Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, & ISP Need help with excursions! ice cave, heli, train..

We are cruising in June. Our ports are Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, & ISP. We are spending a week between Fairbanks and Seward the week before our cruise so we have time to do a few things then. We are doing the Major Marine Kenai Fjords NP 6.5 hr cruise the day before we sail away. We've thought about doing a flightseeing tour of Denali w/glacier landing (by plane), but was advised by a friend that doing a glacier tour w/landing by helicopter would be better. So we've been looking at some of those at the ports.

We are a family of four w/ two children 12&13. Can do moderate excursions. Our first trip to Alaska. Things we are interested in are wildlife (hope to see a lot in Denali NP prior to cruise), Glaciers, scenic views, hiking, kayaking, fishing, etc. (moderate, but not extremely strenuous). Budget is flexible, but I am a bit frugal. Although I don't mind splurging a bit when it's worth it (just don't want to be wasteful on expensive excursions if it's not exciting enough). I personally enjoy simple things too, like walking around unique quaint towns. We also collect NP stamps for our passport books and the kids collect jr. ranger badges. So we wouldn't want to miss any opportunity for those.

Juneau - There's so much to do we are struggling with our choices. Would love to visit the ice caves and this excursion is at the top of our list, but would hate to miss out on other things (not to mention it's expensive considering its a paddle and hike excursion...not heli / flight etc). It's a 5hr excursion. We've also looked at the heli w/glacier landing in Juneau. In port 9a-9p

Skagway - We've narrowed it down to doing the White Pass train rail/bus excursion with Chilkoot tours, but can't decide between the 3.5 hr or the 7.5 hr into the Yukon territory. Concerned this would be a bit much of the same thing and we would miss other things in Skagway like the Jr. Ranger activity center (not sure if it will be exciting enough for older kids) and maybe some hiking etc. In port 7a-8:30p

Ketchikan - Haven't really narrowed anything down here. The town itself looks interesting. In port 9a-6p

ISP - Again haven't narrowed anything down here either. Not sure if we are interested in the zip rider. Maybe a fishing trip? Would also be interested in a tour of Glacier NP if that's available from here, but I've had a hard time finding such an excursion (I'd seen a post of someone mentioning the availability, but no mention of who conducted the tour). In port 6:30a-3p

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated!

We took a tour in Skagway with Davey Dave Tours (I think was the name). They picked us up at the dock and we went to the Yukon. We had a group of 21 and everyone agrees this was our best excursion.

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We rented a car on Skagway and followed a $5 guide to figure out where to stop. It was beautiful and we stopped many times for waterfalls, hikes, etc. we had lunch in a small town. We saw tour buses that were passing many stops we enjoyed. We walked around the town when we got back.

Ketchikan--family walked around the town and really enjoyed it. I did the kayaking excursion and really enjoyed that as well.

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We just got back from our Alaskan cruise on May 16th. I highly recommend the 7 and a half hour Yukon Rail and Bus excursion with Chilkoot Tours. Our young adult children loved it. Going into the Yukon was so beautiful. We also got to pet the dogs and and other animals at the petting area. Got to see two dog sledding groups leaving. It was fun just watching them choose the dogs to run. The lunch at Carcross was very good. This was our favorite excursion ever! We took the early excursion at 7:30 and had a couple hours of shopping when we got back before our early dining at 5:30. If you decide on this excursion, book asap before they sell out. This is a very popular excursion. I hope you are able to get James as your driver. He was a great tour guide!!!

Thanks all for the suggestions!

lucy2mb - Helpful to know that the 7.5 hr tour didn't seem too long! You mentioned your young adult children loved it. So do you think it's not too long of a tour for a 12 & 13 year old? I know that's a hard question since all children are different, but overall my children adapt very well. Is the landscape really that much different once you pass into the Yukon territory? We are spending 6 days on land (self guided) prior to cruise. We plan to stop at the Iditarod headquarters, mostly to appease my daughter. So, going further into the Yukon would be more for the Yukon scenery and not so much for the sled dogs since we'll have that option prior to cruise (not that my daughter won/'t enjoy petting the sled dogs again :) )

Thanks all for the suggestions!

