Tours

Hi all, we are booked on an 11 day Alaska trip early August, I have booked all our tours with Seabourn has anyone already been on this trip and can advise if any of the tours on Seabourn should be avoided and look else where or which ones they really enjoyed, as I still have time to change.

I tried booking outside of the ship but found not many were available. Would appreciate any feed back.

I tried booking outside of the ship but found not many were available. Would appreciate any feed back.

We're on an 11 day Alaska cruise on Seabourn at the end of August/into Sept and have had no problem booking private tours where we want. We haven't booked anything on Seabourn and aren't likely to. On the other hand, this will be our 4th trip to AK so we're not doing very many "excursions" this time other than exploring on our own.

Have you been reading the Alaska port forum here? Tons of good recommendations by port....

How long ago did you book this private excursions? Many do fill up early since there is limited space available. Those who book and Alaska cruise at the last minute will find little to choose from among private tours.

My experience is the same. We booked many of our private tours (float plane, Anan Creek beareatching, dogsledding on a glacier, small boat whale watching, etc.) 6 months to a year in advance of our Alaska, cruise last July. Friends who just completed the SB Alaska cruise booked two months ago and were not able to find any private tours with availability and thus had to book SB tours.

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Much will also depend on how many other ships might be in port with you. You can check this online (I like to know, for instance, there will be 7000+ other cruise ship passengers with us in Ketchikan ;p)

http://claalaska.com/?page_id=1551

Also, we sail Aug 31 and I'm booking stuff now....so I guess that's 3 months?

Quick question on excursions. How difficult is kayaking? I would be in a tandem kayak with my adult daughter who is very fit. Just wondering how strenuous it is AND how you get in and out of the kayak?😊

Quick question on excursions. How difficult is kayaking? I would be in a tandem kayak with my adult daughter who is very fit. Just wondering how strenuous it is AND how you get in and out of the kayak?😊

Hi MomC, I found the kayaking to not be difficult, the main trick is getting the co-ordination right. Probably best, if your daughter is stronger, she sit in the back to help mark your rhythm. That is what my husband and I did. Some places like Inian Islands we were paddling for a lot longer. An 80 year old friend who is quite fit did the Misty Fjords kayak and the ship's doctor was her partner. He was young, strong and very fit. She really enjoyed her kayak.

With regards the getting in and out they Venture team give very clear demonstrations each time about getting in and out of the kayak and hints for paddling. They were excellent and I didn't notice anyone having problems and we did six kayaks.

Kayaking wasn't popular initially on our cruise as I think people were concerned about difficulty. Though it got more popular as people realised how helpful and well trained the Venture Team was. The good thing was it gave some crew a chance to fill in the empty spots early in the cruise so they could explain it to passengers.

A word of warning re the body suits. Leave any vanity at the door for women. Especially the way they are structured so you can unzip if you need to go to the bathroom........well in this case the question "does my bottom look big in this?" is a resounding YES.:D

Julie

Julie, thanks so much for the information. You have relieved my worries!

Thank you all for your advise much appreciated

Quick question on excursions. How difficult is kayaking? I would be in a tandem kayak with my adult daughter who is very fit. Just wondering how strenuous it is AND how you get in and out of the kayak?[emoji4]

We kayaked in Tracy Arm and found the actual kayaking not too difficult. Getting in and out of the dry suit was the most difficult part. One has to get their head through a tiny neoprene cowl. Having long hair, I found that it felt like my hair was being ripped out.

But back to the kayaking. We took a zodiac up to where they had towed the kayaks near the glacier. If you have a neck gaiter and the weather is cold, I recommend wearing it around your lower face for this zodiac ride. Once there, you get some instruction. The guides then securely hold the front and back of the kayak while you step into it and then sit down. Getting out is only a little more difficult because it’s like getting up from a squat... but again they are there to help. The actual paddling is not difficult. The person in the back should try to follow the stroke of the person in the front.

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Hi all, we are booked on an 11 day Alaska trip early August, I have booked all our tours with Seabourn has anyone already been on this trip and can advise if any of the tours on Seabourn should be avoided and look else where or which ones they really enjoyed, as I still have time to change.

I tried booking outside of the ship but found not many were available. Would appreciate any feed back.

I read good things last year about the catamaran excursion in Misty Fjord so we booked it. I was underwhelmed. Maybe if we’d scene some wild life it would have been better, but much of the area we traveled in the catamaran, the ship had already traversed early that morning. If you are a late riser, you would have missed it, but if not, it seemed redundant for the amount of money they charged.

The best excursion was the Khutzeymateen Valley bear preserve from Prince Rupert that is not available in August. However the same tour operator does whale watching tours and if he puts as much into it as he did the bear tour (adding in whales and eagles), it will be a great tour.

While we really enjoyed kayaking at Tracy Arm, we saw only one branch of the glacier. Those who did the zodiacs saw two. So that might be the better option if you are in Tracy Arm.

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We kayaked in Tracy Arm and found the actual kayaking not too difficult. Getting in and out of the dry suit was the most difficult part. One has to get their head through a tiny neoprene cowl. Having long hair, I found that it felt like my hair was being ripped out.

