Excursion Suggestions for Alaska

[BethIRC]

HELP! We are scheduled for June 28th Seward to Vancouver on Silver Shadow and have spent hours pouring over all the options at each port. Can past Alaska cruisers please offer some help in their "Not To Be Missed" excursions? My head is swimming..... Thanks!

[Stumblefoot]

If you're heading to Wrangell, do not miss Anan. By far, my absolute favorite tour during our Alaska SS cruise.

[Travelcat2]

If you are a lover of crab, the "(KTN-A) Exclusive Flightseeing & Crab Feast" in Ketchikan is not to be missed!

[Keith1010]

Been to Alaska six times including the Silver Shadow in 2009.

 

There are a lot of nice tours to choose from.

 

I wouldn't necessarily do a tour in all ports.

 

In Juneau consider C-52A which is the Tracy Arm Fjord and Glacier Explorer. A great opportunity to see the Glacier.

 

In one of the other ports look to do Whale Watching.

 

Keith

[ging466]

September on the Shadow will be my first visit to Alaska. I have just looked at the shore excursions and chosen the following:

 

Juneau - 5 Glacier exploration by seaplane

 

Ketchikan - Misty Fjords by floatplane

 

Skagway - White Pass Scenic Railway

 

Kodiak - Fort Abercrombie State Park nature walk

 

Does anyone have any comments on these shore excursions from personal experience?

 

Keith1010 - I note your recommendation for Ketchikan...is it better to see the fjords from the sky or by boat?

 

Thankx very much.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[billcrooz]

If you're heading to Wrangell, do not miss Anan. By far, my absolute favorite tour during our Alaska SS cruise.

 

 

do NOT miss this trip ! the highlight of our trip!

[Stumblefoot]

Ketchikan - Misty Fjords by floatplane

As long as your plane flies below the elevation of the hills, then it'll be a very unique experience. Otherwise, you'll want to see them from a boat.

Skagway - White Pass Scenic Railway

Basically, you'll see the same thing you saw on the bus ride when you get on the train. With that said, there are some nifty bridges and passes to experience, in addition to the complete opposite orientation of the ride.

[Keith1010]

September on the Shadow will be my first visit to Alaska. I have just looked at the shore excursions and chosen the following:

 

Juneau - 5 Glacier exploration by seaplane

 

Ketchikan - Misty Fjords by floatplane

 

Skagway - White Pass Scenic Railway

 

Kodiak - Fort Abercrombie State Park nature walk

 

Does anyone have any comments on these shore excursions from personal experience?

 

Keith1010 - I note your recommendation for Ketchikan...is it better to see the fjords from the sky or by boat?

 

Thankx very much.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

 

Jennifer, I haven't done the float plane so I can't compare the two. I very much enjoyed the Fjords by boat.

 

Keith

[Jersey Girls]

July will be the first time in Alaska for us.

 

I have most of our days planned with the exception of Skagway. I can't see to decide between the White Pass Railway or an excursion called Alaska through the lens which takes you over to Haines to Chilkoot Lake State Park.

 

Here is what is planned for the other ports:

 

Ketchikan - Misty Fjords by floatplane. Jennifer, we will post some photos for you when we get back so you can see it by air!

 

Wrangell - ANAN Bear Observatory. One of the reasons why we picked this cruise! Thanks, Stumblefoot. You helped me out last year when I first started to plan this trip.

 

Sitka - Catamaran tour in the am, St. Michaels in the afternoon. Thanks again, Stumblefoot!

 

Skagway - ?

 

Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier Walkabout

 

Prince Rupert - Another one we are not sure about. Doesn't seem that there is much to. Might just go for a relaxing walk.

 

Victoria - Butchcart Gardens in the am and then walk around the city in the afternoon.

 

Any other recommendations would be most welcome.

 

Jane

[ging466]

Jennifer, I haven't done the float plane so I can't compare the two. I very much enjoyed the Fjords by boat. Keith

 

Thankx Keith....did u see any animals?

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[ging466]

Ketchikan - Misty Fjords by floatplane. Jennifer, we will post some photos for you when we get back so you can see it by air! Jane

 

Thankx Jane, seeing your pics will be most helpful.

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[Stumblefoot]

Wrangell - ANAN Bear Observatory. One of the reasons why we picked this cruise! Thanks, Stumblefoot. You helped me out last year when I first started to plan this trip.

 

Sitka - Catamaran tour in the am, St. Michaels in the afternoon. Thanks again, Stumblefoot!

My pleasure. Looking forward to your thoughts upon your return. Have a great time!

