Suggestions for indepent tours Juneau Skagway & Ketchikan

[CanWeGoYet?]

I am looking for suggestions for independent tours for cruise ports of

Juneau 2pm to 10pm

Skagway 7AM to 8PM

Ketchikan 8AM to 5PM

 

Two or Three hundred per person through the ship is not in my budget. I know I won't get a helicopter or float plane excursion for less than that even independent - but I'm hoping to find a good quality excursion with a reliable tour guide. Boating excursions are out, I want to be on dry land on my port days.

 

If I buy white pass railroad tickets on my own, can anyone tell me how long the train trip is & how much time to allow? I've read that the ship sells tickets for not much more than you can buy on your own, but they pack you in like sardines & in the front cars, which get the fumes from the train engine. I am afraid of getting sick to my stomach because motion combined with fuel smells is a recipe for disaster for me.

 

Especially interested in a tour that goes to mendenhall glacier.

 

I am hoping to keep excursion prices reasonable but don't want to take a chance on missing the ship.

[RSERCOA]

When we took White Pass in Alaska we were in almost the last car and we were on Princess.

[Marie321]

You can catch a bus in Juneau that goes to Mendenhall. $14. It is a big blue bus.

 

We did the train in Skagway through Chilcoot. Here is a link. We went all the way to Carcross and went up by train and back by van. It was a small group and we enjoyed it very much. It seems like the whole thing was about 7 hours. We had lunch at Carcross and the van driver would stop whenever someone wanted pictures. The train ride was narrated and very interesting history wise about the Gold Rush. You can also get up and walk around on the train.

 

http://www.chilkootcharters.com/

 

Ketchikan is an interesting town to walk in or you can catch a city bus to view totems. Creek Street is very interesting. You could also watch salmon run if you are there in July or August. If interested, they have a lumberjack show that didn't cost too much.

[Budget Queen]

The above Mendenhall information is for a SHUTTLE bus,which is now $16. Not sure, but you state "tour". There are excellent walk up tour buses that make several stops of interest, with drive by commentary, and have a glacier stop. These can be purchased on the dock.

 

Skagway, the round trip White Pass Rail trip is 3 1/2 hours. http://www.whitepassrailroad.com

[CanWeGoYet?]

Thanks to all of you for the responses & info. Budget Queen, are there any tour companies on the dock that you know are good - or any to avoid?

 

I should check the port schedule to see how many ships are in port that day.

 

Anyway am I right in that I won't actually get to walk on the glacier unless I book some sort of helicopter tour?

 

Wish I could fix the typo in the subject line but it's too late now. :o

[I-cruisers]

We just got back from our Alaskan cruise and did a fantastic glacier hike on the Mendenhall glacier with Above & Beyond Alaska. It is around $200 but it is all day and a once in a lifetime experience. Check out their website to see if they offer less expensive tours on the glacier. You can walk out to a fantastic waterfall from the visitor center but won't access the glacier. On our tour we walked 2.5 hrs. or so to the glacier through rainforest, rocks, etc., then a couple hours on the glacier seeing ice caves, crevasses, ice melts, etc., then hiked back. Loved it!

[Wildernessy]

Just got back from Southeast AK, and loved doing the ocean rafting adventure, sightseeing out of Skagway, two-hour excursions along all the nooks and fiords. http://www.oceanraftalaska.com ...

 

That is definitely the way to get off the beaten path in Skagway.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks to all of you for the responses & info. Budget Queen, are there any tour companies on the dock that you know are good - or any to avoid?

 

I should check the port schedule to see how many ships are in port that day.

 

Anyway am I right in that I won't actually get to walk on the glacier unless I book some sort of helicopter tour?

 

Wish I could fix the typo in the subject line but it's too late now. :o

 

You need to determine what tours are you are interested in, then find a vendor. Easy to get recommendations from this board. There isn't a "list" of vendors to avoid.

 

 

The only way for access onto a glacier, is either the extended hiking mentioned above or a glacier helicopter landing, on the inside passage.

[Quigley10]

We just got back from the Century, and stopped in both Juneau and Ketchikan.

 

Juneau - glacier trek with Above and Beyond. It was amazing! It's around a 7 hr hike with transportation, so I'm not sure you have enough time for it? If they are willing to work with you, go for it.

 

Ketchikan - sea kayaking with Southeast Sea Kayaks to Orcas Cove. A wonderful experience, even for novice kayakers. We loved it.

 

I'm not generally this enthusiastic, but these two vendors were absolutely outstanding. We'd done a lot of research prior to booking them, and both tours were well worth it. These excursions were some of the highlights of our trip.