 

lucy2mb - Helpful to know that the 7.5 hr tour didn't seem too long! You mentioned your young adult children loved it. So do you think it's not too long of a tour for a 12 & 13 year old? I know that's a hard question since all children are different, but overall my children adapt very well. Is the landscape really that much different once you pass into the Yukon territory? We are spending 6 days on land (self guided) prior to cruise. We plan to stop at the Iditarod headquarters, mostly to appease my daughter. So, going further into the Yukon would be more for the Yukon scenery and not so much for the sled dogs since we'll have that option prior to cruise (not that my daughter won/'t enjoy petting the sled dogs again :) )

Hey fourcruisers,

The 5 hour ice caves excursion in Juneau you planned. Is it the Mendenhall ice cave adventure tour with liquid Alaska tours?

Hey fourcruisers,

 

 

 

The 5 hour ice caves excursion in Juneau you planned. Is it the Mendenhall ice cave adventure tour with liquid Alaska tours?

Yes, that's the one!

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Actually it's With Above and Beyond Alaska. Although I've looked at and considered the Liquid Alaska tour as well.

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Actually it's With Above and Beyond Alaska. Although I've looked at and considered the Liquid Alaska tour as well.

 

 

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Nice! Ya my first choice was that one with above and beyond but I'm not in Juneau long enough. But very happy at least I can do the one with liquid tours :). I think for my next Alaska tours I would love to do the Channel Islands Kayak with above and beyond ;) it seems kayaking with whales is pretty much a guarantee with that tour :)

I think either tour will be great. They both have great reviews. The Channel Island Kayak sounds nice too! It's a tough decision for us because we have a BOGO for a glacier view kayak with another company (Alaska Travel Adventures). We'd miss the ice caves though. Trying to decide if it's worth the extra cost once I factor in the BOGO savings (almost $1K difference total for the four of us). Plus ice cave entrance isn't guaranteed. We just don't want to regret the possibility of missing out on the ice caves.

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I think either tour will be great. They both have great reviews. The Channel Island Kayak sounds nice too! It's a tough decision for us because we have a BOGO for a glacier view kayak with another company (Alaska Travel Adventures). We'd miss the ice caves though. Trying to decide if it's worth the extra cost once I factor in the BOGO savings (almost $1K difference total for the four of us). Plus ice cave entrance isn't guaranteed. We just don't want to regret the possibility of missing out on the ice caves.

 

 

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You know what, my advice, I would say definitely do the ice caves because mark my words, you will most definitely regret not doing the ice caves! You have to ask yourself "when am I gonna get this opportunity again?" You're going there so you might as well do it. It is an opportunity of a lifetime to walk into a glacier cave. Kayaking is also important to me also, which is why I am doing kayaking in ketchikan with southeast sea kayaks, which is another well known company with very high reviews :). Honestly branch out your excursions, do a variety of activities, that's how you get the most of your Alaskan experience :). You know after all the researching I've been doing, now I understand why people go back to Alaska 3 of 4 times lol. Soooooo much to see and do!

Hi! We just returned from our trip this past weekend. In Skagway, we did the White Pass train up to the summit of White Pass and then biked back down into town. Incredible! While the train up was amazing scenery, nothing compared to biking back down and being surrounded by the beautiful mountains and waterfalls. Not a lot of effort, as it was all downhill mostly. In Juneau we did a hike with Adventure Flow on the west glacier trail and it was wonderful! Just under 6 miles. The ice caves sound amazing -- could be worth noting our guide on the hike actually mentioned there are quite a few of the ice caves that are expected to collapse any day now.

In ISP, we did a whale watching excursion, and did see whales, but honestly no more than we saw from our balcony on the boat because the whales were all around the ship. The guide actually said the whales like to hang out by the port because a lot of fish are there. We also weren't here very long, so the whale watching trip ate up a lot of the port and we didn't have time to walk around town or anything. Looking back, I would have been happy with the amount of whales I saw from the port or ship than booking a separate excursion to see them. Obviously, hindsight is 20/20 and we didn't think we would see any without an excursion.

