Question about excursions

.... so.... my ports are Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan. I am starting to get some ideas, but wondering how much we need to spend on excusrions in each of these ports to feel like we've seen the area/learned about it? I see whale watches,smaller boat excursions, flyplanes,etc. I know for sure we don't want any flying activities at all... but since this is a "budget" vacation for the family, I want to keep expenses down as much as possible, while not sacrificing getting to experience some of the natural wonders of where we visit. Looking for a balance, and looking for advice from experts. Our dates are early-first week of May,on HAL. I am planning to get to Mendenhall Glacierand to walk as much of the trails all around the visitor center as we can,and get as much viewing in as possible there-no tour, just going on our own schedule.

What are the 'can't miss' extras that we'll regret NOT doing in each port? We like hiking(mild) wildlife(x100) scenery,natural beauty,etc. And I know we'll be ready to get some exercise after days on a boat,eating.:D I see dogsledding is offered in some places, are there any that are near enough to a port to try out? Whale watching comes highly recommended (but we've done it a few times at home on the east coast too) thanks so much!

You can check the ports of call threads for ideas. When I was in Ketchikan, I used Ketchikan Taxicab Tours. We set up a group and they did a great job. You should be able to find the contact info in the Port thread for Ketchikan.

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It is a little hard to give recommendations without more information. How large is the family, and what ages are the children? Are those all the ports are you visiting?

Based upon our prior Alaska cruise, and the fact that animals are important to you, I would certainly recommend a whale watching excursion. Juneau and Icy Strait Point (Hoonah) have very good ones. The one we went on out of Hoonah was on a small boat (31', 6 passengers), cost the same as the ship excursion, and put us within 50 yards of the whales, including bubble feeding. We also saw mama bear and cubs and a large group of curious seals next to the boat.

Who knows, based upon your family size you might be able to book the entire boat at a discount. (I am a Life Member of the 'don't ask, don't get' club)

Have you checked your local library for Alaska cruise guidebooks? I found 3 different such guidebooks at my library and by reading them, I came up with a long list of hikes, self-guided walking tours and other low-cost activities in each of the ports for our May HAL cruise.

Past trip reports are a great resource.....the first line of the report usually i indicates who travelled, ship, ports, date and they provide first hand information about activities, excursions, DIY, etc. The reports are in STICKYS near the top of the page,.

Look down this page for a thread called HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR PLANNING A VISIT TO ALASKA. You'll find web sites for each port, and visitor guides to download. Plus info on other resources.

Borrow Alaska travel books from your library.

As I have been fishing in Alaska for over 20 years I can tell you the salmon runs are dependent on the weather. As fishing is well regulated, areas of fishing are determined by escapement numbers so limits vary depending on where you are fishing . The first run is usually in June and the second could be in July or August. I spend 6 weeks there to be able to catch one of the runs. Its just a matter of being at the right place at the right time. Some years fishing is great and some not so much. Just spending a day on the rivers is a great experience. With all the outfitters available you should be able to find one to fit your needs. I have never used any as I have relatives up there so no need for one. With a little research you should be able to satisfy your needs. Have a great trip and enjoy Alaska as it is a beautiful state!

ok...thanks...I'm going to read some guidebooks-my kids aren't really 'kids' more like elderly teens:D so hale and hearty- i'll continue to read the trip reports.... but since there are so many varied choices,I am curious what would be on anyone absolute 'can't miss no matter the budget ' list kind of thing....and figured I'd ask that specifically.... say in this hypothetical scenario of not spending any more on excursions...(not saying we won't, but is that an advisable course?)

Our first AK cruise was "on a budget" - we splurged in Skagway (hired a car - private tour - and drove into the Yukon) so in Ketchikan we walked to Creek Street & a little bit more around the part of town near the ships.

The Cape Fox funicular wasn't operating when we were there - but I think this it is inexpensive. There is also the Married man's trail that you can climb up &/or down or both (Not sure how scenic - worthwhile either of those last two are. For us they were more of a "well its here." But as I said it wasn't operating so...) Since we were travelling with a 4.5 year old, we also visited a park & the library.

