Kesstral

Where are you flying from and do you have to take any connecting flights to get to Seattle?

I don't plan to buy anymore either. I just checked the Next Cruise certificate we bought last October and it was for $100 CAD. Our initial reservation was in CAD so figured that's why it was done in that currency. They were busy when we wanted to purchase so just filled out the form and dropped it in the box.

Ketchikan has 4 docks so no tendering.

There is tendering in Ketchikan according to the schedule. AN3 is anchor-tender to dock 3. Most of the 5 ship in port days have 1 ship in the morning and a different ship in the afternoon but there are quite a few AN3 codes showing.

Ok found some actually useful links for 2014:

Ketchikan:

http://www.city.ketchikan.ak.us/departments/ports/documents/2014%20Cruise%20Schedule.pdf

Skagway:

http://skagway.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2014-Skagway.pdf

Still can't find a schedule for Juneau showing the berths.

I usually check here http://www.claalaska.com/schedules.html

Unfortunately it appears the schedules have not been updated with the actual berth numbers for each port yet. Hoping it will be soon.

I've got a kayaking excursion booked in Ketchikan with Southeast Sea Kayaks (Orcas Cove tour) in about a month so I'll be sure to post how they are.

There's only one train. Ship and private passengers all ride at the same time, though usually in different cars. Chilkoot typically has their own car.

Yes I know that but there are two options for the tour. The first is to leave at 7:30am and take the train to Fraser first and then bus the rest of the way to Carcross and then back to Skagway. The second option is to leave at 8:30am by bus and go all the way to Carcross, then bus back to Fraser to get on the train to return to Skagway by train in the afternoon.

I've only sailed in May so can't comment on September. In fact next month will be our third year in a row going to Alaska in May (it's also our wedding anniversary so easy excuse for a vacation that month).

Its not warm but from our experience it hasn't rained every day either (I believe late May/June is the "dry" season for the area). There's still snow on the surrounding mountains, which is gorgeous, but if your itinerary goes up Tracy Arm you might not make it due to ice. The early season can also impact some of the excursions and land tours you might be interested in so it's important to do your homework. For example there is a train tour in Skagway that is supposed to be awesome but it's not offered until May 28th.

Wed 7-May - Fly into Vancouver in the late morning, check into Fairmont Pacific Rim, late lunch at Cactus Club, have hotel take us to and picks us up from Stanley Park or just walk the seawall a little if we're tired, late dinner at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar.

Thu 8-May - Board NCL Pearl (sure hope the port schedule changes to move it to Canada Place instead of Ballantyne, we'll see)

Fri 9-May - Cruising Inside Passage

Sat 10-May - Ketchikan - Doing the self-guided walking tour, lunch at Annabelle's

Sun 11-May - Juneau - Taku Lodge Flight and Salmon Feast for lunch (booked direct to save $$), then visiting Tracy's Crab Shack for a late afternoon snack

Mon 12-May - Chilkoot Charters Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion (train first), walking around town if we're up to it

Tues 13-May - Cruise Glacier Bay, drink alcoholic hot drinks on my balcony :)

Wed 14-May - Icy Straight Point - Whale Watching with Glacier Wind Charters, then lunch at one of the ISP restaurants and some walking around that area

Thurs 15-May - Sitka - Raptor Center in the morning, quick snack at Highliner Coffee Cafe, then Wildlife excursion by boat via Sitka Sound Tours

Fri 16-May - At Sea

Sat 17-May - Victoria BC - We actually get here at noon...walking to the Inner Harbor area, Royal BC museum or a ghostly walking tour in the evening if we feel up for it.

Sun 18-May - Seattle - Self-disembark with all luggage, getting picked up by Already There Towncar Service to catch an 11:50 AM flight at SEATAC.

*wave* I'm on the Pearl too! We booked the Chilkoot Charters Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion for Skagway as well but picked bus first. I read a bunch of reviews that recommended doing the bus first but seeing the ship sponsored equivalent of this tour leaves at the same time and does the train back I'm nervous about crowds. There are 2 other ships in port at the same time so not sure when their pax are taking the train.

In Ketchikan we booked Orcas Cove sea kayaking with Southeast Sea Kayaks. We don't have anything planned for the other ports yet.

I was going to book the Yukon Expedition through DCL in August that does the bus & train tour with stopping at Dog Musher's Village to pet the puppies, but this thread has me checking out Chilikoot Tours, because it includes Emerald Lake. I sent them an email for pricing info on this to see how much cheaper they are than Disney:

 

Yukon Bus & Rail Excursion With Lunch / Husky Puppy Camp / Emerald Lake

 

Thanks!

I'm looking at Chilkoot now too. We've been to Skagway twice and never done an excursion there since we thought the railway might be too boring/expensive but my husband loves animals. Are we guaranteed to pet some huskies? I know this sounds silly for adults but on our first Alaskan cruise my husband fed reindeer then on our last cruise he got to hold a baby alligator. He's set the bar on what excursions he would like to do.

Figure out what ports you want to do and which glaciers you want to see. Then see what cruise lines offer that itinerary. For example you can't cruise Royal to Glacier Bay. Do you need a round trip or can you fly to or from Alaska? One way trips can offer different port options and usually Hubbard glacier.

