Cheapest Transfer - Whittier to Anchorage

In my research, I found a transfer cost of $35.00 per person with Alaska Transportation. Are they a reliable company? Are there other good companies that will transfer for that cost?

Try the magic bus. I used them with no problems; I think it was around $42 pp last summer.

Alaskan Leopard will get you there for $19 pp. It's the cheapest I've found.

http://www.alaskanleopard.com/Tours/

We also used the Leopard ... happy to recommend it.

FYI:

The $19 Magic Bus xfer won't store your luggage so keep that in mind if you're taking a PWS tour :)

I didn't ask at Alaskan Leopard, but if you're taking a PWS Tour, they will store your luggage.

It looks like Alaskan Leopard only has evening departures from Whittier. We are not doing a PWS tour.

We need a company that will pick us up in Whittier in the early morning and drop us off at the airport. Will the Magic Bus do this?

Has anyone used Alaska Transportation?

Thanks!

I am booked on Alaska Leopard,leaving Whittier for Anchorage at 845AM on Sat May 24. Dropoff point is Anchorage airport. Cost per person $52.00 & tax. I would call them. Phone #1-877-454-3046.

We've been using Alaskan Splendor http://www.alaskansplendor.com/ for our trips to the airport this year. It's worked out well, and we feel it's a very reasonable price.

I researched the same thing, using this board. We found that it was simplist to use the Princess transfer (bus) to get to airport. We did not want do do any more tours; just want to go straight to airport. The Alaskan Leopard is great if you still want to do sightseeing before airport.

I am also looking for a quick and inexpensive way to get from whittier to anchorage airport early. i emailed The Magic Bus and was recommended to take the Princess transfer. I guess they either don't leave early or do some sight seeing.

I then called Princess to see if I could get an early transfer but I could not get a guarantee over the phone. The rep told me that when i get on the ship to request an early transfer. She said the cruise line can usually accomodate requests.

She also suggested catching a taxi at the dock. Princess has a set rate for taxis and it is cheaper for us than the transfer. They are supposed to be lined up at the dock.

I still haven't decided what we will do.

ellen

I am also looking for a quick and inexpensive way to get from whittier to anchorage airport early. i emailed The Magic Bus and was recommended to take the Princess transfer. I guess they either don't leave early or do some sight seeing.

 

I then called Princess to see if I could get an early transfer but I could not get a guarantee over the phone. The rep told me that when i get on the ship to request an early transfer. She said the cruise line can usually accomodate requests.

 

She also suggested catching a taxi at the dock. Princess has a set rate for taxis and it is cheaper for us than the transfer. They are supposed to be lined up at the dock.

 

I still haven't decided what we will do.

 

ellen

I'm sorry to tell you that there are not taxis lined up the dock in Whittier. Whittier has no taxi service and trust me an Anchorage taxi driver is not going to drive 60 miles (one way), pay to go through the tunnel and wait for a ship to dock. The Princess rep must of been thinking about Vancouver.

Susan in Anchorage :)

I'm sorry to tell you that there are not taxis lined up the dock in Whittier. Whittier has no taxi service and trust me an Anchorage taxi driver is not going to drive 60 miles (one way), pay to go through the tunnel and wait for a ship to dock. The Princess rep must of been thinking about Vancouver.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

I saw two or three taxis in Whittier as we diembarked in July 2007. No idea about a set rate with Princess, as I was on Carnival.

I saw two or three taxis in Whittier as we diembarked in July 2007. No idea about a set rate with Princess, as I was on Carnival.

Guess this is the first time I heard about them, but then 2 or 3 taxis isn't exactly a line, not like at the other port cities that I have sailed out of. And as I said Whittier doesn't have a taxi service (I mean heck most of all the Whittier residents live in one dang building down there) so that means those cabs were coming down from Anchorage which makes me wonder if they had a fare that wanted taken down from Anchorage to Whittier.

I mean heck sometimes I can't even get a taxi at the Anchorage airport, especially at the North Terminal. Nothing like going out to the taxi line in the middle of February, in the middle of the day and there aren't any cabs.

Susan in Anchorage :)

I'm sorry to tell you that there are not taxis lined up the dock in Whittier. Whittier has no taxi service and trust me an Anchorage taxi driver is not going to drive 60 miles (one way), pay to go through the tunnel and wait for a ship to dock. The Princess rep must of been thinking about Vancouver.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

Hi Susan, I guess i'll have to call princess again to see what's going on. the rep i spoke to told me that the taxi rate is $150 from whittier to anchorage so I don't think she really meant vancouver.

do you have any suggestions on the best way to get from whittier to anchorage airport quickly and early?

thanks, ellen

Sorry wrong link!

Susan in Anchorage :)

Hi Susan, I guess i'll have to call princess again to see what's going on. the rep i spoke to told me that the taxi rate is $150 from whittier to anchorage so I don't think she really meant vancouver.

 

do you have any suggestions on the best way to get from whittier to anchorage airport quickly and early?

