Ketichan what to see in short dock time.

[22kdowning]

Our ship is there for a very short time in the morning. INCL Encore docks at 7:30 and the last shuttle from the town to the port is 11 AM.

 Are there any recommended shops or restaurants to rry?

Thank you.

[Northern Aurora]

NCL uses Ward Cove which is about 7 miles outside of Ketchikan.  If you take a shuttle into Ketchikan our favorite restaurant is Annabelle's.

[donaldsc]

The obvious question is why did you book this cruise.  My answer to your specific question is given that it docks at 7:30 which means that you might get off the ship by 8:00 if you are lucky which then means that you get to Ketchikan by 8:30 if you are lucky - you have at best 2 1/2 hours in town.  Probably even less as you will have to get in to the line for the last shuttle back to the ship.  Why even bother to get off the ship?

 

My follow up question to NCL is why do they even book this port stop except to say that they are stopping in Ketchikan.  

 

DON

[Northern Aurora]

I realize that our OP didn't ask about downtown Ketchikan museums, but I just checked the summer hours for the Tongass Historical Museum and it appears they open at 8 AM.  The SE Alaska Discovery Center also opens at 8 AM.  

[disneyochem]

My advice is to take a ship’s excursion to somewhere you might be interested in—you’ll get priority in getting transferred from Ward Cove!  On our visit, we didn’t have priority and had to wait a bit to go into town.  We have been to Ketchikan numerous times but it was annoying that by the time we got to town we had less than an hour to wander!

 

(It was such a mess on our last NCL Alaskan cruise that we swore we’d never cruise NCL again—like you, we were using up FCC from cancelled cruises.)

 

Another vote for Annabelle’s.  We also like Fat Stan’s.  If you’re looking for breakfast, the Alaska Crepe Company makes great crepes!

[22kdowning]

4 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

NCL uses Ward Cove which is about 7 miles outside of Ketchikan.  If you take a shuttle into Ketchikan our favorite restaurant is Annabelle's.

Thank you!"We have fabulous excursions at our other ports and we just wanted to walk around and take in this town in, shop local and eat local.

[Heidi13]

22 hours ago, 22kdowning said:

Our ship is there for a very short time in the morning. INCL Encore docks at 7:30 and the last shuttle from the town to the port is 11 AM.

 Are there any recommended shops or restaurants to rry?

Thank you.

 

With only a couple of hours, I suggest checking out Creek Street. Probably don't have the time to take the funicular up to Totem Park. On the Front Street, another vote for Annabelles. We also have visited Burger Queen a few times, which is popular with the crew, but it might not open early enough.

[karatemom2]

My advice would be to get up early and eat a big breakfast and be ready to get off the ship and catch the shuttle as soon as they clear you to disembark. Then you don’t need to waste time in town in a restaurant. You will be back in the ship in time for lunch. If the funicular is running you can take it up the hill and see the totem poles by the Cape Fox Lodge then walk down to Creek Street via Married Man’s Trail. Check out Creek Street and Dolly’s House for a glimpse of history of the red light area. Then you can make your way into town and explore. There is a small museum at the library you can get through quickly. Your time will go quickly but if you keep things moving you can at least get an overview of the town. 

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

My advice would be to get up early and eat a big breakfast and be ready to get off the ship and catch the shuttle as soon as they clear you to disembark. Then you don’t need to waste time in town in a restaurant. You will be back in the ship in time for lunch. If the funicular is running you can take it up the hill and see the totem poles by the Cape Fox Lodge then walk down to Creek Street via Married Man’s Trail. Check out Creek Street and Dolly’s House for a glimpse of history of the red light area. Then you can make your way into town and explore. There is a small museum at the library you can get through quickly. Your time will go quickly but if you keep things moving you can at least get an overview of the town. 

I think the funicular is permanently closed.

 

At least what we were told we were there in May.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Coral

[karatemom2]

18 minutes ago, Coral said:

I think the funicular is permanently closed.

 

At least what we were told we were there in May.

 
Oh, that’s a shame. I know it wasn’t working last time we were there but I thought it was just under renovation. Well guess that means walking up now!