Beatin' the Heat

Would love to hear where you went, and the different things you did. And of course, any restaurant recommendations! Thanks for sharing!!

We sailed North from Vancouver to Seward on Celebrity with port stops in Ketchikan, Icy Strait, Juneau, and Skagway. I knew we would also do a week on land, so I researched the areas where we would be on land and sea and decided all activities we would want to do. Then, I studied about the best reviewed, most "bang for your buck" that occurred in multiple places. If there was something that happened on land, as well as in port, I would save it for the land portion, freeing up time in port for another activity that I also wanted to do. I also learned which areas were known to be best for which activity, and tried to make sure we did it in that location. That worked out well. I planned and booked all shore excursions on my own so I could organize an itinerary that would be best for us and I would know who the outfitters were to call them directly with any questions I might have.

Ketchikan- Misty Fjords flightseeing with bear viewing- Alaska Seaplanes- Ryan happened to know about an area that was a little farther out from where other tours usually go. He knew that there were some brown bear that were usually out there. Sure enough, we got to watch one and take photos for at least 1/2 an hour. We were the only ones out there!

Icy Strait- This is the place for the whale watching tours. It's also quite good for seeing bears, but we had already done that in Ketchikan. There's also a popular zipline, but we've gone on a similar ziipline in Vermont at a ski resort, so we wanted our zipline to be in a canopy forest. We did whale watching with Wind Charters. Shawn worked pretty hard to make sure we saw as many whales and other marine life as possible during our time on the water. He would move the boat from place to place to make sure. Only 6 passengers and the boat had great views from many different places. We saw many whales, otters, and other marine life. It was cold on the water and we needed more warm clothes to stay outside the cabin. If you stay inside, you don't need as much.

Juneau- Mendenhall Glacier and dogsledding are the things here, but I knew I could do the dogsledding during our land portion and I wanted to get up close to the glacier so we did the canoe/glacier trek with Above and Beyond. It was a very warm day in Juneau that day, but it was cold on the glacier, even with the sun out the whole time. We had our layers and Cuddle Duds/Long Underwear. We got pretty warm on the canoe and on the beach, but were comfortable with extra clothes when we were hiking on the glacier. Since it was so warm, we probably would have been fine without them, but we weren't uncomfortable with them ob.

Skagway- The train is the thing here. We did the train/highway tour. Frankly, this was the least interesting activity. We were planning to be on a train later in the trip, so it wasn't all that unique. Still, the day before in Juneau was pretty physical, so it was nice to just sit. We didn't need warm clothes, since we were mostly in a train/bus. The town gave that gold rush feel and was interesting, but it was super crowded with 6 cruise ships in town, so we went back to the ship soon after our tour.

Hubbard Glacier- It's cold around the glacier. We didn't wear as many layers, because we had a balcony. We could go in and out, bring blankets from the cabin, etc., but if we were out on the open deck, we'd probably dress more warmly.

Seward- It was a rainy day, but we did a zipline canopy tour. The forest canopy provided coverage, so it protected us from the rain and cooler temps. A lot of people do the Kenai boat tour and really love it, but we had done the Misty Fjords and the whale watching earlier in the trip, so we decided on something different. We went with Stoney Creek Canopy Tours. They also have the Denali zipline, which I heard was great, also.

We didn't rent a car because for 2 of us and a different pick up/drop off location, it was too expensive for the use we would get out of it. Most outfitters will pick you up, there's a free shuttle bus that runs in most of the towns and we figured out how to get from 1 town to another. From Seward to Girdwood, we took the Seward bus. They even picked us up at our hotel.

Girdwood- We stayed here for 3 nights at the Alyeska Resort. A lot of people come from Anchorage to do the tours we wanted to do. The tours are in the Girdwood area. Besides, the resort is on the edge of the Chugach National Forest, so it was a great place to soak up the beauty of Alaska. In fact, we saw a mother black bear and 3 cubs right outside on the edge of the forest/resort.

We did the helicopter to the top of Punchbowl Glacier to dogsled with iditirod champ Mitch Seavey's dogs. We were out there with one other couple. We had a fabulous experience. We booked through Alpine Air.

