Ant thoughts/improvements on these plans?

We are doing a 7 night roundtrip Alaska from Seattle via Glacier Bay in June 2018 on Princess. We are looking for the best excursions, but also aim to the cheaper end of the spectrum as just the cruise cost will make this our most expensive vacation ever. But also knowing we might never get back to Alaska we don't want to miss something. Today I booked (all cancel-able if there is something better) Juneau rental car for self drive to Mendenhall and Eagle Beach, WhitePass train and Lumberjack Show. And then just self walk Victoria.

Edit: not sure how to edit title for spelling, but I tried. ANY

You will miss plenty. Many people just keep going back because there is so much to experience. You might consider a combo bus and White Pass railroad experience in Skagway. You will see more of Alaska that way. You should have some time left to walk around Skagway. The car in Juneau will give you an opportunity for more experiences in Juneau. Ketchikan is very walkable so you will have time to visit Creek Street as well as see the lumberjack show.. Stay out of the gift shops unless you have a goal to purchase something. The inner harbor in Victoria is very interesting.

I agree, if you have time spend some time walking Creek Street and up the Married Man's Trail in Ketchikan. Self walk in Victoria is good, if you have enough port time you might go to Fisherman's Wharf and grab a water taxi to downtown Victoria, as an add-on to the self-walk.

There's so much to see in Alaska, you will miss plenty, as oaktreerb said. But don't feel badly about that -- you will see more than if you didn't go at all, right? And you may have the opportunity to go back (currently planning my 12th (??) trip to Alaska...)

You may want to reconsider the lumber jack show and spend more money in Skagway with a train/bus or excursion that includes Emerald Lake. I have not been, but the lumber jack show I have read here on CC is not that great.

Juneau is prime for whale watching which is what we did first thing in the morning...then we were back in time to take the local shuttle bus to Mendenhall. It was cloudy, drizzly so we did not try the Mt Robers tram.

I have been to Alaska twice and regretted not doing some excursions due to cost on my first trip. Don't let a few hundred dollars stop you from doing something you really want to do that you may regret missing later. The cost in time and money to go back to see the things you missed is much more than any money you may save on an excursion this trip.

I would second the Bus / Train Combo tour to Emerald Lake in Skagway. I would also recommend a whale watching / Mendenhall Glacier combo in Juneau. In Ketchikan we did a Kayak tour then walked Creek Street and Married Man's Trail. Victoria may be an option for whale watching, depending on your port times.

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I agree with some of the others. You are spending a lot to get to Alaska but then once you are there, you are not spending money to really see Alaska. Having done a lot of excursions in Alaska, I think the ones you have picked are weak. You have time to save to do much better excursions.

Hey Firsttimer, I dropped some notes in our roll call reference tours I've done before and observations from all the reviews I've read. Look into the non-ship sponsored tours. Budget Queen is a very active member of this forum, and per her screenname she always has great recommendations on how to get the best for your money. I'm sure she will poke over here with some great advice, but if she misses this forum, you can send her note.

As oaktreerb said, you'll miss plenty. You can't see and do it all in one visit! As long as you're doing activities that YOU enjoy and are within your budget, that's all that matters.

I WILL add though ...... you probably have time in Ketchikan and Juneau to expand your travels a little more. I don't know your port times but in Ketchikan you can at least add Married Mans Trail, Creek Street, the SE AlaskaDiscovery Center, and a nearby totem park. Map of a walking tour: http://www.experienceketchikan.com/ketchikan-walking-tour.html

If you have a long port day, take the city bus to Totem Bight .... very interesting and a beautiful waterfront setting.

Download the city Visitor Guides to find additional info. The Juneau guide includes an area map for travelling the Glacier Hwy, with distances to Eagle Beach, Mendenhall, Shrine of St Therese, End of Road, etc

If you rent a car in Juneau allow time for hiking around Mendenhall Glacier. The excursion with the whale watching combo doesn’t do justice to the glacier. I would skip the whale watching. We saw whales closer up by hanging out on our cruise ship balcony. Also the tram ride gives beautiful views and more hiking opportunities. I also agree with taking the ride to Emerald lake in Skagway. The train is nice but pricey. The vans are cheeper and the guides stop for pictures.

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I've done Alaskan cruises 3 times and my among my favorite experiences some have been free. Spending the day bundled up on deck in Glacier bay watches glaciers calf is amazing. In Skagway the National Park Service gives excellent free walking tours. I signed up online in advance for a few dollars to guarantee our spots. In Ketchikan the fish ladder on either creek street or the married man's trail is fascinating to watch. We've also done some very expensive tours that were wonderful and worth the expense. My favorites have been helicoptering up to a dog sled training camp and dog sledding on a glacier and float plane rides. My suggestion is to decide what's really important to you and put your money there then balance with free or less expensive activities. Enjoy and plan to go again sometime even if many years from now.

Ortant

BEST is really relative. I'm sure you realize this and are maybe just putting out feelers as to something really great out there that you haven't found yet? I'm also planning my family's first visit to Alaska...so I understand the mindset. I think mapleleaves has great advice...

It's important that you are excited to do whatever you have planned to do. Think about your vacation being over and what is it that you would have wanted to see and do to feel like you experienced Alaska in a way that fulfills the desire you have to go there in the first place. Therefore, to really give advice on what are the best excursions...

Answers to that kind of question would be more helpful if say, you said that experiencing glaciers is high on your priority list...what would people recommend? You figure out if you want to walk on a glacier or just see a glacier. How physically into it are you? Would you kayak or canoe or hike to a glacier to walk on it or get closer? Or would shelling out the money for a helicopter excursion be the thing to fulfill that desire? Do you really want to see glaciers calving? Or is just seeing the ice cool? SO...depending on the answers to those kinds of questions...someone might recommend a particular excursion to Mendenhall OR one to Tracy Arm...or Taku...

If not research...a bit of forethought into what is really important to you seems a better way to tackle getting the most out of your Alaskan cruise.