A recap of my excursions -- any advice?

[Hutchins]

Okay, I have combed these boards for literally hours on end trying to plan my excursions. I finally settled on some things and made some reservations. I want to share what I have done for 2 reasons -- first, if anybody sees anything wrong or has any suggestions, hopefully they will let me know. Second, for people just starting this process, maybe my hours of research can help.

 

My DH and I are on the Summit Southbound cruisetour #12 leaving on May 22, with the cruise portion starting on May 27 (our 10 year anniversary :) ). We are mid-30s but not very active. Here is what I have done:

 

Talkeetna: McKinley Summit Tour with Talkeetna Aero at 5:00 pm -- I used the Toursaver coupon (which I don't have yet but have ordered). So I paid the fare for one Circle Denali ($195) plus a $25pp upgrade for a total of $245 (instead of the regular price of $430). I hope there is no problem doing this late afternoon.

 

Denali: I scheduled the Husky Homestead Tour through the cruise for 7:00 pm. I tried to schedule the Cabin Nite Dinner Theater for the next night, but they said I actually need the Toursaver coupon book number to schedule it with my coupon. :( I hope to get my book by Monday and will schedule that then. (We are doing the Tundra Wilderness Tour through the cruisetour.)

 

Juneau: Captain Larry whale watching at 9:30am. We will be in Capt. Larry's boat. They will drop us off at Coastal Helicopters for a dog sled tour at 2:00. Apparently we will have about 45 minutes in between, but that seemed better than going back to town -- she said that we could eat at the restaurant at the airport, which has a nice view of Mendenhall Glacier. $395 pp for the dog sled tour and $105 pp for Capt. Larry.

 

Skagway: After much agonizing, I booked the White Pass & Trail Camp Adventure through the cruise at 12:15. It is a 5 hour excursion for $139 pp. We ride up the train and come back down the other side of White Pass in a motorcoach with a stop at Liarsville. I figured that would give us enough time to then walk around town, see the gold museum, etc. since our ship doesn't leave until 8:30 pm.

 

Icy Straight Point: Native Tlingit Dancers through the cruise at 9:30 for $36 pp. Then I booked whale watching through the cruise at 11:30 for $120 pp. :confused: I am afraid it will be too much whale-watching, but I really wanted to do Capt. Larry, and there weren't a lot of other options we preferred in Icy Straight Point. My DH really loves that kind of thing, so I'm hoping it won't be too much. But I'm still open for suggestions here.

 

Ketchikan: I booked the Orcas Cove Kayak & Misty Fjords Seaplane at 10:00 with Southeast Seas Kayak. I used the Toursaver coupon, which got us 1 free kayak for $139, so 1 full price at $369 and 1 just for the seaplane for $230. That is 5 hours, so I figure we have enough time to go to the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center or Saxman Village or whatever.

 

There it is. The Toursaver book is definitely worth it -- looks like I will save $375 with 3 coupons (less the $99 for the book). I will be selling my left-over book when we get back. Not sure what a fair price is, but I would like to recoup some of my cost since it looke like we will only use 3 coupons (although these might be the 3 best ones, I don't know), and I have spent a small fortune on excursions. :) Maybe $25? Anyway, I would welcome any critiques, alternate suggestions, or questions. Thanks everybody -- I can't wait!!! :D

 

Nicole

[trish22]

Hi Nicole!

 

I'd be interested in purchasing the 'leftover' TourSaver book from you!

 

We're sailing the Summit at the end of August northbound on cruisetour # 13. It's virtually the same itinerary as yours, but much later in the year and in the opposite direction. ;)

 

The coupon I'm most interested in from the TourSaver book is a 2-for-1 for Northern Alaska Tour Company's Arctic Circle Flight/Drive.

 

I'm also interested in the coupon for the 2-for-1 Nenana Raft Adventures in Denali.

 

Just to compare notes, we picked the following excursions:

 

Ketchikan -- booked a private tour with Alaska Seaplane Tours to fly through Misty Fjords National Monument and then go bear watching at Fish Creek Observatory in Hyder, AK.

 

Skagway -- White Pass Summit train (round-trip) through Celebrity.

 

Juneau -- Whale watching with Captain Larry! Then kayaking in Auke Bay.

 

Icy Strait Point -- Nothing booked, but it seems like there's more to do than I first thought! (I've been reading the Hoonah threads on another board.)

 

Seward/Alyeska -- we disembark and go straight to Alyeska (Girdwood). Nothing beyond that planned.

 

Fairbanks -- We'd like to do an Arctice Circle tour.

 

Denali -- Tundra Wilderness Tour (also through the cruisetour). Nenana whitewater rafting.

 

Talkeetna -- Horseback riding.

 

Anchorage -- Walk around the city and fly home.

 

Thanks for sharing your list! And feel free to email me offline in regards to the Toursaver book!

[Budget Queen]

Nice varied tour choices, have a great time. :)

[trish22]

We are so excited to visit Alaska we could bust! Thank you for all of your insightful posts. :D

 

And if you're ever heading to Chicago, please drop a line. :)