Prince William Sound 26 Glacier Cruise, Self-Drive
Description
For guests with their own transportation, this 5.25-hour cruise brings you face-to-face with dynamic glaciers and a variety of wildlife, surrounded by the pristine wilderness of Prince William Sound. The cruise route covers 120 miles in Western Prince William Sound while being surrounded by the Chugach National Forest. Your friendly and attentive crew will strive to make this cruise a favorite highlight of your Alaska vacation. Our industry-exclusive No Seasickness Guarantee assures every guest will cruise in comfort while enjoying your cruise. All cruises are operated on first-class high-speed catamarans that provide an extremely stable cruise and can smoothly navigate through the narrow fjords and ice flows to reach the face of massive glaciers.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Travel time from Anchorage to Whittier is 90 minutes. From Girdwood to Whittier, allow 45 minutes. Please plan your day with this travel time in mind. (The cruise portion is 5 hours.) All cruises depart from Whittier, AK. Bring your photo I.D. and check in at least one hour before your cruise departs. Being late may cause the cancellation of reserved seats and/or an entire reservation. To reach Whittier, you will travel through North America’s longest shared rail and vehicle tunnel, the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. This tunnel allows one-way traffic access to and from Whittier on a strict schedule. The tunnel opens going to Whittier thirty minutes past the hour (9:30 AM, 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM). We recommend the 10:30 AM tunnel opening for your cruise to allow time to park and check in. Transportation to Whittier, tunnel toll, and parking fee are not included. After your cruise, the tunnel will be open hourly, on the hour, until 11:00 PM.
Explore spectacular Prince William Sound to see dynamic glaciers and a variety of wildlife on our first-class high-speed catamarans. Enjoy narration from a Chugach National Forest Service ranger who shares interesting details about the history, geography, glaciers and wildlife we see during the cruise. Every cruise features our industry-exclusive No Seasickness Guarantee! With the calm waters of Prince William Sound and our smooth cruising catamarans, you can enjoy a comfortable experience without worry. We serve wild Alaska smoked salmon chowder with coleslaw style salad, multigrain roll, oyster crackers, cheese stick, fruit snack and a peppermint pattie. If you prefer hearty vegetarian chili (GF), request it when booking or message us at least 48 hours before travel. Paid parking is available in a public lot located on Whittier Street, close to the Cliffside Marina. Photo I.D. is required at check-in to receive your boarding cards. All guests must be on board by 11:45 AM
Explore the town of Whittier, Alaska as you stroll along the harbor boardwalk, visit local shops and restaurants, the Prince William Sound Museum (admission not included) or hike a local trail. When you are ready to depart Whittier, the tunnel will be open on the hour, every hour until 11:00 PM.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Service animals allowed
- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- All crew and guests must wear a mask or face covering per current COVID-19 procedures.
- Be mindful of the space around you for social distancing
Reviews(34)
Very smooth boat ride! Spectacular scenery. Good food. Extremely enjoyable afternoon even with some rain.
If you are trying to decide between Alaska adventures and excursions, do yourself a favor and let the stress melt away and book this one, like YESTERDAY!!! We were visiting for a week, and this experience truly raised the bar for all others throughout our stay. Our captain and tour guide was top notch, highly knowledgeable about the various stops, glaciers, extensive wildlife and scenery. As an added bonus, his voice was so soothing and peaceful you didn’t want him to stop talking! What we loved most about the family owners of this business is that they cared less about sticking exactly to the time clock and itinerary and way more about giving their guests a once-in-a-lifetime, impossible to top, lasting adventure. Not only did we witness glaciers capping that created 7ft waves, but we were able to spot tufted puffins, whales, sea otters, sea lions, bald eagles and various birds! The scenery was heaven-sent, and honestly, our group spent more time outside taking everything in vs indoors at the table. The lunch was absolutely delicious, I only wish that more seafood chowder could have magically appeared after practically licking the bowl. You can drink all the coffee, tea and water you want (included), but there is also a bar with adult beverages and just do yourself a favor and don’t get off that boat without splurging on a glacier ice margarita!!!! Stop debating about what you’re going to do and make this real life National Geographic moment happen. It will be the excursion that leaves a forever mark on your soul and you won’t regret it!
