Excursion planning for my 9/08 Cruise

[BIG4YA]

We will be going on a RCCL 14-day Alaska Curise in 9/08 visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait, and Sitka in Alaska as well as Seattle, Astoria Oregon, and SF and was wondering should I book any excursion through the cruise line or are there good options at the port. This is going to be a once in a life time vacation so I would not want to miss something nice by trying to save money and book at the port if there is a chance that nothing would be available. Thanking you in advance for your help!

[GMoney]

I was very glad with my choice to use independent tour operators. I felt like I was well taken care of by knowledgable people who knew the area. I liked always traveling with small groups; I felt this allowed the guides to personalize the tour and do things we couldn’t have done with a larger group. In every case, the independent tour was less expensive, longer and in a smaller group than the equivalent ship tour.

 

Book in advance to ensure you get what you want.

 

Here are some of the excursions I did that you may want to consider:

 

Icy Strait Point: Whale Watching thru FISHES. http://www.visithoonah.com/fishes

 

Sitka: Whale Watching. See if Capt Davey is available.

 

Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier Heli-Hike through Northstar Trekking.

 

Ketchikan: Island Wings Bear Watching or Misty Fjords Flightseeing. http://www.islandwings.com

[Amaranthine33]

We will be going on a RCCL 14-day Alaska Curise in 9/08 visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait, and Sitka in Alaska as well as Seattle, Astoria Oregon, and SF and was wondering should I book any excursion through the cruise line or are there good options at the port. This is going to be a once in a life time vacation so I would not want to miss something nice by trying to save money and book at the port if there is a chance that nothing would be available. Thanking you in advance for your help!

 

Research, research, research! I suggest getting a good guidebook / cruisebook and figure out what interests you then start bargain shopping.

 

Me? I booked two excursions independently and one with the cruiseline.

 

Juneau - whale watching with Harv & Marv

Skagway - Discovery Yukon Excursion with Frontier Excursions

Prince Rupert - Butze Rainforest Trail with RCI

[Budget Queen]

To get a more workable "list". Look over a shore excursion list and narrow down your interests. Maybe your top 5 in each port. Then research more, post on this board and you will get accurate information, if available for independent bookings.

 

Don't be in a rush to decide, I wouldn't look at booking anything until into next year. Keep researching at this point. You will get tons and tons of information and likely change your mind over and over as well.

 

Consider your bookings when you have all your tours selected, rather than one at a time, then changing your mind and having scheduling conflicts and cancelation fees. :(

[cruise_newbie77]

Icy Strait Point:[/b] Whale Watching thru FISHES. www.visithoonah.com/fishes

 

Sitka: Whale Watching. See if Capt Davey is available.

 

Juneau: Mendenhall Glacier Heli-Hike through Northstar Trekking.

 

Ketchikan: Island Wings Bear Watching or Misty Fjords Flightseeing. www.islandwings.com

 

GM, how was your experience with the Glacier Heli-Hike? Which level did you choose? I also noticed that Northstar Trekking is actually the company used by NCL for their shore excursion, although the weblink on NCL Shore Excursion page is http://www.helitrek.com, not http://www.northstartrekking.com/.

[GMoney]

GM, how was your experience with the Glacier Heli-Hike? Which level did you choose? I also noticed that Northstar Trekking is actually the company used by NCL for their shore excursion, although the weblink on NCL Shore Excursion page is http://www.helitrek.com, not http://www.northstartrekking.com/.

 

The glacier heli-hike was very good and I'd recommend it. I was very impressed with NorthStar as a company - very professional and thorough.

 

They pick you up in their van at the Mt. Roberts tram - easily accessible to all cruise ships - and drive you about 10 minutes to the airfield. They then completely outfit you from head to toe in all necessary gear. I had my own so I didn't use too much of theirs, but you could basically show up in short and flops and they'd give you everything you need.

 

Once everyone is suited up, they give a safety briefing, then everyone boards the helicopter (2 were used on our trip). The 20 min ride provide stunning views of the icefield, especially on a clear day. After landing, our guides (2 young college-age girls) outfitted us in crampons, and guided us around the glacier for about 90 minutes.

 

We did the "level 2" tour - glacier trek. The only thing I wished was that the trek on the galcier had been more strenuous. It was very tame, but I was spoiled by a day-long hike on Root Glacier earlier in my trip. They certainly deliver on the tour description. The "level 3" tour was more than I wanted, as I was not interested in climbing. I would avoid the "level 1" walkabout; just not enough time on the glacier.

 

Not sure why there are the 2 sites / URLs, but its definitely the same tours and company.

