I want a memorable trip in Alaska, please help.

[Bearlee]

I am based in Singapore, Chinese couple in 40's. We intend to cruise Alaska in early Jun 2011. As we have to fly almost 20 hours to reach vancouver (7N Northbound by RCCI or Celebrity), we want to make sure it is a lifetime memory.

 

Hence decisions for shore excursions is a big part of it. Here is my plan, appreciate advice and suggestions. Time in brackets is port time.

 

1. Ketchikan (0700-1700) :- Maiin objective is to enjoy scenery and city tour. I am thinking of the Misty Fjords Flightseeing (2hr) and Duck Tour (1.5hr). Any good operators to recommend?

 

2. Icy Straits Point (0900-1800) :- Could not find any interesting review or excursion at this place. Any suggestions?

 

3. Juneau (0700-2030) :- Thinking of combo of Whale Quest, Mendenhall Glacier & Orca Point about 6.5 hr. Is it worhtwhile to do the Glacier Seaplan excursion? I would like to spend only on 1 flight excursion:D, so I have to choose between Msity Fjords or Juneau Glacier. Which is better? Main objective is enjoy Alaska natural scenery.

 

4. Skagway (0700-1600) :- Will not miss the Whitepass RR and Yukon. Again please recommend good operators. Is the Helicopter excursion to Glacier worth the price?

 

5. Finally, comments on whether RCCI or Celebrity are wlecomed. (I knew this is a common Q&A after spending hours in the fourm).

 

6. And one last (silly) question, if I book directly with tour operators, how would I find their pick-up point after I docked? Is there a common meet & greet place all the ports?

[ULCajunCruiser]

Bearlee

 

As you would expect, I can only offer my opinions on your questions. There are no right or wrong answers. I am taking my first Alaska cruise a few weeks after yours, and have been doing much research, but it it all second hand as I have never been.

 

We are doing a float plane tour to Misty Fjords while in Ketchikan. We booked with Island Wings after reading reviews both here and on TripAdvisor.

 

In Icy Strait, plan on doing a 5 hour whale watching excursion. There are other opportunities to do this, but we felt that we could do it here, and do other things later where there are more different types of excursions offered.

 

We felt walking on a glacier was a must for us, so we're going to do a helicopter tour in Juneau.

 

Since we'll be doing a land tour on the backside of the cruise, we didn't feel the need to do the White Pass RR.

 

Have not cruised with either Celebvrity or RCCI before, so cant help. (But we booked RCCI)

 

Finally, every indepentant operator I spoke to gave me meeting place right off the ship. I would not expect any issues with that.

 

Good luck!!!

[account4fun]

I am based in Singapore, Chinese couple in 40's. We intend to cruise Alaska in early Jun 2011. As we have to fly almost 20 hours to reach vancouver (7N Northbound by RCCI or Celebrity), we want to make sure it is a lifetime memory.

 

Hence decisions for shore excursions is a big part of it. Here is my plan, appreciate advice and suggestions. Time in brackets is port time.

 

1. Ketchikan (0700-1700) :- Maiin objective is to enjoy scenery and city tour. I am thinking of the Misty Fjords Flightseeing (2hr) and Duck Tour (1.5hr). Any good operators to recommend?

 

2. Icy Straits Point (0900-1800) :- Could not find any interesting review or excursion at this place. Any suggestions?

 

3. Juneau (0700-2030) :- Thinking of combo of Whale Quest, Mendenhall Glacier & Orca Point about 6.5 hr. Is it worhtwhile to do the Glacier Seaplan excursion? I would like to spend only on 1 flight excursion:D, so I have to choose between Msity Fjords or Juneau Glacier. Which is better? Main objective is enjoy Alaska natural scenery.

 

4. Skagway (0700-1600) :- Will not miss the Whitepass RR and Yukon. Again please recommend good operators. Is the Helicopter excursion to Glacier worth the price?

 

5. Finally, comments on whether RCCI or Celebrity are wlecomed. (I knew this is a common Q&A after spending hours in the fourm).

 

6. And one last (silly) question, if I book directly with tour operators, how would I find their pick-up point after I docked? Is there a common meet & greet place all the ports?

