This thread has been very useful. I am traveling with a family group and need to consider minimal walking distances. I had been considering booking these tours through the cruise line.

Juneau: Whale watching tour $219
Skagway: White Pass scenic railway $129

Or am I better off booking the tours on site when we dock? Any suggestions on what else to do in these locations would be appreciated.

For Juneau, if you book the Whale watching tour with the ship, they will pick you up at the dock. If you want to just walk off the ship and book the tour, you can definitely do that and find better deals, provided that there are not 3 or 4 ships all in town on the same day. You can find out how many ships are in port that day on-line.

The link below is for ships in Juneau for August 2016.
http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/A...u/August_2016/

The dock at Juneau is a bit of a walking distance from where the actions are. A good 20-25 minutes walk at least. The ship usually provides a for-fee shuttle ($3?) and take you to the Mount Roberts Tram terminal, where most of the vendors and actions are.

Once you are there, you can explore what kind of deals are available. You should consider a combo deal and explain to them that you have a small group, and wanted minimal walking.

The "must see" in Juneau is the Glacier. Unfortunately, the good scenery and the interpret center can be a bit of a distance depending on where they drop you off, maybe a 5 to 10 minutes walk.

Mount Robert is an option if the weather is clear. You get a great view up there and walking is optional if you just want to hang around the terminal up top and enjoy the view. There is a Raptor center up top and it is not too far from the upper terminal.

If you are taking the whale watching tour, you will also see other wild life, especially bald eagles. Be aware that the boats are not large, and depending on the weather, the ride could be choppy.

For Skagway, and if you are going to take the train, it is best if you book with the ship. If you book with the ship, the train picks you up at the dock, and depending on which train excursion you are doing, you may board a bus at the dock instead. By the way, make sure you bring your passport as you will be entering into Canada (I guess it depends on which train excursion you book).

I liked the Jewell Garden very much but it is a garden and there will be walking. They also have a nice tea house where you can have lunch and just sit and relax. Skagway still looks like an old wild west town so not walking is really not an option. There have a ride-all-day bus available, but you still have to walk a fair bit to explore.

If you can define "walk minimal distance", that maybe helpful.

For what else to do on the various ports, you may want to scan through some older posts on this thread.

Eschew,
This has been one of the more enjoyable threads that I had ever read on Fodors. Thank you for all of your tips and advice.
I just booked two cabins for my whole family on the Holland America Nieuw Amsterdam sailing out of Vancouver on Aug. 12 next year. We chose that cruise because it is almost entirely Inside Passage (Vancouver-Tracy Arm-Juneau-Skagway-Glacier Bay-Ketchikan). My 70 year old mother suffers from vertigo and has had problems with that on dry land. We worked with a travel agent who has been on several Alaska and she recommended this trip. We will be 3 people to a cabin. My cabin will include myself, my husband and daughter who will be 9 years old. The other cabin will be my parents with my uncle and they are all in their seventies. We are paying $5,321 per room (total with tax and port fees), and it includes a beverage package for the first two passengers and $100 per room ship board credit. I am wondering if we got a good price. I checked with other travel agents, and I went with the cheapest price (and yes, my travel agent is knowledgeable about Alaska).

