Alaska and no excursions ???

[SparkleBee]

Considering bringing the kids (teens) to Alaska this summer. Don't want to spend too much. Wondering if we can still have a great time without doing the excursions? I figure we will see enough nature from the boat. would it be fun just to do the cruise and walk around the port stops? Considering Holland America in July - the rates are excellent!

[CruiserBruce]

Of course you can. The "fun" is all about what you make of it.

[Eileen G]

Yes you can have a great time without doing excursions but you should have a plan in each port. Which ports are you going to?

Edited May 3, 2014 by Eileen G

[At_Sea]

we are doing the same thing this summer, teens with us to Alaska. Both times before we did not do excursion, but just walked around the port. So much to do, so little time. We had a great time.

[SparkleBee]

oh great! the ports are Tracy Arm (5 hours), Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria, Seattle.

 

I know how to "do" Seattle and Victoria on my own cause I'm a city girl, but I just want to make sure we are not complete fools to go to these places and not spend the $100+++ per person for all the extras. although I don't think I could pass up dog sledding regardless of what that costs! :)

 

any more input? thanks so much!

[agabbymama]

ABSOLUTELY!

 

Our first cruise we flew from Los Angeles to Anchorage and boarded the HAL Noordam (older ship, not the new one). We had an Ocean View room and DID NOT BOOK one tour.

 

We went to Sitka, Glacier Bay, Juneau and Ketchikan. In Sitka, they had a small van type bus that made 7 stops. We went up to the Raptor Center then walked back through the rain forest and picked up the van at the Visitor Center and rode it back to downtown and just walked around.

 

In Juneau I was on a quest to find an Alaskan photo album, so we walked the streets searching. Finally found a beautiful hand-covered album in a Kodak photo shop.

 

Then in Ketchikan, it was pouring rain so my husband returned to the ship. I saw a small van with a sign in the window that said "Native Tour". It was $15 and there were only 6 of us. It was amazing. The driver was a local Alaskan Native.

 

Ending in Vancouver, then right to the airport for our flight home. All arranged with HAL.

 

So it is possible to see & do lots of things without spending a lot of money.

[Lulubelle45]

Doing the same thing this August with our teens. Maybe do the aquabus tour in Ketchikan or the Hippo your in Victoria but other than that just wander the streets in port. Ketchikan has a great walking tour that goes up to a lodge the walk back down the married Man's trail. Juneau has similar. We stop at icy strait point so considering the zip rider or at least watch while enjoying crab. Just wandering Victoria there us lots to see and do without the excursion. Walking to the inner harbor is about 20 min. There is a new bus/boat transport for $15 return that's starting new this year. The Royal BC Museum is a must see. Wander the Harbour and see the buskers etc.

 

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[cruisefun27]

Just to let you know, Tracy Arms is not a port. You will be floating with the icebergs. All you need to do is find yourself a nice spot along the railing and take lots of pictures. So peaceful and beautiful. Alaska is one of the beast places to take a cruise to. Enjoy!!!

[Eaglecw]

This year will be our 8th cruise up to Alaska. We enjoy just getting away and the scenery along the way. There a lot of things to do in most Ports that don’t require spending an arm and a leg. Search out the Ports that you’re going to and you should be able to find walking tours. We usually plan one excursion and the rest of the cruise we play it by ear by doing a walk about in most ports. If you’re going to see wildlife from the ship you might be disappointed.

[SeahawkSiren]

This will be our first cruise without having any excursions booked and we leave in 2 weeks (we are still debating the train ride excursion in Skagway, but that will be our only excursion for the entire week if we decide to do it). We are really looking forward to exploring on our own this time.

 

In Juneau we will be riding the Mount Roberts Tramway regardless of the weather. We plan to hike around up there and also eat dinner at the Timberline Bar & Grill on top of the mountain. So let's hope the weather cooperates so we can enjoy the view :)

 

In Skagway we plan to hike to Yakutania Point and also take the town walking tour.

 

In Ketchikan we plan to do the town walking tour and also take a bus out to Totem Bight State Park to view the totem poles.

