Top 10 Most Amazing Things You did on Alaska Cruise or Cruisetour

[charlielinda]

I got the idea for this from another tread . . . if you have cruised or taken a cruise tour what where your 10 Most Amazing Things you saw or did while in Alaska -- excursions, places to stay, downtime, meals? I thought this would be a great thread for those of us who are planning on 2011 Alaska vacations. Thanks so much! Happy travels.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Only 10?????;)

 

1) 3 hour tour at Martin Buser's Happy Trails Iditarod Kennel

2) Renting a car in Skagway and driving up to Emerald Lake

3) Whale Watching with Harv and Marv's in Juneau (twice!:D)

4) Renting electric bikes and zooming up and down the Homer Spit.

5) Capt. Davy's marine wildlife tour in Sitka - WOW - saw our first gray whale!

6) Flying over Misty Fiords in Ketchikan with Michelle of Island Wings.

7) Seeing our first moose - up close and personal - in the middle of the road while driving up to Independence Mine.

8) Sailing toward Anchorage at 11:45PM on HAL's 14 day itinerary last June, just after picking up the pilots in Homer - the mountains behind us bathed in pink, Mt. Augustine outlined by the setting sun, mountains all around and the ship surrounded by whales - magical!

9) Getting my picture taken with Eddie from the Time Bandit (Deadliest Catch tv show) in Homer.:)

10) Seeing two bear along the side of the road on our drive from Skagway, calmly eating dandelions.

 

I could go and on, and on....and on! Been there three times, just wasn't enough. Will be on HAL Amsterdam's 14 day itinerary again this August 5th. It gets in your blood.

[Jen4398]

Great idea for a thread! My cruise departs August 27 so I don't have a list to contribute yet, but I definitely want to subscribe to this thread. Pictures would be nice too if you have them.

[csr221]

We spent the 1st 4 days on our own at a B&B in Seward. Ate amazing fresh, still wiggling fish!

Went on 2 whle watching excursions, both exciting, both in fearful weather, both lots of fun!

Really enjoyed our balcony, relaxing, watching the Inside Passage and Glacier Bay and all the beauty while we floated past

Last day, trying to finish up all the alcohol we smuggled in, hubby was in the shower and I look over the side of the boat and there's a pod of whales saying goodbye!

Walking around the towns, so easy!

Doing day hikes.

I had livd in Alaska so wasn't into the mushing and gold panning. It was great taking hubby and just relaxing! It's a very relaxing cruise.

Enjoyed buddying up with a few CC folks that we met at the meet and greet.

Enjoyed the ranger narratives each day.

Would love to do it again, but there's many other places in the world to visit!

[CowPrincess]

1. Getting to go through Grenville Channel (the historic Inside Passage) Sept 2010

2. Tracy Arm Fjord on a sundrenched PERFECT day with huge white & blue chunks of ice in the turquoise and emerald water Sept 2010

3. Looking over the edge and seeing a big, weird fish right by the ship. BIG. Asking myself why I could see a fish from the enormous distance. "Fish" surfaced and it was an ORCA -- I'd been looking down on an ORCA -- how many people have seen a whale from that perspective? Sept 2010

4. Outside Sitka, on a wildlife viewing tour, seeing SO MANY humpbacks in the water around us (both near and far) that it was unnerving. Sept 2010

5. The Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan, getting my own Tsmishian (sp?) guide who spoke with me at length about the spirits and the spirit world, and her experiences after the place closes at night May 2009

6. An enormous calf from the Marjerie Glacier. The captain had gotten very close to the glacier face, and the calf hitting the water ROCKED the ship. May 2008

7. A foggy morning in Juneau, standing on deck, and the universe/God/higher powers tapped me on the shoulder and said "If not now, when?" and that's when I put in motion huge personal changes July 2000

8. Sitting on the topmost deck, eating sushi and suntanning in Glacier Bay July 2000

9. Meeting Chief and his family on a walk in Skagway. May 2008

10. Being up at dawn and getting a personal whale show on a beautiful still morning -- it was SO CALM the blows from the whales hung in the air like cartoon captioning balloons. Sept 2010

 

There's more -- I've gotta run though :)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Can't wait for our third Alaska cruise coming up in June!! :D

 

1. Float plane trip to Anan for bear viewing (Island Wings)

2. Sitka wildlife tour with Captain Davey

3. Salmon fishing in Ketchikan

4. Segway tour in Anchorage

5. Renting a car in Juneau and visiting a variety of places

6. Sitting on my balcony looking at the glaciers

7. Prince William Sound glacier tour

8. Spending my birthday driving from Anchorage to Portage with lots of stops along the way

9. Walking around Ketchikan and going to Creek Street and walking down Married Man's Trail

10. Planning it all over again for this summer (more salmon fishing in Ketchikan, drive to Emerald Lake, Tracy Arm cruise, and still more to plan!)

