First time Alaska - Need a little help

[dfilpus]

2 minutes ago, llarsen said:

Wow your 4th trip to Alaska!

I'm a warm weather and warm water person so we have done the Caribbean since 1989. First time to Alaska. 

The Blue Bus you mentioned. Is it a local bus? Do you purchase tickets online in advance or at the pier?

The walk out to Nugget Falls...is that walk accessible from taking the Blue Bus or a trail from town and how far/hard of a walk is it? My brother in law has been undergoing treatments for cancer and I don't want to exhaust him.

Sorry for all the questions, but I don't have a clue about Alaska. 

Thank you!

 

 

Two local tour companies run shuttle buses from the cruise docks to the Mendenhall Visitor Center. One company has blue buses and the other has white buses. At the Visitor Center, there are distant views of the glacier, with accessible trails to lookouts for slightly different views. The trail to Nugget Falls gets you close to the falls and closer to the glacier. It is paved part way, but becomes a little rocky as you approach the falls. It is about a mile each way from the Visitor Center. There is also an accessible boardwalk above a salmon stream near the Visitor Center. If your timing is right, there may be salmon running. Bears have been seen in the area. After you are done, you catch the next shuttle of the appropriate color back to the cruise docks. 

[spotfish]

7 hours ago, llarsen said:

Wow your 4th trip to Alaska!

I'm a warm weather and warm water person so we have done the Caribbean since 1989. First time to Alaska. 

The Blue Bus you mentioned. Is it a local bus? Do you purchase tickets online in advance or at the pier?

The walk out to Nugget Falls...is that walk accessible from taking the Blue Bus or a trail from town and how far/hard of a walk is it? My brother in law has been undergoing treatments for cancer and I don't want to exhaust him.

Sorry for all the questions, but I don't have a clue about Alaska. 

Thank you!

 

 

 

[spotfish]

Like said above you just by a ticket at their booth the buses leave regularly from both town and glacier, the trail to nugget falls is roughly a mile each way and a very easy walk the other place to see there is steep creek fish and bear viewing which may be a better alternative after visiting the glacier viewing area and visitor center. Living close to Seattle the trip to the ship is 30 minutes so it's very convenient to cruise north. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

Here's a website that may help you

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5400800

 

Mark

[llarsen]

8 hours ago, spotfish said:

Like said above you just by a ticket at their booth the buses leave regularly from both town and glacier, the trail to nugget falls is roughly a mile each way and a very easy walk the other place to see there is steep creek fish and bear viewing which may be a better alternative after visiting the glacier viewing area and visitor center. Living close to Seattle the trip to the ship is 30 minutes so it's very convenient to cruise north. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

 

Here's a website that may help you

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/about-forest/offices/?cid=stelprdb5400800

 

Mark

Thanks so much for the info! Great website for info too! 

[Lois R]

Hi, since you mentioned your Brother in law and not wanting to do anything too strenuous......Ketchikan offers a "Duck Tour"........one of those bus like vehicles that they drive on land and then they go in the water. It is a sightseeing tour for a couple of hours and located right outside where the ship docks. You can buy tickets right at the ticket booth.  This is just a suggestion if you (or he) just want to do something easy. 

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

The walk to Nugget falls is about 20-30 minutes.  The trails are good but I would say its too long for him.  There is a trail close to the centre where you get a good look at the glacier and the falls and there are a couple of benches there that he could sit on and admire the area while the rest in your group continue the hike out to the falls.  Hope that helps

 

[byrdbrain55]

Butchart Gardens in Victoria is not close by the port area.  It is a fairly long bus trip and depending on when you get there, your time there may be limited.  Their summer hours are as follows:

 

• June 1–September 11
  Monday - Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

  Thursday9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

  Friday - Saturday9:00 AM - 9:30 PM

  Sunday9:00 AM - 6:30 PM

  *Late night openings are garden viewing only. The Coffee Shop closes at 6:00pm. Hours are subject to change.

[disneylover89]

On 6/7/2022 at 9:08 PM, spotfish said:

We just walked up after getting off the ship.

Is it cash only or can you use a credit card? How much do they charge now?  When we went 10 years ago, the cost was $6, I'm sure the cost is much higher now.

Edited June 11, 2022 by disneylover89

[JeffT237]

On 6/8/2022 at 1:45 PM, llarsen said:

We were originally booked on Discovery and switched to Crown to see Glacier Bay. I can't imagine them limping along all summer. They need to fix this problem now. 

Glacier Bay was amazing for us, we sailed the Crown on May 7th and chose that over the Discovery due to the GB visit as well.  We had perfect weather.  At least by your sailing it should be known better the status of the Crown as well as the itinerary so scheduling excursions should be easier.  I really hope the mechanical issues are fixed by your sail date and you can enjoy your scheduled itinerary, it sounds like a special trip. It was extremely disappointing to miss out on doing any excursion at all for our first trip to Alaska.  I'd really pay attention to the cruises prior to your sailing to hear about how those cruises are going and anticipate changes to your itinerary. 

