PittsburghNative

Then there was Skagway. There are a ton of highly rated restaurants, so here are a few to get you started:

Skagway Fish Company

Olivia’s at the Skagway Inn

https://www.skagwayinn.com 

Bites on Broadway

http://www.bitesonbroadway.com 

Starfire

http://www.starfirealaska.com 

Woadie’s South East Seafood

https://www.woadiesses.com 

Sweet Tooth Cafe

Gold Digger Mine and Dine

Klondike Doughboy

http://klondikedoughboy.com

BBQ Shack

Skagway Brewing Company

http://www.skagwaybrewing.com 

Glacier Smoothies and Espresso

https://www.glacialcoffeehouse.com 

Red Onion Saloon

http://redonion1898.com 

The stores I’ll be stopping at:

Art Glass Alaska

Nature Creations

Alaska Christmas Tour

Taiya River Arts

Alaska Shirt Company

Alaska Artworks

I’m going to Alaska next week and Amazon has been my best friend for the last month. Some things I bought were a power strip with extra USB and outlets as the cabin never has enough, travel pill organizer so I’m not bringing a million bottles, travel size jewelry organizer to keep all my pieces in one place, portable folding hangers, packing cubes, a selfie stick (yes I’m one of those people). Since it may be chilly to me as I live in Miami, I bought gloves, hats, a scarf, thermal underwear. Lastly, I may not need it but just in case, motion sickness patches. Of course, I’ve been buying athletic t-shirts, long sleeves, zippered jackets, etc.

2 hours ago, joepeka said:

On a related note about Ketchikan, I know there will be three ships in port (including ours) this Summer and I cannot find any information as to the docking capacity of Ketchikan. Can three ships be accommodated at the dock(s) in Ketchikan?

Yes. Most days in the summer there are 3 - 5 ships at a time. I noticed one day even has 6 ships.

10 hours ago, Love to Cook! said:

we are also on the 9:15. Yes i signed up for the roll call 😊

If we don’t see you at the Connections party, then be on the lookout for a mother-daughter duo on the excursion 😊

2 hours ago, Love to Cook! said:

We are also on that cruise! There are 6 of us and we are on deck 8. 3 couples all celebrating anniversaries.  

 

We are on the same whale watching excursion in Juneau!

 

We are doing zip lining in Ketchikan, we rented 2 Jeeps in Skagway, a hiking tour in Icy Strait, cultural tour in Sitka and a Winery and Distillery tour in Victoria

That’s awesome!!! Congrats on everyone’s anniversaries! What time is your whale watching excursion?! We signed up for 9:15am.

Did you join the roll call?

Sitka is next! 

Bayview Restaurant

https://www.sitkabayviewpub.com

Ludwig’s Bistro 

http://www.ludvigsbistro.com

Mean Queen 

https://www.meanqueensitka.com

Beak Restaurant

Chocolate Moose

Halibut Point Crab and Chowder

https://www.halibutpointcrab.com 

Ashmo’s

Highliner Coffee 

http://stores.highlinercoffee.com

Channel Club

Sitka Hotel

https://sitkahotel.com 

The stores I’ll be stopping at:

Alaska Pure Sea Salt Company

Goldsmith Gallery

The Russian American Company

Sitka Pioneers Home Gift Shop

Wintersong Soap Company

26 minutes ago, tiger belle said:

I've done that one, too...it was fun but also quite scary! 😮

 

It looks super cool and is in a beautiful setting but I must admit I’m nervous to try it out.

55 minutes ago, Italy52 said:

KetchiCandies, yum!!!!!!!!!!!  Always make this stop when we are in Ketchikan.

I hear great things about it!

Finally found a nice set of thermal underwear if anyone else was looking for a pair: 

https://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Underwear-Women-Fleece-XX-Large/dp/B07G7671C3/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1_sspa?crid=MHLQW52KYT20&keywords=mancyfit+thermal+underwear+for+women&qid=1556066125&s=gateway&sprefix=mancyfit&sr=8-1-fkmrnull-spons&psc=1

I heard that whale-watching gets better as you go into the summer months. For those that have done whale-watching tours in May, will I see much? I understand there are “whale sighting guarantees,” but I would hate to just see one or two on a trip. I’ll be taking a tour in Juneau.

Over the next several days, I’m going to highlight a port and mention a few shops that I personally want to check out. In addition, I researched some of the most popular restaurants (including specialty places, like candy stores, coffee shops, etc) and will include their information. I am basing the mentioned restaurants off of website articles, TripAdvisor, and Google/Facebook reviews. As always, feel free to add your opinions and if there are other shops/restaurants that one should visit.