[ct-andy]

Just got off the shadow this morning (V3214)

Done 4 excursions

Salmon fishing caught 3, 25pounds King Salmon $239 *****

Tracy Arm Fjord *** $199

Glacier Trek ****** ( I would pass Tracy Arm Fjord and save $ for this!) $449

White Pass **** $129

 

The food quality/service are so bad :eek: that we rather go eat at The Grill in 8C cold weather for dinner (went there 4 nights)

 

2010 Silver Spirit V5020 Med. Score: 10/10

2011 Silver Sprirt V5115 Med. Score: 8/10

2012 Silver Shadow V3214 Alaska Score: 4/10

 

10 of us on V3214 all agreed this is our last cruise on Silversea. We are going to try Seabourn next time.

[ging466]

Glacier Trek ****** ( I would pass Tracy Arm Fjord and save $ for this!) $449

 

The food quality/service are so bad :eek: that we rather go eat at The Grill in 8C cold weather for dinner (went there 4 nights)

 

Hi ct-andy

 

Do u remember which glacier trek it was & what port? They have a few treks on offer?

 

What exactly was bad about the food & service? and was this in the main dining room?

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[ct-andy]

Do u remember which glacier trek it was & what port? They have a few treks on offer?

 

Hi Jennifer,

 

(JNU-E) Helicopter Glacier Trek Juneau, Alaska, USA :)

 

La Terrazza Lunch

Spirit 9/10

Shadow 4/10

La Terrazza Dinner

1st time we went there {fish of the day: lobster} very nicely cooked.

2nd time meat was over cooked.

 

main dining room dinner food was "so so" didnt like it too.

 

1.Butler not so friendly

2.Low hot water pressure (first night at 11pm) it took them more than 1 hour of trying to fix it before the plumber gave up and asked us to move to anonther suite shower and sleep for the night! by the time I went to bed was like 1am...:mad:

3.Room service hot meals are always lukewarm when delivered, warm soap just dont taste good!

[Keith1010]

Thankx Keith....did u see any animals?

 

Cheers

Jennifer

 

Jennifer, we did see animals including seals and mountain goats.

 

If you are on a small enough boat which you should be you get so very close to the waterfalls and the glacier. While a view from a plane would be pretty (I haven't done it) to me the fact that you are so close to the glacier and waterfalls and can see up close but also hear and take in all around you is what I really enjoyed on the boat.

 

Keith

[ging466]

Jennifer, we did see animals including seals and mountain goats. If you are on a small enough boat which you should be you get so very close to the waterfalls and the glacier. While a view from a plane would be pretty (I haven't done it) to me the fact that you are so close to the glacier and waterfalls and can see up close but also hear and take in all around you is what I really enjoyed on the boat. Keith

 

Thankx for the advice Keith. I will take this tour and report back as to how much I enjoyed it. :)

 

Cheers

Jennifer

[Jersey Girls]

Hi ct-andy,

 

Can you tell me a bit more about the Tracy Arm Excursion? I see that you only rated it 3 stars. Also, on the day that the Shadow visited Tracy Arm how close did it get to the glacier. I have read some reviews that said they didn't make it down the arm since it was still iced over.

 

Thanks,

 

Jane

[Emperor Norton]

If you are a lover of crab, the "(KTN-A) Exclusive Flightseeing & Crab Feast" in Ketchikan is not to be missed!

 

This was one of my favorites. The tour in Sitka where you took high speed RIB to transfer to 4x4s for some trail time and a view was also quite nice. The jet boats on the Stikine river were nice but I thought the tour could've been shortened. While in Victoria I'd recommend going on your own and having High Tea at the Empress. Juneau for me was bleh (I did visit Red Dog Saloon and Mt. Roberts tram) but others had a blast on the zipline.

 

/hopefully my sig updates there's a link to my Silversea Alaska cruise photos in it

[ct-andy]

Can you tell me a bit more about the Tracy Arm Excursion? I see that you only rated it 3 stars. Also, on the day that the Shadow visited Tracy Arm how close did it get to the glacier. I have read some reviews that said they didn't make it down the arm since it was still iced over.

 

Hi Jane,

 

Tracy Arm excursion - I am not sure how close did the Shadow get to the glacier, because we were on the small boat for the Tracy arm excursion. With this excursion smaller boat you will see the glacier around 400~500m away from the boat.

 

 

The reason why I have rated it 3 stars - the whole trip was 4 hours, time spend on viewing the glacier was around 25 mins. So rest of the 3 hours and half was really boring!

 

 

If you can walk ON the glacier (Helicopter Glacier Trek Juneau Mendenhall Glacier) for full 2 hours and heli flight of 30mins. $449 worth it!

[Jersey Girls]

Thank you all for your replies.