What we did in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, and Victoria

[Kellie in Texas]

Just returned from the June 4-11 Golden Princess. In Juneau, we did the Princess bus tour to Mendenhall Glacier; we had an hour and a half at the glacier. The visitor's center is very nice, with lots of hands-on exhibits that kids will like. They also have a big block (maybe 2 1/2 feet square) of 250-year-old glacier ice that you can touch. After returning to the cruise pier, we hit the public restrooms that are right there between the cruise pier and the Mt. Roberts tram building. Walked across the street to the Orca Enterprises office (second floor of the building with the clock tower). We had a 3:30 tour with them. Everyone assembles at the office and then they walk you out across the street to the bus parking area where you get on a van -- I think it held 18 maybe. You take the short drive out to the marina where the Orca boats are. We saw a bald eagle perched on top of a small fishing boat's mast, maybe 12 feet in the air. Got a good picture of him. You do have to walk out onto the wooden-boards of the marina, and then down a ramp and across a floating wooden pier to the boat. There was a man in a wheelchair and they helped him down that ramp; otherwise, it's just a bit of walking and holding on the rails.

 

We were on the purple Orca boat, which held 24 people, I believe. While you are moving (which you do FAST with Capt. Larry "driving"! he wants to get you out quickly to where the whales are), everyone has to stay inside the cabin. After that, you can go out on the back area, which is maybe 10 x 15; they also allow 12 people at a time to go up on top of the cabin. They pay attention to how many are up there at a time, and they also make sure that the first group comes down to allow the second group to go up, which I appreciated. So, everybody gets a turn up top. Capt. Jeff was also on the boat; he was very enthusiastic and provided the "comedic relief" on the tour. We also had a guy named Brent -- I think his last name is Kinard? -- who is the naturalist for the Celebrity Infinity, which was also in port. He was great! He obviously is good buddies with Capt. Larry and Capt. Jeff, so I think he must join the tour whenever the Infinity is in town.

 

We did see lots of whales, orcas mostly, including a mother and baby, which we got a great picture of. We also saw lots of eagles and a couple of big sea lions perched on top of a buoy. It was a beautiful sunny warm day in Juneau that day. After you start back toward the pier, they had some Capri Sun juices and some crackers and cheese and peanut butter as a snack.

 

In Skagway, we had booked the 7-hour Yukon Bus tour with Chilkoot Charters. We got off the ship and walked to the end of the pier; just past all the Princess excursion sign-holding people, we found the Chilkoot guys. Our driver was James, a wonderful fellow from Ireland, who lives in Arizona and teaches ESL part-time at a college there. There is also a public restroom there when you come off the pier. There is a large parking lot where all the tour buses park, so he pointed us to his bus, while he waited for three other people. This bus was a 16-passenger van. Three other people were in our group, so for the first part of the day, it was just the seven of us and James. We got on the road and he pointed out various things about Skagway as we were driving through the town. He stopped at several scenic overlooks and we could get out and take pictures. He told us to watch for bears, particularly where there are dandelions growing on the side of the road; they evidently love dandelions.

 

So, we have a lovely drive up into the mountains, going through the Canadian border. We each had to have our passports out and the Canadian official came on the bus and took a glance at them and that was it. We stopped at Fraser, which is where the White Pass train stops. There is a restroom there, but NO water fountains (at least not that I saw) and no vending machines. I would recommend bringing some water with you; we were all pretty thirsty. James told us that if we needed to use the restrooms, to do so then, because after the train came in, there would be a long line. Well, he was right! After the train came in, then we had another 10 or so people join us on the bus.

 

Luckily, it was a very friendly group because as we continued our drive up to Carcross, James spotted two big tour buses on the side of the road, so he figured there must be a bear there. The big buses pulled away as we came up a few seconds later to that spot. There was a small meadow there and then some trees. We didn't see a bear, so James pulled off the road a bit. After looking for another minute or so, he started to pull the bus back onto the road, but we got stuck in the soft gravel and dirt. Next thing we know, the bus is sliding sideways about five feet or so. We all got out of the bus and surveyed the situation. James called up to Carcross where another Chilkoot driver had already delivered his passengers for lunch; we were only about three miles from Carcross, so the first driver came back to get us. One of the men got back on the bus and got all our belongings off. I say we were lucky that we were a friendly group because no one became obnoxious over this event or complained about demanding their money back or any of these other unfortunate attitudes that sometimes come up in situations like this. In fact, everyone was more than understanding about it; after all, we had all seen the other two buses parked in that very spot, and James said he has pulled over in that spot numerous times and nothing like this had ever happened. After awhile, the other bus came back to get us, while James waited with our bus. I believe he had called the owner, who was bringing another bus from Skagway, and also trying to figure out if they needed a tow truck or what.

