Whittier to Seward Transfer Options

[tonymc]

Hi,

 

We will be on the 7 day northbound Vancouver-Whittier cruise on 8th June. On arrival on 15th, we have 3 nights in the area before we fly back from Anchorage.

 

We are hoping to visit Seward for a couple of nights and were hoping to be able to get a transfer from Whittier to Seward when we disembark, but it seems that the only options are to either rent a car at Whittier to drop off in Anchorage (but there don't appear to be any companies offering this option - Avis states that the location is closed when we arrive), or to get a transfer up to Anchorage then back down to Seward which would take up most of the day.

 

I've looked for private transfers between Whittier and Seward, but have been quoted around $1,600........😬

 

I'm fairly sure that we will end up having to travel into Anchorage first to either pick up a car or take a motor coach or the train back down to Seward, but hoping someone may know of a suitable direct transfer option.

 

Many thanks.

 

[Host Kat]

12 hours ago, tonymc said:

Hi,

 

We will be on the 7 day northbound Vancouver-Whittier cruise on 8th June. On arrival on 15th, we have 3 nights in the area before we fly back from Anchorage.

 

We are hoping to visit Seward for a couple of nights and were hoping to be able to get a transfer from Whittier to Seward when we disembark, but it seems that the only options are to either rent a car at Whittier to drop off in Anchorage (but there don't appear to be any companies offering this option - Avis states that the location is closed when we arrive), or to get a transfer up to Anchorage then back down to Seward which would take up most of the day.

 

I've looked for private transfers between Whittier and Seward, but have been quoted around $1,600........😬

 

I'm fairly sure that we will end up having to travel into Anchorage first to either pick up a car or take a motor coach or the train back down to Seward, but hoping someone may know of a suitable direct transfer option.

 

Many thanks.

 

Hello @tonymc

 

To help you out, your new topic/thread on an incorrect forum has been moved to the Ports of Call - Alaska forum where it will be more on topic. The majority of your fellow Cruise Critic members that have been there or live there frequent this forum and provide feedback here. Browse through the thread titles on this forum looking for threads of interest. You will probably find your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that may be of interest to you.

 

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Hope this will be helpful!

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

[tonymc]

Thanks Kat.

[LynnSD]

Following, I’m looking for the same options.  

[cruisequeen4ever]

Well, I have to say, as someone who lives in Anchorage and who has sailed in and out of Whittier, I think you are correct with the available options. I wish I had better news for you. The Avis in Whittier is always extremely expensive and sells out early, but if you want to go straight to Seward, that would be your option, so book early. 
 

This would not save you any time, but it could be viewed as a fun idea. You could take the Princess transfer to Anchorage. Spend the day and night in Anchorage exploring. Then the next morning, take the train to Seward for the day, or even for one night, and take the train back to Anchorage. The train to Seward goes through a valley that is inaccessible by cars and it’s beautiful. The train ride does take longer than driving there, but it’s so relaxing and beautiful.

[AKStafford]

Contact the following to see what might be possible:

https://www.pjstaxi.net/

https://www.bearvalleyroadrunner.com/

https://www.redeyeridesllc.com/ 

[GTJ]

22 hours ago, tonymc said:

We will be on the 7 day northbound Vancouver-Whittier cruise on 8th June. On arrival on 15th, we have 3 nights in the area before we fly back from Anchorage. We are hoping to visit Seward for a couple of nights and were hoping to be able to get a transfer from Whittier to Seward when we disembark * * * I'm fairly sure that we will end up having to travel into Anchorage first to either pick up a car or take a motor coach or the train back down to Seward, but hoping someone may know of a suitable direct transfer option

Fundamentally, the problem you're facing is that transportation is structured radially, all oriented towards Anchorage, rather than operating directly between outlying areas. To get from Whittier to Seward, you need to use transportation that operates from Whittier to Anchorage, then transfer to transportation that operates from Anchorage to Seward. Both the Whittier and the Seward routes converge at Portage, and travel the same path the rest of the way into Anchorage, so it is possible, at least in theory, to travel from Whittier on Anchorage-bound transportation, alight at Portage, and transfer onto Seward-bound transportation that is coming from Anchorage. The practical problem is that the schedules are not designed for these transfers (and not all transportation is scheduled to stop at Portage). Thus, you could end up having to wait for connecting transportation at Portage, at what is, in essence, the middle of no place for an extended period of time (at most the nearby Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center could provide a diversion during the waiting time). Not at all convenient.