 

In Ketchikan Michelle with Island Wings is highly recommended. We did not end up booking with her only because we combined our trip with a kayak excursion and it was with another vendor.

 

In Juneau we are booking a glacier trek and flighseeing with Northstar. I have heard the Juneau icefields are very impressive so a flightseeing excursion might be good for you.

 

In Skagway Dyea Dave is a recommended vendor for the tour you are looking for. We booked a private tour with Beyond Skagway because we wanted to do our own things away from the crowds.

[jlijny]

Based on recommendations from this board, we are booked with:

 

Ketchikan - Island Wings...Misty Fiords Floatplane

Bering Sea Fisherman Tour (Deadliest Catch)

Icy Strait Point - FISHES Whale Watching

ATV and Zipline Tour

Juneau - Temsco Helicopter/Dogsledding

Skagway - Chilkoot's 7.5hr tour White Pass Railroad/Yukon trip

 

Hope this helps

[chipmaster]

I don't know your schedule in Juneau but be AWARE that the dogsledding can be canceled very often so have a backup plan. Maybe they take to do glacier landing, maybe not.

 

Thus if you have a long day in port might be worth also making sure you another excursion lined up. I really enjoyed the whale watching in Juneau. I see you are doing that in Icy Strait so you might consider a re-juggle or just plan Mt Roberts/Mendenhall. But do plan something else.

 

FWIW a whale isn't a fish :D

 

Based on recommendations from this board, we are booked with:

 

Ketchikan - Island Wings...Misty Fiords Floatplane

Bering Sea Fisherman Tour (Deadliest Catch)

Icy Strait Point - FISHES Whale Watching

ATV and Zipline Tour

Juneau - Temsco Helicopter/Dogsledding

Skagway - Chilkoot's 7.5hr tour White Pass Railroad/Yukon trip

 

Hope this helps

[jlijny]

I don't know your schedule in Juneau but be AWARE that the dogsledding can be canceled very often so have a backup plan. Maybe they take to do glacier landing, maybe not.

 

Thus if you have a long day in port might be worth also making sure you another excursion lined up. I really enjoyed the whale watching in Juneau. I see you are doing that in Icy Strait so you might consider a re-juggle or just plan Mt Roberts/Mendenhall. But do plan something else.

 

FWIW a whale isn't a fish :D

 

Yes, I know that a whale is not a fish. The name of the company I am using in Icy Strait Point to go whale watching is called F.I.S.H.E.S.

[alpal1993]

Loved Celebrity did a cruise tour 12 Night.Since you are coming from so far away have you considered this.The Bearing Sea Fishermans Tour is excellent in Ketchikan leaves you time o see the Totem park.We booked with our ship(HAL) as they reserved the afternoon tour for us.TBSFT is based on the Deadliest Catch Show.

Skagway The White Pass and Yukon RR is great and we booked that through Celebrity.They had a separate car for us and we boarded right in front of our ship. We also have booke Dog Carting out of Skagway it was a good choice for us .Our first cruise in 2004 our Dog Sledding was cancelled and last year it was way too expensive.Great alternative.

[gertz]

In reading these boards you will see the word "itinerary" over and over again. Meaning the ship's itinerary.

Look at it and compare. Coming this far you want the best.

[HNHAKCruiser]

Icy Strait Point doesn't have as many options that the larger ports do; but is special, completely natural setting, Brown bear watch and nearly all staff are local, so you can meet & experience the local Tlingit culture everywhere, not just at the cultural show as in some other ports. Most of the excursions including whale watch depart right off dock, without the extended bus transfer to another dock we experienced @ other ports. And the Ziprider, oh my! Our favorite AK port.

[msucooper]

I'm planning an Alaska cruise soon and this info was definitely needed. Thanks

[North2Alaska]

Ketchikan: We've always rented a car and gone out to Totem Bight and Ward lake. Both are really beautiful. I know there are tours to Totem Bight, but not sure about about other ways to reach Ward lake other than car or taxi. Be sure to walk up to Creek Street. Also there is a funcular (it was $2 to ride last time we were there) that takes you up to a nice view. The hotel has excellent hot chocolate but it was a little pricey, about $4. It's worth it, though.

