Favorite Excursions??

[Teacher_91]

Our July 2012 itineary includes Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway in Alaska & Victoria British Columbia.

 

We have from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Ketchikan, 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Juneau, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Skagway & from 7:00 to 11:59 p.m. in Victoria. Can anyone with personal experience(s) sound off on their favorite excursions in each port? Is it possible to do more than one excursion in a port?

 

Thanks Y'all. I'm not sure what I enjoy more, the actual vacation or the fun I have researching (and dreaming) about all the possibilities before we leave home! :rolleyes:

[chipmaster]

Doing multiple excursions is only limited by timing and budget. As long as you leave a buffer of an hour plus a minus a few to insure logistics and timing you would be good for BTB excursions.

 

What is ones favorite depends highly on individual interest and expectations.

 

I would say research what your cruiseline is offering and from that ask specific questions to enlighten you to their value and/or do they meet what they claim.

 

I did a lot of research and for us:

 

Ketchikan: Charter a fishing boat than walked to the fish ladder. Many say the Misty Fjords is a must do.

 

Juneau: Whale watching and Mendehall Hike

 

Skagway: Helicotper / Dog sledding, others did the train. Thought long and hard about the Kayaking.

 

Victoria: Did the Buchart Garden thru the cruiseline. I'd say it was waste, long distance, little time to really enjoy the garden in good light. The firework show was nice but not worth the crowds or time going/comging. In hindsite would have just walked the downtown.

 

Happy researching!

 

Our July 2012 itineary includes Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway in Alaska & Victoria British Columbia.

 

We have from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Ketchikan, 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Juneau, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Skagway & from 7:00 to 11:59 p.m. in Victoria. Can anyone with personal experience(s) sound off on their favorite excursions in each port? Is it possible to do more than one excursion in a port?

 

Thanks Y'all. I'm not sure what I enjoy more, the actual vacation or the fun I have researching (and dreaming) about all the possibilities before we leave home! :rolleyes:

[Budget Queen]

I have taken many tours in Alaska, and certainly have my "favorites", I am not going to list them, but flights are always done by me, and there is no other way to get a look at the vastness and unspoiled beauty of Alaska.

[nobbync]

I really enjoyed the Glacier Point Wilderness Safari out of Skagway and whale watching in Juneau with Harv and Marv. Both tours were really more fun then we should be allowed to have... :D

 

Nobby

[lightasafeather]

We have taken that same cruise twice before and are doing it again this May 20 on the Star ( We were on the Golden before). We must be on the same cruise line because those are are exact port times too.

 

Our absolute favorite excursion was the Pilot's choice copter glacier flight out of Juneau. It is a bit pricey, but worth every penny. I couldn't possibly explain the beauty and thrill.

 

This year we are going to go whale watching out of Juneau with Harv and Marv. We did this on our first AK cruise back in May 2009. We saw more whales than I ever thought possible. Here is a little video I made of that excursion http://www.youtube.com/user/magicwebsolutions?feature=mhee#p/a/u/2/_Lmq7N2_wMY

I would highly recommend Harv and Marv - very professional and they think of everything... a great time.

 

In Ketchikan we did the Bering sea crab boat our first year. It was way more fun that I thought it would be. They have a spot to see eagles that is worth the price of admission alone!!

 

The next year in Ketchikan we did the Misty Fjords seaplane flight with Island Wings... Beautiful. Landing and taking off from the water was surprisingly smooth - even smoother than on land. A really great experience.

 

In Skagway we saw an old time play/performance about the history of Skagway. They had a special with a bus tour that goes up into Canada and stops a lot for photo ops. This year we are going to do the train thing.

[Teacher_91]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. We've pretty much made up our minds - which is somewhat scary since it's so early into the planning process! :confused: I hope I don't find something 'better' down the road and regret my quick decisions.

 

 

In Ketchikan we are going to do the Misty Fjord's floatplane with Island Wings .... totally excited! The pictures on the website and on TripAdvisor are AMAZING!

 

In Juneau we are going to do the whale watching with Harv & Marv. I'm an animal lover & teach 2nd grade science, so I'm THRILLED to pieces at the prospect of seeing such majestic animals close up!

 

In Skagway we want to do a Dyea Dave tour paired with the White Pass Scenic Railway. However, I'm a little unsure which to do first and if there is enough time to do justice to both. (We'll be in Skagway from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) I've emailed Dave & hope to hear from him soon.

 

If any experts have any words of wisdom PLEASE feel free to chime in. At this point I haven't sent in any deposits yet....

