Sticker shock on excursions

My wife and I did a 7 day roundtrip from Seattle last month - first ever cruise. We splurged on the trip and went for a mini-suite, and just did the excursions that looked best to us, regardless of the cost. It was our 30th anniversary, so we figured What the He(ck)... Although I did lots of research ahead of time, we went ahead and booked thru the cruise line just for simplicity. Ended up with a very nice set of excursions, and yes they were pricey but they were worth it!

Juneau - whale watching / Mendenhall / salmon bake

Skagway - motor coach to Yukon, train back to town

Ketchikan - flightseeing to Misty Fjords (just me)

Next time around, would get a car in Skagway and probably opt for fishing in Ketchikan and a smaller whale/wildlife tour in Juneau.

Jim

My wife and I did a 7 day roundtrip from Seattle last month - first ever cruise. We splurged on the trip and went for a mini-suite, and just did the excursions that looked best to us, regardless of the cost. It was our 30th anniversary, so we figured What the He(ck)... Although I did lots of research ahead of time, we went ahead and booked thru the cruise line just for simplicity. Ended up with a very nice set of excursions, and yes they were pricey but they were worth it!

 

Juneau - whale watching / Mendenhall / salmon bake

Skagway - motor coach to Yukon, train back to town

Ketchikan - flightseeing to Misty Fjords (just me)

 

Next time around, would get a car in Skagway and probably opt for fishing in Ketchikan and a smaller whale/wildlife tour in Juneau.

 

Jim

Jim, do you mind posting the cost of the excursions ?

2. Bear watching - was thinking of doing this in Icy Strait.

Please keep in mind that most bear watching excursions do not guarantee that you will see bears. We knew when we booked Bear Watch/Whale Watch combo tour in Icy Strait, that actually seeing bears would be unlikely. We lucked out and saw two bears catching salmon in a stream. My wife got some great pictures.

Ketchikan is a nice place to walk around and see the town.

Take a bus transfer through your cruise line from Seward to Anchorage airport. The cost is much less.

Jim, do you mind posting the cost of the excursions ?

As I recall, $199 each for the whales/salmon/glacier tour, same for the Yukon tour, and $269 for the flightseeing. So about $1100 for the two of us.

Jim

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Please keep in mind that most bear watching excursions do not guarantee that you will see bears. We knew when we booked Bear Watch/Whale Watch combo tour in Icy Strait, that actually seeing bears would be unlikely. We lucked out and saw two bears catching salmon in a stream. My wife got some great pictures.

 

Ketchikan is a nice place to walk around and see the town.

 

Take a bus transfer through your cruise line from Seward to Anchorage airport. The cost is much less.

What company did you use in Ice Strait for whales/bears and what month did you cruise in?

Thank you!

What company did you use in Ice Strait for whales/bears and what month did you cruise in?

 

Thank you!

We were there in mid-August. Our tour was scheduled through the Royal Caribbean cruise line. Sorry but I don't remember the name of the company.

Here is a link to my wife's pictures in case you're interested in seeing them.

Bear Watch Icy Strait Point Alaska

Here is a link to my wife's pictures in case you're interested in seeing them.

:eek:

I just booked my cruise and did not realize the expensiveness of these excursions! My friend told me she did a kayak trip for $450/person and ice cave tour for $650 for two o.o

This is intense .. Thank goodness I have two months to read this forum and figure out the best tours and price value .. Eek!

:eek:

Pretty awesome pictures' date=' right?! We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time.[/color']

I just booked my cruise and did not realize the expensiveness of these excursions! My friend told me she did a kayak trip for $450/person and ice cave tour for $650 for two o.o

What kind of kayak trip costs $450/person? :eek: Are the kayaks gold plated? Do they serve caviar and champagne? A lot of Alaska excursions are expensive, especially those involving flights, but I've never heard of kayaking costing that much.

What kind of kayak trip costs $450/person? :eek: Are the kayaks gold plated? Do they serve caviar and champagne? A lot of Alaska excursions are expensive, especially those involving flights, but I've never heard of kayaking costing that much.

