Alaska Cruiser - Excursions

[new cruiser77]

Hello. This is my first time with holland america and my hubby and I are going in Septmeber on the Alaska Cruise (on the westerdam ship). I was hoping someone could possibly comment on some of the excursions particularly:

Juneau - looking to do a helicopter ride to the glaciers. It looks like there are two options one that takes you to 4 glaciers and one that takes you to the hubbard glacier - any suggestions
sitka - we are thinking of the sea otter & wildlife quest excursion
ketchican - we are thinking of the rainforest wildlife sanctuarywe are in our 30's and very active. we are hoping to do something fun, interesting and that involves animas (in sitka and ketchican). Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!!!

[grannynurse]

Hi New Cruiser.
What date are you sailing? We'll be on the 9/17 cruise on Westerdam.
This is our first trip to Alaska. I've looked at all the shorex and I'm going to check prices on private excursions before I book Hal's as they are usually higher in price than booking locally.
GN

[eviefaye]

Hi there- I hope you enjoy your cruise. My family and I just got off the OOsterdam on Saturday the 20th of May. In Juneau we did the 4 glaciers with landing on one of them. It was amazing! I'm terribly frightened of helicopters and heights and while I held on to the "oh boy" handle most of the time, the flight was amazing. The staff was wonderful and we couldn't have been treated any better. In Sitka we did the Sea Otter and Wildlife excursion, I would suggest doing a different excursion though. We saw a lot of sea otters and two eagles, but nothing else. Apparently another excursion (not sure of the name) saw a whole pod of whales! The captain on our ship had no interest in looking for whales. It Ketchikan we did the saxman village with the lumberjack show. Which was pretty cool, but I would have enjoyed just walking around town instead. Anyhow have fun. eviefaye

[RuthC]

I took the Wildlife Quest out of Sitka many years ago. Had a great time; I'd do it again if it's anything approaching the same.

The boat picked us up directly at the ship. There was a comfortable inside and an open-air top deck. Binoculars were provided; at the end we were given a map of where we had been with the wildlife sightings noted.
We saw everything! We saw a pair of bald eagles---they said it was rare to see the two together. There were sea lions and the most adorable sea otters. And whales! Lots of whales. We spent a great deal of time following some of them.

After the tour we were dropped at the tender dock with plenty of time to roam the town.

[luv2cruise450]

Welcome to HAL! We haven't sailed on the Westerdam yet but have sailed on her sister the Oosterdam. So I'd say that you picked a beautiful ship! And Alaska is a really spectacular destination!
Just a tip to pack clothes to layer...including a light jacket...'cause Sept. can be a little cooler and maybe be prepared for some rain. Our last Alaska cruise was the end of August to the beginning of Sept. and we had several overcast, cool days. And if your itinerary includes Glacier Bay...you will need the light jacket and maybe even light gloves while you are outside on deck viewing/photographing the spectacular scenery.

The helicopter ride over the glaciers and than a landing or two on a glacier is totally awesome! But it is a little pricey...they usually offer either 1 landing or 2 on a glacier. Our 1 landing ride cost ~ $200. and our daughter did the 2 landings and that was ~ $300. But it is sooo worth it! Choose whichever fits your budget.
We did an otter/wildlife quest excursion in Seward and it was great. So I'm sure you'd enjoy the one that you're contemplating in Sitka. In Sitka...we also very much enjoyed the time that we spent at the Raptor Ctr. We learned a lot in seeing the work that they do to rehabiltate eagles and other raptors that have been injured. And they have resident raptors who could not be re-released into the wild.
Have not done a rainforest/wildlife sanctuary excursion while in Ketchikan...there is a building right on the pier when you disembark and they have all kinds of tour companies that you can check out and book tours right there if you haven't already booked a ship's tour.
Have a great time!

[packercruising]

Hi there- I hope you enjoy your cruise. My family and I just got off the OOsterdam on Saturday the 20th of May. In Juneau we did the 4 glaciers with landing on one of them. It was amazing! I'm terribly frightened of helicopters and heights and while I held on to the "oh boy" handle most of the time, the flight was amazing. The staff was wonderful and we couldn't have been treated any better. In Sitka we did the Sea Otter and Wildlife excursion, I would suggest doing a different excursion though. We saw a lot of sea otters and two eagles, but nothing else. Apparently another excursion (not sure of the name) saw a whole pod of whales! The captain on our ship had no interest in looking for whales. It Ketchikan we did the saxman village with the lumberjack show. Which was pretty cool, but I would have enjoyed just walking around town instead. Anyhow have fun. eviefaye

Eviefaye will you be posting a review? We know some people that were on that cruise. They were even at the lumberjck show!:)

[new cruiser77]

thank you so much for all your suggestions. I appreciate it all. I'm going on the cruise on the 17th of September. SOunds like there are mixed reviews on the sea otter excursion and it sounds like it could be a hit or miss. I'll have to figure that out. Doesn't sound like anyone did the Mendall Glacier (Note I made a mistake above and said Hubard) does anyone suggest the 4 glaciers over the Mendall Glacier excursion?

Thanks again for everyone's responses!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done the Sea Otter and Wildlife quest several times in Sitka. The time we did it the first week of September we saw only a couple of whales. But the other times when we did it in June and July - tons of whales.

[crusingici]

thank you so much for all your suggestions. I appreciate it all. I'm going on the cruise on the 17th of September. SOunds like there are mixed reviews on the sea otter excursion and it sounds like it could be a hit or miss. I'll have to figure that out. Doesn't sound like anyone did the Mendall Glacier (Note I made a mistake above and said Hubard) does anyone suggest the 4 glaciers over the Mendall Glacier excursion?

Thanks again for everyone's responses!!!

