Viking Alaska in July 2025

[James Booth]

Are shore excursions on Viking Alaska that are noted as moderate OK for a 78 yr old man who struggles with high rise steps, steep uneven terrain or wobbly suspension. bridges. 
Fairly long distances on mostly flat ground are not a problem. 
would i be OK on the train - bus 7 hr tour?

is getting on or off excursion boats relatively easy?

[Ready to Sail!]

5 hours ago, James Booth said:

Are shore excursions on Viking Alaska that are noted as moderate OK for a 78 yr old man who struggles with high rise steps, steep uneven terrain or wobbly suspension. bridges. 
Fairly long distances on mostly flat ground are not a problem. 
would i be OK on the train - bus 7 hr tour?

is getting on or off excursion boats relatively easy?

Being your age I would say only you can answer this.  Moderate to one may be easy or difficult for another. Will you be with someone who is younger, or more balanced to help you?  My older husband is much more stable than I am so I lean on his help if necessary.  We were  at St. Andrews walking the Old Course a few months ago.  It was so windy that we actually were holding each other up and steady.  Neither one of us could have done it alone but did just fine together.  You can also sit and wait if a portion requires a climb you're not comfortable with.  Finally, we don't feel the need to see or do everything at this age so if there isn't an excursion you are comfortable with just go into town and brows, have a coffee, visit a museum.   We find sometimes this is best option.  For us these days it is less the destination and more just enjoying the cruising experience.  

[Ready to Sail!]

I should have added we've done this cruise 3 times on 3 different ship lines.  Most of the excursions do require some agility.  Most of the ports are docked with easy access to town but at least one (Sitka) requires tendering.  We've been to all except Valdez by ship.  

[nanabeth]

Which excursions are you thinking about? We did not do the train ride so I can't comment on that. We did two whale watching excursions (Icy Straight Point and Sitka). Both boats were easy to get on and off with a crew that will assist you if needed and both had places to sit. We did two bear watching hikes (Icy Straight Point and Ketchikan). Both went trough beautiful forest on dirt trails and involved a lot of walking. The included excursions in Valdez and Seward are shuttle rides around the towns and include museums. The included excursion in Juneau is a short bus ride to a glacier where you can sit inside the museum or walk on trails. If you have to tender to one of the ports the crew will help you on and off.

If all you want to do is wander around the ports that is fun, too. There is plenty to see.

[Mike07]

22 hours ago, James Booth said:

Are shore excursions on Viking Alaska that are noted as moderate OK for a 78 yr old man who struggles with high rise steps, steep uneven terrain or wobbly suspension. bridges. 
Fairly long distances on mostly flat ground are not a problem. 
would i be OK on the train - bus 7 hr tour?

is getting on or off excursion boats relatively easy?

 

 

I feel like I know somebody with your name, though you're probably not the same one, b/c the guy I know is not 78.

 

Have you considered bringing walking sticks? The have ones that have a soft/rubber end like a pool cue that aren't spikes for hiking or driving into rocks/terrain/mud/dirt/etc.

Edited June 7 by Mike07

[Ready to Sail!]

This is also a great cruise without even doing excursions just for the scenic cruising.  Vancouver is one our favorite sail away ports, and most of the others are scenic arrival and departures also. 

[millybess]

On 6/6/2024 at 9:33 AM, James Booth said:

Are shore excursions on Viking Alaska that are noted as moderate OK for a 78 yr old man who struggles with high rise steps, steep uneven terrain or wobbly suspension. bridges. 
Fairly long distances on mostly flat ground are not a problem. 
would i be OK on the train - bus 7 hr tour?

is getting on or off excursion boats relatively easy?

We were on the Hong Kong to Vancouver cruise last month.

 

In Alaska, we did several included "by foot" tours and also toured around on our own.  We did the Kenai Fjords tour on a boat and getting on and off was easy.  There is always a staff person on each side to help you get on and off.  We never felt like we had high rise steps or uneven terrain.  There were no suspension bridges on our tours.

