Afternoon's in Skagway and Icy Strait Suggestions. May 2023

[thesmiths]

Juneau we have the Heli/Air Boat Booked, 2 to 5pm we'll do a dinner after that. Maybe take the Tram up to the top, is there a restaurant up there?  

Ship leaves at 23:00

 

Skagway doing the train in the AM , nothing planned in the PM

Ship leaves 21:00

 

Icy Strait Booked a 6 person with Hoonah Whale 8:00 to 11:00 AM Nothing planned in the PM.

Ship Leaves 21:00

 

Any Suggestions for a floatplane in either Port for the PM ?

Probably just us 2. Really wanted to this while here.

Our 30th Wedding Anniversary, Wifey know nothing yet about this trip.

I wanted to fly somewhere and do something special, have the pilot in on it prior.

 

Let me know your thoughts and when I should tell her?

Planning a Ski Trip in January , so have the Kids getting her some new Cold Gear , Nice Layers for Christmas but in reality, for the cruise.

 

Thank you !

[Northern Aurora]

A few random comments ---

 

There is a casual restaurant at the top of the Mt. Roberts Tram.

 

Throughout the years the National Park Service has acquired more and more of the old historic Skagway buildings.  Some have historical displays while others are small museums.  Many folks find it pleasant to wander through the collection.  And just in case wifey is a quilter, there is an excellent quilt shop in Skagway too.

 

The Skagway Brewing Company is a pleasant stop for lunch, but quite frankly I thought the meal wasn't as good last June as it has been in the past.  But, according to  my husband, the beer is still great.  Also, according to the husband (I can't stand beer), the beer is actually better at the Klondike Brewing Company, but they don't serve food as of yet.  We chatted with  the KBC owner last summer and he is hoping to add some food options in the future but heaven only knows when and if that will happen.

 

In ISP consider the gondola up to the top of the mountain.  

 

 

[SightCRR]

I would look into Skagway helo glacier landing in case the Juneau trip gets canceled. Several nice hiking trails if you are into that type of thing. 

My suggestion would be to tell her at Christmas so she can read up on things to do, what to see and watch youtubes. Because of lots to do don't wait until the last minute for planning and have at least one backup plan for each stop. It seems like you are getting a good start. 

sightcrr.  

[ermedchyc29]

In Icy Strait Point we are in port from 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM in June 2023 with Princess.  We booked with Hoonah Travel as well.  Because of the 11 hours in port, we are doing 2 excursions with them.  A bear search excursion from 7:30 - 10:30 AM and then Whale Watching excursion from 2:30 - 5:30.  In between we'll get lunch or explore.  Icy Strait Point has one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world.  I can't wait to get to Alaska!!!

[DougH]

Try Mountain Flying Service. He is based in Haines but I have done several flights with him out of Skagway. The flight over Glacier Bay is spectacular. Great guy

[Crew News]

On 12/7/2022 at 11:45 AM, ermedchyc29 said:

In Icy Strait Point we are in port from 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM in June 2023 with Princess.  We booked with Hoonah Travel as well.  Because of the 11 hours in port, we are doing 2 excursions with them.  A bear search excursion from 7:30 - 10:30 AM and then Whale Watching excursion from 2:30 - 5:30.  In between we'll get lunch or explore.  Icy Strait Point has one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world.  I can't wait to get to Alaska!!!

Whale watching in ISP is the best in my experience.  Bear searching in June will probably be disappointing since the salmon runs won't start until June and the bears congregate near the stream banks.

[thesmiths]

On 12/9/2022 at 8:36 PM, DougH said:

Try Mountain Flying Service. He is based in Haines but I have done several flights with him out of Skagway. The flight over Glacier Bay is spectacular. Great guy

Perfect thank you, contacted him today.

[DougH]

On 12/12/2022 at 11:10 AM, thesmiths said:

Perfect thank you, contacted him today.

If you look at his website on his main video that is me in the Blue jacket boarding his plane. On the page under Glacier Landings I can be seen on the right side taking a photo of the plane after we landed above Glacier Bay. I had no idea I was on his website until I saw the photos earlier this year lol

[naturelovergirl]

We are renting e-bikes in Skagway from Klondike Electric Bicycles.

Might be something fun for you to consider if you enjoy things like that.

[skrufy]

On 12/7/2022 at 12:45 PM, ermedchyc29 said:

In Icy Strait Point we are in port from 6:00 AM - 7:00 PM in June 2023 with Princess.  We booked with Hoonah Travel as well.  Because of the 11 hours in port, we are doing 2 excursions with them.  A bear search excursion from 7:30 - 10:30 AM and then Whale Watching excursion from 2:30 - 5:30.  In between we'll get lunch or explore.  Icy Strait Point has one of the highest densities of brown bears in the world.  I can't wait to get to Alaska!!!