I called and spoke with ABAK and while they cannot guarantee access to the ice caves, they felt very positive. There are some ice caves on the verge of collapsing; however, there is another one currently forming. There were 4 spots left (there are 4 of us) so we decided to splurge and book it! We're super excited! :)

tnn0413 - thank you so much for the heads up on the whale watching tour. I'm not planning a tour for just that reason and your comments make me feel better about that decision. I'm hoping we see whales from the ship or during our Kenai Fjords NP tour with Major Marine in Seward (the day before our cruise sets sail).

Taking the WP train up and biking back down would be amazing! I get a bit nervous though with the kids...are there steep cliffs?

The 7.5 hour tour seems amazing, but again I'm concerned that it will be a very long day for the kids especially considering we will have just taken a 6.5 hour trip visiting Mendenhall glacier the day before. I spoke with the tour company and they said there would be no charge for me to upgrade from the 3.5 to the 7.5 as long as space is available. It would have to be a call ahead to make the change. I'm booking the 3.5 hr so we at least have something and then will give it some more thought, research, and maybe get some more feedback from some who have done this tour (especially those with kids).

Not sure what we'll do in Ketchikan, but I've read that it's the best place to souvenir shop and you can have your items shipped to home for a flat rate at one of the stores with a coupon (not sure where to get the coupon, but will research). So Maybe Ketchikan will be a leisure day unless someone has other suggestions.

Now, if I could decide on a heli tour or a fishing charter I think we'll be set. Not sure where to do those. We do have time in Seward that we could do one of those (1/2 trip) prior to boarding the ship.

Wow, so much to do in Alaska! Exciting trip, but I will be so glad when I have everything booked/planned and I can focus on packing! I guess this is what happens when we're a family who confirms last minute that we are going...but somehow it seems to always work out. Couldn't do it without help from fellow cruisers though! :)

I called and spoke with ABAK and while they cannot guarantee access to the ice caves, they felt very positive. There are some ice caves on the verge of collapsing; however, there is another one currently forming. There were 4 spots left (there are 4 of us) so we decided to splurge and book it! We're super excited! :)

 

tnn0413 - thank you so much for the heads up on the whale watching tour. I'm not planning a tour for just that reason and your comments make me feel better about that decision. I'm hoping we see whales from the ship or during our Kenai Fjords NP tour with Major Marine in Seward (the day before our cruise sets sail).

 

Taking the WP train up and biking back down would be amazing! I get a bit nervous though with the kids...are there steep cliffs?

 

The 7.5 hour tour seems amazing, but again I'm concerned that it will be a very long day for the kids especially considering we will have just taken a 6.5 hour trip visiting Mendenhall glacier the day before. I spoke with the tour company and they said there would be no charge for me to upgrade from the 3.5 to the 7.5 as long as space is available. It would have to be a call ahead to make the change. I'm booking the 3.5 hr so we at least have something and then will give it some more thought, research, and maybe get some more feedback from some who have done this tour (especially those with kids).

 

Not sure what we'll do in Ketchikan, but I've read that it's the best place to souvenir shop and you can have your items shipped to home for a flat rate at one of the stores with a coupon (not sure where to get the coupon, but will research). So Maybe Ketchikan will be a leisure day unless someone has other suggestions.

 

Now, if I could decide on a heli tour or a fishing charter I think we'll be set. Not sure where to do those. We do have time in Seward that we could do one of those (1/2 trip) prior to boarding the ship.

 

Wow, so much to do in Alaska! Exciting trip, but I will be so glad when I have everything booked/planned and I can focus on packing! I guess this is what happens when we're a family who confirms last minute that we are going...but somehow it seems to always work out. Couldn't do it without help from fellow cruisers though! :)

Wow! Congrats on getting the last 4 spots! I'm super excited for you guys! The same thing happened to me. In icy strait point I booked a private whale watching tour with glacier wind (only 6 people maximum boat) I got the last seat!

Wow! Congrats on getting the last 4 spots! I'm super excited for you guys! The same thing happened to me. In icy strait point I booked a private whale watching tour with glacier wind (only 6 people maximum boat) I got the last seat!

Thank you...and congrats to you for getting the last seat on whale watching tour! We didn't book that trip, but it's received great reviews! Maybe our next Alaska trip (I hope there's another)! Sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to! I think those seats were meant for us (as well as your last seat on the whale watching tour)! When is your trip? We are on the Millennium in June, with 6 days on land prior to cruise (self guided).

