Sitka Port tours with meeting point outside port area

[woodinville cruisers]

I just returned from a very enjoyable cruise on the Eurodam to Alaska round trip from Seattle.  My one exception to the great experience was the meeting point for the HAL tour that I booked from the Sitka port.  I didn't realize until the day before the tour that the meeting point was 8 miles from the port.  A free shuttle was provided but the Eurodam (1850 passengers) shared with the Quantum of the Seas (4180 passengers).  I specifically booked the ship sponsored tour to avoid having to take the shuttle.  HAL would not refund my money since I was within the 48 hour cancellation timeline when I noticed this.  Nothing was stated in the information when I booked.  I have never taken a ship sponsored tour that didn't meet either on the ship or right at the port.  The tour was at 11:15 with a meeting time of 11:00.  The Navigator recommended to allow 1 hour to take the shuttle.  On the ship and with the Quantum's arrival time of 9:30 they recommended taking a shuttle by 9 am.  I was really disappointed about this.  Am I being unreasonable?  The tour people said that nobody else had found this unacceptable.

[Cruising-along]

That is unusual!  What was the name of the tour? 

[Haljo1935]

I understand your frustration. In Sitka, many tours begin in town rather than at the ship. So, probably because I'm aware of it, I don't consider it unusual, but agree it's frustrating. Since there is nothing to do at the port, they likely start it in town so people who want to go in don't have to come back to the ship for the tour.

[Cruising-along]

8 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

In Sitka, many tours begin in town rather than at the ship

Thank you Elizabeth -- things must have changed then since I was last there.  I sure would remember having to take a shuttle to my ship's tour.  A private tour yes, but never have had this for a ship's tour. 

Edited to add

I just checked our Sitka HAL tour for next summer and (whew) it does say it departs from the pier. 

Edited September 14 by Cruising-along

[Haljo1935]

6 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Thank you Elizabeth -- things must have changed then since I was last there.  I sure would remember having to take a shuttle to my ship's tour.  A private tour yes, but never have had this for a ship's tour. 

Edited to add

I just checked our Sitka HAL tour for next summer and (whew) it does say it departs from the pier. 

Was this last one, the first time being there since they completed the new pier? 

[Cruising-along]

5 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Was this last one, the first time being there since they completed the new pier? 

That I don't know. 🙂 

[woodinville cruisers]

26 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

That is unusual!  What was the name of the tour? 

The tour was "Birds, Bears and Barnacles".  The early tour departed from the port and you had to take the shuttle to return.  The later tour 11:15 left from town but they returned you to the port.

[Cruising-along]

5 minutes ago, woodinville cruisers said:

The tour was "Birds, Bears and Barnacles".  The early tour departed from the port and you had to take the shuttle to return.  The later tour 11:15 left from town but they returned you to the port.

Wow, that's the one we have booked next summer.  We have the 11:15 time (and the ship doesn't arrive Sitka until 10:00).  The description says "Departing the pier, ..."  and says nothing about whether they return you to the port or town.  I take that to mean we're returned to the pier...

 

[woodinville cruisers]

17 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Wow, that's the one we have booked next summer.  We have the 11:15 time (and the ship doesn't arrive Sitka until 10:00).  The description says "Departing the pier, ..."  and says nothing about whether they return you to the port or town.  I take that to mean we're returned to the pier...

 

We arrived at 8:00 am.  I imagine your tour will be the first one so you'll probably be picked up at the terminal and will have to take the shuttle to return.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I've done that tour, and it's a bus tour. If it had been a boat tour, like a whale watch, I could see them expecting you to take the shuttle into town because that's where the tour boats dock. I think it probably was a matter of timing. Dropping off the first tour's passengers in town and picking up your group in town saved the bus the drive to and from the port between the two groups. Was this tight schedule needed to get you back to the ship in time for departure? 

 

I think if Eurodam had been the only ship at the port, the shorex people might have arranged for the people on your tour to have priority at the shuttle, much as they do at tender ports. But sharing with Quantum there was no way HAL could put their passengers ahead of another ship's passengers. 