 

Icy Straits Point: A whale watch with F.I.S.H.E.S is popular. On our booking they only had room for 6 people, so you may want to book earily (a good idea for most excursions)

 

Juneau:- I HIGHLY recommend booking the Whale watch with someone like Orca Enterprises or Marv & Harv. It's way better than the cruise ship excursions. You have a much better view and they will stay in the areas that have whale and not stick to a preset schedule. We gone with both of them. Marv and Harv have smaller boats, about 6 passengers. Orca seems to take about 30-40 people, but it's way better that being on the cruise booked boats that carry 200-300. Also, if you let time know, they'll drop you off at Mendenhall Glacier. From there there are bus lined up to take you back to Juneau for $6 or $7. We did a helicopter landing on a glacier with Coastal and it was Awesome! Out of all of the excursions we've done in Alaska, that was the best. (in Alaska booking with private operators has always worked out best for us)

 

 

Skagway: If you have time Reid Falls and the cemetary are about 1/2 mile outside of town. The falls are amazing.

 

 

I'd base which line to go with by the itinerary. We loved Royal Caribbean but have booked with Princess and Celebrity. It's worked out great everytime.

 

The tour operators are almost always lined up just outside of the docks. The only one I can think of that wasn't was Orca Enterprises and thats because their office is just across the streets.

[tobecool]

Ketchikan: We've always rented a car and gone out to Totem Bight and Ward lake. Both are really beautiful. I know there are tours to Totem Bight, but not sure about about other ways to reach Ward lake other than car or taxi. Be sure to walk up to Creek Street. Also there is a funcular (it was $2 to ride last time we were there) that takes you up to a nice view. The hotel has excellent hot chocolate but it was a little pricey, about $4. It's worth it, though.

 

Icy Straits Point: A whale watch with F.I.S.H.E.S is popular. On our booking they only had room for 6 people, so you may want to book earily (a good idea for most excursions)

 

Juneau:- I HIGHLY recommend booking the Whale watch with someone like Orca Enterprises or Marv & Harv. It's way better than the cruise ship excursions. You have a much better view and they will stay in the areas that have whale and not stick to a preset schedule. We gone with both of them. Marv and Harv have smaller boats, about 6 passengers. Orca seems to take about 30-40 people, but it's way better that being on the cruise booked boats that carry 200-300. Also, if you let time know, they'll drop you off at Mendenhall Glacier. From there there are bus lined up to take you back to Juneau for $6 or $7. We did a helicopter landing on a glacier with Coastal and it was Awesome! Out of all of the excursions we've done in Alaska, that was the best. (in Alaska booking with private operators has always worked out best for us)

 

 

Skagway: If you have time Reid Falls and the cemetary are about 1/2 mile outside of town. The falls are amazing.

 

 

I'd base which line to go with by the itinerary. We loved Royal Caribbean but have booked with Princess and Celebrity. It's worked out great everytime.

 

The tour operators are almost always lined up just outside of the docks. The only one I can think of that wasn't was Orca Enterprises and thats because their office is just across the streets.

 

 

Hi, I'd like to know more about your Ketchikan experince if you don't mind.

we want to Totem and Lumberjack show, and I read some posts somewhere else to say that we can take a bus from the port to Totem, is it easy to find the bus there? if rent a car, how much is it? we are at this port from 7:00am to 2:00pm. Is time too tight to Totem park and ward Lake?

[North2Alaska]

Our stays at Ketchikan have always been short, but not hard to fit in Creek Street, Ward lake and Totem Bight. The car rental runs around $100 and they pick you up close to the ship. The lumberjack show is a little touristy, but not bad. Totem Bight has lots of totem poles a cool lodge that has a very interesting exit (you're at the bottom of and part of a totem pole. You'll want to bring your camera. We've always had time to walk around Ward lake too. It's just a little ways past Totem Bight. You'll definitely want to schedule a little time to see Creek Street and there's a fungular you can ride for about $2pp that is fun, too.

