Trying to coordinate shore excursions....!

[Rache.]

What a fantastic resource this website is!

 

I've never cruised before -- never seriously considered it until last week -- but the day before yesterday (!) I scheduled a 12 day cruisetour on the Veendam -- and we sail on July 31st! This is so unlike me -- I usually research things to the max. Which is why I was pouring over this board at 2:00 am this morning!! Enough exclamation marks!! :p

 

So we have 12 hours each in Juneau and Skagway and 8 hours in Ketchikan and I'm trying to figure out how to schedule the excursions.

 

Based on what I've read here, I think that in Skagway we want to do the train and maybe rent a car to go to Emerald Lake...not sure which to do first. But someone posted about an adventure to Glacier Point by Speedcat which sounded awesome.

 

We really want to do the glacier/dog sled tour so it makes sense to do that out of Juneau.

 

Are the Misty Fjords only accessible by air? Would what we see be different enough from the 'copter trip in Juneau to justify the $$? Or would a boat trip be an equally good experience? Are there small boat excursions that take you right into the fjords with the walls of ice on both sides?

 

We sort of want to kayak....

 

And I'd give anything to see bears....

 

But seeing the glaciers is paramount....

 

So, you guys sound like you've been around the block.... what are your most memorable shore excursions from these ports?

[VickiVSN]

We rented a car in Skagway a few years ago and loved it. It was one of our best port days in 5 cruises. We drove up to Carcross, Yukon, Canada, stopped for a quaint lunch and ice cream and drove back. Had some of the best scenery I've ever seen. I've got more information and a few pictures at http://www.vsn.org/cruise/#ports.

 

Sorry, I don't have much information on Juneau as we didn't get that adventurous there. But I'm researching for 9/2006 now.

[PETRA4U]

What a fantastic resource this website is!

 

I've never cruised before -- never seriously considered it until last week -- but the day before yesterday (!) I scheduled a 12 day cruisetour on the Veendam -- and we sail on July 31st! This is so unlike me -- I usually research things to the max. Which is why I was pouring over this board at 2:00 am this morning!! Enough exclamation marks!! :p

 

So we have 12 hours each in Juneau and Skagway and 8 hours in Ketchikan and I'm trying to figure out how to schedule the excursions.

 

Based on what I've read here, I think that in Skagway we want to do the train and maybe rent a car to go to Emerald Lake...not sure which to do first. But someone posted about an adventure to Glacier Point by Speedcat which sounded awesome.

 

We really want to do the glacier/dog sled tour so it makes sense to do that out of Juneau.

 

Are the Misty Fjords only accessible by air? Would what we see be different enough from the 'copter trip in Juneau to justify the $$? Or would a boat trip be an equally good experience? Are there small boat excursions that take you right into the fjords with the walls of ice on both sides?

 

We sort of want to kayak....

 

And I'd give anything to see bears....

 

But seeing the glaciers is paramount....

 

So, you guys sound like you've been around the block.... what are your most memorable shore excursions from these ports?

 

We were on the Seranade of the Seas on RCCL last august. below is a copy of what I sent someone else.

 

My husband and I along with a lot friends from a company we work with

sent over 90 of us on a free cruise. We work with Petra Fashions.

Currently getting ready to leave on Splendour of the seas.

 

We sailed out of Vancouver.

 

when you go to hubbard glacier, we were on the balcony with our friends,

however we missed all the great stuff up on deck. Native Eskimos were brought in, had all sorts of great stuff up on deck. Don't miss it. anyone with kids will especially love it.

 

 

Skagway, AM: we did the Train. I loved the views and stood out on the

train's platform, hanging over taking beautiful pictures. My husband thought it was okay but I loved it.

 

In Skagway, in the afternoon, we did the Haines Bald Ealge preserve through the ship. it was well worth it. Speed boats through the Preserve, saw Bull moose, Eagles, birds, wild life. No bears. However some of our friends did the Kayak trip

and saw a mother bear and 2 cubs fishing on the shore. you could smell them before you saw them. Keep in mind we were there in the first week of August and the bears were coming down out of the mountains and starting to scare wildlife away.

 

in Juneau we did a whale watch tour frist thing in the am.

We saw whales, and also orcas on our trip. It was awesome.

In the afternoon we did the Mendhal glacier and Chapel by the Lake

with a private tour company. You can find them right on the docks at the beginning of town. Or check them out on the internet.

 

Also in ketchikan there is a tour you can get right in the port. It is a "hummer tour" very good price. They take you out to a lake, wild life, lots of eagles.

our friends did that with their 2 children they brought along and all of them raved about it. My husband really wanted to do the "cheesy" lumberjack show so i did what he wanted. It was hoaky but fun. But then he had to take me gem shopping so guess who made out better ! 

