Alaskan excursions for parents in their 80's

[guppy33]

We will be cruising to Alaska 6/28/08 on RC Serenade with my parents who are both in their 80's. This is their first cruise. Any recommendations about Alaskan excursions would be appreciated. Dad's in excellent health, mom's in good health.

[GMoney]

It would be helpful to list the ports of call for those not familiar. Also, think about posting on the Alaska port of call board.

[05mak05]

I don't remember in which ports we did what but we loved the railroad - the scenery is spectacular. In another port, we booked the whale watching high-speed catamaran. It's a thrill and you'll see lots of wildlife including whales. One day, we didn't book an excursion and simply walked. We stumbled upon Creek Street, followed it and saw the salmon swimming upstream ... we had no idea where we were going and ended up at the hatchery. Then on to the Totem Pole Park. It's an easy walk as I remember and fun as you can just ramble on at your own speed. Your parents will love it!!! In Alaska, there is something for all ages.

[vickiw0318]

The White Pass Railroad is in Skagway. I agree - that's a fun excursion. I came back amazed that anyone ever made it to the Yukon to search for gold. I have gone whale watching in Juneau twice. We used Captain Larry the last time. His cost is a little less than booking through the cruise line and we saw lots of whales. He and his buddies would radio each other when they made a sighting. Creek Street is in Ketchikan. Another fun thing to do there is go to the Lumberjack show.

 

Do let us know exactly where you are going.

[Sequim88]

We lucked into Glacier Gardens in Juneau by bad weather circumstances. Out helicopter tour was grounded by low ceilings. So we took a whale watch boat ride instead and with the free time took the city bus out to Glacier Gardens ( http://www.glaciergardens.com/ ).

 

Very unique temerpate rainforest gardens with a really strange story behind the upside-down trees. Pretty funny actually. It is a work in process and was really beautiful when we were there five years ago so perhaps that much better now. They used an extended golf cart to tour the gardens and go to a viewpoint on top of Thunder Mt. that overlooked Juneau and the airport. The flowers were spectacular (mid-June). Because we did it "on our own" we were there between organized excursions so we had the cart and guide all to ourself. My wife is mobility impaired and had no troubles visiting. If your parents are in good health GG would be a snap. Especially if they like gardens or flowers.

 

RCI calls their excursion that includes GG the "Mendenhall Glacier & Garden Tour".

[RetireeWannabee]

Flightseeing is a must. I took my Mom who is not that mobile, and 70+. We did dog sledding on a glacier and the chopper ride was unbelieveable - you cannot fully appreciate the size of the glaciers until you are above them. Ok, getting in and out of the chopper wasn't all that easy, especially being all bundled up, but Mom is a trooper and did just fine.

 

We had previously taken the cheapo bus to the Mendenhall Glacier (this is the Juneau port). It was quite something to see from above what we had already viewed up close on the ground.

 

We did the railroad and she enjoyed that.

 

We went to one of the totem pole parks in Ketch and she liked that too.

 

There are sooo many great excursions that don't require a lot of physical energy.

[lake powell]

My parents have now done 2 Alaska cruises, they are both in their 80's also. The first one they were able to do a helicopter flight to one Mendenhall Glacier, it was an expensive gift from my brother, but they both LOVED it. One of the things they talk about always. So worth the money.

They also did a train ride they loved.

They went with NCL and RCI. Dad has to have his blood tested weekly, and the dr.s on board were great about that at sending the results to the home dr. Of course I made them get the travel ins. Dad also has to have oxygen and they didn't have a problem with him getting that either.

Mom just got it all arranged before the cruise with all the medical sections.

Lake Powell

[phtktz3]

The White Pass railway in Skagway is a must and the scenery is just breathtaling!

[emilygrace]

I agree about the Glacier Gardens! I rarely see anyone mention them as an attraction in Juneau. We were there in September of 2005 and were VERY impressed with them (we did the RCI tour "Mendenhall and Glacier Gardens"). The whole story of how they came to be, especially with pictures of what the area looked like before, is fascinating.

[MilliesMom]

White Pass Railroad is GREAT, however there are a couple of precautions ..

 

1. If either of them have health conditions that can be aggrevated by elevation, this may not be a good choice.

 

2. If either of them have asthma or any type of breathing condtion, this may not be a good choice. The engines are fueled by diesel and there can be fume smells in the train cars. Most people are not affected nor can they smell them, but if someone has health concerns this could cause problems. Best choice of cars is in the middle of the train. The engine pulls the train to the top, then is unhooked and pulled around. Then the engine is now hooked on the end of the train and pulls the train back to town. The backs of the seats move so you do not travel backwards and the ask people to switch sides so all get to see both views. Going up the mountain the best side is the left.

 

Have a wonderful time.

[guppy33]

Thank you all for your input. Everyone of these sound great. I am going to show my parents these responses tomorrow. Sorry I forgot to put the ports we are stopping at (Icy Strait Point, Skagway, & Juneau). Thanks again.

[MilliesMom]

One more note ... we are going on the Radiance this Sept, so I printed out the port links/information sheets that cruise critic has, very informative .. be sure to read the full page for each port:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=149

[linkerbink]

I'll add my vote for the White Pass rail ride. Easy on and off the train, beautiful scenery, and it's neat how they switch the seats around to face "front" again for the trip down the mountain. As I recall, they had refreshments, too...I think they were free.