Princess Transfer from Anchorage, but flight comes in at 3am

[Adaaaaaaaaaaam]

Hey folks,

 

My flight comes into Anchorage at 3am (if it's on time) and I'm scheduled to transfer to Whittier through Princess's transfer service. They said the buses won't arrive until around 11am.

 

Do I party/nap in the airport? Or is there another option I'm not aware of? I saw I could taxi, but it costs almost double and I like the piece of mind through Princess transfer that they're responsible.This is my first time in Alaska. Thanks for your help!

[rocklinmom]

We just went through Anchorage airport this summer and it is pretty small.  Nothing will be open at 3am.  There is a Starbucks that probably opens at around 4am so hopefully your flight will be delayed until then so you could at least get coffee.  Not much to do at the airport so not sure how you would kill 8 hours.  Also, the Princess transfer will be waiting for many flights and arriving passengers so it might not leave for Whittier until closer to noon.  

Another option is to book your own transfer with a company who does sightseeing on the way to Whittier, to fill more time on the way to the ship or else you would be waiting at the port.  Whittier is a super small town (only a few hundred residents) and not much to do or see there either.  There is a company called ACT (Alaska Cruise Transfer) that has options you might want to look at and it is a very popular company with Cruise Critic people.  I myself used them for a private transfer and they were great. 

[Adaaaaaaaaaaam]

Thank you so much for your help. Assuming I don't leave until noon and get to port closer to 3... would I be in the thick of the crowds boarding?

[paul929207]

I haven't been to Anchorage airport, so not familiar with the facilities. Many airports have lounges. Some run by an airline. Others are private. Assuming you are not a member, you can often buy a day pass. 

[Essiesmom]

Since there are limited ways to get to Whittier, people come in waves.  The lines are probably longer when the train arrives.  I did a Princess transfer from the Captain Cook Hotel and don't remember there being long lines.  I too got in in the wee hours.  Plane was late and 0030 arrival was more like 2am.  No taxis.  A van came along and three or four couples shared to various hotels.  I was walking down the hall to the desk in the CPT Cook, and the clerk came out and asked 'are you checking out?'  That was a very short night in an expensive hotel.  EM

[RDC1]

58 minutes ago, Adaaaaaaaaaaam said:

Thank you so much for your help. Assuming I don't leave until noon and get to port closer to 3... would I be in the thick of the crowds boarding?

If I recall correctly from the last Princess ship I boarded there, the ship usually does not leave until late.  Passenger arrivals are very spread out.  We got there about 3 and there was no one in line anywhere in the terminal.

 

 

[erber]

This past summer we arrived at Anchorage airport in the late evening and checked into a hotel around midnight (we chose a hotel that had a shuttle from airport to their location; a lot of hotels do have shuttles late into the evening and some even 24 hours). We then went back to the airport on the hotel free shuttle the next day around 1:00 p.m. to catch the ACT bus to Whittier. We saw people also waiting for Princess transfers at that time. We got to the port around 3:30 and had a smooth, line-free check in experience in Whittier.

[frugaltravel]

I strongly suggest you try to get to Whittier by about 11am and take a Prince William Sound glacier cruise.  Several options to get there early including Magic Bus and Bear Valley Roadrunner.  You get much closer to glaciers on the small boat than your cruise ship ever will.  You will have all day on the day after sailing to explore the cruise ship.  Certainly no rush to get onto the ship early when you only have a few hours in southcentral Alaska.

 

Are you traveling alone?  Another option is to explore Anchorage for the day and take an afternoon transfer (about 3pm) to Whittier - preferably one that makes a stop or two en route, like at the Wildlife Conservation Center.

Edited November 2, 2018 by frugaltravel

[Adaaaaaaaaaaam]

There's a lot of great information here. Thank you all for your help. I'm gonna check out that glacier cruise!

[99Cruiser]

We had this same issue last year.  We got to Anchorage about 4, found a near by coffee shop that was opened 24 hours and booked our own train ride to Whittier.  The train left about 9AM and we got to Whittier around 11 and went straight onto the ship. 

 

 

[frugaltravel]

I strongly advise that you don't go right on the ship as early as 11am.  It is YOUR trip so do whatever you like.  But I think it is great you are considering the glacier cruise.  In Alaska, the ports and the scenery are the highlights, definitely not the ship!

[caribill]

I suspect that arriving at 3 AM you will be quite tired and really not up to much sightseeing when daylight arrives.

 

Your best option may be to take the suggestion above to check into a hotel room, get some sleep, and then go back to the airport for the Princess xfer.

[Colo Cruiser]

Check out the Alaska Railroad site. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

Your options would be:

 

1) to hang out in the (clean and safe) airport until the coaches start running late morning- you can buy food/drinks from Starbucks or McDonalds inside security by the gates to take out with you- they’re open 24 hours

 

2) get a hotel for the night and sleep in before returning to the airport to catch the transfer

 

3) take an Uber or taxi to a Village Inn (like Dennys) that’s open 24 hours and hang out for a few hours before returning to the airport

 

4) wait in the airport a few hours and then take a taxi to the Alaska Railroad around 7:30 to catch their train to Whittier (departs around 9:45 and arrives around 12:15)- the train is a much prettier and fun way of reaching Whittier, and the port times boarding with the arrival of that train