Alaska Cruise (Aug 2016): what to do in port vs. waiting for land portion?

I am so stoked about the cruise we booked (Vancouver-Seward on Aug. 8) that I just cannot stop reading and googling. It's only been 4 days since booking and I already have pages and pages of notes.....

We will be on land in Alaska (DIY land tour) for 6 nites and have no set plan or agenda. I am having a difficult time figuring out which excursions should be done in conjunction with the ports versus which are better to do during our time on land.....

I realize it doesn't make sense to be in Juneau and not see the Mendenhall Glacier and then fly back to there from Anchorage.... so some things will work themselves out. But others..... I don't know - there are just so many options it is already becoming overwhelming.

My priorities are to do one of the fly-to-bears tour, ride a dog sled on actual snow (not be pulled around on dirt), see whales, pet a reindeer... I don't know - I guess I don't have that many extreme "cannot miss" objectives; rather I just want to experience it all. Therefore, the last thing I want to do is take a whale watch tour from Skagway when that would have been my one & only time to go to Carcross!

I hope my confusion is making sense and someone can provide some guidance for me. Maybe I need a flowchart! :)

Thanks in advance!

A flowchart might not be a bad idea! :) List your priorities and the locations for those activities so that you have a back up plan. ie heli dogsledding is often cancelled in Juneau so Seward could be a back up. And do you want to see black bears or brown? do you want to see them catching salmon? There are peak periods of time at the various locations so read up on all the details to maximize that excursion. http://www.experienceketchikan.com/bear-viewing-in-alaska.html

Maybe it would help you to look at a travel book like Fodors or frommers where all the info is in one place. Borrow from your library.

Or utilize a comprehensive web site like http://www.alaska.org or the State Tourism https://www.travelalaska.com/

For land travel I highly recommend buying The Milepost. You can buy an old edition on amazon. Mine is 2009 ... it's a valuable resource. (it also has info on the ports along the Inside Passage )

Enjoy your planning !

Travel in Alaska takes a lot of time and is subject to all sorts of delays and surprises. If I had 6 days before a cruise I would go 1 or 2 places, and be on the mainland where my cruise was starting at least 2 days ahead. I would not visit any of the ports ahead of time--yes there are lots of excursion options at each port, but I would use the time do visit a part of Alaska that won't be on the cruise. Denali is a very common and very safe, easy to plan choice, and you can see bears from the park shuttle bus, go flight seeing, ride a helicopter, etc. With fly-in bear viewing you have to be very careful with the weather--you never know when it will fog over and you can get stuck for days, so I wouldn't recommend doing that on your own before the cruise.

I am so stoked about the cruise we booked (Vancouver-Seward on Aug. 8) that I just cannot stop reading and googling. It's only been 4 days since booking and I already have pages and pages of notes.....

 

We will be on land in Alaska (DIY land tour) for 6 nites and have no set plan or agenda. I am having a difficult time figuring out which excursions should be done in conjunction with the ports versus which are better to do during our time on land.....

 

I realize it doesn't make sense to be in Juneau and not see the Mendenhall Glacier and then fly back to there from Anchorage.... so some things will work themselves out. But others..... I don't know - there are just so many options it is already becoming overwhelming.

 

My priorities are to do one of the fly-to-bears tour, ride a dog sled on actual snow (not be pulled around on dirt), see whales, pet a reindeer... I don't know - I guess I don't have that many extreme "cannot miss" objectives; rather I just want to experience it all. Therefore, the last thing I want to do is take a whale watch tour from Skagway when that would have been my one & only time to go to Carcross!

 

I hope my confusion is making sense and someone can provide some guidance for me. Maybe I need a flowchart! :)

 

Thanks in advance!

With your fly in bear tour- I would suggest out of Ketchikan to Traitor's Cove. You have several options for snow, dog sledding, Juneau, Skagway, Seward, Girdwood, Knik.

There are no whale watches out of Skagway. So, you can get to Carcross- actually, I'd suggest turning around at Emerald Lake.

ON paper- make lists, do NOT jump into decisions until you rework them a few times. :)

With your mainland- I recommend you take a look at touring in Seward, worth time, in my opinion. http://www.seward.com This is your opportunity for varied wildlife and glacier viewing in Kenai Fjords, Exit Glacier etc

Denali Park is another highlight- take the time and find out the details- http://www.nps.gov/dena I always recommend at least 2 nights there, and taking the shuttle bus to at least Eielson. In August- getting to Wonder Lake, could be ideal.

Whittier and the Prince William Sound boat tours are excellent, Portage Glacier visitor center, as well as Exit Glacier visitor center in Seward.

Anchorage has plenty http://www.anchorage.net

Matsu Valley as well.

Take a look at all these areas and make lists of what you would choose to see/do, then rank priorities. A lot easier, then to plan out an itinerary, and how many days.

I am so stoked about the cruise we booked (Vancouver-Seward on Aug. 8)

I create charts when I plan cruise and land trips. First step is to decide on what I want to do then find where I can do it. Then I make a day by day table starting and ending with flights. I include confirmation numbers and any notes. Slowly an itinerary evolves that provides a balance of activities.