Cars idle in a patient line at the mouth of a mountain, waiting for the tunnel to open toward a town where the clouds sit low on the water. Whittier, at the head of Passage Canal, is a departure and arrival point for Cross-Gulf Inside Passage cruises, and Holland America counts it among its Alaska departure ports. Reaching the ship takes a tunnel, a train or a ferry, and the right papers in your bag.
Which Alaska cruises leave from Whittier?
Its Alaska cruises depart from Seattle, Vancouver, Whittier or San Diego, so Whittier is one of four possible starting points, not the only door. Those sailings range from 7 to 28 days, which means the same port can serve a first taste of Alaska or a long, slow passage along the coast.
Not every line that sails Alaska starts here. Norwegian’s Alaska cruises depart from Seward, Vancouver and Seattle, and Holland America’s cruisetours, the ones that combine ship and land, depart from Seattle, Vancouver, Anchorage or Fairbanks. If you are comparing itineraries, the departure port is the first line to read, because it decides whether your trip begins with a tunnel.
Cross-Gulf cruises and the glacier guarantee
A Cross-Gulf sailing is one that begins or ends in Whittier and runs between Prince William Sound and the Inside Passage. For a traveler, that usually means the trip is a one-way line on the map, with the start in one place and the finish in another. Anchorage is the big city the town is tied to, so plans for flights and hotels tend to revolve around it.
Holland America adds a promise to its Alaska cruises. If your cruise does not include a glacier visit, you receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to 15% of your fare.
Day cruises from the same dock
Whittier is also where people come for a single day on the water. The Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery Train offers round-trip service from Anchorage to Whittier, with time for a day cruise before the ride back. The 26 Glacier Cruise, one of the day options here, offers a no-seasickness guarantee, a small comfort for anyone who has doubts about open water.
What you come to see is the reason the town matters. Prince William Sound near Whittier has the world’s largest concentration of tidewater glaciers, ice that ends directly in salt water. On a day cruise you move from the quiet of the harbor into fjord arms where the ice faces rise above the boat. Glacier and wildlife cruises in the Sound are what the train connection at Whittier is built around.
How do you get to the cruise terminal in Whittier?
You reach Whittier by road through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, by the Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery Train, or by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, because the town sits about 58 miles from Anchorage and is separated from the road system by a mountain. The tunnel is the largest combined rail and highway tunnel in North America, and it runs on a schedule for traffic, so the day’s timing bends around it.
Driving through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel
The tunnel sits on the Portage Glacier Highway and links the Portage Glacier area of Chugach National Forest and Whittier with the Seward Highway. Vehicles are limited to 25 miles per hour inside, so the passage takes about ten minutes. Pedestrians and bicycles are not allowed, except during the annual Walk to Whittier in June, the one day on foot, held since 2002 except in 2010.
Tolls are collected from eastbound vehicles. A regular vehicle or motorcycle pays the lowest rate, and the price rises with size, up to oversize vehicles. Railroad, state transportation and emergency vehicles are exempt, while state agency or school district vehicles pay a reduced toll.
| Vehicle | Toll |
|---|---|
| Regular vehicle or motorcycle | $13 |
| Vehicle pulling a trailer | $22 |
| Small bus or regular RV | $38 |
| Large bus | $137 |
| Oversize vehicle, 10 to 11 feet wide and 14 to 15 feet high | $330 per use |
| State government agency or school district vehicle | $11 |
| Season | Tunnel open |
|---|---|
| Summer months | 5:30 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. |
| Winter months | 7:00 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. |
By train from Anchorage
The Glacier Discovery Train runs from Anchorage to Girdwood, Whittier, Portage, Spencer and Grandview. It follows much of the Coastal Classic’s route, then turns off the main line to Whittier, and it stops briefly at the resort town of Girdwood on the way. Inside the mountain the train passes through the tunnel and lands you at the connection for a glacier and wildlife cruise in Prince William Sound.
Even without leaving the train, the window gives you something. Stay aboard past Whittier and you may see Bartlett Glacier and Trail Glacier along the Placer River Valley, then the alpine meadows of Grandview. At Portage, passengers may get off to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where black and brown bears, moose, caribou and wood bison live.
The ferry, the seaplane dock and a night in town
Whittier is a port on the Alaska Marine Highway, so the ferry is a third way in and out, and the town also operates a seaplane dock. Lodging is limited. There are two small hotels and vacation rentals in the apartment complex where most of the town lives, the Begich Towers Condominium, which gives Whittier its nickname, The Town Under One Roof. Many visitors stay in nearby Girdwood or in Anchorage instead.
Where do the ships go in Alaska?
