Alaska Port excursions "on the cheap"

[LissaSue2]

You have already cancelled your flight seeing excursion that you had booked and now are searching for other excursions. Maybe you should sit down and make a list of things you would like to do, then do a cost benefit analysis. Spending $$$ on an excursion doesn't mean that someone is drowning in money, it just means that their priority is to spend their $$ on an experience, rather than in the casino or on trinkets.

 

 

This thread was started way before we booked the flight seeing tour, or even thought about booking it. So I'm not quite sure why you are giving me grief about it here? For the record...AGAIN...I don't buy trinkets. Gah!!! My intention in saving money was NOT to buy a bunch of crap, but to not go in debt over something we may not love. Oh, and we do not gamble, so playing at the casino is not even on our "fun" radar (good grief, a lot of assumptions) [emoji15][emoji4]

 

Anyhow, we did cancel the flight seeing after we thought about it and decided it's not our thing. If it WAS our thing the money wouldn't have played so heavily into the equation. But when you're booking something that EVERYONE says is a must-do and you're personally not super excited about it, then it feels like WAY too much money...and quite frankly $500 for 2 hours of enjoyment IS a lot of money to us. When we really sat down and discussed why we weren't excited, it all became clear that it just doesn't fit our personalities and we decided to cancel. It's all in the other thread.

 

For the record, as a fairly new cruiser (have only been on two short 3-day Ensenada cruises MANY years ago...probably around 15 yrs) and never to Alaska, we have had to make a lot of decisions. I'm sorry if the working through of those decisions has been offensive. But I thought that's what message boards like this were for, and of course one can very easily just not read a thread or participate if one does not want too. [emoji6]

 

I do thank all of you for you help though!!! We have peace in our current decisions and look forward to our upcoming trip next month! [emoji7]

[dijid]

I do thank all of you for you help though!!! We have peace in our current decisions and look forward to our upcoming trip next month! [emoji7]

 

That you are at peace with your decision says it all. I wish you the best for your cruise.

[grancayman]

Hi,

I did Harv and Marv and it was fabulous!!! 5 total people on the boat!

We saw eagles, seals, and 15 whales including a double breach. It was worth the money! Afterwards they take you to Mendenhall for 15 mins too walk around and then back to shopping or the boat. Two of our party elected to stay at Mendenhall longer, there is a shuttle that goes back. It doesn't get dark there til late!

In Ketchikan, we hired KetchikanTaxiCab Tours. It's owned by Dave and his wife. You hire by the hour which is 75.00 and you can share that with up to 4 other people. You pick how long! He is fabulous and has a load of information and great stories! We saw a bunch of eagles, salmon, rainforest,

totem poles and more. It was a really great, although short day.

Hope this helps!

[Budget Queen]

Two of our party elected to stay at Mendenhall longer, there is a shuttle that goes back. It doesn't get dark there til late!

 

This is far from factual with the poster going next month. Second week of Sept. it is dark by 7pm. With being at Mendenhall late- a very poor choice.

[watchdiva]

LissaSue2, you have seriously misinterpreted my post. Nowhere did I say that you were going to spend your money in the casinos buying "stuff". I suggested that you decide what matters to you and then proceed accordingly. I had read your other post in the Alaska Forum as well. I am sorry that you perceived that I was giving you grief...I thought I was being helpful by posting the cost benefit analysis suggestion which is how DH and I decided what excursions we would book for our 2016 Alaska cruise. Again, intent is not always clear on a message forum.

[LissaSue2]

LissaSue2, you have seriously misinterpreted my post. Nowhere did I say that you were going to spend your money in the casinos buying "stuff". I suggested that you decide what matters to you and then proceed accordingly. I had read your other post in the Alaska Forum as well. I am sorry that you perceived that I was giving you grief...I thought I was being helpful by posting the cost benefit analysis suggestion which is how DH and I decided what excursions we would book for our 2016 Alaska cruise. Again, intent is not always clear on a message forum.

