Alaska Excursions - too much?
May 14th, 2008, 08:03 AM
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Alaska Excursions - too much?
Hi ya'll! We just booked a cruise to Alaska on Zaandam in July - last minute thing 
We're in our early 30's and very active. Trying to finalize the excursions at various ports and just want your opinion on whether we're booking too much?
Ketchikan 7am - 3pm:
1. Seaplane tour to Misty Fjords, 10am, 1.5 hrs
2. Lumberjack Show, 1pm, 1.5 hrs
Juneau 7am - 10:30pm:
1. Best of Juneau! Whale Watching Quest, Mendenhall Glacier & Alask Salmon Bake, 9:45am, 6.25hrs
2. Helicopter & Dog Sled tour, 5:15pm, 3hrs
Skagway 7am - 9pm:
1. Glacier Point Wilderness Safari, 9:30am, 5.5 hrs
2. White Pass Summit Scenic Railway, 4:30pm, 3 hrs
or instead of 1 and 2, do
3. Glacier Lake Kayak & White Pass Rail, 12:10pm, 5 hrs
What do you think? Are these too packed and we should remove something? We're very active travellers and it will be a long time before we ever go back to Alaska again so trying to absort in as much as possible but don't want to overkill it. After all, it is suppose to be a vacation Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!
We're in our early 30's and very active. Trying to finalize the excursions at various ports and just want your opinion on whether we're booking too much?Ketchikan 7am - 3pm:
1. Seaplane tour to Misty Fjords, 10am, 1.5 hrs
2. Lumberjack Show, 1pm, 1.5 hrs
Juneau 7am - 10:30pm:
1. Best of Juneau! Whale Watching Quest, Mendenhall Glacier & Alask Salmon Bake, 9:45am, 6.25hrs
2. Helicopter & Dog Sled tour, 5:15pm, 3hrs
Skagway 7am - 9pm:
1. Glacier Point Wilderness Safari, 9:30am, 5.5 hrs
2. White Pass Summit Scenic Railway, 4:30pm, 3 hrs
or instead of 1 and 2, do
3. Glacier Lake Kayak & White Pass Rail, 12:10pm, 5 hrs
What do you think? Are these too packed and we should remove something? We're very active travellers and it will be a long time before we ever go back to Alaska again so trying to absort in as much as possible but don't want to overkill it. After all, it is suppose to be a vacation
Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!
May 14th, 2008, 12:52 PM
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Well howdy neighbor,
Hope your piece of the Lone Star State has better weather today than mine!
Just my two cents, but the day you're in Juneau you've got yourself paying for whale watching you can do from your ship and a salmon bake you can do in your backyard and if it was my wallet, I'd spend every last cent on helicopter touring. You can get longer tours with glacier landings and they are thrilling indeed.
Ketchikan day looks fine, ( just don't miss the ship!) and at Skagway it depends upon if you want to get in the water. Be sure you have the proper outerwear, good gloves, great binoculars and a high zoom camera.
Have fun!!
Hope your piece of the Lone Star State has better weather today than mine!
Just my two cents, but the day you're in Juneau you've got yourself paying for whale watching you can do from your ship and a salmon bake you can do in your backyard
and if it was my wallet, I'd spend every last cent on helicopter touring. You can get longer tours with glacier landings and they are thrilling indeed.Ketchikan day looks fine, ( just don't miss the ship!) and at Skagway it depends upon if you want to get in the water. Be sure you have the proper outerwear, good gloves, great binoculars and a high zoom camera.
Have fun!!
May 14th, 2008, 02:18 PM
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Whale watching form the cruise ship as opposed to whale watching from a smaller craft is totally different. Yes, you do see whales fom the cruise ship, but it is not up close and personal. I was at a similar excursion and we saw humpbacks at full breach (the whale jumps totally out of the water).
Yes, you can bake your own salmon at your back yard. And you can stay home and cook you own steak on your own BBQ rather than going to Ruth Chris (This is not an endorsement on Ruth Chris, you can substitue any steak house name there). If the place you are going to is the same one we were at last year, the food is okay (buffet) and the salmon was done at a fire pit type grill. The clam chowder they had was awesome and I went back twice. They have a waterfall within walking distance of where the meal is served. Well worth the trip to walk to the waterfall. I took pictures and the waterfall has been my laptop's desktop picture since.
