Favorite / Recommended Alaskan Excursions

[Jeter02]

I'll be heading back to Alaska in June on the lovely Ruby Princess. Looking for recommendations and to hear what your favorite excursions are in Alaska.

 

Last summer I had the opportunity to the glacier trek on Mendenhall Glacier. Did the Helicopter / Dog Sledding on the Glacier in Skagway. Misty Fjords Flight Seeing and I went Bear Watching in Ketichkan as well.

 

Looking for some fun, and new exciting activities. I can;t wait to hear.

[LeeW]

Rafting through the Eagle Preserve in Haines (from Skagway). One of the guides is Tom Lang, author of some pretty funny small books (bear with anger management problem, ...). Whale watching in Juneau.

[moki'smommy]

We did a combination of whale watching in Juneau and a trip to Mendenhall glacier. Amazing day!

[hpeabody]

Standouts for me are the following:

Kenai Fjords with Major Marine from Seward

 

Glacier Point Wilderness Safari from Skagway or sometimes Haines

 

Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast from Juneau

 

Harv & Marv's Whale Watching from Juneau

 

By airplane or by water Misty Fjords from Ketchikan

 

Flightsee With Glacier Landing Denali

 

Tundra Wilderness Tour NOT THE HISTORY TOUR Denali

[adstz]

Chilkoot Tours in Skagway. They have a number of options including the train.

We have done the all day tour 3 times, twice taking friends. My favorite is to take the bus "up" to Canada, travel to Carcross and Caribou Crossing (for lunch) then head back and get on the train for the ride back to Skagway. It is called the Yukon Bus & Rail Excursion. You can do either bus or train first.

Beautiful scenery and on a small bus, not the big one the cruise uses.

Well worth the money.

[geoherb]

Our favorite was snorkeling in Ketchikan on our first cruise to Alaska.

[cruisequeen4ever]

The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s Tour was really cool. I also enjoyed the White Pass Scenic Railway.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[TravelingEA]

"Chilkoot Tours in Skagway" I second this! Take the bus all the way to Carcross and don't forget your passports.

[Thrak]

Our favorite was snorkeling in Ketchikan on our first cruise to Alaska.

 

Brrrrrrrrrrrr... Sounds cold to me!

[land lover]

Our favorite was snorkeling in Ketchikan on our first cruise to Alaska.

 

 

Can you please explain your experience further?

[land lover]

Taku Glacier Lodge Flight & Feast from Juneau

 

 

 

 

Did you think there was enough viewing of the Glaciers?

Did u see the Bears?

What month did u visit?

[Shelldor]

Did you think there was enough viewing of the Glaciers?

Did u see the Bears?

What month did u visit?

 

 

We did this tour in July 2008. It was great. You fly over 5 Glaciers, eat lunch in a cabin across the lake from the Hole in the wall Glacier. When we went there were 2 resident black bears they kept up in the trees until we were safely in the cabin. Then the bears came down and cleaned off the grills!! It was interesting to get that close to a bear, but not sure how wild they really were, since they were "fed" by the staff after each lunch. One thing to keep in mind, it was foggy the day we were in Juneau and the first trip was not able to fly. Not sure how they handled it, as we were on the second flight and ours went off without a hitch. By far our favorite excursion the entire trip.

[paul929207]

We loved the Yukon & White Pass train trip out of Skagway. Over the mountains and into Yukon. Passport is required since it crosses into Canada

[Lynniepoo]

We loved horseback riding in Dyea. Definitely worth it!

[XBGuy]

25 years ago we did a "Nature Cruise" at Sitka--Otters and Eagles an Whales, oh my. Awesome. On that same cruise we took the helicopter tour to the Mendenhall Glacier--equally awesome. There was actually a little avalanche on the glacier above us--safely distant. I'm pretty sure we paid extra for that,

 

Last September we did a "Bear Search" in Icy Strait Point. That was also excellent. We did see bears--Coastal Brown Bears, very big, So, we were happy to be not so close. The extra cool thing was the passion of the docent who guided us. She was terrific.

[QuilterGirl]

Can you please explain your experience further?

We too have done this snorkeling excursion. We had never snorkeled before. We were picked up in a bus and during the short trip to the "dive shop," the plan of the day was explained to us. Once at the shop, we were divided up by gender into separate (group) dressing rooms to change from street clothes into thick wetsuits (worn over bathing suit) with hoods, booties, and gloves. Back onto the bus for an even shorter drive to the site. Masks, fins, and snorkels were handed out. (Prescription masks are available - great if you are a glasses wearer.) We had all the help we needed to become comfortable with the snorkel and mask. In the water, we did not feel the cold at all - only our faces were exposed. The guides brought up the occasional find, described what we were looking at, and pointed us towards a "wall" where there was especially good viewing. The guides were great! There is lots to see that is not what you would find when snorkeling in the Caribbean or Mexico. After about an hour in the water, it was time to exit and return via the bus to the shop, where we changed and then were offered a hot beverage. They have a tiny store where they sell disposable underwater cameras and their own Tshirts and hats. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour! You can read more about it at their website: http://snorkelalaska.com/