Alaska cruise - shore excursions help
 

Hi, we are doing an Alaskan cruise with my parents in Aug.

The ports of stop are Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Icy Strait.

My parents are in their 70s - dad is 79 and they cannot walk long distances. We also have a 5 year old.

They will probably not even want to do shore excursions in every stop. But I would like to take them on whatever trips are easy to do. One that I shortlisted was the train ride in Skagway.

What else would you recommend?

Would your parents be up to a whale watching boat trip? We sailed with Orca/Captain Larry. Lovely scenery and we did see lots of whales, otters, etc/

http://www.orcaenterprises.com/

The most memorable of our tours was the helicopter tour which landed on a glacier. Unbelievable scenery. Pricy, but well worth it to us.

http://www.coastalhelicopters.com/

By the way, kudos to you for the multigenerational cruise. I am sure your parents are excited.

The Alaska State Museum in Juneau is very good. We ended up doing that instead of going out to the glacier when it was raining and totally socked in.

They might enjoy the lumberjack show in Ketchikan.

There are great excursions in each of those places. Have your parents been on a cruise before? The ship essentially closes shop while in port. Maybe one restaurant will be open - but the casino, gift shop, bars, just about everything else will be closed tip the end of the port call.

Icy Strait is low key and wonderful. There is a small shuttle bus tour to a carving exhibition. And a terrific dance performance.

Out of Juneau there is one easy - low key excursion that combines whale watching/a salmon BBQ at an island lodge, and a short visit to the glacier.

No problem not booking til you are on board - except for the high end/helicopter type tours - which it doesn't sound like your kettle of fish :) - most don't sell out.

But honestly - unless your folks just want to sit and read or something, they'll want to get off the ship.

In Skagway there is the Skagway Inn - they give culinary garden/cooking tours which we did as a ship excursion although their website indicates you can book privately.

While more people leave the ship in Alaska than on some warm water cruises we have taken, they will neither starve to death or feel like they are in a ghost town if they choose to stay on board. People do that, especially since Alaska excursions are no expensive. One difference from warmer water destinations is that there is really not much within easy walking distance from dock other than t-shirt shops, jewelery shops - not really much scenery or real Alaska.

Casinos close in port by law.

What line? Maybe it makes a difference. On my RC that stopped in each of those ports (plus a loop into Glacier Bay) the ship was pretty deserted while in port. Only one bar was serving. The Cinema was closed. The Starbucks was open - limited hours. The gift shops were closed.

Icy Strait isn't as commercial as the others - completely controlled by native Americans - you go ashore on tenders.

In Skagway we did the railroad trip. I enjoyed it very much- so that is just sitting.

In Juneau we went to a salmon bake and whale watching. We saw the whales "bubble net feeding" which was amazing. Check it out on YouTube.

We took a float plane trip and landed on a remote inlet- also fun-

We booked almost all of our excursions through the cruise line

Oh - BTW - in Skagway - if the train ride costs too much $$ for all of you - they do a van trip that covers the same ground for less money. Stops along the way and on it you get several views of the train passing by which is sometimes better than being ON the train.

We rented a car in Skagway and drove north. It was MUCH cheaper for four people than the train but if they really would enjoy riding the train then it is worth it.

In Juneau, take the city bus out to Mendenhall Glacier. Much cheaper than the cruise tour and it's more flexible, you can stay as long or short as you want. We saw bears catching salmon from the boardwalk there too.

Sorry, been out of the Alaska planning for 2 weeks now. Thanks for all the inputs.

Been busy getting visas and tickets organized. Now for organizing the fun part again.....

We're also going soon, so I appreciate all of your good advice as well. Thanks!
Probably combining train/van at Skagway, city bus to glacier and Mt. Roberts tram (if clear) at Juneau.
What's the best bet for Ketchikan? Would love to see Misty Fjords NM, but don't want to fly in. Is there alternative transport into Misty Fjords? Is there a highly recommended alternative destination? :-/

Train in Skagway is great. In ketchikan we went to a totem pole/native dancing/culture type show that was interesting.

