Tracys King Crab vs. George inlet crab feast

[latebuyer]

It looks like these both get good reviews - the all you can eat crab feast at ketchikan and tracey's king crab in juneau. Any recommendations what to do? I'm inclined to have king crab as i've never had it before, on the other hand the crab feast sounds nice too.

[Sujormik]

I just posted about George Inlet! It was fantastic, the crab was amazing and the staff delightful. Atmosphere not so much. 

 

King crab is not in season now so you won’t be getting fresh. I had one king leg over 3 weeks and it was over cooked but others enjoyed the King crab in Juneau a lot.  Personally would recommend George Inlet, best crab I’ve ever had.

[Eileen G]

We did George Inlet in May. We booked on line so it was much cheaper than through the ship. It was by far the best crab I ever had. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the lodge and the ride from the dock area was nice too. They provide transportation from the docks. If you book on line and it says it's full give them a call they may be able to fit you in.

[latebuyer]

Thanks. I'm going end of september so will have to find out if its fresh at that time. Sounds fun though!

[Donald]

Dungeness crab season in Alaska is from 15 June to 15 August.

King crab season in Alaska starts 15 October, but few are caught until after Christmas.

If you are cruising in Alaska and eating King Crab, it is the same frozen stuff you can buy in Atlanta - but more expensive in Alaska.

[Gardyloo]

7 hours ago, Donald said:

Dungeness crab season in Alaska is from 15 June to 15 August.

 

Like all fisheries, Dungeness crab is harvested commercially at different times of the year depending on location.  Alaska's coastal waters are divided into five areas; southeast Alaska (Ketchikan, Juneau etc.) is mainly in Area 1, and has a different Dungeness season than, say, Area 3 (around Kodiak) where the Dungeness season extends from May until December.  Talking about fishing "seasons" without indicating where is misleading. 

 

https://www.alaskafishingjobsnetwork.com/getting-a-job/alaska-fisheries-calendar-and-seasons/

 

I imagine the odds of getting fresh shellfish at locations serving major cruise line crowds is probably pretty low.

[latebuyer]

Thanks,

 

I am checking with george inlet lodge just to be sure. I would be surprised if they serve frozen. I'll report back. Otherwise, looks like i'll have to go to seattle. I don't like the thought of eating a crab in a tank. Maybe i'll just go to Tracy's. It sounds like people really enjoy it. I'll think about it.

[wardamnweagle]

So out of curiosity, would any of the common Alaskan ports have good fresh crab in late April?

[bulldogmommy]

Tracy's only serves fresh king crab caught from local fishermen... as a coastal Louisiana gal, I totally respect it and gladly pay the premium.  You will not be disappointed!

[latebuyer]

I just read this on their website so not quite fresh

Our King Crab is the "Deadliest Catch" from the Bristol Bay and Norton Sound. Our  Alaskan Red King Crab is caught primarily during the months of October through January.  Each crab is immediately flash frozen and packaged by the processors to keep it fresh.  Throughout the season we have opportunities to get local (king and dungeness)  and fresh Norton Sound crab (snow and king)  from the boats.  Ask our crabby crew about our specials.

 

It sound like peopl e still really enjoy it though. I also emailed them to see if they'd have anything fresh end of september.

 

Edited August 5, 2019 by christinand

[latebuyer]

Crabs are flash frozen for george inlet lodge as well. I'm inclined to go to tracy's as i've never had king crab. It seems to me part of it is the experience.

No i can't decide. You only get 1 leg for 27.00? The crab feast costs 67.00 all you can eat.

Edited August 5, 2019 by christinand

[latebuyer]

Ok since i'm still undecided can someone who has done both speak to which they like better. I was just out in vancouver at the boathouse and someone had a ton of king crab for 60.00 so 27.00 for 1 king crab leg sounds like a lot. I wonder if they are bigger in alaska.

[strobellayjam]

4 hours ago, christinand said:

Crabs are flash frozen for george inlet lodge as well. I'm inclined to go to tracy's as i've never had king crab. It seems to me part of it is the experience.

No i can't decide. You only get 1 leg for 27.00? The crab feast costs 67.00 all you can eat.

I can only speak for our experiences at Tracy's.  The king crab was delicious!  We did a B2B NB and SB this past May and made it a point to eat at Tracy's both times.  To give you an idea of the size of the leg, see the pic.  (We opted for a leg and a buck of legs for our family of 6 - 4 adults, 2 kids).

[latebuyer]

Thanks, that definitely looks bigger then the king crab i saw in vancouver!

[CutieKakes]

23 hours ago, bulldogmommy said:

Tracy's only serves fresh king crab caught from local fishermen... as a coastal Louisiana gal, I totally respect it and gladly pay the premium.  You will not be disappointed!

 

I agree!  Tracy's is great...fun place, great crab.

[disfan123]

On 8/5/2019 at 11:58 AM, christinand said:

Crabs are flash frozen for george inlet lodge as well. I'm inclined to go to tracy's as i've never had king crab. It seems to me part of it is the experience.

No i can't decide. You only get 1 leg for 27.00? The crab feast costs 67.00 all you can eat.

We hit Tracy's a few years ago and got a leg, and a claw and a cup of bisque for $50ish, between the two of us we could barely finish it. One leg for a single order should do it, as they are monster size and unlike most seafood, where bigger loses flavor, they were the best legs I've ever eaten.

[thegoaliegirl]

I have not been the all you can eat crab at George Inlet (wanted to but were in Ketchikan for not enough time this trip) but based on their website they have Dungeness. Living near the Pacific, I eat a lot of Dungeness and love them but they are smaller and more work. Tracy's has king crab, which are giant. We were there a few days ago and they had a special of broken pieces for a slightly reduced price ($115 I think). We were a group of 4 and got the regular bucket, which was 4 legs and 2 claws (one feeder, one killer claw) plus coleslaw and 3 rolls. It was enough for all of us, as they were huge. My hubby probably could have eaten an extra leg or two but for the rest of us, it was plenty. We went for the first time 10 years ago, when it truly was a shack. It was neat to see how much bigger it has gone. For us, Tracy's was well worth the money!

[AngelDisney]

Visiting Tracy’s on our own allowed us to go on another excursion on the same day. We went on the dogsledding on glacier excursion then had lunch at Tracy’s. Doing the crab feast would be an excursion on its own and it would be too rush to add in another excursion for the day. We really enjoyed the king crabs at Tracy’s and glad we tried it on our Alaskan cruise. Would love to go back for more!

[takemeaway2008]

It was difficult to pay $54 for Tracey's Crab Shack when the ship (and lunch) was a few steps away but WOW! It was soooo worth it. I got one leg and there was so much meat in that sucker. And we also got 9 mini crab cakes which were some of the best I've eaten.