juneau & ketchikan

[bdbj2512]

any advice on the best things to do in these ports.

[NewCruiserCaryNC]

Having just returned from there... I recommend the Duck Tour in Ketchikan. You get a tour of the town, then you go onto the water. It's the most reasonably priced activity we'd seen. In Juneau you should try the Mt Roberts Tramway. It takes you up to (not quite the top of) Mt Roberts. There was still snow on the ground when we were there on June 11. I think the price is around $25 per person for the tramway, and you can do it as many times as you want.

[robinsegg]

Not sure what your budget is, but Ketchikan is the jumping off point for Misty Fjords and there are some excellent float plane trips to there (not enough time in port to do a trip by boat). And there is excellent whale watching out of Juneau. If you do a bit of searching, you will see lots of threads on these topics if you are interested in booking independently from your cruise ship.

 

Also a $6 (one way) shuttle from Juneau will take you to the Mendehall glacier - great place to spend a few hours walking and at the visitors centre.

[bondscruisegal]

In Juneau I would highly recommend going to Mendenhall Glacier. I took a blue bus from the cruise docks. They run every half hour and cost about $6 one way. I just wish I had more time so I could have hiked all the way to the glacier. You could do this on a tour, but I recommend taking the bus and using the money saved for something else.

 

Also recommend Mount Roberts Tramway. If the weather is clear you have a beautiful view of the area. We didn't do any hiking at the top as there was still a lot of snow when we were there and it started to rain. Still the clouds were high enough that we could enjoy the view.

 

I'd choose the Glacier over something like whale watching, so it really depends on your own preferences.

[bdbj2512]

thanks so much!!

[seychellesdream]

Hijacking this thread ... we are doing the Temsco glacier and dogsledding tour (and trying to recover from the sticker shock).

 

Is that enough glacier time for one day or should we do the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center as well ? don't know if that is a must. I was planning to do the Mt Roberts Tramway or if suddenly money falls from the sky, I would love to do the Orca whale watch ... doubt that is going to happen though.

[bondscruisegal]

Reply for the hijacker about whale watching.

 

I live in an area where I can go whale watching, so didn't consider doing it in Alaska. I did go with out of town visitors recently. I found it rather disappointing. The boats have to stay a good distance from the whales and they look very small from that distance. I guess I was expecting that up close (aren't they huge) feeling you get from seeing them on a big screen TV. Also (as in my case) if the water is rough it can be a rocky ride and my poor bones were glad to get back on land.

 

This in only my opinion, knowing what I know now, I'd rather spend the money for such a trip on something else. Now if whale watching is on your list of "things I must do before I die" then go for it and I hope it is a great experience. I did see whales from the ship on cruises in Alaska and Hawaii and they were almost as good as they whale watching trip I paid a lot of money for.

 

If you're already doing one glacier, you might want to skip Mendenhall Glacier, and do something else, especially if you're short on time. I really enjoyed Mendenhall Glacier, but it was the only one I visited. Mount Roberts Tramway (especially if the weather is clear) is very nice. Wish the weather had been better when we were there, so we could have walked some of the trails at the top. Whatever you decide to do have a wonderful time.

[robinsegg]

Yes, the boats are supposed to stay 100 yards away from the whales, but the whales don't always obey those rules themselves ;) . And even at 100 yards, if you aren't used to seeing whales, a humpback breaching is pretty exciting (and large!) Our trip with Harv and Marv in June was a highlight of our cruise.

[shining gem]

Yes, the boats are supposed to stay 100 yards away from the whales, but the whales don't always obey those rules themselves ;) . And even at 100 yards, if you aren't used to seeing whales, a humpback breaching is pretty exciting (and large!) Our trip with Harv and Marv in June was a highlight of our cruise.

 

We did a whale watching trip out of Juneau and it was one of the best days we have had on our travels! Fantastic! Can't wait to go back and do it again!

[warram]

We also took a whalewatching tour in Juneau and cannot say enough good things about it. It was fantastic! Definitely one of the highlights of our cruise. WE booked the Captain's Choice Wildlife Tour with Captain Chris at Rumrunner Charters. If you want to see whales, go with Captain Chris. Great fun. His knowledge of the area and marine life made the tour interesting and informative too.

[southwardbound]

In Ketchikan we hiked Deer Mountain. This was suggested to us by a local. It is a strenuous hike but with beautiful waterfalls and a great view at the 1 mile marker.

 

In Juneau we went to the Mendenhall Glacier. We hiked the east loop and really enjoyed that as well.

[mmmmm]

We saw lots of glaciers, but i wouldn't have wanted to miss Mendenhall Glacier! It's a different experience than seeing one from a ship. It's really worth it to have time to walk out to the waterfall in my opinion. We also went whalewatching in Juneau (with Orca Enterprises) and it was the best whale watching I've experience (including Hawaii and California). Seeing whales from the ship can't compare.

[steinbird]

I'm not sure what cruise line you'll be taking, but I just came back from Radiance of the Seas and in Juneau, I'd definitely recommend the Photo Safari by Land & Sea. It's run by Gastineau Guiding, so you may be able to book independently if your ship doesn't offer this. It combines both the Mendenhall Glacier with whale watching and is limited to a maximum of 14 people. I am not a skilled photographer, and the reason why I chose this excursion was because I was traveling with someone who is skilled at photography. Regardless, we both put this excursion at the top of our list.

