8 Alaska ports on a budget & on our own. Suggestions and Splurges?

[elbodans]

My husband and I booked a 14-day HAL sailing to celebrate our 12th anniversary, as our honeymoon was an Alaska cruise (we meant to do it for our 10 year, but I was sick that year so we couldn't.) I've been researching the ports and activities since before we booked the sailing (which we did three days ago; we sail in 40 days), and am now at the point of reaching out to tour companies to make reservations. We would like to do excursions as on-our-own as possible, and we would like to keep the budget down as much as is reasonable. But we also don't want to miss out on amazing experiences because we are being cheap. So--suggestions on these ports?

 

I will list the ports first, and then follow up with our thoughts on each.

 

Ports

 

*Ketchikan. 8am - 5pm

*Juneau. 8am - 10pm

Icy Strait Point. 7am - 2pm

Anchorage. 8am - 9pm (Note: it is listed as Anchorage on the 14-day itinerary; so it's not Whittier or Seward, correct?)

Homer. 8am - 6pm

Kodiak. 7am - 2pm

*Sitka. 8am - 4pm

Victoria BC. 2pm - 11pm

 

*Port we visited 12 years ago on honeymoon.

 

My question is: what are the glaring omissions from our plan? I do not claim that this is the best plan ever; it is simply what I came up with through some research and with a desire to keep costs down. We are willing to splurge on a few things; where would you use those splurges? I define splurge as anything between $100 and $150pp. So a float plane is not in our future.

 

A bit on us:

 

I am 38 and he is 44. We are in moderate physical condition; a five mile day-hike is not an issue given a less than 1000 foot vertical gain. Anything more than that and we would be pushing it. Our primary goal is to be in nature, to NOT be on a huge tour, and to see some wildlife. We are willing to be on a small-ish tour for things like bear-watching and whale-watching, as there's really no other way to do that. I love to kayak but my husband is terrible at it (he flipped his kayak in Crystal River, Florida. That was a fun day.) If forced to do a tour, we prefer to give money to small, local-owned tour companies since we are giving all of our other money to HAL for the actual cruise.

 

Tentative Plans in Ports

 

Ketchikan: considering renting a car from Alaska Car Rental and doing several hikes--Lunch Creek Trail, Ward Lake, and Totem Bight. Splurge would be a kayak trip with Southeast Sea Kayaks.

 

Juneau: looking at various hikes; seems like we'd need a car here to do that. Was looking at Nugget Falls Trail near Mendenhall (we hiked TO Mendenhall 12 years ago; we can. not. do. that. again!) Splurge would be a whale watching trip with Harv and Marv.

 

Icy Strait Point: nature trail on our own. Maybe the tram, though this seems lame. Looking into bear spotting trip with Brown Bear Lodge.

 

Anchorage: shuttle or taxi to hike Flattop Mountain, then find some breweries and enjoy being in a 'city'.

 

Homer: really interested in hike from Glacier Spit to Glacier Lake. I realize this requires a water taxi; was going to contact Mako's Water Taxi to see if this is possible. REALLY want to do this hike on our own (minus the water taxi part) as I hate guided hikes with a passion.

 

Kodiak: taxi to Fort Abercrombie State park. Hiking.

 

Sitka: depending on how tired we are, either walk along water to Totem park OR walk to Indian River Trailhead and do as much of the out-and-back hike as we can. Find seafood in town. Eat seafood.

 

Victoria: Buchart Gardens and late dinner in Inner Harbour.

 

***

 

Thank you in advance for any suggestions! We appreciate it!

[illiniwahoo]

I think the whale watch in Juneau would be a great splurge. I'm not familiar with all your ports (homer, sitka) but are any of your hikes to glaciers? Or so you have a glacier viewing day on the ship. That seems to be missing to me. Or I might just not know where all your hikes are going. Have a great trip!

 

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[elbodans]

I think the whale watch in Juneau would be a great splurge. I'm not familiar with all your ports (homer, sitka) but are any of your hikes to glaciers? Or so you have a glacier viewing day on the ship. That seems to be missing to me. Or I might just not know where all your hikes are going. Have a great trip!

