HI everybody,

For those planning Alaska excursions for this summer, here is our experience at Kroschel Wildlife Center from back in August 2018. It was a great experience and highly recommended if you are looking for a long excursion in Skagway (or Haines).

Throw me a like and a subscribe if you feel so led. Enjoy!

I always do.  Being wet and not being able to do anything about it is not fun, especially if it's cold.

We went into Endicott Arm on Emerald Princess last August and took this excursion.  It was the highlight of the whole trip.  It's expensive but totally worth it if you can afford it.  The ship did not get very close to the glacier at all.  It stopped 2-3 miles away, did a 360, and left.  We got within about 1/4 mile of the glacier and had amazing views of it.  The boat stayed at the glacier for about 2 hours, then we saw a bunch of waterfalls on the way out of the fjord.  At the opening of the fjord we say a small group of humpbacks feeding so they stopped the boat for about 30 minutes so we could watch.  Then it took us all the way back to Juneau and we disembarked onto our cruise ship.  The only downside is that you are on the small boat for a very long time, and by the end I was getting a little tired of being on there, but it's only a minor complaint.  We still had plenty of time to hike Mount Roberts in Juneau, but this will depend on your ship's schedule.  Here is a link to the YouTube video I made of the experience if it helps you decide if it is for you.

Thanks for posting.  We will be on the Island in July for a southbound trip.  Any special tips or info about the ship?

Wife and I had a vista suite on Emerald Princess, deck 9, last August for an Alaska cruise.  The room was incredible.  The balcony was massive and couldn't be beat for the privacy, comfort, and views.  We are not very social people so that factor was worth it, since we spent the majority of the down time out there reading or looking for whales.  The aft-port location gave us ~270-degree views of what we were passing on both sides of the ship.  That alone was worth the money IMO.

Every port morning we had the suite room service breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausage, and all the other good stuff.  Regular rooms just get continental breakfast for room service.  It really helped fuel our bodies for the early excursions we had when we didn't have time to go out for breakfast.  Coffee was still terrible but it served its function.  We only ordered MDR room service on the last formal night because we didn't bring formal clothes and they were serving lobster that night.  The lobster wasn't spectacular but it was fun anyway.  

We took advantage of the free specialty dining on the first night at the steak house.  It was very good, especially dessert.  I liked the Club Class dining on the nights we ate in the MDR mainly because of the fact that we were seated immediately and we liked the staff a lot.  One aspect we felt a little uncomfortable with is how the dining staff and the room steward seemed to dote on us.  We are not snobby or pretentious people so we aren't used to that type of "high-class" service.  This isn't a complaint in any way, we just feel awkward and out of our element with that type of service.  We are just a young childless couple with plenty of disposable income who decided a suite would be fun.

I took full advantage of the free mini-bar.  We asked our steward to replace all the sodas and liquors we didn't like with ones we do.  The two daily included water bottles were delivered in the evening, which was nice, but I drink a lot of water so we bought some at the first port to supplement that.  We never used the spa thermal suite, which is a suite perk, so I can't speak to that.  

One aspect of the suite I really liked was the bathroom.  The shower is plenty big enough for a non-obese person to have plenty of room.  The bath/shower area is segregated from the head, which allows for privacy if you prefer not to crap next to your spouse.  The sink had plenty of counter space too.  The tiled floors are also a nice touch.  We never used the jetted tub, but it would be nice for those inclined to such bathing.

All in all, the suite was a great sanctuary after physically strenuous excursions and crowded areas of the ship.  The balcony will probably never be beat.  All the other perks were just a bonus.  The only possible downside for some people is the vibration and wake noise.  We found this aspect soothing and it helped us fall asleep, but some people might not appreciate it the same way.

One warning though- just like those Hulu commercials that claim that TV will be ruined for you forever, and how you should never add bacon or fly first class, it will be hard for us to ever reserve a non-suite stateroom on a cruise ship in the future.  Whatever you decide, you will have a great trip.  Alaska was spectacular.  Possibly my favorite vacation of all time.