I have been asked to help somone on a Royal Carribean Cruise to choose a whale watching/Mendenhall Glacier tour. I assume he found the one offered by RC as a shore excursion too expensive, or potentially too large a boat. Anyway, looking around I have found the most positive comments (and a few negative) about Harv and Marv and Orca Enterprises. Harv and Marv have been criticized for using a boat with propellers (which can harm wildlife) instead of a et boat. Orca Enterprises uses jet boats. But one reviewer has complained that he smoked on board and smelled of alcohol. Could have been a fake review, of course, but how can one tell?

Also found Dolphin Jet Boats, which uses jet boats and has younger, local captains. Very few reviews, but all I have found are ppositive.

Can anyone help me figure out what to advise this person? Are there other tour operators he should consider? His ship lists their Juneau time as 11:00 am to 8:00 pm so he would need an afternoon pickup time for the tour. Also, are there any caveats in terms of logistics? do they all come and meet th ecruise ship, or would he have to arrange transport to some other pick-up point?

Next question is Skagway. I suggest he consider the White Pass trip either by railroad (more expensive) or van. I assume the scenery is the same. Is the train worth the significantly higher price?

"<i>I have been asked to help somone on a Royal Carribean Cruise to choose a whale watching/Mendenhall Glacier tour. I assume he found the one offered by RC as a shore excursion too expensive, or potentially too large a boat.</i>"

I can't help w/ the comparison./recommendation but have input about the RC offering.

I took that one (Whale Watching/Salmon BarBQ on an island/van to the glacier. And it was one of the highlights of our whole cruise. It is a large boat - but a very few passengers signed up for this excursion and the boat was 3/4 (or more) empty. Everyone had freedom to wander everywhere on to get different views. We saw a lot of whales and especially orcas who swam alongside several places. Even saw two adult orcas and a juvenile (calf?) taking down a sea lion. The BBQ was delicious. and we had adequate time at the glacier.

If it is basically a matter of cost - that is one thing, but the excursion itself was terrific.

As for Skagway - I took the van (mainly because my traveling companion was starting to feel skint and we decided to economize on this one). We had a WONDERFUL driver guide - a Scot who regaled us w/ all the stories and such I assume you get on the train. We also stopped twice in places where we could get excellent photos of the train chugging past -- which one couldn't from the train itself. My guess is the train might be better but we didn't miss it one bit. We got out of the van several places including on the border.

Thanks, Janisj. That is very helpful, and I will report your comments back to my friend. I'll bet you loved listening to that driver's Scottish accent!

anyone else?

I agree that the bus to Mendenhall Glacier is a good option in Juneau.

The Roberts Tramway in Juneau (for the views at the top) is a good option (but a little pricy for what you get)

I have written about Juneau here:
www.dreamhorsemedia.com/travel

I didn't do the Train in Skagway, but if or rather 'when' I go again I would definitely do that train trip based on what I heard about it from those who did it.

Ketchikan is so gorgeous, particularly near the river/creek. You can get the bus to Totem Bight State Park but there is a little bit of walking. A more expensive but wonderful option would be a boat trip or flightseeing through the 'Misty Fjords'. Honestly, to find a seat near the river and just be in Ketchikan itself was a treat - so much character and so pretty.

We hired a taxi in Juneau. Approx $50. /hr.Took us around Juneau, then out to the glacier, showed us where to go and waited for us in parking lot. Total cost was 100 dollars for 2 of us. would be even cheaper per person if had more people. Like having your own tour guide. Significantly cheaper than advertised tours.

The most memorial of all our 9 cruises and the shore excursions we have taken was the helicopter flight out of Juneau that landed and we walked on a glacier. The stillness and sheer beauty is amazing. We also loved the Misty Fjords seaplane that landed on and took off from the water. Beautiful scenery