book excursions thru ship or independent?

[jaclin]

We are sailing on HAL Zaandam roundtrip out of Seatle to Alaska on June 4th. Wondering if it is recommended to book port excursions thru HAL or independently? If booking independently are those companies accustomed to dealling with ship late port arrivals and ship departure times. We are looking forward to a whale watching boat, any recommendations in Juneau or Sitka. Any "must see" excursions? Thanks for your help :>)

[kakalina]

We generally book both independently and through the ship. We seem to find a good balance with the two methods. Most private vendors we have dealt with are very used to dealing with ship times.

[Jade13]

We prefer independent but usually do at least one ship excursion if it's exactly what we wanted in the first place.

The last excursion we did with HAL (in Messina Italy) was very poorly run but last with Azamara (owned by RCCL/Celebrity) was very good (in Singapore).

One thing I would make sure about an Alaskan excursion it that is is private and not a group the excursion company puts today. We once had to wait for almost an hour in Haines for a family coming by ferry to Haines. The timing was still as expected but river rafting disappointing (beautiful scenery) as we saw few Eagles and than told by the guide that the ships excursions had the better section of the river with more eagles :(

On the other hand we booked a helicopter tour in Juneadirecty with the same company that HAL was using and if both were not canceled because of bad weather would have saved something like $100.00 ($50.00 each). The compsany had a driver waiting for us to tell us of the cancellation and monies back on credit card that day

[savannahgirl1]

I haven't been to Alaska, so I can't offer advice on which excursions to take. I can say when we sail, we have always booked excursions thru the ship. Yes they are more expensive and some say you don't see as much or stay as long at places as booking independently. But we book thru the ship for one main reason, if the excursion is late getting back, the ship doesn't leave without you. If you book independently, you are on your on if something happens to make you late returning to the ship. The ship can be gone, then you have to get yourself to the next port to meet it. This happened to us in Costa Rica. We booked a tour thru HAL and upon returning hit major traffic. We were almost 2 hours late in arriving back at the ship and it was still there. They waited for our excursion and one other HAL group that was late. Since our next stop was back in Ft. Lauderdale, I was extremely glad we booked thru HAL. Thats just my opinion. I see the extra cost as an insurance policy of not being left. ;)

[middle-aged mom]

We are sailing on HAL Zaandam roundtrip out of Seatle to Alaska on June 4th. Wondering if it is recommended to book port excursions thru HAL or independently? If booking independently are those companies accustomed to dealling with ship late port arrivals and ship departure times. We are looking forward to a whale watching boat, any recommendations in Juneau or Sitka. Any "must see" excursions? Thanks for your help :>)

You can find lots of good info over on the Alaska forum here on Cruise Critic:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

The vendors in Alaska are very used to working with the cruise ship schedules. I have never worried about getting back to the ship on time. I have done both independent and ship's excursions. In Alaska, the benefit (to me) of booking independently is a smaller group with more personal interaction and less of the "herd" approach. Prices don't vary that much between the cruise line tours and the independent tours, although sometimes you can save some money by booking independently.

In Juneau, I have used Harv and Marv.

http://www.harvandmarvs.com/index.html


In Sitka I have used the Esther G Sea Taxi.

http://puffinsandwhales.com/

I recommend both very highly.

Juneau also has helicopter glacier landings. You can book directly with the vendors there, too. I have flown with Temsco, although that was through a ship's excursion. It's a reputable company, and I recommend them, too.

http://www.temscoair.com/

[Cruzman]

Highly recommend whale watching with Orca Enterprises in Juneau. Their office is very near the pier and we had a wonderful time and saw lots of whales.

[Jade13]

We prefer independent but usually do at least one ship excursion if it's exactly what we wanted in the first place.

The last excursion we did with HAL (in Messina Italy) was very poorly run but last with Azamara (owned by RCCL/Celebrity) was very good (in Singapore).

One thing I would make sure about an Alaskan excursion it that is is private and not a group the excursion company puts today. We once had to wait for almost an hour in Haines for a family coming by ferry to Haines. The timing was still as expected but river rafting disappointing (beautiful scenery) as we saw few Eagles and than told by the guide that the ships excursions had the better section of the river with more eagles :(

On the other hand we booked a helicopter tour in Juneau directy with the same company that HAL was using and if both were not canceled because of bad weather would have saved something like $100.00 ($50.00 each). The compsany had a driver waiting for us to tell us of the cancellation and monies back on credit card that day

Forgot to finish after, "the last excursion we did with HAL (in Messina Italy) was very poorly run..."

