Hi,1st Alaskan Cruise, need HELP with excursions.

Hi,

I know this gets asked a lot, but we just booked this so quickly. Holland Cruise Line

Leaving in approx 2 weeks, on the Zaandam.

Doing the Land / Cruise V7L. train, bus, plane,bus, cruise ship :)

Traveling are Me, DH, Elderly Parents... Mom 82 ( Good Shape) Dad 75 also in good shape..on his bucket list...:p

What excursions would be good for them...we know nothing about Alaska..

here are the ports we are stopping at..

Glacier Bay,,,, not sure we stop there 10-7

Haines 6:30-9 anyone do the takshnuk mountain trail 4x4 ?

Juneau- Mendenhall glacier & whale quest ?? or

Ketchikan???

we are not adventurous, well maybe my DH... ;)

want to see Whales, animals,Glaciers, beautiful scenery. LOL

and I love to eat Crab, seafood... would love to grab some.

also Shopping :)

thx so much... we leave the 7th... for Anchorage then start the land part...

:eek:

A little late for booking excursions!

Glacier Bay is scenic cruising. It will probably be cold on deck so make sure you have hat, gloves, sunglasses,and wear layers.

Haines --not been there

Ketchikan --as you like crab maybe a ship's excursion that includes a crabfeast followed by a roam around the shops in town.

Juneau -- whale watching and Mendenhall for sure. We used Orca Enterprises in 2012 and will use Harv and Marv this year.

SNIP

 

Traveling are Me, DH, Elderly Parents... Mom 82 ( Good Shape) Dad 75 also in good shape..on his bucket list...:p

What excursions would be good for them...we know nothing about Alaska..

here are the ports we are stopping at..

 

Glacier Bay,,,, not sure we stop there 10-7

Haines 6:30-9 anyone do the takshnuk mountain trail 4x4 ?

Juneau- Mendenhall glacier & whale quest ?? or

Ketchikan???

we are not adventurous, well maybe my DH... ;)

want to see Whales, animals,Glaciers, beautiful scenery. LOL

and I love to eat Crab, seafood... would love to grab some.

also Shopping :)

thx so much... we leave the 7th... for Anchorage then start the land part...

:eek:

I agree with Alaskanb's suggestion about a crab feast excursion in Ketchikan and a whale watch in Juneau.

Since this is a bucket list trip for your dad, in Ketchikan you might think about ALSO doing a walk around town to see some of the totem poles (either before or after your crab feast :) ) And you could shop.

Juneau you will probably have a long time in port. If the weather is good after the whale watch/Mendenhall, the Mt Roberts tram might be an add-on. Only if the weather is good, or you won't see any of the views. And only if your parents are up to it.

About Haines. Small town. Some/most of the excursions will be done from Skagway and if that is the case, you will go to Skagway and back on the fast ferry, IIRC. Many people rave about the White Pass railway excursion and many do it every time they are in Skagway. Worth checking.

And remember, you can split up if some want to do one thing, and some want to do something else. :)

A little late for booking excursions!

• Unless you are going on the Tracy Arm excursion.... I found I can book the night before for lots of excursions on the ship. When I can't decide.... I ask the tour desk... which is a "near sellout" to help me decide.
  
• there's also private tour opportunities when you walk off the dock
  
• look for combo tours that has more than one activity to fill the day and reduce time going back to the dock
  
• flight and marine tours are the first to sell out due to limited capacity
  

Thanks,

was able to book the excursion in Haines :)

going to see about the others.. !!!

thanks for all the help..

so overwhelming... so Much to do !!

Just want to see and do a Variety of things and experience this GREAT State..:)

Glad we are doing the land part also...

the Train, Bus, plane... :)

We have booked a tour in Ketchikan with Ketchikan Taxi Tour. It is a flat rate per hour and they will customize it for you. We are scheduled to see the totem poles and drive around to see some of the sights. Looking for wildlife :).

Last time we were there we took a flight plane to Misty Fjord. It was amazing!

You will have plenty of opportunity to see wildlife, it just depends on if wildlife wants to be seen! Bring binoculars and stay out on deck. Amazing how much you will see just in Glacier Bay alone.

We have booked a tour in Ketchikan with Ketchikan Taxi Tour. It is a flat rate per hour and they will customize it for you. We are scheduled to see the totem poles and drive around to see some of the sights. Looking for wildlife :).

 

Last time we were there we took a flight plane to Misty Fjord. It was amazing!

 

You will have plenty of opportunity to see wildlife, it just depends on if wildlife wants to be seen! Bring binoculars and stay out on deck. Amazing how much you will see just in Glacier Bay alone.

how much was your flat rate per hour for the taxi?

and where is a Good place to eat in Ketchikan ???

or a good seafood excursion on the zaandam june 12 th sailing..

thx

or a good seafood excursion on the zaandam june 12 th sailing..

thx

The excursion will probably say something like" ...........and crabfeast". It goes to the George Inlet lodge.

HIGHLY recommend doing the Mt Roberts Tram (near the cruise ships!) if it is a clear (or not too overcast) day in Juneau. For $33/pp, you can ride it unlimited times during the day, so you could go up and back in the morning and again later in the day after you do any excursions. Once up to the top, it is an easy walk to a few beautiful viewpoints and there is a movie you can watch, as well as other exhibits, a restaurant, and gift shop.

Since we've been to Juneau 3 other times and had been to Mendenhall each of those times, we decided to go whale watching in Juneau this time. We HIGHLY recommend Juneau Tours, and specifically their jet boat, as opposed to their catamaran. Our tour guide and captain were so great and we saw humpbacks, orcas, and sea lions! Can't say enough about our experience with this company.

Whatever you do, hope you all have a fabulous time:)

Happy Cruising!

Is there usually a line to get on the Tram? About how long?

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

Kathyfromstl - We were there early in the season so it was probably 10 minutes on each side. They had some signs saying "30 min from this point" and such though, so I imagine at times it is busy so you should allow extra time. It probably took us a couple hours all said and done since we took a short hike to the viewpoint.