I did my first Alaska cruise last August.  Some suggestions:

• Binoculars
• Water proof/resistant pants.  It will be raining and you will want to sit at some point.  A wet butt isn't pleasant.
• Umbrella on that note.
• Envelope with passport copies and return flight boarding passes.  My wife and I had such an envelope in each of our suitcases just in case.  Pre-printing your boarding passes reduces the hassle at the end of the trip.  I also printed out our cruise contract and related documents.  Also bring print-outs proving that you've paid for your excursions.  You never know if you'll need them.
• Some small bills (5s and 1s) to hand out as tips if that is your inclination.
• A good camera with an long optical zoom.
• Pack some warm weather clothes as well, especially if you will be hiking.  It should be fairly cool in May but strenuous activity will get you sweating if you're wearing all your layers.
• Sanitizing wipes to wipe down your room on embarkation day.  My wife does this religiously at every hotel room we stay in and it helps banish the thought of whose ass has been on that toilet seat before you, or what has been done with that TV remote.

A couple more tips for an Alaska cruise:

• Don't drink like you would on a tropical "relaxing" cruise.  A hangover will make your expensive and physically demanding excursions a lot less fun.  
• Take the stairs everywhere you go.  Burn every calorie you can.  Long walks around the promenade deck after meals helps too.
• Make sure you are outside or on an aft balcony during the Skagway sail away for at least a couple hours.  That was some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. 
• If you are going into Tracy Arm or Endicott Arm, the glacier explorer excursion is well-worth the money.  You will barely catch a glimpse of those glaciers if you stay on the ship.  Being on the small boats 1/4 miles from the face was amazing.  There is a good chance for some whale watching too on these boats.
• Mt. Roberts in Juneau has some nice and relatively easy hiking trails.  The tram seems pricey, but it is a lot cheaper than going on an excursion.  Just watch out for bears and steep drop-offs.  Parents we letting their little kids run all over the place up there where they could easily get hurt. 
• On that note, don't treat Alaska like Disneyland.  Nature doesn't care that you are on vacation.  If you go hiking or walking in the woods you are in the middle of nature, and nature will kill you if you give it the chance.  We saw so many people who seemed oblivious to the potential danger out there.  They weren't even supervising their very edible small children (literally toddlers) in the middle of bear country and next to 100-foot drop offs on the trails.  
• All the wonderful, fresh seafood you are looking forward to in the ports is just as expensive there as it is back home, if not more so.  Be prepared for that if you plan to eat in port.

That was more than a couple, but it's hard to stop once I get going.  Have a great trip!  We are going again in July on Island Princess.

Skagway Sail Away:

Hiking on Mt. Roberts, Juneau:

3 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

For clarification.   The twin Sawyer Glaciers are at the end of Tracy Arm.  The Dawes Glacier is at the end of Endicott Arm

Oops! Got them mixed up.

My wife and I did the Tracy Arm excursion back in August from the Emerald Princess.  We ended up in Endicott Arm at the Sawyer Glacier instead, but it was amazing.  Best part of the whole trip.

I don't have any information about helicopter tours unfortunately.  When we got back to the ship we had a quick bite to eat and changed clothes.  We then took the Mt. Roberts Tramway up the mountain and spent the afternoon hiking up there.  It was a perfect change of pace being outdoors with amazing views after feeling trapped on a boat all day with 100 other people.  The trails are pretty easy and the views up there are amazing.  Burning off a ton of calories also felt good on the fourth day of a cruise.  It was also very inexpensive (relatively speaking).

After we got done on the mountain we walked around Juneau a bit and bought some tourist crap.  We got back on the ship for dinner and then went to bed early.  Being on that tour boat all day is pretty tiring (and we are in our mid-30s with no kids haha).

Here's a video of the glacier excursion we were on if you're interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDfLwKg4v5Q