Here's an example of one of the pricey kayak trips. They're not a couple of hours floating on a lake; it's a 9-10 hour adventure. Plus the water taxi to the put-in point substitutes as a Kenai cruise because it follows the same route. I seriously considered this trip but decided on Valdez kayaking instead. In the end we had terrible weather at both ports so no kayaking. Next time.

http://liquid-adventures.com/content/ultimate-aialik

Here is a good place to do some research on AK ports www.cruiseportinsider.com They give some background on the port, excursions, and a special area on DIY. Tours in AK are not cheap due to several reasons the largest being the short season - most of the operators need to make their living for the entire year in a few short months. Gas and other items are much more expensive in AK as they must be shipped in by barge or plane.

We have been on three AK cruises (02, 03 and 12) the first one was just the two of us and we did not skimp - but tours were cheaper back then - I just looked at my scrapbook and back then the Skagway train was about 1/2 as much as it was in 12 - we also did a horseback ride - it is now 100.00 pp more than in 02. All in all in 02 we spent around 7k for the two of us total. In 03 we added our two kids and did fewer excursions as well as different excursions and spent a little over 8k. In 12 we sprang for a suite as we had my MIL. The trip total for the 3 of us was around 12k - we only did a couple of excursions - one being the small boat tour of Tracy Arm RT from Juneau. I also did the Bennett Scenic Tour from Chilkoot and the DW and MIL did the RT summit train trip.

What kind of kayak trip costs $450/person? :eek: Are the kayaks gold plated? Do they serve caviar and champagne? A lot of Alaska excursions are expensive, especially those involving flights, but I've never heard of kayaking costing that much.

Haha I don't know what company as I told her no thanks when I heard the price (but just regular ol' kayaks).. but the pictures she showed me were absolutely breathtaking .. as was that $650 ice cave tour :( I must find good value excursions! :p

Here is a good place to do some research on AK ports www.cruiseportinsider.com They give some background on the port, excursions, and a special area on DIY. Tours in AK are not cheap due to several reasons the largest being the short season - most of the operators need to make their living for the entire year in a few short months. Gas and other items are much more expensive in AK as they must be shipped in by barge or plane.

 

We have been on three AK cruises (02, 03 and 12) the first one was just the two of us and we did not skimp - but tours were cheaper back then - I just looked at my scrapbook and back then the Skagway train was about 1/2 as much as it was in 12 - we also did a horseback ride - it is now 100.00 pp more than in 02. All in all in 02 we spent around 7k for the two of us total. In 03 we added our two kids and did fewer excursions as well as different excursions and spent a little over 8k. In 12 we sprang for a suite as we had my MIL. The trip total for the 3 of us was around 12k - we only did a couple of excursions - one being the small boat tour of Tracy Arm RT from Juneau. I also did the Bennett Scenic Tour from Chilkoot and the DW and MIL did the RT summit train trip.

Thank you for that site.. I will study this for two months :) It seems veryyy informative!

I will ad my two cents too....You will hit Vancouver one way or another.....but don't fly out of there as it is so much more expensive...get a transfer to Seattle and fly out of there...it will be cheaper no matter where you live...a transfer from Vancouver will cost $33. on the bus....with good connections...Princess transfers are $48.00 from the ship to the SeaTac airport....and the train is about the same. Takes about 2-2/5 hrs.....and you will save hundreds....enough to go on the dogsledding or bear viewing you would like to do....Anchorage is not a cheap city, and you will need to get here from either Whittier or Seward, so plan on that also..However, there are lots of free/cheap things to do in Anchorage, especially for kids. There are museum passes for 29.00 that will take you to 2 museums...The Anchorage museum which has a whole children's part and the Alaska Native Heritage Center where there is native singing dancing, and outside running around to see how each culture lived and ate....Kids love it...I am sure that the other lines that cruise Alaska have comparatively cheap transfers to Seattle also. You will have a great time....

