Best Alaskan Shore Excursions

[cruiseonthebrain]

We have a Carnival cruise to Alaska this summer. My DH has never been there and is very active and adventurous. I am fairly limited in my mobility, however. Can anyone recommend shore excursions that either we could both enjoy or that I could enjoy on my own? I have trouble climbing hills or stairs and walking/ standing for more than 5 minutes. I was wondering if I could take the smaller boat that pulls up alongside the Legend and the tour Tracy Fjord. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[kgmoran]

I did this through Celebrity in 2014. My husband has trouble walking and there was no problem transferring to the smaller boat and it is a wonderful excursion. We were able to get very close to the glacier and watched it calf several times. Another excursion we loved was to St George Bay for an all you can eat Dungeness crab feast. This was out of Ketchican. Finally I recommend taking a sea plane ride. My husband was able to get into the plane without any trouble and it is a spectacular view. We did this to go to the Taku Lodge for a salmon bake. (Out of Juneau) it was wonderful.

[cruiseonthebrain]

I did this through Celebrity in 2014. My husband has trouble walking and there was no problem transferring to the smaller boat and it is a wonderful excursion. We were able to get very close to the glacier and watched it calf several times. Another excursion we loved was to St George Bay for an all you can eat Dungeness crab feast. This was out of Ketchican. Finally I recommend taking a sea plane ride. My husband was able to get into the plane without any trouble and it is a spectacular view. We did this to go to the Taku Lodge for a salmon bake. (Out of Juneau) it was wonderful.

 

This all sounds wonderful!!! I am even more excited AND my stomach is growling :-)

[damannion]

I highly recommend the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour in Ketchikan. It was our favorite excursion of the cruise. The owner will come pick you up at the ship in her truck and drive you to the boat. I won't give away the surprise of this tour, but it is completely accessible; they even loaded my partner's scooter on for us. They will put you in a wheelchair and wheel you up to the stop at the lodge so you can enjoy the lunch. It is awesome! (The ramp was so steep for the scooter so they took that up separately for us.)

[katrina915]

Alaska is beautiful and I have gone 2 different times with people with mobility issues. What ports are you going to?

 

Any chance to see glaciers and animals is great. Taku flight was good along with Skagway train. Pricey but nice was glacier walk after landing with helicopter (Juneau). My sister has MS and pilot walked her out on glacier.

 

Highly recommend that you research ports ahead of time and email private tours ahead of time. Operators were pretty realistic.

 

Highly recommend you go into interior (Denali, etc.) if you have the time.

 

Have a great cruise!

[cruiseonthebrain]

Alaska is beautiful and I have gone 2 different times with people with mobility issues. What ports are you going to?

 

Any chance to see glaciers and animals is great. Taku flight was good along with Skagway train. Pricey but nice was glacier walk after landing with helicopter (Juneau). My sister has MS and pilot walked her out on glacier.

 

Highly recommend that you research ports ahead of time and email private tours ahead of time. Operators were pretty realistic.

 

Highly recommend you go into interior (Denali, etc.) if you have the time.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. I was thinking about the railway in Skagway and some sort of glacier/ boat tour in Juneau. Thank you for all of the suggestions!

[cruisn71]

The Whitepass and Yukon Railway tours are very easy on the mobility challenged. We took a trip last spring and they were able to board my wife and her power wheelchair. The trains are right at the docks so pretty much no traveling required. We did a round trip on the train and did not switch to a bus.

 

If you are using a mobility device, I would let the Excursions desk know so they can make sure an accessible train car is included.

 

We did a flight seeing trip in Ketchikan. My wife was able to board the small float plane, but it can be a bit awkward to climb in and out of. The plane is also a bit cramped.

 

We didn't do any tours in Juneau.

[mlbcruiser]

So glad I noticed this category on the forums list! We are thinking of booking an Alaskan cruise for this year. Although we have cruised many times to many places we have never done an Alaskan cruise. We hope to this summer. The big issue is my dh had a medical emergency 3 mos. ago resulting in mobility issues. While he improved a great deal and continues to improve, he walks slowly. He can use stairs, but must be careful and is still using a cane for greater stability when he is not in our house. We both REALLLY hope he gains walking speed prior to the cruise as we would not want to hold up any others on any tours we take. However, it's hard to know what his status will be by the cruise, so I have a couple of questions I'd like some feedback on for those of you who have had experience in this area.

 

I'm wondering if we should bring a "transport chair" on the trip. (For those unfamiliar with them, it's similar to a wheelchair but lighter weight, has much smaller wheels, folds up, and the occupant must be pushed as there is no other way to propel it. On one hand I dread having to drag along one more thing as I will be the one handling our bags, etc. (DH also lost most of the use of his R hand and arm. Quite a life changing situation with no certainty as to how much use of them he'll regain.) ! Though improving, he likely will not be able to carry luggage or anything on the trip. At least if he is still using his left hand for the cane.

 

We hope to do a land tour prior to the cruise. While I'm not sure how much more he will imrprove by the then, we certainly wouldn't want to hold other passengers up on tours or anything. Therefore, I might be able to talk him into letting me bring a transport chair (fold up chair similar to a wheelchair but a bit lighter and the occupant MUST be pushed as the wheels are small and not used to propel the person riding in it). This could speed things up if he is not walking at a faster pace by then. Will most tour operators be willing to let us bring one along? Also, on a land/cruise tour, is there help available when dealing with luggage? (I am particularly wondering if guests must get their own luggage off of buses or trains, and if the bags will be taken to our room if we stay at any lodges?

 

Any tips or info. would be helpful with regard to what to expect, or avoid, suitable excursions, etc. In the past we have always liked the more active excursions and generally booked them on our own, but this is a new situation and knowing there will be assistance available means a lot this time around.

 

Thanks for any help!