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The Puffin Inn is a cheaper-feeling airport night that's tightened up its shuttle. Its site now bills a 24-hour complimentary airport shuttle, re-read October 2, and breakfast is free and continental.
Some Moderate rooms have small kitchens and some suites jetted tubs, and pets are welcome if you call ahead.
What it doesn't publish, check-in times and parking, matters less if you're riding to Whittier than if you're driving. The dock is about 59 road miles away on our estimate, and the Puffin doesn't go there.
Book it for a late landing, ask about the pet rules by phone, and take your line's transfer in the morning.
Book it if
- A late landing on a budget
- A pet that's coming along
Look elsewhere if
- You need parking and check-in times in writing.
Your night before, from here
The night at the Puffin Inn and the run to the Whittier ship, in order.
85 rooms in four styles by the airport; some Moderate rooms have small kitchens, and some suites have jetted tubs.
The Puffin's shuttle runs to ANC, not Whittier. The dock is about 59 road miles away on our estimate.
Complimentary and continental, per the inn.
By our road estimate the Whittier terminal is about 59 miles from Puffin Inn of Anchorage. Roughly 1 hour 21 minutes of driving, plus whatever wait the tunnel adds. Our estimate of 1 hour 21 minutes from the Puffin Inn leaves out the tunnel wait. Build in an hour of slack, not ten minutes.
No parking terms published by the inn.
The Puffin Inn, scored for Whittier: 23 of 100
Every point the Puffin Inn earns here is for a Whittier cruise, from its own pages. The method.
Getting here, and on to the ship
The airport leg from the Puffin Inn is short. The Whittier leg is about 59 miles by our road estimate, and it has a tunnel in it.
Free and now billed as 24-hour, per the inn (checked Oct 2, 2026).
Hotel shuttle
The Puffin's shuttle runs to ANC, not Whittier. The dock is about 59 road miles away on our estimate.
By our road estimate the Whittier terminal is about 59 miles from Puffin Inn of Anchorage. Roughly 1 hour 21 minutes of driving, plus whatever wait the tunnel adds.
No parking terms published by the inn.
Parking at the Puffin Inn on a Whittier trip, for the nights you stay: not stated.
The Puffin's shuttle runs to ANC, not Whittier. The dock is about 59 road miles away on our estimate.
By our road estimate the Whittier terminal is about 59 miles from Puffin Inn of Anchorage. Roughly 1 hour 21 minutes of driving, plus whatever wait the tunnel adds.
Landing on sail morning instead? Skip the Puffin Inn 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 documentsFrom the Puffin Inn, Terminal 1 on West Camp Road is about 59 miles by road — our estimate, not the hotel’s. The other berth burned in September, so check your line’s instructions before you leave the Puffin Inn — the port explained on the hub.
Source: cruisehive.comDistance
About 59 mi by road to WhittierBy our road estimate the Whittier terminal is about 59 miles from Puffin Inn of Anchorage. Roughly 1 hour 21 minutes of driving, plus whatever wait the tunnel adds.
Source: router.project-osrm.orgShuttle departures
No shuttleNo shuttle from the Puffin Inn to the ship, so the clock is the tunnel’s or the 9:45 AM train’s — not the hotel’s. Plan it the night before.
Source: puffininn.netParking while you sail
Parking in Whittier
$11 harbor lotHolland America says the pier has no public parking. From the Puffin Inn, the priced option in Whittier is the city’s harbor lot — $11 a day, checked Oct 2, 2026. Or leave it at ANC rather than the Puffin Inn: $13 a day, $78 a week, per the airport. Get it in writing.
Beyond the Puffin Inn: where the car goes while you sail · Whittier cruise parking, compared.
Source: whittieralaska.govThe evening and the morning
The evening
Kitchen85 rooms in four styles by the airport; some Moderate rooms have small kitchens, and some suites have jetted tubs.
Breakfast
FreeComplimentary and continental, per the inn.
Address
Spenard Road, near the airport4400 Spenard Road, Anchorage, AK 99517
The Puffin Inn website
The fine print, in one place
The Puffin Inn’s own times and fees, read with a Whittier sailing in mind — nothing from booking sites. What’s missing is shuttle hours and check-in times; a call to the Puffin Inn covers both.
Check-in and check-out
Minimum age
None stated by the Puffin Inn.
Resort fee
None stated
Wi-Fi
Free
Parking for your stay
Not stated
Breakfast
Free continental
Pool
No pool
Pets
Pets welcome with some limits; call ahead.
Rooms
85 rooms in four styles; some Moderate rooms have small kitchens, some suites jetted tubs.
Accessibility
We found no accessible-room details on the Puffin Inn’s pages; ask by phone.
On site
- EV chargingNot stated
- Guest laundryNot stated
- Fitness centerNot stated
- Pets allowedYes
Before you book
Worth knowing
- The inn doesn't publish check-in times or parking.
- Pets welcome with limits; call ahead.
- Small kitchens are in some Moderate rooms only.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Shuttle hours
- Check-in and check-out
- Parking
Facts for the Puffin Inn 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 the pet rules and check-in time — before the deposit, not after.
Worth a look alongside it
Around the Puffin Inn: the Whittier cruise guide, the splurge list and a few days at Kenai Fjords or Denali first.
Wake up by the airport, on a budget.
Give us the Whittier sailing and we’ll hold the Puffin Inn for the night before; there’s no payment on the form.
Puffin Inn FAQ
Does the Puffin Inn have a free airport shuttle?
Yes, a “24hr complimentary airport shuttle”, per the inn (checked Oct 2, 2026).
Is breakfast included at the Puffin Inn of Anchorage?
Yes, a complimentary continental breakfast, per the inn.
How far is Puffin Inn from the Whittier cruise terminal?
About 59 miles by road to Terminal 1 on West Camp Road, by our estimate — the Puffin Inn doesn’t give one. The 1 hour 21 minutes we estimate from the Puffin Inn leaves out the tunnel, which opens toward Whittier once an hour. Leave slack.
Can I bring my dog to the Puffin Inn?
Pets are welcome with some limits; call ahead, per the inn.
Do Puffin Inn rooms have jetted tubs?
Some suites do, per the inn, and some Moderate rooms have small kitchens.
Booking the Whittier cruise too?
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