Excursion Reservation Regret?

[Genessa]

Haha! No flames from me Budget Queen. [emoji6]

 

To be honest, this is the most expensive vacation my dh and I have ever booked. It is our 30th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something special...as we didn't have the funds for anything but short weekend trips up until now. Going on this cruise is a big deal for us, and proving to be a LOT of money with airfare, the extra expenses on the cruise (DSC, etc) and then excursions. It's all a little overwhelming. We are not poor, but $500 is a lot of money to spend, and to spend it in 2 hours has my very frugal mind having second thoughts. [emoji6]

 

So many who post on these boards have the funds to stay in Haven or big suites, etc so I often feel like maybe spending

$500 is chump change to them. Meaning they are flush and can do whatever excursion they want with no regrets or worry. I am just too money conscience from always having too little of it, so yes, it's driving me a little bonkers to spend so much on a vacation. Haha! Do I want to take the float plane? Yes, otherwise we wouldn't have booked it. But when it's over and done am I going to regret it and wish I had that $500 back?? There in lies my main dilemma.

 

DH and I are still kicking it around and have not decided yet. We are both so very easily pleased and can enjoy life's simple things, so we can't help but question if we wouldn't be just as happy skipping the excursion and doing our own thing in Ketchikan thereby saving ourselves some money.

 

And yes, I know no one can recommend or tell us what to do, but I know we can't be the only people to work through this thought process...so I was hoping to hear how others thought it through.

 

Now not only do I understand where you are coming from, but I had to make similar decisions. I don't like spending money for the sake of spending money. If I go to the casino, I don't enjoy spending more than $20 a night, 'cos the thought of wasting that money keeps me from enjoying the gambling. I often tell people that if I won the lottery, I would keep my car and keep my house. I'm not cheap, I just want my purchases to be meaningful.

 

But, I just came back from Alaska with my granddaughter and I wanted to make it a special trip for her. I knew the excursions wouldn't be cheap (I had been to Alaska in 2003) but didn't realize just how much it was going to be. The excursions cost way more than the cruise (interior cabin, discounted price from great travel agent) and airfare combined.

We did rock climbing, zip lining, whale watching, halibut fishing, and the huge one - helicopter to dog sledding on glacier. They were ALL worth the money! I enjoyed each and every one and the look on her face is worth the bills that are going to take a bit to pay off. We had an experience together that neither one of us will ever forget.

 

The only float plane trip I ever took was when my helicopter to dog sledding in 2003 was cancelled and we were offered a floatplane trip as an alternate. It was good, and I don't regret going, but I was so disappointed to not be landing on a glacier and not going dog sledding that I didn't appreciate it that much. So, I can't speak about the specific worth of the excursion you're considering, only that I don't regret having spent the money on any of the excursions I've taken in Alaska.

[HLGW60]

This is so subjective. When we went to Alaska 5 years ago' date=' we didn't know if we would ever have an opportunity to return so we booked a flight over the summit of Mt. McKinley and are so glad we did. It was really the absolute highlight of the trip for my husband. We've never done a float plane to one of the glaciers, but you really have to decide just what is going to make this a special trip for you. For us, there were so many wonderful experiences in Alaska. You just can't go wrong, no matter what you choose. We didn't spend money on souvenirs, we wanted to spend our money on experiences.[/quote']

 

 

We did the same thing with a flight out of Talkeetna. It was simply awesome flying around Mt. McKinley! However......we were doing a land tour of Alaska. We flew into Anchorage and rented a car. When you have several days in one area, then it is easy to reschedule to another time or date if there is bad weather. The weather can be so unpredictable. We are doing our first Alaskan cruise in September and I considered both the Misty Fjords and the Tracy Arm excursions. I then remembered that I was paying quite a bit of money for a tour that could not be rescheduled in case of bad weather. We once did a Glacier Tour out of Whittier and it was so foggy that you could hardly see anything. I know I am talking in circles now. My point is that you should realize that you are taking a gamble when you book these expensive tours and that the weather is a major factor when deciding if it was a good investment or not.

Edited August 4, 2015 by HLGW60

[ericosmith]

Personally I found Ketchikan to be a rather boring town unless you like junk shops. Even Creek Street wasn't that interesting, just more junk shops along the river. The float plane tour with Island Wings was a wonderful excursion and it would have been a big disappointment had we done nothing but wander around the town.

[ronandannette]

Have any of you looked for excursions on the pier? Being as we're not really heart-set on any given thing, we're thinking of just "winging it". I'd like at least a little feedback from somebody who's actually tried it. We're particularly wondering about whale watching in Juneau or Icy Strait and bear-spotting in Ketchikan. TIA for any information.

[nmeola]

You might think me crazy but we are spending $2200 of two flights and dog sledding. We decided 5 tears ago we wanted to do Alaska and see the many sights by air. Well all change and every $5.00 bill we got over the years has given us the money to go next year in June, all paid for and its not like taking saving as we just saved as I said above. By the way, we are both in our mid seventies and everyone tells us we are crazy.

