We are planning an Inside Passage cruise in Alaskathis Aug. Is it better to plan shore excursions in advance or are there taxis or some such available at the ports? My previous experiences have been that you have more freedom and more personal attention getting a local driver to take you around, but this was in Turkey and Egypt. How are things in Alaska? Thanks for anytips.

You would more than like get a quicker answer if you post on the "Cruises" portion of the web site.

It depends on what you want to do, of course. If you want to do an expensive excursion that requires alot of travel or special arrangements (glacier hiking, bear viewing by plane, or an extensive kayaking trip), then I'd probably recommend making arrangements with the cruise line. If you miss the port, you won't be out the expensive fee. But you'll find that a lot of the Alaska ports are eminently walkable, and the companies will all have booths near the cruise ship pier to book excursions often offering the same tours for less money, or taxis will be waiting if you just need transportation. In Alaska, doing arranging your own excursions will usually save you a lot of money and is not difficult.

if you go to the www.cruisecritic.com message boards, ports of call, Alaska, you will find lots of very helpful information.

This isn't the place to wing it and go in taxis. Do your homework, and have plans and reservations in place before you leave. Look over a shore excursion list and narrow down your interests, budget fully.

magr
I see this is your first post so let me share some info with you. Up top you will notice a square with the words "search this forum". Click on the cruise forum and type in that square the port's name where you will be. ie: Juneau That will bring up lots on information people have asked in the past regarding what to do in Juneau. Do that for each port you will be in and you will get ton's of info on shore excursions. We made our own reservations from those recommended on this board and were very pleased. I feel you get better service from dealing directly with the locals.

Also, listen to BudgetQueen. We did and was so pleased with her advice.

Thank you all for your helpful responses.