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Holiday Inn Express is the one to book when the flight is a red-eye and the ship leaves from Whittier. The free airport shuttle is listed for all 24 hours, from outside door 6 at baggage claim, and the Express Start breakfast runs to 9:30 AM on weekdays and 10 on weekends.
That late breakfast pairs well with Park Connection's 3 PM coach from downtown; it's a squeeze for the 9:45 AM train, with IHG putting the depot about 5 miles away.
Parking is free for registered guests only, which rules it out as a place to leave the car. You must be 21, and there are no pets.
Book it, sleep in, and plan the afternoon coach to Whittier.
Book it if
- A red-eye before an afternoon coach to Whittier
- A slow breakfast after a late flight
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone checking in is under 21.
- You want to leave the car for the cruise.
- Pets are coming.
Your night before, from here
A Whittier sail morning from the Holiday Inn Express, step by step, from what the hotel publishes and our road estimates.
An indoor pool, a 24-hour guest laundry and the round-the-clock airport shuttle, about 3.5 miles from ANC.
No ride to Whittier, about 58 road miles away on our estimate; IHG puts the train depot 5 miles from the hotel.
The free Express Start buffet: 6:30 to 9:30 AM weekdays, 7 to 10 AM weekends, per IHG.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Anchorage - Midtown is about 58 road miles from the Whittier terminal on our estimate. That’s roughly 1 hour 18 minutes without traffic — and without the tunnel, which opens toward Whittier once an hour. From the Holiday Inn Express that’s about 1 hour 18 minutes of driving on our estimate — plus the tunnel’s schedule.
Free, “for registered guests only”, per IHG (checked Oct 2, 2026), which rules out leaving it for a Whittier cruise without asking.
The Holiday Inn Express, scored for Whittier: 23 of 100
The Holiday Inn Express’s 23 comes only from what it publishes, scored for a Whittier sailing — how the score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
The Holiday Inn Express is an Anchorage stop — about 58 road miles to the Whittier terminal by our estimate, tunnel not counted. Question marks are legs you arrange.
Free and listed as 24-hour, per IHG (checked Oct 2, 2026); pickup is outside door 6 at baggage claim.
Hotel shuttle
No ride to Whittier, about 58 road miles away on our estimate; IHG puts the train depot 5 miles from the hotel.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Anchorage - Midtown is about 58 road miles from the Whittier terminal on our estimate. That’s roughly 1 hour 18 minutes without traffic — and without the tunnel, which opens toward Whittier once an hour.
Free, “for registered guests only”, per IHG (checked Oct 2, 2026), which rules out leaving it for a Whittier cruise without asking.
Parking at the Holiday Inn Express on a Whittier trip, for the nights you stay: Free.
No ride to Whittier, about 58 road miles away on our estimate; IHG puts the train depot 5 miles from the hotel.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Anchorage - Midtown is about 58 road miles from the Whittier terminal on our estimate. That’s roughly 1 hour 18 minutes without traffic — and without the tunnel, which opens toward Whittier once an hour.
Landing on sail morning instead? Skip the Holiday Inn Express and go straight from ANC to Whittier — the airport page checks your timing, and a car from the airport prices the drive.
Which terminal
Check your documentsPrincess and Holland America use Terminal 1 on West Camp Road, about 58 road miles from the Holiday Inn Express by our estimate. The other berth burned in September, so check your line’s instructions before you leave the Holiday Inn Express — the port explained on the hub.
Source: cruisehive.comDistance
About 58 mi by road to WhittierHoliday Inn Express & Suites Anchorage - Midtown is about 58 road miles from the Whittier terminal on our estimate. That’s roughly 1 hour 18 minutes without traffic — and without the tunnel, which opens toward Whittier once an hour.
Source: router.project-osrm.orgShuttle departures
No shuttleThe Holiday Inn Express runs nothing to Whittier. Time the morning around the 9:45 AM Glacier Discovery or your line’s transfer. Set an alarm.