 

So, we all went into Carcross and had our lunch -- BBQ chicken, half a twice-baked potato, cole slaw, rolls, and yummy donuts! We thought the food was really good, except the rolls were cold and the tea was warm! They also had pitchers of cold water on all the tables. This is the place where there are lots of really big mosquitos everywhere! Oddly enough, I never got bitten though. After we ate, we were free to walk around the complex there where we saw the sled dog PUPPIES! They were very cute, like most puppies are. The "real" sled dogs were on the other side of the fence, hitched up in their gear. You could pay extra to do the sled dog ride over the ground (no snow or ice at this point). They also had a gift shop and a museum with stuffed animals -- not teddy bears, but the actual animals -- different bears, a mammoth, etc. It was interesting to see how big some of these animals are.

 

Finally, James showed up with the second bus and we went up a little farther to see Emerald Lake, which is really gorgeous, before starting back to Skagway. We had to wait in a long line to come back into the U.S. This time when the agent got on the bus, she asked all of us who had sunglasses on to take them off; the first guy didn't do that. She was very nice and pleasant, although my 9-year-old son leaned over to me and whispered: "She's got a GUN!"

 

As we got back into Skagway, James asked if anyone wanted to be let off in the town and everybody else got off the bus at a couple of different spots, but we went on back to the ship. It was another beautiful sunny day in Skagway and all the way up to Carcross.

 

In Ketchikan, we went to the Lumberjack show, which was great fun and perfect for families. When you get off the ship, look for the person wearing a red plaid shirt and holding an ax! Well, she was also holding a sign too that said Lumberjack Show. You just cross the street, walk one block to the stop sign, and turn right. The lumberjack show building is right there, maybe a two-block walk total. Very easy. They have a gift shop, restrooms and a concession stand. The show was really cute and our team won!

 

After that, we walked over to Creek Street and took some pictures and shopped a little bit. We decided to go to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, which is similar to the visitor's center at Mendenhall. It is $5 a person, kids 15 and under (I believe) are free. But they don't take credit cards and we didn't have any cash! So, DH and DS18 made a run back to the ship to get some cash (although I'm sure there is an ATM somewhere nearby). One thing about Ketchikan is the ships "park" right next to the street. There isn't a long pier that you have to walk down first. They had some nice exhibits there and a theater that showed a short movie. It's a short stop in Ketchikan, but it is such a cute town. When we got on the ship, we watched all the float planes coming in. You could see them all lined up, coming in to land.

 

In Victoria, we didn't have anything planned. While the ship was being cleared, we watched the folks coming off the Holland America ship next to us. In the parking lot, there were tour buses and taxis, limos and town cars for hire, and pedi-cabs. Some for two people and some for four. I had thought about doing the horse-drawn trolley tour, but we found out after we got out there that you have to pre-book this on the ship; you can't walk up and pay. We talked to one of the pedi-cab drivers, but his tour was $60 per person and 2 1/2 hours; we didn't really want to spend that much money or time, so we ended up getting a cab, which is a flat $8.50 to downtown (not including tip), right in front of the Empress hotel. That night, the Vancouver Canucks hockey team had just beaten Boston in game 5 of the Stanley Cup, so everybody was driving up and down the street, honking their horns, waving their flags, and wearing Canucks jerseys. Even the statue of George Vancouver was wearing a Canucks jersey! There was a street fair going on down on the harbor there, so we went down there and walked around a bit. Lots of booths with jewelry, crafts, and other things for sale. Then we caught a cab back to the ship. Victoria looked like a neat town, so it's a shame there isn't more time there.

[ljgljg]

Thanks for the great review. Did you do Orca Enterprises on your own, or was it part of the Princess Mendenhall tour?

[Keith1010]

Great review. Very well written.

 

Keith

[LoanChau]

Thanks, I love your review. it's very detail

[Kellie in Texas]

Thanks for the great review. Did you do Orca Enterprises on your own, or was it part of the Princess Mendenhall tour?

 

We did Orca on our own; actually had it booked awhile back and then decided to add the Princess Mendenhall tour, although you can ask Orca and they will arrange to take you there too. You have to arrange that with them ahead of time though, but they are pretty flexible, I've heard.

[FurryPetMom]

Thanks for your review! Would love to see any pictures if you post any later. Welcome back!

[Mack42306]

Brent Nixon... is the name of the naturalist from the Infinity :)

[Kellie in Texas]

Thanks for your review! Would love to see any pictures if you post any later. Welcome back!

 

Hey, FurryPetMom, also from Texas; whereabouts are you? I am near Austin.