Here is my suggestion:
Make sure you allow 45 miniutes minimum between the end time of the first and the start tme of the second excurssion. Find out what would happen if you were delayed by the first excursion.
Ketchikan: Skip the lumberjack show. Instead, spend the time walking around and to the old town. Ketchikan also has lowest souvenir prices. (P.S. Don't buy jewery)
Juneau: Your time line is tight. If you still have time, stop by Red Dog Saloon for a beer.
Skagway: I prefer the Wilderness over Kayak. The historic Whitepass is part of Alaska and gold rush history. I am planning to drive to Skagway next summer and stay there for a week. Yes, it will be a very long drive. Hiking is great there, especially along the chikoot trail.
Looks likke you have put lot of effort into the planning. It will cost a good bundle of cash for all those excursion but you will enjoy it. I know BudgetQueen will say it cost too much and you can do better by booking your own tour by not going with the ship's shore excursions. If you don't want the hassles, book with the ship. It is typically 25 to 35% more expensive than you can do on your own. I use the ship's excursion on the first trip. Now I book some on my own on return trips as I now know the reputation of people and what to look for.
Bring a GOOD digital camera and just snapping away. You can delete what you don't want later. On a typical 7 day cruise, I may snap over 3000 pictures. During the whale watching, I took over 600 pictures in 3 hours and I think I have half a dozen keepers including several full breach shots up close.
I always carry extra batteries and cards. I made a habit of setting the camera to dump pictures to the laptop before we went for dinner or catch a show.
One thing that you didn't mention was the Eagle watching. You may want to consder that in conjunction with the Guard Island light house excursion in Ketchikan.
Good luck and have a greta trip!
Yes, you can bake your own salmon at your back yard. And you can stay home and cook you own steak on your own BBQ rather than going to Ruth Chris (This is not an endorsement on Ruth Chris, you can substitue any steak house name there). If the place you are going to is the same one we were at last year, the food is okay (buffet) and the salmon was done at a fire pit type grill. The clam chowder they had was awesome and I went back twice. They have a waterfall within walking distance of where the meal is served. Well worth the trip to walk to the waterfall. I took pictures and the waterfall has been my laptop's desktop picture since.
Here is my suggestion:
Make sure you allow 45 miniutes minimum between the end time of the first and the start tme of the second excurssion. Find out what would happen if you were delayed by the first excursion.
Ketchikan: Skip the lumberjack show. Instead, spend the time walking around and to the old town. Ketchikan also has lowest souvenir prices. (P.S. Don't buy jewery)
Juneau: Your time line is tight. If you still have time, stop by Red Dog Saloon for a beer.
Skagway: I prefer the Wilderness over Kayak. The historic Whitepass is part of Alaska and gold rush history. I am planning to drive to Skagway next summer and stay there for a week. Yes, it will be a very long drive. Hiking is great there, especially along the chikoot trail.
Looks likke you have put lot of effort into the planning. It will cost a good bundle of cash for all those excursion but you will enjoy it. I know BudgetQueen will say it cost too much and you can do better by booking your own tour by not going with the ship's shore excursions. If you don't want the hassles, book with the ship. It is typically 25 to 35% more expensive than you can do on your own. I use the ship's excursion on the first trip. Now I book some on my own on return trips as I now know the reputation of people and what to look for.
Bring a GOOD digital camera and just snapping away. You can delete what you don't want later. On a typical 7 day cruise, I may snap over 3000 pictures. During the whale watching, I took over 600 pictures in 3 hours and I think I have half a dozen keepers including several full breach shots up close.
I always carry extra batteries and cards. I made a habit of setting the camera to dump pictures to the laptop before we went for dinner or catch a show.
One thing that you didn't mention was the Eagle watching. You may want to consder that in conjunction with the Guard Island light house excursion in Ketchikan.
Good luck and have a greta trip!
May 14th, 2008, 05:49 PM
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Severe thunderstorm early this morning, but at least no hails that I heard were hitting some areas when I was driving to work.
