Tips on excursions/ things to do in the ports : Ketchickan - Juneau - Skagway

[ralia1982]

Hello ! We will be on Zaandam on Juy 17th -July 2024 stopping in the following ports:

Ketchikan   11 am - 7 pm

Skawgay  7am - 9pm

Juneau 1 pm - 10 pm 

 

What are some other options of excursions ( not the ones offered through the cruise)? My daughter is affraid of smaller boats so everything boat included will be excluded, my kids  (9 &13)  are not fans of the trains either ( like the White pass train) so that goes too since I cannot justify the cost/pp if they won't enjoy it 🙂 

 

What other smaller attractions are available in each town, options where we could rent a car or take a taxi? Does UBER work in these towns ?  How walkable are these ports and how far can we venture from the cruise terminal? Is it worth renting a car in any of these ports? Looking at the maps they don't look too big ? Any trolleys/ shuttles/ buses in each of the ports ? 

Not looking at big adventures, just something to fill the day without getting ourselves too exhausted. We do like to walk or hike? If we venture outside the towns I suppose we do need bear spray correct? 

 

Thank you 

 

 

 

[jean-lynd]

We walked around Ketchikan. I have attached the map of the walking tour. They might enjoy the Lumberjack show. You can walk there and buy your tickets (as long as they aren't sold out).

 

We also walked around Skagway. They had a very nice museum (donations). You can rent a car and drive the road that parallels the train. If you go far enough to cross into Canada you will need your passports.

 

Would they like the Tram in Juneau? 

 

Bear spray is not allowed on the ships so you would have to buy it in port and throw it away.

 

I hope this helps!

Edited February 22 by jean-lynd

[ccqueenanne]

It's absolutely worth renting a car in Skagway IF the kids are up for the scenic ride into the Yukon (passports needed, as noted above). It's a fantastic drive with lots of scenic spots to stop, plus you could stop at the Sled Dog Musher's Camp on that route. We did the drive, stopping to visit the pups on the way to the Yukon, went as far as Emerald Lake before turning around.

 

Otherwise, there's a tourist shuttle bus in Skagway that you could take out towards the Gold Rush Cemetery and Reid Falls, which has some nice walking/hiking and neat history. (You could also visit this if you rent a car - I'd hit it on the way back to the ship.) I can't imagine needing bear spray for this Skagway stop.