 

You did have 3 hours between arrival at the port and meeting time for the tour, which is plenty of time. The ship's suggestion that you take the shuttle before Quantum docked was good advice. The last time I was in Sitka we docked a few hours ahead of a big NCL ship. Getting into town on the shuttle was fast and easy. Getting back meant standing in a very long queue.

[syesmar]

2 hours ago, woodinville cruisers said:

The tour was "Birds, Bears and Barnacles".  The early tour departed from the port and you had to take the shuttle to return.  The later tour 11:15 left from town but they returned you to the port.

Did any of their excursion materials have this distinction listed prior to booking? I’ve seen this before at a couple ports, but rarely. Curious if anyone missed the tour if by chance they didn’t see the info?

[woodinville cruisers]

There was no information when I booked that let you know that the pickup location was anywhere other than the port.  I didn't see anything to the contrary until we looked at the Navigator App for the meeting place the day before the tour.  I have to say that the Navigator was spotty with the connection, and it seemed to go out every day so you couldn't rely on it to send messages to other people on the ship.

[Haljo1935]

Last several cruises, I've seen excursion meeting locations and time listed on the stateroom TV under "excursions." I will probably start checking that the day before and early morning of excursions, no matter the port.

[syesmar]

9 hours ago, woodinville cruisers said:

There was no information when I booked that let you know that the pickup location was anywhere other than the port.  I didn't see anything to the contrary until we looked at the Navigator App for the meeting place the day before the tour….

Thanks for the info! Agree that there should have been a note to alert passengers, both before purchasing the excursion and after. I remember it took some time to get from the pier into town; I know I wouldn’t have wanted a last-minute surprise! I have fond memories of our time in this beautiful town.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, syesmar said:

Thanks for the info! Agree that there should have been a note to alert passengers, both before purchasing the excursion and after. I remember it took some time to get from the pier into town; I know I wouldn’t have wanted a last-minute surprise! I have fond memories of our time in this beautiful town.

 

On past cruises, we would get a note if there was a change or something unusual about a tour. Now that there's no envelope of tickets, the opportunity for them to give alerts is lost. But they could send out an alert on Navigator. I know that I get reminders if I have specialty dining coming up, so that means the system knows what I have booked. 

 

The tour descriptions online sometimes have information about restrictions (age/weight/health) or special issues (must be able to climb a ladder to get into a boat, etc). I've seen comments like "you will need to walk 800 metres from the ship to the tour boat dock" on a Cunard tour. This tour has been around long enough that the vendor and HAL must know that sometimes it picks up at the port and sometimes in town. They can't be certain when they put the tours up on the website, but they could add a comment like "this tour may depart from town, not the port." 

[sprinkles]

I had this same experience this past May on the Westerdam with the bears/barnacles tour.  I booked the ships tour to make my life easier traveling with my Granddaughter.  Only to be dumped at the visitors center in the rain and told “there will be a Holland America Rep somewhere”.  We’ll there was not, for 30 minutes or more.

 

It was honestly a frustrating mess.  I found myself wandering in circles with another passenger on the same tour looking for a Holland America Rep.  When we finally found 1 person with a clipboard in the mass of people, we were told to wait in front of the tourist office for the bus.  Then the bus arrived on the other side of the building, argghhh it really was pretty ugly.

 

We had a great time on the tour, but agree the bus pick up should be at the ship (we were returned to the ship).  

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 minutes ago, sprinkles said:

I had this same experience this past May on the Westerdam with the bears/barnacles tour.  I booked the ships tour to make my life easier traveling with my Granddaughter.  Only to be dumped at the visitors center in the rain and told “there will be a Holland America Rep somewhere”.  We’ll there was not, for 30 minutes or more.

 

That's inexcusable. All those orange umbrellas in the suites and there aren't a few extras on board so shorex people can have them, both for their comfort and for visibility? If excursions leave from the end of a shuttle ride, then they should treat it like a tender port. You get off the tender, there are staff. You get off the bus, there should be staff. 

 

Part of the problem is the shared shuttles. If buses were assigned by ship, then HAL could put someone on the bus to answer questions and give directions. The person wouldn't have to stay on the bus, Just get on right before it leaves, tell people where the tour locations are, and then send the bus on its way. Do they staff the shuttle queue at all? A person just walking along the line asking if anyone needs help would be good.

