First timer and excursions..

[BCRose]

We are going to Alaska and cruising for the first time with our 16 year old daughter (she will be turning 17 on the trip).

 

Our ports are Icy straight point, Juneau, Ketchikan with Hubbard Glacier cruising

 

I have some questions about excursions...So far we have booked the Tracy arm excursion out of Juneau, it is a 7 hr. trip

 

1) I can't decide if I should try and get to Mendenhall in Juneau after the tracy arm trip. I estimate we will be back in Juneau around 3 PM and the our ship leaves at 8:00pm. Our ship has no late afternoon excursions available... so we would be on our own in Juneau, trying to get to Mendenhall. Or should we just hang out in Juneau?

 

2) I am thinking of not booking an excursion out of Ketchikan and just enjoying the port. Is this a Mistake?:rolleyes:

 

3) How about Icy straight? Totally undecided here..... Thinking about a whaling trip... but worried if we book a boat trip for every port we will be "boated out" LOL.

 

What would you do?

[gatorguy56]

Ketchikan is great to do on your own. It's a fairly short walk up to Creek St. Great shopping there, prices better than the other cities. If the weather is bad you can wait in the bus shelter for a ride on the free city bus. Walk up Creek St. and you can see the salmon trying to go up the salmon ladder to spawn (we stood there the longest time and just enjoyed the entertainment). You can walk back in to town and go to he state museum. We bought our smoked salmon at Sockeye Sam's downtown. There is also an eagle viewing area but we haven't been there yet as we're usually too pooped from all the walking we do. We got back to our ship (Princess) in time to have the pub lunch.

[BCRose]

Thank-you so much for your info. about Ketchikan, it does seem picturesque. And my teen will enjoy the shopping :rolleyes:.

 

Icy straight? Will we regret not going on an excursion.

I have been whale watching before in tofino. And I always enjoyed it, but it was not attached to a cruise, so we had lots of time for landlubber activities. But if whale watching is the "only" thing I get to do somewhere, I personally would not choose the activity. Because unless I see some form of breaching, I have already seen lots of backs and tails:). Don't get me wrong, I love whales and I am thrilled they are so plentiful in Alaska, and I am so happy knowing they are there, but I want to make the most of my Alaska time (it is our first time there).

 

I also would not pay to see Bears (DH would love to see a brown bear though). We have so many blackbears in the late summer months in our area and see them so frequently we give them nick names (big bruiser, little brownie... you get the picture), and have an insane number of funny videos of them eating wild hazelnuts.

 

So what is left for Icy straight? Stay in town? Native culture tour? Any ideas?

[FlyingFlip]

I have some questions about excursions...So far we have booked the Tracy arm excursion out of Juneau, it is a 7 hr. trip

 

1) I can't decide if I should try and get to Mendenhall in Juneau after the tracy arm trip. I estimate we will be back in Juneau around 3 PM and the our ship leaves at 8:00pm. Our ship has no late afternoon excursions available... so we would be on our own in Juneau, trying to get to Mendenhall. Or should we just hang out in Juneau?

First, after a 7 hour excursion, I'm normally ready to take a break, and my wife definitely is.

 

The last shuttle back from Mendenhall is at 5:30pm. If you're coming back later, you'll need to take a cab.

 

That said, we spent one hour at Mendehall, which was enough time to take a short hike and take lots of pictures.

 

2) I am thinking of not booking an excursion out of Ketchikan and just enjoying the port. Is this a Mistake?:rolleyes:

That depends on what you want to do. My wife and I went on a short boating excursion (about 3 hours). Afterwards, I went back to the ship and she went shopping for a couple hours.

 

It's possible to walk to some hiking trails in Ketchikan, so that provides some options to those who don't like wandering around a touristy port.

Edited May 27, 2014 by FlyingFlip

[Cruise_More_Often]

Ketchikan is a great location for a flightseeing tour of the Misty Fjords. It's an expensive tour but so worth it. We have also done kayaking there and a cruise through the Misty Fjords.

 

There really isn't a lot to do in Icy Straight/Hoonah, and there's very little to do in town. We did a whale watching tour, but we didn't any breaching, just lots of backs and tails. It's a gorgeous spot, though, and we did enjoy our walk into town.

[plattwear]

We are going to Alaska and cruising for the first time with our 16 year old daughter (she will be turning 17 on the trip).

 

Our ports are Icy straight point, Juneau, Ketchikan with Hubbard Glacier cruising

 

I have some questions about excursions...So far we have booked the Tracy arm excursion out of Juneau, it is a 7 hr. trip

 

1) I can't decide if I should try and get to Mendenhall in Juneau after the tracy arm trip. I estimate we will be back in Juneau around 3 PM and the our ship leaves at 8:00pm. Our ship has no late afternoon excursions available... so we would be on our own in Juneau, trying to get to Mendenhall. Or should we just hang out in Juneau?

 

2) I am thinking of not booking an excursion out of Ketchikan and just enjoying the port. Is this a Mistake?:rolleyes:

 

3) How about Icy straight? Totally undecided here..... Thinking about a whaling trip... but worried if we book a boat trip for every port we will be "boated out" LOL.

 

What would you do?

 

BC Rose,

 

My mom and I just got back from Alaska on a cruise. In Ketchikan we bought a $2 day pass on the public bus to ride out to TOTEM BIGHT Park (free admission). Potlatch Totem Park is next door as well. It was rainy that day but we still enjoyed walking through the rainforest, it was beautiful. Shop at Creek Street as it is very scenic. It was too early for the Salmon in the Creek when we were there. There is a funicular that you can take for $2 up the side of the steep hill to Cape Fox Lodge which also has Totem Poles. We did not get a chance to do this while in Ketchikan but it was on my to-do list.

 

Have a great time on your cruise.

[timetravelers]

Ketchikan also has a fun zip line. Misty Fjords is a good trip. We've done it two times. You can actually do both, shop/ sight see and an excursion. Creek Street is a great sight, especially if the salmon are running. There won't be too many salmon in Mid June but later in season, yes, especially on high tide.

 

 

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