[Deb in Cali]

1. Heli tour with 2 glacier landings (front seat). Almost became bear lunch according to other heli pilot on second landing.

 

2. Whale watching with Capt Larry of Orca Enterprises.

 

3. Hiking Mendenhall glacier trail to waterfall

 

4. Raptor Center in Sitka, then hiking along the creek.

 

5. Tendering from ship in Sitka harbor. Best tender port for scenery

 

6. Sailing from SF under the Golden Gate bridge.

 

7. Fjord into Tracy Arm

 

8. Having deer cross the highway right in front of us in downtown Juneau

 

9. Eagles everywhere in Sitka

 

10. Walking the ship in heavy clothes and a cup of coffee knowing that it is 105 back home. :eek:

[markpark]

1) Seeing it with my best friend, my DW

2) Wildlife: We saw one grizzly on shore, a single black bear, a couple mountain goats, both orcas and humpbacks, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea lions, and bald eagles. The captain was very good at pointing out these and controlling the ship for maximum enjoyment

3) Cruising Glacier Bay

4) Sightseeing while reading a book in the Crow’s Nest on HAL

5) White Pass Railroad

6) Mendenhall Glacier

7) Lower Promenade walking track

8) Creek Street in Ketchikan.

9) Alaska offers tremendous beauty and cordial people

10) We enjoy dressing up and going to dinner and a show.

[Italy52]

1) We went on B2B Alaskan cruises last year so we had 2 opportunities to see AMAZING calving at Hubbard Glacier on both cruises

 

2) We experienced incredible whale breaching during our whale watching excursions with Floyd (F.I.S.H.E.S.)

 

3. We enjoyed the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman excursion in Ketchikan

 

4) We loved our glacier helicopter landing with Temsco

 

5) We absolutely love the beautiful scenery Alaska offers

 

6) We enjoyed our Prince William Sound Glacier Tour (Whittier), our Kenai Fjords Tour (Seward) and our Exit Glacier ranger-led tour with Ranger Lou (Seward)

 

7) My list would not be complete without adding a note that we enjoyed meeting AKSusan while we were in Anchorage --- it was a real pleasure.

 

Karen

[AkSusan]

1) We went on B2B Alaskan cruises last year so we had 2 opportunities to see AMAZING calving at Hubbard Glacier on both cruises

 

2) We experienced incredible whale breaching during our whale watching excursions with Floyd (F.I.S.H.E.S.)

 

3. We enjoyed the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman excursion in Ketchikan

 

4) We loved our glacier helicopter landing with Temsco

 

5) We absolutely love the beautiful scenery Alaska offers

 

6) We enjoyed our Prince William Sound Glacier Tour (Whittier), our Kenai Fjords Tour (Seward) and our Exit Glacier ranger-led tour with Ranger Lou (Seward)

 

7) My list would not be complete without adding a note that we enjoyed meeting AKSusan while we were in Anchorage --- it was a real pleasure.

 

Karen

Karen,

 

You made me :o It was great meeting you two too. Now, you just need to come back to Anchorage one day, so we can enjoy S&S again!

 

Susan :)

[luvlake]

1. Taking a B2B with 21 friends first week and 6 second week was an amazing vacation.

 

2. Taking a trip with 26 Glaciers at PWS was a great way to start our cruise.

 

3. Taking railroad and trip into Yukon in Skagway with Chilkoots was a wonderful day of beauty.

 

4. Taking Adventure Bound to Tracy Arm was the highlight of our cruise. The whole day was breath takiing. Will never forget the beautiful scenery and the wildlife.

 

5. The beautiful weather enabled us to spend endless hours on outside decks and on our balcony.

 

6. Have been to Glacier Bay twice but it still moves you to hear and see the glaciers.

 

7. Went with Allen Marine for whale watching in Juneau. The 20 something whales bubble netting and swimming straight toward our boat was a tremendous sight to see.

