Our family of four cruised with Sapphire Princess from Whittier to Vancouver July 5-12. It was our first cruise and first time to Alaska. My wife and I are 40 and our two girls are 12 and 5. Overall it was great cruise. Alaska is beautiful and awe inspiring. Cruise is the best way to see the glaciers. Sapphire Princess provided us a great experience.

We flew in to Anchorage July 4. On July 5, we took the Alaskan Leopard Comedy Tour (://www.alaskanleopard.com/Tours/) shuttle from Anchorage to Whittier . The cost is comparable to Princess shuttle or renting a car. What's special about this tour is that stops at Portage Lake and Alaska Wildlife Center. Portage Lake and Portage Glacier are near Whittier, on the other side of the tunnel. It is an attraction by itself. Portage Lake is formed by the retreating Portage Glacier. You can pick up glacier ice floating on the lake and washed ashore. It's really pretty. We took some very good pictures there. There is also a visitor center that shows the forming and change of glaciers.

Boarding and embarkation were quick and smooth. The Whittier cruise port is at a pretty spot, surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. Waterfalls stream down the green mountains. Low hanging clouds dot below the snow capped mountain tops. Read more