 

Our ship does not go to Tracy Arm but we will have a day cruising through Glacier Bay National Park which is the day I'm looking forward to the most!

 

There are plenty of options in all the ports without expensive shore excursions. Enjoy your cruise!

[akacake]

we are sailing May 23-30 and not doing any excursions.

 

We will be in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan and plan on walking around.

 

(We have been on a 10 cruises and have only ever done 1 excursion before...we like to do our own thing)

[cavecreekguy]

On my first Alaska cruise, on Holland America, with the same ports as you, I did no "official" excursions and had a great time! Here's what I did:

• Juneau - As you get off the ship there are these booths. You can purchase tickets there to go to Mendenhall Glacier for about $15 per person. I looked for the "blue bus" as I had read recommendations on here for them. But there are other companies that I imagine give the same service. They drop you off at the National Park parking lot, and pick up there every half hour. So when you're done you just go and wait. Much better, in my opinion, than being tied to a ship excursion where you have to show up at such and such a time or bye-bye. So we explored the National Park center ($3 per person at the time), then walked out to Nugget Falls and back. I recommend doing this early, as when we were heading back to the bus around 2 p.m., all these cruiseline tour buses were unloading and it became suddenly mobbed!
  
• Also in Juneau, though I have yet to do it, you can walk up and take the tram up Mt. Roberts. It's right near the port. Many people suggest you wait until you're there to purchase tickets rather than purchase them in advance through the cruiseline, because if you get there and can't see the summit, there won't be a view so you should save your money.
  
• In Sitka, we walked along the water to the national park with totems. It was quite lovely. I think they charge like $3-5 to enter, but when we showed up the person who collected the money was "at lunch", so the other rangers just said to go ahead. We then walked back to town, did a bit of shopping, walked up Castle Hill for the view and read the interpretive plaques (free) and just enjoyed ourselves.
  
• In Ketchikan, we walked Creek Street, took the funicular to the top ($1 back then) and walked down "Married Man's Trail". Did some shopping - got my hand carved by an Alaskan (as opposed to a Chinese prisoner) totem, and used some of the coupons that were in the book we were given at the port. Next time, I hope to take the city bus ($1 each way) out to Totem Bight State Park.
  

You don't need expensive excursions to enjoy your Alaska cruise!

 

Hope this helps

Edited May 3, 2014 by cavecreekguy

[JimAOk1945]

The great thing about the ports of call in Alaska is most of them are so wonderful you don't need an excursion. We haven't been to Sitka yet, but Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan are great places to just walk around.

 

Happy cruising!

[cls711]

You might consider renting a car at one of your stops. Somewhere between $100=$200 and it gets the whole family away from the port to explore more of Alaska. Skagway is a good stop for this as you can drive up to Emerald Lake.

[SparkleBee]

THANK YOU all! just what I was hoping to hear.

 

now to get permission from the daughter's boyfriend's mom to see if he can come along with us. and hopefully actually be able to book at the cheap rates they are advertising. you know how that goes sometimes...

 

excited!

[mapleleaves]

Borrow some Alaska travel books from your library and learn about the 3 ports, then you can easily plan some DIY activities. There are even books specific to Alaska cruises ... Fodor has 'Alaska ports of call' and Ann Vipond has ' Alaska by cruiseship'. Both books provide info on sights, activities, excursions, and DIY.

Have your kids look thru the books so they are part of the process.

 

Also, most towns have a web site to support local vendors and activities, so google each town's name followed by visitor information or chamber of commerce. ie http://www.sitka.org

 

And read the STICKY above '2013 Alaska cruise review list'. There are many detailed trip reports that will provide you with great ideas. Go to reply #45 where the trip reports are sorted by cruiseline. See what people did last year on your sailing.

 

You don't have to spend a fortune on an Alaska trip. Plenty of economical activities at each port. But do your research in order to make the most of your time. And perhaps budget for one special activity at one port...