 

Thanks Y'all!

 

Happy Halloween! :D

[JoRoy218]

On our trip in Sept., we did the Haines rafting trip out of Skagway (awesome beauty and tons of Eagles!); a planned whale watch trip with Harv & Marv was cancelled due to 70-80 mph winds =:( (so disappointed) so we "settled" for a wet trip to Mendenhall and salmon hatchery. We loved the Ketchikan excursion: crab feast for lunch at a remote lodge and a floatplane trip back to the ship. There's so many wonderful excursions to choose from but some sell out early, so be sure to reserve online before your trip.

[Northender]

Thanks to all of you here that give Harv & Marv a good rating. I spoke with Callie yesterday at their offices and have booked for June, 2012.:)

 

Now back to the research table:D

[ricew001]

In Juneau we did the whale watching excursion. Absolutely one of my all time favorite things I've ever done on any vacation!!

In Skagway, we did the White Pass and Yukon train ride, which is really the reason we went. My hubby is a train nut. For some reason we did the first train ride of the day and there was a reason for it but I don't remember that reason now. (sorry!)

You will have an absolutely fabulous time!!!!

[LisaH]

Our July 2012 itineary includes Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway in Alaska & Victoria British Columbia.

 

We have from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Ketchikan, 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Juneau, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Skagway & from 7:00 to 11:59 p.m. in Victoria. Can anyone with personal experience(s) sound off on their favorite excursions in each port? Is it possible to do more than one excursion in a port?

 

Thanks Y'all. I'm not sure what I enjoy more, the actual vacation or the fun I have researching (and dreaming) about all the possibilities before we leave home! :rolleyes:

 

In Juneau we did the helipcopter glacier landing combo to Mendenhall Glacier. It was awesome and well worth the price.

 

In Ketchikan we did the Misty Fjords 5 hour catamaran (very large) trip. It was wonderful as well given we saw so many bald eagles and got some great pics. Seeing the eagles was one of the highlights for me.

 

The excursions are pricey but so worth it.

[suzski]

I think you've chosen well! We were in Sapphire Princess in 2010 and did a similar itinerary and here's what we did:

 

In Ketchikan we went with Island Wings .... amazing! Worth the money! Make sure your camera battery is charged!

 

In Juneau we had planned to do a glacier hike. However, due to weather, we were unable to get to the location, so we had to shift to Plan B....which was to go out to nearby Mendenhall Glacier and walk around.

 

In Skagway we toured with Dyea Dave. We enjoyed spending the entire day with him and I don't think we missed anything by not doing the WPSR.

 

In Victoria we took a bus downtown and simply walked around. Having visited the area before, we knew we did not have enough time to give Butchchart Gardens its due. However, there are some great street performers on the water right in front of the Empress Hotel that put on a great show. We spent a good hour and a half there watching these guys...they have pretty lavish shows.

 

Enjoy!

[Teacher_91]

In Juneau we did the whale watching excursion. Absolutely one of my all time favorite things I've ever done on any vacation!!

In Skagway, we did the White Pass and Yukon train ride, which is really the reason we went. My hubby is a train nut. For some reason we did the first train ride of the day and there was a reason for it but I don't remember that reason now. (sorry!)

You will have an absolutely fabulous time!!!!

 

 

We too are doing the first train ride of the day (8:00 a.m.) and Dave (or staff) will pick us up in Fraser. From there we will continue on to Emerald Lake. Because our ship departs @ 5:00, I was told by Becky that it's my only option. I was somewhat disappointed because I'd read it's better to do the trip in the reverse order. If it's a foggy morning we might opt out of the train ride all together and just do the entire day with Dave, but we won't know that until we get there! I'm so happy to have my wonderful Alaskan Cruise to look forward to! :D

 

Thanks to all who have replied. Your insight is truly appreciated!! :)

[bbwex]

Teacher 91 you are doing what we did: Dyea Dave, Harv and Marv and Island Wings. We added in a glacier trek in Juneau with Northstar Trekking. We worked with Harv and Marv and Northstar and they helped up coordinate everything (early start with Harv and Marv). We just had time for a one-hour trek, but it was a remarkable thing to add. As a note, we used Dyea Dave outbound and inbound and they were excellent. Michelle at Island Wings is the best!! You are going to have a great time!