 

My only other comment is that there are a ton of things to do in Juneau. If a glacier hike is important to you, see if there's an alternate port to do it in. Otherwise, try to schedule 2 tours in Juneau to take full advantage of all the opportunities (whale watching is big here).

 

Hope that helps.

[cruise_newbie77]

Thanks for your review Patrick :) Yeah I agree with you, Juneau's loaded with possibilities. Glacier hike's definitely a top priority for us and I'm not sure if such a tour is available in Skagway or Ketchikan. There's some kind of trek/hike to Laughton Glacier but I don't know if this involves an actual trek on the glacier or not.

[GMoney]

Thanks for your review Patrick :) Yeah I agree with you, Juneau's loaded with possibilities. Glacier hike's definitely a top priority for us and I'm not sure if such a tour is available in Skagway or Ketchikan. There's some kind of trek/hike to Laughton Glacier but I don't know if this involves an actual trek on the glacier or not.

 

I agree that Juneau is your best and really only bet for glacier trekking out of the 3 ports.

 

In Skagway I did a heli-hike, starting with a copter ride, then a 2 mile hike along Laughton Glacier trail, then the train ride back to town, but we only saw the glacier, as opposed to hiking on it. Very different tours.

 

Have fun whatever you do.

[MercedMike]

We usually book a mix of ship's excursions and independent excursions. The ship's excursions in Alaska are usually very good and very dependable. There are some good independents also but you do have to be careful when you book independent and realize you are taking certain things on yourself that the ship takes care of on their excursions.

 

Check out our latest Alaska cruise at

 

http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/volendam.html

 

and several others at the link in my sig below.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[GMoney]

There are some good independents also but you do have to be careful when you book independent and realize you are taking certain things on yourself that the ship takes care of on their excursions.

 

Like what?

[BIG4YA]

Thanks for the help. Are there independents tour guides at the ports or do you need to book in advance. Also if we want to save money for some expensive excursion which port offers the best cheap things to do? Like I have read the you can just take a bus to see the Mend. Glacier. Also can you take bus to see salmon cannery?

[GMoney]

Thanks for the help. Are there independents tour guides at the ports or do you need to book in advance. Also if we want to save money for some expensive excursion which port offers the best cheap things to do? Like I have read the you can just take a bus to see the Mend. Glacier. Also can you take bus to see salmon cannery?

 

IMO, you really want to book independent excursions that are important to you well in advance, as they generally accommodate much smaller #s than ship tours. You can roll the dice at ports, but it can be a lot of work, it eats into precious port time, and you have no guarantees.

 

Some of the best things I did in port were hikes, complertely free of charge. Skagway is especially good for this.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the help. Are there independents tour guides at the ports or do you need to book in advance. Also if we want to save money for some expensive excursion which port offers the best cheap things to do? Like I have read the you can just take a bus to see the Mend. Glacier. Also can you take bus to see salmon cannery?

 

I highly recommend all reservations and plans be made in advance. If your plan is to wing it, at least you had the plan. :) Time is too short in ports to be searching around for something to do. Very limited selection of tours available.

 

Salmon Cannery??? or hatchery??? For the Mendenhall Shuttle bus, it is right at the dock. Booths set up selling tickets.

[CaribbeanCrazy]

GMoney,

Where did you pick up the free hiking trail in Skagway?

Is it an easy hike?

 

CaribbeanCrazy

[GMoney]

GMoney,

Where did you pick up the free hiking trail in Skagway?

Is it an easy hike?

 

CaribbeanCrazy

 

Hi CC - The trailhead is very easy to find. It is located just off the train track outside the docks and next to town. Follow the tracks and it will be on the right; you can't miss it. Some literature about the various trails in the areas is available here.

 

There are a series of hikes you can do. The most popular is up to Lower Dewey Lake. Lower Dewey Lake lies in the trees 500 feet above

downtown Skagway, and the hike is easy if a bit steep. I highly recommend hiking to Upper Dewey Lake, in a sub- alpine basin at 3,100 feet elevation, is a long, steep, strenuous haul up the mountain slope above the lower lake. It’s worth the effort though because the lake and the views are incredible.

 

Once you get to Upper Dewey, you’ll see the lake itself in a beautiful green meadow filled with wildflowers, 2 cabins, a couple of picnic tables, and stunning 360 views of the surrounding peaks. It’s like being in a scene from the Sound of Music. Apparently, continuing on to Devil’s Punchbowl (another 2 hours and 600 feet up) is an even better experience, but unfortunately, I did not have time for that. I did not encounter any wildlife on the hike.

