Need Ideas on what to do in Juneau and Skagway!

[travelhop11]

Hello! I will be traveling to Juneau and Skagway this summer and would like some ideas on what to do! I have never been to Alaska and cannot wait to see the scenery. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you:)

[mapleleaves]

Your ship probably has 100 excursions to choose from .... none of them are appealing to you??? or are you looking for an independent vendor? If you want to go independent, tell us which excursions you want to replicate and people will offer vendor recommendations.

 

Look at cruiseport Insider for ideas. http://www.cruiseportinsider.com/portlist.html

 

Look thru past trip reports posted in STICKYS above Many are detailed photo journals with info and photos of excursions, sights, and activities.

 

Look at the town web sites.

http://www.traveljuneau.com/

 

http://www.skagway.com

 

Do a little research to learn about both ports and ALL the options available to you. Have fun with your research and planning !

[hollon]

I can only tell you what we did and would really recommend it - we went w/ Northstar Trekking and landed on a glacier from helicopter and trekked around for hrs., it's not that hard and it's something you'll never forget, you won't be bored :) Also, alot of people will recommend Harv/Marv Whale Watching, there are various companies, also we really enjoyed the Whitepass RR in Skagway

Edited June 1, 2016 by hollon

[Rollexx]

For your first time to Alaska I would highly recommend Whale watching in Juneau and the White Pass Railroad in Skagway. Another option in Skagway is to rent a car and drive up White Pass into the Yukon as far as Emerald Lake.

[spidybabe]

Going to be our first time too and have been doing alot if research. We don't want to take helicopter or flight excursion ( the flight to Seattle will be enough flying for us) So I'm thinking of:

The White Pass RR/bus tour with Chilkoot tours in Skagway.

Shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier, then explore port area in Juneau.

Walking tour in Ketchikan with lumberjack show, and walking to the, salmon ladder and totem poles.

Just our thoughts right now- nothing booked, as we are still open to suggestions .

Safe sailing

Edited June 1, 2016 by spidybabe

[xlxo]

Check out these vids for inspiration.... once off the boat... all the tours between the cruise lines are similar...

 

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[mondello]

Going to be our first time too and have been doing alot if research. We don't want to take helicopter or flight excursion ( the flight to Seattle will be enough flying for us) So I'm thinking of:

The White Pass RR/bus tour with Chilkoot tours in Skagway.

Shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier, then explore port area in Juneau.

Walking tour in Ketchikan with lumberjack show, and walking to the, salmon ladder and totem poles.

Just our thoughts right now- nothing booked, as we are still open to suggestions .

Safe sailing

 

I'd suggest you book the WP Train/bus with Chilkoot. This is a popular excursion and I'd hate to see it sell out before you decide to book.

[Budget Queen]

Hello! I will be traveling to Juneau and Skagway this summer and would like some ideas on what to do! I have never been to Alaska and cannot wait to see the scenery. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you:)

 

You need to invest some time and go over your shore excursion lists, available on any cruise line web site. There are WAY more than the "recommended" above which some visitors, seem to stop at with their looking. :) Depends on YOU and what you want out of your Alaska visit. (not what other's may do). :)

 

Especially don't think you are going to be "missing" something, by not taking a tour that is highly recommended and you don't have the interest. There are 100's of opportunities and clearly something for YOU.

 

This board can give some excellent details, based on first hand experiences, once you narrow down your lists.

[Tom Paige]

Going to be our first time too and have been doing alot if research. We don't want to take helicopter or flight excursion ( the flight to Seattle will be enough flying for us) So I'm thinking of:

The White Pass RR/bus tour with Chilkoot tours in Skagway.

Shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier, then explore port area in Juneau.

Walking tour in Ketchikan with lumberjack show, and walking to the, salmon ladder and totem poles.

Just our thoughts right now- nothing booked, as we are still open to suggestions .

Safe sailing

 

The Chilkoot Skagway train to White Pass and Bus tour of the Yukon is awesome. My wife and I did it in 2014. Lots of good shopping in Juneau, Alaska Shirt Shop. You can then walk further into town and ship everything home at the Post Office. Red Dog Saloon a must and try Tracy's Crab Shack for lunch. Mendenhall Glacier is beautiful but about a 45 minute walk to get up close and personal from where the shuttle stops.

