Travel

Flight

Merle K Mudhole Smith Airport CDV

Haven't you always wanted to fly into an airport with the name "Mudhole"?! If you are wondering about the typical weather in Cordova- look no further than the airport name. There are only 2 ways to get to Cordova- flying or ferry. Flying: There are 2 flights a day into Cordova, but only one you really want to take. Alaska Air is the only commercial airline that services Cordova. -Flight 66 flies from Anchorage to Cordova at around 1:30 pm daily. It is a 30 min flight. -Flight 61 flies from Seattle to Cordova leaving Seattle at 7 am. There are 2 miserable stops along the way and total flight time is around 5 hours. https://www.alaskaair.com/ Alaska Air flights can be expensive! One way to save money is to fly Delta or another airline to Anchorage. I recommend having at least 75 minutes between your non-Alaska Airlines flight and the AA flight to Cordova to pick up bags, drop them off again and reclear security. Anchorage airport is small and easy to navigate, but can get pretty busy with tourists in the summer. For an adventure, you could consider a bush (small plane) flight from Anchorage to Cordova. Midnight Air is a charter airline that regularly flies to the Cordova area. You can charter the entire plane if you have a substantial group, or sometimes you can pay seat fare if they are already flying to the Cordova area for other individuals. The seat fare price is similar to the Alaska Airlines flight. The midnight air folks are friendly, but they can be hard to pin down and flights are subject to change. Chartering the entire plane is the best way to make sure you get to Cordova the day/time you are hoping to fly. https://flymidnightair.com/

Travel Note

The Alaska State Ferry

The ferry is a fun way to get to Cordova and sightsee along the way. The ferry makes trips from Whittier (one hour south of Anchorage) to Cordova about 3 times per week. Taking the ferry generally requires renting a vehicle from Anchorage. It is possible to walk onto the ferry (a vehicle is not required) and take a train from Anchorage to Whittier, but the train schedule and ferry schedules might not line up in a way that makes this feasible. There is lodging in Whittier and various tours/excursions available in Whittier. The ferry takes approximately 6.5 hours. The route from Whittier to Cordova takes you through Prince William Sound and you do not enter into the open ocean. Therefore, the boat ride (especially in summer) is usually quite calm and unlikely to cause sea sickness. They serve good and reasonably priced meals on the ferry at meal times. You are free to roam the boat and I tend to have cell service much of the ride (but not at all times). To make the ferry the most comfortable experience, it is nice to have some things to do (books, games, movies), snacks, BYOB, and if you will be traveling in the early morning or late evening hours- feel free to bring a sleeping bag and pillow. To search for the sailing schedule from Whittier to Cordova: Go to the main webpage: https://dot.alaska.gov/amhs/index.shtml Under Travel Details, click "Schedules" Under Schedules "click here for sailing calendar" On the sailing calendar page, you will see a search engine on the very right hand side with: Month Port Vessels -Pick July 2025, port is Whittier, leave Vessels on "all vessels" setting This will lead you to schedule for sailings from Whittier to Cordova near the time of the wedding You will also want to search from Cordova to Whittier for your return trip if you plan to bring your rental car back to Anchorage

Train

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad has routes from Anchorage up north through Denali to Fairbanks and to the south through Whittier to Seward. This is a cool way to see Alaska.

