Any advice on how I can change/improve this plan for my first cruise to Alaska?

[Sanjuro]

Not only my first cruise to Alaska, but my first trip to Alaska. Period. So all of this will be brand new to me. I still remember the advice when I was planning my overly aggressive first trip to Europe: "Assume you'll be back." In other words, don't try to CRAM everything in on one trip and make yourself miserable. Now I've been to Europe three times since 2009, so it was good advice!

 

Still, even if (or WHEN) I return to Alaska, I want this first experience to be as good as it can be within reasonable limits. I'm well aware that a lot of this will be subjective. Some prefer exploring the towns, cities, and museums, others prefer wildlife excursions, and still others may be enamored with natural beauty above all. I'm interested in OPINIONS here, based on what you would prefer in your own itinerary. Then I can decide myself if it seems like something I might want to switch into my plan. If you think I'm doing too much natural scenery and not enough wildlife, just let me know!

 

So here's the current plan -

 

Juneau: Since our cruise itinerary sails through Glacier Bay for a day, I'm tempted to do a long roundtrip excursion to Tracy Arm while docked in Juneau. I understand this isn't wildlife FOCUSED, by any means, but we should see some wildlife (a whale or two en route, bears, sea otters, etc.) in addition to the possibility of seeing a glacier calve up close. With only 8 hours in port, this excursion would leave us NO TIME to see Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier, etc.

 

Skagway: We have 13 hours here so I was thinking of doing the White Pass Summit train roundtrip, a 3 1/2 hour experience. That would leave us plenty of time to explore Skagway, eat some grub, etc. Maybe hike to the gold rush cemetary? Any other ideas?

 

Glacier Bay: The default "major site" on our cruise itinerary. We just experience it from the big cruise ship and hear some commentary on it.

 

Ketchikan: We have 7 1/2 hours here and I was thinking of doing a 2 1/2 hour seaplane trip into the Misty Fjords, including about 45 minutes on the ground (not on the plane, but out on the shore within the fjord). Then back in Ketchikan we would have plenty of time left to check out the town, touristy stuff like Creek Street, and maybe see some totem poles.

 

Victoria: We have six hours here on a Saturday evening. I'm thinking we visit the harbor and maybe the Butchart Gardens, which has a fireworks display that evening.

 

 

Any advice or recommendations on changes I should make? Thanks!

[B Russo]

Not only my first cruise to Alaska, but my first trip to Alaska. Period. So all of this will be brand new to me. I still remember the advice when I was planning my overly aggressive first trip to Europe: "Assume you'll be back." In other words, don't try to CRAM everything in on one trip and make yourself miserable. Now I've been to Europe three times since 2009, so it was good advice!

 

Still, even if (or WHEN) I return to Alaska, I want this first experience to be as good as it can be within reasonable limits. I'm well aware that a lot of this will be subjective. Some prefer exploring the towns, cities, and museums, others prefer wildlife excursions, and still others may be enamored with natural beauty above all. I'm interested in OPINIONS here, based on what you would prefer in your own itinerary. Then I can decide myself if it seems like something I might want to switch into my plan. If you think I'm doing too much natural scenery and not enough wildlife, just let me know!

 

So here's the current plan -

 

Juneau: Since our cruise itinerary sails through Glacier Bay for a day, I'm tempted to do a long roundtrip excursion to Tracy Arm while docked in Juneau. I understand this isn't wildlife FOCUSED, by any means, but we should see some wildlife (a whale or two en route, bears, sea otters, etc.) in addition to the possibility of seeing a glacier calve up close. With only 8 hours in port, this excursion would leave us NO TIME to see Juneau, Mendenhall Glacier, etc.

 

Skagway: We have 13 hours here so I was thinking of doing the White Pass Summit train roundtrip, a 3 1/2 hour experience. That would leave us plenty of time to explore Skagway, eat some grub, etc. Maybe hike to the gold rush cemetary? Any other ideas?

 

Glacier Bay: The default "major site" on our cruise itinerary. We just experience it from the big cruise ship and hear some commentary on it.