I will ad my two cents too....You will hit Vancouver one way or another.....but don't fly out of there as it is so much more expensive...get a transfer to Seattle and fly out of there...it will be cheaper no matter where you live...a transfer from Vancouver will cost $33. on the bus....with good connections...Princess transfers are $48.00 from the ship to the SeaTac airport....and the train is about the same. Takes about 2-2/5 hrs.....and you will save hundreds....enough to go on the dogsledding or bear viewing you would like to do....Anchorage is not a cheap city, and you will need to get here from either Whittier or Seward, so plan on that also..However, there are lots of free/cheap things to do in Anchorage, especially for kids. There are museum passes for 29.00 that will take you to 2 museums...The Anchorage museum which has a whole children's part and the Alaska Native Heritage Center where there is native singing dancing, and outside running around to see how each culture lived and ate....Kids love it...I am sure that the other lines that cruise Alaska have comparatively cheap transfers to Seattle also. You will have a great time....

You have to allow 4 hours for any bus/driving/train transfer Vancouver/Seattle. No way to predict any delays.

I will ad my two cents too....You will hit Vancouver one way or another.....but don't fly out of there as it is so much more expensive...get a transfer to Seattle and fly out of there...it will be cheaper no matter where you live...a transfer from Vancouver will cost $33. on the bus....with good connections...Princess transfers are $48.00 from the ship to the SeaTac airport....and the train is about the same. Takes about 2-2/5 hrs.....and you will save hundreds....enough to go on the dogsledding or bear viewing you would like to do....Anchorage is not a cheap city, and you will need to get here from either Whittier or Seward, so plan on that also..However, there are lots of free/cheap things to do in Anchorage, especially for kids. There are museum passes for 29.00 that will take you to 2 museums...The Anchorage museum which has a whole children's part and the Alaska Native Heritage Center where there is native singing dancing, and outside running around to see how each culture lived and ate....Kids love it...I am sure that the other lines that cruise Alaska have comparatively cheap transfers to Seattle also. You will have a great time....

This certainly held true my previous two trips to Alaska. The first time we ended in Vancouver, took the Amtrak to Seattle, and then cabbed it to SEATAC. Very easy and relaxing. The second time, we flew into Seattle, took the train to Vancouver and quick cab ride to the hotel pre-cruise.

On our upcoming cruise next week, it was actually $200 per person cheaper to fly home directly from Vancouver with a 1:55pm flight time. we are saving the money on the flight, + train fare, +cab fare to SEATAC, + potential hotel room. i was shocked as it is usually much more to fly in/out of Vancouver. I almost didn't even check the price, but decided to double check. I was glad I did.

This will be our third trip to Alaska and each time we have not done ship board excursions. I have read everything I can find on the internet and booked independently. All have been wonderful experiences. Skagway is great for walking around. Read the Pierre Burton's book: Klondike, and then look up all the places he talks about in Skagway. It's just the cost of a book.

Here is another opinion for you. My DH and I are doing a cruise tour, traveling from the UK. We love cruising, but think this will be our only time to Alaska, so want to pack in as much as we can. We have had loads of advice from CC about excursions. I have gone to the companies direct and booked and payed spreading the bookings over 3 to 4 months. Here are the costs.

Harv and Marv $160 ea.

white Pass train 3.5 hours $126 ea

Misty Fjords plane $239 ea

Ok so that is $1000, a lot of money, but as stated we won't be back lots of other places to visit. We see it as a trip of a life time, also our 25th wedding anniversary. Try spreading the bookings and cost over a few months if you can.

Best of luck, take your time and prioritise if that's wat it takes.

Budget Queen, never has taken me longer than 3 hrs....Passport control is before you board.....and there usually aren't train delays....Not sure about the upcoming Princess transfer but will let you know. First time that I will have taken a ship transfer...

This will be our third trip to Alaska and each time we have not done ship board excursions. I have read everything I can find on the internet and booked independently. All have been wonderful experiences. Skagway is great for walking around. Read the Pierre Burton's book: Klondike, and then look up all the places he talks about in Skagway. It's just the cost of a book.

Thanks for the book recommendation!

Marie

Here is another opinion for you. My DH and I are doing a cruise tour, traveling from the UK. We love cruising, but think this will be our only time to Alaska, so want to pack in as much as we can. We have had loads of advice from CC about excursions. I have gone to the companies direct and booked and payed spreading the bookings over 3 to 4 months. Here are the costs.

