ALASKA TWO WEEK TRIP Cruise/Land
May 17th, 2017, 11:35 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
ALASKA TWO WEEK TRIP Cruise/Land
HI!
We are headed to Alaska in May of 2018 ( departing out of Vancouver) and arriving in Seward.
Looking for a few opinions/suggestions regarding the following...
1) Best things to do in Vancouver - will have a Friday evening and all day Saturday and Saturday night
2) Best excursions to do in SKAGWAY, JUNEAU and KETCHIKAN
3) (THIS IS THE PART I AM STRUGGLING WITH) Landing in Seward - Should we stay two days here in Seward and do some excursions out of here? Should we spend the money and do two nights at the Kenai Fjords Lodge? Or possibly stay one night in Seward and then drive to Alyeska for a night?
(headed to Anchorage for departure at some point) Thinking that financially the Lodge is very pricey.
Also considering Orca Islands Cabins in or near Seward - anyone been here? Worth doing?
4) Is it better to skip doing anything in Anchorage as I heave heard that it is just another big city? We have to come here anyways to fly home but was wondering if it is better to spend our time elsewhere and then just fly out of here..
Any thoughts/ideas are welcome!
Thanks!
We are headed to Alaska in May of 2018 ( departing out of Vancouver) and arriving in Seward.
Looking for a few opinions/suggestions regarding the following...
1) Best things to do in Vancouver - will have a Friday evening and all day Saturday and Saturday night
2) Best excursions to do in SKAGWAY, JUNEAU and KETCHIKAN
3) (THIS IS THE PART I AM STRUGGLING WITH) Landing in Seward - Should we stay two days here in Seward and do some excursions out of here? Should we spend the money and do two nights at the Kenai Fjords Lodge? Or possibly stay one night in Seward and then drive to Alyeska for a night?
(headed to Anchorage for departure at some point) Thinking that financially the Lodge is very pricey.
Also considering Orca Islands Cabins in or near Seward - anyone been here? Worth doing?
4) Is it better to skip doing anything in Anchorage as I heave heard that it is just another big city? We have to come here anyways to fly home but was wondering if it is better to spend our time elsewhere and then just fly out of here..
Any thoughts/ideas are welcome!
Thanks!
May 18th, 2017, 03:32 AM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 5,904
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you are watching your budget, you might find this thread helpful:
http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...-the-cheap.cfm
If you Alaska trip reports into the search box you will find lots of information that addresses your questions.
We were in Anchorage only a couple of hours, but I've read TRs where others rented bikes and went to some very nice trails nearby.
http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...-the-cheap.cfm
If you Alaska trip reports into the search box you will find lots of information that addresses your questions.
We were in Anchorage only a couple of hours, but I've read TRs where others rented bikes and went to some very nice trails nearby.
May 20th, 2017, 09:49 PM
#7
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
1) things to do in Vancover will be the Sea to Sky highway drive
2) Alaska - We camped in alaska hence I will not be able to suggest. If your return flight is from Anchorage, visit the Mantanuska Glacier . https://traveltheonlyworld.blogspot....a-glacier.html . Its a great glacier to visit if you are on a budget.
Also, Suggest visiting Denali National Park, only if you are able to find spot on the bus.
2) Alaska - We camped in alaska hence I will not be able to suggest. If your return flight is from Anchorage, visit the Mantanuska Glacier . https://traveltheonlyworld.blogspot....a-glacier.html . Its a great glacier to visit if you are on a budget.
Also, Suggest visiting Denali National Park, only if you are able to find spot on the bus.
May 22nd, 2017, 05:34 AM
#8
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi,
We are doing a similar trip where we will be stopping in the same ports.
Here are the excursions that we booked:
Skagway-Beyond Skagway tours to Emerald Lake with Yukon Rail return.
You might want to save to cash and rent a car in Skagway and drive to Emerald Lake and stop at the same points as the tour.
Juneau-One way Tracy Arm tour (this is an option with my particular cruise).
Ketchikan-Ketchikan taxi tours in morning and Misty Fjords floatplane tour with Island Wings.
We are not going to Anchorage because my parents were worried about seasickness in Bay of Alaska. If we had, we would have taken the train to Denali and stayed in a cabin so that we could get a float plane tour of Mount Denali.
We are doing a similar trip where we will be stopping in the same ports.
Here are the excursions that we booked:
Skagway-Beyond Skagway tours to Emerald Lake with Yukon Rail return.
You might want to save to cash and rent a car in Skagway and drive to Emerald Lake and stop at the same points as the tour.
Juneau-One way Tracy Arm tour (this is an option with my particular cruise).
Ketchikan-Ketchikan taxi tours in morning and Misty Fjords floatplane tour with Island Wings.