 

 

You are right, I am sorry. It was seeing another off-handed reference to buying trinkets or spending in the casino instead of [beautiful once in a lifetime] excursions that was exasperating to me. I know that's not what you said, but you unfortunately got the brunt of my exasperation. It wasn't personal. [emoji6]

 

I recall questioning in that thread if I'd rather spend $500 on a 2 hr flight or instead have that money as basically a cushion should we want to do something extra on the ship (for example: take an exercise class, play bingo [emoji13], buy a lovely fancy hot chocolate or special coffee, etc) or to feel free to grab crab legs in port, or even buy something I might see like perhaps a fleece...who knows! Having never been, I don't know what's there! But I never ever said I wanted trinkets or to have money for the casino, yet that kept being thrown at me like it's my grandest desire. [emoji15]lol!!!

 

Anyhow, I had thought I'd put that all to rest in the other thread. I'm sorry if I sounded snippy. My DH and I actually did do what you had suggested, which is one of the reasons we cancelled the float plane. It was not something we truly desired to do, and thereby not worth the cost to us. [emoji6]

[watchdiva]

It's all good LissaSue2.....when we did our analysis we opted to do the floatplane LOL! This is a huge celebratory bucket list trip for us and knowing that we likely will not get to Alaska again we didn't want to miss out on what promises to be a once in our lifetime experience! :)

[littlelulu01]

In Skagway we did a hike that cost zero. You can go online and look up different hiking options and get directions. We hiked right off the ship up to a beautiful mountain lake, I think upper Dewey lake, and then afterward to the graveyard in town. I am not in great shape but was able to kind of keep up with my very fit group. Incredible views and so pretty!!

 

We splurged in Ketchikan with a combo kayak and float plane. It was $300 per person but included a kayak tour, pick up after lunch by the float plane and then tour Misty Fjords on the plane with a lake landing. One of life's high points.

 

If you go to the national parks website they have several hikes in each port and offer maps and trails one can use for free excursions. They also rate the hikes difficulty and you can look up reviews and pictures on trip advisor.

 

BTW we loved the Pearl and this cruise. So much that I did it twice in one season.

Edited August 10, 2015 by littlelulu01

[DaisyGoldberg]

We really enjoyed the Bering Sea Fisherman tour, but that's because we're Deadliest Catch fans (non-fan enjoyed it as a pleasant boat ride).

 

It's super tame geography, though (a calm river, lovely forests, bald eagles). So compared to truly active adventures, it's mellow, and the scenery is not particularly majestic.

 

Which isn't to knock it at all -- the guys were really personable, it was cool to be on a boat I'd seen take such a colossal wave, etc. etc. We loved it and it met our high expectations for what we wanted from it.

 

But when determining value, it might be skip-able for non fans.

Edited August 10, 2015 by DaisyGoldberg

[Budget Queen]

In Skagway we did a hike that cost zero. You can go online and look up different hiking options and get directions. We hiked right off the ship up to a beautiful mountain lake, I think upper Dewey lake, and then afterward to the graveyard in town. I am not in great shape but was able to kind of keep up with my very fit group. Incredible views and so pretty!!

 

Likely Lower Dewey Lake Trail, since you also did 3 miles round trip to the Gold Rush Cemetery- and Lower Ried Falls? Upper Dewey Lake trail, takes most of a day.

 

Trailhead is clearly marked, on the east side of the city, next to Spring, between 3rd and 4th, crossing the RR tracks

[GORDONCHICK]

Ketchikan can be done on the cheap easily. We've booked the DUCK tour independently and it's fun. You get history, a tour on land and water, and some fun. You can also take a city bus out to Totem Bight &/or walk to Creek Street.

 

We've always enjoyed the whale watching out of Juneau (3 times) and this year, my son had the most fun of his trips because we "chased" a pod of orcas for about 45 minutes. You will see whales, but as BQ said, you may not see bubble feeding or breaching. I've never been fortunate enough to see the bubble feeding but have loved every trip. However, if that's not something exciting to you, then it is a lot of money for something you may or may not enjoy. Mendenhall is beautiful, but since I can't hike anymore, 15 minutes is perfectly fine for a stop there for us.

[littlelulu01]

Likely Lower Dewey Lake Trail, since you also did 3 miles round trip to the Gold Rush Cemetery- and Lower Ried Falls? Upper Dewey Lake trail, takes most of a day.

 

Trailhead is clearly marked, on the east side of the city, next to Spring, between 3rd and 4th, crossing the RR tracks

 

Yes you are right. Lower Dewey Lake trail that starts right by the ship. After Lower Dewey Lake we continued onward and upward and it did get more difficult but up to this point it was doable and if you were with a group that was not as fit it can still be done if you just take it slower.