Also, I know that this thread is about doing excursions cheaply. With that said, my father is not well and this will be his last big trip. So, we are thinking of splurging on the excursions. We thought of Land and Sea, and going to Denali will just not work for us. First of all, we are doing a round trip cruise to avoid going to the Bay of Alaska where there are slightly rougher seas. Second, my parents do not want to pack and unpack a lot on this trip. Third, they do not want to do much walking. I mentioned just walking around the Mendenhall Glacier a little bit and they groaned.
For Skagway, I want to book the White Pass Railway through the ship. I am wondering which one would work the best. I was thinking of going all the way out to Bennett Lake. Do you have any thoughts on that. The ship schedule says that we will be in port from 7 am to 9 pm. Would there be any time to explore and shop after going to Bennett Lake?
For Tracy Arm, the ship offers an excursion from the ship to a smaller boat to get up close to the glaciers. I am thinking that this is a must do.
In Juneau, we will be in port from 1pm to 10 pm. I am going to try to get everyone to the Mendenhall Glacier. I doubt that my parents would do much walking there. We do not want to do a whale watching tour because Orcas hunt seals, and I do not want to see that and my daughter will freak out. So, I wanted to ask you what is the best short walk around Mendenhall. We might schedule a helicopter to the glaciers tour, also. I hear that they are quite beautiful.
In Ketchikan, we only have 8 hours-10 am to 6 pm. My husband would love to see bears feeding at a salmon stream. We are considering floatplane to Traitor's Cove with Island Wings. We would arrange for this independent of the cruise ship. The trip to Traitor's Cove would be from 11 am to 3 pm with 90 minutes at the viewing station. Even though the bears are black bears, I have heard that it is still an incredible experience. We thought of the Pack Creek excursion in Juneau, but you need to wear hip waders to get to shore. I am pretty sure that my parents would not put them on.
Traitor's Cove is safer too because you are escorted by a naturalist armed with bear spray and a rifle, and the path to the viewing platform seems easy to do.
My husband also wants to go out to Totem Bight State Park to view the totems and maybe purchase one. I am guessing that we will hire a cab for that so that we could return in time to the ship.
I know that you prefer Misty Fjords, and Michelle at Island Wings offered a trip there from 3-5 pm at $239 pp. That might seem high, but I am looking at the safety record and maintenance of the aircraft given the fatal crash in Misty Fjords last year with the Holland America excursion on ProMech Air.

Thank you Belle213, for the accolade ... :"> This is by far my longest running trip report. I am glad that people still find this useful.

Not knowing the type of cabins you have booked (inside, ocean view, Verandah etc), I really can't comment on the price if it is a good deal or not. Knowing that you are booking now for August 2017, it wouldn't be a highly discounted rate, but you probably received promo goodies such as the beverage package and the OBC. Find out more about the beverage package. Is it a soda package or does it include alcoholic beverages.

One thing that you should ask your travel agent to do for you is to make sure the cabin where your parents going to be in is a "Modified Accessible Staterooms", and with vertigo, try to book mid-ship, lower deck. Also ask your Travel agent if you can have the two cabins next to each other (if not, at least very close to each other). Since you are booking so early, they should be able to accommodate you on both requests, but you have to act fast as accessible cabins are really limited. You may need a doctors' note if they say they can't get you the accessible cabin.

With all 3 people in one cabin are all over 70, you are going to run into a problem with sleeping arrangement as one of the bed would be an upper berth (like a bunk bed). Is anyone of them nimble enough and be able to climb onto an upper berth? and safely?

You may want to reconsider the rooming arrangement if you want to stay with 2 cabins. My suggestion: all the "boys" in one cabin (your husband get the upper berth?) and all the ladies in the other cabin, with either you or your daughter taking the upper berth.

I am taking a wild guess that you are relatively new to cruising. I would like to suggest that you read through the various articles on Fodors' cruising 101 page. The link is below:
http://www.fodors.com/cruises/101

Cruising 101 have topics such as choosing your ship, planning your cruise, thinsg to do before you leave, and life on board.

Belle213

For Tracy Arm, you have the right idea and you should do that, and book it through the ship. The smaller vessel will get you much closer to watch the Calving. Make sure you dress really warm. heavier jacket, gloves, scarfs, hats are required. Depending on the weather and the "icebergs", the big ships don't really want to get too close.

For Juneau, Mendenhall is really the place. If you arrange for a private transport (with the 6 of you), the van can drop you off much closer to the interpret center, and less walking. There is a view-point maybe a 5 to 10 minutes walk from the interpret center. If you want to walk to the head of the glacier, it will be at least a couple hours round trip.