[James Booth]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:30 AM, Mike07 said:

 

 

I feel like I know somebody with your name, though you're probably not the same one, b/c the guy I know is not 78.

 

Have you considered bringing walking sticks? The have ones that have a soft/rubber end like a pool cue that aren't spikes for hiking or driving into rocks/terrain/mud/dirt/etc.

Thanks Mike. I don’t feel 78. 😁

i do take walking sticks. 

[James Booth]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

We were on the Hong Kong to Vancouver cruise last month.

 

In Alaska, we did several included "by foot" tours and also toured around on our own.  We did the Kenai Fjords tour on a boat and getting on and off was easy.  There is always a staff person on each side to help you get on and off.  We never felt like we had high rise steps or uneven terrain.  There were no suspension bridges on our tours.

Thank you for the great information. Very helpful

[millybess]

13 hours ago, James Booth said:

Thank you for the great information. Very helpful

@James Booth I should add that I don't know where you're stopping.  The information I provided was our experience in Kodiak, Seward, Valdez, Sitka and Ketchikan.

[James Booth]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

@James Booth I should add that I don't know where you're stopping.  The information I provided was our experience in Kodiak, Seward, Valdez, Sitka and Ketchikan.

Thanks again. Still helpful

[ElaynaB]

On 6/6/2024 at 9:33 AM, James Booth said:

Are shore excursions on Viking Alaska that are noted as moderate OK for a 78 yr old man who struggles with high rise steps, steep uneven terrain or wobbly suspension. bridges. 
Fairly long distances on mostly flat ground are not a problem. 
would i be OK on the train - bus 7 hr tour?

is getting on or off excursion boats relatively easy?

We were just on the Alaska cruise.  I fractured my foot on the Denali Extension and was still able to take advantage of most of the activities I had planned even though I was in a boot.  There were others, who used walkers or canes for the activities too.  Getting on and off excursion boats was easy and there's always someone to lend a hand. Same for the train and bus tours. I would suggest skipping any suspension bridges as they are wobbly for sure.  Perhaps bring a cane for added support.

[James Booth]

Thank you for that most helpful information Elayna. 
 

 

[James Booth]

On 6/18/2024 at 7:04 PM, millybess said:

We were on the Hong Kong to Vancouver cruise last month.

 

In Alaska, we did several included "by foot" tours and also toured around on our own.  We did the Kenai Fjords tour on a boat and getting on and off was easy.  There is always a staff person on each side to help you get on and off.  We never felt like we had high rise steps or uneven terrain.  There were no suspension bridges on our tours.

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks 

[ural guy]

7 hours ago, ElaynaB said:

We were just on the Alaska cruise.  I fractured my foot on the Denali Extension and was still able to take advantage of most of the activities I had planned even though I was in a boot.  There were others, who used walkers or canes for the activities too.  Getting on and off excursion boats was easy and there's always someone to lend a hand. Same for the train and bus tours. I would suggest skipping any suspension bridges as they are wobbly for sure.  Perhaps bring a cane for added support.

Sorry to hear about your foot, glad you were still able to enjoy yourself.

 

Other than that issue, did you enjoy the cruise?  We are signed up for a June 25 cruise and don't see a lot of feedback.  Our daughter was stationed in Fairbanks so we've been up a few times.  The one boat tour we did out of Valdez was great.

[ElaynaB]

14 hours ago, ural guy said:

Sorry to hear about your foot, glad you were still able to enjoy yourself.

 

Other than that issue, did you enjoy the cruise?  We are signed up for a June 25 cruise and don't see a lot of feedback.  Our daughter was stationed in Fairbanks so we've been up a few times.  The one boat tour we did out of Valdez was great.

We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise!  Were early for the beginning of the salmon runs, but you should be right on time.  The weather was spectacular, we saw a lot of local wildlife. We found the tour operators to be knowledgeable. It's a beautiful part of the US as you already know since you've been before.