JP96

How many hours did you book with the private charter at El Cielo? Looks like Cozumel cruise Excursions gives you options.

Thank you all!

Have you heard any feedback on Jewel Runaway Bay in comparison?

Any that you recommend out of Falmouth?

We are looking to buy a day pass from the Falmouth cruise port to Jewel Runaway or Royalton.  Is it best to purchase these directly from the resort or through another website? If we want our own private transportation to and from the resort so we are not waiting for a bus from the cruise port, what do you recommend?

Thanks!

Glad you found the list helpful! The Alaska Fish & Game has a program whereby young people can obtain a certificate for recording the wildlife they observe--might want to check that out, too!

 

Sorry, but I don't know the current edition of Armstrong's book--ours is about 8 years old and still "works" for identifying Alaska birds. :D

 

Hope your little guy has a wonderful time.

Thank you, I found the program and it looks great! It should keep him occupied for a while!

Grouse Montain offers a free shuttle service from in front of Canada Place. However the more I think about it the more I think a trip to Stanley Park with a bird book of the PNW birds and a pair of binoculars would entertain an 11 yr old for at least 1/2 day.

Thank you, we will definitely head to Stanley Park!

Thoughts....

• Grouse Mountain has a Bird show that is worth checking out!
  
• Stanley Park has a larger Heron colony. Those are HUGE birds! http://stanleyparkecology.ca/conservation/urban-wildlife/herons/
  
• order a hot dog from the Stanley Park concession.... you might just get that close encounter!
  
• Queen Elizabeth Park's Bloedel conservatory has birds. Look out below!
  
• Hard to get to.... but the Westham Island Bird Sanctuary may be worth exploring. http://www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com/
  
• the local Chinese restaurants serve a variety of birds to sample
  

 

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Thank you! You gave me a good laugh! If you have recommendations for a good Chinese restaurant, I would love that!

We will be sure to check out Grouse Mountain! We are staying by the cruise ship terminal so I will have to figure out the best way to get there. The Reifel Sanctuary looks terrific but we would have to rent a car and I'm not sure if we have time for it. I did check out Avocet Bird Tours as Putterdude mentioned. Not sure if anyone has feedback on them...

Thank you!

Love hearing of young people who are interested in birding! Suggestions:

 

Robert Armstrong's "Guide to the Birds of Alaska" is hard to beat.

 

Sibley's app is a handy reference for identifying birds--set the location to Alaska and it gets you there pretty quickly.

 

The Birds page on FirstAlaskaCruise.com contains great photos and information:

http://www.firstalaskacruise.com/birds.html

 

The Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game website's page on birds is also helpful:

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=birdviewing.main

 

"Alaska Cruise Wildlife Watch," published by Stray Feather Press out of Canada, is a wonderful pocket-size quick reference guide to help you identify birds and marine mammals you're likely to see from a cruise ship. It's the best thing like it I've ever seen and have used it for years. Bought it on a ship years ago but I think you can purchase directly from:

http://www.strayfeathers.ca/

 

Happy Alaska birding!

Thank you, this is very helpful! We have Sibley's but now I purchased the iPhone App. Do you know which edition of Armstrong's book is the most recent and best? Looks like there are several on Amazon.

I have an eleven year old who is fanatical about birds and I would like to arrange a tour with someone who knows the birds of the area.

We will be in Vancouver towards the end of July.

Any suggestions?

I have an 11 year old who is into birds. Can you recommend your favorite bird books for Alaska? There are several on Amazon.

We will be in Vancouver, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau.

Thanks

I have read posts mentioning Beyond Skagway, Trail of 98, Dyea Dave, Alaska Excursions and Chilkoot. Beyond Skagway and Trail of '98 go to Michelle Phillips' dog camp. I'm not sure if this involves a Unimog ride as is mentioned with Alaska Excursions and some of the other tour companies.

If we are looking for a private tour for 6 people that includes dog mushing and a trip to the Yukon, which would you go with?

Thanks!

