Whittier Embarkation after Land Tour

[JeanneEDW]

When arriving in Whittier by train as part of a HAL cruise/tour, is embarkation fairly straightforward?
We were assigned a boarding time of 6:30 pm and the Nieuw Amsterdam sails at 8. Does the ship have a sail away celebration like Vancouver and Seattle? Should we plan on having a change of clothes in our carry on bags, touring the ship, etc while awaiting the arrival of our luggage?  My apologies if this has already been addressed,  but I can only seem to find embarkation information about Vancouver and Seattle. 

Should we “count on” the boarding time and make dining arrangements at Tamarind or Caneletto?

Thanks in advance for any info you may have. 

[RD64]

I just returned from a Vancouver round-trip turning around in Whittier. Trains and coaches arrive throughout the day. According to the port staff, the 3:30 and 6:30 trains are the largest with approx 1000 total passengers arriving. For you guys it will not be a traditional first day of cruise. There was a Sail Away Celebration at 4pm, but it was pouring rain so doubtful anybody attended. There was a Welcome Aboard Steak dinner in the Lido from5-8pm, plus the main dining room of course.

[oaktreerb]

When you are part of a cruise tour you just follow instructions.  You will board the ship with your group when you arrive in Whittier.   The boarding time is meaningless.  Your room will be ready and your luggage will be delivered to your room.   You don’t need to dress for dinner on the first night.  You can make reservations if you want.  Delays can happen in Alaska due to weather.  Do you like to watch sail away?

[JeanneEDW]

Thank you both.
Watching sail away is something I am looking forward to. I guess eating in Tamarind or Canaletto might interfere with that. 

We will just take it as it comes and hope we are not standing in a long line out in the rain  to get aboard. 😄

[PSR]

 

Delete.

[PSR]

11 hours ago, RD64 said:

I just returned from a Vancouver round-trip turning around in Whittier. Trains and coaches arrive throughout the day.

 

I have a question that is off topic. We are doing a similar trip in a few weeks and are wondering if HAL has an "in transit" shorex in Whittier for travelers doing a roundtrip voyage? I think I have seen one flash by when looking at shorex in the past, but our trip does not list one. Did your trip have one? If not, did you find anything to do in Whittier during the change-over day? I have searched online, but not much is offered. Thanks for any information and sorry to go off topic.😉

[oaktreerb]

You should be able to do the Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise in Whittier.  I’m surprised it’s not offered for in transit guests.  We went from the ship to the 26 Glacier Cruise last year, then boarded the bus to Anchorage.  The 26 Glacier Cruise could be sold out.  

[PSR]

On 8/21/2023 at 6:31 PM, oaktreerb said:

You should be able to do the Phillips 26 Glacier Cruise in Whittier.  I’m surprised it’s not offered for in transit guests.  We went from the ship to the 26 Glacier Cruise last year, then boarded the bus to Anchorage.  The 26 Glacier Cruise could be sold out.  

Thanks for your response. Somehow I never got notified, or somehow missed it. Just searched and found it today...🙂