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Thank you...and congrats to you for getting the last seat on whale watching tour! We didn't book that trip, but it's received great reviews! Maybe our next Alaska trip (I hope there's another)! Sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to! I think those seats were meant for us (as well as your last seat on the whale watching tour)! When is your trip? We are on the Millennium in June, with 6 days on land prior to cruise (self guided).

 

 

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Aw now I'm getting emotional over here with your philosophical thinking haha! Thank you thank you! There was another private whale watching in ISP, FISHES. But I chose glacier Wind because their tour is half an hour longer. I thought any longer time on a whale watch tour is just an added bonus :). I'm doing a land cruise tour from July 6 to the 17th. The cruise part is the 10th- 17 with norwegian sun

Aw now I'm getting emotional over here with your philosophical thinking haha! Thank you thank you! There was another private whale watching in ISP, FISHES. But I chose glacier Wind because their tour is half an hour longer. I thought any longer time on a whale watch tour is just an added bonus :). I'm doing a land cruise tour from July 6 to the 17th. The cruise part is the 10th- 17 with norwegian sun

For Ketchikan I chose kayaking in this remote Prestine environment with southeast sea kayaks: have you heard of them? They have also received very high positive reviews. The trouble is with this one is that (I am a solo traveller) and they don't accept a single booking. So I have to wait for others to book

Aw now I'm getting emotional over here with your philosophical thinking haha! Thank you thank you! There was another private whale watching in ISP, FISHES. But I chose glacier Wind because their tour is half an hour longer. I thought any longer time on a whale watch tour is just an added bonus :). I'm doing a land cruise tour from July 6 to the 17th. The cruise part is the 10th- 17 with norwegian sun

:) I agree...more time on the water is bonus! I think July will be a great time to go! I was a little worried June would be early for Alaska. We usually take our vaca's in July, but June is what worked out for time off this year. This is only our second cruise ever (first was Disney Fantasy Caribbean) ...hope we didn't spoil all future cruises by taking a Disney cruise first.

Hope you have a wonderful trip! Thank you for your help! Your recommendation to go for it on the ice caves was the nudge we needed! [emoji846]

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Thanks all for the suggestions!

 

lucy2mb - Helpful to know that the 7.5 hr tour didn't seem too long! You mentioned your young adult children loved it. So do you think it's not too long of a tour for a 12 & 13 year old? I know that's a hard question since all children are different, but overall my children adapt very well. Is the landscape really that much different once you pass into the Yukon territory? We are spending 6 days on land (self guided) prior to cruise. We plan to stop at the Iditarod headquarters, mostly to appease my daughter. So, going further into the Yukon would be more for the Yukon scenery and not so much for the sled dogs since we'll have that option prior to cruise (not that my daughter won/'t enjoy petting the sled dogs again :) )

If your children adapt very well, I don't think it would be too long. Hopefully, there will be a lot of wildlife on your trip. What month is your cruise? You may have said that earlier. When we went on May 11, there was a lot of snow on the mountains and the scenery was beautiful!!! Going into the Yukon, you will see Emerald Lake which was beautiful. The driver will stop several times on the way back for pictures and if wildlife is spotted. I don't think we would have enjoyed the excursion as much if we had just taken the train up and back without going into the Yukon. When you stop for lunch, there is also a museum and store. If it had been a foggy day when we went, we would not have enjoyed it as much but we had perfect weather!!!

:) I agree...more time on the water is bonus! I think July will be a great time to go! I was a little worried June would be early for Alaska. We usually take our vaca's in July, but June is what worked out for time off this year. This is only our second cruise ever (first was Disney Fantasy Caribbean) ...hope we didn't spoil all future cruises by taking a Disney cruise first.