We are not going to Anchorage because my parents were worried about seasickness in Bay of Alaska. If we had, we would have taken the train to Denali and stayed in a cabin so that we could get a float plane tour of Mount Denali.
May 22nd, 2017, 06:29 AM
#9
Why is that Dukey1? I am looking for information POST cruise as well.
Because Cruise Critic covers both the cruise ports and the land touring options, both in Vancouver and in southcentral/interior Alaska far more comprehensively than Fodor's, or any other travel site for that matter.
Look at these boards on Cruise Critic:
West coast departures: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413
Alaska: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55
Now, as to your main questions.
Vancouver: May can be iffy; the odds are you could have cloudy or even wet weather, or it can be nice. However I'd stay in town rather than any out-of-town excursions. Visit the beautiful gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park (comparable to Butchart Gardens near Victoria, but free as opposed to $$$) or the nearby Van Dusen Gardens. Visit Stanley Park with its forests, lakes, coastal bike/pedestrian path, totem poles and terrific aquarium. Visit the Granville Island market (great food options, galleries etc.) Skip the overpriced and overhyped Capilano suspension bridge and substitute the (free) Lynn Canyon suspension bridge nearby.
Ketchikan - Ride the city bus ($1) to Totem Bight State Park for totem poles, Tlingit clan house, old growth forest... terrific.
Juneau - I'd look for tours emphasizing the town's fascinating history.
Skagway - For much less money than the train, rent a car and drive up to Carcross. Visit the Carcross desert (fascinating subarctic sand dunes and dramatic scenery) then drive up to Emerald Lake but keep going a few miles to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town. You'll probably have it to yourselves except for the protesting resident marmots and ground squirrels who will resent your intrusion noisily.
On the cruise remember this is mass-market tourism. It's not uncommon for there to be four cruise ships, each with 2000+ passengers and 1000+ crew, calling at Skagway, population 800 or so, on any given day. Do the math.
I'd do a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward; if you can arrange it the same day you arrive, fine, otherwise do it the next day but then spend the night at Girdwood. Even though your cruise might have visited Glacier Bay and/or Hubbard Glacier on your way north, I'd try to fit in a glacier cruise out of Whittier, especially if you don't do a Kenai Fjords cruise in Seward. (Kenai Fjords is more about the wildlife than the scenery, although the scenery is great; the Whittier boats are all about glaciers.
Spend a day in Anchorage visiting the Native Heritage Center or hitting the museum downtown. Look for wildlife at Potter Marsh on the south end of town, or walk/bike along the coastal trail including Earthquake Park. Watch out for moose.
Because Cruise Critic covers both the cruise ports and the land touring options, both in Vancouver and in southcentral/interior Alaska far more comprehensively than Fodor's, or any other travel site for that matter.
Look at these boards on Cruise Critic:
West coast departures: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=413
Alaska: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55
Now, as to your main questions.
Vancouver: May can be iffy; the odds are you could have cloudy or even wet weather, or it can be nice. However I'd stay in town rather than any out-of-town excursions. Visit the beautiful gardens at Queen Elizabeth Park (comparable to Butchart Gardens near Victoria, but free as opposed to $$$) or the nearby Van Dusen Gardens. Visit Stanley Park with its forests, lakes, coastal bike/pedestrian path, totem poles and terrific aquarium. Visit the Granville Island market (great food options, galleries etc.) Skip the overpriced and overhyped Capilano suspension bridge and substitute the (free) Lynn Canyon suspension bridge nearby.
Ketchikan - Ride the city bus ($1) to Totem Bight State Park for totem poles, Tlingit clan house, old growth forest... terrific.
Juneau - I'd look for tours emphasizing the town's fascinating history.
Skagway - For much less money than the train, rent a car and drive up to Carcross. Visit the Carcross desert (fascinating subarctic sand dunes and dramatic scenery) then drive up to Emerald Lake but keep going a few miles to the Robinson Roadhouse ghost town. You'll probably have it to yourselves except for the protesting resident marmots and ground squirrels who will resent your intrusion noisily.
On the cruise remember this is mass-market tourism. It's not uncommon for there to be four cruise ships, each with 2000+ passengers and 1000+ crew, calling at Skagway, population 800 or so, on any given day. Do the math.
I'd do a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward; if you can arrange it the same day you arrive, fine, otherwise do it the next day but then spend the night at Girdwood. Even though your cruise might have visited Glacier Bay and/or Hubbard Glacier on your way north, I'd try to fit in a glacier cruise out of Whittier, especially if you don't do a Kenai Fjords cruise in Seward. (Kenai Fjords is more about the wildlife than the scenery, although the scenery is great; the Whittier boats are all about glaciers.
Spend a day in Anchorage visiting the Native Heritage Center or hitting the museum downtown. Look for wildlife at Potter Marsh on the south end of town, or walk/bike along the coastal trail including Earthquake Park. Watch out for moose.