We also did the Spencer Glacier/Portage River float trip and added on the Alaska Wildlife Center. So beautiful to be in a remote area where you can only get in or out by train. We went with Chugach Adventures/Alaskan Rafting Adventures. Both of these activities were very cold. We had on all our layers, including Cuddle Duds/long underwear.They gave us additional gear to wear- rainboots with the float trip and Coats and waterproof pants and boots on the dogsledding trip. We were really glad we had our base layers on, too. Our feet still got cold on the Spencer Glacier trip.

On our third day in Girdwood, it poured rain and the wind speed was high. All boat/air excursions were cancelled for everyone in the area. We were lucky. Didn't have any activities planned that day. We hiked a 5 mile trail in the heavily wooded Chugach Forest. It provided some shelter from the rain. Halfway through the hike, there is a hand tram for getting back and forth across the river. That was fun.

The Alyeska Resort arranged a taxi to take us to Anchorage ($100). That was cheaper and faster than the train.

Anchorage- Went to the Anchorage Museum. Great Alaskan history. Very well done.

Train to Denali- Booked through Alaskan Railroad. Gold Service has you sitting in a glass domed car. Very scenic.

All day bus tour across the park (green shuttles). Buy tickets through the National Park Service. This is not the Wilderness tour, but the only difference is the color of the buses. The drivers are great at stopping when they or anyone spots wildlife. They stop for bathroom breaks and a photo break. No food, so bring your own lunch. This is where we used the binoculars the most. We also used them for the whale watching tour and the bear watching in the Misty Fjords. It was nice that we each had a pair, but no need to break the bank, if you don't plan to use them again. We may want to use ours for a future trip, so we wanted a little better quality.

2nd day in Denali- White water rafting with Denali Raft Adventures- Canyon Run had class 3 and 4 rapids and beautiful scenery. Very happy with our experience.

Train from Denali to Fairbanks- Goldstar service again. We probably could have done the Adventure Class service for this leg. The most scenic part was the canyon that we had already seen when we did our rafting trip.

Fairbanks- We didn't do a whole lot here, because we were flying out later in the day. There's supposed to be a nice paddlewheel boat tour and museum/arboretum at the university, but we went to North Pole, Alaska instead. It was a huge Christmas store where you can see Santa year round. Kind of silly, but we got a kick out of it. We recorded a video for our granddaughter with Santa talking to her and arranged to send her a letter from Santa this Christmas.

I'll try to post a more detailed trip report in a few days. Hope this helps, for now.

As part of an HAL land/sea trip we'll be spending 2 nights at McKinley Chalet. The only dining options I've seen are at the Chalet. Are there other options nearby? I assume no cabs or uber there

Just got back. Prospector's Pizza is the place you'll hear about most. It's across the street from McKinley Chalet. Ask the locals, and you'll hear about this place the most. They have great pizza, but other dishes too. We had a pizza with smoked salmon as a topping. They also have a 16" pizza with a pound of king crab as a topping. That one is $60. Only 2 of us, so didn't get that one.

The other place you'll hear about is The Salmon Bake. I thought it was like the salmon bake tours, but it's actually the name of the restaurant. Good variety of all kinds of food, including seafood. I had halibut tacos. Yum! It's also a short walk from your hotel.

I think people use cruises as an opportunity to clothes shop! especially with an Alaska cruise. Boggles my mind how people can fill 2 suitcases and a carryon.

 

Please post a trip report about your cruise. The land portion will be especially helpful since people seem to get overwhelmed by the thought of it.

Will do. I've got to finish the laundry and go grocery shopping first. Back to real life. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the great info!!! Did you do your land tour thru Celebrity? Would like to hear more info about that too.

I planned the land portion myself. It took a lot of planning, but I ended up loving how it turned out. Happy to share, if you have any questions.

Great point. We live in Texas, which tends to be a lot warmer than Minnesota. You'll probably be more comfortable in cooler temperatures. I also didn't think I'd be cold in 50-60 temp., since I tend to be hot natured, but somehow it seemed cooler than that. Maybe it was the wind coming off the cold water or glacier. Anyway, the only time we were too hot in our long sleeves was on the very sunny, no wind day when we arrived in Denali. Again, it depends on what you're doing, too. If you're spending little time outside and sheltered by buildings or thick vegetation, you may not get as cool.

I searched for what to pack for Alaska to keep from taking too much. When I read that you have to be ready for all kinds of weather, it was frustrating, because I didn't want to take my whole closet. Unfortunately, it's really true. I also realized that there were some things I could have gone without. Here's my 2 cents...

