Excursions in Alaska
 

We are going on a hollandamerica cruise tour next June. This is our first trip to Alaska, any suggestions and what the best shore excursions are. Not crazy about flying so don't know if we would try any that we need to fly. And last has anyone used Hollandamerica in Alaska, yor opinion.
Thanks

If the offerings thru HAL are like those on Princess who we used last summer then the choices are many. My advice is to look over what is offered and choose what you would like to do the most. We stopped in Ketichican, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria. For us the whale watching tour in Victoria was the best. However even though we enjoyed all of our excursions some of what we missed seemed really nice too. Try to pick what jumps out at yopu the most and do be aware of physical limitations. Some excursions are more demanding while others are not at all. Any questions please ask and I do think you will really enjoy Alaska. :-)

Have 2 Alaskan cruises, most recently on HAL's Oosterdam and Princess before that. Tell us which ship and your ports and we'll help:) If you enjoy wildlife there will be several excursions with chances to see whales, otters, eagles, bears, and more.

You are best to look over a shore excursion list and greatly narrow down your interests, there are WAY too many excellent tours to recommend otherwise, that you may have no interest in. Then repost for some specific information.
As a suggestion, go to www.cruisecritic.com Alaska board and spend some time reading. Plenty of great first hand information.

And yes I have taken HAL to Alaska, a great choice. :)

To travelinwifey'
We are going on HAL"S Volendam, with stops in agway and Ketchikan. Wealso have an extra day at denal park, dawson City,and Kluane National Park.
Thanks for your help

Hi, we have not done northern Alaska yet but we did share the common port stops at Ketchikan and Skagway. What you want to do in this port depends a lot on your mobility, I guess.

Ketchikan port has a lot of floatplane excursions and city viewing but here we chose to do the "Rain Forest Wildlife Sanctuary". You have an excellent opportunity to view salmon spawning and see bears on this excursion as well as see a lot of bald eagles.

In Skagway a lot of people choose to do the White Pass Scenic Railway. I have not done this myself but hear plenty of good reviews about it. We chose to visit Haines, the ride over was so scenic it was worth it for that part alone. Wonderful photo taking opportunities.

Finally, if you visit a port that includes a whale watch that would be a great excursion. This last time we were able to view Orcas, one of the best trips of our lives.

Here is a copy of my full ship review on another website:

http://www.cruisefools.org/showthread.php?t=4550

The food on the ship was very good, no complaints. I wouldn't worry about the flight, once you get to Alaska it is all worth it. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask:) Have a great trip!

We've been to Alaska (inside passage)with HAL and Princess and had no complaints about either. You'll have a wonderful time. I hate flying too, so we did some great excursions that didn't involve planes or helicopters:

Juneau - My favorite was the Mendenhall Lake Canoe Adventure (short tour of Juneau and on to a 12-person canoe tour of the lake that is in front of the Mendenhall Glacier.) You could also take a bus tour that ends up at the visitor center there, but the canoe trip was lots of fun. We also did an evening whale watch, but I probably wouldn't do that again.

Ketchikan - If you like to fish, the Guided Wilderness Fishing was great for a day of fishing that included your catch for lunch at a campsite. (We did this excursion twice).
The Ketchikan Duck tour was short, cheap and cute -- good if you have an hour to spare.

Skagway - By far the best excursion for us was the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari. Fabulous scenery and included a catamaran, short walk, and canoe trip to the face of Davidson Glacier.

Sitka - Husband went for a half day of fishing and I went sightseeing and shopping. It was OK, but not my favorite port.

One thing is for sure -- you just can't see it all in one trip. I booked our second trip the day we got back from our first! Bon Voyage.

I 2nd the White Pass RR in Skagway. :-)

I recommend the six hour Kenai Fjords boat tour if you have some time in Seward, although most Alaska cruisers don't

We took the bike and brew tour on Princess in Juenau. Beautiful!! We went deep sea fishing also...didn't catch anything, but amazing scenery!