Hi. My friend and her husband (late 20s) are going on a Carnival cruise to Alaska this August. They would like some suggestions about excursions. They are interested in whale watching and taking a helicopter ride to explore the glaciers. Should they do this through the ship or are there outside local companies that are good? Please recommend and advise. Thanks.

Try posting on the cruise board.

Sorry. I don't know how I got to the cruise board! Thought I was on USA.

This is the cruise board!

What ports are they stopping in?

Go to dollyvarden.com and you can read up on many different excursions. It is much cheaper to book OUTSIDE of the cruiseline. In Juneau, the best whale watching is through Captain Larry and Dolphin. Both use smaller boats and have rave reviews. You can do the glacier landing in either Juneau or Stagway.(this can be tied in with dog sledding as one excursion). Ketchikan has great options for bear watching, kayaking etc. Skagway has the Bald Eagle Preserve Rafting float which is wonderful. If you go to cruisecritics.com or cruisemates.com and read their message boards, you'll get a wealth of information...much more so than here on Fodors when it comes to cruising.

I never book any ship tours and always direct with the operator. I also do not use any "middle men" such as Dolly Varden. As for whale watching- consider Orca Enterprises out of Juneau- price is similar to ship contracted tours with Allen Marine, but the boat is a lot smaller. Dolphin also does a good tour. As for a glacier helicopter landing- the "basic" landings allow about a 20-30 min landing, if you want more extensive hiking consider Northstar Trekking, otherwise Coastal and TEMSCO out of Juneau can be direct booked and TEMSCO out of Skagway. For Clairfication- a glacier landing and a glacier dog sledding GO TO DIFFERENT areas. Dog sledding trips land on a far more snow area and a permanent camp. It is the most canceled of any Alaska tour. "Regular" glacier landings have the opportunity for a lot more ice. Ketchikan bear watching is inportant to go peak season- for Anan end of July and the other areas- Traitors Cove, Neets- August- beg of Sept. I would never consider the fringe season- I want the most likely viewing time.- This also is for black bears- browns are sometimes seen early at Anan. Best bargain for browns is Denali Park - but these are not coastal- salmon eating browns so they are about 1/2 the size. Thrilling anyway to see.

This is THE best excursion:
http://www.glaciertrekking.com/
Worth every penny!!!
You don't just land on a glacier at the low elevation, you go to a higher elevation, put on ice climbing gear and truly experience the Glaciers, not just see them.

Thanks everyone! I"ll find out where they are stopping and repost that info for more help. I really appreciate the information.

My friends are stopping at ports in Juneau, Ketichikan, Skagway, Sitka, and Seward. Please give any suggestions you feel would be great experiences for excursions. What you've provided so far has been wonderful and my friends are very excited!

Abby the following link will provide more info then any other.........

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/O...mp;f=268097554

In Juneau there are helicopter flightseeing trips to Mendenhall Glacier and check out Captain Larry's Whale Watching.

http://www.ptialaska.net/~whales/orca1.htm

In Skagway, the White Pass Railroad is worth a ride.