Great info, maztoz77 & Eschew! Some of the excursions are through the ship and some excursions were found on shoretrips.com. Are there any other good websites I can look up these great excursions?
Ketchikan: yes, I was debating on skipping the lumberjack show as well. We can do the Misty Fjords Boat & Floatplane Adventure tour instead which will make a stop for an Eagle's nest. But more costly of course.
Juneau: husband loves salmon that's why I included it, maybe we'll just do the whale watching. I am allowing at least 1 hr of time in btw the two excursions so hopefully that'll be fine.
There are just so many good choices it is hard to choose lol
Great info, maztoz77 & Eschew! Some of the excursions are through the ship and some excursions were found on shoretrips.com. Are there any other good websites I can look up these great excursions?
Ketchikan: yes, I was debating on skipping the lumberjack show as well. We can do the Misty Fjords Boat & Floatplane Adventure tour instead which will make a stop for an Eagle's nest. But more costly of course.
Juneau: husband loves salmon that's why I included it, maybe we'll just do the whale watching. I am allowing at least 1 hr of time in btw the two excursions so hopefully that'll be fine.
There are just so many good choices it is hard to choose lol
May 15th, 2008, 05:08 AM
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tx gal - I am going in July also, so these ideas are what I plan to do or learned from my research. Not sure if it will help, but we are also very active. We are doing a lot more independent stuff than you, as we are working within a budget.
In Juneau, we are using Harv and Marv for whale-watching. They have 6 person boats, whereas I believe the cruise ships use big catamarans that hold 100+ people (not sure about your particular one). There are many smaller companies than do whale watching.
Then, Harv and Marv are dropping us off at Mendenhall so we can go hiking, and then we will take the $6 bus ride back to town.
In Ketchikan we may go kayaking or just go hiking.
In Skagway, we rented a car to drive to Emerald Lake, and after that trip we plan to hike around Dewey Lake (a nice free option for us active people!).
This probably doesn't really help you, does it? Sorry. I just wanted to throw out some other options in case you decide cut out a few excursions along the way.
In Juneau, we are using Harv and Marv for whale-watching. They have 6 person boats, whereas I believe the cruise ships use big catamarans that hold 100+ people (not sure about your particular one). There are many smaller companies than do whale watching.
Then, Harv and Marv are dropping us off at Mendenhall so we can go hiking, and then we will take the $6 bus ride back to town.
In Ketchikan we may go kayaking or just go hiking.
In Skagway, we rented a car to drive to Emerald Lake, and after that trip we plan to hike around Dewey Lake (a nice free option for us active people!).
This probably doesn't really help you, does it?
Sorry. I just wanted to throw out some other options in case you decide cut out a few excursions along the way.
May 20th, 2008, 08:36 AM
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After some research, this is our finalized excursion plan:
Ketchikan:
Seaplane tour to Misty Fjords in the morning through shoretrips.com then walk around the town in the afternoon
Juneau:
1. Walk around the twon in the morning
2. Heli & Level III Glacier Trekking with Northstar Trekking at noon
3. Whale watching with Orca Enterprise in the early evening
Skagway:
1. Hike (Chikoot trail) and Float combo through shoretrips.com in the morning
2. Glacier Point Wilderness Safari in the afternoon, only excursion through the cruise since it is locked down by the cruise lines.
Very busy schedule and very expensive, but we want to make this once in a lifetime experience and plan for in case weather is bad and some excursions might be cancelled. We're going to pray for good weather though and hope to get to do them all. It is going to be an awesome trip!!
Ketchikan:
Seaplane tour to Misty Fjords in the morning through shoretrips.com then walk around the town in the afternoon
Juneau:
1. Walk around the twon in the morning
2. Heli & Level III Glacier Trekking with Northstar Trekking at noon
3. Whale watching with Orca Enterprise in the early evening
Skagway:
1. Hike (Chikoot trail) and Float combo through shoretrips.com in the morning
2. Glacier Point Wilderness Safari in the afternoon, only excursion through the cruise since it is locked down by the cruise lines.
