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Alaska excursion recommendations please


Aaraucto
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Hi! We are traveling for the first time on the Emerald Princess to Alaska on August 26 with kids ages 13, 12 and 6. What on board and port excursions do you recommend? Stopping at Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria. We are on a budget. Thank you!

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What kinds of things is your family interested in? If your kids (and you) are pretty active, you can do some hiking around Skagway (check skagway.com for maps). Ketchikan has the Lumberjack show, don't know how much it costs. Have you checked the Alaska board in the Ports forum? Lots of good info there.

 

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It's ***REALLY*** short notice for your August 26th cruise (I'm assuming 2018...)...

 

It may be too late for this but what I would consider a relatively inexpensive thing to do in Juneau is to rent a car for the day. It may be too late to get one though. But, for around $100 or less you can have your own wheels to do some touring around on your own. You should easily be able to drive out to Mendenhall Glacier (there is an entry fee there but it's not much). You could also drive on to the Shrine of St. Therese that's free - they do have a donation box. Free parking at both locations. If you want to spend a little more we stopped by the Gold Creek Salmon Bake and ate dinner - they do have a shuttle/bus that can take you there but we were already in the car - there's not much parking but there aren't really any other cars except for the people who work there - it's about $50 per person but it's also all you can eat. Nice place too.

 

When we were back in the center of Juneau (getting close to the ship and car return) we parked in the parking garage under the Library (very center of everything) and was able to walk to do some shopping. - it's near almost everything you might be interested in as far as shopping.

 

To me this is a very budget friendly alternative to an actual paid for excursion - you can have lots of freedom with the car and at around $100 for the day for everyone, cheap. We've done this a couple times in Juneau.

 

Good luck!

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Hi! We are traveling for the first time on the Emerald Princess to Alaska on August 26 with kids ages 13, 12 and 6. What on board and port excursions do you recommend? Stopping at Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria. We are on a budget. Thank you!

 

 

A lot depends on what your definition of budget is. Many excursions in Alaska are more expensive than what most are used to in the Caribbean. That being said, there are still plenty of free and inexpensive options. If you are active, most ports offer great hiking opportunities nearby.

 

Ketchikan is easy to see inexpensively - Walk to Creek Street, Married Man’s Trail, ride the funicular, see the Fish Ladder, take a bus to see totem poles, etc.

 

As mentioned in the post above, renting a car in Juneau is probably the cheapest way to see the area.

 

Skagway is an easy walk to see the town, cemetery and a few nice trails. Renting a car and driving to the Yukon is another lower-cost option, if rentals are still available. You will need passports to cross into Canada.

 

 

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Just want to add that the National Park Service has a great junior ranger program in Skagway. Would the older two kids enjoy helping the younger one? Just use the Cruise Critic search function for more information, or go onto the NPS website for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (northern unit).

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It's ***REALLY*** short notice for your August 26th cruise (I'm assuming 2018...)...

 

It may be too late for this but what I would consider a relatively inexpensive thing to do in Juneau is to rent a car for the day. It may be too late to get one though. But, for around $100 or less you can have your own wheels to do some touring around on your own. You should easily be able to drive out to Mendenhall Glacier (there is an entry fee there but it's not much). You could also drive on to the Shrine of St. Therese that's free - they do have a donation box. Free parking at both locations. If you want to spend a little more we stopped by the Gold Creek Salmon Bake and ate dinner - they do have a shuttle/bus that can take you there but we were already in the car - there's not much parking but there aren't really any other cars except for the people who work there - it's about $50 per person but it's also all you can eat. Nice place too.

 

When we were back in the center of Juneau (getting close to the ship and car return) we parked in the parking garage under the Library (very center of everything) and was able to walk to do some shopping. - it's near almost everything you might be interested in as far as shopping.

 

To me this is a very budget friendly alternative to an actual paid for excursion - you can have lots of freedom with the car and at around $100 for the day for everyone, cheap. We've done this a couple times in Juneau.

 

Good luck!

 

There’s a new Jeep rental place right across the street from the parking lot next to the Mt. Roberts Tramway! I don’t know what the rates are, but it’s the most convenient rental option you will find. The tram itself is pricey, but my Kids’s love to ride up and hike in the alpine. It’s even a fun adventure when there are low clouds. But very slick in pouring rain. You could take a picnic lunch and make a day of just that. The glacier is fun for kids. We like to walk out to Nugget Falls and either pull small ice chunks out of the lake if they are close or find rocks and make towers on the beach. This is where tall rain boots really come in handy. Whale watching is a big draw here, but on the pricier side.