First up....Ketchikan! In no particular order for the restaurants:

Bar Harbor Restaurant

The Alaska Fish House 

https://exclusivealaska.com/fish-house

Sweet Mermaids

Annabelle’s

http://www.annabellesketchikan.com

George Inlet Crab Feast  

https://catchcrabs.com

Burger Queen

Alava’s Fish n Chowder

New York Cafe 

http://newyorkcafe.net

The Asylum Bar  

https://www.theasylumbar.com

KetchiCandies 

http://ketchicandies.com 

The stores I’ll be stopping at:

The Rain Barrel

Caribou Creek Company

Tongass Trading Company

Crazy Wolf Studio

The Captain’s Lady

Fish Creek Company

Ketchikan Mining Company

Sockeye Sam’s

1 hour ago, masterdrago said:

Following this for the restaurant searches. Mostly to do lunches.

I hope to have those listed this week 😊

I’m setting up my Trip Report a couple weeks in advance. I hope to provide information that will help other cruisers.

My mom (early 50s) and I (30 years old) are taking a Girls Trip on the Celebrity Eclipse out of Vancouver, BC for a 10-Night Ultimate Alaska cruise. This will be the Eclipse's inaugural Alaska season. If it wasn’t for this long itinerary (I think anything below 10-nights is too short!), we were going to do the 7-Night Northern Glacier cruise aboard the recently revolutionized Celebrity Millennium, plus add the Denali Express land tour. I wanted to bring my mom on this sailing as she doesn’t travel much, and I want to celebrate Mother’s Day onboard with her. Also, we don’t see each other that often, as she lives in South Carolina and I live in Miami, so this will be a great mother-daughter trip.

I booked this trip about 1.5 years ago and cannot believe that in 16 days, our trip of a lifetime will begin! Side note is that my mom wasn’t so eager to go on this cruise. She has been on two cruises, one with Princess and the other with NCL, both to the Caribbean. I told her that this trip will not even compare to the Caribbean and to give Celebrity a try. I am happy to say she is finally getting more excited with each day that we are nearing the cruise.

We decided to sail AquaClass and had a wonderful A1 mid-ship location on Deck 11. Just the other day, though, I was given the amazing opportunity to upgrade to a Sky Suite S1 category. For those that are not sure where these are located, they are the corner aft units. I cannot believe we scored one of these suites. I feel like any aft facing stateroom is one of the best to have onboard an Alaskan sailing, as you will have 180-degree views of the stunning scenery. My mom has no idea we have been upgraded from an A1 to a S1, and it is so hard to keep it a secret!

We will be traveling to Vancouver on May 7^th, spending a full day in the city on May 8^th, and embarking on May 9^th. For those who have never been to Vancouver, I suggest you spend a few days here. It’s a gorgeous city! We scored an Airbnb condo near Stanley Park for 2 nights at a great price. I know some may be weary of staying in an Airbnb, but we made sure we rented the entire place and we are also used to these types of accommodations, as this will be our 5^th Airbnb.

The following is our itinerary and what we plan on doing in each port:

Day 1: Embarkation Day in Vancouver!

Day 2: Cruising the Inside Passage!

Day 3: Ketchikan: We will be doing this port on our own. We will be heading out to Totem Bight State Historical Park and will also check out Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. Afterwards, we will be checking out Creek Street

Day 4: Sitka: This is the other port we are doing on our own. We are still deciding whether to walk or take a cab to the Raptor Center. Afterwards, we will take a bus/cab to Fortress of the Bears and then head over to Sitka National Historic Park. Depending on time, we may check out some Russian landmarks in town.

Day 5: Skagway: My mom and I will be splitting up in the morning to do our own excursions. My mom will be doing the “Sled Dog and Musher’s Camp” excursion, while I will be flying with TEMSCO to do the Dogsledding and Glacier tour. I couldn’t get my mom to fly in a heli, but this is a huge personal bucket list experience to check off. Later, we will meetup and explore Skagway together.

Day 6: Icy Strait Point: Another port where my mom and I will split up for a couple hours. I will be doing ZipRider (SUPER excited!) and my mom will be relaxing in town until I’m done. After the excursion, we will meetup and explore the town.

Day 7: Juneau: My mom and I have elected to do the “Ben Fogle’s Great Adventures: Alaska’s Whales, Glaciers and Rainforests” excursion with Gastineau Guiding. This is a 5-hour tour that must be arranged with the cruise line. Afterward, depending on weather, we plan on going to Mount Roberts Tramway.

