Ketchikan shore excursion - "world class"?

[Waxer]

Greetings,

If you have been on a Ketchikan shore excursion that you think was exceptional, could you post a short description? It's the 3rd port of call for us, and none of them seem to be crying out "book me, book me" -- all help in finding something special to do onshore in Ketchikan (early July), and all advice, happily accepted!

Thanks, in advance,

[Tinknock50]

Greetings,

If you have been on a Ketchikan shore excursion that you think was exceptional, could you post a short description? It's the 3rd port of call for us, and none of them seem to be crying out "book me, book me" -- all help in finding something special to do onshore in Ketchikan (early July), and all advice, happily accepted!

Thanks, in advance,

The best thing to do in Ketchikan is take a floatplane into Misty Fjords.
Beautiful!

[dakrewser]

I'll second the vote for a Misty Fjords float-plane trip...

[HALOnlyCruiser]

Hi Waxer,
Some ships pull out of Ketchikan at 1:00PM, which makes for a short stop, usually only time for one excursion and a little walking around. You could check the Alaska section of the "Ports of Call" on the main CC Boards page. Here's my two cents, and not knowing where your interests lie, maybe this will help, maybe not.:)
I would skip the "Duck Tour" and the "Lumberjack Show". Way too touristy. If you are interested in Native Culture, make a trip to Saxman or Totem Bight. I like the totems at Totem Bight better, but Saxman is a more complete experience, offering Native craftsman to observe, and a short play and dance by the Tlingits.
We have made several trips with the kayaking group, Southeast Exposure, and have enjoyed it immensely. It's not too strenuous, and lots of fun. Two different trips are offered by shorex.
If you are not thrilled with any of the excursions, may I suggest that you visit the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center. It is to the right as you disembark the ship, toward the end of the pier, and one street away from the pier (directly behind the indoor mall Salmon Landing.) It's a large building with a green roof. Hard to miss. It's a wonderful interactive museum, full of Alaska history and culture, as well as modern dioramas. They also show a movie well worth the time. It's only about $4, but it's free if you have a National Parks Golden Eagle Passport (or the one for disabled, but I forget what it's called). I would allow at least an hour here. The mall Salmon Landing has an outlet gift and souvenir shop on the main floor, and if you wait to buy your Alaska take-home gifts/souvenirs here, you can save some $$. Huge selection of gifts and clothes.
Hope this was helpful, and have a great trip!

[Bucky3]

If you don't want to fly (float plane), and don't mind getting off the ship and boarding another water craft, we took the Misty Fjords boat trip and absolutely loved it. It's about 4-5 hours on a BIG catamaran with very comfortable seats and an upper outside deck. May seem a little boring at first but once past Eddystone Rock and into the Fjords the scenery is just magnificent. We enjoyed being on the boat as it allowed more time to just enjoy the gorgeous rock walls, waterfalls, narrow canyons, etc. We were lucky to have an absolutely gorgeous day there (definitely not Misty!) and likened the area to Yosemite National Park in Caifornia - ended up calling it a floating Yosemite! Oh, yes, and we did see eagles, a black bear, and a mink. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable excursion. Ketchikan was great for shopping right at the pier, but do walk up to Creek Street - neat area. We were in port from 10 to 6, so there was plenty of time for all of this. On a previous trip we did the crab dinner excursion and enjoyed that too. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy! Ketchikan is a fun port stop.

[Cruise Grana]

We were in Ketchikan a few weeks ago. Went kayaking with Southeast Kayaks and had a wonderful time. Wonderful equipment and staff. Beautiful scenery and not very strenuous. Highly reccommend. I believe their website is KayakKetchikan.com

[lougee1043]

duck tour---you can pass on this one and not miss a thing

[mjmagee]

We were on the Zaandam which books out of Ketchikan at 1 pM. We did the boat ride into the Misty Fjords (took off at 7AM), then flew back on the float plane. Best of both worlds! Price was right too, comparing the boat trip and the one hour float plane trip. We saw a wolf (very rare I am told), eagles, lots of seals, a mink, etc. But it was soooo beautiful and the catamaran is large (Goldbelt - 2 decks), very accomadating. They had a very knowledgeable person narrating on board and they put out a spread of fruit, bagels and cream cheese and muffins with coffee, hot choclate or tea. Not too crowded either. The float plane trip was amazing. You didn't even know you were lifting off and you were way above the ground! I am very glad we did it. Marilyn PS: Had just a little bit of time left to shop in Ketchikan. Wished we had more.

[tim agg]

We also took the Misty Fjords boat trip a couple of weeks ago, and were very impressed with the beauty and the wildlife, including two close-ups with black bears...back in town, Alaska Eagle Arts, at the top of Creek Street, offers fine contemporary native work, a little different from the stores near the dock.

[CruisinGrams]

Okay we opted for the "touristy" tours. We went to the Saxman Village and the Lumberjack show. The Saxman Village provided a really wonderful cultural experience. You can also see a totem pole being carved and talk to the carver and interpretive staff, who are all natives. It was an exceptional experience. The Lumberjack show was pure energy and lots of laughs (a bit staged). It really makes you see how hard the lumberjacks have to work and they are very strong and agile as well. We totally enjoyed it. So I guess you have to consider what your interests and expectations are. We only had half a day in Ketchikan and I would have loved to stay for the entire day to see even more. Our favorite port of call.

[whale-watcher]

We were in Ketchikan a few weeks ago. Went kayaking with Southeast Kayaks and had a wonderful time. Wonderful equipment and staff. Beautiful scenery and not very strenuous. Highly reccommend. I believe their website is KayakKetchikan.comThis was a great excursion...we were treated to close encounters with sea lions and birds, and had some relaxation time on a pristine island before returning to town.

[Waxer]

Thanks, everyone, for the recommendations!

Neil

[dreaminOfAK]

Hi,
Check out this site: http://www.ketchikanphotos.com
It has photos of the Misty Fjords and more of Ketchikan

[O2B@C]

Just want to second this one. Went with them in July 2005, and loved every minute. Got to see a bald eagle from a distance of maybe 25 feet, and on the way back, a salmon jumped up right next to, and almost landed in, one of the guides' kayaks. The staff were great, and lack of kayak experience was no barrier to having a wonderful time. Arrange directly with them to save $$ - you can book online. Their office is just a few blocks from the tender dock.

We were in Ketchikan a few weeks ago. Went kayaking with Southeast Kayaks and had a wonderful time. Wonderful equipment and staff. Beautiful scenery and not very strenuous. Highly reccommend. I believe their website is KayakKetchikan.com

[kevtanner]

My brother and I visited Ketchikan last year. We went Kayaking in the Tatoosh Islands with Southeast Exposure. We took a boat ride out, and didn't see a single other boat or tour group out there. Eagles, seals, whales.... It was everything we could have expected.

After our tour we strolled down creek street, and stumbled across this wonderful shop, Chinook and Company.
This business produces it's own canned wild Alaska salmon.
We bought some then, and for christmas this year I ordered a whole case for only about eighty bucks. It made the most popular christmas presents, and we even had some left over for spring.

Just a little pice of Alaska that makes me wish to go back again this summer.
http://www.chinookandcompany.com (http://www.chinookandcompany.com/)

[kikiwik]

I vote for wondering down creek street and around town abit and then catching the lumberjack show it was the awsome.