So… after three perfect days in Anchorage and Talkeetna the time came to board the transfer coach that would take us to the cruise ship port at Whittier for our Alaskan Inside Passage cruise.

Coach Trip

Despite being on the coast and having the world’s largest floatplane base, Anchorage does not have a deep water port. As such, cruise ships dock at a small town called Whittier, which is 100km south-east of Anchorage following the Seward Highway.

To get there we booked a transfer coach that provided a scenic tour including a lunch stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The route took us out of Anchorage and down the Seward Highway following the coastline of the Turnagain Arm. The drive was scenic, picturesque (as is everything in Alaska) and included a brief stop at Beluga Point to stretch legs and take photos.

The Alaskan Inside Passage cruise was one of the highly anticipated events of the Team Alaska trip and anticipation was building after brilliant start to the trip in Anchorage. It was sad to close the first leg of the trip leaving Anchorage but Team Alaska had already proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was going to be a monumentally good adventure.

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is about 20km north-west of Whittier and gave us the opportunity to view the charismatic Alaskan wildlife up close an personal. The Center is similar to an open zoo divided into specific animal corrals as well as having barn like buildings to house injured wildlife that are recuperating from being hit by cars, illness, accidents, etc.

We were fortunate to see, first hand:

• Elk
• Caribou
• Muskox
• Moose
• Wood Bison; and
• even a Bald Eagle.

The bears were a no show though, much to TeenyPeeny’s delight. It was quite interesting to see a not-for-profit facility caring for and preserving native Alaskan wildlife and, in particular, bringing the Wood Bison back from edge of extinction. We spent around an hour at the center wandering amongst the enclosures and having lunch before reboarding the coach for the last leg to Whittier and embarking on our Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise…

Whittier

Whittier is a curious little port town that is dominated by two large buildings. One building is where all the residents of the town, around 200, once lived in apartments all under the same roof. The town was built during World War 2 as a military facility and port with the two tower being put up in the 50’s. The modern port services private moorings, cruise ships and the railway line running adjacent to the port at the head of the Passage Canal. part of Prince William Sound.

There isn’t really much else to Whittier so upon arrival at the dock we collected our luggage and proceeded to board our cruise ship and settle in for the Alaskan Inside Passage cruise to Vancouver.