Helicopters are expensive (and very noisy), but if it is "the last big trip", why not? Just make sure your parents are up for it. Bring an empty water bottle (with a wide mouth) if you want to do the helicopter ride to the top of the Glacier.

You may also consider taking the tram to Mount Roberts if the weather is clear. Your daughter might find the raptor center interesting up there.

On the whale watching, I doubted that you will see Orcas feeding on seals, but you will see bald eagles and other wild life. Since there is only so little time, pick the one that works for everyone.

For Skagway, if taking the train is what you want, book with the ship as the train is at the dock if you are booked with the ship. If not, you have to make your way to the station. See if there rre any combo packages such as train up and bus down, plus other "tours". Your parents may enjoy the Jewell Garden, or the gold rush display (in and around the ranger stations) in town.

Bennett Lake will take you into Canada. Maker sure you bring your passport. They won't check it, but you have to show it. The best part of the train ride is the scenery all the way through, and the old train car. make sure you find a seat close to the window, and the stove to stay warm.

Glacier Bay is always my highlight when I head up to Alaska on an Alaskan cruise.

Traitor's Cove is a good choice for bear viewing. But you may want to ask about the distance they have to walk to get there. It is a quarter mile hike. Not sure if your parents would want to walk that far.

Never mind the accident with seaplane to Misty Fjord. That's one flight out of who knows how many flights per day to Misty fjord for many many years. I wouldn't worry about it. Booking a sea plane outside of the ship's shore excursion is not cheaper, but you get more tour time for the same money. Island air has a good reputation.

Did you say your husband wanted to buy a totem pole? Good luck on that, and the shipping charges! Unless he wanted to buy a small souvenir one. Just make sure whatever Alaska souvenir you are going to buy is made locally and not imported from elsewhere. The exception would be clothing items like t-shirts which you can hardly find anything local.

You should consider making a stop at Cape Fox Lodge in Ketchikan. They have smaller totem poles out back, interesting displays inside the hotel, a great view from top and a decent place for lunch.

Feel free to comment and ask questions.

The room is a balcony mid ship on the 5th floor. I reserved this early because my Dad does not want to walk a lot and the room is near the elevator. Again, it is very mid-ship on the lowest balcony level allowed. There is a beverage package for passengers 1 & 2, including alcohol--up to 15 drinks under $8 each. There is a dinner included at Pinnacle for passengers 1&2. Yes, this is my first cruise. An Alaskan cruise was my mother's idea. Alaska was not on our radar. We actually were discussing going to Disney while my daughter is still acting like a little girl. But, my mother mentioned Alaska, and she has not really traveled much lately.
I will go over the 1/4 mile hike at Traitor's Cove and see if that is something that they want. My husband sure wants to see those bears. I am probably going to go with Island Wings because of their level of service. What did you mean by good luck with buying a totem pole? Is it hard to find an authentic totem pole? We are looking for a 12-18 inch pole. We were hoping to shop for it in Totem Bight State Park. We would probably have to arrange a cab to take all of us to Totem Bight State Park.
Cape Fox Lodge sounds wonderful. But, we only have 8 hours in Ketchikan and I do not think that we would have the time.

Hi Belle213, for a balcony cabin and those perks, you get a really good price, especially being booked so far ahead.

The walk to Traitor's cove is not hard, just the distance, especially when you mentioned they moaned when you mentioned the Mendenhall Glacier. The walk from the parking lot to the interpret center or the scenic look out is not all that far, plus it is paved.

When you say buy a totem pole, I thought you meant a bigger size one than the 12-18 inches poles. Just be aware that not all "souvenir" poles were made in Alaska, if you are looking at hand crafted local poles, it will cost you, and they maybe harder to find. There are many "copycat" ones made elsewhere. Consider stopping in at Fish Creek company (located at Creek Street), when you see one for $100 and one for $500, you know which is real, and which is copycat and imported. They won't have the "made in xxxxx" clearly marked.

Access to Cape Fox Lodge is easy from Creek Street, there is an "elevator" (the Cape Fox Hill Funicular) and it took literally minutes to go up there.

