Whirlpool will add flavour and aroma ( although not at the level a cold dry hopping will ). It's all about wort, wort density, hops, amount of hops, temperature, cool side process, etc. 170F would be fine for whirlpooling - 20-30 minutes. Dry hopping should not be more than 24-48 hours. Extraction is performed rather quickly and the old days where you would dry hop for 5-10 days are long gone, as there is no need for so much time. And prolonged time can also extract some other, unwanted compunds from hops.
A Cream Ale is usually bland and boring, albeit easy to drink. If you want to add more hops to it, just do it. It's your beer and it will taste better, which is not a bad thing. I would say, to not make it overpowering, just whirlpool the hops. It will still retain enough hop flavour to make it pop more than a regular Cream Ale, and will not " smell " like a hoppy beer. Whirlpool flavour and aroma usually don't last long, so if kegging, the hops will start fading at some point.