 

You could get transportation from Whittier to Anchorage, and connecting transportation from Anchorage to Seward, but it would occupy nearly the entire day. The Park Connection bus service departs Whittier at 9:45 a.m., passes through Portage at 10:10 a.m., and arrives in downtown Anchorage (Dena'ina Civic Center) at 11:30 a.m., at a cost of $75. The connecting Park Connection bus departs downtown Anchorage (Dena'ina Civic Center) at 3:00 p.m., passes through Portage at 4:30 p.m., and arrives in Seward at 6:00 p.m., also at a cost of $75. While not a direct transfer, at least you can do the journey entirely with a single company that can minimize the inconvenience of the transfer (over eight hours for a trip that requires only two hours if traveled directly). There is some consolation in that you would have 3-1/2 hours in Anchorage to see that city and get a pleasant lunch during the connection time.

 

 

[tonymc]

Many thanks everyone for your replies and advice. I did suspect that the most cost effective way would be to travel via Anchorage.

 

What we may do is take one of the transfers that take in the wildlife centre and the aerial tramway on the way to Anchorage then pick up a car and have an evening drive to Seward (hoping it will be light until late!!). A couple of nights in Seward before returning to Anchorage for a night prior to our flight home.

 

Again, many thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

[AKStafford]

21 minutes ago, tonymc said:

hoping it will be light until late!

Sunset on June 8th will be about 11:30pm, with twilight lasting all night. 

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage?month=6

[GTJ]

1 hour ago, tonymc said:

What we may do is take one of the transfers that take in the wildlife centre and the aerial tramway on the way to Anchorage

Look to Alaska Cruise Transportation for the greatest number of options that combine Whittier-to-Anchorage bus transportation with sightseeing enroute. http://www.alaskacruisetransfer.com

[tonymc]

Many thanks both of you for the information - will be booking the transfer shortly.

[KruisinKath]

I thought there was a bus that went between the two towns but perhaps what I read was old-or could be what AKStafford provided-will ck my bookmarks.  I have seen many recommendations for PJ’s Taxi that you could try (I see just now also provided by AKStafford!).

[GTJ]

6 hours ago, KruisinKath said:

I thought there was a bus that went between the two towns

In general, transportation within Alaska is not good, and over the years the trend has been a worsening of the transportation. In years past there had been a bus service connecting Seward with Homer, but there has never been regular route bus service connecting Seward with Whittier. The only regular route bus services operate to and from Anchorage and intermediate points. Unless one desires to transfer in Anchorage, or an intermediate point, the only transportation between Whittier and Seward at present is by hired vehicle (e.g., taxi, TNC, charter bus).

 

* * * * *

 

The Alaska Railroad does operate a passenger train, the Glacier Discovery, that boards passengers in Whittier and goes as far south as Grandview, which is about 41-1/2 miles outside of Seward. The train has to turn-back at this point, so that it can return to Whittier prior to embarkation time for departing vessels. In other words, there's not enough time for this train from Whittier to make it all the way to Seward. However, the consist for the railroad's Coastal Classic train lays over during the day in Seward, and at least in theory that consist could be run by the railroad, from Seward to Grandview and back, making connections with the Glacier Discovery, and allowing for fairly easy passenger transportation between Whittier and Seward. (Such a service would effectively constitute a second daily passenger service between Anchorage and Seward.) Schedules might be as follows (the new train service, using the Coastal Classic equipment, shown in bold):

 