Edited May 4, 2014 by mapleleaves

[carla63]

If the daughter' bf is under aged, make sure you have a notarized statement from his legal guardians. When booking, ask what is all required.

[Budget Queen]

I am the opposite, in that I would never consider "no" excursions. They are half my trip. There is no comparison to doing and not doing tours, frankly. Think carefully with this decision, even though Alaska isn't the remote destination it once was, it still is not frequent for many people. I read countless posts claiming "bucket lists", long time planning etc. Just some additional thoughts.

[Jugglerladym]

I'm a budget traveler and have cruised Alaska a total of 5 weeks over 3 years. I've taken exactly one excursion: whale watching. While the excursions are awesome, from all I've heard and read, I've had a blast without them.

 

Of course, I love hiking and do it in nearly every port. It's a free or inexpensive way to get out into the beautiful nature of Alaska, and it's surprising how fast you can get into the wilderness and away from civilization, even if you're on foot.

 

There are LOTS of other free or inexpensive things to do in the ports, or nearby by public transportation. I can recommend some if you tell me your ports.

[Jugglerladym]

Oh, and for good ideas, Lonely Planet's guide is the best for cheap and free and off-beat stuff.

[SparkleBee]

perfect, thanks. I ended up booking with Royal Caribbean ROS. To me was the best combo of itinerary, nice ship, decent cost. it will be me and my two young teens. spending quite a bit as it is between air fare, hotels, cruise, etc. so not going to be spending on excursions... maybe one.

 

we're going to:

Vancouver

Ketchikan

Skagway

Seward

Juneau

Icy Strait Point

[geoherb]

Some inexpensive things to do: tour the State Capitol in Juneau (free) and the State Museum ($7 for adults and free for children under 18) or shuttle bus to Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau ($16 roundtrip). In Ketchikan, we took the public bus to Totem Bight State Park ($1 each way). We had time to watch the salmon and the seals in the creek at Creek Street and to walk up the Married Man's Trail afterward.

[Eileen G]

perfect, thanks. I ended up booking with Royal Caribbean ROS. To me was the best combo of itinerary, nice ship, decent cost. it will be me and my two young teens. spending quite a bit as it is between air fare, hotels, cruise, etc. so not going to be spending on excursions... maybe one.

 

we're going to:

Vancouver

Ketchikan

Skagway

Seward

Juneau

Icy Strait Point

 

 

Get your young teens to help with the planning. Have them do some research on the towns. Skagway has a fascinating history with the gold rush. There is a National park right in town that has ranger led tours but you need to get tour tickets early as the tours fill up. It's all free. You can also hike along the water to smugglers cove.

 

In Juneau you might want to rent a car. The shuttle to Mendenhall is now $20 PP and with three people the car rental wouldn't be much more and you would be able to explore more of the area. You can rent a car at Avis in downtown at the Goldbelt hotel.

 

If you can spend at least one full day in Seward. See if you can find some info on the tsunami that whipped out the town and set it on fire. Exit Glacier is just outside of town and you can walk right up to it. If you do a lot of planning you can make the most of your trip without spending too much money.

[Budget Queen]

 

If you can spend at least one full day in Seward. See if you can find some info on the tsunami that whipped out the town and set it on fire. Exit Glacier is just outside of town and you can walk right up to it. If you do a lot of planning you can make the most of your trip without spending too much money.

 

There is an earthquake/tsunami exhibit in the city museum.

[Lunarias]

I just got off the boat yesterday, It was fantastic, but the two best parts of the trip were excursions, we hiked to Mendenhall, got to hang over a Mullon (no idea how to spell it, big hole in the glacier) walk around in an ice cave (highlight of the trip) and ice climbing all in one excursion. Then we tried dog sledding and zipling too ( I have been Zip lining many times and the place in Skagway was the best I have ever been on), which were a ball. You can do it without excursions but if you are splurging to go to Alaska, pick one experience and do it. We wandered to the totem center in ketchikan, and shopped a little and took some pictured and almost were late back to the boat, there is always lots to go do and see ( and for us have a beer in each port, we only had 3) hope you have a ball