Let's start a "Don't Miss List" in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway

Re the post by shesmi:

The comments about Icy Point Strait are on the mark! I expected very little when I saw this port on my itinerary. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. I did the same forest tram tour combined with the tribal dance. I found it to be both scenic and informative of a culture that I no very little. The former salmon cannery museum was interesting to visit. And, the small shops contained within that building are truly more "local" oriented than what we experience in most ports.

If you have the option, choose a cruise that goes into Glacier Bay National Park; I think it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen!

We are getting ready to go for our 4th time this July. We have had some great experiences while in Alaska. Some of which have been happy accidents. Meaning that, I would not have enjoyed the experience as much had certain circumstances not occurred.

Ketchikan: The first time we went, we had our teenagers with us. We did the zipline tour. This was fun, but something the kids enjoyed more than the adults. What made this a great experience was watching the eagles fly around as you were zipping through the trees.

One of our trips we independently booked one of the small planes to take us bear watching. (Sorry, I do not remember the name of the company, but it was an amazing experience). We watched a momma bear catching fish for her 2 cubs, and other bear fishing a little farther away from them.

If memory serves me correctly, we have also been on a Misty Fjords Tour out of Ketchikan as well. It must not have been very memorable for me though.

We of course have spent time at the raptor center, looking at the totem polls, plenty of time on creek street, married mans trail, and shopping in their many little shops.

Juneau: The one place we always go when we stop at Juneau is Tracy's Crab Shack. It's right on the pier. It reminds me of a hotdog stand that sells HUGE crab legs, excellent crab bisque, and crab cakes! It's quite pricey (but what in Alaska isn't).

We have done the helicoptor glacier tour that lands on the ice field. The views are amazing! It isn't something we would do twice as it is expensive, but we are glad we did it.

We have gone to Mendenhall Glacier and walked down the little trails. It's one of the more budget friendly things to do if you aren't including it with something bigger such as whale watching, etc...

We haven't done St. Roberts Tram. The first time we were there, we had a full day and didn't have time to go. The second two times we went, it was cloudy and didn't want to waste our money if we weren't going to be able to see anything.

We toured the Alaskan Brewery Company on one occasion. They have a store on the main street where you can purchase T-shirts, and other souveniers as well as the tour tickets for a tour of the brewery. The van will pick you up at that location and take you to the brewery. As with most brewery tours, you are able to sample the brew after the tour. The van will take you back to the store after the tour is over.

We went with Harv & Marv's whale watching tour and we were not disappointed. Many humpbacks to be seen, and one was playful and breaching. Never a guarantee what you will see. We were just in the right place at the right time.

Skagway: We were only at this port once. We did the hike, and canoe trip to Davidson Glacier, with some time spent on the glacier. Our ship was the only ship in port that day, so we had a small group (maybe only 8 of us). The trip was not supposed to include time on the glacier, but the guide decided since it was a small group, to go ahead and allow it. The boat trip back was just as memorable. We stopped for a while at an area where there were many sea lions sunbathing on the rocks. Some would jump into the water. I love watching wildlife!

Sitka: I enjoy this quaint little town. Lots of Russian heritage. I collect Matryoshka's. There is a little shop I like to visit when I'm there to pick out a new hand painted set. That's my splurge when I visit Alaska!

St. Michael's Church is a quick little visit and to me worth stepping into to take a look. It's free, so all it will cost is time.

Fortress of the bear is in Sitka. It's worth a trip out there to see the bear they rehabilitate and then release back into the wild. There are also eagle all around there. I was able to get some pretty close up pictures of them.

There is a nursing home located in town that sells crafts that the residents have made. We stopped in on our last visit and purchased a small ceramic bowl with lid that one of the residents painted.

Sitka is also the place where the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia. There is a place to visit where the exchange took place. It also has some historical facts regarding the exchange. This is free.

Icy Straight Point: This is the port that could have easily been a disappointment had it not been for the happy accident. We went on a kayak excursion. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the kayaking, I had never done that before, and there were eagles all around. It was fun watching them fly overhead. The highlight of this was the humpback whale that was right in front of us. It was almost too close for comfort. It would pop up pretty frequently and go back down! We followed it for the entire distance out, until it was time to turn back around. I have some amazing photos!

Seward (Kenai): Without a doubt, Kenai Fjords National Park was amazing! The boat takes you into the park, up to the face of a glacier where you will sit and watch it calve. We saw sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters galore! And those adorable Puffins! Again, there were plenty of humpbacks to be seen. They were quite entertaining that day. Showing off their tails, slapping their pectoral fins, and one was breaching over and over again.

While I know everybody's taste in entertainment is different, hopefully someone will find my information useful.

Happy planning!

We leave 7-22 on the Emerald Princess. Since I haven't done these expeditions, I cannot critiques them, merely sharing our plans.

Ketchikan -- I'm going snorkeling (http://snorkelalaska.com/) and then ziplining (Princess's

Rainforest Canopy & Zipline Expedition, KTN405

My bride is partaking of Princess's

Wilderness Exploration Cruise & Crab Feast, KTN650A

(I'm more adventurous and don't like seafood, she is not and does, so, win-win.)

