Excursion Recommendations for Parents

[guptamk07]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am planning an Alaska Cruise for my parents. I've booked a Cruise and Land Tour via Princess on the Sapphire from July 20 - Aug 1, 2024. I would love to hear people's thoughts on the comments, excursions picked, and if they would swap it out for any other experiences. My parent's do not have any mobility issues, but are also in their 70s and not the most active. They could do a few miles hiking, but would nothing too adventurous and wouldn't want my Mom on uneven terrain for too long. Also, my Mom is vegetarian.

 

Ketchikan - July 22 - 6:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Saxman Native Village, Dance Performance & Totem Park via Princess

Spend remaining time exploring the town and lunch (Annabelle's vs Alaska Fish House)

NOTE: I would love for them to do an easy hike that would allow them to see some scenery and possibly wildlife. In an ideal world, they would do some Bear viewing tour, but those are all 400-1000 bucks, which is out of budget for this port.

NOTE #2: I offered for them to do the Misty Fjords Seaplane, and because they're doing the helicopter tour and a boat tour later on, decided against it. I could persuade them if people felt strongly about it

 

Juneau - July 23, - 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Harv and Marv's Whale Watching Tour - 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Park + Nugget Fall's

Rest of time exploring Juneau with Dinner at Tracy's?

NOTE: I offered doing Whale Watching + Helicopter here - but they didn't want to pack the day with too many things since it's a long trip.

 

Skagway - July 24 - 7:00 AM - 8:30 PM

TEMSCO Glacier Helicopter Tour - one benefit of this is that if it gets canceled due to weather, they could be rescheduled for the Denali Helicopter Tour later on

Some other activity? - Klondike Summit/Suspension Bridge?

 

Mt. McKinley Wilderness Lodge (nearest excursion site is Talkeetna?) - July 27 afternoon through July 29 morning

Mahay's Riverboat Devil's Canyon Adventure

NOTE: I offered doing Talkeetna Air Taxi's flightseeing tour - but I think they want a Helicopter.

Not sure what else can really do here

 

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge - July 29 afternoon - July 31 AM

Included Denali Natural History Tour - Upgrade to Tundra Wilderness vs Kantishna

Not sure if there's something to fit in July 29 afternoon

 

I appreciate any help or suggestions- thank you!

[donaldsc]

Hope that you realize that Mt McKinley Lodge is located in the middle of nowhere and near absolutely nothing.  It is 49 miles from Talkeetna and 98 miles from Denali Village.  

 

DON

[edinburgher]

10 hours ago, guptamk07 said:

Saxman Native Village, Dance Performance & Totem Park via Princess

It isn't actually necessary to do this as a shorex as both Totem Bight and Saxman are easily reached independently, although as we didn't do that,  I am unsure whether the dance performance can be arranged independently or if it is a special one for only Princess shorex passengers..

 

Here are some past threads for both Totem Bight and Saxman as reading them could help them/you decide;

 

TB  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=totem bight&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=33

 

 S  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=saxman&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=33

 

Totem Bight would be easy for them and the waterfront setting is quite pretty.  It is a State Historical Park and entrance is only $5pp, with the public bus only $2pp each way.

 

We didn't pre-book any flightseeing trips on either of our itineraries as we expected the experience would not be as good if the weather was poor on the day, and there was also the possibility of cancellation.  Instead, we waited, and when we arrived into Haines and the weather was perfect, we were amongst the first off the ship and booked a few minutes later with a local flightseeing company.  In perfect weather conditions it was wonderful and the route we chose took us above Glacier Bay which gave us a whole different perspective of it compared to our salings there.

 

Edited January 17 by edinburgher

[guptamk07]

6 hours ago, donaldsc said:

Hope that you realize that Mt McKinley Lodge is located in the middle of nowhere and near absolutely nothing.  It is 49 miles from Talkeetna and 98 miles from Denali Village.  

 

DON

I do - which severely limits the excursion opportunities. But in all honestly - I didn't have the bandwidth to fully plan a land tour for them separately, driving was not an option for them, and I got a very good deal for suite-class on this cruise itinerary. 

 

All that being said - my thought was that they would spend an afternoon doing a hike or exploring the property, and then on their full day they would do the Mahay's riverboat/jet excursion. They'll spend 2 hours in transportation, but will still have plenty of time in a relaxing manner. 

[SoloAlaska]

In Skagway there’s a small hike to Yakutania which is only about 30 minutes and easy. It sounds like it might be something to keep in mind if time allows. There are lots of other great hikes in Skagway but the terrain is quite uneven and they are more challenging.

Edited January 17 by SoloAlaska

[Northern Aurora]

8 hours ago, guptamk07 said:

....

 

All that being said - my thought was that they would spend an afternoon doing a hike or exploring the property, and then on their full day they would do the Mahay's riverboat/jet excursion. They'll spend 2 hours in transportation, but will still have plenty of time in a relaxing manner. 

 

When driving home from either Homer or Seward we almost always end up staying at the Princess McKinley View Lodge.  Not my favorite place but it is the logical place to stop on the drive.  I don't know what type of "exploring the property" they are going to do.  The property is composed of a number of mostly two level lodges with guest rooms.  If Denali is visible the view from the bar deck is lovely.  The front desk has had board games available to check out in the past.   Some folks find it to be a good place to do laundry.  

 

For timing purposes, assuming there is no road construction, the drive between the McKinley View Princess and Talkeetna should take a little less than an hour.  Sometimes there is an info sheet in the guest rooms regarding shuttle scheduling.

[oaktreerb]

Tundra Wilderness Tour vs Kantishna?  Kantishna is out past the landslide/construction on the park road.  Does Princess offer a flight excursion to Kantishna?   That could be interesting.