Carribean-Vet....Alaska-Newbie..Excursion Help

[smwc71alum]

Need help ...We are mostly interested in excursions with beaututiful scenery,,,our posts of call are...Skagway, Jueau, Ketchikan and Victoria...looking at helicopter/glider plane and rail excurions..What were your favorites...our curise is 05/21/13........not afraid to book off ship excursions. Thanks to all.:D

[Robinhill]

Need help ...We are mostly interested in excursions with beaututiful scenery,,,our posts of call are...Skagway, Jueau, Ketchikan and Victoria...looking at helicopter/glider plane and rail excurions..What were your favorites...our curise is 05/21/13........not afraid to book off ship excursions. Thanks to all.:D

 

Coastal helicopter in Juneau- helicopter flight over the glacier to the dog sledding (on ice) facility. $499

 

Or you could do a whale watching excursion with Harv and Marv or one of the other outfits. You will see plenty up close and personal!

 

Skagway= White pass railroad to the summit and back on Narrow gauge railroad. $172.50 for one adult and one 6 year old child. (don't really know how that breaks down)

 

Ketchikan- i just walked around the town of Ketchikan (it was my favorite port) went to the Salmon ladder, Married Man's path, lots of good souvenir shopping in town. You can do a bear watching tour there, etc.

 

I did a land tour including Denali national Park, Anchorage etc. in 2010 with a cruise the following week and loved it so much that I am taking my 6 year old grandson and doing it again this June. We are doing a DIY land tour from Monday through Friday starting in Fairbanks and ending in Anchorage. The last morning in Anchorage we board the train in Anchorage to take us down to Seward to embark on the ship. Have a great time! I know we will!

[bonvoyagie]

It would also help us if you provided the ship name and port hours. Does your cruise include Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm etc.

[smwc71alum]

It would also help us if you provided the ship name and port hours. Does your cruise include Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm etc.

Thanks so much for your help. Carnival MIracle....Day 1 Cruise Tracy Arn Fjord.. Skagway....7:00 am to 9:00pm. Juneau.....7:00am to 3:00 pm. Ketchikan...7:00 am to 1:00 pm. Victoria BC.....7:30 pm to 11:50 pm. We are so excited...and just want to make the most of this wonderful trip.;)

[half2teach]

I have the same ports of call as the original poster. I would like some ideas that are inexpensive; we are on a budget. I appreciate any ideas.

thank you,

[firstalaskatrip]

In Juneau - we loved whale watching. For a cheap excursion in Juneau, be sure to take the shuttle over to Mendenhall glacier and walk around the trails. It's beautiful and not to be missed!

 

For Ketchikan - the walking trail around town (you can get a map at the visitor center) is pretty and free. you can see the salmon going upstream. We also enjoyed our kayak trip in ketchikan.

 

Victoria - not sure how long you have in Victoria with a cruise. We had taken a daytrip there before leaving on our cruise. The downtown area has tons of hanging baskets of flowers. We also enjoyed the museum gift shop which had really unique craft items. Butchart gardens is great if you have the time.

[bonvoyagie]

Well here is a link to a site that I have found to be great when it comes to both learning about the ports, some of the ship's tours, and some DIY ideas. http://cruiseportinsider.com/index.html.

 

Too bad you don't head to Juneau after Tracy Arm - that way you could take one of the small boat tours of Tracy Arm and really see the glaciers. You could still grab one of Adventure Bound tours that run RT out of Juneau - but that is all you would have time for.

 

You will be able to see lots of scenery right from the ship. If the weather is nice in Juneau there is lots to see and do by taking the Mt Roberts Tram - you can buy tickets at the tram - good all day. There are also several hiking trails on the top. Whale watching is the primary activity in Juneau.

 

In Skagway the big attractions are those that deal with the gold rush history - including the White Pass Railroad (again not the least expensive option). Skagway is one of the places where renting a car or using something like Green Jeep Tours is an inexpensive way to tour both the town and perhaps take a drive into the Yukon and see Emerald Lake and Carcross.

 

In Ketchikan you can take a flightseeing trip into Misty Fjords, ride the Crab Fishermans boat, see a lumberjack show, experience native culture, walk on Creek Street and do lots of shopping :D

 

We have visited Victoria several times - it is a great place for taking an Orca tour - there are several resident pods on the sound side of the island - you might be able to spot them on you way out of Seattle. If you are whaled out, it is a relatively short walk to downtown where you can simply walk around. If you want to spend some $$ take a Victoria Highlights and Butchart Gardens tour - esp one that is on a double decker bus :).

 

Good luck and enjoy your trip

[smwc71alum]

There are so many exciting ideas above !!! I am really getting excited !

Looking forward to additional replies !

:D