Come Go With Us...: Whittier Glacier Cruise and Cruise to Valdez, Alaska

26 Glacier Cruise

Day 48 of the Alaskan Journey

Sunday, July 20

It had rained most of the night so we prepared for a chilly, rainy, day cruise. We came with rain shoes, rain pants, parkas, knit caps, and heavy gloves. It stopped raining just before we boarded so we carried the rain gear in our knapsacks.

Our tour-boat catamaran Klondike Express awaits us.

We boarded the MV Klondike Express, a high-speed catamaran, at 12 noon for a 140-mile excursion in the Prince William Sound.

The red route is 140 miles.

On board there was a seasonal Forest Service interpreter who acted as our guide. One of first things he did was to welcome us to Whittier, where he told us that they receive 15 feet of rain and 20 feet of snow a year. Yes I said feet!

Notice how calm the water was on departure

The landscape here is awesome, as the kids say.

· The interpreter informed us that we would journey over 4 hours and in route go past a sea lion rookery, then up a fjord with glaciers named for women’s colleges on one side and men’s on the other. On the return trip we would enter an ice-filled fjord named Harriman and get up close to the glaciers so we could watch for ice calving into the sound. Our last stop would be at a kittiwake bird rookery, just across the bay from Whittier. More than 10,000 birds inhabit these rock cliffs.

Pretty much an open-bay deck

We had an assigned 6-person table on the main deck that we shared with a couple from MN. Fortunately it was just the 4 of us so we had some wiggle room.

Sea lions

We saw Dahl’s porpoises that look like orca whales, sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, black-legged kittiwakes, and a bald eagle.

Not Orca whales, but larger porpoises with the similar Orca coloring

We shared the clear, cool morning with smaller craft.

By the time we left the dock, the sun was breaking through the overcast and we had a beautiful day.


Our boat had two hulls we could venture out on.

It did not take long before our quest was in view.

It was cold on deck, but that was where the best pictures were to be taken.

I also found out that there are multiple kinds of glaciers, and we would see three types on our tour. Tidewater glaciers move toward the water and end up at the ocean’s edges where they shed slabs of ice that crash into the sea. This is called calving. Piedmont glaciers rest at the base of a mountain and are formed when glacial ice forms a fan-shaped mass at the mountain’s foot. Alpine or hanging glaciers start high on the slopes of mountains and literally hang from the mountainsides.

Lounge Decor

Lunch was fried cod with coleslaw and a chocolate mint. Actually, it was quite good. We also had brought snacks in our packs to supplement if desired.

On board there was a display locator which positioned real time the boat's location and water depth. This was very helpful in visualizing where we were.

View out the front

Visual display

I felt like an arctic explorer when the captain shut down the engines and we quietly floated among the ice flows next to the towering, dark blue, glaciated walls. We had sea lions and harbor seals lazing next to us on their floating platforms and the cold winds brought us the sounds of ice caving and dropping into the water. We were never quick enough to capture a picture of the calving for you. Sorry!

Here we got in close and could hear the ice moan. Really!

Another visual GPS locator and outside view.

Of course we saw more harbor seals.

They are cute and clumsy on land.

Do we share in an emergency?

Heading back to the dock at flank speed

· On the way back we had a glacier margarita with ice the crew had fished from the sound when we stopped at the Surprise Glacier. Relax—tequila kills all kinds of bacteria!

Ice fishing?

Cookie and glacier margarita

The rookery was the last stop. They took to flight as we approached.

The rookery across the harbor from Whittier

· We got back to the port a little after 5:30 pm and walked back to the other end of town for dinner. We ate at an outdoor café near the harbor.

This is a hanging glacier above Whittier. This taken as we reentered the port.

The meal consisted of pizza for Daisy and extra large peel-and-eat shrimp for me. Of course there was Alaskan beer for the both of us. Afterward, we trekked quickly back through the pedestrian tunnel to settle in for the evening. We looked forward to another boat ride the next day. This time we would be boarding an Alaska Marine Highway ferry with the truck camper in route to the port of Valdez.

Whittier Harbor

Monday, July 21

Day 49 of the Alaska Journey

Driving time to Valdez 359 miles

By ferry 3 hours...

So we took the ferry.

· We left the campground about 9:45 am and drove to the Whittier ferry dock. The MV Chenega ferry arrived at 10:45 and first unloaded the walking passengers, then the vehicles. The Chenega is a 235-foot catamaran and the newest in the ferry fleet. It is powered by 4 diesel engines and water jets and can reach a speed of 32 knots (37 mph). It can carry 250 passengers and 36 vehicles. It has a movie lounge, cafeteria, and solarium.

MV Chenega backing to the dock

After checking in we were lined up in the parking area for loading.

We were all in our places for loading.

We were guided aboard about 11:30 and departed close to noon. The vehicle hold was nearly full but in the passenger lounge there were plenty of options for seating.

Notice the deck tie downs

· I was surprised about the level of comfort the passenger spaces afforded. Every high-backed chair reclined and there were booths with tables for eating or working. We purchased salmon chowder and corned beef sandwiches for lunch, topped off with free lemon scones.

The ride was like on silk with no motor noise. I closed my eyes for a moment in one of the comfortable lounge chairs and don’t remember much of the ride. I was lulled asleep. Of course Daisy wandered around and captured the moment.

Our crossing cost us $350 for two seniors (and that means Daisy too) and the 26-foot truck camper.

Another way to get there

Valdez Harbor

Start your engines. We docked in Valdez about 3:05 pm. Little better than a 3 hours by ferry. It would have been more than twice that by road, and not as restful I might say.