[tobecool]

Our stays at Ketchikan have always been short, but not hard to fit in Creek Street, Ward lake and Totem Bight. The car rental runs around $100 and they pick you up close to the ship. The lumberjack show is a little touristy, but not bad. Totem Bight has lots of totem poles a cool lodge that has a very interesting exit (you're at the bottom of and part of a totem pole. You'll want to bring your camera. We've always had time to walk around Ward lake too. It's just a little ways past Totem Bight. You'll definitely want to schedule a little time to see Creek Street and there's a fungular you can ride for about $2pp that is fun, too.

 

Thanks.

[kathynorth]

I am based in Singapore, Chinese couple in 40's. We intend to cruise Alaska in early Jun 2011. As we have to fly almost 20 hours to reach vancouver (7N Northbound by RCCI or Celebrity), we want to make sure it is a lifetime memory.

 

Hence decisions for shore excursions is a big part of it. Here is my plan, appreciate advice and suggestions. Time in brackets is port time.

 

1. Ketchikan (0700-1700) :- Maiin objective is to enjoy scenery and city tour. I am thinking of the Misty Fjords Flightseeing (2hr) and Duck Tour (1.5hr). Any good operators to recommend?

 

2. Icy Straits Point (0900-1800) :- Could not find any interesting review or excursion at this place. Any suggestions?

 

3. Juneau (0700-2030) :- Thinking of combo of Whale Quest, Mendenhall Glacier & Orca Point about 6.5 hr. Is it worhtwhile to do the Glacier Seaplan excursion? I would like to spend only on 1 flight excursion:D, so I have to choose between Msity Fjords or Juneau Glacier. Which is better? Main objective is enjoy Alaska natural scenery.

 

4. Skagway (0700-1600) :- Will not miss the Whitepass RR and Yukon. Again please recommend good operators. Is the Helicopter excursion to Glacier worth the price?

 

5. Finally, comments on whether RCCI or Celebrity are wlecomed. (I knew this is a common Q&A after spending hours in the fourm).

 

6. And one last (silly) question, if I book directly with tour operators, how would I find their pick-up point after I docked? Is there a common meet & greet place all the ports?

 

 

 

1. Ketchikan-We've been to Kechikan twice and have done the Misty Fjords Flightseeing and the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour. Both were great. If you want to hear stories of fishing on the Bering Sea and want to see eagles up close then I'd do the Crab Boat. This way you can save your one budgeted flight for a glacier landing.

 

2. Icy Straits Point- Going to see the whales out at Pt Alophus was amazing! We went on a 5 hr semi-private trip with Glacier Wind and would do this again in a heartbeat. Many people also have great things to say about FISHES on this board. When we returned from our trip we had enough time to stop in at the Office Bar for freshly caught crab, then took in the scenery on our leisurely walk back to ship.

 

3. Juneau- Wow, you have lots of time here. Have you considered looking into taking the Adventure Bound trip to Tracy Arm? Do a search of this board to see if this is of interest to you. The Tracy Arm trip is an all day excursion, but we thought it was well worth it. We saw lots of beautiful scenery, lots of wildlife, and got up close and personal with one of the Sawyer glaciers. We did a heli-glacier landing on our 2nd trip to Juneau and thought it was awesome. I can't imagine going to Alaska without having the chance to walk on a glacier!

 

4. Skagway- The Whitepass RR was great. We rode the bus up and train back so that we'd have time to do a glacier landing. If you don't do a glacier landing in Juneau then you may want to consider doing this in Skagway. This trip had more people on the tour with a cluster of helis landing in the same area, but the view from the air is beautiful.

 

5. RCCI or Celebrity- To be honest, for us Alaska is the attraction on an Alaskan cruise. I barely had time to notice the ship, the shows, food, etc. We were so mesmerized by the sights that we're in the process of planning for another return trip to Alaska.

 

6. Tour Operators- It was very easy for us to locate the pick up points for private tour operators. Just be sure that they know when your ship is expected to arrive in port and what your on board time will be so they can best advise you. We found all the Alaskan tour operators to be very helpful.

 

Be sure to bring lots of memory cards and batteries!

[tobecool]

1. Ketchikan-We've been to Kechikan twice and have done the Misty Fjords Flightseeing and the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour. Both were great. If you want to hear stories of fishing on the Bering Sea and want to see eagles up close then I'd do the Crab Boat. This way you can save your one budgeted flight for a glacier landing.