 

8. In 2009 was was amazing year for us to see wildlife from the ship. Many whales, dolphins, otters, eagles, moose, bear.

 

9. The amazing sunsets.

 

10. The amazing, wonderful, beautiful, and tremendous scenery that awaits you each minute of the day!

[Suzanne123]

1. All day kayak trip in Homer

2. Prince William Sound glacier tour

3. Mt. Alyeska Lodge (and hiking the trail there)

4. Alaska RR Anchorage to Seward

5. Behind the Scenes Marine Mammal Encounter at Sealife Center in Seward

6. Glacier Point Wilderness Safari

7. Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan

8. Hubbard Glacier

9. Black bears swimming in the river in Talkeetna

10. Fly-out fishing in Juneau

[bqkali]

This is a list based off a cruise in 2009 and land trip in 2010 (in no particular order)

 

1. Seeing Hubbard Glacier calve and really feeling like I was in Alaska!

2. Hearing the sound of running water underneath my feet while glacier trekking in Juneau.

3. Seeing a grizzly bear stand on its hind legs less than 100 yards away from me in Dyea.

4. Singing sailor's tunes in Sitka with Captain Davey to keep our mind off rough seas on the ride back into the harbor (Actually, the whole tour with Captain Davey - great guy and so many wildlife sightings!!)

5. Seeing Mt. McKinley for the first time from the upstairs patio at the Snow Goose in Anchorage where I was sampling microbrews.

6. Being told native legends from the Raven clan by a local in a diner in Ketchikan.

7. Meeting people from my roll call, who I still keep in touch with!

8. Waking up in Denali shivering because it was 27 degrees outside (I was camping) but then being able to strip off layers while hiking later that day because it had warmed up to 70

9. Snapping photos with an amazing borrowed camera on a Kenai Fjords cruise because I was so mesmerized by glaciers, mountains, bays, whales, puffins, seals, sea lions, and otters in Seward

10. Being promised by Dyea Dave that if I was splashed by the water at Bridal Falls outside Skagway that I would be married within a year (it came true :) so I will forever be partial to this moment in Alaska even though it's just coincidence)

 

There were so many other wonderful moments that I'm a little disappointed I won't be returning in 2011 ;)

[LindaKE]

1 - Glacier helicopter landing. The whole flight was so amazingly beautiful, and the glacier was unbelievable.

2 - Glacier Bay

3 - Seward to Anchorage train trip.

4 - White Pass Railway. How they managed to build it is amazing as well as the scenery,

5 - All the spectacular scenery visible almost the entire cruise. Everything we saw everywhere was so awesome.

6 - Seeing a moose wandering around in downtown Anchorage.

7 - Seeing the eagles swarming around a peak in Skagway. I had never seen our national bird.

8 - Seeing mountain goats resting on the side of a hill calmly watching us pass and the sea otters that swam out to our ship in College Fjord..

9 - Seeing our ship from atop the lift in Ketchikan, our first port. It looked magical and made me realize that we were actually there.

10 - Being there.

[LaurieCM]

1) The oysters rockefeller in the Whale Tail at the Captain Cook hotel. 2) First sighting of Denali from the train. 3) All the grizzlies we saw on the TWT. 4) Going north on the Dalton Highway. 5) Stopping for lunch on the Dalton at the place run by the former Playboy Bunny. 6) Coldfoot- basic room, good food, really nice Ranger station, all in the middle of nowhere. 7) The Brooks Range- the wildlife, the colors in late August, the breathtaking views. 8) Wild herds of muskox. 9) Deadhorse. Talking to oil workers hungry to talk to ladies who remind them of their Moms. Dipping our toes in the Arctic Ocean. Picking up thunder rocks. The flight back to Anchorage. 10) Oh the Whales!

[charlielinda]

I can't wait to make my own memories :)

[bbwex]

Top three in uncertain order:

1. Kenai Fjords trip from Seward. Seeing glaciers up close and personal, and hearing the noises they make even when they aren't calving was amazing. The wildlife on this tour was also incredible.

 

2. Tundra Wilderness Tour in Denali. Amazing, unforgettable views and endless wildlife.

 

3. Helicopter trek on glacier in Juneau. The view from just above it really gives the "other" perspective.

 

4. Whale watching in Juneau -- we used Harv and Marv -- they were great.

 

5. Misty Fjords floatplane trip. We used Island Wings and Michelle is great.

 

6. Train trips from Fairbanks and Denali.

 

7. Exploring Fairbanks.

 

8. Visiting Coldfoot Camp -- unplanned diversion from Anaktuvuk Village due to weather.

 

9. Glaciers in College Fjord and Glacier Bay NP, but Kenai Fjords trip had it all over them.

 

Alaska in general.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

This is a great thread. I will be dredging it up a year from now when I'm planning our 2012 adventure.