[LissaSue2]

Personally I found Ketchikan to be a rather boring town unless you like junk shops. Even Creek Street wasn't that interesting, just more junk shops along the river. The float plane tour with Island Wings was a wonderful excursion and it would have been a big disappointment had we done nothing but wander around the town.

 

That's helpful to hear!! Having never been to Ketchikan it helps to hear a normal unglowing review of it. I often find people on message boards are either too positive about something, or too negative. I would hate to cancel our flight and then find that there's really nothing exciting to see in Ketchikan...and I do not like junk, nor "trinkets" of any kind which people keep alluding to my wanting to buy.

Edited August 4, 2015 by LissaSue2

[LissaSue2]

You might think me crazy but we are spending $2200 of two flights and dog sledding. We decided 5 tears ago we wanted to do Alaska and see the many sights by air. Well all change and every $5.00 bill we got over the years has given us the money to go next year in June, all paid for and its not like taking saving as we just saved as I said above. By the way, we are both in our mid seventies and everyone tells us we are crazy.

 

Not crazy at all!! You planned for it and saved for it. I'd say that's wise stewardship of your money. Plus, when you've been blessed with 70+ years of life I think you should get to do whatever the heck you wanna do! 😉😊

[LissaSue2]

Now not only do I understand where you are coming from, but I had to make similar decisions. I don't like spending money for the sake of spending money. If I go to the casino, I don't enjoy spending more than $20 a night, 'cos the thought of wasting that money keeps me from enjoying the gambling. I often tell people that if I won the lottery, I would keep my car and keep my house. I'm not cheap, I just want my purchases to be meaningful.

 

 

 

But, I just came back from Alaska with my granddaughter and I wanted to make it a special trip for her. I knew the excursions wouldn't be cheap (I had been to Alaska in 2003) but didn't realize just how much it was going to be. The excursions cost way more than the cruise (interior cabin, discounted price from great travel agent) and airfare combined.

 

We did rock climbing, zip lining, whale watching, halibut fishing, and the huge one - helicopter to dog sledding on glacier. They were ALL worth the money! I enjoyed each and every one and the look on her face is worth the bills that are going to take a bit to pay off. We had an experience together that neither one of us will ever forget.

 

 

 

The only float plane trip I ever took was when my helicopter to dog sledding in 2003 was cancelled and we were offered a floatplane trip as an alternate. It was good, and I don't regret going, but I was so disappointed to not be landing on a glacier and not going dog sledding that I didn't appreciate it that much. So, I can't speak about the specific worth of the excursion you're considering, only that I don't regret having spent the money on any of the excursions I've taken in Alaska.

 

 

Yes, I'm not one to gamble...throwing my money away does not even remotely appeal to me. lol We even live only a few hours from Las Vegas and I couldn't possibly care less. But if I did like it, I would be the same way and would allot a certain amount per day.

 

BUT if I were taking a grandchild on a cruise you can bet I'd make it a vacation to remember and money would not be an issue. We do not have grandchildren...yet...but we will most definitely spoil them rotten when we do.

 

Having said that though, DH and I do not spend a lot on ourselves and, like I mentioned earlier, we enjoy simple things. If either one of us were SUPER jazzed about the float plane excursion, the other would be totally on board with it. It's the fact that neither of us are sure we even really care that much about it that has us wondering if we should cancel and spend the money elsewhere. Do we want to go on the flight? Sure, why not! It might be fun. Is it a super exciting can't wait to do it kinda thing for us? Nope. Kinda sad huh? lol

[Genessa]

Yes, I'm not one to gamble...throwing my money away does not even remotely appeal to me. lol We even live only a few hours from Las Vegas and I couldn't possibly care less. But if I did like it, I would be the same way and would allot a certain amount per day.

 

BUT if I were taking a grandchild on a cruise you can bet I'd make it a vacation to remember and money would not be an issue. We do not have grandchildren...yet...but we will most definitely spoil them rotten when we do.

 

Having said that though, DH and I do not spend a lot on ourselves and, like I mentioned earlier, we enjoy simple things. If either one of us were SUPER jazzed about the float plane excursion, the other would be totally on board with it. It's the fact that neither of us are sure we even really care that much about it that has us wondering if we should cancel and spend the money elsewhere. Do we want to go on the flight? Sure, why not! It might be fun. Is it a super exciting can't wait to do it kinda thing for us? Nope. Kinda sad huh? lol

 

no, not sad. When you think about the number of cruise ship passengers there are and the number who actually do any kind of flights, most people opt not to do one. If I could have gone dog sledding on a glacier without a helicopter ride, that would have been my choice, although THAT helicopter ride was amazing.

 

But the float plane ride is a lot of money for something you're not super jazzed about.

[LissaSue2]

But the float plane ride is a lot of money for something you're not super jazzed about.