From Whittier, ships head into Prince William Sound, home to tidewater glaciers, and Cross-Gulf cruises continue on toward the Inside Passage.
Prince William Sound by water
The Sound is the stage for the day’s glacier cruise, and the water around Whittier is more than a corridor. Sea kayaking tours launch from the docks, and kayak drop-offs reach more remote parts of the Sound. Jet ski tours provide dry suits and expert guides who lead visitors to glaciers and scenic viewpoints, a very different way to meet the ice than from a ship’s deck.
The weather sets the mood. Whittier is an extremely wet place, so a cruise day may mean low cloud, mist on the fjord walls and glaciers appearing slowly out of the gray. Wildlife is a chance and never a promise, but the Sound is the kind of water where you may see animals along the shore.
On foot around the town
Before or after a sailing, Whittier has several hiking trails. The Whittier Creek Trail is the short one, and the Portage Pass Trail is the popular one, with views of Passage Canal and Portage Glacier. Beyond the town, the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, reached only by train, is a backcountry area in the Chugach National Forest developed with the U.S. Forest Service.
At Spencer, a 1.3-mile gravel path leads to Spencer Lake and views of Spencer Glacier. Rafting, hiking and kayaking around the glacial lake are available as day trips, which makes the stop a different kind of Alaska day from a boat tour.
Ports along the Inside Passage
Once a ship has crossed the Gulf, the Inside Passage is a chain of towns.
The ships named for those Alaska cruises are Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Joy. Each of those ports has its own page and its own character, from Skagway’s wooden boardwalks to Ketchikan’s creek-side streets.
What do you need to board?
You need acceptable identification, and which document works depends on how you travel. U.S. Customs and Border Protection lists what U.S. citizens may carry when entering by air and by land or sea, and a cruise that touches Canada brings those rules into play. The line you sail with will tell you what it wants, but these are the government lists behind it.
Documents by air
U.S. citizens entering by air can use a valid U.S. passport, a Trusted Traveler Program card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST), a U.S. military identification card on official orders, or a U.S. Merchant Mariner document for official maritime business. Children traveling by air must present their own passport, and an Indian or tribal card cannot be used for air travel.
Lawful permanent residents are not required to present a passport when entering by air. They continue to present a valid Permanent Resident Card. For the flight to Anchorage itself, adults 18 and older must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint, and the list of acceptable IDs is subject to change without notice.
Documents by land or sea
The list is wider for U.S. citizens entering by land or sea. A valid U.S. passport works, as do a Passport Card, an Enhanced Driver’s License, a Trusted Traveler Program card, a U.S. military ID on official orders, a U.S. Merchant Mariner document, a Form I-872 American Indian Card or an Enhanced Tribal Card.
If your route touches Canada
The Canada Border Services Agency notes that travelers flying into Canada can use Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN to submit their customs and immigration declaration before arriving. Travelers connecting between international flights can save time at select Canadian airports.
Crossing by land, travelers can check wait times at the border from the United States into Canada. Border officers may also examine travelers’ digital devices at the Canadian border, a good reason to know what is on your phone before you reach the line.
Good to know before you go
Whittier gets about 197 inches of precipitation in a year, so bring the expectation of rain and cloud, and let the glaciers be a pleasant surprise when the sky opens. The tunnel keeps different hours in summer and winter, so the last ride of the day matters more here than in most places. With only two small hotels in town, many visitors sleep in Girdwood or Anchorage and come in for the boat.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Whittier, Alaska (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_Alaska), checked October 11, 2026
- Wikipedia, Whittier Tunnel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier_Tunnel), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska Railroad, Glacier Discovery (https://www.alaskarailroad.com/ride-a-train/our-trains/glacier-discovery), checked October 11, 2026
- Alaska.org, dest whittier (https://www.alaska.org/destination/whittier), checked October 11, 2026
- Princess Cruises, Alaska cruises (https://www.princess.com/en-us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
- Holland America Line, Alaska cruises (https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
- Norwegian Cruise Line, Alaska cruises (https://www.ncl.com/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises), checked October 11, 2026
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative), checked October 11, 2026
- Canada Border Services Agency, Cross the Canadian border (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/menu-eng.html), checked October 11, 2026
- Transportation Security Administration, acceptable identification (https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification), checked October 11, 2026
To plan your stay
- Alaska Cruise in May: Port Weather, Whales and Glaciers, and the Cruise Lines
- Which Side of the Ship for an Alaska Cruise: Glacier Bay, Inside Passage Routes and Balcony Choices
- How Much Does an Alaska Cruise Cost?: Cruise Lengths, What's Included and Extras
- Alaska Cruise in June: Weather, Ports, Wildlife and Glaciers