I also had a bad experience on a full day HAL sponsored tour from Barcelona that included Girona (DH took a free tour in Barcelona given by our travel agent) and was supposed to go to the Jewish Quarter and Turkish baths and went to neither when the guide started going into a number of Churches. The church I remember was very interesting but that is not what the tour was supposed to be about. A Rep from HAL's shore excursion department was there and did not take control of the situation instead saying to me "Where is she going"? There was a couple from Israel and 5 of us had to get the guide to leave us at the Synagogue (now a museum) and come back for us 20 minutes later. I am sorry I did not write a letter to HAL but I did get $3.00 back on my ship board account (paid 2 EUR for entrance that was clearly written as included on the tour info from HAL's own web site). I than wasted at least half an hour waiting outside the Cathedral while others went in trying to talk to HAL's staff person that this guide was not following the plans for this tour to go to the famous Jewish quarter (and deal with others on the tour who were not interested and said no one told them it was suppose to be a Jewish tour - what a mess). This excursion I believe was about $200.00 and we never did get to those Baths and tour guide terrible making multiple racial comments.

I run my own tours and don't want to have to pay only to spend time trying to get HAL's tour to go where scheduled, especially when 1 or 2 HAL Reps were present. This was in July 2007.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Our first time to Alaska -- many years ago -- we had no choice but to book through the ship.

Now -- many Alaskan cruises later we book independently.

[LindaM]

The ship had to wait for our tour in Caracas, due to a mud slide blocking the road. Friends were on a ship tour in France many years ago. The ship actually departed without realizing that a tour hadn't returned. They had to turn around and go back for the passengers.

We sometimes do an independent tour with fellow CC's. I like the ship's tours because I don't have to plan, think or worry. They are usually run very well and are generally flawless. I don't mind paying extra for peace of mind.

[gabbyisadog]

I always book independently or with other couples (1 or 2). HAL cost more but I hate bus tours with 40 people-some one is always late or somethng. Give me a private airconditioned mini van or limo. In 30 yeas never have missed the ship. Independents know the timelines and it is their interest to get you to the ship on time.

Its more work up front to go it alone but well worth it unless you are the nervous type and like bus trips.

[Virgil]

We are going to Alaska in May for the third time. The first time we went, we booked all tours thru HAL. We did the Best of Juneau which included Mendenhall Glacier, whale watching, and a salmon bake. It was wonderful, although the salmon bake wasn't very good. It was outside and there were flys etc. yuk. We had such a wonderful time on whale watching tour, we booked it again through HAL and again were amazed...we saw humpbacks, orcas, eagles, sealions etc. The boat was good in that it had a heated inside area (rained) and an outside area, bathroom, hot chocolate etc. Both inside and outside were big enough to accommodate everyone and it wasn't crowded. So we decided not to mess with success and do the same. In Sitka there is a wildlife/otter excursion and when we were there last, they saw humpback bubble feeding. We didn't go that time but will try it this time. I just feel safer using HAL for all the reasons listed besides the tour operators are representing HAL so if there is a problem, you just go to HAL to resolve the issue.

[kyriecat]

In 2006 we took the Esther G whale watching tour from Sitka. The weather was really bad - windy & rainy with rough seas so we only saw a couple of whales. Our guide was excellent and did his best to find whales. We saw several sea otters, sea lions, and dolphins. The guide (Davey Lubin) is highly recommended on the AK board. He gave us part of our money back because a couple of people became violently sea sick and he had to come in early.

[alcpa1]

Another welcome to Cruise Critic...
Take the recommendations on the Alaska boards seriously.
We have taken several whale watching tours with Capt. Larry from Orca Enterprises and had wonderful experiences.
On our last Alaskan cruise we took a tour from Skagway with Southeastern to Emerald Lake. It was a magical day, probably the best excursion we have had in thirty years of cruising.
Every tour operator of merit in Alaska is dependent on cruise passengers. They are business people and their business depends on the schedules they arrange and keep.
Alaskan excursions are costly. Cruise excursions add another layer which can easily be avoided by self booking tours. One thing to note is that the majority of Alaskan tours do not travel great distances from the ship which adds a layer of comfort to booking independently.

[jagoodbar]

Hello Jaclin, Our first cruise to Alaska, while we were in Ketchikan, we booked a flight plane with Island Wings: http://www.islandwings.com/ What a fantastic tour. The pilot, a young lady named Michelle, took us to a remote lake and landed and then we had a short land tour. I spent 20 years in the Air Force, and I can't remember a more smooth takeoff and landing. It was cheaper than the ships tour and we saw more. If you stop in Ketchikan, I highly recommend this tour.

Jon

[Petronillus]

DW and I went to Alaska on the Zaandam in mid-May 2009. It was too early for any significant whale watching. We're not old old (late 50s, early 60s) but, despite what you hear over and over, we were quite content to enjoy the splendors of Alaska from afar and felt no urge to pierce deeply into the interior. So, basically, we would stroll around the ports of call and, aided with our standard tour guidebook, wandered around and had a marvelous time just enjoying the high points. The Raptor Center in ____ was within walking distance and an interesting place to visit. The vestiges of Russian culture in Sitka were also interesting (but not fascinating).