You can walk around the docks and grab a coke from a convenience store..... Trying to figure out if you are trying to occupy 4 hours of time or 1 hour of time. Whittier is a fishing town, boat dock town. Everyone who lives in this town lives in one very large apartment building and that building includes the school, etc... In the winter, people don't have to leave their building. It used to be a military town. In the summer, it is used for fishing and boat trips. So walking around town will take less then 30 minutes. I had my dog with me the last time I was there so we enjoyed walking and took up more time. With out the dog, it is a quicker walk.

 

I would definitely plan to do a boat ride here or take an early bus back to Anchorage right away - you don't want to sit around for 4 hours. The train/bus viewing is not as scenic as Anchorage to Seward so I would not put a priority on train. If you plan on skipping the boat ride, I would check with Princess to see if they are running a train to Anchorage or take the bus.

 

The boat trips (Majorie Marine 2 trips and Phillips) are all unique and these three trips in Whittier are enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. I have done the Surprise glacier but have skipped the 26 glacier to catch up on sleeping.

Too bad Princess does not go into Seward!

I have done Major Marine and yes, it would be a let down after a Tracy Arm small boat tour. The Major Marine/Surprise Glacier tour was a good boat trip.

 

You can only do so much :) Enjoy the whale watch.

 

It does blow me away though the amount of whales and sightings of wildlife (bears, etc..) that I have seen on Tracy Arm tour and it is an all day tour and the cost is the same as a 3 hour whale tour. Look at DougH's pictures listed on the other thread. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1283269&highlight=adventure+bound

Thanks. Is there anything else we can do in Whittier while waiting for the train besides Major Marine?

Sunset is at 11 pm or so in Alaska in July

 

Yes - you can do the Phillips 26 glacier cruise. They time it so that you can do the boat trips and make the train back to Anchorage. Whittier is so small, as in really small. No problems making the train.

 

IMO - You are doing a great itinerary. Princess's Northbound itinerary is exceptional. You should look at AdventureBound in Juneau to visit Tracy Arm in a small boat as you should have time for that. Though it takes up the whole day but is amazing.

 

The scenery is more spectacular from Anchorage to Seward (thus the Dome cars) compared to Whittier to Anchorage.

Is the Major Marine or Phillips Boat in Whittier going to be a let down after that Tracey arm tour? We were thinking of a 6 hr. private whale watching/wildlife boat combined with some fishing in Juneau. Not sure if fishing would be better in Ketchikan.

The train leaves late in the day ... timed perfectly for people who want to take a Prince William Sound cruise pre or post their Alaska cruise.

 

I'm sure Whittier cars are sold out at this point. You're kinda late for planning a summer 2016 trip so even the Anchorage deals will be hard to find. I've found the best deals at Enterprise at the Intl'l Airport Rd office.

 

Other options include cruiseline transfer, independent transfer, Seward buslines, Park Connection Bus. For transfer companies, look on http://www.anchorage.net

Is there anything to see on the train back to Anchorage or will it be too dark? I called Alaska Railroad and they said it is not a domed rail train like the one HAL runs from Seward, so just an ordinary train. Will there be cabs at the station in Anchorage to get to a hotel at that time of night?

Also, the Phillips 26 glacier cruise gets back an hour before the train leaves. Is that cutting it too close or will we need to do the shorter Glacier Quest?

Thanks!

So I think we are settled on the Coral. Rental cars may be all sold out already in Whittier. Is the railroad an option for transfers back to Anchorage after the cruise or is the bus the only option?

Thanks

I'd choose Coral.

 

With only 3-4 days I think your best option would be to explore the area between Anchorage and Seward.

As much as I enjoy Denali, it would take your entire time frame ... getting there and back plus a day for the shuttle. Whereas the Kenai would be short travel times with multiple points of interest for kids AND adults.

 

http://www.alaska.org/guide/turnagain-arm-drive

Mapleleaves, if we stayed longer, like 5 days, do you think there is still much sitting for that age group, if we take the direct to the wilderness rail? I don't recall seeing anything but scenery when I did the trip years ago. I think they may be too young.