[volk904]

In Ketchikan we planned nothing but took a trolly tour right from the dock. There was several but we booked the 2.5 hour for $45 person. It was a good tour.  Toured the town, showed us the salmon ladders, took us to a great waterfall, saw some eagles etc.  for the money it was a decent tour. We had them let’s us off in the town and we walked back to the ship.  

[Grandma7]

Definitely do whale watching in Juneau! We just got back from our cruise and we're lucky enough to book with Jayleen's Alaska. She has a small boat and only allows 6 people. There in seating inside or you can walk outside the the back. Also on the front you can kneel or sit to look out. There is a tiny bathroom if needed. Jayleen is the most fantastic guide and she would get just as excited as us each time we saw a whale. I have done other whale watching  tours,but this was my favorite,hands down!!!

[llarsen]

On 6/9/2022 at 9:01 AM, Lois R said:

Hi, since you mentioned your Brother in law and not wanting to do anything too strenuous......Ketchikan offers a "Duck Tour"........one of those bus like vehicles that they drive on land and then they go in the water. It is a sightseeing tour for a couple of hours and located right outside where the ship docks. You can buy tickets right at the ticket booth.  This is just a suggestion if you (or he) just want to do something easy. 

Thank you! I saw that in a YouTube video. Looks fun!

[Lois R]

3 minutes ago, llarsen said:

Thank you! I saw that in a YouTube video. Looks fun!

Glad to help🙂. It is fun. I did it a few years back.

[llarsen]

On 6/9/2022 at 3:52 PM, CRUSINGFAMILY said:

The walk to Nugget falls is about 20-30 minutes.  The trails are good but I would say its too long for him.  There is a trail close to the centre where you get a good look at the glacier and the falls and there are a couple of benches there that he could sit on and admire the area while the rest in your group continue the hike out to the falls.  Hope that helps

 

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I think if he goes with us to the glacier, he would be happy to sit and relax. I was thinking of bringing a portable chair with us on the cruise in case he needs to sit somewhere, but you mentioned there are some benches, so maybe I will skip bringing it. Good info, thanks!

[llarsen]

On 6/10/2022 at 3:35 PM, byrdbrain55 said:

Butchart Gardens in Victoria is not close by the port area.  It is a fairly long bus trip and depending on when you get there, your time there may be limited.  Their summer hours are as follows:

 

• June 1–September 11
  Monday - Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

  Thursday9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

  Friday - Saturday9:00 AM - 9:30 PM

  Sunday9:00 AM - 6:30 PM

  *Late night openings are garden viewing only. The Coffee Shop closes at 6:00pm. Hours are subject to change.

Thank you for the hours.

We will be there on a Friday and I emailed them to ask if the Close at 9:30. She said the gates do close at 9:30 but it still gives you some time before they kick you out. 

I'm so disappointed to not see the garden, I don't think it will be the same in the dark.

Thanks for the info!

[llarsen]

On 6/11/2022 at 11:37 AM, JeffT237 said:

Glacier Bay was amazing for us, we sailed the Crown on May 7th and chose that over the Discovery due to the GB visit as well.  We had perfect weather.  At least by your sailing it should be known better the status of the Crown as well as the itinerary so scheduling excursions should be easier.  I really hope the mechanical issues are fixed by your sail date and you can enjoy your scheduled itinerary, it sounds like a special trip. It was extremely disappointing to miss out on doing any excursion at all for our first trip to Alaska.  I'd really pay attention to the cruises prior to your sailing to hear about how those cruises are going and anticipate changes to your itinerary. 

So happy to hear you enjoyed your cruise despite the ship having issues. Glacier Bay is the reason we chose this itinerary. I sure hope they fix things before more people miss excursions and ports. But regardless, it will be special just spending time with family. 

Thanks for your reply! 🙂

[llarsen]

On 6/11/2022 at 9:05 PM, volk904 said:

In Ketchikan we planned nothing but took a trolly tour right from the dock. There was several but we booked the 2.5 hour for $45 person. It was a good tour.  Toured the town, showed us the salmon ladders, took us to a great waterfall, saw some eagles etc.  for the money it was a decent tour. We had them let’s us off in the town and we walked back to the ship.  

Thank you! I was wondering if they are still doing tours from the dock post Covid. Somewhere I read a lot of things aren't back up and running yet. How long ago did you go on your cruise? Thanks for the info!

[llarsen]

21 hours ago, Grandma7 said:

Definitely do whale watching in Juneau! We just got back from our cruise and we're lucky enough to book with Jayleen's Alaska. She has a small boat and only allows 6 people. There in seating inside or you can walk outside the the back. Also on the front you can kneel or sit to look out. There is a tiny bathroom if needed. Jayleen is the most fantastic guide and she would get just as excited as us each time we saw a whale. I have done other whale watching  tours,but this was my favorite,hands down!!!

I believe whale watching is something my brother in law really wanted to do. He keeps saying we can just find something when we get off the ship, but my husband and I have taken 28 cruises and I know things can go sideways without planning. I'm going to try and meet up with him soon and go over some cruise excursion options. Thanks for the recommendation! I will check her out and see if she is available. 🙂