anchorage to Seward to Whittier

[laurachr]

How feasible is it to leave Anchorage in the morning, go to Seward and take a Kenai Boat tour and then get to Whittier for an evening sailing of the Coral? if it is possible, what is the best transportation? Or would it be better to just take the train to Whittier, take the PWS boat cruise and then board the Coral that evening?

[NancyIL]

I think you're cutting it too close to do all that in one day. The Kenai Fjords cruise ends at 5:30, and you need to allow at least 2 hours to get to Whittier. You have to time it just right to get through the tunnel on the half hour - which means you'd have to be through no later than the 7:30 tunnel. You're better off taking the train or bus to Whittier to do a PWS boat tour pre-cruise. You can coordinate the transportation from Anchorage directly with the tour company. You can also rent a car from Avis in Anchorage to be dropped off in Whittier. If there are only 2 people, the train or bus option will cost less than a one-way car rental.

[stired]

I agree with NancyIL. Trying to do Seward all in the same day would really be pushing it.

 

We stayed in Anchorage Sunday night and booked a 6-hour small boat tour of Prince William Sound for Monday before our cruise on the Coral. The tour company (http://www.princewilliamsound.com/) picked us up in Anchorage at 8:30 a.m. and delivered us through the tunnel to Whittier by 11:00 a.m. for our trip. They also stored our luggage while we were gone. Afterwards, they dropped us and our luggage off at the Coral (at about 5:00 p.m.) and we walked right on the ship. It gave us a little while to get our bearings on the ship, get our luggage delivered to our room, etc.

 

There are several companies who do this trip including Major Marine, Phillips 26 glacier cruise, etc. I can tell you that the PWS tour was absolutely awesome! Waters were calm and we were able to get MUCH closer to the glaciers than you do on the big cruise ship. We saw sea otters and harbor seals by the score, and some very beautiful scenery (see photos below if you are interested).