 

Tips for this Hike: If you give this hike a try, keep the following in mind:

 

• Good, sturdy hiking shoes are a must

 

• Plenty of water, and preferably something electrolyte-enhanced, is a must. Bring snacks as well.

 

• There really aren’t any views to speak of on the way to the Upper Lake until you actually get there.

 

• You will cross a footbridge on your way up (where you’ll find a makeshift bench)

 

• The closer you get to the Upper Lake, the muddier it gets.

 

• I had cell phone reception about half of the way up past the lower lake, and 5 bars at Upper Dewey.

 

• Total hiking time for me was about 6 hours.

 

 

This URL will provide tons of info:

http://www.skagway.com/skagwaytrailmap.pdf

[MVPinBoynton]

You have lots of good recommendations already. There is just so much to see and do. We did the following and thoroughly enjoyed each excursion:

 

Ketchikan - Island Wings float plane to Traitor's Cove for bear watching

Juneau - Whale watching with Harv and Marv

Juneau - Helicopter landing at Hole in the Wall Glacier

Icy Strait Point - Whale watching with FISHES

 

You can see pictures and read about our experiences on our recent Infinity cruise on our website www.thepreismans.com . Good luck on your cruise planning.

[lkohawaii]

Patrick,

Do you remember the price of your Glacier Heli ride/hike in Juneau? I don't see prices on the website.

 

If DH is interested in only a helicopter ride is there a better port to do it in. We have an open day in Skagway...Juneau is tight. He'll have to decide how important the glacier hiking is.

[Budget Queen]

GMoney,

Where did you pick up the free hiking trail in Skagway?

Is it an easy hike?

 

CaribbeanCrazy

 

The trail head is actually between Third and Fourth, across the tracks at Spring. http://skagway.com/citymap.html

[GMoney]

Patrick,

Do you remember the price of your Glacier Heli ride/hike in Juneau? I don't see prices on the website.

 

If DH is interested in only a helicopter ride is there a better port to do it in. We have an open day in Skagway...Juneau is tight. He'll have to decide how important the glacier hiking is.

 

I'll see if I can find the exact price, but I'm pretty sure it was in the $300 / pp ballpark...

 

I did heli rides in both Skagway and Juneau, and both were good. The Juneau ride is a bit more stunning given the comglomeration of glaciers.

 

The Skagway one was a heli-hike: 20 min ride to the Laughton Glacier trailhead, 2 mile guided hike and a tride on the White Pass train back to town.

[RCCLismyfav1]

We will be going on a RCCL 14-day Alaska Curise in 9/08 visiting Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait, and Sitka in Alaska as well as Seattle, Astoria Oregon, and SF and was wondering should I book any excursion through the cruise line or are there good options at the port. This is going to be a once in a life time vacation so I would not want to miss something nice by trying to save money and book at the port if there is a chance that nothing would be available. Thanking you in advance for your help!

 

We have the 14 day cruise booked for 9/12/08 RCCL on the Radiance, I have all of our tours booked already and all were done independently. I read over the tours that were offered through the cruise ship and made a list of what interested us. I then started reading the boards, ALL the reviews and made a list of each port. I then ask questions and everyone that replied was wonderful, BQ knows what she is talking about:) and fabulous! Thank you BQ:D .

This is what we have:Ketchikan-Family Air Glaciers and Fiords float plane

Juneau: Whale and Bear Watch with Harv and Marvs

Skagway; We are renting a van with 2 other couples we met on these boards.

ISP: Bear and Whale Watch with The Galley (Pat Whitcomb)

Sitka: Tour with Captain Davey

Oregon, Seattle, and SF we are doing more research on yet and probably won't book any tours but just do it on our own (MAYBE).

Also, Every tour guide I called is giving us 2007 prices as all will go up in 2008 so do keep that in mind. Last, we have not put any deposits down yet as they are not required until Jan. 2008. You can find all numbers through your research but you can ask also and all are great on here.

Feel free to ask any and all questions someone will respond.

[CaribbeanCrazy]

Thanks GMoney & Budget Queen:)

This is probably what we will do when we are in Skagway next May. Have been there twice before in which we took the train once and rented a car once.

Although...I don't think we are up to the 6 hr hike to Upper Dewey Lake. Most likely we will do the Lower Dewey Lake Trail.

 

Thanks Again

CaribbeanCrazy

[GMoney]

Thanks GMoney & Budget Queen:)

This is probably what we will do when we are in Skagway next May. Have been there twice before in which we took the train once and rented a car once.

Although...I don't think we are up to the 6 hr hike to Upper Dewey Lake. Most likely we will do the Lower Dewey Lake Trail.

 

Thanks Again

CaribbeanCrazy

 

Have a great time!