You mentioned being young (I am early 50s) and very active ( I am moderately active but marriend to a triathlete) so I am wondering if you have considered the helicopter ride to a glacier with the 2 hour trek? My DH and I just did that one in Juneau - and we landed and treked on Mendenhall....we booked thru HAL. It was AWESOME! It was not too strenuous but a bit more active than we had envisioned - there is a longer trek as well. Just curious if you had considered it. The helicopter flight to the glacier was about 25 minutes with sight seeing - it took only about 5 minutes to return as he flew us directly back. I highly recommend this excursion to those who want to fly as well as really experience the glacier.

[Willsot]

We enjoyed the sea otter/wildlife quest out of Sitka. Had what they said was a rare treat of seeing a gray whale. Our other favorite excursion was a flightseeing excursion through Misty Fjords out of Ketchikan.

[InvestiGator]

We sailed the Westerdam on 5/7. The Sea Otter & Wildlife tour by Allen Tours via HAL in Sitka was top notch. The HAL-affiliated one-hour float plane trip with Promech Air (sp?) over Misty Fjords was incredible and short enough (and cheap enough) to allow attendance at the lumberjack competition--a must see in Ketchikan, IMHO.

[tnkrbell13]

DH and I did the Mendenhall Glacier Walkabout on our Cruise, we really enjoyed it! The weather permitted the pilot to fly us over the Herbert galcier and then we landed and were able to walk around with the guide for around an hour.
We also did the Sea Otter excursion and saw lots of otters, seals and sea lions, one bald eagle in it's nest, but no whales:(
We heard the boat before ours saw a bunch of them. But our captain gave it a good 1/2 hour trying to find them. I think it is just hit or miss.
We still enjoyed the commentary from the naturalist on board.

[Firefighters Mom]

We were on the Oosterdam also 5/13-5/20. Our first cruise so we tried to pack as much in as possible. Juneau: our Mendenhall River float trip was cancelled due to low water (not enough snow meltoff yet). I really wanted to do that. We did the city tour and Mendenhall Glacier trip and felt it wasn;t worth it. I was not impressed with Mendenhall Glacier at all. I wish I hadn't spent the money. Hubbard was impressive though. We also did the historic Gold Mine tour - very neat if that stuff interests you. Sitka: Dry Suit Snorkel - I am claustrophobic and didn't know the suits (rubber) would be so tight around my neck and head. I couldn't take it. I sat out but everyone else seemed to really like it. Tour owners were real neat - one was a local native - family operation. Worth the money. 2. Wildlife quest and beach trek - very fun. Didn't see tons but not for lack of trying. I think it just depends on the day. Ketchikan: Misty Fjords Floatplane - most spectacular scenery I've ever seen - worth it at twice the price. 2. Saxman Village - interesting - great gift shop. Ketchikan had the neatest town for shopping, by far. Next time I'll make more time for that. Hope that helps. Don't believe everything you read about layering. I wish I'd brought a heavy coat. It's windy on the deck. I put on everything I had plus knit hat and gloves - and I live in Indiana! Any questions I'll be glad to answer.
Shirley

[BM64]

In Ketichikan last August, we went kayaking with Southeast Kayaks. it was a great experience, we are also very active a little older then you. We saw lots of different starfish. It was a great trip and it seems they go out rain or shine because it was raining when we went.

[cajim]

A fried and I just got back from a week on the Zaandam. We took the copter trip in Juneau to Mendenhal and it was great. We took the floatplan trip in Ketichikan and it was quite a fun ride. We landed once and got out on the floats. Be carefull of takeing non HAL aranged tours. If you are late geting back on a HAL tour they wait for you. The tour is in touch with the ship. If not they don't know where you are and may leave.

Jim

[new cruiser77]

Thanks for everyone's feedback. It sounds like the glacier excursion is good no matter which one I do. This makes the decision harder!!! Everyone keeps talking about this seafloat plane.I'll have to look into this. I haven't heard from anyone on the excursion in Ketchican the rainforest wildlife sanctuary.

[jmac99]

In Juneau we did a bike and brew tour that included the Mendenhall that was great, but I think that might have been a princess cruises organized excursion.

In ketchican we did the orca's cove kayak off of shoretrips. That was a great tour and we saw all kinds of wildlife.

[DenNJill]

We have the Mendenhall excursion booked when we're on our cruise the week of June 11 ... these are the first posts I've read about the glacier trip ... now I have just ONE MORE THING to get MORE excited about! :D :D Thanks for the reviews!!
I'll be ever so anxious to post my review upon my arrival home! ...And am looking forward to getting together w/ some Cruise Critic friends I've met on the boards here!! :)

[lougee1043]

there is/was a helo ride to a glacier where you learned to drive a dog sled-- see if thats still available --- you may have to book it on your own

[packercruising]

In Juneau we did a bike and brew tour that included the Mendenhall that was great, but I think that might have been a princess cruises organized excursion.

In ketchican we did the orca's cove kayak off of shoretrips. That was a great tour and we saw all kinds of wildlife.

They had a brew tour and I missed it?:eek:

[CrusinCouple]

We just returned from the Oosterdam 5/27. In Juneau, I booked my own excursions and Im so glad I did...they were great and a lot less expensive than HAL's. We booked a Orca Whale Watch, we saw approximately 20 Orcas, it was amazing, in addition, we saw several hump backs. Also in Juneau, I booked a Helicopitor ride to a Glacier (they brought us to Herbert Glacier), we landed and were able to walk around for about 20 minutes. I know this company offered other tour options as well.

In Sitka, we booked the Sea Otter excursion with HAL. We saw sea otters, sea lions, eagles, an eagle nest and hump backs.

If you want any further info, please let me know.

Have a GREAT time!