Alasaka Railroad to whitter how is Cruise Ship Luggage handled

[Budget Queen]

I called Princess a couple weeks ago trying to find out how to arrange a transfer to Whittier on the train instead of their motorcoach service, and the representative told me they don't book those anymore -- the only transfer service they offer to Whittier is via motorcoach. Has anyone else been able to book through Princess for 2007? :confused:

 

Frankly, Princess contracted trains are more costly. If you want the train, consider just booking the Alaska RR yourself. Simple to get to the depot from downtown hotels, some do shuttle. :) You might even be interested in a wonderful PWS Glacier boat tour when you get to Whittier?? Fits in perfectly.

[Mully too]

Budget Queen -

 

Is there a web site for the PWS Glacier Boat Tour? Would like to have some info on this tour. Thanks

 

Jan

[Budget Queen]

Budget Queen -

 

Is there a web site for the PWS Glacier Boat Tour? Would like to have some info on this tour. Thanks

 

Jan

 

 

there are several companies, Major marine, Philips and alaska heritage. I've gone with the first two companies.

 

 

http://www.majormarine.com/alaska-day-cruises/prince-william-sound-glacier-cruise/

http://www.26glaciers.com/

http://www.alaskaheritagetours.com/506.cfm

[Mully too]

Budget Queen,

 

Thank you so much for the info.

 

Jan

[iahtraveler]

Our land tour ends in Anchorage , and overnights there. I booked with ARR to get to Whitter, will leave that night on Island Princess for south bound cruise, leaves at 8:30PM from Whitter. Do we have to take our luggage on the train with us or is there a way to have Island Princess pick them up at Achorage? The train departs at 10:00AM for Whitter.

 

 

Wayne, which date are you sailing? My wife and I are on the one departing 9/5...

[Maddle]

When I read this thread, I have a nagging sense of anxiety. Can some one provide details of their recent experience to reassure me - here is my situation:

 

We have booked southbound Island Princess from Whittier. We have independently arranged our flights for arrival a day in advance. I have indepentently reserved my seats on the AKRR for the next morning.I know that I have to arrive about 60 minutes before departure, so about 9 AM for a 10 AM departure.

 

Since Princess has had nothing to do with my travel and transfer arrangements - how will they know that my luggage is there in Anchorage at the depot? Will my cruise luggage tags be sufficient? This seems to be very iffy, since I would be leaving them with agents of the railroad, to be picked up by the cruise line (if the posts in this thread are correct.)

 

Next - when I get to Whittier, how will luggage get to the ship? If I want to go on the 26 Glaciers tour, can I just ignore my luggage, hop off the train and go to the catamaran? I don't have to sign in at the cruise terminal for Island Princess first? I can do that at 5:30 when the tour is over?

 

Perhaps I am dwelling on this matter too much, but the details seem very vague. If a TA or Princess had made the arrangements, perhaps I would just "trust" things to work out, but since these arrangements are independent....well, I don't want to mess things up. Thank you in advance for any advice and re-assurances. I wouldn't have know about the rail option to begin with if I hadn't read this thread and others, so I am sure it will work out, I just don't know how. (It seems too good to be true!)

 

Maddle

[ARRTrain]

When I read this thread, I have a nagging sense of anxiety. Can some one provide details of their recent experience to reassure me - here is my situation:

 

We have booked southbound Island Princess from Whittier. We have independently arranged our flights for arrival a day in advance. I have indepentently reserved my seats on the AKRR for the next morning.I know that I have to arrive about 60 minutes before departure, so about 9 AM for a 10 AM departure.

 

Since Princess has had nothing to do with my travel and transfer arrangements - how will they know that my luggage is there in Anchorage at the depot? Will my cruise luggage tags be sufficient? This seems to be very iffy, since I would be leaving them with agents of the railroad, to be picked up by the cruise line (if the posts in this thread are correct.)

 

Next - when I get to Whittier, how will luggage get to the ship? If I want to go on the 26 Glaciers tour, can I just ignore my luggage, hop off the train and go to the catamaran? I don't have to sign in at the cruise terminal for Island Princess first? I can do that at 5:30 when the tour is over?

 

Perhaps I am dwelling on this matter too much, but the details seem very vague. If a TA or Princess had made the arrangements, perhaps I would just "trust" things to work out, but since these arrangements are independent....well, I don't want to mess things up. Thank you in advance for any advice and re-assurances. I wouldn't have know about the rail option to begin with if I hadn't read this thread and others, so I am sure it will work out, I just don't know how. (It seems too good to be true!)

 

Maddle

 

 

The ARR baggage crew will take your lugggage and put them with the Princess Luggage, make sure you put your tags on the luggage. Princess will send a truck down to the Depot and pick up your bags. The next time you see your luggage, it will be in your cabin.

[Maddle]

Thank you for your reply - I assume the Princess luggage tag is the magic bullet.

 

After I posted, I spoke with a reservation agent at the contact number. She pretty much told me the same thing, except that the luggage goes on the train, (not on a truck) and is handed to Princess agents in Whittier. It doesn't really matter to me except that it is different information.As long as it shows up in my cabin it doesn't really matter to me, but can you think of any reason there is a discrepancy?

 

Maddle

[majorherrin]

We have independently booked our railroad transfer (Anchorage to Whitter). Do I calim my lugage in Whitter from the train depot?

 

Thanks

 

Major

[Kay C]

In 2004, we did a SB on the Coral Princess. I did our own booking of the Alaska Railroad. We arrived an hour early, our luggage was loaded on the train. When we got to Whitter, we disembarked and the railroad unloaded our luggage and took it to the cruise terminal and it was loaded on the ship. We did not have to claim it when we got to Whitter. It may have changed since 2004.