 

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The one hike in Homer--which is the one I most want to do--does feature a glacier lake. We aren't actually hiking TO (or on) any glaciers, as I'm not sure how to do that without a guide. We did hike to (and on) Mendenhall glacier on our 12-years-ago Alaska cruise; we went with Above and Beyond AK. At the time, that trek was like $80 and almost killed me. Now it is over $200 and will surely kill me. ;-) But I am totally open to any reasonable glacier hike options!

 

Oh, and the one hike in Juneau--if we don't do a whale watch but instead rent a car--is around Mendenhall. But again, we've done that. Not that glacier hiking can't be repeated!

[tt_moore]

In May we were on a repositioning cruise and there was a naturalist on board. Her life focus was on whales....I was asking about our upcoming Alaska trip and she made the comment that whales are better at ISP than Juneau. How they have moved and there is a much larger group...and less boats.

Therefore if you can ISP for whale watching.

[elbodans]

In May we were on a repositioning cruise and there was a naturalist on board. Her life focus was on whales....I was asking about our upcoming Alaska trip and she made the comment that whales are better at ISP than Juneau. How they have moved and there is a much larger group...and less boats.

Therefore if you can ISP for whale watching.

 

Fantastic! Thanks! I was going back and forth on this, as it seems there's little to do in ISP but a lot to do in Juneau, so it seemed to make sense to do the whale watching in ISP. But I'd read some (apparently old) reviews which stated that whale watching was better in Juneau. I'd much rather use our ISP day to take a whale watching tour and then do one of the many other options in Juneau. Looking into ISP whale watching tours now. Thanks!!!!

[Jldevlin]

Just back from Icy Straight and the whales were everywhere lol ...you walk to town and the water is on your right ...they were heading over to town and were bubble net feeding right in front of all of us !!! It was amazing ...and they did it over and over ... this is the best port in Alaska in my opinion....no diamond international ...and the town is just a fishing village but very pretty with lots of totem poles ..there is a shuttle in to town if the 3 mile round trip is too much of a walk for you ...enjoy !!!!

[JT1962]

I agree with ISP for whale watching. We used Glacier Winds and loved it, but also saw bubble net feeding from shore and directly beside the ship last May. The hike through the trails at the port is nice as well.

 

In Sitka, we took the shuttle to Fortress of the Bear and enjoyed it. Our plan was to get off at the Raptor Center on the way back and walk to town through the park with the totem poles, but that was our only day with rain, so we took the shuttle back and walked around town to see some of the sites.

 

We did a kayak tour with Southeast Kayaks in Ketchikan, then walked Creek Street, saw the salmon ladder and did some shopping.

 

Based on your long day in Juneau, I would recommend the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion with Adventure Bound. It was amazing and the best value of any excursion we took. Not cheap, but not extremely expensive and well worth it.

 

 

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[elbodans]

Just back from Icy Straight and the whales were everywhere lol ...you walk to town and the water is on your right ...they were heading over to town and were bubble net feeding right in front of all of us !!! It was amazing ...and they did it over and over ... this is the best port in Alaska in my opinion....no diamond international ...and the town is just a fishing village but very pretty with lots of totem poles ..there is a shuttle in to town if the 3 mile round trip is too much of a walk for you ...enjoy !!!!

 

Ok--great! So I shouldn't be too disappointed if we can't get on a whale watching excursion from ISP; if that's the case, we will take the walk and hope for some sightings from shore. Honestly, it does seem like an ideal port for us; we don't like super commercial areas. Thanks!

 

I agree with ISP for whale watching. We used Glacier Winds and loved it, but also saw bubble net feeding from shore and directly beside the ship last May. The hike through the trails at the port is nice as well.

 

In Sitka, we took the shuttle to Fortress of the Bear and enjoyed it. Our plan was to get off at the Raptor Center on the way back and walk to town through the park with the totem poles, but that was our only day with rain, so we took the shuttle back and walked around town to see some of the sites.

 

We did a kayak tour with Southeast Kayaks in Ketchikan, then walked Creek Street, saw the salmon ladder and did some shopping.

