Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound
5
About
Soak in the breathtaking scenery of fjords, glaciers, waterfalls and bays whether kayaking, sailing or cruising through the calm waters. Wildlife abounds in the form of whales, seals, sea lions, eagles, bears and deer.
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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles483 reviews
Excellent
414
Very good
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Average
9
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Terrible
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Mark951
Riverside, CA227 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
We did the Glacier Quest Cruise including the train. from Anchorage. Overall we had a good time and saw some great views of the Glaciers thanks to Rusty, the Captain. The company is not how ever as Covid cautious as they claim. There is assigned seating and they put 2 strangers at our small table. They were able to find an employee who put them at another table. They also say there are places to plug a phone in at every table, the only outlet was on the wall by the bar.
Written August 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TCB
Colorado1,893 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
Hard to believe this was previously tainted by the Valdez Oil Spill. The cleanup, I know locals worked so hard, demonstrates excellence! Love grabbing food from Auntie Yum Yum's, walking down to the dock, seeing the fisherman clean their catch from the day, and the boats sail in and out! Just breathtaking and can't wait to go back! Miss it!!!!
Written April 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

annee907
4 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We took the train from Anchorage to Whittier then boarded the two-level boat. Sit-down seating ranges from two-person booths facing out (what we had and what I recommend) to six-person booths on the inside and outside. Food service (chicken, hallibut, or a vegetarian option that must be called ahead for) was fast and friendly. Bar service was also available. Coffee and hot tea were free. The boat covers 135 miles, getting within a mile of some of the glaciers. We saw hundreds of otters and many seals. The boat moves quickly so passengers must stay inside until stopped at a glacier, but the view is good anyhow. Even though it was cloudy and cold the day we went, I had a great time and will never forget the glaciers.
Written June 25, 2003
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Anuli
Mumbai, India47 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2012 • Couples
We visited Alaska last week of August 2012. On our first day, we drove to Whittier from Anchorage to take the cruise to Prince William Sound with Major Marine. It was a very good experience. Weather was in our favor that day which is considered very lucky in Alaska. Getting into Whittier itself was a pleasant drive, very scenic and we started seeing some glaciers as we approached Portage, just before the tunnel. Once we came on the other side, we drove to the Major Marine office, got our tickets and we were set to go. We didn't buy the lunch buffet option as we didn't think it was a good idea to get too full on a ship not knowing how rough the water will be. As soon as we left the town of Whittier to go the Blackstone Bay which is a deep fjord, the first glacier, Tebenkof on our left, just blew us away. It was so huge and crystal blue in color. We all crowded up at the deck to take a million pictures. We saw few sea-otters on the way before we made our way to the highlight of the cruise trip, the Beloit and Blackstone glaciers that stood high like towers and were absolutely mind-blowing. It is hard to grasp that these miles long pieces of ice have been moving for more than thousands of years. As we approached the glaciers, we crossed a sea of icebergs, that were not too big, but still big enough to make some loud sounds when they hit the boat. They looked like white dots in the water from a distance. The water itself was clear, crystal blue or as they call it “glacier” blue. It was unbelievably quiet and the only sound we heard was of our fellow travelers as they grasped the majestic beauty and tranquility that surrounded us. We saw few harbor-seals and an otter-family enjoying themselves in the freezing water and on a few icebergs. Beloit and Blackstone are captivating tidewater glaciers. Unlike other glaciers, one of these is actually growing in mass with the passing time. The blue ice in the lower layers of these glaciers looked pristine and from a different world. As expected on any glacier watching trip, we waited in our cruise vessel still and quiet, to hear the "crackling" sound. And Beloit didn't disappoint us. It was nothing like we see on the discovery channel, but the pieces that fell off the calving glacier were large enough to be heard half a mile away and create good size waves that our cameras could capture. There were big icebergs floating and our cruise boat had to maintain that distance. But that experience made our day and the trip worth it. We then headed back and saw few other big glaciers, I think 8 in all. We saw a mountain goat, a lot more seals and then a lot of birds including puffins. We also saw a very beautiful hidden waterfall on our way back to Whittier. The day and the weather were just picture perfect which is quite a treat in Alaska. This glacier cruise was a very good start to our 10 day trip in Alaska in August 2012. We truly enjoyed our experience. Major Marine did a good job and the guide, an older ranger was very helpful and knowledgeable and I learnt a few facts about these timeless giants that are more than just ice ! At the end, the crew opened up the dessert bar (leftover dessert from the buffet) for a minimal price ($1 a piece) to all travelers and the cheesecake/brownie added to the sweetness of this memorable half-day trip ! I highly recommend this excursion to everyone visiting Whittier or even Anchorage as you are not more than 90 mins - 2 hours away from this natural wonder that will take you to a world so different from the one we live in. Just check the Whittier tunnel open times to ensure you are not late for your glacier cruise. Enjoy the glaciers before they are gone !!!
Written March 7, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