[Maddle]

Thank you Kay - that is what the reservation agent told me on the phone the other day, so it is nice to have someone who has experienced it. In any case, she seemed to think this was perfectly normal, (using the train to transfer) and luggage is part of the transfer. Whether it goes by truck or train is not as important as the fact that Princess is going to take it at the other end, and the AK/RR baggage crew will make sure it gets to them.

 

Maddle

[ARRTrain]

If you are on a Princess Cruise and take the regular Whittier train, the railroad baggage crew takes your bags and watches them until the Princess truck picks it up, usually right before the train leaves the Depot. The truck drives to Whittier and unloads at the ship. The next time you see your bags they will be in your room on the ship. You don't need to claim them in Whittier. You might get to the ship before your luggage arrives, but it will show up.

[readytogo88]

We are just back from the Coral Princess cruise last week and we took the ARR from Anchorage to Whittier. When we first arrived at the train depot, we checked our luggage with the porters outside under a tent (with our Princess cruise tags attached which had our room numbers on them) and then we did not see our luggage again until they arrived outside our room later that evening on the ship. We were a little concerned because we arrived at 12:30 in Whittier and our bags did not show up at our door until around 7:00 that evening, but they did show up!

[Princess Jessie]

Hi everyone i have read all the posts and would just like to go over a couple of things if you all dont mind!

 

I am travelling on the Sapphire Princess out of Whitier on 7th July. We have NOT taken Princess's transfers as i prefer to be independent and choose my own time of arrival and not turn up with the masses!!

 

I am not having much success with the Limo / shuttle bus transfers, as it is difficult for me to telephone (I am in UK and there is a 9 hour time change) and the companies i did get through to were either full or i didnt like the time.

 

I am now considering taking the train from Anchorage to Whittier.. So, i have a couple of questions..

 

We are staying at Springhill Suites...

 

Can anyone tell me how far the Springhill is from the Train Station? how long it takes to get there and approx. how much does it cost?

 

How much in advance of the train departure time does one have to be at the train station?

 

And lastly the luggage... I have read and reread the posts... please can someone confirm to me that i am understanding the situation correctly.

 

If i book the train independently online .. (nothing to do with Princess) and i turn up at the train station.. there is an area - whether it is a tent or a truck... where the ARR people take our luggage from us... we obviously then board the train... and on arrival in Whittier Princess collects the luggage from the ARR people and processes it and distributes it to the various staterooms...

 

Is my understanding correct here? And where is the cruise ship check in area in relation to the arrival of the train? Is it walkable ?

 

If we wanted to collect our luggage from the ARR people could we?

 

Has anyone done this since the other posts were put up?

 

Because we are from the Uk... and have only ever done one other cruise this is all very unfamiliar territory for us..

 

Please can someone reassure me..

 

Thank you so much - Jessie:confused:

[ARRTrain]

When the train arrives in Whittier, you are across the street from the Cruise Terminal.

 

There is a big tent at the ARR Downtown Depot in Anchorage, you will drop off your luggage there, make sure your Princess Luggage Tags are on your bag. A Princess Truck picks up the luggage and drives it to Whittier. You can not claim your luggage in Whittier, it will show up in your stateroom.

 

Springhill Suites is about 5-10 minutes by cab from the Dowtown Depot. Check with the Hotel and see if they have a shuttle van.

[curiousl8y]

When the train arrives in Whittier, you are across the street from the Cruise Terminal.

 

There is a big tent at the ARR Downtown Depot in Anchorage, you will drop off your luggage there, make sure your Princess Luggage Tags are on your bag. A Princess Truck picks up the luggage and drives it to Whittier. You can not claim your luggage in Whittier, it will show up in your stateroom.

 

 

Can I assume it works like this for Carnival passengers as well? We're on the Carnival Spirit, and we too have arranged for independent train to Whittier. Will there be a Carnival tent?

 

Thanks,

Linda

[ARRTrain]

Yep, everyone uses the same tent at the ARR Downtown Depot.

[Princess Jessie]

Thank you.. i am quite comfortable with everything that has been said re luggage and train etc... BUT one last question.. I am hoping to get to Whittier earlier rather than later.. so around noon... is the tent there all day? Does it open up at a certain time? And if you dont know how can i find out?

 

Thank you so much to everyone for all your help and advice ... these boards are invaluable!!!:confused:

[ARRTrain]

The Train leaves the Anchorage Downtown Depot at 10am. They say to be there 45 minutes to 1 hour before departure. The ARR probably has someone in the tent after 9am. The ARR crew leaves after Princess picks up the luggage, the tent stays up all summer.

[Host Caroline]

We took train from ANC to Whittier two weeks ago.. what a beautiful trip.. we arrived in Whittier around 12:30... simply bec. we had a wait at the "tunnel" of maybe 10 mins and stopped at Girdwood. This is IMHO the "only way to travel" for this cruise ...

[Princess Jessie]

Thank you Caroline.. that is really reassuring! I am booking the ARR and am looking forward to it!

 

I assume because you did it two weeks ago, everything that has been written re the luggage and transfer is still correct?

 

Jessie

[Maddle]

I was thinking the same thing - can you please give us any more up to date details, Caroline? Did you get any kind of receipt for luggage? Was it put in a tent, different locations for different cruise lines? One tent, different piles? Had you booked the train transfer on your own - or through the cruiseline?

 

Maddle

[ARRTrain]

1 big tent, no other ships are in on Saturdays and Mondays besides Princess ships.