 

Harv and Marv $160 ea.

white Pass train 3.5 hours $126 ea

Misty Fjords plane $239 ea

 

Ok so that is $1000, a lot of money, but as stated we won't be back lots of other places to visit. We see it as a trip of a life time, also our 25th wedding anniversary. Try spreading the bookings and cost over a few months if you can.

Best of luck, take your time and prioritise if that's wat it takes.

Thanks for the breakdown .. I might just have to splurge on the misty fjords plane as a I hear/read so much about them :p

This is our second trip to Alaska. First time with kids, this time just us. We love Dungeness crab. The crab feast in Ketchikan is around $150/pp and comes with a boat tour or flightplane. We only wanted the crab feast. Called George Inlet Lodge. They have a bus that is picking us up at the docks. $55/pp for just the crab feast. Paid for it this month. Last month paid for another excursion that I found from other suggestions. In Victoria I made my own reservations for high tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel and a walking guide I downloaded from a website - $65/pp. The high tea from the cruise ship included a tour of the city. That drove the price of the high tea to $100/pp. Just do a little bit of research and spread the cost over a few months.

@reney313 - Excellent advice. I'm going to start looking into other tour operators who provide the same experience but at a lower cost. I also read someone's blog online(It came up on google search and wasn't thru cruise critic) but she said she got off the ship and took the furthest booth for excursion and they were the cheapest. So that could be an option. Not book ahead of time and just see what local operators have to offer.

 

I'm now convinced that I'll rent a car in Skagway and do the trip on my own. Bear watching seems hit or miss for a lot of money so just might skip it.

We took the train up and bus back and saw 2 seperate black bears right beside the road, digging for roots and berries. We stopped and watched them about a total of 1/2 hour. They were approximately 15 feet away and they never even noticed us and it was FREE! Rent a car in Skagway and don't worry about the bears. You may get lucky. (We sailed in late May soon after the bears came out of hibernation and were looking for food.)

Enjoy breathtaking Alaska~:D

You can have a great time at each port and spend less than $25pp. Perhaps budget for one special trip, something that will be memorable and unique to Alaska. Are you doing a RT Vancouver?

- Ketchikan is a lovely and has an interesting history. The visitor centers have maps for free walking to visit Creek St ( where the brothels were), the salmon ladder, etc. Take the town bus for $2 out to Totem Bight to see all the totems then walk along the waterfront before returning to town.

- Juneau - the shuttle to mendenhall glacier is $20pp. For a family it might be a better choice to rent a car. then you can drive to Mendenhall on your schedule, plus drive to Douglass Island then out to the coast to Roads End, stopping at the Shrine of St Therese and Eagle Beach.

- Skagway -- skip the train and rent a car. Drive yourselves to the Yukon!

 

Borrow some Alaska travel books from your library and do a little research. There are only 6-7 ports. Learn about each port, and the sights and activities available at each one. Make lists of activities at each port and ask the family to vote.

 

Also, each town has a web site to support local tourism and vendors.

ie http://www.skagway.com and http://www.traveljumeau.com

 

Another option ... skip the cruise. Fly into Anchorage and rent a small RV for a week or 10 days.

Totally agree. DH and I took a small-ship cruise from Ketchikan to Juneau a couple of weeks ago and as I wandered through both cities near the port area before and after our cruise, I was amused at the number of places that have sprung up to separate tourists from their money. Our cruise was very nature- focused; most of our stops were in uninhabited areas where we could kayak, look for whales and other critters, and just marvel at the scenery. It doesn't cost anything to enjoy the natural beauty (well, except the cost of getting there!).

I agree with researching first and then setting priorities. This site is a good resource, too, for picking out which of the major excursions might be worth it to you. Even if you don't book the flightseeing plus the Salmon Feast plus halibut fishing plus the "sled dog experience", you can have a wonderful vacation. Pick one of the big splurges and relax and enjoy the other, low-cost options.

As for the last sentence: DH and I are considering that next time. We loved the cruise we took (took it in 2012 and liked it so much we came back!) but we're thinking of exploring Alaska via the ferry system and short plane hops. We've stayed in B&Bs in Wrangell and Sitka and loved them both.