[KK11]

In Juneau I would highly recommend going to Mendenhall Glacier. I took a blue bus from the cruise docks. They run every half hour and cost about $6 one way. I just wish I had more time so I could have hiked all the way to the glacier. You could do this on a tour, but I recommend taking the bus and using the money saved for something else.

 

Also recommend Mount Roberts Tramway. If the weather is clear you have a beautiful view of the area. We didn't do any hiking at the top as there was still a lot of snow when we were there and it started to rain. Still the clouds were high enough that we could enjoy the view.

 

I'd choose the Glacier over something like whale watching, so it really depends on your own preferences.

 

 

I want to do the trails on my own also, since I will not have enought tome and $$$ to do the Helicopter landing on the Glacier.

- Any other recommendations/tips/suggestions for the Glacier trails

- If you do the Glacier and city tour, can you stay longer at the Glacier and then take the other bus ($6:00) back into town???

[Trish Traveler]

We saw lots of glaciers, but i wouldn't have wanted to miss Mendenhall Glacier! It's a different experience than seeing one from a ship. It's really worth it to have time to walk out to the waterfall in my opinion.

 

Sounds great. How long does it take to hike to the waterfall? Thanks.

[mmmmm]

The walk to the waterfall took about 25 minutes each way, but we stopped a lot to take photos. You can't get right up to the falls because of a fall of large boulders in the way, but it's beautiful in any case, and so is the view of the glacier from there. We loved it.

[ellbon]

i ddi the crab feast in ketchan plus walked around town.

 

Juneau

 

dog sleding

galcier and drinking and shopping

 

next trip more glacier time and maybe the tram

[kenish]

We just returned from our trip.

 

In KTN we took a kayak tour with SE Sea Kayaks. It was a great experience and since it was raining a water activity seemed appropriate. In the afternoon we walked around town, went up to the Totem Heritage Center and the hatchery, and returned "downtown" via Creek Street. As long as you are reasonably fit the town is very walkable.

 

In JUN we went whale watching with Harv & Marv. Harv had an uncanny ability to get to the action. Several humpbacks got within 200 feet of the boat and later we saw another repeatedly breaching. I felt bad for the 100+ people on the "big boat"....they were also right where the whale was breaching but the boat left after a few minutes because their time was up. Harv hung around longer and just double-timed it back to port. We also saw a pod of orcas that were interested in seals on a buoy.

 

Before whale watching we took a helo flight to Herbert Glacier. It was spectacular! The vastness of Alaska really hits you from the air. I know this isn't in the OP's budget....so I'd definitely recommend Mendenhall Visitor center. In my opinion there's really no reason to do both if you are short on time. That's usually the case since there's so much to do in JUN.

[Nana4x]

i ddi the crab feast in ketchan plus walked around town.

 

Hi we are taking a tour in the AM and wondered about getting Dungeness crab for lunch. Where did you eat? What were the prices like?

 

Not interested in snow crab we get that here.

[Jane1025]

We did the Bering Sea Fisherman's Tour and had a blast. They are so friendly and good with everyone. You got to handle all sorts of crabs, touch sharks and were able to see up close an octopus and a wolf eel. The eagle viewing was an added bonus. This was one of our favorites!

[ellbon]

i ddi the crab feast in ketchan plus walked around town.

 

Hi we are taking a tour in the AM and wondered about getting Dungeness crab for lunch. Where did you eat? What were the prices like?

 

Not interested in snow crab we get that here.

 

it was thru Princess but it is a local operator. we flew in over wonderful views. i kinow they ahve a web site. type in crab feast or crab lunch. near the Tongras ( spelling) forest. we has beer, salad. all the King Crab yuo could eat and yummy cheese cake with fresh blueberries on top. there is a bus tour there too-includes a boat ride to show how the catch them. was over 100 per person and worth every $$.

i think you can do two tours as i was going to do so. but cancel one. glad i ddi worse weather of the cruise was there.

[ellbon]

Alaska Crab Feast and Flightseeing in Ketchikan, Alaska

 

this is it!! hope thsi helps. due to gas prices i am sure it went up.

 

also check out the salmon lunch thing in Juneau. for second timers the way to go. next time i am doing it. you fly in and eat at a lodge and then take a small hike before flying out.

[countrygal52]

We also did the Bering Sea Crab tour in Ketchikan; GREAT time!! We got to touch a dog shark, hold crabs and prawns and I even touched an octopus:eek: . The only bad thing was, we didn't have enough time in port to do anything else - we were only there for 5 or 6 hours. It was our last port stop so we finished souvenir shopping and then went back onboard because if I remember correctly, it was our last formal night and we had 6pm seating. Oh well! If I get lucky enough to get back to Alaska, maybe we can hit Ketchikan again......

[Assateague Island Princes]

Juneau - Whale watching with Harv and Marvs. Excellent!

 

Ketchikan - 4X4 Rhino Excursion (really fun!) or sea kayaking (also a great time! No experience necessary).

[DisneyScrapper]

I'm not sure what cruise line you'll be taking, but I just came back from Radiance of the Seas and in Juneau, I'd definitely recommend the Photo Safari by Land & Sea. It's run by Gastineau Guiding, so you may be able to book independently if your ship doesn't offer this. It combines both the Mendenhall Glacier with whale watching and is limited to a maximum of 14 people. I am not a skilled photographer, and the reason why I chose this excursion was because I was traveling with someone who is skilled at photography. Regardless, we both put this excursion at the top of our list.

 

Last year we also did this tour and I can't say enough about it either, truly one of the best. Got some awsome whale pictures.