 

Ketchikan: We have 7 1/2 hours here and I was thinking of doing a 2 1/2 hour seaplane trip into the Misty Fjords, including about 45 minutes on the ground (not on the plane, but out on the shore within the fjord). Then back in Ketchikan we would have plenty of time left to check out the town, touristy stuff like Creek Street, and maybe see some totem poles.

 

Victoria: We have six hours here on a Saturday evening. I'm thinking we visit the harbor and maybe the Butchart Gardens, which has a fireworks display that evening.

 

 

Any advice or recommendations on changes I should make? Thanks!

They all sound good, I have done them all ( except the float plane.) I'm a pilot and don't go on small air planes if I'm not the pilot LOL. :) Bill

[DougH]

In Skagway I'd highly recommend the full day bus/train trip. It gets you much fatrher into the Yukon and you'll see much more. You still will have time to explore Skagway afterwards.

The Lake Bennett trip is also really nice.

 

Ketchican The flight to Misty Fjords is great, I did it with Micheelle from Island Wings but other operators also get high marks

 

Juneau I'm a big fan of the full day Tracy Arm excursion with Adventure Bound if you time permits. Not many ship schedules allow this and if yours does I'd take it now.

 

Enjoy your trip. I'll probably miss Alaska this year and am already disappointed.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

It does not take very long to see Slagway. We took the Summit RR trip and had more time than we needed in Skagway. We used Chilkoot tours [bus up-- train down.]

[WalleyeLJ]

For me personally, I can't imagine crusing Alaska and not doing at least one whale watch, and Juneau is the best stop on your trip for it. You can whale watch, check out Mendenhall Glaicer and still have a couple of hours to check out Juneau before you depart.

Skagway is a very small and you won't need 10 hours to check it out, so I agree with the other folks to take a longer tour either on the Whitepass RR or rent a car and head into the Yukon.

In Ketchikan we've gone into Misty Fjords with Michelle of Island Wings, and this past summer we did a 4 hour salmon truip, and both were great experiences. Creek Street is a neat place to check out. Depending on when you're going, you could do a bear viewing trip as well.

In any case, you'll likely be drawn back to Alaska like you were Europe. We thought that 2009 might be our only trip, so we were pedal to the metal the whole trip. It was long, exhausting, and the greatest trip we've ever taken. We went back in 2012, and we're planning on 2015 next!

L.J.

[Chloe1500]

I will second the whale watch idea in Juneau. I visited Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Bay on two different types of trips. I saw more wildlife while cruising in Glacier Bay--bears lumbering along the coastline and sitting and eating atop a whale carcass. Both areas are very scenic, but Glacier Bay was the highlight for sure. Juneau's bay is full of whales -- saw numerous whales and calves, breaching and bubble net feeding, from the small boat operated by Harv and Marv. For the best views, you have to get into a small boat and they get as close as the law allows.

[mikefox2hotmail.com]

The Whitepass train ride to Frasier was amazing! Our first Alaska cruise we rented an RV for a week first which was the best experience of our lives and we WILL do it again some day. Our favorite port was Sitka but Carnival does not go there anymore. In Juneau, the Mt. Robert's tram was very worth it and I would say stop by the Red Dog Saloon. Our second Alaska cruise, we took a helicopter trip to a glacier which was the highlight of the trip...pricey but very worth it! Have a GREAT trip!

[Sanjuro]

Wow! Such great advice that it makes me MORE confused about what to do LOL. I think I will extend the train trip at Skagway based on several of your recommendations (maybe the bus and train combo). Also, the whale watching thing is killing me. That or Tracy Arm out of Juneau were already the ones I was struggling the most over. I tried to justify Tracy Arm with this idea that we MIGHT see whales en route.

 

I hear incredibly different opinions about Glacier Bay vs Tracy Arm. I've heard Glacier Bay is "definitely better" than Tracy Arm, but I've also heard Tracy Arm is "easily superior" to Glacier Bay! Why oh why can't everyone agree and make my life easier, haha.

[quelah]

I've been to Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm. Both offer spectacular scenery and are highlights of any cruise through SE Alaska. Glacier Bay is much larger, wilderness on a grand scale; you also have a chance there to spot wildlife such as bear, mountain goats and eagles. Tracy Arm is a fjord, much narrower than Glacier Bay, with steep rock walls rising straight out of the water to great heights on both sides of the fjord, ending with a beautiful glacier. I would never say one is "definitely better" than the other. Each of them is a great wilderness experience.