Remember, these places, even Juneau, are small towns. Much of what they have to offer is within walking distance.

If it had been later in the season, we most likely would have ventured forth on a whale-watching expedition. Because it was a moot point for us, we didn't fret and stew about the advantages and drawbacks of HAL-sponsored versus independent excursions.

We never ordered a meal off ship. We fell so in love with the Zaandam that we always returned early and would just revel in the beauty and comfort of the ship. Enjoying the scenic wonders of Alaska from the thermal suite is a memory I will take fondly to the grave.

Many people, I know, come back from an Alaska cruise feeling that they have scratched just the surface and itching to get back to dig deeper. DW and I are glad to have been there but, frankly, we enjoyed the ambience of the ship and the company of the friends we made there much more than whatever the shore excursions had to offer. She is a beautifrul ship with a top-notch crew and set of officers.

[digitl]

I always try to book direct with the operator rather than through the ship as I prefer the operator to get all of my hard earned cash rather than a percentage. The cruise companies take enough as it is and are greedy enough to charge more than the independents and often offer an inferior product!

The only exception would be where timings were tight as I wouldn't want to miss the ship's departure.

In Ketchikan we booked a flightseeing trip with Island Wings - http://www.islandwings.com/ - which I cannot recommend highly enough.

In Juneau we booked the 'Photo Safari by Land and Sea' for the emphasis on photography and because the group size of 14 was much smaller than the almost identical whale watching trip. This was booked through the ship as the operator would not accept a booking direct. The excursion was excellent and I can thoroughly recommend it. The operator is at http://www.stepintoalaska.com/tour_shore_excursion_details.cfm?tourid=photosafar i

When we visited Haines we booked the Emerald Lake trip from Skagway with Chilkoot Charters - http://www.chilkootcharters.com/ - which was also very good. We went out by van and back on the White Pass & Yukon Route railway. As the ship had docked in Haines we had to use the first fast ferry of the day to Skagway and the next to last back. Normally I would have booked through the ship with such timings but I learned that the ship had booked seats on both ferries and so was confident that we wouldn't be left behind if timings went awry. In addition, Chilkoot guarantee to get you to the next port if they cause you to miss your sailing. They claim never to have had to honour the guarantee.

[G&G]

We have been on Alaska cruises five (5) times since 1994. Last one was July 2009. We always book on our own. Some suggestions:

1. Juneau: rent a car, pick up at airport (20 minutes from port); if book now costs will be approximately $50 for the day. To get to airport take local bus express from downtown ($2/person); car allows you to see many things including places tour buses do not go to.

2. Helicopter ride: in 2000 we booked helicopter ride to glacier in Skagway direct with TEMSCO (877-789-9501, 866-683-2900); there were nine of us including three children; saved approximately 30-40% off ships tour costs since children were must cheaper; TEMSCO is 100 yards from docks

[DaveOKC]

For AK I would not be afraid to book my own independently. As suggested before, got to the Alaska message boards here on CC and you will get alot of great info.

In general, you will not save alot of money, but you may be able to get a less crowded, more customized tour. Since you are sailing HAL, I should note that they are pretty good at AK (it seems like they and Princess run the show), so at times their tours are the best.
FOr example, in Skagway the train tour (which is the most popular attraction in town) boards right at the ship! You get off the ship and walk about 200 feet to the train. We did our own with a local company and we had to be schuttled into town to catch the train. The prices were about the same. We went with the local company since they had an option of train up and van back that fit our time frames better. Otherwise, we would just have gone with HAL. A nice surprise was that we were the only ones on the train car and on the van!

So, in short, do your homework on the CC message boards first, then decide for yourself, but either way is fine.

DaveOKC

[alpal1993]

We always book a combination of ship and independent tours.For some reason on our 14 Night Alasaka cruise HAL has been offering many tours with the same price as independents,with the added bonus of Mariner Credit as well as convienient pick up and drop off at ship.
If we had another couple or family going with us renting a car would be a good choice,but with just 2 people it could be boring.We love to learn about the places we are traveling too and it is much more relaxing to sit back and let someone else drive.We also enjoy meeting our fellow passangers.

[Sadie Lady]

Jaclin,
We are on the same cruise out of Seattle. I have always done a combination of ship excursions and independent ones. I typically like the independent ones for the smaller size and customization. But for our cruise, I have booked the photo tour in Juneau through the ship, and it is limited to 14 people. If you go on the roll call board for our cruise, you can see what some of the other passengers are booking for our cruise. Hope this helps!
Sue