Group of 6 on a budget

[sherryf]

We are sailing on the Grand Princess July 20, round trip from Seattle visiting Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. I am taking my kids as my son's high school graduation trip. He has also talked me into taking along his best friend. So, our group consists of my husband and myself, DS21, DS18, BFF18, and DD15. Taking the kids stretches my budget, so we are looking for budget options in ports. We live in the Seattle area, so this is not our first trip to Alaska, nor will it be the last. This isn't a "once in a lifetime" trip where we have to do everything. We just want to have a good time without spending a fortune.

 

We will likely do ONE bigger activity, which will likely either be:

- Whale watching with Orca Enterprises in Juneau, OR

- Musher's Camp in Skagway

DS21 wants whales; DD15 wants puppies. I haven't gotten an opinion out of the other boys yet.

 

Right now I'm looking at other options for these two ports so we can weigh our alternatives and make a decision.

 

One possibility would be to split up in Juneau with some of the group going whale watching and the others to the Musher's Camp in Juneau. One problem with this is that the web site for the Juneau Musher's Camp shows photos of a suspension bridge. Anyone know if you HAVE TO cross this as part of the tour? It would be a deal breaker for my daughter and me.

 

Skagway - 6 AM to 5 PM

If this was a perfect world, I would rent a car and drive to Emerald Lake, stopping at Caribou Crossing to see the puppies there. Unfortunately, BFF does NOT have a passport, and getting one is not really an option. Period. So, if we don't do the Musher's Camp in Skagway, what are our other options? If we rented a car, is there enough to see without crossing the border? Since there are 6 of us, we'd need a minivan, which would cost us at least $120 through Sourdough or twice that through Avis. Is Dyea worth it? Can you drive up to the Klondike Gold Dredge and just see the puppies? If so, does anyone know the cost? Last time I took the kids to AK, we did the gold panning, puppies and 40 below tour through Princess for about $80. I'm hoping that we could see just the puppies for $25-30? I can't find prices on their site.

 

If we don't rent a car, then we'd just be exploring on foot. Out to the cemetery or Yakutania Point. They are all young and healthy, so we could walk anywhere nearby, but I'm afraid it might be "boring". I'm pretty sure they don't want to do any major hiking.

 

Juneau - 2 PM to 10 PM

We are in Tracy Arm in the morning, so only have the afternoon and evening here. We could take the shuttle to Mendenhall, but the last bus back is 6 PM, so we wouldn't have much time. I'd hate to spend $120 for the bus and then have to also pay for a taxi (or 2!) back to town. Renting a minivan would cost me nearly $200, which doesn't seem worth it unless there are a lot of other things we'd want to stop and see. I doubt the kids would want to see the Shrine of St Theresa, and we have a salmon hatchery in our home town, so they won't care about the one in Juneau. I'm really pushing for the whale watching here, and we could add on a Mendenhall stop for an hour if we want.

 

Ketchikan - 6:30 AM to 4 PM

I'm thrilled to have such a long port time here! I'm used to only 5 hours. I'd really like to take the city bus out to Totem Bight and Potlatch Totem Parks. First question - is there any good reason to spend $100 to rent a minivan here rather than just taking the bus? I'm thinking we'd make it off the ship by 8, bus out to the totem parks for a couple of hours, bus back to town for lunch, then Creek Street and shopping for a couple of hours. Also wondering where to eat lunch, without spending a fortune feeding all these hungry boys! I've heard about Burger Queen, but not sure if I want burgers. I'm not much of a fish eater, but would love some good fish & chips. Any of those little stands on the pier good? Or is there any good place in the "West End" area if we are heading back on the bus?

 

My big question here is about the bus. I've seen the map and schedule online, but it's a bit confusing. The numbers on the map don't seem to correlate with the schedule... or at least they aren't labelled. Our ship will be at Berth 4, the furthest from downtown. Is there a bus stop near there, or should we plan to walk into town to catch the bus? I've been to Ketchikan before, so I am familiar with the downtown area, but I don't think I've been as far up as Berth 4, and I've never taken the bus. I'd appreciate any help on this! Preferably detailed!

 

Any other suggestions for budget/free options with teenagers appreciated.

[mapleleaves]

Assuming the friend is a US citizen can he get an enhanced drivers license instead?

