After reading various suggestions on this board, we have so far planned the following excursions:

Ketchikan: Misty Fjord Seaplane Exploration
Juneau: (a) Whale Watching and (b) Mendenhall Glacier Helicopter Tour
Skagway: White Pass Scenic Railway
Whittier: (none so far)

Now, here are my questions:
1) We want to add another excursion in Skagway--something adventurous. Any suggestions?
2) Has anyone tried the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari out of Skagway? What are your thoughts?
3) What's a good port for kayaking? Is Prince William Sound (Whittier) a good spot for kayaking? Will it be cold on the water in early August?
4) Any other excursion recommendations out of Whittier?

Thanks in advance.

Kayaking in Whittier is extremely scenic, so a good choice. Top choice are the glacier boat trips, way superior to anything from your cruise ship.

Out of Skagway- for free, hiking Upper/Lower Dewey Lake is wonderful scenery, if of interest. Glacier Point gets consistant rave reviews.

Yes, we did Glacier Point Wilderness Safari and it was the highlight of our trip. The boat ride was fast and comfortable and they let you out on a pebble-covered beach with wildflowers blooming all around. Then they put you in buses and take you to the staging area where they outfit you with waterproof boots and gear. Then you hike (short hike through forest) to the water and paddle canoes to the glacier. We saw eagles overhead and could actually feel the bottom of the canoe rubbing on ice! They don't let you get all that close to the glacier because of the threat of pieces of it coming lose, but it was spectacular. The area is on a reservation (I believe) and the workers are young, college-age people with great attitudes. You can tell they love what they do. We saw a bear print on the beach on the way back to the boat and took a great picture of it. I would HIGHLY recommend this excursion. Let me know if you want more info.

I also did horseback riding that afternoon - like it but my legs got sore because I'm not used to it. My husband went to the dog sled training camp (near where the horseback riding is) and he liked that. My son (17) did the heli ride to the glacier and then rode around on the dog sled and met the puppies. He said it was so quiet up there and was one of the most memorable experiences of his life.

Thanks for the great feedback everyone.

dbaker,
How much time is spent canoeing on the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari? If there's enough canoeing, I might skip kayaking in Whittier and go with the glacier boat tour offered in Whittier.

New question:

Will two excursions out of Skagway and Juneau be too much?

The whole trip lasted all morning I believe. I seem to remember that the boat ride was about 45 min each way and it took us about 30 minutes to take the bus over and get suited up. I think the actual time in the boat was about an hour. There were maybe 8-10 of us in each canoe and we did paddle, but not very far and not strenuous at all. If someone wanted to no paddle, that worked also. I don't remember if the boat had a little motor or not, nor whether we used it. We mostly spent time drifting around at various locations on the little lake to soak in the view of the forest & glacier.

We did the two out of Skagway and it was fun, but we had no opportunity to see the town except on the bus driving to the horse-riding stables outside of town. I didn't regret doing the riding, but wished I had more time to tour the town. The whole morning was the wilderness safari and the whole afternoon was the riding.

In Juneau, we did the excursion where we went to the eagle center and the totem area outside of town (don't remember the name). It worked out well because it gave us the morning free to wander around the town.

The canoeing may be quite a different experience than the keyaking, depending on where the keyaking is. The canoe was in fresh water, kind of a lake, at the base of the glacier. Keyaking may be in the ocean with the opportunity to see sea life and such.

Thanks for all the information. This will help me tremendously in my planning.