]

Not all cruise lines charter the train - we are sailing on Crystal and there is a bus chartered.

 

As far as car rental, you can possibly rent one in Whittier, but will pay a very hefty premium for a one-way trip, assuming you want to leave it in Anchorage.

[cherryharley]

With bus or train, we prefer the left side for views.

 

Thanks for that advice

[dcl1710]

We picked up our rental at Anchorage and dropped it off in Whittier. There was not a large price difference because the car was reserved for people disembarking from the ship we were going to enter. The tunnel is a cool ride!

[mapleleaves]

Price both car rental options

1. one way rental Whittier to Anchorage ( you may need to talk with the main Avis office or the Anc office given that you're looking at 2018 and the Whittier office is only open for a few months).

2. transfer plus cost plus RT rental from Anc

 

Alaska Cruise Transfer leaves Whittier at 8:45am, arrives Anchorage Airport at 10:30. You could pick up a car and be on the road to Seward by 11:30.

https://alaskacruisetransfer.com/schedule/

 

I've gotten great deals in the past from the Enterprise office on Int'l Airport Rd ( 5 minute cab ride from the airport). When you rent in the summer of 2017 for 2018 you can get a car for around $200 a week.

 

Make stops along the way to enjoy the sights and activities along the Turnagain Arm .... easy trail to Byron Glacier, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Alyeska Resort tram, Portage Glacier/Lake,

http://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

 

How much time do you have after the cruise? I've done the Seward to Denali drive in a day but there's often road construction which can create long delays. It's better to break up the drive by overnighting in Wasilla or Talkeetna .... gives you time to see things you missed along the way down to Seward.

 

Have fun with your planning.

[5waldos]

We picked up our rental at Anchorage and dropped it off in Whittier. There was not a large price difference because the car was reserved for people disembarking from the ship we were going to enter. The tunnel is a cool ride!

 

 

 

This must be new- we has about a $200 surcharge a couple of years back.

[lynncarol]

It's been a couple of years but we took the Princess bus to Anchorage from Whittier. If I recall correctly, we got dropped off downtown around 10 a.m. It was only a 3 or 4 block walk to the downtown Avis rental car office where we picked up our car. I found that office to be a lot cheaper than the one at the airport. (Plus, they gave us a free upgrade). We drove around Alaska for a week, returned the car to the Anchorage downtown office and walked to the Comfort Inn at Ship Creek where we had overnight reservations. Early the next morning we took the train to Seward, spent the night and returned via train for our last night at the Comfort Inn where they provided a free airport shuttle the next morning. With that last day in Anchorage there was plenty of time to visit the museums before our evening flight home.