Also, are you only ever going to Alaska once or will it be a repeat destination? I live near Vancouver, BC so preparing for our 3rd Alaskan cruise (on a 3rd cruiseline) in 2 years whereas we did the Caribbean last October and might never get to go again.

If anyone has a lot of interest in kayaking, I would never hesitate to do more than one. There is no "duplicate" in Alaska, even repeating the same tour, is "different", (I frequently go out on multiple whale watches the same day, and repeat many flights).

I think I've decided on Southeast Sea Kayaks in Ketchikan. It's the first stop on our trip and if we have a really good time we could add on an additional tour at the other ports through the ship. :)

This is not sea kayaking.

 

You also have to get yourself to the pick up/put in. It is not where the shuttle buses take you.

The company I contacted does offer a pickup/drop "trip" to the lake. I know it's not "sea kayaking" but I would really like to explore this lake on a future trip.

Thanks everyone for the replies! Mendenhall is out due to lack of experience. I'm really interested in booking directly with a tour operator so really appreciate the company names. Now to decide.

So far we don't have any plans for any of the other ports yet. I'm also trying to not go crazy on excursions. This was a last minute cruise that we hadn't really saved for. I'm ok with not booking anything with Sitka and ISP so we can just check out the areas.

I love the EBags packing cubes. Pack them tight and nothing wrinkles

http://www.ebags.com/category/travel-accessories/packing-aids/packing-cubes?lastSearchTerm=packing+cubes

I love my ebags. Picked up 3 sets last year and they've come in handy for several trips (2 cruises, 1 convention, and a flight to visit the in-laws in Cali). I've never been one to take my clothes out of my suitcases in hotels but I do with these.

I'll be curious to the answer as well. We're also looking at a self guided 3 hour tour of Mendenhall. They put you in the water and you paddle where you want for three hours. Can't remember the name of the company but Google Kayaking and Mendenhall.

 

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I believe its Above and Beyond Alaska that offers that. I've sent a request to them for availability on our stop in Juneau. Their website says you need kayaking experience (another website of theirs says "or canoe paddling") so we'll see what they say. I think this is the one I'd want to do if its available.

Looks like I missed one. There's another tour in Ketchikan.

Eagle Island Sea Kayak - $119, 3.5 hrs (1.5 paddling)

My husband and I are booked on Norwegian Pearl for May 8th on the 10 day Vancouver-Seattle (decided to go last minute). We've done Alaska May 2012 and 2013 so we're very familiar with Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. I am really looking forward to Sitka and Icy Strait Point as new ports (Victoria too but being from Vancouver, BC that's not too hard to get to).

One of the excursions that I wanted to do on our previous cruises but never did was sea kayaking. Now I see we have 4 choices for sea kayaking:

Sea Kayak Adventure - Juneau: $99, 3.5 hrs (1.5 paddling)

Icy Strait Point Kayaking: $114, 2.5 hrs (paddling time not noted)

Wilderness Sea Kayaking Adventure - Sitka: $129, 3 hrs (1.5 paddling)

Tatoosh Islands Sea Kayak - Ketchikan: $159, 4.5 hrs (paddling time not noted, but bus and boat trip required)

I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations on which one might be our best value. With 2 new ports on our trip, I'm worried that booking something in ISP (in port 8am - 4pm) or Sitka (7am - 4pm) will take away from our time exploring the ports on our own unless they are not so big that we can see what we need to in the time left.

Can someone walk me thru the process of getting thru Vancouver airport for a departing flight? What steps? I'm kinda OCD bout knowing what to do before hand. Thanks in advance.

Are you flying to another airport in Canada or to the US?

Alright, I'm weird. 1 pair of jeans lasts me a whole cruise (as long as I don't spill anything on them).

In Ketchikan, you can catch the local bus over by the public library and ride it to totem poll park for only a few dollars. Saw eagles and learned a lot at the park. You can even get off the bus at the walmart if you need to pickup a few things.

I did this last year, including the getting off/on at Walmart!

I haven't been on either ship (have Pearl booked for May to Alaska) but I would think the only negative about these two ships for an Alaskan itinerary is no covered pool. My husband loves going in the pool so he's a bit worried about this trip. I've read that it's heated so shouldn't be a big deal.

When picking an Alaskan cruise I'd go for itinerary first. The ship is just how you get there. :)

I've purchased insurance for 1 of my 3 cruises so far and not purchasing any on this upcoming one. My husband and I are covered with global medical through work. The only cruise I purchased insurance for was when we travelled to Florida for a week then did a Caribbean cruise. I didn't purchase through the cruiseline because I wanted trip cancellation and interruption on the pre-cruise portion (which we booked independently). The rest of our cruises, including the next one, we're just driving to the port nearby and we are willing to lose the cost of the cruise versus the cost of insurance for cancellation. If we didn't have the medical coverage through work we would have purchased insurance for each on.

We love NCL - can't imagine cruising on another (mostly due to the dress code and freestyle ethos)....we want to do an easy cruise in October from the UK so NCL is out....but after looking at the RCCL and P&O dress-codes think we will pass and find something else to do :(

I've done RCCL twice and with the exception of the "formal nights" there were no issues with me in the MDR wearing a nice top and jeans.

My husband has gotten used to bringing a suit on cruises (and looks forward to dressing up). Should I tell him to leave it at home?