Best Shopping Port

[eppler]

Was wondering what folks would consider the best place specifically for shopping. I know this is very subjective, but was wondering what the consensus was. We will be in Anchorage, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchican, and Icy Strait.

[tjcletsgo]

No doubt, Ketchikan! Spent all day shopping and dropped a bunch of $$ too!:D

[Carolina Chuck]

Ketchikan seemed to us to have more shops/stores as well as the best prices and everything is much closer to the ship docks.

[Keith1010]

It comes down to what you want to purchase.

 

I prefer items that are made in Alaska and have found some special stores in Juneau that I prefer.

 

If you want tourist types of items that are likely made in China then Ketchikan and Juneau will have a lot of them.

 

If you want a department store then you have Anchorage.

 

Again, what are you interested in purchasing?

 

Keith

[Budget Queen]

All those areas have plenty of shopping options with the exception of Hoonah. You might want to consider checking each visitor guide for shopping lists. http://www.skagway.com http://www.anchorage.net http://www.traveljuneau.com http://www.visit-ketchikan.com

[VermeulT]

I prefer items that are made in Alaska and have found some special stores in Juneau that I prefer.

Keith - would you mind sharing specifics?

 

Thanks.

[donaldsc]

No doubt, Ketchikan! Spent all day shopping and dropped a bunch of $$ too!:D

 

I don't get it. You are in Alaska home of beautiful scenery and great sightseeing and you spent a whole day or 1/7 of your cruise shopping. Different strokes for different folks but that is not what I would do in Ketchikan.

 

DON

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We visited those same ports. It was the last NB cruise so there were lots of sales. I spent a very short time shopping in each of the ports.

 

Ketchikan had the most stores. Tongass trading Co had 3 stores. There is a coupon book we got [can't remember if it was boarding in Vancouver or on the ship] for each of the ports. For Tongass they had a coupon for a free item if you made a purchase. It was a different item at each store. [hat, mug,necklace] I know those items were not made in AK. But, DH is still wearing his Alaska hat. I just spread out my purchases.

 

We visited Totem Bight Park and Potlach Park via city bus in Ketchikan. [nice excursion and cheap]. There is a nice gift shop at Potlach Park. I bought a Ulu kife with a native carved handle. I got it 1/2 price since it was the end of the season. But, I would have bought it anyway. [in Anchorage I visited the Ulu factory and bought basic models for family members.

 

PS--in Anchorage wen stopped at the post office in Anchorage and mailed myself a flat rate package with all the knives and other heavy items. It cost $12 and saved me schlepping it around on our land travels and the weight in my luggage for the plane.

 

I have read that the Tongass Co will ship purchases for you for $10 fee. I did not see that when I was there. But, I did not purchase my heavy items there.

[tjcletsgo]

I don't get it. You are in Alaska home of beautiful scenery and great sightseeing and you spent a whole day or 1/7 of your cruise shopping. Different strokes for different folks but that is not what I would do in Ketchikan.

 

DON

 

We took the 7 hour White Pass train/bus excursion in Skagway and the 4 hour whale watching trip with Harv and Marv in Juneau. We saw plenty~:)

[ikirumata]

 

Ketchikan had the most stores. Tongass trading Co had 3 stores. There is a coupon book we got [can't remember if it was boarding in Vancouver or on the ship] for each of the ports. For Tongass they had a coupon for a free item if you made a purchase. It was a different item at each store. [hat, mug,necklace] I know those items were not made in AK. But, DH is still wearing his Alaska hat. I just spread out my purchases.

 

 

To me Ketchikan seemed like one big store. Most of the stores carried the same stuff (tshirts, bear claw salad tongs, ulus, etc...). The Jewelry stores tried to make you think that their prices are the best around...but in reality, they are all owned by the same company, so yeah, it is probably the best price because everyone sells the stuff from the same inventory (I do love the calculator game everyone plays...but I digress). There are a handful of stores that are unique. The Jade store comes to mind. There may be a couple more, but they all seemed to meld together.

[AmberCascades]

We found that Ketchikan had the best prices and the most unique items (along Creek Street, not the port stores). We got some great made-in-Alaska gifts that cost less than anywhere else. We also bought a bunch of soap from the Glacier Smoothie store in Juneau. Everyone loved their soap gifts. I wish I had bought more for myself. Cheap t-shirts can be found at any of the ports (except Hoonah). There will be big signs everywhere, you can't miss them.

[theloo]

PS--in Anchorage wen stopped at the post office in Anchorage and mailed myself a flat rate package with all the knives and other heavy items. It cost $12 and saved me schlepping it around on our land travels and the weight in my luggage for the plane.

 

I was just wondering if you can even bring ulus back in your checked luggage. People must do it, but it seems strange.

[Crew News]

I was just wondering if you can even bring ulus back in your checked luggage. People must do it, but it seems strange.