[Teacher_91]

Teacher 91 you are doing what we did: Dyea Dave, Harv and Marv and Island Wings. We added in a glacier trek in Juneau with Northstar Trekking. We worked with Harv and Marv and Northstar and they helped up coordinate everything (early start with Harv and Marv). We just had time for a one-hour trek, but it was a remarkable thing to add. As a note, we used Dyea Dave outbound and inbound and they were excellent. Michelle at Island Wings is the best!! You are going to have a great time!

 

 

Thanks for the affirmation! With so MANY excursions to choose from it is nice to know you enjoyed your excursions with Harv & Marv, Dyea Dave, and Michelle of Island Wings.

 

I'm having such a good time planning & dreaming about this trip. :)

[TheCalicoCat]

We have a similar cruise planned & I am in the planning stage for our stops as well. Thanks for all of the ideas.

 

H&M won't work for us, so we will use the cruises option.

Dyea Dave or Chillkoot - not sure which...

I did not have a strong idea about what to do in Ketchikan, but I am now going to see what Misty Fjords is about...

[regent218]

has anyone done any of the zip line trips? i'd love to try it, but don't know which one to do.

[wbdlangston]

I did the Rainforest Canopy zipline in Juneau in June 2009. I had a blast. Our guides were very professional and knowledgable. They had great personalities and gave us much information about the area we were in. I would highlly recommend this excursion.

[regent218]

I did the Rainforest Canopy zipline in Juneau in June 2009. I had a blast. Our guides were very professional and knowledgable. They had great personalities and gave us much information about the area we were in. I would highlly recommend this excursion.

thanks for the reply. did you do it thru the ship or on your own?

[Ashland]

Another vote for Bering Sea Crab Boat in Ketchikan..Especially if your a fan of the "Deadliest Catch" :D

[tracyktn]

has anyone done any of the zip line trips? i'd love to try it, but don't know which one to do.

 

There are also two in Ketchikan the one at Southeast Exposure is shorter zips and has some obstacle course like things also, such as going over rope bridges. They also have a rock climbing wall.

 

The Alaska Rainforest Canopy has higher and longer zips.

 

They are both great fun. I personally would choose the Alaska Rainforest Canopy, but my teenage daughter liked the one at SE Exposure.

[Budget Queen]

Thank you for all the ideas. I wonder if there is a place on the internet where all Alaska ports of call are listed with all possible excursions you can do in each port of call. Will be grateful for the link.

 

 

Cruiseline shore excursion lists. There are only 6 inside Passage Alaska ports, pretty easy to review them all. Major cruiselines sailing Alaska- Princess, Carrnival, NCL, RCI, Celebrity, HAL, Disney. All have the lists online.

[Teacher_91]

Thank you for all the ideas. I wonder if there is a place on the internet where all Alaska ports of call are listed with all possible excursions you can do in each port of call. Will be grateful for the link.

 

 

You could try TripAdvisor.com and in the specific port look under the 'Things to Do' tab. Many past cruisers/vacationers have posted reviews. It might give you some ideas of what is available in each port.

Good luck and happy planning! :)

[account4fun]

Our July 2012 itineary includes Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway in Alaska & Victoria British Columbia.

 

We have from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Ketchikan, 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Juneau, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Skagway & from 7:00 to 11:59 p.m. in Victoria. Can anyone with personal experience(s) sound off on their favorite excursions in each port? Is it possible to do more than one excursion in a port?

 

Thanks Y'all. I'm not sure what I enjoy more, the actual vacation or the fun I have researching (and dreaming) about all the possibilities before we leave home! :rolleyes:

 

Best Juneau excursion - Glacier Trekking with Northstar Trekking. We did the Xtrek and did a 3 hour glacier hike that included a 50' repel into an ice cave. We were the only ones that signed up for the tour so we did get to do things that larger groups couldn't. The scenery and blue of the glacier was absolutely stunning!

 

Best Skagway excursion - Glacier dog sledding with Temsco. It's expensive and a quick trip but amazing scenery and a once in a lifetime experience IMO.

 

Enjoy your planning!

[nursemindy]

We are also going in July 2012 ..

This is what we have planned.

 

Seattle- Mt Rainer tour

 

Juneau- Harv and Marv whale watching

 

Ketchican Island Wing glacier flight

 

Sitka- Kayaking thru the glaciers with Sitka Sound

 

Victoria- This one we dont have a plan for. Maybe just walk about take a city tour, this is our inexpensive port :)

[csmjfmbe]

Hello

Alaska is stunning. In Ketchikan I would certainly recommend a float plane to Neets Bay to see the bears and other wildlife.

All the best

Mike