I can't comment on Alaska (first cruise there yet to happen) but I will say my DS who is 11 loves Club HAL. They have great staff and a nice mix of activities. He loves it so much he ditches us whenever it is open! I am actually worried he will not see any scenery in Alaska when we are not in port because he will be so busy playing ;)

 

DH and I like HAL a lot - staff is excellent, food excellent, and we prefer the more grown up feel of the ship to more party oriented cruise lines.

Thanks for replying. That's good to know since my kids would be in that age range. Have you ever tried Princess?

We will sail Celebrity, Holland America and Princess. Will not sail NCL again. While this may not mean much to Budget Queen -- we though the free food was awful and we really don't like having to pay for food on a cruise. Food is part of our cruise enjoyment and experience. NCL does not compare well compared to Celebrity, Holland America and Princess as far as included items. We can eat on Celebrity, Holland America and Princess with out having to pay extra and we feel satisfied. And while all the cruise lines are charging more for everything NCL is a head of the pack. Think twice before picking NCL. Read some reviews of NCL cruises. We are not impressed with Celebrity's itinerary so we do not sail that line in Alaska. Our cruise on the Coral Princess was great. Great itinerary. I agree with you not to pay the Disney premium on the cruise.

Thanks for your opinion. I agree. We don't do this often enough for it to be a mode of transportation to the interior of Alaska. We want the cruise itself to be enjoyable/high end, with better food, service, etc. Vacation for me means a break from cooking and cleaning up all of the time. I guess that is what attracted me to Disney in the first place since they do everything well. But perhaps that can be found on Princess and HAL. I don't know Princess and have never cruised with them, but have done many HAL cruises and think they do a good job. I would go for a cruise with them but they don't offer a second glacier day instead of another day at sea (at least on their one way itineraries). Maybe glacier bay would be enough. Plus the smoking on HAL on balconies is an issue for me. It could be totally fine though.

To clarify... does the Coral price include the plane ride up to Whittier to begin/end your journey?

 

Disney is round trip and does not need a plane ride.

 

As mentioned earlier.... land tour opportunities at Whittier can also add to the Corel price.

 

Also.... are you photo junkies.... Princess pictures can add up.

 

Personally, with the added people..... I think Corel offers more opportunity than snorting all that pixie dust.

No, we will have to arrange our own airfare with either cruise line. We have some miles we will try to use. Not sure if they will get us to Anchorage or back.

We are not that photogenic!

Coral Princess has an excellent itinerary and is a great ship! I love the one ways.

 

I think Disney has one of the weakest schedules in Alaska.

 

Enjoy your cruise! Your kids will be fine on whatever ship you choose.

Did you do a north or southbound Coral? Any touring before or after?

IF you are available to do a one way cruise, and can add several days- that results in a lot more "Alaska". Especially with a wildlife priority, your top jackpots are Denali Park and Kenai fjords. On the inside passage- whale watches are 100% successful for humpbacks out of Juneau.

 

Frankly, add ALL the TIME you can, you really need 5 days- at least, in my opinion. Better is to have a Seward ship- NCL, has an excellent itinerary as well.

 

NO don't consider any cruise tour with a family- the most costly option seeing the least. :)

 

IF you have the time to invest- you need at least 2 nights at Denali and the shuttle bus to at least Eielson. In Kenai fjords, out of Seward- you need a boat tour of at least 6 hours on the water, and at least an overnight, another night in Anchorage/Mat Su/Girdwood.

 

Another suggestion is a stop at Girdwood, trek on the Winner trail, a look at the Portage Glacier Visitor site, Surprise Glacier boat tour out of Whittier- very frequently seeing rafts of sea otters. Mat Su- glacier trekking of Matanuska Glacier- an easy accessible bargain.

Thank you. I'll look into NCL. People on the forums here seem to indicate that NCL is low-end, but I think their itinerary with GB and Hubbard is a good one. I think Seward would be preferable as a disembarkation port.

iMO at 12 year old might not be very impressed with a Disney Cruise. I would also consider Celebrity. They also have facilities for kids, preteens and teens. Save the money and send on a suite or great shore excursions.

 

Enjoy Alaska. We really did!

I thought Celebrity was more suited towards adults. It does not include Glacier Bay either, but I do hear people love ISP.