Best souvenir prices and local shops are located in Ketchikan. Allow time for shopping.

I am planning an Alaska cruise this May 2017. Is Eschew advise still accurate? Any advise from someone that has been to Alaska perhaps last year?

I was two years ago and the Cape Fox Hill funicular was not open, so research that before you walk up there. There was no problem taking the bus to Mendenhall. You had to buy a round trip ticket with the same company but the buses run frequently so I don't think it matters. In Ketchikan you can walk to Cross Creek, take the public bus to both Saxman and Totem Bight (which I preferred to Saxman). The bus to Totem Bight makes a stop at the Safeway which I used to advantage to buy some cold medicine and a canned soda. There is a second totem park near Totem Bight Do you know about cruise critic? It's a good way to see what other people on your cruise have found out and ask questions.

In Haines you can take a public shuttle, or I believe there is also car rental. I met someone who went on his own to see the bears (the car rental people told him where to look). This was during the late fall run. Probably the bears aren't as hungry then!

I wouldn't pay a lot for a salmon bake..most ships are going to be serving salmon out the yin-yang.

odonnell5, the info are fairly up to date if you read further down the thread as people ask questions and updated information are posted.

Cape Fox Lodge is one of the hidden gems that I really liked, and best of all, viewing the totems, the displays etc are all free, plus it is a great scenic view-point from there.

Other than the funicular to get up there, there are other ways to get up there as well, just that the funicular is the easiest, when it is working.

What you need to do is to go to Ketchikan Visitors Bureau (which is along the way from the cruise terminal to Creek Street) and pick up the free Ketchikan Walking Tour Map.

There is a staircase close by to get up to the Lodge, or you can take the footpath labeled as "Married men's Way" just further to the left when you face the funicular, or you go walk through the paved street to Venetia Way (which I wouldn't do as it is a long way).

Here is a link to the walking map if you want to download it before you go.
http://www.experienceketchikan.com/s...s_downtown.pdf

We've done maybe half a dozen Alaskan cruises through the year. It is one of our favorite cruises, and it is inexpensive if done right. We maybe heading back there this summer again.

One piece of advise for you since you mentioned May. It may not be the best time of year to go. Again, it depends on the weather. Did they have a cold or mild winter? Was it a late spring? Many factors will dictate what you actually experience.

Post the dates, cruise line, itinerary etc and people will offer suggestions here. This is probably the longest active running post on Alaska Cruise on this forum.

Bringing to top for someone else to see.

Book marking

Hello - we are going to be doing a 7 day Alasaka cruise in June this year from Seattle. Its a big family trip - special birthdays etc! There are 11 of us - youngest is 4 and oldest is 75! I had a question on the land excursions - is it better for us to book these before hand or can we book tours when we get to specific ports? Someone had told me that tours sell out and we should book ahead. Is that true? We want to do the helicopter tour in Juneau and the sea plane tour in Ketchikan - the prices I am seeing are very expensive. Do you think if we wait and book these tours with local operators once we get to the specific ports - would they be any cheaper? Any thoughts or advice will be much appreciated.
I am enjoying reading the great advice on the all the various posts. Thank you!

With the diverse age group, you will be hard pressed to get everyone agree on the same activities.

When I cruise with a group of people (be it friends or family), we lay out some ground rules:

1. No obligations to go anywhere as a group, especially with shore excursions.
2. The only obligation is dress up and meet up for dinner daily.
3. Do not feel being ignored if people do their own thing and not join you for the things that you waned to do.
4. And if by chance you agree to go see a show together, or go on an excursion together, bonus!

If you book excursions through the ships, book it before you go. The good one would be booked up before the ship sails. Book the ship's excursion is also the most expensive.

You can book outside the ship's excursion and see some savings. The savings for Alaska won't be as much as other destinations. You will see typical 15% to 20% savings in Alaska when book outside the ship's excursion, and in advance. Other destinations, I have seen discounts as much as 50% and more.

