Glacier & Wildlife Adventure
From $187 per person
Seven hours: Portage Valley, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and Turnagain Arm, with hotel pickup.
View tour ↗2025 Viator Experience Award Winner - Top 1% Nationwide
907-917-8687
Anchorage Cruise Port Guide
Anchorage Cruise Port:
Where Ships Actually Dock, and How Anchorage Connects to Whittier and Seward
If your cruise says it sails from Anchorage, check the fine print: it almost certainly leaves from Whittier (60 miles) or Seward (127 miles). A handful of ships do tie up at the Port of Alaska each summer — in 2026, Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam and Zaandam, Seabourn Venture and The World made about a dozen port-call days between May 8 and September 25 — and Holland America has scheduled Noordam and Zaandam calls here again in 2027. For everyone else, Anchorage is where you land, sleep, and start. This page covers that.
Anchorage at a glance
- Dock name
- Port of Alaska
- Address / landmark
- Address / landmark: not yet supplied
- Distance from downtown Anchorage
- In Anchorage
- Drive time without stops
- Drive time without stops: not yet supplied
- Distance from Anchorage airport (ANC)
- Distance from Anchorage airport (ANC): not yet supplied
- Rail option
- Alaska Railroad depot, downtown Anchorage
- WAT transfer price and duration
- Any Anchorage day tour. Cruise transfer tours run to Whittier (from $217) and Seward (from $247); private transfers from $767 per party.
- WAT pickup point at this port
- Any Anchorage hotel, the airport or the Port of Alaska.
Where the ships that do come here dock
The ships that genuinely call on Anchorage tie up at the Port of Alaska, the city's working cargo port. It is an industrial dock, not a cruise terminal with shops — the experience is a stepping-off point into the city, not a destination of its own.
Confirm your berth and the day's arrangements with your cruise line; port-call logistics are handled ship by ship.
Schedule from the published 2027 cruise line schedules, last checked 2026-10-24. Ships change schedules — confirm your sailing with your cruise line.
| Date | Ship | Cruise line | Arrives | Departs | Dock | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule not yet supplied | ||||||
From the airport to your ship
| Route | Cruise line transfer | Alaska Railroad | WAT private transfer | WAT transfer tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANC to Whittier | Published by your cruise line | Depot is downtown, not at the airport; summer service | From $767 per party | By arrangement — tell us your flight |
| ANC to Seward | Published by your cruise line | Depot is downtown, not at the airport; the Seward train leaves at 6:45 a.m. | From $767 per party | By arrangement — tell us your flight |
If your flight lands the morning you sail, we'd rather you book the cruise line's transfer than cut it close with us. The ship is responsible for their own bus; nobody else can promise that.
Where to stay the night before
We pick up at any Anchorage hotel; downtown and the airport corridor are the two areas most cruise passengers choose.
One free day in Anchorage before or after the cruise
Hatcher Pass, Reindeer and Iditarod Dogs
From $187 per person
Seven hours: a reindeer farm, Hatcher Pass and the sled dogs at Iditarod Headquarters.
View tour ↗Matanuska Glacier Hike
From $297 per person · Moderate
A full day walking two to three miles out onto the glacier, cleats and helmet provided.
View tour ↗Private Luxe City Tour
Half day, priced per party — contact us
Your own guide and vehicle around Anchorage, on your schedule.
View tour ↗If your free day is the day you sail, the transfer tour IS the free day — book that instead of a day tour plus a separate ride.
Getting to Whittier
Whittier is approximately 60 miles southeast, about an hour and a half without stops, plus the one-lane tunnel that changes direction every half hour. Our six-hour transfer tour turns the drive into Turnagain Arm, Beluga Point, the Wildlife Conservation Center and Portage Valley, and delivers you to your cruise terminal.
Getting to Seward
Seward is approximately 127 miles south, two and a half to three hours without stops. Our seven-hour transfer tour makes the day part of the trip — Beluga Point, the Wildlife Conservation Center, Portage Valley and Summit Lake — and guarantees arrival at least three hours before your ship's departure.
Questions about cruising from Anchorage
Do cruise ships dock in downtown Anchorage?
A few do, at the Port of Alaska. In 2026, Holland America's Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam and Zaandam, Seabourn Venture and The World made about a dozen port-call days between May 8 and September 25. Everything else that says 'Anchorage' sails from Whittier or Seward.
How far is the Anchorage airport from the Whittier cruise port?
Whittier is approximately 60 miles from Anchorage. Plan on about an hour and a half of driving, plus the tunnel wait — traffic through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel runs one direction at a time.
How far is the Anchorage airport from the Seward cruise port?
Seward is approximately 127 miles from Anchorage. Allow two and a half to three hours without stops, and more for traffic, weather and road conditions.
Can I take the train from the airport to my ship?
Not directly. The Alaska Railroad depot is in downtown Anchorage, not at the airport, so you would need a ride into town first. The Seward train leaves Anchorage at 6:45 a.m., which is too early to connect from a same-morning flight.
What's the best way to spend one day in Anchorage before a cruise?
Pick one good day tour rather than trying to squeeze in several. Our Glacier & Wildlife Adventure and Hatcher Pass tours run about seven hours with hotel pickup; the Matanuska Glacier hike is a full day. If your free day is the day you sail, the transfer tour is the free day — book that instead of a day tour plus a separate ride.