 

As for the specific excursions and tours mentioned, it's tough to know which of these were done from a cruise ship, and which were done on a land trip. For example, the visit to the Ididarod camp, that must have been done while doing a land trip, right? I would love to do that, but hadn't thought it was close enough to the usual cruise ports.

[firechiefswife]

This thread is great !!!

 

DON'T STOP ! Please keep it going............

 

Come on..... I know there's more of you out there. :D

 

Thanks ;)

[rerepunim]

Taku Lodge Flight and Salmon Feast..............unforgettable sights and food.

[Rejeana]

1. TWT--all the wildlife and the mountain on a clear day.

 

2. Every minute in Denali.

 

3. Floatplane to Neets Bay, watching bears catching salmon.

 

4. Seeing bear poo in road in Haines.

 

5. Caribou with velvet hanging from antlers.

 

6. Driver in Fairbanks telling me that "they don't get much snow, only about 5 feet," and me echoing in disbelief "5 Feet??"

 

7. Sight from atop Mt. Roberts in Juneau.

 

8. Waterfalls coming off mountains.

 

9. White Pass Railroad

 

10. Motherlode Maple Fudge at the Alaskan Fudge Co. in Juneau.

[charlielinda]

Is flightseeing at Talkeetna a must do?

[charlielinda]

I haven't done any of these yet but . . . I'm looking forward to the following and wondering what will be added to the list :)

 

Crusing Prince William Sound

Flightseeing at Mt. McKinley

TWT at Denali

Whale Watching

Helicopter Flight and Dog Sledding

Train trip to the Yukon

Misty Fjords

[barefoot cruiser]

For Wendy I divided them up.

 

CRUISE Specific:

1. Harv and Marv (and Steve :D) in Juneau, being surrounded by whales, Orcas and Humpbacks at the sametime...INCREDIBLE experience.

2. Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau...was incredible tobe able to walk all the way up to the Glacier and the falls.

3. Hubbard Glacier - WOW The seals playing among the ice at Hubbard FUN!

4. Bear trekking in Icy Strait/Hoonah....little dear in the road was adorable...large bear incredible.

5. The train from Seattle to Vancouver, which set the mood for the scenery and views we would encounter.

 

Land Specific:

1. Staying in a yurt in Seward on Resurrection Bay - Kayaking with liquid adventures next door and having a humpback breach across the bay!

2. The train from Seward to Anchorage...no words to describe the views

3. Staying in Traleika cabins at the top of the mountain in Talkeetna for summer solstice and watching a storm travel the valley between us and McKinley.

4. Taking the Wonder Lake bus into Denali with our wonderful driver Cissy MacDonald. Getting pictures of mama bear and her 2 cubs way up on the mountain (was really glad I bought the new megazoom for the trip).

5. Staying at Knik River Lodge as a peaceful, relaxing end to our trip.

6. The sunset with Mt McKinley on night before summer solstice viewed from Anchorage on an amazingly clear night.

 

Overall:

The people we met.

The views we saw.

The animals we watched.

The friends who shared.

The memories we made.

[zamgwar]

Renting a car and staying in B & Bs for 6 days in Anchorage & Healy

Hiking to and on Mantanuska Glacier

The View from Hatcher Pass

Visiting Independence Mine National Park

Whale Watching in Juneau with Captain Chris and his dog on a tiny boat

Susitna Place B&B in Anchorage...to die for

White Pass & Yukon Railroad in Skagway, dripping with history

The beers and food at the Glacial brewhouse in Anchorage

Denali National Park and the shuttle to eielson visitor center

Mt. Mckinley on a cloudless day

Mouse, Beer, Eagles and Caribou by the bunch

Watching schools of Dolphins chase ship thru inside passage

The views while taking the Alaskan Railroad south from Anchorage to Whittier

Two nights in Vancouver following cruise- what a city

Biking from our hotel along the water to the park in vancouver

 

I could go on and on..I would go back in a heartbeat if there wasn't so much more world to see.

 

John

Office of Glacial Memories

The Zamgwar Institute