Lovely, smooth(!) sailing with amazing views culminating at Harvard Glacier that calved continuously—so fascinating
Glacier calving certainly is an amazing event to experience and we are so happy to hear you were able to see it. Thank you for your review and letting us be your guide to Prince William Sound.
It was a nice experience. We saw lots of wildlife along the way and tour did not feel rushed. They gave use enough time near the glacier.
It was wonderful! The staff was very friendly, courteous and knowledgeable! The views of the glaciers, whales, eagles, seals and sea lions were nothing short of spectacular! The cabin was comfortable! We had a great time!!!
Glaciers, whales, eagles, seals, and sea lions, OH MY! We are so happy to hear that your tour was awesome and we appreciate your review very much.
We enjoyed the tour overall. Waiting in line and boarding was a bit unorganized. But once we were boarded, the service, facility, and tour were wonderful. We enjoyed the food and drink options and the captain was a great tour guide.
Thank you for your review and constructive feedback. We are always wanting to make sure our guests have the best experience from booking to check-in, and of course the cruise itself. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and give us the opportunity to improve on our services.
A great day on the water. Very well run cruise, comfortable, smooth-sailing ship, excellent, fun, informative and enthusiastic narration by the Captain and crew. Fair costs on renting binoculars, snacks. Lunch was good! We saw calving glaciers, a whale, sea otters, seals, puffins. And glaciers! The captain was careful and adept at stopping to look at the animals and glacier ice, and smoothly moving around so each side could see things. I know it's their job and training, but they made it feel special. Thanks!
Your comments and review will mean a lot to our Captains and crew. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. It means a lot as an Alaska family-owned business and we are so grateful you let us be a part of your Alaska adventure!
This is 300+ passenger vessel and accessing an outdoor viewing position is limited. Other than that, the vessel was modern, clean, food was good, the crew was great and the beauty was saw was some of the best we had ever experienced.
We greatly appreciate your review and constructive feedback. It opens up discussions internally that allow us to improve our guest experience. Thank you for choosing us to be your guide to Prince William Sound and hope to have the opportunity to host you again in Whittier.
This was amazing and we got to see some of the most amazing glaciers, we got a lot of very good narrative from the captain, and we got to see a lot of wildlife. Only drawbacks are that the seafood chowder provided lunch isn’t very appetizing, but you can get other things from their shop. Also, Seating would have been very cramped if we had people sharing our table with us. We didn’t, which was nice, but on a day the boat is at full capacity, I could see where it would feel pretty shoulder to shoulder.
Thank you for your feedback, giving us the opportunity to improve our guest experience, and for letting us be your guide to Prince William Sound!
We had an amazing time on the Chugach Express 26 Glacier Cruise. The day started out pretty miserable with a steady heavy drizzle and low clouds, but we've learned on this Alaska trip to never count out an activity due to perceived weather. The water was incredibly calm and the clouds lifted enough for excellent viewing wildlife and glacier viewing. Yes, it's cold, so dress appropriately so you can be out on deck as much as possible. The wildlife viewing was exceptional, however that can't be guaranteed. We saw an eagle perched on an iceberg, countless adorable sea otters, humpback whales and sea lions feeding and even a black bear swimming a channel. Truly incredible! While many glaciers were visible on this cruise, Harvard was the crown jewel. It was truly magical to listen to the ice popping in the water and being surrounded by icebergs. Awesome experience!!!
We 100% appreciate your feedback and review. Dressing in thin, warm layers is always key in Alaska and we are happy to hear you were prepared. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback, review, and recommendation. It really means a lot to us.
