Catamaran from Whittier to Valdez

[alaskandreamer]

Hi,

 

I'm hoping that someone can tell me what it's like to ride the catamaran across Prince William Sound from Whittier to Valdez. This is part of our Copper River Cruisetour and I am wondering what I can expect to see.

I'm sure it will be scenic. I've heard that Prince William Sound is beautiful.

Can anyone give me any info on this???

 

Also has anyone taken the Princess Copper River Cruisetour? If so can you tell me about your experience. Do they stop at any unlisted areas on your way to Copper river or through Denali?

 

Thanks for the info!

[Texas Tillie]

I did the 6 day excursion that included 1 night in Anchorage, 1 at the McKinley Lodge, 2 at the Denali Lodge and 2 at the Copper River Lodge and then the ferry from Valdez to Whittier for a southbound cruise in 2008. This is a "fast ferry" and you will be in the middle of PWS - so no close viewing of wildlife or glaciers. PWS is very beautiful, tho. We didn't stop any place that wasn't listed in the description. Hope you are getting to do the Denali Highway between Copper River and Denali. That's a 130 mile gravel road :eek: that's only open during the summer. You will really be in the middle of nowhere - it's the "real" Alaska!:D

[ARRTrain]

The Klondike Express Catamaran is fast. The trip will take about 2 hours.

 

Don't expect to stop to see wildlife, they have a schedule to keep.

[Iafarmer]

Not knowing what the stops are on your tour this year, I might mention some places that we stopped along our Copper tour in 2008:

 

It was raining, so we had no visibility on our catamaran ride thru PWS:(

Valdez....suggest the Halibut house for lunch...simple yet good---our bus driver ate there. Research what you might want to see here....the bus stopped for a certain time and we just walked around. We went to a Safeway here to pick up snacks for post-cruise:)

Just outside Valdez, we stopped at Bridal Veil & Horse Tail Falls for photos, then stopped at Worthington Glacier, then the Alaska pipeline. These were all stops we could get out and take photos---our driver was most accomodating.

From Copper to Denali, our driver stopped several times for wildlife photo ops & a scenic viewpoint. We also stopped after lunch for pie/icecream...not sure if that was on the itinerary or not.

Obviously the train to Fairbanks (if on your itin) won't stop, but MY, what gorgeous scenery after leaving Denali! We had Fall foilage at it's best!

Your tours at Fairbanks are pretty set without much room for improvising.

As others say, be sure you get the longer tour in Denali....we cancelled the short one included in our tour, and reserved the shuttles on our own.

I would suggest lining up some kind of excursion or transportation while at Copper since you are not close to anything. There are nice views of the Wrangell/St. Elias mtns from the lodge there as well as some trails to walk around.

Hope you enjoy it even half as much as we did!

[CruisinMama7]

I'm hoping that someone can tell me what it's like to ride the catamaran across Prince William Sound from Whittier to Valdez. This is part of our Copper River Cruisetour and I am wondering what I can expect to see.

I'm sure it will be scenic. I've heard that Prince William Sound is beautiful.

Can anyone give me any info on this???

 

Also has anyone taken the Princess Copper River Cruisetour? If so can you tell me about your experience. Do they stop at any unlisted areas on your way to Copper river or through Denali?

 

Thanks for the info!

 

We did the Princess Copper River Cruisetour last summer and I have no idea why...but the catamaran trip across PWS to Valdez was the COLDEST I have ever been in my life and we went all the way north to Barrow, Alaska, by the Arctic Ocean!:rolleyes: My feet absolutely froze going across PWS...must have been because we were on the water. Other people on the catamaran were talking and having a great time, but I just shivered the whole time and so did DH. I even saw ladies disembarking the ship with capri pants on and sandles and wondered how they handled it!:eek: It was raining as we disembarked and while we went across the PWS, but I was so friggin' cold that I couldn't even enjoy the trip, but then we're from Texas. On the way to the lodge, we stopped at our first glacier - where you can actually walk on the glacier, if you're so inclined. We stopped at a roadhouse for some lunch, which was very good (hot soup & homemade bread) and also a really neat waterfall - very up close. While on the gravel road, you will see parts of Alaska that most people don't see. That's why we picked this particular cruisetour.:D

 

The Princess Copper River Lodge was the best lodge on the entire cruisetour - including the Denali and Fairbanks Princess lodges! The people were so friendly and accommodating there. Make sure that you take the free shuttle pick-up to a local restaurant called "Yummy's" versus eating in the two Princess' restaurants. It's located in a historic roadhouse that has fantastic food and the best homemade pie ever! Walk around the short loop in the "neighborhood" to discover hidden treasures like the oldest log church in the area and fishermen fishing the nearby river. Great photo opportunities!:) We loved the lodge, but froze to death going over the PWS. Enjoy your cruisetour. You will love it!:D

 

Cruisin'Mama

[LindaandJeff]

Hi all!  Has anyone done the trip from Whittier to Valdez (or in reverse) in the last couple of years? There is a lot of great information in this thread, but, looking for an update on the ferry, the places you stopped to eat and "sight-see" between Valdez and Copper River, and any other tips for stays at the Princess Copper River Lodge? Thanks in advance!