Trip Report 'Budget Ketchikan' - Cruise Passengers
Jul 29th, 2013, 01:40 AM
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Trip Report 'Budget Ketchikan' - Cruise Passengers
Hi People,
I recently just went Alaska with a tight budget and would like to share with you how i only spend less than $45USD(inclusive of meals) in Ketchikan and still have a fun time.
We took the blue bus from the annabelle/opp of annabelle(either is fine) to TOTEM BIGHT STATE PARK (TBSP). Make sure you know the bus interval. If i'm not wrong, it's every 30mins/1hour. The day pass is available for purchase onboard the bus for just $2. My advice is to purchase the day pass since one way already costs you $1. TBSP has NO entrance fee. Maps and description of each totem can be attained at the ranger office near the bus stop.
You can also visit POTLATCH TOTEM PARK which is just beside TBSP(less than 5mins walk).
We had lunch at ANNABELLE's FAMOUS KEG AND CHOWDER HOUSE. It was pretty good. Feel free to visit my blog for more pictures and recommendations. (about $25USD/pax)
Explored downtown Ketchikan. Took photos with the board that says Ketchikan- 'Salmon Capital of the World' and Alaska's First City. Shop at Tongass Trading Company where many of you raved about their $19.90 fleece jacket.
Tip: Before shopping, please proceed to the Ketchikan Visitor Centre to obtain a visitor guide/coupon book. It will help you save more and maybe get a free gift or two.
Strolled along CREEK STREET. Nice place to take lots of photos. Dolly's house looks small and touristy. Due to that, we did not go in.
If you have the visitor guide, you could also do a walking tour around Ketchikan where you may get to see salmons if you are visiting at the right season.
We ended the trip with a visit to ALASKAN FISH HOUSE. This is a MUST TRY!!! Awesome burgers and sandwiches for reasonable price. I love love it. ($10-15/pax)
For more pictures, please feel free to visit:
http://keeewei.blogspot.sg/2013/07/v...er-part-4.html
Hope this helps.
I recently just went Alaska with a tight budget and would like to share with you how i only spend less than $45USD(inclusive of meals) in Ketchikan and still have a fun time.
We took the blue bus from the annabelle/opp of annabelle(either is fine) to TOTEM BIGHT STATE PARK (TBSP). Make sure you know the bus interval. If i'm not wrong, it's every 30mins/1hour. The day pass is available for purchase onboard the bus for just $2. My advice is to purchase the day pass since one way already costs you $1. TBSP has NO entrance fee. Maps and description of each totem can be attained at the ranger office near the bus stop.
You can also visit POTLATCH TOTEM PARK which is just beside TBSP(less than 5mins walk).
We had lunch at ANNABELLE's FAMOUS KEG AND CHOWDER HOUSE. It was pretty good. Feel free to visit my blog for more pictures and recommendations. (about $25USD/pax)
Explored downtown Ketchikan. Took photos with the board that says Ketchikan- 'Salmon Capital of the World' and Alaska's First City. Shop at Tongass Trading Company where many of you raved about their $19.90 fleece jacket.
Tip: Before shopping, please proceed to the Ketchikan Visitor Centre to obtain a visitor guide/coupon book. It will help you save more and maybe get a free gift or two.
Strolled along CREEK STREET. Nice place to take lots of photos. Dolly's house looks small and touristy. Due to that, we did not go in.
If you have the visitor guide, you could also do a walking tour around Ketchikan where you may get to see salmons if you are visiting at the right season.
We ended the trip with a visit to ALASKAN FISH HOUSE. This is a MUST TRY!!! Awesome burgers and sandwiches for reasonable price. I love love it. ($10-15/pax)
For more pictures, please feel free to visit:
http://keeewei.blogspot.sg/2013/07/v...er-part-4.html
Hope this helps.
Aug 5th, 2013, 03:58 AM
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We were also on a budget and did what you did, taking the local bus out to Totem Bight and Potlach. The $1 each way bus fare is amazingly cheap considering you are on the bus for 30 minutes or so - a bus journey of that duration there in the UK would cost maybe 4 or 5 times as much. From what I remember the organised excursions offered by NCL were also much more expensive.
Just curious though why you paid for meals in local restaurants while you were in port - if you really wanted to minimise costs. Why wouldn't you eat on board (including lunch if you were not far away from the dock), as you've already paid for this as part of your cruise package?
Just curious though why you paid for meals in local restaurants while you were in port - if you really wanted to minimise costs. Why wouldn't you eat on board (including lunch if you were not far away from the dock), as you've already paid for this as part of your cruise package?
Aug 10th, 2013, 09:03 AM
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Hi Gordon R, we are food lovers and we don't mind spending on food. An example would be annabelles, alaskan fish house. They have crab chowders and salmon chowder, fresh halibut and chips. These are things we cant get on the cruise ship. Beside, our cruise ship, Norwegian Sun, is not one of the 5* ships(e.g. Princess, Holland America, Celebrity). The food onboard are so-so. Average at best.
Aug 10th, 2013, 09:22 AM
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That's an interesting perspective about the food on the Norwegian Sun. We are also "foodies" and we were a bit worried we'd have to put up with poor quality mass-produced food on our cruise. In fact we were pleasantly surprised and only had one disappointing meal during the entire 1-week cruise. We did eat several times in the "speciality" restaurants which incur an additional fee. The Italian (Il Adagio) and the French (Le Bistro) restaurants were really superb and would be very successful and popular restaurant in their own right if they were on a city street someplace.
Aug 10th, 2013, 09:24 AM
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That's an interesting perspective about the food on the Norwegian Sun. We are also "foodies" and we were a bit worried we'd have to put up with poor quality mass-produced food on our cruise. In fact we were pleasantly surprised and only had one disappointing meal during the entire 1-week cruise. We did eat several times in the "speciality" restaurants which incur an additional fee. The Italian (Il Adagio) and the French (Le Bistro) restaurants were really superb and would be very successful and popular restaurant in their own right if they were on a city street someplace.