 

Based on your long day in Juneau, I would recommend the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion with Adventure Bound. It was amazing and the best value of any excursion we took. Not cheap, but not extremely expensive and well worth it.

 

 

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Glacier Winds is sold out for the day, but I emailed them and asked to be put on a waiting list in case anyone cancels. They were super nice in response and took my phone number in the event of any last minute cancellations, so we shall see!

 

Looking into Fortress of the Bear shuttle. Thanks!

 

Did you enjoy your paddle with Southeast Kayaks? That's on my list.

 

And funny story--I looked at the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion you spoke of and you're right--not cheap but within reason. So I was like 'yay!' But then I was like 'why does Tracy Arm Fjord sound so familiar? (other than the fact that my name is Tracy)' Yeah. The day before Juneau on our itinerary is 'sail Tracy Arm Fjord'. Whoops! So I guess I don't need to do that excursion? Or do you think it would be justifiably different enough on a small vessel?

 

Thanks so much for your feedback!

[Straitlover]

Hey Tracy! I recognize you from Passporter. I'm not stalking, I swear! Based on what I've read of your writings over there, in Anchorage you would enjoy an excursion I was reading about over on the HAL board called

The Big Swig. You go to three different breweries.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56178004&postcount=43

 

http://www.bigswigtours.com/

[Sea Hag]

The Indian River Trail in Sitka is great! We did some amount of it several years back, and I really enjoyed it.

[jrmende63]

Elbodans, I read about your Bear spotting at Brown bear lodge in ISP, but I can’t find anything online except to stay at Brown bear lodge. Do you have any info? We would love to see Bears in ISP.

 

 

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[jrmende63]

Just back from Icy Straight and the whales were everywhere lol ...you walk to town and the water is on your right ...they were heading over to town and were bubble net feeding right in front of all of us !!! It was amazing ...and they did it over and over ... this is the best port in Alaska in my opinion....no diamond international ...and the town is just a fishing village but very pretty with lots of totem poles ..there is a shuttle in to town if the 3 mile round trip is too much of a walk for you ...enjoy !!!!

 

 

 

I hope this is the case next June! I have been wanting to go to ISP for a long time!

 

 

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[Greysandy]

In Anchorage, we rented bikes and are planning on doing it again since we are taking the same HAL cruise 7/2/18. The 11 mile Tony Knowles coastal trail is really great. We saw moose at the very end of the trail. Bike rental was only about $20pp at Pablos Bikes.

 

http://anchoragecoastaltrail.com/

 

In Sitka, we loved the Raptor center and hiking through Sitka National Historic Park, which displays many totem poles.

[kawagama]

Did you enjoy your paddle with Southeast Kayaks? That's on my list.

 

We kayaked with them in 2016 and I strongly recommend them. Sounds like you plan to hike a fair bit in other ports, so why not do something different and go kayaking? We went in early May and ended up being the only two people on our tour. It was great! Even saw a whale tail very close to the kayak! What a pleasant surprise! It started to rain on our trip, but we went anyways and were well equipped with rain gear--not only our own. I don't think you would be disappointed with this outfit.

[cruisingjodi]

Just back and the most amazing excursion for us was Adventure Bound in Juneau. It is an all day immersion into the Tracy Arm Fjord, but your boat dock time would fit. Whales, bears, sea lions, seals, bald eagles, not to mention beautiful scenery and glacier viewing and ice chopping to reach the glacier where seals swim all around you. It is no frills, but sandwiches and drinks available for purchase and Steve, James, and Joel? love the area and pass their joy onto you.

We also did whale watching with [ATTACH]422411

[JT1962]

Did you enjoy your paddle with Southeast Kayaks? That's on my list.

 

 

 

And funny story--I looked at the Tracy Arm Fjord excursion you spoke of and you're right--not cheap but within reason. So I was like 'yay!' But then I was like 'why does Tracy Arm Fjord sound so familiar? (other than the fact that my name is Tracy)' Yeah. The day before Juneau on our itinerary is 'sail Tracy Arm Fjord'. Whoops! So I guess I don't need to do that excursion? Or do you think it would be justifiably different enough on a small vessel?