Day 8: Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier – Cruising!

Day 9: Sea Day

Day 10: Victoria, BC – We have a full day here! We booked via CVS Tours to take us to Butchart Gardens. While there, we will be going to The Dining Room to have afternoon tea. Both my mom and I love the Victoria era, so we thought this experience will be unique!

Day 11: Debarkation Day in Vancouver, BC 😞 Since our flights don’t leave until 10:30pm, we found a great tour with Landsea Tours and Adventures called Vancouver Delights. It is a 7-hour tour that visits all the main sightseeing spots in Vancouver and takes us to The Capilano Suspension Bridge. The awesome part of all this is that Landsea will store our luggage AND take us to the airport!

*If anyone has any other recommendations on places to see in these ports, please let me know!*

I am still researching the top restaurants and stores to check out in each port, and will add those to the trip report.

Are there months that are worse than others to spot whales?

I've been seeing a lot of posts on what souvenirs to buy in Alaska, but I haven't seen too many that mention specific stores. Out of those ports I mentioned, what was your favorite store and why? I've been looking on tripadvisor to see the most popular stores, but would like some recommendations from those on this forum. Thanks in advance!

22 minutes ago, rick160158 said:

Google...."Best places to eat in Ketchikan".

I think she wants some recommendations. Anyone can Google that.

OP, I can’t say as I’ve never been but my mom and I are also cruising next month. Have fun!

As others have said, the shops are extremely expensive. I was on the Edge in December looking for magnets or ornaments (I collect both), and they had none...EXCEPT they did sell a photo ornament in the photo gallery. I was hoping they got them in stock by now, as my friend is sailing on her in September and I wanted her to buy them on her cruise. I did “splurge” and bought a hat, travel coffee mug, and a small wine tumbler. I think it came out to $100ish.

1 hour ago, JT1962 said:

 

Yes, but not to the extent I have seen it this year. I don’t recall seeing Inside Cabins for $ 399 and Balconies for $ 599 in years past. 

Ususlly it’s for guarantee staterooms too. I like to know where I’ll be onboard. I couldn’t imagine being placed under the casino or pool area. I’m in the travel industry and this pricing should be during very early in the season or very late. Summer is prime time due to demand, so I have a hard time believing pricing then will be that low. But as Coral said, it’s common low pricing is given after final payment and close to the sail date.

4 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I do agree if the OP has never dined in Blu that they should try it at a time where it is not busy.  Good idea to try it when the MDR menu (also available in Luminae) and the Luminae menus do not excite them.  

Luminae will prepare the food that’s in the MDR?

4 hours ago, hcat said:

The menus  look very diff to me and BLU has more choices.   We  have only been in BLU ( many times),   but from photos posted, BLU seems to have simpler fare... Some of the Luminae items look too fussy for us..but everyone seems to love it. Suite guests pay more for the exclusivity,  service and food there...but BLU may be worth a try,

Im actually wondering how much I’ll enjoy Luminae, as the menu features food I don’t eat too often (which there is no harm in trying new cuisine). I’m a very picky eater, so I did feel like Blu was more like what I’m used to eating. I’m not meaning for this to come off that Luminae won’t be amazing, it’s just what I personally think because I’m a plain eater.

My flight time is the same, so I’m doing a 7-hour sightseeing tour with Landsea Tours. They store your luggage AND take you to the airport 👍🏻

5 hours ago, Magellan321 said:

The above pics are form just off the hiking trail in the Sitka national Park.

Love the photos! Can’t wait to see it in a few weeks.

45 minutes ago, Magellan321 said:

We walked all of Sitka. We started at St Michael's Russian Orthodox church then headed off along Lincoln St to Baranof Castle State Historical Site followed by continuing along Lincoln St to Sitka Sound Science Center and finishing at the Sitka National Park. It is a trek, but beautiful views. 

We were considering walking to the Raptor Center and throughout Sitka National Park and take transportation to Fortress of the Bears. Do you recommend to stop at any of the places you visited?

Thanks for the advice! I definitely don’t want to intrude on AQ guests, but if it’s possible, I think it would be nice to try it out and to compare it to Luminae. Does Luminae and Blu post their menus in advance?

I’ll be staying in a suite on the Eclipse in 3 weeks and I was wanting to try out Blu. I know suite guests can dine there IF there’s availability. Is it hard to get a reservation in Blu? Is it even worth trying one night?