Whittier Cruise Transfers

Whittier Alaska Cruise Ship Transfers

Whittier is the cruise ship port closest to Anchorage and serves as the primary Alaskan port for Princess Cruises and Holland America Cruise Line.  The trip between Whittier and Anchorage takes about two hours and is an adventure in itself. You travel through North America’s longest tunnel and along the Seward Highway, Alaska’s only National Scenic Byway. The 2.5-mile Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel through the Chugach Mountains is the only way to travel to and from Whittier by road.

On cruise ship "turn-around" days the Park Connection offers cruise transfer service both from Whittier to Anchorage and Anchorage to Whittier. This service also connects in both directions with our coaches from Denali Park and Talkeetna. With this schedule you can travel in either direction between Denali Park and Whittier, all in the same day.

For disembarking cruise passengers traveling from Vancouver BC to Whittier, Alaska, the motorcoach departs from the Whittier Cruise Terminal at 9:45 AM and arrives in Anchorage at noon. This cruise transfer will drop passengers off at the Anchorage airport or downtown at the Dena'ina Civic Center where if you are starting a land tour you could transfer to a coach bound for Talkeetna or Denali.  You would not need to overnight in Anchorage; you could travel directly to Denali from your cruise ship in one day!

For guests embarking on their Alaska cruise in Whittier, the motorcoach departs from the Dena'ina Civic Center at 3:00 PM and shuttles passengers directly to the Whittier Cruise Terminal arriving at 5:00pm. Guests arriving via the Park Connection from Denali or Talkeetna arrive at the Dena'ina Civic Center in time to enjoy a brief lunch on your own before boarding this coach to Whittier.

Rail service is also available for transportation between Anchorage and Whittier; however the times are not as convenient and cannot connect with transportation between Anchorage and Denali.  You can compare and book both motorcoach and rail options with our unique online reservation tool.

Here is our Whittier schedule, you can also check our full rates and schedules pages for additional details.