Juneau -- We're both taking a small catamaran deeper into a fjord than the Emerald can go, Princess's

Tracy Arm Fjord & Glacier Explorer, TA1660 (they pick us up off the ship, otherwise, the timing wouldn't work).

After that, Viator's Helicoptor Tour and Dogsledding, BR-647224098

Skagway -- We're both going to enjoy a rail/bus combo up the White Pass Summit and back, Princess's Yukon Expedition & White Pass Scenic Railway, SGY180.

I enjoyed this thread when I was planning and now I can add to it!

We enjoyed everything we did but the "don't miss" excursion would be the 5 Glacier Floatplane to Taku Lodge with the salmon bake in Juneau. This was my family's favorite thing from our entire 13-night vacation. It was wonderful. We also took the shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier before the excursion and visited Red Dog Saloon, making for a great day in Juneau.

Skagway: Yukon rail and bus tour with Chilkoot Tours, which was a wonderful tour, definitely my second favorite.

Ketchikan: Misty Fjords wilderness boat cruise. Great scenery, but not a "not to be missed" excursion.

Well apparently, either we are really smart and planned the excursions our family would like (including 3 kids, one of the kids with a disability that requires a wheelchair,, and my 70-something year old mom) OR we are missing all the "Don't Miss" things. This is what we are doing after much research and taking into account the needs and interests of our family:

Ketchikan - Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's excursion

Icy Strait Point - private whale watching charter with Glacier Wind

Juneau - renting a vehicle and exploring Mendenhall, the fish hatchery/salmon ladder, Mt. Roberts Tram, etc on our own

Skagway - private charter to Emerald Lake and dogsledding musher's camp (yes, that's right. No train for us.)

Seward - private excursion to Anchorage with several stops along the way to explore

My faves....

Ketchikan- Fly in bear tour with Island Wings. Watching an eagle & bear stand off and seeing a 1200lb black bear retreat was super cool. No worries he caught himself another salmon. Amazing!

Skagway- Rented a car and went to the Yukon on our own...OR... Ocean raft safari... close call here.

Juneau- Glacier canoe paddle trek (walk thru ice cave) w/ABAK. I've noticed the ice cave portion is no longer listed. It was a wonderful experience.

I've visited Alaska with a week of rain and another with a week of sunshine. (the weather can be a major player in your enjoyment)

Patty

Great options outside of booking an excursion. Thanks. Do you have any recommendations on helicopter tour for Mendenhall?

I'm going to go in a different direction here! :)

 

Juneau: Take the time to go up to Mount Roberts. Tons of hiking to do there and you can take your time when doing it. If you're looking for an excursion, I wholeheartedly recommend taking a helicopter ride out to Mendenhall Glacier.

 

Ketchikan: Do a self guided walking tour. You can check them out here: LINK. My wife and I did this and thoroughly enjoyed it. Gave me a new appreciation of the city. Plus we ended up at Burger Queen for lunch! (Great greasy burgers!)

 

Skagway: Like Ketchikan, do a self guided walking tour. You can check it out here: LINK. We broke up the tour by timing it to also go to the Days of '98 Show. (LINK) It was totally worth it. Hokey, but fun!

By everyone giving some input - there may be some thing that some of us newbies were not aware of.

 

For instance, I have no idea about what to do in Victoria. Looking for some opinions. ot necessarily must do, but some things that interest others.

Visit the Royal BC Museum, walk along the inner harbor, get fish at Red Fish Blue Fish -it is so worth the line, and take a Harbor Taxi- just because!

I actually haven't gotten any suggestions on what to do in Victoria :D

 

We are in port from 6pm to midnight. Weird.

Me too (7-12), and it's too late for my 7 year old to be just going out on an adventure. Kind of bummed about this. :(

By everyone giving some input - there may be some thing that some of us newbies were not aware of.

 

For instance, I have no idea about what to do in Victoria. Looking for some opinions. ot necessarily must do, but some things that interest others.

We are going on a pub. There are an English and Irish pub within easy cab distance.

Visit the Royal BC Museum, walk along the inner harbor, get fish at Red Fish Blue Fish -it is so worth the line, and take a Harbor Taxi- just because!

I have been there once, a ferry trip from Seattle. If you can get to the Butchart Gardens you must do it. They are absolutely gorgeous. After we did the gardens we went to Craigdarroch Castle. It is more of a large house than castle, but it was still pretty interesting. We checked out the Empress Hotel and Miniature World (I had my 3 year old with us). We also ate at a restaurant on the harbor and walked among the local artist booths there. I grabbed some artwork that I love. The harbor area was relaxing and just a great place to relax and grab some food or drink.

Can’t believe my cruise is almost here! Booking over a year in advance just about killed me with anticipation! Thanks for all of your suggestions!

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By everyone giving some input - there may be some thing that some of us newbies were not aware of.

 

For instance, I have no idea about what to do in Victoria. Looking for some opinions. ot necessarily must do, but some things that interest others.

In Victoria....if you are into whales do the Sunset Orca Whale watch. Best. Tour. Ever

How was the Lower Dewey Lake hike? Thinking of doing it during July 28 Ruby Princess cruise. Thanks,

Jeff