Alaska shore excursions not to miss?

[andersonfmly]

:rolleyes: We're making our first voyage to Alaska on the Zaandam out of Seattle on 6/16. We'd appreciate any advice/input on the best shore excursions, you know, the one's you absolutely don't want to miss. There's so many to choose from, it's difficult to decide. Budget is not really an issue. Also, has anybody had any luck with the "group" excursions where only one person pays, but up to 5 or 6 can go? Have you had any luck scheduling these excursions prior to departure? Or, is it best to wait until you're onboard?:rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have cruised Alaska several times. And always prebook our excursions. Some will sell out before the ship sails. We booked our June excursions last December.

We love whale watching and have booked several of those. Mendenhall Glacier - sight seeing - all great.

[RuthC]

Whatever is the "best" shore excursion for you has a lot to do with your interests and abilities.

However, I will say that on my first cruise to Alaska the shore excursion manager advised me very strongly that if I never did it anywhere else, Alaska was the place to flight-see.
He was soooo right! :)

[cutelittle]

If you haven't already, you might want to post this on the Alaska section of the board; you'll get a LOT of suggestions.

RuthC is right, it depends on your interests. My DH loves to fish so he always goes salmon fishing with a private company in Ketchikan. This year I'm going to try it too.

[cruisequeen10]

Skagway - White Pass and Yukon Rail tour - 3/12 hours

[dakrewser]

Our 3 favorite Alaska excursions:

1) Taku lodge (Juneau)
2) White Pass RR (Skagway)
3) Misty Fjords flightseeing (Ketchikan)

http://vquill.com/alaska05/uploaded_images/misty_fjord-736012.JPG

[debsea]

From Juneau: the helicopter tour to the Mendenhall Glacier

Without a doubt, this was the highlight of our Alaskan cruise.

[juliecat]

Helicopter flightseeing and glacier walkabout. Read the fine print on these; some of the tours only got 20 minutes to stand on the glacier. This one included a full hour of walking with gear (including cramp-ons). There were five of us and two guides. The excursion was pricey but soooo worth it!