 

thanks, ellen

Ellen,

I'm sorry maybe I'm wrong and it's something that Princess is doing. But just figuring out that before tip that 5 miles from my house to the airport is $15 or so. You're talking round trip for a cab from Anchorage to Whittier would be 120 miles plus the tunnel fee and so that would be 24 trips from my house to the airport at $15 a trip or $360. Sort of surprised that it's only a $150.

Not sure what time your flight is but with the way Whittier is, on the other side of a tunnel that isn't open 24 hours a day and only one way in on the 1/2 hour and one way out on the hour. So I googled and most of what I hit people have mentioned on this thread already, but I did find this web site through our Convention and Visitor's Bureau http://www.anchorage.net/913.cfm

Susan in Anchorage :)

Check the rental car prices from Avis in Whittier, although a one-way rental won't be inexpensive.

I think it's sad that so many people are in a hurry to fly home as soon as they get off the ship in Alaska!

Check the rental car prices from Avis in Whittier, although a one-way rental won't be inexpensive.

 

I think it's sad that so many people are in a hurry to fly home as soon as they get off the ship in Alaska!

Hi Nancy,

i'm not in a rush to catch a flight. i want to get to anchorage as early as possible to pick up our rental car and start the drive to denali. we have a week to explore denali and kenai fjords national parks.

i did check out a one way rental from whittier to anchorage for the week and it was way more expensive.

ellen

Ellen,

 

I'm sorry maybe I'm wrong and it's something that Princess is doing. But just figuring out that before tip that 5 miles from my house to the airport is $15 or so. You're talking round trip for a cab from Anchorage to Whittier would be 120 miles plus the tunnel fee and so that would be 24 trips from my house to the airport at $15 a trip or $360. Sort of surprised that it's only a $150.

 

Not sure what time your flight is but with the way Whittier is, on the other side of a tunnel that isn't open 24 hours a day and only one way in on the 1/2 hour and one way out on the hour. So I googled and most of what I hit people have mentioned on this thread already, but I did find this web site through our Convention and Visitor's Bureau http://www.anchorage.net/913.cfm

 

Hi Susan,

 

thanks for the info and the link. I'm going to check out some of these private shuttle companies. I would take the Princess transfer but they can't guarantee we would be on an early shuttle. i'm afraid that if a lot of people have early flights then they would obviously get priority.

 

ellen

OK. Now you all have me worried......

We're coming into Whittier on Carnival and I've never used cruiseline transfers before.

There is a Carnival transfer (assume buses?) that takes you into Anchorage, right? What are the cons to using their transfer? Why might one be planning for their own transfer? Does the Carnival transfer not leave until way late in the morning or something? Aaaarrrgggghhh! Help!

OK. Now you all have me worried......

We're coming into Whittier on Carnival and I've never used cruiseline transfers before but we've included them in the Alaska trip.

There is a Carnival transfer (assume buses?) that takes you into Anchorage, right? What are the cons to using their transfer? Why might one be planning for their own transfer? Does the Carnival transfer not leave until way late in the morning or something? Aaaarrrgggghhh! Help!

Hi Nancy,

 

i'm not in a rush to catch a flight. i want to get to anchorage as early as possible to pick up our rental car and start the drive to denali. we have a week to explore denali and kenai fjords national parks.

 

i did check out a one way rental from whittier to anchorage for the week and it was way more expensive.

 

ellen

One thing my husband and I are toying with is the idea of only him taking the transfer to Anchorage and then coming back for us. We're thinking maybe he can disembark early (I think we get that option being in a suite or he can use self-debarkation) and we can enjoy breakfast on the ship. It saves us $150+ doing that...I think it will be like 2+ hours for him to get back to us though so this idea might not be feasible. It's just something we thought of...has anyone else done this?

I think the difference for us is that we will probably head south first toward Seward so it kind of doesn't make sense for all of us to go north to Anchorage just to come back south. Since you're going to continue north to Denali, this idea would waste a lot of time for you possibly.

Otherwise we'll just all pay for the transfer to Anchorage. I just feel like spending $200 to do that seems like a waste...I already have the $150 savings spent in my head. ;)

I have the same thought , too. I have booked a van at Anchorage airport. I hate to spend money on transfer. Can I go to pick up the car and come back to pick up family. Any place for them to stay in Whittier in case that they need to be off the cruie before I come back?

Jess

Usually the ship docks early in Whittier so if you are a walk off with your own luggage, you can get off say at 7am, to Anchorage with the 8am tunnel with some transfer service, into Anchorage by 9am, probably can't get the tunnel until 10.30am so back in Whittier by 11am. If the ones staying on the ship can handle all the luggage, the one taking the early shuttle to Anchorage could just walk off with little or no luggage.

But then you would not get back through the tunnel until 12 noon (only open on the hour from Whittier to Anchorage).

So really you are losing quite a bit of time this way - you might save some money but if you all just took the $19 transfer to Anchorage at say 8am or 9am, you are in Anchorage within an hour, get the car then head to Seward - still faster than monkeying with one person to Anchorage and back to Whittier.

Depending on how much time you have, you could go for a one-way Avis car rental in Whittier, drive to Seward then drive to Anchorage and drop the car in Anchorage.

Or you can take a taxi from Whittier to Seward, probably $200-$250 for a car load.

John