 

What pics would you like to see? We've got hundreds! :D

[Kellie in Texas]

Brent Nixon... is the name of the naturalist from the Infinity :)

 

He was very good, very enthusiastic. The naturalist on the Golden was more . . . I guess sonorous in tone. Much more religious, almost, for lack of a better word, whereas Brent was just wildly enthusiastic about everything! There were some Infinity people on the Orca tour with us and when they found out he would be there too, they were very excited.

[austincici]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like we're doing most of the same things in about 10 more days! Sooooo, how bad were those mosquitoes? May need to pick up some insect repellent in Seattle. (Also in the Austin area, and former state employee--retired now!!)

[Kellie in Texas]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like we're doing most of the same things in about 10 more days! Sooooo, how bad were those mosquitoes? May need to pick up some insect repellent in Seattle. (Also in the Austin area, and former state employee--retired now!!)

 

Hey, Cindy. I'm a current state employee! Still a few years from retirement though.

 

I only noticed the mosquitos up at Carcross and they were BIG ones . . . but I never got bit. And I nearly always will get bit here in the backyard. They would fly in front of your face, which was the most annoying thing. So, not sure what to tell you on the repellent. :confused:

[austincici]

Hey, Cindy. I'm a current state employee! Still a few years from retirement though.

 

I only noticed the mosquitos up at Carcross and they were BIG ones . . . but I never got bit. And I nearly always will get bit here in the backyard. They would fly in front of your face, which was the most annoying thing. So, not sure what to tell you on the repellent. :confused:

 

I worked for the Texas Railroad Commission for 30 years, DH is still there, my daughter just left the AG's office for the GLO, and my son-in-law works for for the AG's office. We're a family of state employees, for sure! Well, if the mosquitos find my DH and I, we WILL get bit, they LOVE us, so I guess we'll get some. Glad that's the only place you saw them! Thanks for the info...

[Kellie in Texas]

I worked for the Texas Railroad Commission for 30 years, DH is still there, my daughter just left the AG's office for the GLO, and my son-in-law works for for the AG's office. We're a family of state employees, for sure! Well, if the mosquitos find my DH and I, we WILL get bit, they LOVE us, so I guess we'll get some. Glad that's the only place you saw them! Thanks for the info...

 

You have got to be KIDDING?!! That's where I work! Seriously!! What division is your husband in? I've been at the RRC for almost 20 years. Now I'm trying to think of who's had retirement parties lately!! This is TOO crazy!

[AussieKathy]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. I enjoyed it. Did you have to rug up much with the weather?

[misha1]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. I enjoyed it. Did you have to rug up much with the weather?

 

rug up?

[austincici]

You have got to be KIDDING?!! That's where I work! Seriously!! What division is your husband in? I've been at the RRC for almost 20 years. Now I'm trying to think of who's had retirement parties lately!! This is TOO crazy!

 

OMG, this is TOO weird! He's in IT (he's a mainframe programmer), and I was a proration analyst in the OIL & Gas division until 2 years ago. Which division are you in?

[Kellie in Texas]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. I enjoyed it. Did you have to rug up much with the weather?

 

We did "rug up" in Glacier Bay NP, mainly because that was the cloudiest day we had, so no sun to warm things up. We also watched a movie at MUTS and used the blankets for that. Most days, I wore a t-shirt and a long-sleeved shirt during the day, and wore my coat when we were outside on deck. There were times in some of the ports that I ended up carrying my coat because I didn't need it.

[Kellie in Texas]

OMG, this is TOO weird! He's in IT (he's a mainframe programmer), and I was a proration analyst in the OIL & Gas division until 2 years ago. Which division are you in?

 

Okay, I've figured out who you are and who your DH is, with help from Susan, our "librarian" (which she will always be to me, even though that hasn't been her title for awhile). I'm in legal. I met you once or twice a long time ago, but have not met your DH (but I've seen him in conference for service awards and things like that). I'm going to email him now and get your email so we can "talk" more off the boards.

[austincici]

Okay, I've figured out who you are and who your DH is, with help from Susan, our "librarian" (which she will always be to me, even though that hasn't been her title for awhile). I'm in legal. I met you once or twice a long time ago, but have not met your DH (but I've seen him in conference for service awards and things like that). I'm going to email him now and get your email so we can "talk" more off the boards.

 

Sounds good! :)

[Jrabbit128]

MOSQUITOES?!?!?!??!?! I didn't even think of that! We are going to Alaska in September for the first time. Whenever we go to the caribbean, I always put bug spray on because those mosquitoes absolutely LOVE me! One time I forgot to put it on and the next day, you could play connect the dots on my legs and arms! Thank you for the heads up!