beluga_baby

In Sitka we found the best chowder I've ever had. It was a stand set up in the gift shop of the Sitka Sound Science Center, and I believe it was an outpost of Ludvig's Bistro. They also sold some sandwiches. But that chowder really was fantastic. We also left out of Seattle and tried Pike Place Chowder, and we kind made it a thing for that trip to order it whenever we saw it on a menu in Alaska, and it beat all the competition in my opinion. We took it outside and sat on a picnic table overlooking the water. Not the most glamorous, and not even really a real restaurant, but we thoroughly enjoyed it, especially since it was a colder day. We're going again this year and I'm insisting we stop there again. In Sitka we also got Russian dumplings at Sitka Pel'meni. It was pretty good, and it took a while to get them (which they warned us about, they only had one person working that day), but it's something I personally never tried before so it was a unique stop.

Thank you, Glaciers! My cruise is one of the first of the season which may also explain why we don't have that excursion. When we did it last year (I think also with Allen) we ended up chatting with one of the crew members of the boat (the naturalist on the mic pointing out everything) and she was a college student studying marine biology, and was doing it as a summer job. I wonder if a lot of their staff are college students and they have to wait until summer break starts at the local schools to get fully staffed up.

Can anyone recommend any easy hikes or walks in Ketchikan? We love just taking a stroll through the woods and looking at the nature and wildlife. I would prefer something that is popular enough that we aren't totally alone, and a place that would be easy to get to from the cruise port. I know Totem Bight and Saxman Native Village are big excursion destinations, but do they have much space to walk around?

This is my first time sailing on Princess, and while I'm excited to be on the Discovery I am a little disappointed that there isn't a covered outdoor pool area. On a previous Alaska cruise, we loved sitting on the top deck under a dome covering to look out the big windows to try to spot whales or just look at the scenery while staying warm. Can anyone recommend any nice areas on the Discovery (or on any of her sister ships if that is what you sailed on) where you were able to be indoors while also having a nice view of everything around you? I'm trying to find some spots on my own using the deck plans and other people's videos, but of course they don't compare to actually being there. And in a similar question, did you have a favorite spot to view the glaciers when you get to them? I feel like a top deck would be nice because you can run from one side of the ship to another if someone spots something cool, but being on a lower deck means you get a better view of the ice and any potential wildlife.

I saw two or three sea otters from the ship while we were sailing into Sitka right before we docked. From my understanding there is a lot in that area. I was actually surprised we saw them, we were on the 14th deck of the ship looking down. I would have thought they were too small to see from up there, but they are bigger than I expected, and with a zoomed in camera or binoculars it was easy to confirm it was them!

I also suggest the Sitka Historic Park. We didn't book a tour there, just walked over from the visitor center which only took about 15 minutes (and as for wildlife we happened to see an eagle along the way!). Then at the park we went into their visitor center to watch the short film about Sitka and went through the little exhibit they have. Outside there is the "hike" which is really more like a lovely mile long walk through the woods on an even dirt trail. The trees were beautiful and through them you can see the water. Along the way are totem poles, and you can download the free National Park Service app that has an interactive map and info about each totem. There is also a stream along a portion of the trail that is supposed to have salmon in it. We went earlier in the season so we didn't see any wildlife, but I'm sure it's possible to see things depending on the day. Sitka is known for sea otters and we spotted them from the ship as we sailed into the port so always keep your eyes peeled. But I think the park will be something worth looking into if you like nature and views, and want to do something easy and free.

If you are spending time in Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific is a great place to kill a few hours in. If you are staying all day, in the winter they do a package ticket deal with a local whale watching company, and the two times I did it we saw whales, and once a huge pod of dolphins. The dock is right next to the aquarium, and they have an aquarium naturalist/expert on board who is great at teaching everyone about the whales. There are a couple of restaurants right on the harbor there, and while most of them are chains (like a Bubba Gump shrimp) at least everything is in an easy walking distance so you can do everything without getting back into a car. I believe there is also a park and beach right there to sit and hang out. Like all parts of LA you'll want to keep an eye on your surroundings, but it's all a pretty touristy place and relatively clean and safe.