1.Warmth- If you're going to be outside, on or around glaciers, you really do need to have long underwear or cuddle duds, in case of a cool day (temperature in the 50's). My husband and I did a glacier paddle and trek, a helicopter to dogsled, and a float trip around a glacier. We didn't use them to watch Hubbard Glacier from our balcony because we were somewhat sheltered, but you may need them if you're out on deck. It was very cold! We also used them on the whale watching because it was colder than on shore. We also used gloves, hats, and scarves on some of these excursions. We only had a rain jacket, but we used it, along with additional layers, such as fleece workout pants (me) or jeans (him) and a fleece zip-up jacket.

2.Socks- You need to bring wool socks (more wool, the better). One pair usually worked, though our feet did get cold when we did the glacier float trip. We each had 2 pairs. We wore one, but usually had another pair with us (except the float trip):( If you're on the ship or in town or on a bus, you can wear regular socks.

Why are layers important? Alaska weather really does change at the drop of a hat. When the sun is out and you're out of the wind, it can get warm enough to be in short sleeves. Then the sun may go behind a cloud, the wind picks up, and suddenly, you find yourself putting on a jacket. On our first day in Denali, it was warm. We were wearing long sleeves, but I was wishing for short sleeves. The next day, we went on the all day bus trip. I had on a 3/4 length sleeve shirt and my rain jacket. I just about froze and hadn't brought extra layers because I thought it would be way too warm for more than that, based on the day before. Besides, we wouldn't be outside much, right? That was a mistake.

Great purchase before our trip was lightweight nylon daypacks. Before we left for our excursions or sightseeing, we loaded it with anything we might need for the day, no matter the weather. Then, it was with us when we needed it. The backpacks also served as our carry on for the plane. We kept our cameras, binoculars, extra layers, snacks, water bottles, sunscreen, insect repellent in them. Great things to have! When it got warmer, we'd take off a layer and put it in the packs.

Oops... I got a little off track.

3. Shoes- We treated leather athletic shoes with waterproof spray. No need for hiking boots, because most outfitters will give you appropriate boots for what you're doing, if it's something extreme, like river rafting (they provide dry suits), glacier dog sledding, or glacier trekking. You need to check with the outfitter to be sure, but we didn't need anything except athletic shoes. I also brought a pair of Skechers relaxed fit winter booties. They were a great 2nd pair of shoes that didn't take up a lot of room in the suitcase. Walking around town or wearing on the cruise ship or boat trip was great. Our athletic shoes were best for hiking.

4. Nighttime clothes- This is where I would greatly reduce what I took. There are really only 2 dressy nights. They are the evening chic nights. I took a pair of black pants and dressy tops. They worked great on these 2 nights. I also took similar clothes (not quite as fancy) for the other nights. I took too much. If I was to do it again, I'd take a shirt (like turtleneck sweater) that I could wear at night with a dress up necklace or earrings. Then, I'd wear that shirt again the next day for a daytime layer. You could even wear it 2 nights and then for the daytime. I took too many shirts that could only be used for evening. One time of wear was a waste of suitcase space. It's true what I read. Everyone is much more casual on an Alaskan cruise. I also took a pair of glittery, high heeled sandals. Again, a waste of space, in my opinion. A nice pair of plain black flats that you can slip on will be much more functional, comfortable, and take up less space.

5. Pants- I also would only take 1 pair of jeans and a couple pairs of athletic pants. I had 1 pair of athletic pants. They were so nice for layering, easy to pack, and very comfortable for all activities. Mine were fleece lined, but you could have one pair that isn't fleece lined, in case of a very warm day. I wouldn't bother with shorts, as long as you have a pair of jeans that you could wear with short sleeves, in case it's hot. My husband and I also had a pair of quick drying pants that we took to pull on over other layers, in case of rain.

6. Shirts- 1 or 2 short sleeved shirts would be plenty, in my opinion. 3-4 long sleeved shirts would also be adequate and make sure at least 2 could pull double duty for your evening clothes.

7. Binoculars are a must. We invested in a pair for each of us- $80 for each pair. They weren't the highest quality, but they did a great job for us.

Our cruise and week on land was in June. This was what would work best for a trip like the one we had. We washed clothes after the first week and used them again for the second week. If you go in July or August, it may be a little warmer. If you plan to do most of your sightseeing in town or on a bus tour, you may not need as many warm weather clothes. Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.