TheCalicoCat- thank you for the advice! I will look into those.... looking at both Juneau,and ketchikan..... I am weighing possibly one more $$ excursion against another.... the Juneau whale watching vs. a possible Misty Fjords boat tour....opinions? I am leaning towards Misty Fjords,as I've done whale watches before, but never been to Alaska at all...

Misty Fjords - hands down. Boat only tour will eat up a little more time than than boat/flight combo but is a lot less money. Plus there is always a chance of spotting whales along the way. The scenery is spectacular, like Yosemite Valley in CA but flooded and lots more waterfalls. We are seriously considering the boat tour this time.

Another budget option is to take the city bus out to Glacier Gardens. Aside from the interesting plantings and flowers getting deep into the worlds largest temperate rainforest can be a unique Alaska type experience. Also out that way the DIPAC fish hatchery might be interesting for a short visit.

You can check the ports of call threads for ideas. When I was in Ketchikan, I used Ketchikan Taxicab Tours. We set up a group and they did a great job. You should be able to find the contact info in the Port thread for Ketchikan.

 

 

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This Alaska forum is the port of call thread for all Alaskan ports.

TheCalicoCat- thank you for the advice! I will look into those.... looking at both Juneau,and ketchikan..... I am weighing possibly one more $$ excursion against another.... the Juneau whale watching vs. a possible Misty Fjords boat tour....opinions? I am leaning towards Misty Fjords,as I've done whale watches before, but never been to Alaska at all...

I too have been on a Whale Watch out of Portsmouth... Also I'm not sure how satisfied I would be with a less than stellar whale watch trip... (Just being honest.)

So I would choose Misty Fjords out of the two. (Even though I have reservations about a small boat tour while on a cruise - another boat... With that said, I took the small boat excursion to Tracy Arm & it was my most favorite excursion of all times hands down.)

Full disclosure - I am taking a flight to see bears on my next cruise while in Ketchikan.

Ok I see the Misty Fjords option on my cruise,looks like it's only bookable through the cruise line.... Now I have to see if there are indepenent operators that do this also- if I book thru cruiseline, can I use OBC as part of payment?

Ok I see the Misty Fjords option on my cruise,looks like it's only bookable through the cruise line.... Now I have to see if there are indepenent operators that do this also- if I book thru cruiseline, can I use OBC as part of payment?

Yes, OBC can be applied toward your excursions.

Also, if you have older teens, they will probably want to do something active in the ports. We recently booked an independent excursion to go kayaking around the lake at Mendenhall Glacier with Above and Beyond Alaska. It costs about $175 pp, so that's our "splurge" for the cruise.

Ok I see the Misty Fjords option on my cruise,looks like it's only bookable through the cruise line.... Now I have to see if there are indepenent operators that do this also- if I book thru cruiseline, can I use OBC as part of payment?

Most cruise lines make you pay for excursions at the time of booking. Therefore, you won't be able to use OBC unless you wait until you are on the ship to book them.

I don't know what your budget is like. My parents, boyfriend and I planned our Alaska cruise for this may. We're on the Carnival Legend, so the cheapest ship and have the cheeapest rooms. We didn't really care how we got there, we just knew we wanted to cruise there.

This varies person to person though. Our philosophy is that all we do on the ship is sleep and eat, so we didn't care to spend a lot.

This left us a nice budget for excursions. My bf and I are 21 and 20, so we're doing a lot of things different from my parents. We both figured around 500-700 each for excursions and have already picked ours:

Whale Watching & Mendenhall Glacier combo in Juneau -$180pp

Dog Sledding & Mushing Camp in Skagway - $130pp

Chilkoot Horseback Riding in Skagway - $160pp

And we're debating on Ziplining in Ketchikan, which varies in price depending on which one you pick from $80-200pp.

Whale watching, I think, is a must based on all the reading up I did on here. Otherwise as you can tell, I am a huge animal lover. I work with dogs and going 9+ days without a dog interaction would kill me, hence the dog sledding excursion. :P However, my parents are doing totally different stuff - they prefer the fishing tours and walking around the cities we stop in rather than doing a bunch of excursions. YMMV.