[sprinkles]

51 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That's inexcusable. All those orange umbrellas in the suites and there aren't a few extras on board so shorex people can have them, both for their comfort and for visibility? If excursions leave from the end of a shuttle ride, then they should treat it like a tender port. You get off the tender, there are staff. You get off the bus, there should be staff. 

 

Part of the problem is the shared shuttles. If buses were assigned by ship, then HAL could put someone on the bus to answer questions and give directions. The person wouldn't have to stay on the bus, Just get on right before it leaves, tell people where the tour locations are, and then send the bus on its way. Do they staff the shuttle queue at all? A person just walking along the line asking if anyone needs help would be good.

Ok, to back it up.  If I recall correctly, the shore ex person was easy enough to find when we exited the ship.  Directions were, take the shuttle to the visitors center and there will be people there.  I can honestly say that everyone seemed really annoyed with the process.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 minutes ago, sprinkles said:

Ok, to back it up.  If I recall correctly, the shore ex person was easy enough to find when we exited the ship.  Directions were, take the shuttle to the visitors center and there will be people there.  I can honestly say that everyone seemed really annoyed with the process.  

 

I wasn't doubting you. I just think it's ridiculous that the HAL staff in town weren't more visible.  I did the "barnacles" tour back in 2017, and we were picked up at the port (just one ship as this was before the enlargement) and dropped in town. There was a shuttle, but we took a taxi back to the ship.  

[sprinkles]

17 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I wasn't doubting you. I just think it's ridiculous that the HAL staff in town weren't more visible.  I did the "barnacles" tour back in 2017, and we were picked up at the port (just one ship as this was before the enlargement) and dropped in town. There was a shuttle, but we took a taxi back to the ship.  

I didn’t think you were.  Personally, I think you are pointing out what I was thinking.  That the port wants cruisers to spend money either before or after our tours in the town.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just now, sprinkles said:

I didn’t think you were.  Personally, I think you are pointing out what I was thinking.  That the port wants cruisers to spend money either before or after our tours in the town.  

 

That could be part of it. Maybe the town feels they're in competition with the port areas. At least it isn't like the Caribbean where the tour stops because there's a shop the guide knows (or his uncle owns) and "they'll give you good prices."

 

I think Sitka is my favorite Alaska port, mostly because it has managed to stay "local." I have been there three times, twice before the port was expanded. I remember the port before the dock was enlarged and only one ship could be there. I liked that the shopping area was mostly stalls with locals selling crafts or local products. The second time, we tendered, so we went right downtown. The last time I was there, the port looked nicer, but the shops were large impersonal places with nothing I wanted. That may be why they set up the craft fair in the community center. 

 

 

[luvteaching]

We were on the first Birds, Bears and Barnacles tour of the day and it was noon  when our driver dropped those of us at the Centennial Hall who wanted to and then he was heading to the port. I'm wondering if the meeting at the port was simply logistical on the tour operators part. We had to be back on-board by 3:30 and it was a 3.5 hour tour. The ride into Sitka is about 10 minutes (6 miles). It was a good tour and we enjoyed ourselves but I'm glad we did it first! 

 

Karen

[Windsailer]

I thought most of the HAL ships calling on Sitka moored and passengers were tendered in? Has that changed this year?  It certainly is easier if you tender in. 

[luvteaching]

Sitka has had a dock facility about 6 miles outside of town for a number of years now. It can handle 2 ships at a time. We were there Wednesday on the Eurodam and our neighbor was Quantum of the Seas. We looked very small compared to it! Some ships still tender but not to the area around the Centennial Hall. They tender to an area under the Japonski bridge. 

[syesmar]

9 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

…This tour has been around long enough that the vendor and HAL must know that sometimes it picks up at the port and sometimes in town. They can't be certain when they put the tours up on the website, but they could add a comment like "this tour may depart from town, not the port.

Agree! That way those preferring a seamless experience from the ship to the tour would at least be notified that taking a shuttle into town and meeting the tour there was a possibility.

Edited September 16 by syesmar