 

Hope you have a wonderful trip! Thank you for your help! Your recommendation to go for it on the ice caves was the nudge we needed! [emoji846]

 

 

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Wow, really? I was the nudge you needed? I'm honoured lol! Well I can tell you I haven't yet experienced the ice caves but from the videos I saw on YouTube I can tell you that it just may be one of the most amazing experiences of your life. And just remember, there's always the next Alaskan cruise :)

If your children adapt very well, I don't think it would be too long. Hopefully, there will be a lot of wildlife on your trip. What month is your cruise? You may have said that earlier. When we went on May 11, there was a lot of snow on the mountains and the scenery was beautiful!!! Going into the Yukon, you will see Emerald Lake which was beautiful. The driver will stop several times on the way back for pictures and if wildlife is spotted. I don't think we would have enjoyed the excursion as much if we had just taken the train up and back without going into the Yukon. When you stop for lunch, there is also a museum and store. If it had been a foggy day when we went, we would not have enjoyed it as much but we had perfect weather!!!

Ok, so now I'm leaning more toward the 7.5 hr trip into the Yukon. "I don't think we would have enjoyed the excursion as much if we had just taken the train up and back without going into the Yukon" was what I needed to hear. Many have recommended the 7.5 hr trip, but I've wondered how they would have felt just taking the shorter trip. We are going in June and will be in Skagway June 19. Hopefully we'll have good weather!

Wow, really? I was the nudge you needed? I'm honoured lol! Well I can tell you I haven't yet experienced the ice caves but from the videos I saw on YouTube I can tell you that it just may be one of the most amazing experiences of your life. And just remember, there's always the next Alaskan cruise :)

Haha! Yes, the nudge we needed....we'd been saying similar things, but still couldn't commit! Hearing someone else say what we'd been thinking and discussing between ourselves was the nudge we needed I think! We too had watched youtube videos and thought it looked amazing! Just last week someone had shared this video on FB. That's what got us to looking at the ice caves! I hadn't before realized they were so amazing! I sent the video to my husband at work and he replied "we should do the ice caves!"

https://www.facebook.com/dopetraveling/videos/1285780931541337/

Haha! Yes, the nudge we needed....we'd been saying similar things, but still couldn't commit! Hearing someone else say what we'd been thinking and discussing between ourselves was the nudge we needed I think! We too had watched youtube videos and thought it looked amazing! Just last week someone had shared this video on FB. That's what got us to looking at the ice caves! I hadn't before realized they were so amazing! I sent the video to my husband at work and he replied "we should do the ice caves!"

https://www.facebook.com/dopetraveling/videos/1285780931541337/

Oh my gosh most amazing video ever!! Now I'm even more excited for this experience!

With regards to Skagway, the train is the best choice. You also learn about the gold rush history on the trains also apparently? If you're interested in hiking in the Yukon have you looked at packer expeditions? They offer a couple awesome hikes: I'm doing the Laughton glacier hike and white pass rail. It includes the train ride to the Yukon:)

We just got back from our Alaskan cruise on May 16th. I highly recommend the 7 and a half hour Yukon Rail and Bus excursion with Chilkoot Tours. Our young adult children loved it. Going into the Yukon was so beautiful. We also got to pet the dogs and and other animals at the petting area. Got to see two dog sledding groups leaving. It was fun just watching them choose the dogs to run. The lunch at Carcross was very good. This was our favorite excursion ever! We took the early excursion at 7:30 and had a couple hours of shopping when we got back before our early dining at 5:30. If you decide on this excursion, book asap before they sell out. This is a very popular excursion. I hope you are able to get James as your driver. He was a great tour guide!!!

We had James from Chilkoot on the 23rd he was great!!! Do the 7.5hr one the Yukon was the best part. He dropped us off in town and had time to walk around and shop.

Ketchikan we did the totem pole park which was interesting and the lumberjack show was cute. Our tablemates did the fjords and said it was nothing you couldn't see from the ship.

Ok, so now I'm leaning more toward the 7.5 hr trip into the Yukon. "I don't think we would have enjoyed the excursion as much if we had just taken the train up and back without going into the Yukon" was what I needed to hear. Many have recommended the 7.5 hr trip, but I've wondered how they would have felt just taking the shorter trip. We are going in June and will be in Skagway June 19. Hopefully we'll have good weather!

I hope you have great weather like we did! Just beware of the giant mosquitoes in Alaska. They told us we probably wouldn't have any problem going early May and we didn't but we did see a few and they were huge!

Ask for James to be your driver! He told great stories! We all thought he was amazing!