Mercury Alaska

[BrendiniOne]

Hello all!

I am new to this board. We are taking our first Celebrity cruise in June on the Mercury to Alaska. We have cruised carnival, premier, and rccl before. Anyone have a list of "must dos" for Alaska? Our ports of call are Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. Thanks!

[Goofyisme]

The flight into Misty Fjords is a great outing from Ketchikan.

Galaxy 1999
Galaxy 2000
Mercury 2003
Mariner 2003

[d-dfoster]

BrendiniOne

We are also going on the Mercury.. we leave June 4th. Are you on our sailing? If so make sure to check out our Roll-Call at [url="http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=927093444&f=9243096327&m=9613064067&p=3"]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?q=Y&a=tpc&s=927093444&f=9243096327&m=9613064067&p=3[/url]

As far as MUST DOs.. I reccomend you just hop over to the Port of Call part of the cruise-critic boards and look thru all the postings for Alaska. I've learned so much from fellow cruisers. You love the Mercury! Island Wings is great for the Misty Fjords as GoofyisMe posted. The other ports have lots to see..
Here are some good sites to check out as well.

[url="http://www.skagway.org"]www.skagway.org[/url]
[url="http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/index.htm"]http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/index.htm[/url]
[url="http://www.traveljuneau.com"]http://www.traveljuneau.com[/url]

~Donna

[Guest]

Despite their expense, doing a flightseeing trip is a "must-do"--whether it be by helicopter or fixed wing aircraft.

On the much less expensive side, I would also recommend the White Pass Railway ride at Skagway and seeing the Mendenhall Glacier while in Juneau.

Jubilee 1991 Solar Eclipse
Century FO 1996 E Carib
Mercury FO 1998 W Carib
Galaxy SS 2000 Alaska IP
Infinity FV 2002 S Carib
Horizon HS 3/05 W Carib

[Truffle]

We did the helicopter to a glacier and dog sled excursion (Juneau)in 2000--expensive but much fun!! We even bought the photo and it's still one of our favorites! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Also, the Raptor Rehabiltation Center in Sitka was really interesting.

One of the most fun excursions we did was in Skagway--The Salmon Bake and Gold Rush Camp. Ther is a Salmon bake offered in almost every port, but this one was different. (I don't even LIKE salmon, but the whole excursion was fun!) There is a reproduction Gold Rush Camp set up with people in costume, etc. We panned for gold and then they took us into a covered area and told us some old camp stories, lore, poems and sang some songs. It was a morning/lunch excursion, so we still had the afternoon free for other activities. I think we may have gone whitewater rafting?

In Ketchican we did the Lumberjack Show. It was fun and gave an idea of the "flavor" of the lumberjack history/culture, not too expensive, and again, didn't take too long so we had time for other activities. The relatively lengthy time in port and the long daylight hours makes it easy to squeeze a lot into one day without feeling like you are running from one thing to the next.

Excursions can get a bit expensive in Alaska, but I can honestly say that we thoroughly enjoyed everything we did and felt it was well worth the money! Also, they book up early, especially flights and helicopter excursions. Priceless memories, lots of different experiences for a well-rounded view!

Have a great trip and do as much as you can!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[This message was edited by Truffle on 04-18-04 at 04:43 PM.]

[high seas gal]

BrendiniOne,
We're cruised to Alaska each of the last four years: three times with NCL, and once with Princess. Our first Celebrity cruise comes up in October to Mexico. The one thing that surprised me in Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan was how small the towns actually were, and how close some of the shore excursions were to the cruise docks. In Ketchikan particularly, the Lumberjack show is just a couple of blocks from the docks (5 minute walk) as is a great museum, all the shopping, plus the old "red light" district over the creek (can't remember the name!) In addition right on the cruise ship dock in Ketchikan is a really nice visitors center, and you can book ANY excursions right there ... cheaper than the cruise lines. In Juneau, the Mendenhall Gracier is about 5 miles from town, and public transportation takes you there (nice visitors center), plus the tram up Mt. Roberts is basically right on the cruise ship docks. Do some internet research on each of your port cities, and then get some maps perhaps through map quest. In Skagway, the White Horse Railroad is very interesting, though a little pricey. Great history. Also out of Skagway/Haines the float trip down the Chilkat River through the eagle reserve is very nice. If you go to Victoria, Buchart Gardens is not to be missed. Enjoy your trip, just thinking about Alaska brings back great memories. The scenery is incredible, wildlife awesome, and inside passage very smooth sailing.

High Seas Gal
Northern California

NCL Sky Jun. 2000 (ALASKA)
NCL Sky Aug. 2001 (ALASKA)
Princess Regal Princess Jul. 2002 (ALASKA)
NCL Sun Sep. 2003 (ALASKA)
Celebrity Mercury Oct. 2004 (Mexico)

[Dorothy]

My family will be sailing Mercury on June 18th. I was looking at the "Ports of Call" and there was a book recommended. It had to do with walking tours in Alaska's ports of call. I ordered it from Amazon.com