You can take a chance and walk off and book at the dock. Alaska is one of the few destination that is very easy to do, generally without fear of being taken advantage of.

With the youngest one at age 4, picking the right type of activity is important, and make sure it doesn't take away from everyone else's enjoyment. Ar age 4, not sure how he/she will handle the helicopter or sea plane rides, or get much enjoyment out of it for the big $$$ spent.

With the helicopter tour in Juneau, you should book ahead. With the sea plane in Ketchikan, you can walk off and book and it would be cheaper, but not by all that much.

With the weather being unpredictable (or predictably bad), you should have a back up plan for excursions. It was on our third cruise to Alaska before we made it to see Misty Fjord on a sea plane. It was cancelled on prior trips due to weather.

One thing about booking excursions or do it yourself outside of the ship's excursions, make sure you get back on time or your will literally missing the boat.

Thank you Eschew for posting such a detailed guide to touring Alaska! This has been so helpful.

My fiance and I are planning on an Alaskan cruise next May 2018 for our honeymoon, and I'm tempted to wait until right before to book. If I were to book an Alaskan cruise for this May I could get a balcony room for as cheap as $649 pp, and if I book now for next May it seems closer to $1,500 pp. How far out do you recommend booking? Would waiting until next year to book a cruise for May 2018 be too risky?

My biggest concern is that I really want to do the dog sledding excursion, and it seems like it would be best to book that through the cruise ship. Do you think there's a good chance that that excursion could sell out?

A number of factors dictate the price. The number of ships in the region, the economy, the weather etc. For this year, the economy is only so so, there are many ships in the area and there are way too much capacity. The cruise lines want to fill the boats so there are deep discounts, especially for the shoulder season (first 2 weeks in May and the 2 weeks in September).

If you are booking for next May now, you will be paying almost the highest possible price. If you are going to be looking at May for sure, you should wait. Probably start tracking prices 120 days out, and then 90 days out. I would book/confirm between those 2 dates.

If you are a gambler, you can wait till last minutes (within 30 days) but I wouldn't do it since it is for a honeymoon. And by the way, a congratulations is in order ... The ships also offers "honey packages" so look into those "packages" too.

If you read through this trip report, you will know my personal feelings about the dog sledding excursions. Again, if you are looking at May 2018, you can book the excursion after you book the cruise or around the same time. There are so many more things to do and see on an Alaskan cruise that Dog Sledding is not on my radar screen, except what they do to those poor animal.

This is only a sample of those who were caught.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/100-healthy-sl...r-b-c-1.602361

I know this post is from forever ago, Eschew, but it's been the most helpful thing I've read so far!

My husband and I leave in 11 days for a 3 day land tour (DIY excursions) and a 7 day cruise from Whittier to Vancouver on Princess to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Cruise portion starts on May 31. This is not only our first cruise but our first real vacation so I've been doing as much homework as I can! We booked super last minute (April 25!) but got a FABULOUS rate of $2176 for an unobstructed oceanview room, the land tour and all the transfers...total. We're super excited but we have to budget very carefully for the excursion portion of things.

I've read every single post on your thread so 1) we won't souvenir shop until Ketchikan, 2) we won't be going dog-sledding and 3) we're more than likely going to try our luck at booking our excursions on the fly. I can't tell you how incredibly helpful this has been.

I'm slightly overwhelmed with not only having to learn the "secrets" of cruising but also making sure we hit at least 1 "can't miss" excursion during this once-in-a-lifetime trip. If your total budget for both of us for all excursions was only $1K, what is something we absolutely shouldn't miss? We have never done any of these types of things, so all of it sounds amazing. We love wildlife, awe-inspiring scenery and "homesteading" types of things. We have a small farm in Texas so that's always intriguing to us.

I feel like I've probably got a ton more questions for you but it's late, and I'm tired. Lol...I'll probably be back! Thank you so much in advance if you are able to answer my post! You've been more than kind with all the many hours, I'm sure, of sharing your experience. Thanks!!

