Time to do the 26 Glacier Cruise in Whittier?

[Schti]

We are sailing from Whittier on 6/19/19 on the Princess Coral.  We will be getting to Whittier from Anchorage.  For those of you who have taken the 26 Glaciers Tour by Phillips, will we have adequate time to take the tour and get to the ship in time to embark?  The ship sets sail at 8PM.  Also --- what happens to your luggage if you sign up for the 26 Glaciers Tour while you are touring?

 

Thanks!

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, Schti said:

We are sailing from Whittier on 6/19/19 on the Princess Coral.  We will be getting to Whittier from Anchorage.  For those of you who have taken the 26 Glaciers Tour by Phillips, will we have adequate time to take the tour and get to the ship in time to embark?  The ship sets sail at 8PM.  Also --- what happens to your luggage if you sign up for the 26 Glaciers Tour while you are touring?

 

Thanks!

 

The excursion boat returns to Whittier at 5:40 PM.  The included lunch is quite good and the chocolate chip cookies are amazing.  Seating at your assigned tables is very compact but there is lots of room on deck if you choose to not remain at your assigned table.  You should contact Phillips and Princess to get an answer to your luggage storage question.

[wolfie11]

The 26 glacier cruise is next door to the terminal.  You can drop it off and it will be put outside your door.

[Hitchens97]

I'm in the same situation.

 

Can you actually drop your luggage off at say noon, then do the Galcier tour and then board the Princess Cruise, even if we drive to Whittier rather than take the train.

 

 

 

 

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, Hitchens97 said:

I'm in the same situation.

 

Can you actually drop your luggage off at say noon, then do the Galcier tour and then board the Princess Cruise, even if we drive to Whittier rather than take the train.

 

I cannot answer your question but I can advise you that driving to Whttier must be well-planned.  Access to Whittier is through a single-lane tunnel that is opened only on the half hour to enter the city and on the hour to exit the city.

[Coral]

Princess used to (still does?) offer this trip as a tour for those doing B2B.

 

No problems making the ship.

[Heidi13]

We completed this tour when doing a B2B and were back onboard well before departure. Excellent trip, which we booked direct with Phillips

[ColoradoMom!!]

OK friends - I did this EXACT thing before I boarded the SB Coral on June 27th 2018!

 

I researched a number of ways to get to Whittier, and the answer for  me was ......THE TRAIN!

 

It was awesome, and the best part was you leave your Princess luggage tagged bags at the train depot in Anchorage, and you won't see them again until they are waiting for you outside your cabin door on board the ship!

 

I booked the 26 Glacier cruise separately with Phillips, and booked the Train myself: https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/buy-tickets

 

You'll want the one way Glacier Discovery from Anchorage to Whittier - departs at 9:45 am and is $89.

It arrives at 12:05 - but wait you say......will I be on time for the 26 Glacier cruise?  YES you will because they are waiting for this train as many of their cruisers are on it as well.

 

When you return, just walk just steps to embark, and there's no line!

 

Best part - the 26 Glacier cruise was fantastic !  You will see the Glaciers much more upfront and closer than you will on the rest of the cruise.  The lunch was great, and our Park Ranger was better than the one we got for Glacier Bay National Park Day.

 

I really enjoyed the train ride as we did not do any land package before.  The scenery on the way there is great - down Turnagain Arm and through the tunnel.

 

NOW - a note on the luggage.  This was a big concern for my non-cruise critic traveling friend, but I had read on here how this works, and it did - seamlessly.  When you arrive at the train depot in Anchorage, and you are facing the building and its front door, to the right is a tented area of pavement - like a small parking lot with white tents.  This is where you will give your luggage to the porters who will load it on to a truck and it will go to the ship.  I don't think they technically work for the railroad, but for Princess.  As long as you have your Princess tags attached you are good to go!

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by ColoradoMom!!

[Hitchens97]

Thanks Colorado Mum. That was the option I was leaning to. Did you consider doing a one way drop of a car (I think Avis is the only option). I figured I could stop a couple of times if I did that, but wasn't sure what I'd do about the luggage.

[ColoradoMom!!]

2 hours ago, Hitchens97 said:

Thanks Colorado Mum. That was the option I was leaning to. Did you consider doing a one way drop of a car (I think Avis is the only option). I figured I could stop a couple of times if I did that, but wasn't sure what I'd do about the luggage.

 

Yes - in full disclosure, we came in early and rented a car from Avis in Anchorage (cheaper for us) that we returned to the same downtown office the next morning and then walked down to the train depot.  (Dropped the luggage at the depot before we returned the car!)

 

With this extra day with the car preceding our cruise day, we drove down Turnagain Arm and visited the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and made a few stops along the way.  It was beautiful, and we enjoyed an extra day.  Denali was way too far and out of the question, but this gave us a little extra time.  

 

We took the free shuttle to our hotel from the airport the evening of our arrival, and then the same shuttle dropped us off in downtown Anchorage the next morning where we walked to the Avis location. So we technically flew in on Monday night, did our extra day touring on Tuesday, and returned the car Wednesday early - the day of our cruise - and took the train out to Whittier.  Our car rental was therefore a 24 hour rental, and not too expensive.

 

The cost of returning in Whittier was high, and I was a bit chicken about timing the drive through the tunnel.