Princess Transfers - Whittier to Anchorage

[deadzone1003]

I am planning my first cruise to Alaska this summer. I'm trying to figure out some of the logistics of Whittier. I know that there is a motorcoach and train from Whittier to Anchorage. The cruisetour passengers take the train, but as a non-cruisetour passenger, can I purchase a transfer ticket on the train? If I can't, what is the earliest train that I can catch that goes from Whittier to Anchorage?

[ARRTrain]

Princess does offer a train transfer on the ship, you leave on 1 of the 2 trains with the cruise tour passengers. I think it is the 1st train out around 7:15-7:30am. The next train out is for cruisetours only.

 

There's an Alaska Railroad daily train that leaves around 6:45-6:55pm for Anchorage.

[lianakcc]

If you purchase the Princess rail transfer, where do you end up? Do you stop and the train depot in Anchorage? or are you then transferred to the Airport as part of the transfer fee?

Thanks!

 

Liana

[Mully too]

FYI - We are cruising on the Coral on 8/20. We tried to book the rail transfer through Princess and were told there is no rail service on Mondays through Princess. Just thought I would pass this along.

 

Jan

[ARRTrain]

The train will bring you down to the Downtown Depot. They will pick you up and probably transfer you to the Egan Center or the airport. If you go to the Egan Center there's several Princess airport shuttles. I think they run every 30 minutes or every hour.

 

That is odd about the no Monday train thing. Mondays are the smaller ship days and the train that does the transfer gets new cars added next summer.

 

Give the local Princess office a call

907-550-7711

[Alaska05]

There's an Alaska Railroad daily train that leaves around 6:45-6:55pm for Anchorage.

 

Just curious, are you with the Alaska Railroad? If not, please ignore the following. (Guess this should really be on the Alaska thread)

 

If so, do you know when bookings for the summer of 2007 can be done on-line? Also, is it ever sold out for the evening Whittier-Anchorage run? We arrive Whittier on Monday, 7/30/07 and are doing a Prince William Sound cruise then want to take the evening train to Anchorage. I know some of the PWS cruise operators offer a package including transportation by rail or coach. Is it better to book train or our own or as a combo through tour operator?

 

Thanks.

[deadzone1003]

If there are no trains on Mondays, you mean the 1900+ passengers on the Coral Princess or Island Princess must use buses, limos, or car rentals to get out of Whittier. Can anyone described their experiences getting from the Coral Princess or Island Princess to Anchorage? (non-Princess landtour passengers please).

[ARRTrain]

Just curious, are you with the Alaska Railroad? If not, please ignore the following. (Guess this should really be on the Alaska thread)

 

If so, do you know when bookings for the summer of 2007 can be done on-line? Also, is it ever sold out for the evening Whittier-Anchorage run? We arrive Whittier on Monday, 7/30/07 and are doing a Prince William Sound cruise then want to take the evening train to Anchorage. I know some of the PWS cruise operators offer a package including transportation by rail or coach. Is it better to book train or our own or as a combo through tour operator?

 

Thanks.

 

Nope, not with the ARR.

 

I have never seen the evening ARR train sold out. I think if you book the ARR on your own it is around $55. I don't know what the tour operators are charging when booking everything through them.

 

Don't know when the ARR opens their online booking for 2007

[JEMS]

If there are no trains on Mondays, you mean the 1900+ passengers on the Coral Princess or Island Princess must use buses, limos, or car rentals to get out of Whittier. Can anyone described their experiences getting from the Coral Princess or Island Princess to Anchorage? (non-Princess landtour passengers please).

 

We were on the Sapphire Princess arriving in Whittier 9/2/06 and took the bus into Anchorage. The buses must all wait for the next 30 minute interval when the one-way tunnel out of Whittier opens for departing vechicles. (Our DS & DIL took an earlier bus due to earlier flight schedule which got to tunnel just in time to get throught without a wait.)

That was our only delay, except when we arrived @ Egan Center and no parking places were available for our bus. The trip is long, but anything would take a long time to get into Anchorage. Driver gave an attempt to give information but was a little tedious. :p

We had time to go to a hamburger place within a block of Egan Center to eat and watch college football while waiting to head onto airport.:)

Jean & Ed