EJG54Him, thanks for your comments. I am surprised how long this thread been running, and still very relevant. People keep helping, adding and updating the information here, keeping it current.

About cruising, you should budget money for on board spending, plus the gratuity. If you can forgo soda for the week, you will be golden. Drink prices are about the same as most hotel chain bars. $5 for a beer, $7 for a glass of wine; but you should be able to find bargains and happy hour. You can order a bottle of wine and ask them to save it for the next day onward. If you like fancy coffee, buy a "coffee card", it is the best bargain on board.

May 31 southbound would be the Coral Princess, with stops at Hubbard Glacier, Alaska (Scenic Cruising), Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan.

This is actually a very good itinerary allowing you to see both Hubbard and Glacier Bay.

Dress warm, in layers, rain gear, have a decent pair of binoculars. It will be COLD while the ship is sailing towards the glacier: cold, windy and winter like.

With $1000 for the 2 of you for excursion, you should be fine.

First order of business, go on line and download maps. Maps of the town and especially the area by the dock. I think there are links on this thread but you will have to search for them as they are all over the place.

Get to the front of the ship for best vantage point on the Glaciers and fjords on the way in. On the Coral Princess, most people don't know about the public area at the very front of the ship on deck 10 and deck 11. Go find it on your first day. Look at your map. Go all the way to the front and don't be afraid to open doors by cabin #201 or #202. The doors will be hard to open, especially if the ship is moving and the wind is pushing against it. Be careful and don't let the door slam. People will get real upset and they will compliant to get you removed. The doors should not be locked. That would be your best vintage point for the Glacier viewing for the entire trip. Be there before the naturalist starting doing their talk over the PA. Look up and you will see the bridge and you may even see the naturalist above you.

For the Glacier Bay National Park, the Park Rangers will board the ship and set up shop at the pool deck. Go talk to them and get the free stuff that they give away. They are handing out great info. They will also answer questions. There are usually 3 or 4 of them there.

Find out when the ship will pass through the inside passage on its way to Vancouver. You want see the landward glacier mountain ranges. It would be on the port side (left) of the ship. Typically it is right around dinner hour.

As to the excursions ... since you like wild life and great natural beauty, yo are in for a treat.

Skagway is a gold rush era town. It is also inside the National Park so you can get all sort of good stuff for free. You have more than 13 hours in port so you have plenty of time. It will be day light all the way till 10 pm. Recommendation: Take the Whitepass Yukon train excursion and book it through the ship. There are many options. Book the one that leaves from the ship and return you to town by bus. Then you have time to wander around town, go to the Ranger's station and see if you can get info or join the guided walking tour. Buy the unlimited ride bus pass and save on the walking, take the bus back to the ship when you are done (it would be a 25 to 30 minuets walk from town to ship). Make sure you allow for waiting time as well as crowds. The schedule is on the bus stop. They are NOT on time. Start heading back to the ship around 6-6:30 and you will be fine. The cost of the train excursion, around $200 per person. The bus ticket is around $5 each. Advantage of booking it through the ship is the train pick you up at the dock. You book outside of the ship and you have to make your way to the station which is in town.

Juneau would be a great "do it yourself" stop and it is really easy. You only have about 8 or 9 hours in port so it is really not that much time. Mendenhall Glacier and Mount Robert would be the destinations. Take the $3 shuttle ride from the dock to town and it should stop at the Mt Robert Tram station. Go into the station and buy the combo bus and tram ticket. The tram ticket is $33 and the combo ticket is not that much more. I think the bus ticket to Mendanhall is around $12 per person round trip on its own.

You have to budget your time here. Take the bus to Mendenhall right away. There are all kinds of walking/hiking trails there but take the one to the Glacier/Waterfall. Download the Mendenhall trail map. Allow for 3 hours round trip to the waterfall (that would include stopping time for picture and so on). Allow another hour at the Interpretation center either before or after the hike. Take the bus back to the Tram Station, allow an hour for waiting for bus and bus ride. That would be 6 hours gone already.