 

My group was triathletes and people who work out every day for a couple hours. One of the activities staff took us on the hike on his free time and also arranged for us to meet another mom and college age daughter. She and my daughter remain in contact and became quick friends. I was the only one in the group who was not in the kind of shape to be running up the mountain.

 

Gold rush cemetery and lower Reid Falls was a flat walk on paved streets until we reached it. Not necessarily a pretty walk to get to but very pretty once there. Not as remote either but still worth the walk.

 

Fill large water bottles for the lower Dewey Lake hike. I drank all of mine and ended up drinking DD's too.

 

I thought the best part of an Alaska cruise is the fact that hikes like this are free and easily accessible/walking distance from ship. It's just amazing that thousands of people can pull into a port and within a few minutes you can be out in nature with not a soul around. Then at the end of the day you get back on board for a wonderful meal and some good entertainment, a nice clean bed and perhaps some spa time.

 

Made such an impression on DD that she's currently doing a research project for the summer up there. She is off the grid and hours from the nearest town of 200 but having a blast. I'll stick with an Alaska cruise instead.

[cruiser64093]

We had two days in Skagway, kicking off the land portion of our Alaskan cruise. One one day, we did zip-lining at grizzly falls, which was fantastic. On the second day, we went hiking to Lower Dewey Lake, which is just East of Skagway. The scenery was breathtaking. Fair warning, the hike up to the lake is a little steep. :eek: We also hiked across the footbridge and out to Yakutania Point. This second hike was relatively flat, and once again, breathtaking. The best part of both these hikes, other than costing nothing but time, was getting away from all the crowds. We got sandwiches and drinks at the local supermarket and had a wonderful time.

 

pics of hikes attached.

[Peachypooh]

Here is what we did and I think we got to see and do most everything we wanted to for very little money. We saw tons of whales from the balcony of our cabin on more than one occasion. I am sure those on the public decks did too. As for an aerial tour, in Ketchikan there is a Tongass Rain Forest Museum that has an Imax type big screen (not IMAX but close) that showed a film of an aerial flight over the area. This was included in the museum admission that was aprox. $5-$10.

Not the same as being in a plane but very realistic and we were happy. In Juneau we rented a car and drove to the Mendenhall Glacier. On the way back to the ship we drove over to Douglass island and had pizza the Island Pub to get an idea of what it is like to live there as that was what we wanted to see. In Victoria we walked downtown and then went to the Empress Hotel for a cocktail. We had a great time and spent relatively little money on excursions. Have fun.

[punkincc]

My husband and I will be traveling to Alaska on the Pearl, Sept 6 2015 and so far we are feeling paralyzed regarding excursion choices. We've made one choice so far and that is the Chilkoot Yukon Rail and Bus tour out of Skagway. It is booked and paid for. Due to our port arrival time of 2pm in Juneau we are torn on whether we want to pay for a whale watching tour with a brief 15 min curtesy stop at the Mendenhal Glacier with Harv and Marv which would take from 2:30-7:00pm leaving very little daylight time for any other sight seeing, or just forgo the whale watching and take a bus to the glacier and spend as much time there as we'd like (We enjoy trail hiking, etc.,) then back to Juneau for dinner, etc. But are we going to be kicking our selfs if we don't see whale tails, or the bubble feeding that everyone finds so exciting? I think it would be cool to see, but is it honestly $370 cool? I mean I've been to Sea World so I've seen a whale up close and personal. Haha! Is better than the the $8 bus fair to the glacier? Soon torn.

 

The same with Ketchikan. We arrive at 6am and leave at 1:30pm. Most tours are 3-5 hrs and cost a lot, and what we looked into start around 8:30 and end at 12:30. Again, leaving very little time to explore. But are we going to be kicking ourselves if we don't do the Bering Sea Fishermans tour, the Kodiak boating or the kayaking?? All sound fun, all are pricy, all take up a lot of time. :(

 

I guess what I'm wanting from you all is a little perspective, a little advice. We may never get to Alaska again, so I feel it's important to SEE Alaska and can't help but wonder if it's wise to spend all our time (and money) at each port doing just one big thing. Does that make sense? Probably not. Haha! Help?? :confused:

 

 

You made an excellent choice with the Chilkoot bus and rail. This is actually a small group on a passenger van and we loved the road portion. The scenery and stops are all fantastic. The driver was very knowledgable and engaging. I was disappointed in the White Pass rail portion by comparison. The views are very lackluster compared to what we saw via the road. If I had it to do over, I'd skip the rail and do the return by road with Chilkoot as well. The lunch stop had a museum and the sled dogs and puppies.