[sherryf]

I hear incredibly different opinions about Glacier Bay vs Tracy Arm. I've heard Glacier Bay is "definitely better" than Tracy Arm, but I've also heard Tracy Arm is "easily superior" to Glacier Bay! Why oh why can't everyone agree and make my life easier, haha.

 

If you only care about seeing beautiful scenery, either one is fine. In fact, Tracy Arm might even be better. But if you want to actually see glaciers up close, you are much better off with Glacier Bay, or the small boat excursion to Tracy Arm. We also have seen whales when coming out of Glacier Bay both times, but none at Tracy Arm. For your best chances of seeing both glaciers and whales, I'd say Glacier Bay and whale watching plus a Mendenhall Glacier stop in Juneau.

[bonvoyagie]

You are correct in presuming that you will visit AK more than once - there way too much to see and do for one trip. That said, only you can set priorities as to what you want to see - it took me three times to see Glacier Bay - now I see why it is highly reccommended for the first time visitor. Tracy Arm is wonderfull as well - the two are seperatey equal - esp if you take the small boat tour.

 

In Skagway, again there is so much to see and do. There are several hiking trips and walking around town is quite easy following the NPS tour map. If you want to see more of the gold rush history of the region, you need to head into the Yukon - I reccommend the train ride all the way to Carcross - it is the only way to see the remains of Bennett - the place were the two hiking trails met and where a town went from boom to bust in one night. I took this through Chilkoot and had a wonderful time.

 

In general, I think that in AK you can do better using indpendent tour operators vs taking the cruise company excursions. Having no more than 12 people in a bus is much better than having 40.

[Sanjuro]

bonvoyagie, in terms of scenery and overall experience, you recommend the Bennett train/bus combo over the Rail/Bus combo that goes to "Caribou Crossing Trading Post" and the "Yukon Wildlife Museum" instead?

 

I'm just trying to figure out what the differences are, and I know the Bennett trip has a 4 hour train ride segment, while the other is 1.75 hours. Both are long trips though at 7 1/2 hours for the Yukon Rail/Bus and 8 hours for the Bennett Rail/Bus.

[bonvoyagie]

On the trip I took, we rode the train all the way to Carcross -about 6hrs including an hour stop in Bennett for lunch (beef stew, sourdough bread, cole slaw, and apple pie - all you can eat on the stew and bread. After lunch you can take a quick walking tour of the remains of Bennett - the only surviving structure is a church. After lunch the train follows the lake shore to Carcross. From there you board a van and the driver takes you to see the Carcross Desert and Emerald Lake. Then it is back through Carcross and the Klondike Hy back to Skagway. This tour does not run on Sunday or Monday. Also Bennett is only accessable on the train, or by hiking the Chilkoot Trail from Dyea. http://www.wpyr.com/bennettscenicjourney.html

 

On the other tours you take the train to Fraser and then transfer to a bus to continue up the Klondike Hy to Carcross where you stop at Caribou Crossing for lunch and the tour - then on to Emerald Lake the Carcross Desert, then back down the same Hy to Skagway. This tour can also be run with the train last.

 

I prefer to travel in a loop whenever possible - seeing the same scenery up and back is a bit boring.

[Sanjuro]

Sounds better for sure when you put it that way... I think on such a long tour I would prefer different scenery each way. Thanks!

[DougH]

bonvoyagie, in terms of scenery and overall experience, you recommend the Bennett train/bus combo over the Rail/Bus combo that goes to "Caribou Crossing Trading Post" and the "Yukon Wildlife Museum" instead?

 

I'm just trying to figure out what the differences are, and I know the Bennett trip has a 4 hour train ride segment, while the other is 1.75 hours. Both are long trips though at 7 1/2 hours for the Yukon Rail/Bus and 8 hours for the Bennett Rail/Bus.

 

Both are very nice tours but I'd prefer Lake Bennett over a stop at Caribou Crossing. This is just a tourst trap with a small attached museum. I much prefer the real history at Lake Bennett. The extra train time along the lake is very nice and cannot be seen by road.

