Mariner Shore Excursion Reviews

[seniormom]

Hi everyone -- hoping someone can point me in the right direction.  We are taking our first Regent cruise (Alaska in July) and I am trying to find some reviews of the various included excursions.  We typically book separate excursions and I read a lot of online reviews prior to booking.  However, this time we want to take advantage of the included excursions and I am not very successful at finding any reviews for them to help us make our selection.  I've done a search, but might not be using the right search words, as not much comes up.  Appreciate any help!  THANK YOU!  

[jeb_bud]

If you like crab legs then you definitely want to cruise George Inlet and feast on crab legs in Ketchikan. 

[seniormom]

Thank you jeb_bud, we were trying to choose between Cruise George Inlet & CrabFeast vs Alaskan Lodge Adventure & Seafeast.  Sounds like we will choose George Inlet!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Tell us what other excursions you are interested in, and perhaps some of us can comment on the specifics.  We did the sea otter boat trip in Sitka, and loved it.  Did a rainforest hike to Mendenhall Glacier, then whale-watching in Juneau, loved that too.

[seniormom]

Thank you Wendy.  Here are the initial ones we think we might choose from:

 

Juneau

Gold Creek Salmon Bake

Whale Watching & Wildlife Quest

Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest

 

Skagway

Chilkoot Trail Hike and Float Adventure

Gold Panning, Sled Dog and 40 below

 

Icy Strait (not a lot interested us on the included ones, we may look at the others)

Wilderness Hike

 

Any opinions are GREATLY appreciated!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

18 minutes ago, seniormom said:

Mendenhall Glacier and Whale Quest

 

This is the only one I can comment on.  Our version was a Choice excursion, meaning it cost some $$, and was a small group (no more than about a dozen.)  And I believe it mentioned hiking through a rainforest explicitly so it's probably different than this one.  The Mendenhall is definitely worth seeing, it is very majestic.  There were lots of different excursions going there.  We were on a smallish boat later, and indeed were whale-watching, although I think we only perhaps saw a tail or two (humpbacks), and a colony of some kind of seal.  If you get seasick, take your meds.

[jeb_bud]

I know this is slightly off topic, but I think worth mentioning.  If you have time in Seward I highly recommend a Kenai Peninsula day cruise.  When we did our Alaska cruise we went on the George Inlet, Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest, and Sitka Sea Otter cruise.  By the time we got to Seward we were day-cruised out but we had already booked the Kenai cruise so we went on it.  All I can say is WOW!  

[Travelcat2]

I also recommend the Crab Feast in Ketchikan and the Otter boat in Sitka.  Keep in mind that your interests plays a big role in terms what excursions that you would want to take.  Also, as you likely know, in July, there are quite a few children on Regent ships so whatever you choose to do, you will likely be sharing the excursion with kids.  In my opinion, that can make it more fun or something that you would prefer not to do.  

[seniormom]

2 hours ago, jeb_bud said:

I know this is slightly off topic, but I think worth mentioning.  If you have time in Seward I highly recommend a Kenai Peninsula day cruise.  When we did our Alaska cruise we went on the George Inlet, Mendenhall Glacier & Whale Quest, and Sitka Sea Otter cruise.  By the time we got to Seward we were day-cruised out but we had already booked the Kenai cruise so we went on it.  All I can say is WOW!  

Thank you!  We are actually looking for something to do in Seward.  I did not see those options on the Regent website, but maybe I didn't look in the right place.

 

[seniormom]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

I also recommend the Crab Feast in Ketchikan and the Otter boat in Sitka.  Keep in mind that your interests plays a big role in terms what excursions that you would want to take.  Also, as you likely know, in July, there are quite a few children on Regent ships so whatever you choose to do, you will likely be sharing the excursion with kids.  In my opinion, that can make it more fun or something that you would prefer not to do.  

Good info.  Last time in Alaska we had our 3 teenage boys with us and on Royal Caribbean.....so lots of kids!  On that trip we did the Floatplane/Salmon bake, Whale Watching, Halibut Fishing, and White Pass Railroad, and want to try some other sites this time.  We did stop for crab at The Office Bar in Hoonah -- it was amazing.  My husband still talks about it.  Worth stopping for!   We are def doing a Crabfeast in Ketchikan.  I think we've narrowed it down to:

 

Ketchikan - Lumberjack show and crab feast

Juneau - Mendhenhall Glacier and whale quest

Skagway - Chilkhoot Trail Hike and Float Adventure

Icy Strait - Whale Watching and Seafood Fest

 

Thanks for the input!!

 

[jeb_bud]

22 hours ago, seniormom said:

Thank you!  We are actually looking for something to do in Seward.  I did not see those options on the Regent website, but maybe I didn't look in the right place.

 

We booked the Kenai cruise on our own. For us it was actually after disembarking from the ship. 

[Travelcat2]

22 hours ago, seniormom said:

 

 

Ketchikan - Lumberjack show and crab feast

 

 

 

You mentioned earlier that you were doing the George Inlet and Crab Feast, but you mentioned another "crab feast" above.  I was recommending the George  Inlet - not the Lumberjack show and crab feast.  Just wanted to be clear.

[seniormom]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

You mentioned earlier that you were doing the George Inlet and Crab Feast, but you mentioned another "crab feast" above.  I was recommending the George  Inlet - not the Lumberjack show and crab feast.  Just wanted to be clear.

Yes, thank you for clarifying.  We were doing the George inlet, but hubby really wants to see Lumberjack, so we changed.