After reading a few posts, I ihave come to the conclusion that there are several mixed emotions about Whittier. I read that it's not a very pretty town, but there are alot of marine type activities available.

We own a timeshare and can trade through Interval International. The ONLY place in Alaska to trade to is in Whittier. The resort looks beautiful, as do the views:
www.innatwhittier.com
Has anyone ever been here?

We are considering staying a week here and then maybe a weekend somewhere else? Kodiak Island looked interesting and some lodges looked great, expensive, but great.
Any ideas?

Hi there--we had lunch there last summer and the food was pretty good, we would return to eat but I doubt we would stay there. Yes, the views are beautiful from three sides but the hotel is a sharp contrast to the town. There is very little to do in Whittier and you can walk the village of shops, etc. in about 10 minutes. We went on the Phillips 26 cruise out of Whittier and sat for a time next to a family who was staying there--they were not happy with the room size, amenities, service. Granted, at the time, I believe the hotel had just opened and perhaps did not yet have its act together but personally I cannot imagine spending the night there. Do you have other options other than Whittier?

Haven't been to the Inn (saw it being built) but forgive me, the idea of a week in Whittier makes me think of the old joke about first prize being a week someplace and the second prize being two weeks.

Whittier is (IMO, but not an uncommon view) a gorgeous setting utterly pillaged by the military, railroad, and ferry systems. The fact that it's now a cruise ship terminus boggles the mind. I think after a couple of nights there you'd be speaking to the seagulls. The views on the Inn's website have been carefully edited so as not to include any pictures of Whittier.

If you want a non-Anchorage experience and still have access to Prince William Sound, then Seward would be choice no. 1, Girdwood (using the Whittier tunnel) no. 2. Valdez maybe no. 3, but a week in Valdez would spawn the same reaction from me. No offense to any lurking locals.

Just my opinions.

Whittier is worth a stay but not for a week. Alaska demands being on the "move" and is not a "day trip" area. If you have a week then split it up between 3 locations. Distances are vast and plenty is a "must do" in Alaska. Request visitor guides and see what is of interest. You also have a tunnel to contend with in and out of Whittier with a $12 east bound toll and each direction only being open on average 15 min/hr.

We stayed one night at a b&b. We thought it was thoughtful that there was a pile of videos next to the tv. Aha ... there's no tv reception. We were first in line to get thru the tunnel to leave the next morning. We enjoyed a nice hike but the old military buildings are depressing. Gardyloo paints an accurate picture. I also agree with Budget Queen, because of the tunnel it's not a good place for a base. You really want to break time up in different areas because of the distances involved. We did base ourselves in Kenai for part of our last trip which put us 1 1/2 hours from Seward in one direction and Homer in the other. We still did overnights in Seward and Homer(actually Seldovia).

Thank you everyone for your opinions. We don't have to use a timeshare..it's just the first thing that comes to mind. But it looks like we'll have to start thinking again. But thanks for setting us straight!
r.

Whittier is a great place to get to the price william sound. Great fishing, glaciers, sight seeking, whales, etc. But staying in the city maybe a little boring. I would also not deposit any money on a hotel room as the hotels is having financial trouble. If I were you and you wanted to spend a week in Alaska I'd rent an RV and take a road trip to Seward, Homer, Kenai. Do some fishing, sight seeing and really enjoy alaska.