chicky88

As for salmon, you may or may not see them in Ketchikan. We usually cruise at the end of July, and rarely see salmon running in Ketchikan. When we have asked locals, they say we are just a little too early. One trip a few years ago, we saw thousands of salmon spawning in Juneau, at the Shrine of St. Therese, but none at all in Ketchikan that same week.

Thanks for the heads up on the salmon. I'll let him know he should look into it more closely.

Binoculars are on my list of items to order before we go. We also have a digital camera with strong zoom.

The sea otters (for me) and salmon (for him) are the top two "up close" priorities, so I'm definitely keeping the excursion and planning to see the salmon in Ketchikan.

There are so many options that I'm trying hard to balance the travel budget while maximizing the experience. It's not every day (or year!) that we get to cruise Alaska!

Excellent information - just what I was looking for. I really want to see the sea otters so I'm going to keep the excursion. But I definitely also plan to be on deck as much as possible.

Thanks!

My husband and I are on the Eurodam (HAL) at the end of July. Ports are Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, and a day in Glacier Bay.

Right now, we have two excursions booked - the Five Glacier Seaplane Exploration in Juneau and Sea Otter & Wildlife Quest in Sitka. The seaplane is something we both really want to do, but I'm debating the Sea Otter/Wildlife Quest in Sitka.

My question is whether it's necessary to book wildlife viewing excursions or if we'll see many of the same animals from the ship. I'm mainly interested in sea otters, bears (no interest in the Fortress of the Bear), whales, and dolphins. He wants to see the salmon spawning, but it seems the creek in Ketchikan should provide that. The tour says "guaranteed sea otter, whale or bear sighting" while I realize nothing's guaranteed from the ship.

If we skip that excursion in Sitka, am I going to miss out on sea otters? I'm considering canceling that excursion in favor of spending more time wandering Sitka on our own and using that money for something else.

Thoughts and experiences? I'm happy to be linked to another thread if it's already been covered but search failed me.

When my husband is in SF for business, he often goes to the Ferry Building Wine Merchant. It's not far, down at Pier 1. It's further, 0.8 miles, but they have some good wines.