 

I bring back a lot of ulus from each Alaska cruise. They are purchased on the second floor of the Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan where the Alaskans shop. Tourists buy the ulus with "Alaska" for double the normal priced at the first floor tourist area.

[MichiganStateMom]

We purchased a few Made in Alaska items in Skagway and Juneau (loved Glacier Smoothie store in Juneau). For souvenirs for the family back home, I bought all the T-shirts, etc at Tongass Trading Co in Ketchikan. They shipped anything you buy and any of the 3 stores together to my home and I didn't have to carry it in my luggage. (Check out their jackets for $20.00 on line) When I got home, I ordered Ulus from the The Ulu factory in Anchorage. They are Made in Alaska and shipped in a couple of days. I checked with TSA and they said that you cannot bring Ulus on carryon, but can for checked luggage. Enjoy!

[theloo]

I bring back a lot of ulus from each Alaska cruise. They are purchased on the second floor of the Tongass Trading Company in Ketchikan where the Alaskans shop. Tourists buy the ulus with "Alaska" for double the normal priced at the first floor tourist area.

 

Which of the three stores is this? First time visitor here. ;)

[maureencruiser]

Allright, I'll take the bullet - why the excitement over the ulus. I don't spend a lot of time skinning animals in my day to day life? :confused:

[maureencruiser]

Can anyone recommend a store to buy women's plus size tshirts and fleeces? I looked at that Tongass store and their tshirts are all for men. Thanks!

[Assateague Island Princes]

I use my Ulu almost every day. Works great as a pizza cutter, fantastic for slicing vegetables or fruit, or lettuce for chopped salad, cutting meats for freezing in individual portions, etc. A gazillion uses really. No skinning of animals here - but you COULD use the Ulu as originally intended if you're a hunter, I'm sure.;)

[mollanjake]

Does anyone else out there buy Christmas tree ornaments, while on vacations? Where do you get them?

 

 

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[AmberCascades]

We've been buying Christmas ornaments and fridge magnets as our personal souvenirs since we recently started travelling. They can be found in any souvenir store. In Hawaii they had them in almost every store (esp. ABC stores). We bought our Alaska one in a little store on Creek street. We don't have a lot of room for knick knacks or even pictures so this way we can relive our memories every year without having stuff cluttering up the house every day.

[DaveOKC]

I was just wondering if you can even bring ulus back in your checked luggage. People must do it, but it seems strange.

 

We did it last Sept. with no problem. As long as it is in the CHECKED luggage.

 

Funny story - we bought our Ulu on a HAL ship during our AK cruise. The next day we took another HAL cruise (different ship) to San Diego and put our Ulu in one of our checked bags.

 

HAL security seized this bag and made us come to the front office to claim it and really did not want to let us bring the Ulu aboard! We had to show them that we just bought it the day before on another HAL ship (it still had the HAL sticker on it), before they let us have it back!

 

DaveOKC

[DougH]

Which of the three stores is this? First time visitor here. ;)

 

I'm sure this is the Tongass Trading store located on the pier. The upstairs is more like a regular sporting goods store. Downstairs used to be mostly a hardware/general store with a small section of tourist stuff but over the years has changed into mosty junk for tourists. Of course all of the towns used to have unique locally owned small shops and have now all morphed into a generic store selling the same junk no matter which store or town you are in. I miss the old days :(

[Buranogal]

May i ask what a ulus is Sorry havent heard of them in Australia. Are their great fishing knives? Guess they are allowed in luggae..thanks Liz

[maureencruiser]

An ulu (Inuktitut syllabics: ᐅᓗ, plural: uluit, English: "woman's knife"[1]) is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Eskimo women, both Yupik and Inuit. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a child's hair, cutting food and, if necessary, trimming blocks of snow and ice used to build an igloo.

 

 

Edited January 17, 2014 by maureencruiser

[KandCsailing]

I use my Ulu almost every day. Works great as a pizza cutter, fantastic for slicing vegetables or fruit, or lettuce for chopped salad, cutting meats for freezing in individual portions, etc. A gazillion uses really. No skinning of animals here - but you COULD use the Ulu as originally intended if you're a hunter, I'm sure.;)

I keep my ulu on it's stand on my kitchen sink window. Love it for cutting pizza.

It flew from Seattle to Toronto in my checked suitcase.

 

Does anyone else out there buy Christmas tree ornaments, while on vacations? Where do you get them?

 

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I've started hanging all my travel ornaments on a garland on our fireplace for Christmas. Some I buy and some I make from shells or keychains.

My favourite Christmas ornament from our Alaska cruise is a ceramic one from a quilting store in Skagway.

Also bought one at a souvenir shop in Ketchikan that is a map of the inside passage.

Edited January 17, 2014 by KandCsailing