 

2. Icy Straits Point- Going to see the whales out at Pt Alophus was amazing! We went on a 5 hr semi-private trip with Glacier Wind and would do this again in a heartbeat. Many people also have great things to say about FISHES on this board. When we returned from our trip we had enough time to stop in at the Office Bar for freshly caught crab, then took in the scenery on our leisurely walk back to ship.

 

3. Juneau- Wow, you have lots of time here. Have you considered looking into taking the Adventure Bound trip to Tracy Arm? Do a search of this board to see if this is of interest to you. The Tracy Arm trip is an all day excursion, but we thought it was well worth it. We saw lots of beautiful scenery, lots of wildlife, and got up close and personal with one of the Sawyer glaciers. We did a heli-glacier landing on our 2nd trip to Juneau and thought it was awesome. I can't imagine going to Alaska without having the chance to walk on a glacier!

 

4. Skagway- The Whitepass RR was great. We rode the bus up and train back so that we'd have time to do a glacier landing. If you don't do a glacier landing in Juneau then you may want to consider doing this in Skagway. This trip had more people on the tour with a cluster of helis landing in the same area, but the view from the air is beautiful.

 

5. RCCI or Celebrity- To be honest, for us Alaska is the attraction on an Alaskan cruise. I barely had time to notice the ship, the shows, food, etc. We were so mesmerized by the sights that we're in the process of planning for another return trip to Alaska.

 

6. Tour Operators- It was very easy for us to locate the pick up points for private tour operators. Just be sure that they know when your ship is expected to arrive in port and what your on board time will be so they can best advise you. We found all the Alaskan tour operators to be very helpful.

 

Be sure to bring lots of memory cards and batteries!

 

Hi, Kathy,

Thanks for your details.

we have some questions:

1.what is the difference between Glacier landing by helicopter in Juneau and Skagway? I assumed that you are talking about Temsco.

2. after the whole day trip to Yukon and Emerald Lake with Dyea, both way by van, do you think we still have time to take the helicopter on glacier in Skagway?

3. Have you ever heard of Prince William Sound cruise in Whitter? If we do all the excursion in three ports before Whitter in one week, do you think it's still attracting us to it or we'd better take time see more in Anchorage?

Thanks for any reply.

[kathynorth]

Hi, Kathy,

Thanks for your details.

we have some questions:

1.what is the difference between Glacier landing by helicopter in Juneau and Skagway? I assumed that you are talking about Temsco.

2. after the whole day trip to Yukon and Emerald Lake with Dyea, both way by van, do you think we still have time to take the helicopter on glacier in Skagway?

3. Have you ever heard of Prince William Sound cruise in Whitter? If we do all the excursion in three ports before Whitter in one week, do you think it's still attracting us to it or we'd better take time see more in Anchorage?

Thanks for any reply.

 

1. I think we flew with ERA out of Juneau. We were a family of 4 with just us and the pilot. We flew around a bit viewing the Juneau icefields. He located an unoccupied spot and landed. He took us on a brief walk to see fissures, other ice formations, a stream where we collected glacier water in our water bottle, etc. We flew with Temsco out of Skagway. They filled a cluster of helicopters that were boarded until each was filled. They took off one at a time and landed at a base camp. When all the copters landed (5 or 6 I think) we had a group tour of the glacier. We prefered the more personal experience of the Juneau tour, but thought the Skagway tour was the best ever until we went on the Juneau tour. For us, both tours were awe inspiring experiences.

 

2. I suggest you check to see what time you'll return on the train and then compare this to a potential departure time with Temsco. You can call the tour operators to acquire this info. We took an early bus up and train down and still had time to do the glacier landing, but I seem to recall having a long time at this port. You may be able to figure out if you'll have enough time by checking with the ship tours to see if there's the possibility of scheduling both through the ship. If this is possible then you can go ahead and do this on your own.

 

3. We haven't taken a PWS tour, so I'm probably not the best person to weigh in on this. I can say that I've read many positive comments about the PWS boat tours and as we plan for a return trip this is definitely on our radar.