Alaska Northbound - Day trip help (with a twist)
 

Hi, we are doing an Alaskan cruise with my parents in Aug.

The ports of stop are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait.

My parents are in their 70s - dad is 79 and they cannot walk long distances. We also have a 5 year old.

They will probably not even want to do shore excursions in every stop. But I would like to take them on whatever trips are easy to do. One that I shortlisted was the train ride in Skagway.

What else would you recommend?

Sorry you'll be missing Sitka which I found to be a most plesant town with it's beautfiul Totem Pole park. But here are some Ketchikan pics to give you some ideas....Creek Street, the old red light district is fun to walk along..all level. There are taxis to take you to Creek Street..and then the walk is short and colorful. There is also an elevator to take you up to a series of totem poles and views on another level of town. Since you'll be seeing some glacier scenery, no need to take the bus tour to Mendenhall Glacier, just a short bus ride from Juneau. You don't have to do the ship's optional tour, just grab a bus at the dock. Leaves you a short way from the glacier sites.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...20184326457298

When we did our Alaskan Cruise we went with my parents; 81 and 73. We did the full day train/bus in Skagway. Though we had a good time, the bus part was a lot of stop/starts, getting on/getting off sightseeing. By the end of the tour, my 82 year old father was worn. We did not have any children on this tour and I doubt a 5 year old would be able to handle the whole day.

We all did the float plane excursion in Ketchikan and the Whale Watching/Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau with Princess. Both were good tours for them.

Be careful with the private operated Whale Tours in Juneau. Most are small boats with no cover. The day we went it was very cold and windy on the water. Not an environment to subject the elderly and children too, much less us. Princess offered a large boat with open and closed seating with large ceiling to floor windows for viewing. It was not crowded and we all got great views.

Your best bet is to look on your cruise lines web-site for the tours they offer. They will list prices as well as activity levels.

Ketchikan is really easy to do on your own. It is a brisk 10 to 15 minutes walk (or short cab ride) to town. There are some shops and chairs along the way so they can rest if needed.

There are lots of things that your parents will find interseting, especially Creek Street and Cape Fox Lodge. Ketchikan is also the cheapest souvenir stop.

The dock at Juneau is much further away but it is not that long a walk to the tram station (to Mt. Roberts). The excursion to Mandenhall should be okay. It would be a shame to miss that.

There really isn't much there at Icy Strait IMHO. It is something that RCL developed for their brands.

While you are on board, speak to the excursion desk and ask for their opinion. They shoudl be abel to tell you if the activity level is easy, moderate or hard.

This is not a plug. On the Princess Web site, on their excursion info, it actually list details such as how many steps, walking distance, approx. time, washrooms, wheelchair accessibility, photo restriction etc. which I find very helpful. All you have to do is click down for details.

Although you are on a different ship, but it doesn't hurt to check someone else's web site for price and info as they all use similar (if not the same) tour companies. Below is an excerpt from Princess web site, for Mandenhall.

Visit Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
Details:
Time at site:02:00
Inside Visit :Yes
Walking distance (yards):200
Wheelchair accessible?:Yes
This tour can accommodate manual and electric wheelchairs. Passengers with disabilities must contact the onboard Tour Office at least 48 hours prior to the excursion to ensure arrangements can be made to meet their particular needs.
Restrooms available?:Yes
Free Time at Site (minutes):105
Shopping available?:Yes
Air conditioned?:No
Currency accepted:USD
Credit cards accepted: Yes
Photo/Video opportunity?:Yes
Photo/Video restrictions?:No

KVR, thanks for the detailed rundown. Looks like Skagway may be a train ride or a taxi hire. I wont do the van as they find it difficult getting in and out of buses.

Point noted on the whale tours. Will see if RCI has any decent options they arrange. We are also thinking of a ride after we reach Seward - in which case, we may not do the cruise in Juneau.

Eschew, some wonderful inputs. Thanks a lot. I will 'borrow' information from other sites.

Icy strait name sounded promising :)