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How quickly one forgets. I guess it is like childbirth.....you blank it out. Your right that is one of the hardest things to deal with, trying not to pull my hair out. I know it got easier but I can't remember what I did to help.

That is interesting your other comment about getting to see the two arms of Tracy Arm in the zodiacs. Last year the zodiacs weren't an option so I think the catamaran and kayaks saw the same branch.

Julie

We kayaked in Tracy Arm and found the actual kayaking not too difficult. Getting in and out of the dry suit was the most difficult part. One has to get their head through a tiny neoprene cowl. Having long hair, I found that it felt like my hair was being ripped out.

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What about wearing your hair up under a shower or bathing cap, just while ypu put the suit on? :confused:

What about wearing your hair up under a shower or bathing cap, just while ypu put the suit on? :confused:

It’s like pulling on and off a tight turtle neck top... a shower cap may help going on but not pulling it off. I wore a pony tail and I think that made it more difficult because it added more width to my head. Don’t avoid kayaking because of it. Just get help from your husband trying to stretch it as you pull it over your head.

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I read good things last year about the catamaran excursion in Misty Fjord so we booked it. I was underwhelmed. Maybe if we’d scene some wild life it would have been better, but much of the area we traveled in the catamaran, the ship had already traversed early that morning. If you are a late riser, you would have missed it, but if not, it seemed redundant for the amount of money they charged.

 

The best excursion was the Khutzeymateen Valley bear preserve from Prince Rupert that is not available in August. However the same tour operator does whale watching tours and if he puts as much into it as he did the bear tour (adding in whales and eagles), it will be a great tour.

 

While we really enjoyed kayaking at Tracy Arm, we saw only one branch of the glacier. Those who did the zodiacs saw two. So that might be the better option if you are in Tracy Arm.

 

 

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Thanks for the info on the catamaran excursion in Misty Fjord. We're booked on that but now note that ship itinerary includes scenic cruising in the AM. Will reassess. Sadly, the Prince Rupert bear preserve excursion isn't listed for us, however we were able to book the Anan bear observatory out of Wrangell. We were told that was not to be missed if available.

Also, random piece of info: According to DW's weather app it was 76F in Haines yesterday.

Thanks for the info on the catamaran excursion in Misty Fjord. We're booked on that but now note that ship itinerary includes scenic cruising in the AM. Will reassess. Sadly, the Prince Rupert bear preserve excursion isn't listed for us, however we were able to book the Anan bear observatory out of Wrangell. We were told that was not to be missed if available.

 

 

 

Also, random piece of info: According to DW's weather app it was 76F in Haines yesterday.

I hear the Anan bear observatory is terrific when the salmon are running. Good luck!

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We have booked the Catamaran for the Tracy Arm and after reading your report I am not sure if it worth that much money or should look at something else.We have also booked the Zodiac for Inian Islands has anyone got any feed back on that tour that they could tell us. It really helps reading your reviews thank you all for giving your time up to do it , much appreciated .

We have booked the Catamaran for the Tracy Arm and after reading your report I am not sure if it worth that much money or should look at something else.We have also booked the Zodiac for Inian Islands has anyone got any feed back on that tour that they could tell us. It really helps reading your reviews thank you all for giving your time up to do it , much appreciated .

My negative comments were about the Misty Fjord catamaran trip. I believe people in Tracy Arm enjoyed themselves. There are only three ways to get close to the glacier... kayak, zodiac, and the catamaran. I heard (but don’t know for certain) that the zodiacs and catamaran went to both the north and south branch. The kayakers (due to being people powered) only went to the north branch. The ship hangs further back due to ice.

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We have book to go both my mistake in writing Tracey arms instead of misty ford. Thanks for more information on the tour.

If one were to do only one zodiac excursion should it be Misty Fjords or Tracy Arm?

If one were to do only one zodiac excursion should it be Misty Fjords or Tracy Arm?

I would definitely do the Tracy Arm if you had to choose and that is your only opportunity to see the glacier. Misty Fjord is gorgeous but I personally felt I could see it’s grandeur from the ship. I might be tempted to take a float plane to get a totally different view of the Fjord, but if it’s truly “misty”, then that could be canceled.

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I would definitely do the Tracy Arm if you had to choose and that is your only opportunity to see the glacier. Misty Fjord is gorgeous but I personally felt I could see it’s grandeur from the ship. I might be tempted to take a float plane to get a totally different view of the Fjord, but if it’s truly “misty”, then that could be canceled.

 

 

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Her is a pix of how close the ship gets to the glacier. To get closer you have to be on an excursion.

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Thank you your input is great

Her is a pix of how close the ship gets to the glacier. To get closer you have to be on an excursion.

 

 

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My thanks as well. Would love to see more photos.

My thanks as well. Would love to see more photos.

Here is kayaking at the north branch of Tracy Arm. It had less floating ice that day then the south branch.

This pix is of the TV screen. The top red arrow shows the north branch and you can see where we stopped first to unload the kayaks. While we did that Princess came in and went up the south channel, turned around, and came back out. After they left the captain moved the ship to the lower red arrow. That is where he spent the afternoon.

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