We are traveling on Holland America in mid-August. There are five of us all in our early 30s. Any must-see excursions to these places? How can we do these excursions on a limited budget? Specific companies with websites would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Unfortunately for the budget, Alaska is pretty expensive as far as excursions go. If you remember that the tourist season is incredibly short, they have to make any money they are going to make in a short time. That being said, we didn't go to Sitka (went to Skagway instead). In Juneau, one fairly reasonable and interesting excursion was a combination of a tour to a salmon hatchery and then off to the Mendenhall Glacier. What we REALLY enjoyed was the Four Glacier Helicopter Tour that we booked through Princess (we actually booked all of out excursion that way - easier to do). Of coures that tour is quite expensive, but if you can swing it, it is well worth it.

We loved our Alaska cruise 2 years ago on HA and visited all but Sitka. My suggestion is to do something in Juneau other than walking around the town all day. I found Juneau to be quite touristy. I did the whale watching tour on a boat and liked it a lot. Others took the tour to the Mendenhall (?) glacier and liked it too. In Ketchikan I took the Misty Fiords float plane tour and liked it (quite expensive). My wife did the kayaking tour and didn't like it because it wasn't anything like it was advertised, e.g. no great sights, no marine life, etc. If we go back I'd be tempted to spend my time in the town. Although a litte touristy it's an interesting place.

I have read that the Raptor Center in Sitka is interesting. I believe it is within walking distance of the pier. It's $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for children under 12.
www.alaskaraptor.org for more information.

Forgot to add .. www.cruisecritic.com will give you lots of information about excursions etc. It's a great forum and very active.

Thanks for all the help! Your replies are great!

If you're up to the walk (steep walk up - about 15-20 mins or so), you can walk up to the Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center . The Totem Heritage Center is next door - the combo entrance was pretty inexpensive if I recall correctly. You can then walk down to Creek Street via the Married Man's Trail.

The Misty Fjords Catamaran/Floatplane excursion was fantastic; we did that in the afternoon in Ketchikan. We cruised across to Misty Fjords (saw Orcas and seals along the way). Then we disembarked in one of the fjords and took a floatplane back to Ketchikan. (I want to say this excursion was offered by Goldbelt.)

In Juneau, we did whale watching with Captain Larry in the morning. They dropped us near Mendenhall Glacier and we took the "Blue Bird" bus back into town after spending the afternoon at the Glacier. (Blue Bird was - at the time in 2001 - $5 pp each way). I understand the tram ride is lots of fun too, but it was an overcast day when we were in town so we did not do that.

Whatever you do - have a terrific time.

You would be best to look over a shore excursion list and narrow down your interests. there are way too many excellent excursions to consider. This isn't the place to skimp in my opinion. The tours are very worthwhile and are a great part of your Alaska trip.

You can enjoy Ketchikan without an excursion...but don't overlook excursions that might be offered there which are not available elsewhere. We did not do an excursion in Ketchikan.

We took the tram up to the West Cap Fox Inn, I think it's called (small fee); walked to the Totem Pole Museum where one of the workers gave us a great speel about the history and making of these incredible creations. Walk out their back door to see a master totem pole carver and his assistants at work (then when you get home, you can watch his progress on the internet); walk from there to the adjoining fish hatchery to get a tour with information on salmon habits and see ladders. There is a pair of eagles (found injured in the wild and rehabilitated there) so you get information about eagles as well. I believe the fee for both sites was less than $20 per person, possibly less than $15. Then walk back to Ketchikan, crossing the stream and taking a left turn someplace along the way to get back to Creek Street. Meander that area and the adjoining streets along the waterfront which are all shopping areas. There is a museum close to the waterfront (can't rem name, but good presentation) which is also reasonably priced. Don't know if shopping is a big thing for you, but if you want to bring back momentoes for yourself and others, Ketchikan and Juneau have the greatest number of shops.

It's a great little town just for just ambling around.

The above can easily be gotten to via a walking tour map at the dock visitor center. As of last week however, there is no carver at the Totem Heritage Museum.