Train                  Coastal            Glacier              New

Name                   Classic           Discovery            Train

Anchorage  depart     6:45 a.m.          9:45 a.m.          ----

Girdwooed  arrive     8:00 a.m.         10:55 a.m.          ----

Girdwood   depart     8:05 a.m.         11:00 a.m.          ----

Portage    arrive     8:30 a.m.         11:30 a.m.          ----

Portage    depart     ----              11:35 a.m.          ----

Whittier   arrive     ----              12:05 p.m.          ----

Whittier   depart     ----              12:45 p.m.          ----

Portage    arrive     ----               1:15 p.m.          ----

Portage    depart     8:30 a.m.          1:25 p.m.          ----

Spencer    arrive     8:45 a.m.          1:45 p.m.          ----

Spencer    depart     8:45 a.m.          1:55 p.m.          ----

Grandview  arrive     9:15 a.m.          3:20 p.m.          ----

Grandview  depart     9:15 a.m.          ----               3:35 p.m.

Seward     arrive    11:05 a.m.          ----               5:20 p.m.

 

Train                    New              Glacier            Coastal

Name                    Train            Discovery           Classic

Seward     depart     1:30 p.m.          ----               6:00 p.m.

Grandview  arrive     3:15 p.m.          ----               7:45 p.m.

Grandview  depart     ----               3:30 p.m.          7:45 p.m.

Spencer    arrive     ----               4:30 p.m.          8:15 p.m.

Spencer    depart     ----               4:40 p.m.          8:15 p.m.

Portage    arrive     ----               5:15 p.m.          8:30 p.m.

Portage    depart     ----               5:25 p.m.          ---- 

Whittier   arrive     ----               6:05 p.m.          ----

Whittier   depart     ----               6:45 p.m.          ----

Portage    arrive     ----               7:15 p.m.          ----

Portage    depart     ----               7:20 p.m.          8:30 p.m.

Girdwood   arrive     ----               7:40 p.m.          8:50 p.m.

Girdwood   depart     ----               7:45 p.m.          8:55 p.m.

Anchorage  arrive     ----               9:00 p.m.         10:15 p.m.

 

The railroad would have a few challenges if it were to do something like this. Would it have enough time in Seward to utilize just a single coach car for the new train, or would it have to haul the entire consist to Grandview and back (there would only be 40 minutes in Seward, from 5:20 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., to get the full Coastal Classic consist ready for the trip back to Anchorage)? Without a wye or loop at Grandview, there would need to be a locomotive at each end (as is done with the Hurricane Turn train), or use a cab car, as is done with the Coastal Classic and its Chugach Explorer DMU car 751 (perhaps the railroad could get a used cab car from a commuter railroad or Amtrak). If only the Alaska Railroad still had an RDC car in its fleet! There might also be an issue with the maximum number of hours of service for the operating crew. There would have to be some quick shuffling of equipment at Grandview for unloading and loading of passengers, being rushed in part because the southbound chartered cruise trains come through Grandview at approximately 3:40 p.m. But if the railroad could get past these challenges, then this added train--or some other service plan--could be instituted so that there would be transportation that would provide needed transportation between Whittier and Seward.

 

 

Edited November 2, 2023 by GTJ

[Auntiejo]

On 10/31/2023 at 11:04 AM, AKStafford said:

Contact the following to see what might be possible:

https://www.pjstaxi.net/

https://www.bearvalleyroadrunner.com/

https://www.redeyeridesllc.com/ 

I, too, have been having a headache trying to figure out how to get to Seward from Whittier without going thru Anchorage. I contacted Bear Valley Road Runner and the price is $140 PP so I'm booking it. It's not cheap, but better than paying for a rental car and worth every penny if it keeps me from having to spend the entire day getting to Seward via Anchorage. Thank you @AKStafford for the links above!

[SoloAlaska]

I’m not going between these two but am in need of a transfer on a non ship day late in the afternoon near the end of season. Best I’ve found so far is AKtripping. I’m travelling solo so definitely don’t want to pay over $1000 like some companies charge.