Day 18 (Monday) Train Ride and Norwegian Sun
We took taxis from the Crown Plaza to the train station in downtown Anchorage. Since we arrived early, Arlen and Justin went to the Ulu Knife Factory. It was a short walk a few blocks away. The Glacier Discovery train left Anchorage for Whittier left around 9:45 am. Outside of Anchorage, we went by the mudflats at Turnagain Arm. They are formed by the bore tide that occurs there. Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm have the second highest tides in all of North America. The mudflats are a quicksand-like material. If you venture out onto them during low tide, there is a very good possibility that you become seriously stuck.
Whittier is called the Gateway to the Western Prince William Sound. As the train traveled along the track, we went through the longest combined vehicle-railroad one lane tunnel in North America. Vehicles wait in a staging area at each end until a scheduled departure at 15-minute intervals. The train stopped briefly at Girdwood and Portage before arriving in Whittier at noon.
Whittier was created by the U.S. Army during WWII because it was a deep-water port that was strategically located to Anchorage and the Interior Alaska. The 14-story Begich Towers, formerly the Hodge Building, is home to more than half of the town's population. It also houses all of the city offices. It had been used by the U.S. Army for family and civilian quarters. The Buckner Building once was the largest building in Alaska and was called the "city under one roof." The 1964 earthquake damaged it and now is abandoned.
After embarkation on the Norwegian Sun, we had free time to explore the ship. It is a smaller cruise ship with only around 1,900 passengers. Our cabins were the best! We were on deck 11 with front-facing views and large balconies with amazing views.
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| Orange highlight -- Glacier Discovery Train route from Anchorage to Whittier |
Our cabins were numbers 1002 and 1202. They are the lavender ones at the front of the NCL Norwegian Sun Deck 11 picture to the left. Most of the cafes, fitness center, spa, pool and hot tubs were on this deck. Our cabin had a king-sized bed and a pull-out sofa. A glass sliding door led to the large deck at the front of the ship.
We had the required safety meeting before the ship left the Whittier port at 9:00 pm.
Justin and Arlen went to The Ulu Factory before boarding the train at the Anchorage Train Depot.
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| The Alaska Railroad station in Anchorage |
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| Wayne is wearing his new Alaska Railroad cap. |
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| Mudflats |
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| View from the train of the Dall sheep on the cliffs |
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| Train enters the one-way tunnel |
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| Our cruise ship awaits us |
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| The Norwegian Sun in Whittier, Alaska |
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| Abandoned Buckner Building |
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| Begich Towers, home to more than half of the town's population |
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| The building we went into for embarkation |
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| Ship leaves the Whittier port |
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View of Whittier from the cruise ship |
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| Arlen, Justin and I were excited to take our first photos on the cruise ship, The Norwegian Sun |
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