Heading up to Alaska with my Husband end of June for a Southbound Princess Cruise. Trying to decide what to do in Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. Definitely want to do a Helicopter ride, my Husband is an adventure seeker, I like adventure, but not too daring. Any good advice out there? We have one day to spend in each spot.

You will find helicopter tours in each stop. You might also want to consider a sea plane tour. Check www.familyairtours.com.

Ketchikan is a great place to learn about totem poles. www.visit-ketchikan.com.

Skagway relives the '98 Gold Rush. The narrow gauge railroad trip up to White Pass is spectacular.

Juneau offers too much to do...helicopter tours of the Mendenhall Glacier. Take a Zodiac boat up to the glasier and then down the Mendenhall River. Captain Larry runs one of the best whale watching tours anywhere. If you're into whales at all, this is a "must do" trip.

Princess is a great way to go but their excursions tend to be a bit pricey. Check out each port on the web. You'll find you can book your own tours...some of them distinctly better, such as Captain Larry...at lower costs.

You can both do different helicoptor tours in Juneau. If your husband is really adventurous, he might love the long glacier trek like the one my husband took. They were outfitted with helmut, ice picks, boots, etc and really climbed all over the glacier they landed on for several hours. Only two other guys with him on his tour. You might prefer just the glacier landing or small trek or dog dleding on a glacier. The choices in Juneau are great.

We'll be going to Alaska the end of July . . . we've already booked a float plane in Ketchikan with Island Wings, whale watching with Captain Larry and the helicopter glacier trek with Coastal, and a rental car in Skagway with Sourdough Rentals. We decided to rent the car instead of taking the train, we'll be able to stop along the way, go anyplace we want.

Whatever you decide to do, I hear it will be wonderful, this is our first cruise and our first trip to Alaska . . . we can hardly wait!

If you haven't discovered cruisecritic.com, go look . . . there's more info than you can imagine.

Have a great trip and please post a report when you return,
Sandy

It is important to look over your shore excurion list and further narrow down your interests. the glacier trekking is available through Northstar Trekking, you can save significantly on this tour by direct booking. A "regular" glacier landing is about $180 with Coastal. Be aware that the Klondike Highway and the White Pass Railroad offer different views with the summit far superior from the train. Also with Sourdough rentals- they usually use older cars- and sometimes rent with only a 100 free miles so clairfy this. I rent from Avis myself. A trip to Emerald Lake and return is full of scenery 75 miles one way. Continuing on to Whitehorse is less scenic for another 50 miles. Misty fjords float offer great opportunities especially if you haven't been in a float plane. Several good operators to choose from with a base price of about $180