Anchorage/Whittier September 15-16, 2006

Even the best, most far-sighted plans can go awry as we discovered when United Airlines called us in May. They told us that our flight itinerary, set up in February, had been slightly altered. "Slightly," is a strange word for them to have used since now, instead of the quick flight from Portland to Seattle before connecting to a United plane bound for Anchorage, we were going all the way south to San Francisco to catch our Anchorage flight!

We figured that eliminating unprofitable routes has been part of United's fiscal recovery plan and Seattle/Anchorage happened to fit that category. There wasn't much we could do about it, either, because the Portland/Anchorage flight, wherever the connection would turn out to be, was part of the special combination fare that included our return flight from China--- we couldn't switch to another carrier. But, the good news was that we were able to keep our upgraded first-class and business class seats on all flights and we arrived at Anchorage's Ted Stevens International Airport really no worse for the extra wear.

We had reservations at the Captain Cook, reputed to be one of Anchorage's best hotels. It was named after the seafarer whose voyages to Alaska and South Pacific waters are legendary and who was also the discover of Anchorage's Cook Inlet. Princess Cruise Lines uses the Captain Cook to accommodate passengers who have to lay over in Anchorage before and after their cruises in and out of the port of Whittier. While it was very nice, it was, in the long run, just another big city hotel. In fact, we thought Anchorage turned out to be just another big American city, albeit one with a unique (but overplayed) "Way Up North" twist.

With nothing else to do on the 14th, we signed up for the "Anchorage City Tour" offered by the Princess travel desk in the hotel. (This turned out to be a joke--- a bus ride to the Anchorage city museum (four blocks from the hotel), an hour wandering about the museum unescorted, a ride to a dry river bed reported to be the original site of the city, a decidedly unremarkable "set" group meal at a famous local steak house, and, finally, the requisite interlude at the local souvenir/candy store where tourists, not bears, are considered fair game. (On a scale of 1 to 10, this rather expensive tour rated a strong 3.)

On the morning of the 15th, we joined a group on board a big tour bus bound for the Port of Whittier and Princess's new terminal facility, some hour and a half away. We drove along the Portage Glacier Road and the Seward Highway, passing the former village of Porter, as well as several beautiful glaciers and lakes.

About halfway to Whittier, we had a short stop at a fairly new Wild Animal refuge where we had a chance to see some of the storied creatures of the Northland--- bears, moose, mountain bison, porcupines, etc. The Refuge has officially been set up as a nonprofit operation and works in cooperation with the Fish and Game departments of both Alaska and its neighboring Canadian provinces. We were told that all of the animals at the Refuge are orphans and that those who are deemed capable of being self-sufficient are eventually released into their natural habitats.

Another part of the Refuge is a combination gift/snack shop whose profits, along with donations from visitors, are used to maintain and expand the organization's operation. (To add to the experience, The ladies on the bus absolutely loved their chance to try out a genuine Alaskan outdoor privy!)

Nearing Whittier, we passed through one of Alaska's most impressive engineering feats, the 25-mile long Anton Anderson Tunnel. Blasted through the Chugach Mountains during World War II, this tunnel was needed because Whittier's position at the head of a deep fjord made it a key location in America's Pacific defense strategy. When the railroad and tunnel were completed, Whittier became the main entrance port for troops and dependents of the Alaskan Command.

The tunnel was modified in 2000 when a single paved lane was added to accommodate motor vehicle traffic, providing road access to Whittier for the first time. However, there is a catch that many people en route to Whittier overlook--- since the tunnel has only a single lane for motor vehicle traffic and, in addition, is still used by the railroad, traffic must be tightly controlled. There are, therefore, "holding lanes" at either end of the tunnel. Eastbound and westbound traffic moves through the tunnel on an alternating schedule throughout the day, with certain time periods for use by the railroad. It isn't uncommon for drivers to encounter delays at the tunnel and, as a result, the trip from Anchorage may take much longer than anticipated ninety minutes. Incidentally, the Anton Anderson is North American's longest dual-use tunnel.

Whittier, itself barely a spot on the map of Alaska, is surrounded by the Chugach National Forest, the second largest natural wilderness preserve in the United States. Weather is often nasty, with whipping winds and lots of rain, particularly in the winter and early spring and, except for cruisers, only outdoor enthusiasts anxious to experience the wildlife-filled Prince William Sound environment have much reason to visit the town.

Interestingly, we were told that almost all the town's 200 or so residents live in a single, 14-story apartment building originally constructed by the Army. This building, Begich Towers, has about two hundred apartments that once served as quarters for servicemen. Although you obviously can't enter residents' apartments, anyone can go inside the building because a lot of Whittier's public services are located there, including, for instance, a grocery store on the first floor and a medical clinic on the third.

Nearby is the empty shell of the Buckner Building, completed by the military in 1953, but rendered unusable because of earthquake damage. We heard that Buckner Building was once know as the largest building in Alaska and, with a hospital, bowling alley, theater, gym, swimming pool, and shops for Army personnel, was called the ''city under one roof.''

The Begich Towers is "home" for almost the entire population of Whittier.	Long abandoned, the Buckner Building was once Alaska's largest structure.	An attempt to operate a waterfront hotel/restaurant has not been too successful.
One thing Whittier has going for it is it's beautiful natural setting.	Like most coastal Alaska towns, Whittier is a commercial fishing center.	One has to wonder if 200 residents or 250,000 tourists cause the most trouble?

These days, Whittier is a natural destination for cruise-happy vacationers, sailing summer Alaska itineraries. With the 2004 completion of a new passenger terminal and an innovative floating dock system, Princess, Norwegian-American, and Carnival ships are now stopping in Whittier, bringing in some quarter of a million cruise passengers a summer. <

We left the bus and quickly passed through the boarding process. We didn't have any trouble finding our stateroom because the Sapphire Princess is almost identical to the Diamond Princess, the vessel we were on when cruising Alaskan waters in April 2005. Joan was super-delighted when we entered the cabin--- one of the ships six "Penthouse Suites" to which we had received a last-minute upgrade. Except for maybe on the Radisson Navigator, we had never had never had accommodations so spacious and plush. The sitting rooms was huge--- desk, couch, coffee table, easy chair, TV, and wet bar--- and the bedroom even had a double vanity. Our balcony was twice size of those we usually have when staying in a Princess mini-suite. As an added touch of class, the balcony furniture--- two tables, four chairs, and two lounges--- were made of wood, not the usual white plastic.

Finally, when we read over the list of amenities provided for Penthouse Suite passengers--- heavy shower robes and slippers, daily beverage replenishment, afternoon canapés and chocolate-covered strawberries, free laundry service, complimentary mini-bottles of scotch, vodka, bourbon, and brandy, priority tender and debarkation privileges--- we just looked at each other in amazement. Then, we offered a silent blessing to Bob Burnett, our marvelous CruiseWeb travel agent, who evidently had gone the proverbial extra step to convince Princess that we were worthy recipients of the highly-prized Penthouse Suite upgrade!