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your feedback!

 

 

We did the 2.25 hour tour with Southeast Kayaks and enjoyed it. I’m not sure it would be worth it again for the price though ($ 93/pp).

 

As far as Tracy Fjord, see if your ship offers a small boat tour the day you are scheduled to be there. It is a different experience from the smaller boat and allows you to get closer to the glaciers. Although the ships price will probably be in excess of $ 200/pp based on previous pricing I have seen.

 

Here are a few pictures from our trip there last May:

 

 

 

 

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[Budget Queen]

Just back from Icy Straight and the whales were everywhere lol ...you walk to town and the water is on your right ...they were heading over to town and were bubble net feeding right in front of all of us !!! It was amazing ...and they did it over and over ... this is the best port in Alaska in my opinion....no diamond international ...and the town is just a fishing village but very pretty with lots of totem poles ..there is a shuttle in to town if the 3 mile round trip is too much of a walk for you ...enjoy !!!!

 

This happens in May- due to the Herring Bloom, only lasts a short time.

 

With OP going in July- I highly doubt there will be much shore viewing. The humpbacks move with the food. I did 3 whale watches out of Hoonah last season, bubble netting all 3 trips (which I've gone, years without seeing any), the feeding area, ranging from within the harbor, to all the way out to Sisters Island.

[mrsburgerman]

I’m also looking for activities in Sitka. Indian River Trails is scheduled for repairs beginning in mid June lasting about 4 weeks. The report dose not say the trail is closed however it dose mention limited access. Here is the link http://sitkatrailworks.org/indian-river-trail/

[elbodans]

Hey Tracy! I recognize you from Passporter. I'm not stalking, I swear! Based on what I've read of your writings over there, in Anchorage you would enjoy an excursion I was reading about over on the HAL board called

The Big Swig. You go to three different breweries.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56178004&postcount=43

 

http://www.bigswigtours.com/

 

hi! i remember you! what a small world (pun intended!) and if you are recommending a brewery tour, you CLEARLY remember me! ha! thanks! looking into doing this. my husband will be thrilled!

 

Elbodans, I read about your Bear spotting at Brown bear lodge in ISP, but I can’t find anything online except to stay at Brown bear lodge. Do you have any info? We would love to see Bears in ISP.

 

 

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i googled 'bear excursion icy strait point' and they came up. their website is a bit bare bones (pun also intended) but the reviews on tripadvisor indicate that they most definitely do provide cruise ship excursions. see here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g31010-d2429836-Reviews-Brown_Bear_Lodge-Hoonah_Alaska.html

 

if you are interested in doing it, i'd just go to their lodge website and email an inquiry. i'm not sure we will choose to do this after all, now that we've determined that whale watching is an option. but maybe? if you reach out and hear back, let me know! thanks!!

[elbodans]

In Anchorage, we rented bikes and are planning on doing it again since we are taking the same HAL cruise 7/2/18. The 11 mile Tony Knowles coastal trail is really great. We saw moose at the very end of the trail. Bike rental was only about $20pp at Pablos Bikes.

 

http://anchoragecoastaltrail.com/

 

In Sitka, we loved the Raptor center and hiking through Sitka National Historic Park, which displays many totem poles.

 

how challenging would you rate the trail? we hike and are fit enough to do so, but for some reason biking up hills continues to challenge me. we have a funny story from attempting to cycle a trail in acadia a few years ago. apparently it was the obama family's favorite trail. this was back at the beginning of his first term, when his kids were little. and we were like: if little girls can ride this trail, so can we. yeah. little girls are MUCH stronger than us! :')

 

Did you enjoy your paddle with Southeast Kayaks? That's on my list.

 

We kayaked with them in 2016 and I strongly recommend them. Sounds like you plan to hike a fair bit in other ports, so why not do something different and go kayaking? We went in early May and ended up being the only two people on our tour. It was great! Even saw a whale tail very close to the kayak! What a pleasant surprise! It started to rain on our trip, but we went anyways and were well equipped with rain gear--not only our own. I don't think you would be disappointed with this outfit.