Take the Tram to the top of Mt Robert, great view point. Follow the trail to the Raptor center. Spend an hour there. Total time spent would be maximum 2, maybe 3 hours and you have to head back to the ship or you will miss the boat. You can take the bus back ($3) to the ship or walk. It would be a 20 minutes walk. Should go to the Red Dog Salon and have a beer but you would not have time at all.

Come to think of it, you might want to skip the Mt Robert Tram altogether as you really won't have time if you hike to the Glacier head and the waterfall.

If you skip the hike to the waterfall and go part way only to the view point (half an hour at most), then you will have more time for Mt Roberts and the interpret center.

So you choice would be Mt Roberts or the hike to the waterfall. If you skip Mt Roberts, just buy the bus ticket and not the tram ticket and save yourself $33 per person.

At Mt Roberts, other than the scenic view point from up top, the Raptor center would allow you to see the bald eagle up close, as in really close with the handlers holding them.

Ketchikan: Get off the boat and walk towards the "booths" at the dock. Book yourself a sea plane excursion to Misty Fjord. It will be expensive so budget around $300 each. You can barter them down to between $199 and $249 depending on how busy they are and how many ships are in port that day.

The worst part of the sea plane is weather dependent. If it is foggy/cloudy at the Fjord, you won't be able to go so have a back up plan. The excursion would only take up half your time in port so you would be able to spend time at Creek Street and Cape Fox Lodge. I have heard the funicular at the lodge is not working so you may have to hike up through the steps around the corner, which is not all that hard, maybe half an hour or so going up. Again, download the map. There is a nice display inside the lobby and the second floor of the hotel. It is free to the public. There are totem poles at the back of the hotel and is worth a visit. Or you can go to Totem Pole Park and they have bigger and nicer totem poles. You can easily spend a couple hours on either of those places.

The other option is Seaplane to see bears up close. Cost about the same as seaplane to Misty Fjord. Your choice, really. The same company usually offers both. If the seaplane can't get into Misty Fjord, bears viewing maybe a very good alternative. Not sure if bear viewing is available this early in the season.

There are 2 main shopping area in Ketchikan. Before you buy, check and see where it is made. Local made souvenirs are more expensive than those made elsewhere. If you are buying t-sheets and jackets, then it doesn't matter. There is a big place between the dock and the visitor center. They will hold your purchases and you can pick them up on your way back to the ship which is very handy as you don't have to carry your stuff with you while wandering around town. Of course, you can always shop as a last stop before going back to the ship.

You will find the prices almost the same in most places. A t-shirt and baseball cap combo around $15 and a reversible jacket can be had for around $20-$25.

With $200 in Skagway, $50 in Juneau and $250 in Ketchikan, it would be close to your $1000 budget. With that said, you did not go cheap or skimp on any of the excursions as you can find cheaper excursions on all the stops.

By the way, on all your excursions, have your camera and binoculars ready as wildlife are all over. I would be surprise if you do not spot at least a bald eagle or 2 and maybe a pod of whale of two as well. Whales would be at a distant unless you go on the whale watching excursion.

You can forgo the Seaplane and go on a whale watching / bird spotting excursion at Ketchikan instead. It would be cheaper and is probably a good back up plan if the weather does not co-operate.

Good luck and enjoy your trip. Post a trip report if you can, or if not, come back to this thread and update us on your excursion.

Thank you so much, Esckew!! Wow!! I didn't expect you to spend so much time on your reply! So very kind of you!!

Actually, the only thing to tweak in what you said was our ship. We are actually on the Island Princess. If you know where the best vantage point for viewing on our ship, that'd be awesome! Otherwise, I'll look online to see somewhere.

We will definitely be using your advice! I know I feel so much more prepared than before! I'll for sure report back upon our return! ���������� Thank you again so very much!!