Rental Car

Turo (car rental app), Midnight Sun car & van rental, Chinook Auto rentals

Car Rental Information If you are interested in taking the ferry from Whittier to Cordova, or just want the ability to explore Alaska, renting a car in Anchorage is a good idea. Car rentals sell out in the summer, so consider booking as soon as you know your plans. You can rent a car in Cordova as well, if you only want a vehicle for exploring the Cordova area. Anchorage Car Rentals: TURO: The best option is using the car rental app, Turo. This is like Airbnb, but for cars. You will be renting a car from it’s owner. The prices tend to be more reasonable and there are lots of options. Sometimes they can add on extras like car seats, etc. The app also allows you to cancel last minute without penalty should your plans change. Midnight Sun Car & Van rentals: If you want to use a car rental agency, Midnight Sun has more reasonable prices than the corporate car rental agencies at the airport. They are located less than a mile from the Anchorage airport and have a shuttle service to/from the airport. Website: https://ineedacarrental.com/ Book through Alaska Air website: Sometimes the options available through the Alaska airlines website are competitively priced. From the Alaska Air website, go to Book > Trip Planner > Cars https://www.alaskaair.com/ Cordova Car Rentals: Chinook Auto Rentals is conveniently located at the airport in Cordova. Rentals start at a $85/day for an SUV, and prices and car options go up from there. To book, give them a call or email them. https://chinookautorentals.wordpress.com/

Hotel

The Reluctant Fisherman Bar & Restaurant

The Reluctant Fisherman: We recommend staying at the Reluctant. It is an especially good option for singles, couples and small groups. The Reluctant is located in the center of town, and the wedding reception, the harbor and all of towns amenities are within walking distance of the hotel. Typical rooms range from $230- $260/night in July. There are also a few family sized room options. Family sized rooms: Harbor suite: King bed, half kitchen, adjoins a 2 queen room. $285/night Commodore suite (apartment style suite): full kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms with double-sized rooms $295/night Please contact the front desk at The Reluctant to book- we have rooms on hold, but you will need to speak with someone at the hotel to access our room block. Thanks!

Discount Code - Mention the Meixell/Camarena wedding, must call by phone

Hotel

Orca Adventure Lodge

Orca Lodge Orca is the other big hotel in town. It is located 3 miles from downtown Cordova in a beautiful setting on the water. The grounds have room for cornhole and other lawn games, as well as a sauna. At Orca, you have the option to have your breakfast and dinner included in your stay as well as various guided excursions. Orca offers the only fishing charters in town. The owners, Steve and Wendy Ranney have a van and will pick you up from the airport as well as shuttle you to town. I am not certain how frequently they can offer shuttle service to town- so you might want to consider renting a car if you stay at Orca. The rooms at Orca are nice and I hear that the food is good as well (dining is only available to lodge guests, not open to the public). On the lodge grounds there is a cute coffee shop (open to public) with homemade soups. You cannot book a reservation on their site, I recommend reaching out to them by email or you can call. orcaadventurelodge@gmail.com

House Or Rental

House/Cabin/Apartment rental options in town

Local House/Cabin/Apartment rental options: There are a few options for renting an entire cabin, house or apartment in Cordova. Some properties are located up to 6 miles away from the center of town and will require renting a car. To view a list of vacation rentals go the Cordova Chamber of Commerce lodging page: https://cca.cordovachamber.com/Lodging-__43_category.aspx There are a few listings on Airbnb. It's worth a gander. https://www.airbnb.com/ Bourgeois Rental: 1 bed/1 bath with full bed and twin bed. Accommodates 3 people total. About 2 miles outside of town. Can book on Airbnb. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1157660816891576176?check_in=2025-07-09&check_out=2025-07-14&guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=f61ed228-cc32-46d7-9b97-ab5414d6a18e Cedar Street Apartment: 1 bed/1 bath with sleeper sofa. Accommodates 3 people. Has kitchen. Located about 1 mile from downtown. Can book on Airbnb. Cordova Lodging: several apartments. Most are 1 bed/1bath, but some 2+ bedroom options. Becky, the owner notes she can accommodate larger groups by arranging for them to stay in adjacent apartments. You can view her apartments via the website. cordovalodging.com Seaview Condo: right in the middle of town, close to everything, very walkable. 1 bed/1bath, available on Airbnb. $195/night https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19458070?check_in=2025-07-06&check_out=2025-07-10&guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=eb37faa1-ebca-4679-ac9a-6c1c614c1ee9 There are few places I do not recommend or we know they are not available during the wedding: Alaskan Hotel, Cape St Elias Lighthouse, Heney Ridge Homestead, Kings Chambers, Prince William Hotel, Bear Country Lodge.