Boarding time (alaska cruise out of Whittier)

[gar90]

Hey everyone. I'm sure this has been asked a thousand times before but I'm relatively new here. We are cruising out of Whittier this summer and were wondering approximately what time they started boarding the ship. I know the time can change a bit.

 

The reason being is that we have a group of 8 or 10 going and most of us want sanctuary chairs (just for the sea/glacier days). We don't want to get there and them all be gone!

 

Any other alaska cruise advice is really appreciated. We are getting to Anchorage 2 days before the cruise, doing the scenic railway and klondike summit in Skagway, whale watching and mendenhall glacier in Juneau, and Salmon fishing in Ketchikan.

[paul929207]

When we sailed the Star from Whittier two years ago, trains and buses could not get thru the tunnel since all the traffic was coming from Whittier to Anchorage. We were about the first on the ship and it was 1:15 or 1:30 when we boarded.

[cruzrbachoua]

I would agree with this. We did Alaska in 2010 and we took the train down on our own...first one that left didn't get us there til roughly noon or 1 and we walked on no wait. There is not much in Whittier but a couple shops if they are open. If you took a car service down there on own and possibly were able to get down there before that time you would be forced to wait and my recollection is that there is no big building to sit in you would be outside or possibly in a tented area. There is a hotel there with a restaurant if it is open for the season...

[snowblower]

It can vary but the simple answer is somewhere between 11:30am & 1pm. There is nothing stopping you from getting to the cruise terminal early except that once you get there and the ship isn't ready you will have to wait. I'm going to assume you have your own transportation to the ship so here are some points to consider on sailing day:

The ship will arrive in Whittier at 12:30am so there is rarely an issue with getting everyone off the ship first thing in the morning. Boarding at 11:30am is usually pretty reasonable from many of the cruises we have sailed.

 

The cruise terminal is small but covered from the elements. If you get there early you can wait inside the building and stay dry. It can be cool with all the open doors so you might want to have a coat handy if you have to wait.

 

There is a one-way tunnel you will need to drive through from Bear Valley to Whittier to get to the ship. This will be your biggest issue because you only have a 15-minute window each hour to make it through to Whittier. Timing is everything and the schedule is below. The two 15-minute blocks per hour that is not listed on the schedule below is for the Alaskan Railroad (Princess Train) which also uses the tunnel. Trucks, cars & trains alternate using the tunnel each hour.

 

There is almost nothing to see or do in Whittier so you can wander if you get there early but don't expect much.

Here is this summer's (2018) tunnel schedule

9:00 - 9:15 am Whittier to Bear Valley

9:30 - 9:45 am Bear Valley to Whittier

10:00 - 10:15 am Whittier to Bear Valley

10:30 - 10:45 am Bear Valley to Whittier

11:00 - 11:15 am Whittier to Bear Valley

11:30 - 11:45 am Bear Valley to Whittier

12:00 - 12:15 pm Whittier to Bear Valley

12:30 - 12:45 pm Bear Valley to Whittier

1:00 - 1:15 pm Whittier to Bear Valley

1:30 - 1:45 pm Bear Valley to Whittier

Hope this helps & have fun!

[mytime53]

Train is scheduled to arrive at 12:05. When I took this cruise 2 years ago, we had at least a 1/2 hour wait before they began letting people board.

[Coral]

Having sailed Alaska several times, I would never pay for sanctuary chairs in Alaska. Worst money spent IMO. There are better spots for glacier viewing.

 

I would focus on Deck 7 - the lower you are to the glaciers, the better the viewing. And it won't be crowded and you don't have to pay extra for it.

[Coral]

There is almost nothing to see or do in Whittier so you can wander if you get there early but don't expect much.

 

There are great glacier tours in Whittier. You can sail on them and be back on the ship before the ship sails.

[ColoradoMom!!]

Hi gar90! We are also going for the first time this summer! I have learned so much on this board and the Ports of Call board for Alaska!

 

As Coral mentioned above, I completely changed my view of embarkation day upon reading about the mini-glacier cruises out of Whittier. I had the Princess bus booked for transfer, but have scraped that, made a reservation on the train that gets to Whittier about noon, and booked the 26 Glacier Cruise in Whittier that ends about 5:30 and will then board the ship. It's like having an extra excursion day!

[gar90]

THank you for the help everyone! We do plan on taking the train because it sounds like fun. Does anyone know can we check in for the cruise, then get back off the ship to check out Whittier?

[Casey12]

Having sailed Alaska several times, I would never pay for sanctuary chairs in Alaska. Worst money spent IMO. There are better spots for glacier viewing.

 

I would focus on Deck 7 - the lower you are to the glaciers, the better the viewing. And it won't be crowded and you don't have to pay extra for it.

 

I agree. This is not the best location to view the glaciers. Save your money. Everyone I know who has done it has regretted it.

[Casey12]

THank you for the help everyone! We do plan on taking the train because it sounds like fun. Does anyone know can we check in for the cruise, then get back off the ship to check out Whittier?

Yes -- there isn't much to check out in town. Look into 26 Glacier Cruise or Surprise Glacier trip. These are superior glacier trips in Whittier.

[Essiesmom]

Having sailed Alaska several times, I would never pay for sanctuary chairs in Alaska. Worst money spent IMO. There are better spots for glacier viewing.

 

I would focus on Deck 7 - the lower you are to the glaciers, the better the viewing. And it won't be crowded and you don't have to pay extra for it.

 

 

Totally agree. During Glacier Days it will be cold on deck, you will want hats and gloves - or warm pockets. You will want to be able to look over the railing to see if you can spot wildlife on the bergy bits and growlers, and watch for calving of the glaciers, bears on shore. You can't see that from a lounger in the Sanctuary, where you will be bundled up in blankets. Plus glacier days cost more. EM

[pseudoswede]

If general boarding starts at 12:30pm (as noted in my cruise documentation), what time would boarding be for Elite members?

[Essiesmom]

My experiences in Whittier were that you pretty much board as soon as you are checked in.  EM

[frugaltravel]

On 3/27/2018 at 8:16 PM, Coral said:

 

There are great glacier tours in Whittier. You can sail on them and be back on the ship before the ship sails.

BEST ADVICE EVER!! 

 

I am never in a rush to board my cruise departing from Whittier or Seward.

[pseudoswede]

4 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

My experiences in Whittier were that you pretty much board as soon as you are checked in.  EM

 

Alright. Let me rephrase. If boarding starts at 12:30pm, what time does check-in open? Does it open earlier for elites?

 

There is a glacier tour that start at 1pm, and there would be nice piece of mind handing off our luggage to the ship before the tour.

[frugaltravel]

2 hours ago, pseudoswede said:

 

Alright. Let me rephrase. If boarding starts at 12:30pm, what time does check-in open? Does it open earlier for elites?

 

There is a glacier tour that start at 1pm, and there would be nice piece of mind handing off our luggage to the ship before the tour.

When I did the glacier tour before boarding the cruise ship, the glacier cruise company kept my luggage during the tour. I checked in after the tour was completed. Luggage came fast as most people boarded early and missed the fantastic glacier experience.

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by frugaltravel

[Negril60]

I believe the Phillips 26 Glacier  tour is at 12:30