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alaska ports on your own/on a budget: ketchikan (video and tips)


elbodans
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greetings all!

 

i shared a video i created of our 14 days in an inside cabin on the HAL forum and many people found it helpful, so i thought i'd come over here and share the video posts i'm making featuring our budget excursions. basically: we booked super last minute alaska cruise this summer; we sailed on the HAL zaandam july 16 - 30. as we were on a budget and it was a 14 day sailing, we did all independent days in ports and made an effort to stay on a budget (we only broke the budget rule once!) i recorded the results and edited them into some short videos to help anyone else who is interested in doing the same. here's episode one. if some of you find this helpful, i'll share the upcoming videos (that i've yet to put together) in new threads once they exist.

 

hope this is helpful for some of you! happy sailing!

 

http://www.suitcasescholar.com/2018/08/10/ketchikan-on-your-own/

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Thanks for posting this. I have questions about Rainbird Trail. Do you come back the same way that you went up? Is the trail moderate or "don't even think about it if you aren't a very experienced hiker"? :)

 

Looking forward to the next installment.

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Thanks for posting this. I have questions about Rainbird Trail. Do you come back the same way that you went up? Is the trail moderate or "don't even think about it if you aren't a very experienced hiker"? :)

 

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

We did not. We went up mid-trail and exited at the westernmost trailhead, which is on the property of the University of Alaska.

 

Is it a moderate trail? Yes. For sure. Once you are ON IT. And it's super easy to follow, even on the westernmost 'undeveloped' part of the trail. However, getting up is no joke. Between the half mile of paved roads before you hit the trailhead and the maybe thousand stairs up to the trail itself, it's STEEP. We are not in the best of shape (you can see this in the video, sadly) and we did it without pain. So it's not a 'be an experienced hiker' kind of thing. It's more of a 'be able to walk up several really steep hills and then climb maybe ten stories of stairs' kind of thing. If you can do that, you're good. And the stairs were made of logs (also seen in video) so there's no danger. Just...strenuousness. ;-)

 

Hope that helps!

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More, more, more! (y) Hilarious, as well as informative.

 

ha! glad you liked it. i just published the next installment. it's likely the last for a bit, as i need to go back to work this week. i i plan to continue to make these in my spare time; it will just be a slower process.

 

this is juneau: http://www.suitcasescholar.com/2018/08/12/alaska-cruise-ports-on-your-own-and-on-a-budget-juneau/

 

i'll post it as its own thread as well.

 

thanks for watching! hope it is helpful!

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We did not. We went up mid-trail and exited at the westernmost trailhead, which is on the property of the University of Alaska.

 

Is it a moderate trail? Yes. For sure. Once you are ON IT. And it's super easy to follow, even on the westernmost 'undeveloped' part of the trail. However, getting up is no joke. Between the half mile of paved roads before you hit the trailhead and the maybe thousand stairs up to the trail itself, it's STEEP. We are not in the best of shape (you can see this in the video, sadly) and we did it without pain. So it's not a 'be an experienced hiker' kind of thing. It's more of a 'be able to walk up several really steep hills and then climb maybe ten stories of stairs' kind of thing. If you can do that, you're good. And the stairs were made of logs (also seen in video) so there's no danger. Just...strenuousness. ;-)

 

Hope that helps!

 

Thanks so much! This sounds doable for us if we take our time. :)

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There are lots of travel info in this Ketchikan web site; from expensive bear viewing tours to a free walking tour map or a $2 bus ride to Totem Bight.

http://www.experienceketchikan.com/index.html

 

Like most towns, Ketchikan has a web site to promote tourism and local vendors.

https://visit-ketchikan.com/

 

And a free Visitor Guide to download:

http://www.experienceketchikan.com/support-files/ketchikan-trip-planner-2018.pdf

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A big thanks for doing this thread. We were in Alaska about 10 years ago on the then Tahitian Princess so we were able to go to the small ports, such as Kodiak, Sitka, Valdez in addition to the usual stops and did the more popular excursions.

 

We have booked a B2B Vancouver departure next May on the Royal Princess and this voyage does the usual ports along with more glacier venues. Our thinking is to do more of the budget port exploration instead of doing the same things we did last time there. Your postings will help with our planning.

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A big thanks for doing this thread. We were in Alaska about 10 years ago on the then Tahitian Princess so we were able to go to the small ports, such as Kodiak, Sitka, Valdez in addition to the usual stops and did the more popular excursions.

 

We have booked a B2B Vancouver departure next May on the Royal Princess and this voyage does the usual ports along with more glacier venues. Our thinking is to do more of the budget port exploration instead of doing the same things we did last time there. Your postings will help with our planning.

 

Oooh that sailing sounds lovely! And yes, you can have just as much fun on a budget--especially if you've done some of the ports before and are looking for something different. Enjoy! And glad I could help!

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Your videos are seriously good. Not sure what you think your real job is, but you really should be a travel vlogger! I am super excited for the next one!

 

Ha! I wish! If there were a way to do this for a living, I would be doing this for a living for sure! But glad you liked them!

 

The next one should be up soonish. 'What I do for a living' requires me to live in hotels, which is sad and lonely. I may get one completed tonight, because there's nothing else to do in a cheap business class hotel. :(

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  • 2 weeks later...

We had rented a car in Juneau before. We were picked up at the pier, driven to a little office down the road toward the airport. Got the car, drove all around (took the bridge over to Douglas Island, to take picture of sign that says "end of the road" which it literally is). Lots of fun. Told to leave car parked in town. Easy. Next time-reservation lady says office has moved, no pick up at the pier but not a bad walk to the office. Hah! And after our sightseeing, we had to walk back as well.

 

We will be in Juneau soon on our next cruise and I can see that the rental car is still a hike. We are older that we were the last time too. So I think we will take a whale watching cruise.

 

Just a heads up for next time for a hiking possibility. A friend took the tram up Mt. Roberts and hiked back down. She said it was a lot of fun BUT it took longer that they expected and they had the honor of being one of those people everybody is watching make a run for the ship.

 

Thanks for bringing back some memories.

 

St. Louis Sal

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We had rented a car in Juneau before. We were picked up at the pier, driven to a little office down the road toward the airport. Got the car, drove all around (took the bridge over to Douglas Island, to take picture of sign that says "end of the road" which it literally is). Lots of fun. Told to leave car parked in town. Easy. Next time-reservation lady says office has moved, no pick up at the pier but not a bad walk to the office. Hah! And after our sightseeing, we had to walk back as well.

 

We will be in Juneau soon on our next cruise and I can see that the rental car is still a hike. We are older that we were the last time too. So I think we will take a whale watching cruise.

 

Just a heads up for next time for a hiking possibility. A friend took the tram up Mt. Roberts and hiked back down. She said it was a lot of fun BUT it took longer that they expected and they had the honor of being one of those people everybody is watching make a run for the ship.

 

Thanks for bringing back some memories.

 

St. Louis Sal

 

Yeah. The short, flat walk the car rental place promised us was a LIE.

 

And great tip on walking back down from Mt. Roberts! I didn't consider that! Thanks!

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