 

In Jumeau we decided to do our one blockbuster tour of the trip to see something of the real wilderness. ( We saw tons of whales in Hawaii for next to nothing ). We booked the 5 Glacier Floatplane and Taku Lodge Tour ( Wings Airways) through the ship. You can google their website. Take the longer tour which includes the lodge and meal ). They grill the salmon while you wander the grounds. The meal of chicken or salmon and sides was the best meal we had on this cruise. The view of those glaciers and wilderness from the air cannot be described. And that water landing on a river next to the lodge was pretty thrilling. The fact that an actual glacier was on the opposite side of the small river made the scene pretty surreal.

 

I would recommend you do one "big" tour in Alaska to see the real thing. We saved money in the other ports. In Ketchikan, Creek Street with its elevated boardwalks and shops along the river was pretty colorful and I felt like I was experiencing nature in the middle of town. It should be really something when the salmon are running.

[Aquahound]

(We enjoy trail hiking, etc.,)

 

On my first Alaska cruise, we went all out and paid for expensive excursions and private tours. On our second Alaska cruise, we did it totally different. We researched the best hikes for each port. Both of those cruises were memorable and we had a fantastic time doing both.

 

If you want to stay on the cheap, get out onto the trails. Alaska hikes are amazing.

[LissaSue2]

You made an excellent choice with the Chilkoot bus and rail. This is actually a small group on a passenger van and we loved the road portion. The scenery and stops are all fantastic. The driver was very knowledgable and engaging. I was disappointed in the White Pass rail portion by comparison. The views are very lackluster compared to what we saw via the road. If I had it to do over, I'd skip the rail and do the return by road with Chilkoot as well. The lunch stop had a museum and the sled dogs and puppies.

 

 

 

In Jumeau we decided to do our one blockbuster tour of the trip to see something of the real wilderness. ( We saw tons of whales in Hawaii for next to nothing ). We booked the 5 Glacier Floatplane and Taku Lodge Tour ( Wings Airways) through the ship. You can google their website. Take the longer tour which includes the lodge and meal ). They grill the salmon while you wander the grounds. The meal of chicken or salmon and sides was the best meal we had on this cruise. The view of those glaciers and wilderness from the air cannot be described. And that water landing on a river next to the lodge was pretty thrilling. The fact that an actual glacier was on the opposite side of the small river made the scene pretty surreal.

 

 

Yes, I had heard that the train can actually be rather boring to some. but it's the ONE thing that my DH wanted to do so we felt the Chilkoot train AND bus tour was a good compromise. We'd heard nothing but good things so that was a definite choice for us.

 

I've looked into the Taku Lodge excursion. It's looks truly lovely. We cancelled a float plane excursion to Tracey Fjord due to not being excited enough about it to warrant the cost, but the Taku one sounds a bit more like us. The problem is the time period that we are in Juneau. 2pm-10pm...with it getting dark around 8pm. That really limits what we can fit in. If we did the Taku excursion that would pretty much take up most of our daylight in Juneau. [emoji17]

[hawk1972]

We have been to Alaska once, in August 2009, on Princess. It was the 7-day roundtrip from Seattle to Seattle, with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Victoria, BC.

 

We did things fairly cheaply but had a very good time. In Kethchikan, we just did our own walking tour around the town. We enjoyed watching the salmon spawn.

 

In Juneau, we took the blue bus to Mendenhall Glacier and took a short hike and saw bears. In fact, my wife had rather a close call with one because the streams were so full of fish.

 

In Skagway, we rented a car (split the cost with a couple we met on the ship) and drove up to the Yukon. I bought a copy of Murray's mile-by-mile guide to the South Klondike Highway. We did this rather than the train so we could go at our own pace.

 

If we go back, I will probably ride the train just for the experience.

 

In Victoria, we took a ship tour to Butchart Gardens. I had been there before but my wife hadn't. It's definitely worth seeing.

Edited August 12, 2015 by hawk1972