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Ketchikan book the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen Tour directly with them on their website...the kids will love it.

 

If you decide to do the Lumberjack show instead...again book directly on their website.

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If you decide to do the Lumberjack show instead...again book directly on their website.

 

While it has been a few years, it was cheaper to book Lumberjack show on the ship. The price was the same but direct added taxes which made it more. Not sure if this is still correct but it is not always safe to say booking direct is cheaper.

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Hi! We are traveling for the first time on the Emerald Princess to Alaska on August 26 with kids ages 13, 12 and 6. What on board and port excursions do you recommend? Stopping at Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria. We are on a budget. Thank you!

 

In Juneau, take Jayleens Alaska tour- you will not be disappointed! It’s not thru the cruise ship. We never book thru the ship. And you will def make it back in time. All of those people who tour cannot afford a delay!

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While it has been a few years, it was cheaper to book Lumberjack show on the ship. The price was the same but direct added taxes which made it more. Not sure if this is still correct but it is not always safe to say booking direct is cheaper.

Interesting, so I guess it varies....it was cheaper for us to book directly on their website ... the times I wanted were available and it included a free beer coupon from one of the bars near the show. We enjoyed the Alaska Beer as we ate fish-n-chips outside at the Alaska Fish House...right next to the lumberjack show.

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We just returned from our Alaskan Cruise which stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. By far the favorite excursion of my 12 and 14 year old was the Bering Sea Fisherman (Deadliest Catch) crab fishing tour. The fishermen were AMAZING. These are not tour guides, they are guys who have been fishing for decades, sharing their love for their craft with you. We stopped at an eagle breeding area where they tossed fish overboard and eagles swooped down and picked them up. We saw and held box crabs, snow crabs, and we saw Rockfish and Alaskan King Crabs and a "surprise guest" who had been put in time out for eating crabs (don't want to ruin the surprise).

 

A few photos from our experience:

 

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We just returned from our Alaskan Cruise which stopped in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway. By far the favorite excursion of my 12 and 14 year old was the Bering Sea Fisherman (Deadliest Catch) crab fishing tour. The fishermen were AMAZING. These are not tour guides, they are guys who have been fishing for decades, sharing their love for their craft with you. We stopped at an eagle breeding area where they tossed fish overboard and eagles swooped down and picked them up. We saw and held box crabs, snow crabs, and we saw Rockfish and Alaskan King Crabs and a "surprise guest" who had been put in time out for eating crabs (don't want to ruin the surprise).

 

A few photos from our experience:

 

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This has to be one of our favorite excursions too! Looks like you had a fabulous time!

 

 

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In Juneau, take Jayleens Alaska tour- you will not be disappointed! It’s not thru the cruise ship. We never book thru the ship. And you will def make it back in time. All of those people who tour cannot afford a delay!

 

Hello Nanny, Can you recommend other local tours (not booked through the cruise ship) in places like Valdez, Homer, Anchorage, Wrangell and Kodiak?

 

Cheers

 

Coopy

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  • 5 months later...
On 8/16/2018 at 2:57 AM, Ashland said:

Ketchikan book the Bering Sea Crab Fishermen Tour directly with them on their website...the kids will love it.

 

If you decide to do the Lumberjack show instead...again book directly on their website.

I just looked on their website, they are offering this tour for $179 discounted through April, for this excursion. Through Celebrity it is $169. I am a little surprised at that, however with your great review of it, and my husband's love of Deadliest Catch, I definitely think this is the excursion to choose there.

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On 2/5/2019 at 1:22 PM, Robinsilver said:

I just looked on their website, they are offering this tour for $179 discounted through April, for this excursion. Through Celebrity it is $169. I am a little surprised at that, however with your great review of it, and my husband's love of Deadliest Catch, I definitely think this is the excursion to choose there.

Agree...book where you'll get the best price....It just happened for us that booking directly was.

 

Enjoy...you won't be disappointed !!

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One really nice option in Skagway is to rent a car and drive into the Yukon Territory, you will travel the same route as the train, but have a great deal of flexibility.  Murray's Guide to the South Yukon Highway is a great help, we used it years ago and now are taking on Granddaughter on the same trip.  

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