Very disappointed about Kechikan cancellation!

[thequotegal]

Hi - - we are on the Carnival cruise affected by the Miracle problems. I closed my email account and am only finding out about these changes now, too late to cancel they inform me. So very upset. I was taking 5 children, and it was all our first time! We were going go-carting in Ketchikan and that was the only place that offered it. We are doing zip-lining in Sagway (my family likes excitement) Can anyone recommend anything else in Juneau (which is sadly the only other port we are stopping at in Alaska) that would be thrilling? Without spending practically the cost of the cruise?! I cannot even find a true white water rifter-rafting trip....just these really tame float trips. Thanks for any help!

[amt6]

Hi - - we are on the Carnival cruise affected by the Miracle problems. I closed my email account and am only finding out about these changes now, too late to cancel they inform me. So very upset. I was taking 5 children, and it was all our first time! We were going go-carting in Ketchikan and that was the only place that offered it. We are doing zip-lining in Sagway (my family likes excitement) Can anyone recommend anything else in Juneau (which is sadly the only other port we are stopping at in Alaska) that would be thrilling? Without spending practically the cost of the cruise?! I cannot even find a true white water rifter-rafting trip....just these really tame float trips. Thanks for any help!

 

I am also on the Carnival Miracle. Don't forget our port time was extended in Victoria, BC so you will have time to do an excursion there if there are more options offered.

[Starryice]

Hi - - we are on the Carnival cruise affected by the Miracle problems. I closed my email account and am only finding out about these changes now, too late to cancel they inform me. So very upset. I was taking 5 children, and it was all our first time! We were going go-carting in Ketchikan and that was the only place that offered it. We are doing zip-lining in Sagway (my family likes excitement) Can anyone recommend anything else in Juneau (which is sadly the only other port we are stopping at in Alaska) that would be thrilling? Without spending practically the cost of the cruise?! I cannot even find a true white water rifter-rafting trip....just these really tame float trips. Thanks for any help!

 

Extended time in Victoria has some great cruises - they have a wilderness park you can bungee, swing, zipline, and "adventure".

 

Juneau appears to be the "tamest" of the ports - we've opted to give ourselves a "down" day there. You can take the tram up the mountain, or you can hike it. We're opting for the hike up, and tram down to enjoy the view. While we are there we also will be getting our ticket to see Mendenhall.

 

Hope that helps!

[mapleleaves]

Most towns have a web site to promote local tourism and vendors. Juneau is no exception. Lots of options available:

http://www.traveljuneau.com/cms/d/outdoor_adventures.php

 

Or borrow and Alaska travel book from your library to learn about the various options.

[akacake]

why is your stop in Ketchikan cancelled?

[1025cruise]

The Miracle is having some issues which caused it to reduce its cruising speed. In order to make the other ports, it had to cancel Ketchikan for some of the season.

 

Unfortunately, it appears they are also running into issues forcing the stop in Victoria to be a "sign the paperwork" stop.

[amt6]

The Miracle is having some issues which caused it to reduce its cruising speed. In order to make the other ports, it had to cancel Ketchikan for some of the season.

 

Unfortunately, it appears they are also running into issues forcing the stop in Victoria to be a "sign the paperwork" stop.

 

What is a "sign the paperwork" stop? What other issues?

[WintrHawk]

What is a "sign the paperwork" stop? What other issues?

 

All non-US flagged ships leaving from a US port must by law make a stop at a non-US port. This is why a Canadian port is always included in an Alaskan cruise itinerary. However the law does not state how long that stop must be. The change to the Miracle's itinerary due to reduced speed because of propulsion problems cancels Ketchikan in order for it to make port in Victoria on time. And so Carnival initially extended the time in port in Victoria. In order to make that run to Victoria, the ship itinerary is further changed such that it no longer sails Inside Passage on the return from Alaska. But if weather gets rough then the ship must duck into the Hecate Straits which would also necessitate a slower speed and thus delay arrival into Victoria. For this reason, the ship will stop in Victoria in order to technically register the port call but will not disembark passengers.

[Kittybork]

All non-US flagged ships leaving from a US port must by law make a stop at a non-US port. This is why a Canadian port is always included in an Alaskan cruise itinerary. However the law does not state how long that stop must be. The change to the Miracle's itinerary due to reduced speed because of propulsion problems cancels Ketchikan in order for it to make port in Victoria on time. And so Carnival initially extended the time in port in Victoria. In order to make that run to Victoria, the ship itinerary is further changed such that it no longer sails Inside Passage on the return from Alaska. But if weather gets rough then the ship must duck into the Hecate Straits which would also necessitate a slower speed and thus delay arrival into Victoria. For this reason, the ship will stop in Victoria in order to technically register the port call but will not disembark passengers.

 

My understanding was that that the cruise that stayed on board in Victoria had already gone to Ketchican. I don't think there's any reason to expect that we would lose both ports.

[WintrHawk]

My understanding was that that the cruise that stayed on board in Victoria had already gone to Ketchican. I don't think there's any reason to expect that we would lose both ports.

 

You could lose Victoria is the weather in Outside Passage turns bad and the ship has to duck through the Hecate Strait. This was actually part of the original route when Ketchikan was still on the itinerary. The modified itinerary for the cruises in the beginning of the season that still included Ketchikan had the ship immediately head back out to sea after Ketchikan but in the case of the last cruise when the weather turned bad, it had to duck back in and lost time so the Victoria port call was effectively cancelled.

[vbmom87]

OP: I am very sorry that your trip is not going to be what you had hoped. I know I would have been devastated.

 

Alaska in general is not about exhilarating and thrilling experiences. It is more about the scenery and the wildlife. To keep your costs down in Juneau you could hire a taxi or take the shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier. (Compare costs of both...sometimes it is cheaper to hire a taxi for larger groups). At Mendenhall there are some great trails and an awesome visitor center. You can even kayak there if you like.

 

Another option, though more costly is a hike through a temperater rain forest with a chance to do some glacier trekking. This is costly, but a very popular tour for those seeking a bit of adventure:

 

http://beyondak.com/trips/mendenhall-glacier-trek/

 

Juneau is also popular for its whale watches

 

It is not uncommon for excursions to cost more than the cruise itself. Alaska is a costly place to visit. I hope you end up having a great time in AK.

[thequotegal]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I appreciate all the suggestions and will run everything by my clan. Does anyone know if six people can fit i a helicopter??

[WintrHawk]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I appreciate all the suggestions and will run everything by my clan. Does anyone know if six people can fit i a helicopter??

 

That depends. Most of the heli-operators I've seen are using light helicopters such as the Eurocopter AS355 Twinstars which (if configured) can seat up to four passengers in the back and one up front. So five would be max. More likely the cabin will only be configured for three in back if they're standard charters although if they're set up for tours then they may be configured for four. If they're using larger helicopters such as an Agusta A109 or Sikorsky S76 then they will likely be able to fit between five and eight passengers in the back.

 

What tour operator are you interested in? Call them and find out what type of equipment they're operating.

Edited May 26, 2014 by WintrHawk

[DragonOfTheSeas]

This is also a good website to check out.

http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/juneau.html#.U4OFbvldXg8

 

WE found plenty to do in Juneau that was affordable--but, it was more about scenery than anything else.