Glacier Cruise advice needed
 

We are trying to decide which glacier cruise to take. Prince William Sound or the Kenai Fjords. Any opinions??

We've only down the Kenai Fjords. If you only have time to visit one town, Seward is wonderful. Whittier is a former secret military base. Beautiful setting but there's one esp big former military building that's a big eyesore. Access to town is thru a one-way toll tunnel. You will have to be careful about the timing since traffic and trains alternate use of the tunnel. The tunnel itself is an engineering marvel.

For strictly glaciers, Whittier has an edge. But for all-around beauty, decent glaciers and a better shot at whales and other wildlife, the long KF tours are much better.

Plus, Seward as a town has much more to do and Whittier looks like something out of the old USSR (except all for the sailboats...) Also, the ride to Seward, though longer, can be a treat in itself.

Whittier definately is superior for glacier viewing, nonstop for just about the whole trip. :) Kenai Fjords will have a close up glacier look, probably about 30 minutes of the trip. But I've always seen calving.

Thanks for your opinions. Do you have any recommendations for where to stay in Seward or Whittier.
Thanks

I don't stay in Whittier. In Seward there are many options, depends what you are looking for??

If you are taking the cruise out of Whittier would you stay in Anchorage or is there somewhere closer to Whittier?

You could stay in Girdwood, but you would have many more lodging options in Anchorage. Transportation from Anchorage to Whittier via rail and bus is frequent and coordinated with Prince William Sound cruises <http://www.majormarine.com/> and <http://www.26glaciers.com/>.

Anchorage and Whittier are only 1 1/4 hour apart. I stay in Anchorage.

Thanks for your reply. We will be returning by bus from Denali on Saturday by bus and will arrive around 1:30. We thought we might rent a car and drive to Gridwood for that night. I read that there is a tram ride there and that the scenery is great. The next morning we would drive to Whittier to take the cruise. Do you think the scenery is worth the drive to Gridwood or is there something we should really stay and do in Anchorage that day? Monday my husband has arranged fishing in Sterling and we will be driving there after the cruise in Whittier. Do you know how far the drive would be between Whittier and Sterling? Maybe this plan won't work.

The tram ride is very nice. You can see 7 glaciers and expect snow at the top. Girdwood is a resort town. The scenery from Anchorage to Girdwood and beyond is spectacular. You will enjoy the drive and will probably want to stop for photos. Check the mileage from Whittier to Sterling and keep in mind after your cruise you'll have to wait for the tunnel to open. We spent the night in Whittier and while the accomodations were clean and decent, my husband really disliked to the town. I assume the fishing charter will get an early start. I would suggest spending Sunday night as close to Sterling as you can get. I enjoyed the farmers market in downtown Anchorage on Saturday. Check times. I think it is also held on Sundays. If you want to buy some books about Alaska, either fiction or non-fiction, the Title Wave bookstore in Anchorage has a large selection.

Thanks for your help. We have reservations at a cabin in Sterling for Monday night. Mapquest said the drive between Whittier and Sterling is about 2 1/2 hours. Is there anyway to know in advance what the schedule for the tunnel is??

http://www.dot.state.ak.us/creg/whit...schedule.shtml

Note that the website says there are occasional delays due to unsheduled trains.
2 1/2 hours isn't a bad drive for Alaska. You'll go thru Soldotna which has quite a few stores etc. Good place to stop if you need anything.

Thanks so much. Just what I need to know.

bookmarking - thanks for the info - I hope to use it next year!

Check out Renown Tours in Kenai. They have the only catameran. It is faster and smoother. I must say there food is probably the worst, however. Cold smoked salmon on a bagel, apple, chips, cookie, and drink. Be sure you do a long tour. You want to see glaciers. The shorter tours only do Ressurection Bay. You want to see the entire thing. I would use Renown Tours or see it in a smaller vessel. I wish now that we had done a Kayak tour all the way out to the Glaciers. They drop you off near the glaciers in a bigger ship, and you kayak near them. Consider doing a dogsled glacier trip, also some fishing and bear viewing. I would stay at Alyeska in Girdwood. DO the train to Seward if you can.