[Countrygirl44]

Like others, I feel this will not be your one and only trip to Alaska. I think the Lake Bennett train trip in Skagway would be the ideal tour. Due to DH's health, it was too demanding for us last year (not sure why we did not do it before). We have taken the train and/or the bus to the Yukon and Emerald Lake. Emerald Lake is really a must see.

Ketchikan, we did the boat tour into the Misty Fjords. We also did the Totem Poles and the Lighthouse excursion. Also walked around town and visited Dolly's House.

In Juneau we usually do the whale excursion and Mendenhall Glacier.

We always cruised Alaska with Princess. We have sailed Northbound, Southbound and R/T Seattle. Since you mentioned Victoria, I thought you must be doing R/T Seattle. On one of our R/T Seattle we did Glacier Bay. Last year we did Tracy Arms. We were able to take the small boat excursion early in the a.m. to go into Tracy Arms. Later in the afternoon we went to Juneau. What line are you cruising that you will be able to go into Tracy Arms and Glacier Bay on the same sailing.

Whatever you choose to do, you will have a wonderful time.

P.S. In Victoria, we have toured the castle and last time went to the gardens. Both are great.

Have a wonderful time. We probably will not be cruising anymore unless health issues improve greatly.

[agabbymama]

I only want to add that Glacier Bay is a National Park/UNESCO Heritage Site for a reason. It far outshines Tracy Arm. And instead of only 2 glaciers at the end, you will see 4 or 5 in Glacier Bay. As well as all the beautiful scenery. And you should see calving at Margerie or Pacific Glaciers at the end of Glacier Bay. Your ship should sit for about an hour slowly turning so everyone gets a good view.

 

The only thing you might see more of in Tracy Arm is waterfalls down the fijord wall and ice in the water that prevents you from getting close to the Twin Sawyer Glaciers.

 

Have a great trip!

[sherryf]

I only want to add that Glacier Bay is a National Park/UNESCO Heritage Site for a reason. It far outshines Tracy Arm. And instead of only 2 glaciers at the end, you will see 4 or 5 in Glacier Bay. As well as all the beautiful scenery. And you should see calving at Margerie or Pacific Glaciers at the end of Glacier Bay. Your ship should sit for about an hour slowly turning so everyone gets a good view.

 

The only thing you might see more of in Tracy Arm is waterfalls down the fijord wall and ice in the water that prevents you from getting close to the Twin Sawyer Glaciers.

 

Have a great trip!

 

I think that, because Tracy Arm is so much narrower, the scenery seems more dramatic. Those big rock walls, carved over centuries by the glaciers, so close to the ship. Also, we have seen calving at the Sawyer Glacier, but not nearly as much as at Margerie. Both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm have their good points, but for a first/only trip, I agree that Glacier Bay is probably the better choice. I'm taking my mom this summer and it will likely be her only trip, so we will do Glacier Bay.

[Sanjuro]

Thanks everyone for the help with Skagway, I have decided to do the 8 hour "Bennett Scenic Journey" with Chilkoot Charters & Tours, then explore Skagway for the remaining 4 hours we are in port.

 

As for Tracy Arm vs Glacier Bay, the superlatives for both are unyielding depending on who you ask. I saw one guy say he burst into tears when the boat started going into Tracy Arm. LOL. Seriously... Opinions are strong on each side, so it has made my decision pretty difficult. I'm seeing Glacier Bay either way, I just dunno if it's worth adding Tracy Arm too. I've been to the Naeroyfjord in Norway which was pretty stunning, and I'm guessing it has more in common with Tracy Arm (narrow and TONS of waterfalls). So I could justify not going with an "I've seen similar..."

 

At the same time, I'd like to see it for myself. The Colosseum is more famous than the Pantheon, but after seeing (and loving) both...the Pantheon is definitely more impressive to me. If I only see Glacier Bay and not Tracy Arm, how will I ever know which one I prefer? Of course, then I leave no time to see ANYTHING in Juneau on this trip. Haha. Decisions are frustrating...

 

Countrygirl44 - I hope the health issues improve. :) Also, I'm going on a Norwegian cruise that goes to Glacier Bay. They offer a 7 hour roundtrip excursion to Tracy Arm from Juneau, which is how I would be able to see both on this trip.