[sherryf]

Assuming the friend is a US citizen can he get an enhanced drivers license instead?

 

I thought about that. He's in the process of getting his first driver's licence, so maybe he could get the enhanced. I haven't looked into it enough to know what it entails. If he were my child, I'd be pushing for that option. As it is, there are family and finance issues that I cannot control. I may end up paying for his driving test just so he gets his license on time as it is. :eek:

[donaldsc]

Skagway - 6 AM to 5 PM

If this was a perfect world, I would rent a car and drive to Emerald Lake, stopping at Caribou Crossing to see the puppies there. Unfortunately, BFF does NOT have a passport, and getting one is not really an option. Period.

 

 

 

Any other suggestions for budget/free options with teenagers appreciated.

 

There are lots of things to do in Skagway w/o going into Canada. When my wife and I travel, we sometimes do different things.

 

You said that there are 6 of you. You could leave him behind for that bit of the trip and let him enjoy Skagway w/o him.

 

DON

[MaggieHans]

In Juneau, for cheaper car rental rates, you might want to try Juneau Car Rental Company. We are a group of 10 also on a budget this summer and got an 11 passenger van for the day in Juneau for around $120.

[mapleleaves]

A Milepost will provide you with info on local drives and things to see and do along the way. I'd lend you mine but I'm out of town for awhile. Maybe the library has a copy. And most town's have a free visitor guide you can send for or download. They will be a great resource too.

[sherryf]

We've decided to splurge on the whale watch with Orca Enterprises in Juneau, probably with a Mendenhall Glacier stop afterwards.

 

BFF is going to work on getting his Enhanced Drivers License so we can drive into the Yukon from Skagway. I will probably rent from Sourdough since they are half the price of Avis for a minivan. We will stop at Caribou Crossing to see puppies. For $8.50 you can see the wildlife museum, petting zoo and puppies. Much cheaper than any other option I've found. If DD really wants to do the dog cart ride, I might splurge for it just for her and me. I don't think any of the boys want to do it.

 

In Ketchikan, we still plan to go to Totem Bight and Potlatch parks via city bus. I could still use some help figuring out the map/schedule, but if I can't figure it out before we go, I will just get off the ship and ask a local for help. I'm just one of those people who likes to know exactly what I'm doing in advance. :o

[Texasopa]

I thought about that. He's in the process of getting his first driver's licence, so maybe he could get the enhanced. I haven't looked into it enough to know what it entails. If he were my child, I'd be pushing for that option. As it is, there are family and finance issues that I cannot control. I may end up paying for his driving test just so he gets his license on time as it is. :eek:

 

 

Your a very nice Mom, and he is lucky to have you son as his BFF.:)

[sherryf]

Your a very nice Mom, and he is lucky to have you son as his BFF.:)

 

Thanks. He's been friends with my son for so long that he's practically part of the family. It will be fun having him on this trip so we are doing what we can to make it work.

[peacelovemickey]

In Ketchikan, we still plan to go to Totem Bight and Potlatch parks via city bus. I could still use some help figuring out the map/schedule, but if I can't figure it out before we go, I will just get off the ship and ask a local for help. I'm just one of those people who likes to know exactly what I'm doing in advance. :o

 

I would love to know this also....

[smallfish]

As far as I know, they are still running their winter season schedule. Check its web site again before you go ( http://www.kgbak.us ). There is a bus stop at the corner of front st. near the eagal totem at berth 3. It is the last bus before the tunnel. Have a fun trip : )

[ladyaero]

Hello! Sorry to go off topic here, but not sure how to send a message directly to the OP. I see that you have sailed with your kids (teens) a number of times and I was hoping to pick your brain (I looked to see if you had a "with kids" trip report, but didn't find one- please let me know if I missed it!). I am sailing with my DS (15 yo next summer) on the Grand Princess SF to AK in July. He has cruised a couple of times in the past (3 & 4 days on Carnival to Ensenada) and has happily participated in the kids activities, but I have heard some folks say that Princess is less teen friendly. Wondering if you found that to be true? Any tip/suggestions/reviews/insights about cruising to AK (onboard or in port) with a teen would be appreciated! We're going to go whale watching in Juneau, but that's all we have confirmed so far. Thank you for your time!!