 

great! thanks for the review! i think we will make this our plan for part of our day in ketchikan!

[elbodans]

@JT1962 GORGEOUS PICS!

 

@Budget Queen: thanks for the explanation! I will try to find an alternative whale watching trip from ICP, since the one I found is sold out and as I shouldn't expect to see them from shore in late July. Thank you!

[Gardyloo]

The coastal bike trail in Anchorage is fairly flat.

 

Y'know, with respect to your budget concerns (which are completely valid, don't get me wrong) I'd be very tempted to swap one of the more expensive excursions in SE Alaska for a flightseeing trip while you're in Anchorage. With the time you have in town, you'd be able to go on pretty much any of Rust's trips - http://www.flyrusts.com/ - which could entail anything from Denali to a PW Sound trip, Knik Glacier and the Chugach Mountains, volcano country... In my opinion getting in the air is essential, particularly in southcentral Alaska, where there's such variety in landscapes you can see from above v. more limited visibility from the ground or water.

 

And Flat Top is fine, but you'll be far from alone. If you don't want to fly I'd book a car for the day and head down the Seward Highway - Girdwood and Crow Creek, or even as far as Portage or even Hope, for a fun walk along the south shore of Turnagain Arm. But I'd really try to get up in the air at some point.

[elbodans]

The coastal bike trail in Anchorage is fairly flat.

 

Y'know, with respect to your budget concerns (which are completely valid, don't get me wrong) I'd be very tempted to swap one of the more expensive excursions in SE Alaska for a flightseeing trip while you're in Anchorage. With the time you have in town, you'd be able to go on pretty much any of Rust's trips - http://www.flyrusts.com/ - which could entail anything from Denali to a PW Sound trip, Knik Glacier and the Chugach Mountains, volcano country... In my opinion getting in the air is essential, particularly in southcentral Alaska, where there's such variety in landscapes you can see from above v. more limited visibility from the ground or water.

 

And Flat Top is fine, but you'll be far from alone. If you don't want to fly I'd book a car for the day and head down the Seward Highway - Girdwood and Crow Creek, or even as far as Portage or even Hope, for a fun walk along the south shore of Turnagain Arm. But I'd really try to get up in the air at some point.

 

Gah! Ok. I looked at that link and I've officially added it to my notes doc under 'EXTREME SPLURGE OPTION'. But hey--it's been added!

 

Way to twist my (super on a budget) arm!

 

And if that doesn't work out, thank you so much for the driving trip recommendations!! That drive looks AMAZING! Honestly, I will probably do that. Maybe. Or the flight. I don't know.

 

Thanks!

 

Edited to add: I realize you don't know my love for road trips. But man, that drive. I'm doing that drive.

Edited June 1, 2018 by elbodans

[elbodans]

The coastal bike trail in Anchorage is fairly flat.

 

Y'know, with respect to your budget concerns (which are completely valid, don't get me wrong) I'd be very tempted to swap one of the more expensive excursions in SE Alaska for a flightseeing trip while you're in Anchorage. With the time you have in town, you'd be able to go on pretty much any of Rust's trips - http://www.flyrusts.com/ - which could entail anything from Denali to a PW Sound trip, Knik Glacier and the Chugach Mountains, volcano country... In my opinion getting in the air is essential, particularly in southcentral Alaska, where there's such variety in landscapes you can see from above v. more limited visibility from the ground or water.

 

And Flat Top is fine, but you'll be far from alone. If you don't want to fly I'd book a car for the day and head down the Seward Highway - Girdwood and Crow Creek, or even as far as Portage or even Hope, for a fun walk along the south shore of Turnagain Arm. But I'd really try to get up in the air at some point.

 

So I HAD TO come back to this thread and thank you, Gardyloo, for the recommendation which resulted in THE BEST DAY OF OUR TRIP.

 

That drive out the Seward highway was AMAZING.

 

I have video of our adventure here, which would not have happened without this recommendation. THANK YOU!!! http://www.suitcasescholar.com/2018/08/31/alaska-cruise-ports-on-your-own-and-on-a-budget-anchorage/