Source: ihg.comParking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmedFree, “for registered guests only”, per IHG (checked Oct 2, 2026), which rules out leaving it for a Whittier cruise without asking.
Source: ihg.comParking in Whittier
$11 harbor lotThere’s no public parking at the Whittier pier, per Holland America. The city harbor lot is $11 a day, midnight to midnight, checked Oct 2, 2026 — weigh that against the Holiday Inn Express’ own terms. Back at ANC, a short ride from the Holiday Inn Express, the long-term lot is $13 a day with a $78 weekly cap. Ask before you book.
Beyond the Holiday Inn Express: where the car goes while you sail · Whittier cruise parking, compared.
Source: whittieralaska.govThe evening and the morning
The evening
PoolAn indoor pool, a 24-hour guest laundry and the round-the-clock airport shuttle, about 3.5 miles from ANC.
Breakfast
FreeThe free Express Start buffet: 6:30 to 9:30 AM weekdays, 7 to 10 AM weekends, per IHG.
Address
West 48th Avenue, midtown160 W. 48th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99503
The Holiday Inn Express website
The fine print, in one place
The small print the Holiday Inn Express publishes — read for a Whittier cruise night, not a vacation week. The gaps are whether you can park while you cruise — one call to the Holiday Inn Express settles it.
Check-in and check-out
Minimum age
To check in, per the hotel.
Resort fee
None stated
Wi-Fi
Free
Parking for your stay
Free
Breakfast
Free Express Start buffet; 6:30–9:30 AM weekdays, 7–10 AM weekends
Pool
Indoor pool
Pets
No pets.
Sail morning, on the clock
From the hotel’s published hours. Your Whittier cruise documents set the terminal check-in window, not the Holiday Inn Express.
Food and drink on site
- CoffeeBean-to-cup machine and Costa Coffee in the lobby
Rooms
The Holiday Inn Express doesn’t list room types on the pages we read.
Accessibility
The Holiday Inn Express’s pages we read don’t detail accessible rooms, so call before you book one.
On site
- EV chargingNot stated
- Guest laundryYes
- Fitness centerYes
- Pets allowedNo
Nearby, by the hotel’s count
- Alaska Railroad depot5 miles, per IHG
- Downtown Anchoragewithin 5 miles
Distances as the Holiday Inn Express or its brand lists them, on a square-root scale.
Before you book
Worth knowing
- 21 to check in; check-in 4 PM, check-out noon.
- Parking for registered guests only.
- IHG puts the Alaska Railroad depot 5 miles away.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Whether you can park while you cruise
Facts for the Holiday Inn Express come from its own pages, read September 26, 2026, with the shuttle, parking and airport-ride lines re-read October 2, 2026 where it published them. Before a Whittier sailing, confirm how you'll get downtown to the coach — before the deposit, not after.
Worth a look alongside it
Around the Holiday Inn Express: the Whittier cruise guide, the splurge list and renting a car for Whittier.
Wake up after a red-eye, with the afternoon coach to Whittier ahead.
Send us your Whittier sail date and we’ll check the Holiday Inn Express for the night before, with no payment on the form.
Holiday Inn Express FAQ
Is the Holiday Inn Express Anchorage airport shuttle free?
Yes, complimentary and listed as running 24 hours, per IHG (checked Oct 2, 2026).
What time is breakfast at Holiday Inn Express Anchorage Midtown?
6:30 to 9:30 AM weekdays and 7 to 10 AM weekends, per IHG.
How far is Holiday Inn Express from the Whittier cruise terminal?
About 58 miles by road to Terminal 1 on West Camp Road, by our estimate — the Holiday Inn Express doesn’t give one. The 1 hour 18 minutes we estimate from the Holiday Inn Express leaves out the tunnel, which opens toward Whittier once an hour. No traffic is a big assumption.
How old do you have to be to check in at Holiday Inn Express Anchorage?
21, per IHG.
Does Holiday Inn Express Anchorage allow pets?
No, per IHG.
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