 

In 2014 we did a flight seeing of Misty Fjord National Monument with Island Wings. Great people. This time we will be salmon fishing with a local captain, Rainy Day Charters. Since Ketchikan is probably your last port of call, you might want to wait and do your souvenir shopping then. Plan to visit the Christmas Shop in Ketchikan. Depending on how late in the season you are sailing, you might catch some bargains.

 

If in Icy Strait Point check out Misty Bay Lodge for whale watching or a wildlife tour. No guarantee of seeing bears. Multiple whales are guaranteed.

 

Hope this info is helpful. You will love Alaska. No documentary or pic will help you truly appreciate the majesty and beauty of this state.

 

Feel free to contact me at my personal email after the signature line if you have further questions.

 

Kelli and Tom

 

Happy Sailing

[quercus alba]

An easy "do-it-yourself" thing in Juneau is the aerial tram up Mt. Roberts. Great views even if you just ride it up and back, and more hiking if you are inclined to head up further.

[cruisinfanatic]

Hello! I will be traveling to Juneau and Skagway this summer and would like some ideas on what to do! I have never been to Alaska and cannot wait to see the scenery. Any suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you:)

We just went on the Crown. In Juneau we took the bus to Mendenhall Glacier as soon as we docked and then did a whale watch at 3:30. Then back to the ship for open seating with King Crab and Fillet Mignon. Great day!!!

In Skagway we rented a car and went as far as Emerald Lake

 

[tinybiny]

You can book the train for skagway directly through their website and not pay the extra that the cruise gets. It has a lot of great scenery.

 

For Juneau, you can take the tram up Mount Roberts. There are buses that regularly go to and from Mendenhall Glacier. Those are gorgeous areas. You can buy tickets for those when you get off the ship.

[CruisenDad]

Juneau is a pretty walkable town with lots of cool shops that sell authentic alaskan items. Also lots of tacky places but just avoid them. If you are a king crab fan, I'd highly suggest eating at Tracy's Crab Shack right by the cruise dock. It's not cheap or fancy but the crab is outstanding and (most likely) the largest you will ever eat. Think broom handle or larger pieces. King crab plus Alaskan Amber equals a good day. Have fun!

[Budget Queen]

You can book the train for skagway directly through their website and not pay the extra that the cruise gets. It has a lot of great scenery.

 

For Juneau, you can take the tram up Mount Roberts. There are buses that regularly go to and from Mendenhall Glacier. Those are gorgeous areas. You can buy tickets for those when you get off the ship.

 

Missing details.

 

IF you book the train direct, it does NOT load at the cruise ship dock where the ship contracted trains do. You also will be limited with selections of combo tours, since the White Pass only used one vendor. It's important to take a look at ALL the train combo options, if of interest. Best to also book either of these ahead and have your times set up. Otherwise, you'll need to scramble early off your ship if you want to consider any combo tours.

 

Never book Mt Roberts tram in advance. It's important to be able to see it's not fogged in. The ticket is also good all day, and at the price, a good option to take it up a few times, ideal with changing light. It's only a 6 minute ride, so pretty easy to fit in during a port day.

[3Fluffies]

I highly recommend Chilkoot Charter's Yukon Rail/Bus & Dogcart Ride. (Or you can do it without the dogcart ride and still get to partake of the excellent barbecue lunch and small museums and petting zoo at Caribou Crossing.) The train ride was beautiful and fun, the bus ride was terrific with lots of photo stops and information from our driver (We saw a mother and two baby black bears and later an adult male) all in a much smaller group than the tours that go through the cruise line. Chilkoot's driver will pick you up from the pier and shuttle you to the depot, make sure you get onto the right train car, and often it's the same driver who then meets you when you get off the train in Fraser.

 

I did whale-watching through Harv & Marv out of Juneau - they also picked us up directly from the pier and shuttled us to Auke Harbor. Naturally, what you see depends on what kind of mood the whales are in. My group of ten only saw a lot of dorsal fins and a few tails, but another group out on the water at the same time saw a calf breaching repeatedly. We got very close to Benjamin Island and its basking, noisy sea lions, which was tons of fun, and saw many eagles as well as Eagle and Herbert Glaciers.

 

Mt. Roberts Tramway is a beautiful ride as long as the clouds are above the top of the mountain. The views are incredible, there's a nice restaurant, nature trails, a raptor center with a rescue bald eagle, and some nice gift shops.