Very busy schedule and very expensive, but we want to make this once in a lifetime experience and plan for in case weather is bad and some excursions might be cancelled. We're going to pray for good weather though and hope to get to do them all. It is going to be an awesome trip!!
May 20th, 2008, 11:16 PM
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The excursions look awesome. You are right in saying that you will be very busy. Relax on your sea day and rest up.
I would be very interested in your experience with shoretrips. Their pricing is supposed to be very competitive with the ship's shore excursion but booking it direct with the tour operator is still cheaper (by cutting away the middle man)
I would be courious with the price comparison between shoretrips and the crusie lines. What shoretrips does is essentially the same thing as the ship's shore excursion desk.
Advise on dessing for the trip:
wear layers and waterproof clothing.
Head gear is important. Have it around even you may not need it. It will be windy. A scarf, a skull cap, light gloves are not out of the question. A windbreaker is a must.
Have a great trip and hope to hear back from you with a full review.
I would be very interested in your experience with shoretrips. Their pricing is supposed to be very competitive with the ship's shore excursion but booking it direct with the tour operator is still cheaper (by cutting away the middle man)
I would be courious with the price comparison between shoretrips and the crusie lines. What shoretrips does is essentially the same thing as the ship's shore excursion desk.
Advise on dessing for the trip:
wear layers and waterproof clothing.
Head gear is important. Have it around even you may not need it. It will be windy. A scarf, a skull cap, light gloves are not out of the question. A windbreaker is a must.
Have a great trip and hope to hear back from you with a full review.
May 21st, 2008, 10:33 AM
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I have found shoretrips pricing very competitive to locals' offerings and definitely better than cruise lines.
For example, the glacier trekking from Northstar Trekking directly is $479 and it is $481 on shoretrips. The heli & dog sledding in Juneaur is $432 with shoretrips but $100+ more with cruise line. The hike and float combo in Skagway is $99 with cruise and I heard with locals it will be 15% cheaper. Well with shoretrips, it is $84.
I am able to find the actual vendors for whale watching and glacier trekkings in Juneau so I am booking with them directly. I haven't found the vendors for Ketchikan and Skagway so just booked through shoretrips to save the hassle. I will definitely post a review when we return from the trip.
For example, the glacier trekking from Northstar Trekking directly is $479 and it is $481 on shoretrips. The heli & dog sledding in Juneaur is $432 with shoretrips but $100+ more with cruise line. The hike and float combo in Skagway is $99 with cruise and I heard with locals it will be 15% cheaper. Well with shoretrips, it is $84.
I am able to find the actual vendors for whale watching and glacier trekkings in Juneau so I am booking with them directly. I haven't found the vendors for Ketchikan and Skagway so just booked through shoretrips to save the hassle. I will definitely post a review when we return from the trip.
May 21st, 2008, 05:04 PM
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Cruisecritic.com is a great source for information for private tour operators and everything else about cruising. It's a very active and friendly forum.
Have a great trip! You will have a great time!
Have a great trip! You will have a great time!
Jun 20th, 2008, 05:51 PM
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How do I find independent cruise excrusion operators on cruisecritic? I looked and can't find them. Also, I am not finding much price difference from using private vendors vs. Princess. Do I need to book certain excursions in advance? Any recommendations for getting on an iceberg in Juneau?
Jun 21st, 2008, 11:53 AM
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Cruise Critic does not actually have a list of private vendors but you can ask questions and will receive many answers. If you brouse through the Alaska board you will run across a ton of information.
Temsco offers helicoptor glacier landings in Juneau [temscoair.com]
If you have your heart set on something book it in advance. Seats are limited for these small aircraft and I would not wait until the last minute to book.
Temsco offers helicoptor glacier landings in Juneau [temscoair.com]
If you have your heart set on something book it in advance. Seats are limited for these small aircraft and I would not wait until the last minute to book.
Jun 21st, 2008, 12:29 PM
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If your husband likes salmon, give some thought to the Taku Glacier Lodge flight plane tour and salmon bake. It was definitely a highlight of our recent trip. Find out more at...
http://www.wingsairways.com/taku-lod...er-flight.html
From another Texan...JimM
http://www.wingsairways.com/taku-lod...er-flight.html
From another Texan...JimM