Does anyone know if Princess excursions booked through the company fluctuate, and hopefully ever go down? There is one I've been keeping an eye on and today I just noticed it went up by $20/pp. As of now it says there are 20 tickets remaining, but that seems almost like their default ticket number and I don't think I've seen it go up or down. I almost want to book it before it goes up again or sells out, but of course I would love it if it went down. If I was to book it and noticed the price went down, would I be able to cancel and rebook, or call Princess and get money or onboard credit back (especially if I book using some OBC to pay for part of it)? Do the excursion prices typically just go up and down? We're still several months away from our sailing so I do have the time to monitor it.

I've been to Sitka once and loved it! It's a little less of a touristy town which I liked. We actually just spent the day walking around on our own and found a lot to do. The Sitka Historic Park is a short walk from where the buses drop most cruise passengers off and it has a great visitor center with a little museum and a short film about the history of the area. Then the park itself has a lovely wooded area which is nice to walk around and it has totem poles. There is also some nice museums like the Russian Bishop house. We also found some great restaurants and shops. It feels a little more like "real" Alaska. And it's in the shadow of Mt. Edgecombe, which is actually a volcano, and while I don't think you can go up there it makes for some great pictures.

I could use some advice to help with timing, especially since our ship will only be in Juneau for half a day. We want to go to Mendenhall Glacier, and specifically walk/hike to Nugget Falls. I was initially looking at booking this as a separate excursion with an independent/non ship organizer, specifically because a lot of the indy organizers have buses that leave every half an hour or so, so you can choose how long you want to spend there. However, I'm now looking at booking with the ship to bundle the glacier in with another excursion, so there is an actual time you need to get back on the bus. One option only gives us 75 minutes at the glacier. Would this be enough time? How long does it take to walk the trail, and when you get to Nugget Falls how much time did you spend there? I don't want to feel rushed, especially because I'm not sure how long it will take us to walk, plus who knows what nature we'll want to stop and look at on the way. I wouldn't mind stopping in the visitor center or exploring some of the other shorter trails, but they aren't a must do. Another question I have is about the Mt. Roberts Tramway. I hear the ride up and down is only about 10 minutes each way, but do you have to wait in a line to get on, and does that take a while? And once you get up there, how much time do you spend up there? I see there is a short film to watch which looks interesting, and I would like to walk around outside and see the views, but I don't necessarily want to do any major hiking.

I've been looking at a similar excursion as well with Princess, which they are calling the "Wilderness Cruise & Silverking Lodge Seafood Feast." My two concerns after reading some reviews are that 1) the wilderness cruising leaves something to be desired, as it's more of a boat trip to the lodge than a wildlife spotting trip and 2) some reviewers indicated that the boat crew feeds the eagles to entice them to come closer. Personally I believe in watching, not interacting with, wildlife as there are some ethical issue with feeding wildlife, and in the end it's not great for the animals. But I do like that it's a more varied meal than just crab. I was looking at the George Inlet Lodge/crab feast excursions also, and it also seems like the boat rides to the lodge are also more about physically getting people to the lodge than leisurely looking for wildlife. It seems like on those boat rides they stop and pull out a crab trap which does sound interesting but I personally would rather look out for whale, seals, and otters than look at a crab in a basket. Also, I saw a video review and the person recording stated that they signed up for an 8am excursion, but they split the group in two so half ate crab first, half went on the boat ride first. They were assigned crab first, and they weren't happy with eating a big seafood meal for breakfast, especially after I assume they ate on the ship and assumed the meal would be around lunch time.

Thanks everyone. Our glacier day is just the glacier, we don't go off to Juneau or another port later in the day. I wonder if they don't offer it on those kind of days? Either way I'll keep an eye on our excursions page.

Does Princess do an excursion at Hubbard Glacier where passengers can get on a smaller boat and get closer to the glacier? I'm booked on an Alaska cruise to Hubbard but the excursion isn't listed. I'm hoping it will pop up closer to the sailing, as I'm sure Princess still has to arrange things with their local partners, but I would be really bummed if this excursion isn't offered. And if it is offered, has anyone done it before? What is the price like, and did you like the excursion?

Out of curiosity, if you sign up to participate do they give you any tools and supplies? Or do you have to use whatever you find in your cabin and around the ship?

Bringing this topic up again to ask another related question. On the Discovery there are two "al fresco" dining areas on the promenade, one for Bistro Sur Le Mer and one for Gigi's Pizza. Are those seating areas open even when the restaurants aren't in service? For example, can you grab a coffee or pastry at the International Cafe and take it out on one of those tables to seat and eat? Bistro only appears to open for dinner, so during the day is it a place you can just sit?