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First Alaskan Cruise


EuchrePlayer618
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Doing our first Alaskan cruise end of july this year . Me and DH are really looking forward to it. We have booked excursions based on what we thought we really want to see and do. . We also want to see as much as we can so we booked one for each port. We checked out what was available and me and DH picked ones that suited. What ever we do i know it will be an exciting trip for us

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I'm on my way to Skagway in May on an NCL cruise. Two years ago I was there and what we did then, we are doing again. We enjoyed it that much! We took a Dyea Dave tour to Emerald Lake first thing in the morning - 7:45 AM we left. Dave picked us up at the dock. Part way back to Skagway (at Fraser, BC) we boarded the White Pass & Yukon train for a return to town. We truly enjoyed Dave's tour - it was on a small shuttle type bus (very comfortable) so we were able to make many quick stops for pictures if we saw something of interest. We had lunch at a small bakery in Carcoss, Yukon and had enough time after lunch to walk around the town and little and buy a few things at the shops. The ride on the train was pretty spectacular! I would have to say it's a "don't miss" item. The reason we took the bus portion of the trip first and rode the train back (you *CAN* do it the other way around...) is that Dave told me (we talked on the phone a couple times in the months prior to our visit - he lives in Skagway year-round) there is often fog on the Skagway side of the mountains that will usually lift/burn off as the day progresses. We were on his shuttle, up & over the mountains fairly quickly (it was foggy!) and into nice weather on the far side. Sure enough, we had very nice weather coming back on the train and the views are spectacular! Dave has a web page (do a google search) with various tours. He doesn't take credit cards of any kind. He only accepts cash or personal check at the end of the tour - no deposits ahead of time either. And his guarantee is that you owe nothing if not satisfied. We were very pleased! Dave also picked us up when the train arrived to Skagway for a return to the ship or elsewhere in town that we wanted to go. Town to the ship is about a 5-10 minute walk. Also, you must buy the tickets for the train separately (Dave and the train are not connected) but he stopped at the White Pass office for us to pick them up before we left town - not a big deal at all. You seriously need to buy the tickets as far in advance as possible though or else you might not get a spot on the train - it's VERY popular. I bought our tickets for May a couple weeks ago - their online website showed no space available for our date but when I called their office directly it was no problem at all.

 

Good luck!!

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In Skagway we loved our Glacier Wilderness Safari. If you look on this Alaska board, you'll see it discussed not too long ago. It was so much fun, saw a lot, and had a great time! In Juneau we did the Mendenhall Glacier helicopter tour which was also awesome and once in a lifetime experience! In Ketchikan we just walked around. It's a neat little town and we just wanted to see the town, we were good with that.

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In Skagway we did a bus / train combo to Emerald Lake with Chilkoot Tours and loved it. We also added the Dog Cart ride in Carcross as an option.

 

If you are in port in Juneau from at least 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, I recommend the Tracy Arm Fjord trip with Adventure Bound. A similar tour is offered directly from the ship many times as well. Check your excursion list and see if they show a Small Boat Tour of Tracy Arm. Book early before it sells out.

 

If the Tracy Arm tour won’t work, do a whale watching tour (try and get an independent tour on a smaller boat- several good vendors there). Mendenhall glacier is popular and the Mt. Roberts tram is nice, if it isn’t foggy.

 

In Ketchikan we did a kayak tour with Southeast Kayaks, then walked Creek Street, Married Man’s Trail and saw the fish ladder. This is a good port for shopping for souvenirs as well.

 

One unique option in Ketchikan is snorkeling. It gets good reviews and is something most people would never think of in Alaska.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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My DW and I are hitting the same ports in Alaska in August. For Juneau, I selected the Helicopter dog sledding (how often do you see a glacier "up close and personal"? Let alone dog sledding!) And then the Mount Roberts Tramway. Seems like a fun thing and is highly recommended.

 

Skagway - we are doing the dog mushers camp (with lunch and other amenities) That takes up most of the day.

 

In Ketchikan we are "taking it easy" Only in port 4 hours. That's where DW will go crazy purchasing souvenirs for the family.

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Hi,

 

I visited Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau for the 1st time last September as follow:

 

Skagway: daytrip to the Yukon (Carcross and Emerald Lake) + visit old downtown Skagway.

Ketchikan: Totem Bight State Park + the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center + the historical downtown with Creek Street and Thomas Historic District.

Juneau: Excursion onthe Mendenhall Glacier + visit of downtown.

 

 

The Mendenhall Glacier and the Yukon were my favorites discoveries, sceneries were just gorgeous!

 

 

If you’re interested I wrote some articles to describe my AlaskaCruise.

For Mendenhall Glacier:http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/12/03/excursion-on-mendenhall-glacier-in-juneau/

For the Yukon: http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/11/20/the-yukon/

For Ketchikan: http://daydreamunderthestars.com/2017/11/11/ketchikan-the-salmon-capital-of-the-world/

 

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

Marie

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Juneau - If you like to learn, there is a tour that goes out to a gold mine. It talks about how it operated, there is a demo with a drill, and you can pan for gold. We enjoyed but we're nerds. Also took independent "ride" from the dock to Mendendall. Walked out as far as we could. Really enjoyed that.

 

Ketchikan - Mountain Pt snorkeling. Buy the sweatshirt & impress your friends! Done it a couple time and enjoyed it. It's not like viewing sealife at an aquarium but it's WAY better then the totems & lumberjacks. Shop best jewelry shopping, in my opinion. Walk up creek street to the salmon ladder at least.

 

Skagway - honestly the train. It's interesting. Biked down once and while it's not the most exciting thing, it was better then a tour bus or the train back. The first time we were there we took the jammer tour which are now gone but I think it's trolley or something. The information on the tour was good! Visit the NPS Klondike if killing time in town, lots of information on the gold rush.

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Juneau - any whale watching tour

 

Ketchikan - Crab Fishing (Aleutian Ballad from "Deadliest Catch" tv series) for demos of different methods of crab fishing plus a pause to feed the eagle )best photo op in Alaska)

 

Skagway - Train to Lake Bennett with lunch included.

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