4.0 of 5 bubbles
I took the ferry from Whittier to Valdez, and lucky for me it was a beautiful day. We saw quite a bit of wildlife and the Columbia glacier (receding quickly). Great experience!
Written July 15, 2002
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julie Z
Palmer, Alaska, United States1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Family
The crew was professional, upbeat and accommodating. In a rating of 1-10 everyone of them got a 10. There was a knowledgeable Forest Ranger narrating the entire cruise. He explained so many interesting facts about Prince William Sound and it's wildlife. He interacted with the children on board including them in his demonstrations. The Grand kids had a blast! The ship the "Klondike Express" got an over the top 10. It's is a catamaran and was smooth sailing for the entire trip. My daughter in-law was reluctant to go on this cruise because she gets sea sick. She did not get sick at all on the "Klondike". That's one large and powerful boat. We had a birds eye view of the great Glaciers from the top deck. The magnificent sight and thunderous sound of the calving of the glaciers was truly a sight to behold. It was a glorious sunny day....porpoise followed along side for part of the trip. We also saw Sea Lions, adorable Otters...some swimming with babies on their bellies.....most were eating fresh shellfish using rocks to crack the shells. As you can tell the trip made quite an impression on me. We have taken this cruise before and we plan on taking it again. It's never the same experience twice. Alaska is my home. I have lived here over 60 years. This cruise was definitely one of my most memorable experiences. Almost forgot....the included lunch was great!
Written December 4, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kenny S
Anchorage, AK469 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2014 • Family
Prince William Sound was where I was born and raised. One of the most beautiful areas on earth and perhaps one of those most richest in wildlife, marine and otherwise. However, it does tend to precipitate a little now and then. It is the only area in the state where they have significant harvests of all 5 species of Pacific Salmon. Last year the total commercial harvest on the sound was just shy of 100,000,000 salmon. There are three major communities on the Sound, looking at it as if it were a square, Whittier is in the northwest corner, Valdez in the northeast corner and Cordova in the southeast. Resurrection Bay, where Seward is located, is outside of the Sound but relatively close to its southwest corner.

You can drive your vehicle to either Whittier or Valdez (Valdez is the largest of the communities and where the terminus of the Trans Alaska Pipeline is located. Whittier is the smallest. Cordova is not connected to the State Highway System (surface) and only accessible by air or the Marine Highway System.) The state ferries offer two different ships between these points, a slow ferry and a fast one, I recommend that you take the slow ferry on at least one leg of your voyage in order to capture the beauty and immensity of the land and sea as well as the marine life you will observe enroute.

I know the Sound well as I fished it commercially as well as being a commercial pilot on it for years, hardly a bay or stream I haven't visited. I could go on and on about how great every corner of it is, however I will confine this review to just a small segment of the southeast quarter, Cordova: "In the Cordova area alone, the United States Forest Service maintains 15 hiking trails covering 35 miles and 15 recreation cabins from the tip of Montague Island to the eastern Copper River Delta. The Cordova Ranger District is also an active participant in international migratory bird conservation programs celebrated each May during the Copper River Shorebird Festival, in conjunction with the seasonal migration of more than 5 million shorebirds though the Copper River Delta. The festival draws researchers, experts and bird enthusiasts from around the globe. In another program area, working with partners up and down the Copper River, the forest service’s natural resource programs are part of an effort to maintain subsistence resources and practices". alaskadispatch.com/article/20140402/new-head…

The great scenic attractions, Child's Glacier and the Million Dollar Bridge, are located at Mile 49 on the Copper River Highway. The million dollar bridge received its nickname back in 1910 when it was constructed in order to accommodate a 200 mile railroad to the newly discovered copper prospects near the Kennicott River. Those mines were where Kennecott Copper Corporation had its beginning. This turned out to be a very rich discovery and the world has never seen anything close to large volumes of copper ore that rich since. The mine played out in 1938 and all was abandoned including the railroad. Along the entire route all became ghost towns except Cordova. Much later, the Copper River Highway was completed on the old railroad bed out to Mile 49, from Cordova, about 1957, but the 1964 great earthquake collapsed many of the bridges and dropped one of the four spans of the Million Dollar Bridge into the river. The road was again reestablished by the late 1980s and the Million Dollar Bridge was repaired not many years ago for a cost of about 17 million.

