travlbum

I am going on an Alaskan cruise this week and wanted to know if anyone had any feedback on the tours we choose to do.

1. Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest.
2. Sitka - Sea Otter Quest & Alaska Raptor Center.
3. Ketchikan - Rain Forest & Native Style Canoe Adventure.

Any feedback is much appreciated. Thanks!

BudgetQueen

I'll assume these are ship excursions? Juneau whale watching is excellent- humpbacks seen 100% of the trips. Mendenhall glacier is good, but on a tour combo your time will be dictated by the tour. If you wish to stay and hike then consider going with Orca Enterprises with a Mendenhall drop off (you do NOT want to go back and forth downtown- it adds about an hour shuttle time). Then just a $5 shuttle back- or you can just not go back and do the same thing with the above tour. Sitka- worthwhile and good choices. Also likely to see humpbacks as well as the sea otters. Ketchikan- I never would consider these ship booked tours myself. They usually are very basic and costly for what you get. Understand they go in all weather and rarely cancel for rain.

travlbum

Thanks, Budget Queen for the great feedback. Because this is a combination working/leisure vacation, I have to go with the ship excursions. I just wanted to make sure that they were worth my while.

Songdoc

The Alaska excursions were expensive -- but well worth the cost; they made the trip. I loved the Mendenhall glacier -- but didn't do it with the combination. The float plane that went through the fjords was phenomenal, as was a canoe trip that took us right to the base of a glacier. I don't think you can miss -- it's so beautiful there. I'm sure you'll have a great time.

BudgetQueen

For clairfication- there are 2 different canoe trips here. There are NO glaicer views on any Ketchikan canoe trips.

bashawik

What? No report on your cruise? We'd love to hear from you again!

rundentist

Can you book tours while on the ship that are not sponsored by the cruise line? Maybe this should be a new thread, but what the heck.

BudgetQueen

The only way you can book independent tours while on the ship is via your cell phone of internet access. BUT I never recommend waiting this late, so do all your planning and reservations in ADVANCE.