[Countrygirl44]

Sanjuro, that is great! Both Glacier Bay and Tracy Arms on a R/T Seattle. May I ask what ship? I have always cruised Princess to Alaska, but this might change my mind should we be able to ever go again. Tell me more about the excursion that NCL does to Tracy Arms. This really sounds like the ideal cruise from Seattle.

I know you will love Alaska, no matter which excursions you do. What time of year are you going? We have been from May to August. Our favorite time and the best weather for us is late May. We went at the end of July last year and the weather was not good at all. The crew on the ship said the weather the week before had been the best of the season.

Just enjoy and thanks for the wishes for improved health.

[Sanjuro]

countrygirl, we are going the first week in July on the Norwegian Pearl! Very much looking forward to it. It will be QUITE the contrast to the Dominican Republic, where we are going in late April (not on a cruise)! I've heard the Alaskan weather, while always unpredictable, is pretty darn "best case scenario" at the time we are going. Is that true?

 

As for the excursion to Tracy Arm, it is done by Allen Marine Tours and you can book it through the Norwegian excursions list for Juneau. Here is a link to a description of the excursion:

 

http://www.allenmarinetours.com/sightseeing/juneau/tours/glacier-fjord/round-trip.html

 

Two days later the Pearl itself will be in Glacier Bay, so yep...it's possible to do both Glacier Bay AND Tracy Arm! Oh, AND Misty Fjord out of Ketchikan. :D All on one RT from Seattle.

[Countrygirl44]

Sounds like the ideal R/T Seattle cruise. We have gone on Allen's Marine tours in Juneau (whale watching and the Tracy Arms Explorer) plus their boat tour of Misty Fjords in Ketchikan. They do an excellent job. Are you thinking of Misty Fjords by boat or floatplane? I know a couple that did the float plane last summer...she said it was the highlight of her cruise.

We usually like to go the last of May (rates are better) except last year I got an e-mail from Princess for the last week in July for $899.00 pp balcony guarantee. We had not planned to go, but the rate was just toooo good to pass up. We ended up with an aft balcony (BB). It was really great even though the weather was the worst we had in six cruises to Alaska...even though some say July is the best. I think last year was not good weather for Alaska.

I know you will enjoy the train in Skagway. I understand your concern "if you do Tracy Arms", then there is "no time for anything else in Juneau". I really do not know what to tell you. I like Juneau, whale watching and Mendehall Glacier, but then I thought Tracy Arms was breathtaking.

Like others have said, what you do not do this time, you can do on another cruise.

I hope you are planning to come early and enjoy Seattle.

We used a town car service (Already There Towncar Service)to the airport on disembarkment day. They were wonderful. . We also used the "luggage direct". I think the cost is great considering the service.

[Sanjuro]

countrygirl, we are gonna do the plane in Misty Fjord. Sounds like a good way to mix it up from the other stuff we are seeing. We'll be getting trains, planes, and...boats. :)

 

Thanks for the recommendation about Already There Towncar and the direct luggage service, we'll look into those for sure. Also, we are getting into Seattle two days before the cruise. I've been to a lot of cities all over the world, but Seattle isn't one of them, so I said, "We gotta get there early!" I'm always excited to visit places I've never been.

[Countrygirl44]

Sanjuro, sounds like you have a great plan. Are you doing Misty Fjords with Island Wings? Did you decide to do "Tracy Arms" instead of whale watching in Juneau? You are going to have a wonderful first trip to Alaska. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

P.S. Burchart gardens was soooooo pretty. We truly enjoyed the visit and the drive through town back to the ship was beautiful! We also enjoyed the visit to the castle several years ago!

[Sanjuro]

The current plan is to use Island Wings for the Misty Fjord and to do Tracy Arm from Juneau. SO FAR that's the plan, haha.

 

Looking forward to Victoria and Butchart Gardens as well. So bizarre that I haven't even TRIED to seek out the "great gardens of the world" but after Butchart I will have been to 3 of the Top 5 according to National Geographic :D The gardens at Versailles (went for the palace), Villa d'Este outside of Rome (went for the fountains), and Butchart. Weird.