There are two glaciers in the vicinity of the bridge, Miles and Childs. Childs is very close to the bridge and at one time even threatened the bridge. During the summer it is still very active and makes considerable advances. I believe I can credibly say that it is my opinion that the Childs Glacier has the best glacier caving viewing anywhere. A close second might be Hubbard Glacier approximately 160 miles southeast of Childs. It is best to view Childs Glacier during mid summer and fall when the Copper River is at its highest and most in its most active state. As I said, I've flown the State over but: seeing glaciers from the air really isn't getting a feel of the dynamic natural forces which mark their existence, like viewing them close up will get you. In addition to viewing Childs Glacier and many others in Alaska, close up dozens of times over the years, we also cruise a lot, so have experienced shipboard viewing as well. We have seen glaciers in the Alps, Andes, Chilean inside passage, Antarctica but not those in Greenland. When president Warren Harding visited Alaska in 1922 they took him out to mile 49 on the railroad. He believed it should be classed as one of the great natural wonders of the world.

Most unfortunately, a bridge at mile 36 on the highway is in a washout condition, arguably, but according to the state DOTPF, which has it closed until 30 million dollars can be raised to replace it, a circumstance very unlikely in the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, there still exists options to visit the Childs Glacier area during the summers. If one can arrange it they are in for a world class adventure. I'm told there are at least two different concerns at Cordova that run tours out there. Check with websites at Cordova for more information. I understand one offers two different tour packages up to the glacier. One involves leaving from a resort near Cordova, driving to Mile 36 and taking a jet boat on up. This is not a harem-scarem white water river rafting type trip but a scenic river run that involves a total, on the water, of less than an hour. The other option involves driving out to Mile 36 using your own vehicle or a rent-a-car. The road is paved from Cordova to its all weather jet airport at Mile 13 and then is a very well maintained gravel surface from that point on out to Mile 36. Lunch is provided for you at the glacier. You have a good portion of the day to watch glacier caving, walk the million dollar bridge and enjoy the breathtaking view.

This year, if you drive to Mile 36 yourself the price is $136.00 pp and if you take their ride from the resort it is $240.00, I think that is what the charges are anyway. This might seem pricey but quite frankly, having traveled a good portion of the world and taken many excursions, that charge is more than reasonable. I don't really understand how they can make it at that price. Perhaps they hope guests will use their lodge near Cordova for a night or two. I haven't stayed there but understand it is really nice.

At anyrate, Prince William Sound has much to offer and this is only a simple hors d'oeuvre sample.
Written April 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mindfultraveler12345
Hanover, MA62 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
My family of four and our friends (also a family of four) made a reservation on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system through the Prince William Sound from the port of Whittier to Valdez. We were traveling with our RV, so the advance reservation was a must, but there was plenty of room and they probably took those who just showed up, too. Info about the Alaska Marine Highway ferries can be found at: [--].

We traveled on the Ferry Aurora, one of the older ferries in the system, but it was very adequate and quite roomy and comfy. The ride itself took about 6 hours. We must have been underprepared for the majesty of PWS, because it was nothing short of exceptional at every turn. From Harriman Glacier to College Fiord, the 8 mile long iceberg field from the calving Columbia Glacier, to the Stellar sea lions, the otters, the whales, and the orcas...it never seemed to end. There was a park ranger guide on the boat who gave all sorts of short lectures and answered all of our questions as we went along. The food on the boat was very good; a little pricey, but they did have a hungry and captive audience! PWS's mountains are gorgeous...far larger and more extraordinary than anything out east. I see now why the Valdez oil spill must have been such a travesty, but I was delighted that I could not see any signs of the damage - even though I am told there still are some. Prince William Sound is a national treasure that needs to be protected, cherished, and enjoyed. I highly recommend getting there...somehow. The ferry worked great for us because we were traveling and needed to port the RV, but however you get there, get there.
Written August 25, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sriyani
Melbourne, Australia310 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Friends
We took a deluxe catamaran tour on the Klondike Express from Whittier to Prince William Sound. The vessel was great and meals and drinks were included. We saw some whales, seals and lots of sea lions. The glaciers were amazing - specially the blue glaciers. We were also rewarded with a beautiful rainbow above the mountains.
Written March 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

George3702
Anchorage, AK67 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Family
Watching and hearing icebergs calving off the glaciers was amazing. Either take the boat from Valdez or Whittier, (the road to Valdez is beautiful, to Whittier you have to go through a long one way tunnel, and the town itself is ugly. But the sound is gorgeous.
Written January 7, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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