What time period in Alaska for the "must do" excursions?

[montgomeryfamily]

We are planning a cruise to Alaska which would consist of a cruise and a land tour. We are quite flexible as to when we can go, and I am trying to determine the best time period in which to book when the various "must do" activities/excursions are available. We are also flexible as to whether we do NB or SB.

 

I've tried to search threads (both before the search function was fixed and afterward) and am just more confused. So I would appreciate information on when the various activities/excursions are available:

 

Dog Sledding on snow, running of the salmon, bear feeding, whale watching, and other wildlife viewing, including a trip to Denali.

 

I realize that some of these may be mutually exclusive (that is, some might be available early, such as in May and some not available until later months and then some not available as late as September.). But if I know the various applicable time periods, we can choose which activities/excursions are ones we would most like to do and can book the cruise accordingly.

 

Also, we would appreciate it if anyone has any other suggestions for "must do" excursions/activities. Several of the ones I've listed above have some from various threads I have read on the board. One of our party is in a wheelchair, so there may be some things we can't do or that isn't practical, such as hiking.

[montgomeryfamily]

Perhaps I've made my question too broad. I wish there was a summary of this type of information for Alaska. I'm sure it would make a great sticky.

 

I would have thought that these types of questions have been asked and answered before, but I was not able to find the info through the search feature. I might not be searching correctly. If anyone has any threads with this type of info that they could point me to, I would appreciate that.

[Trevoli]

Your questions, while broad, certainly seem reasonable, and I would think this type of information would be useful to a bunch of people, so I'm surprised nobody has responded.

 

I'm doing a SB in early June, and know that, for instance, there won't be any dog-sledding on snow. They do have a specially-rigged sled with wheels that will simulate the winter experience.

 

Have you thought about hooking up with a good travel agent? They may be able to make some suggestions as to best time of year to be in Alaska in order to get the most bang for your buck.

 

I envy your flexibility and that you're doing a land tour in conjunction with a cruise.

[jerry20001]

Your questions, while broad, certainly seem reasonable, and I would think this type of information would be useful to a bunch of people, so I'm surprised nobody has responded.

 

I'm doing a SB in early June, and know that, for instance, there won't be any dog-sledding on snow. They do have a specially-rigged sled with wheels that will simulate the winter experience.

 

Have you thought about hooking up with a good travel agent? They may be able to make some suggestions as to best time of year to be in Alaska in order to get the most bang for your buck.

 

I envy your flexibility and that you're doing a land tour in conjunction with a cruise.

 

Dog sledding on snow is definitely available in Juneau and Skagway from early May until late August. You fly by helicopter and land on a glacier where the dog camp is located. It is more pricey, but is an experience of a lifetime. One caution, this tour can be prone to cancellations because of weather, most commonly fog in the landing area. There is no way to predict or guess the weather even the day before and this should be booked in advance, it typically sells out.

 

Salmon runs with possible bear viewing vary in timing, more mid-summer and later in the Southeast. The limited number of bear viewing trips, with actual high expectations of seeing bears in cruise ship ports, usually involve travel by helicopter or float plane. Admiralty Island accessed from Juneau is one preserve land area with a large population of Brown Bears. Except for zoos, even the best trips have an element of chance in viewing bears. I am not personally familiar with this vendor so I can't offer a recommendation, but the reviews offer good descriptions of what to expect. There might be a couple of other vendors with this type of experience. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31020-d3652941-Reviews-Pack_Creek_Bear_Tours-Juneau_Alaska.html

 

Juneau is located close to quality whale watching waters. You can all but be guaranteed whale viewing, the quality of experience varies. In recent years, there is better communication between captains that share where the best whale activity is on a given day. At least one vendor offers a money back guarantee and I think another offers half your money back. I'm not sure if they have ever had to refund money. Something like bubble net feeding used to be a very rarely viewed event, but has become more common from the shared information about whale activity.

 

Depending on your ship itinerary and port times, you should find a number of options for a variety of experiences. Enjoy!

[rjeffler]

If you are going this year, I just posted info on Monday regarding a Groupon I saw for a Helicopter Flight to Dog Sled on a Glacier in Seward. Regular price was $449, on sale for $249. FANTASTIC DEAL!! I paid for mine back in October (for my June cruise) and paid $500/pp for a similar tour in Juneau. I'm praying for good weather because I didn't leave myself time in any other ports to reschedule. :(

 

If you are looking for next year, I started a thread called 'Not quite OCD Alaska, but close' that goes over my pre-planning for my upcoming trip. I'll finish it off with the results in mid-June when I return!