 

the misty fjords was absolutely breathtaking and watching how the captain

manuvered the boat was great.

 

We had a great time and it was worth going. would do it again in a flash!

 

Our new countdown is Splendour of the seas - Western Med Cruise.

Leave 7/13 for Barcelona and sail on 7/16 to Marsielle, Villefrance, Livornio (florence/Pisa), Rome and Naples. Have 90 of us going for free.

 

Splendour is our 4th cruise with RCCL

Feb was a Carnival Cruise to Central America

and 3 yrs ago was NCL with a Hawaiian Island Cruise

 

Enjoy the cruise. You and your family/friends will have an awesome time

 

 

 

:)

[Coral]

In Skagway - if you want to do both the train and car rental - rent the car first and get on the road first thing to avoid the traffic. I would then recommend the 4 pm train ride. The scenary is different - so you will not be repeating yourself. Make sure you download Murray's guide for your car ride.

[Budget Queen]

I actually suggest the opposite if you want both the train and car rental in Skagway. Take the 8:30am train, then do the drive. All the narration from the train plus Murray's guide will give you a great drive.

With a 12 day tour, you should see bears in Denali Park IF YOU have the Tundra Wilderness tour??? Most of HAL tours do. IF not- strongly rethink this tour.

 

Be prepared- glacier dog sledding is the most canceled of all Alaska excursions. Have back up plans, sometimes a glacier helicopter landing will be available, determine now, if this is an option you want to consider. Misty Fjords is just excellent from the air. For clarification - there is NO ICE here. Also if you haven't been in a floatplane an added bonus. I have flown with Southeast Aviation, Island Wings and Carlin Air. Tours aren't the place to skimp. :) Ketchikan is excellent to kayak, consider southeast kayaks.

[Host Caroline]

If you are leaving July 31 you won't be able to cancel your tour (without penalty) so hopefully you have the longer Denali tour. If not, don't stress about it.. you have a hectic three weeks coming up and you will still have a wonderful time.

 

The site for kayaking in Ketchikan if you want to contact them is http://www.kayakketchikan.com and ifyou decide to rent a car in Skagway (I personally wouldn't do train and car but then that's just my opinion) the highway guide you want to print out is http://www.explorenorth.com/library/roads/sklondike-photos1.html. Train vs. car each have their benefits but we've done both and much preferred the car which we could do at our leisure. There are so many scenic lookouts, the Carcross Desert, Carcross, Caribou Crossing.. the train is very scenic, don't get me wrong, and the narration is very good but I'd just plan something else in Skagway since you have so long (hike 'n float, on-your-own exploring or guided ranger tour, etc.)

[tomcarson]

If you decide to do go with both train and car, I would rent the car first. Get your rental car first thing in the morning and get out of town before all the tour companies do. If it was my first trip I would probably just do one of them and then take a different type of tour in Skagway.

[Rache.]

WE do have the tundra wilderness tour, Budgetqueen. It's in the afternoon which I understand is not as good as the morning for spotting wildlife. However on other (non cruise) trips I've found that it's best to think of the wildlife as a bonus on top of the scenery. So maybe we (husband and myself) should bag the bear tour. (As opposed to bagging an actual bear.)

 

Seems to make sense to choose the either the car or the train in skagway. I'm pushing for the car; DH likes the sound of the train. (And I have a feeling we'll end up a the lumberjack show also!)

 

Coral, your pix are gorgeous. Looks like you had great weather. We were not thinking about a whale-watching tour since we were on one a few years ago in Quebec....but I'm amazed at your pictures. The Orcas look like synchronized swimmers! Did you just have great luck or is that what people usually see?

 

It sounds like a floatplane is an experience not to be missed and that Misty Fjords (even without ice!) is the best floatplane experience.

 

In some of the guide books there are pictures of a kayak or some other small boat in between walls of ice. Are there places to experience that?

 

Our post cruise trip is kind of strange because we're doing those four days backwards. Seward to Anchorage but then an immediate flight to Fairbanks. Day there with the streamboat and the gold mine. Next day Holland's train to Denali with the tundra trip in the afternoon. Next day a little free time in the morning and then the train to Anchorage. We did all of this so fast that we just grabbed what looked like a good bargain without knowing what we were really getting. We're missing the free morning in Seward so I'm hoping the flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks will be an enjoyable exchange.

 

I can't believe that we'll be on the ship 3 weeks from now! Three weeks ago we were planning a driving tour of the Gaspe peninsula!