We did a similar excursion a few years ago. The whale watching was spectacular. Saw whales in numerous spots, tail splashing, breaking the water and bubble feeding. The bear tour took us to Spaack ( forgive my spelling ).River. Went into the woods down a trail to the river where there were platforms to view the bears. It was the first week of Septembe so the sightings were scarce. A few were in the river with a couple of cubs. After awhile all went into the woods.But we did have a couple of bears cross the road in front of us and saw a big bear in a river close up. All in all a great excursion.

[thesmiths]

On 12/14/2022 at 1:24 AM, DougH said:

If you look at his website on his main video that is me in the Blue jacket boarding his plane. On the page under Glacier Landings I can be seen on the right side taking a photo of the plane after we landed above Glacier Bay. I had no idea I was on his website until I saw the photos earlier this year lol

Thas funny, I looked, good for you, we've been in contact with each other and just about ready to book for just the wife & I .good people.

 

 

 

 

[lakegirl16]

We did a bear watching excursion in Icy Strait Point in May.  Saw several bears.  Great excursion.

[Anyislandwilldo]

On 12/15/2022 at 12:28 PM, naturelovergirl said:

We are renting e-bikes in Skagway from Klondike Electric Bicycles.

Might be something fun for you to consider if you enjoy things like that.

This looks interesting!  Thanks for posting.

 

[Anita Latte]

On 12/1/2022 at 2:37 PM, thesmiths said:

Let me know your thoughts and when I should tell her?

Planning a Ski Trip in January , so have the Kids getting her some new Cold Gear , Nice Layers for Christmas but in reality, for the cruise.

 

Thank you !

No one has addressed this yet soooo, assuming you haven’t already made the big announcement, I would definitely suggest telling her well in advance of the sailing. My dad and I planned a surprise trip for my mom when I was a teenager and my mom enjoyed it but we hadn’t planned on everything she would want for such a trip.

 

I would recommend sharing the ship, the dates of the sailing, and an itinerary that would have your excursions described in generic detail, and these maybe not tied to a specific port. Something along the lines of…be prepared to:

 

Sail on a small boat excursion.

Ride a historic railway through mountainous terrain.

 

You get the idea.

 

Remember that part of the fun of any vacation is looking forward to it. And women can be particular about things like hair cuts and/or coloring, etc, and there could be appointments and things she’ll want to plan for prior to your vacation. 

[jdk4asu]

If it is still available, I HIGHLY recommend the Bear watching trip! OK, so we only saw the ears of one 800 pound brown bear, but we saw it! The Native community has set up a trail with a boardwalk in a meadow and viewing deck over the river in an amazing valley. You take a bus from the visitors center (you MUST try the halibut sandwich, even if it is fried! WOW! Best ever!). This is the real thing as they had someone from the native community watchin over us, with a shotgun. Yes, it was very real but just great. Get your longest lens, though! I hope it is still available 

 

Hope this helps and enjoy!

[Jeeden]

On 1/15/2023 at 3:15 AM, jdk4asu said:

If it is still available, I HIGHLY recommend the Bear watching trip! OK, so we only saw the ears of one 800 pound brown bear, but we saw it! The Native community has set up a trail with a boardwalk in a meadow and viewing deck over the river in an amazing valley. You take a bus from the visitors center (you MUST try the halibut sandwich, even if it is fried! WOW! Best ever!). This is the real thing as they had someone from the native community watchin over us, with a shotgun. Yes, it was very real but just great. Get your longest lens, though! I hope it is still available 

 

Hope this helps and enjoy!

 

We have a whale watching booked for the morning with the kids and this sounds like the perfect afternoon for us (we are there mid-July) The Zipline seems cool, but already shelling out for the whale boat. Is this something we can do without booking an organized excursion? 

Edited January 20, 2023 by Jeeden

[JCJR]

On 1/3/2023 at 9:57 PM, Anita Latte said:

Remember that part of the fun of any vacation is looking forward to it. And women can be particular about things like hair cuts and/or coloring, etc, and there could be appointments and things she’ll want to plan for prior to your vacation. 

On second thought, with all the money you are spending on the trip not telling her can save you some money. Just Kidding. Although we try to be romantic with our significant others, my wife would kill me if I surprised her and she wasn't prepared for the surprise. It's funny but everyone is different, you know your wife better than anyone so take our advice with a gain of salt. And for me, one day I will go out and skies the limit, I will surprise her and whisk her away day of. Good Luck.