 

 

Exactly!! We originally chose a Kayaking excursion. Being out in the open air and nature is very appealing to both of us, but fear of rain in Ketchikan put a damper on that. So we moved to a float plane excursion since they came so highly rated. Being cooped up in a plane is not as appealing though, I get a lil claustrophobic. Yes, the sights to see are probably fantastically beautiful, but I want to be IN it, not watching it from a window. I could just watch YouTube videos for that view. Hmmm...the more I talk and think this out the more I realize why I'm not so thrilled with our float plane reservation. [emoji6]

 

Perhaps we should rethink kayaking...

[Newflover]

We just returned yesterday and did the Misty Fjords flight with Michelle of Island Wings. It was a highlight of our trip! I am still sorting photos, but will hopefully post in the next couple of days.

 

I do know what you mean about the money. We aren't rich by any means. We usually take Inside cabins, and only had a balcony this time because I caught a price drop that made it only a couple hundred (per person) more than an inside, instead of twice as much. We usually do one "splurge" excursion on each trip. Last year, when we took my 3 kids + 1 best friend, I spent nearly $1000 to take everyone whale watching with a stop at Mendenhall. We had great success, with many whales bubble net feeding, and it was well worth the expense.

 

I can't tell you what you should do, but I can say that I do not regret doing the Misty Fjords flight or the money spent. I did not buy a single souvenir for myself, but the experience of that flight makes up for any trinkets.

 

Just returned as well, and spent $800 for 5 of us to go on a whale watch with Harv and Marv. While the experience was not the fault of Harv and Marv, it was an incredible disappointment. The whales were extremely inactive, and while we did spot a couple, we basically saw their backs, and maybe a little bit of tail. They did nothing. The guide even apologized at the end. Since at my age, I do not think I have another Alaskan cruise in me, the offer of a break on the next whale watch did not help me. I am not trying to say don't go on an excursion, I am just saying it may not turn out to be everything you expected. Also, I enjoyed walking around the towns, but the souvenirs were mostly made in China, so I didn't bother. I also wouldn't set money aside to eat in port. My experience was that there was so much food on the ship, I didn't want to eat while in port. Also, the restaurants are extremely crowded. My advice would be to go on the excursion because if it turns out well, it could be the experience of a lifetime. It is a gamble with decent odds it will turn out OK. You will remember that long after you would have remembered the taste of crab legs. Just my opinion!

[Budget Queen]

That's helpful to hear!! Having never been to Ketchikan it helps to hear a normal unglowing review of it. �� I often find people on message boards are either too positive about something, or too negative. I would hate to cancel our flight and then find that there's really nothing exciting to see in Ketchikan...and I do not like junk, nor "trinkets" of any kind which people keep alluding to my wanting to buy. ��

 

This poster missed a load of options. Sorry but I disagree. Many people don't find this port "boring" because they are prepared and know what sights could be of interest for them.

 

They only mention "junk shops", so it sounds like they merely walked up Mission, looped over Creek St. and walked out.

 

I highly recommend Totem Bight, Public Lands Discovery Center, taking the Fox Lodge Funicular - a look at the totems out back, walking down the historic Married Man's trail, Totem Heritage Museum, Ketchikan Museum, Deer Mt Trail, walking along the marina, at low tide with sea life viewing, salmon ladder if running. PLUS a whole lot more. ALL of this list- with the exception of Totem Bight is WALKABLE in port.

 

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com

[Budget Queen]

Exactly!! We originally chose a Kayaking excursion. Being out in the open air and nature is very appealing to both of us, but fear of rain in Ketchikan put a damper on that. So we moved to a float plane excursion since they came so highly rated. Being cooped up in a plane is not as appealing though, I get a lil claustrophobic. Yes, the sights to see are probably fantastically beautiful, but I want to be IN it, not watching it from a window. I could just watch YouTube videos for that view. Hmmm...the more I talk and think this out the more I realize why I'm not so thrilled with our float plane reservation. [emoji6]

 

Perhaps we should rethink kayaking...

 

You have a lot of reasons, why the float plane may not be a good option for you. It IS very tight fitting, and there is NO WAY out. I've flown too many times with people who never should have gone to begin with. Always- they were "convinced". Sorry, something I never will do. I find too many people, jumping into booking tours, without looking at all the options.

 

IF you want to kayak, then do so. It is spectacular. I suggest- with your weather- preference- get off your ship, as soon as it clears, and head to the visitor center, and see if you can book any kayaking, walk up. I would also suggest, you have Southeast Kayaks phone number and call from the ship. You have a good chance of picking something up. Have alternative plans in place before you go, know details about what is available, and where to go. Time is already short in port.

[Budget Queen]

Have any of you looked for excursions on the pier? Being as we're not really heart-set on any given thing, we're thinking of just "winging it". I'd like at least a little feedback from somebody who's actually tried it. We're particularly wondering about whale watching in Juneau or Icy Strait and bear-spotting in Ketchikan. TIA for any information.

 

Yes excursions are available in port. But Hoonah- at the tender dock are going to be the SAME tours and prices as the ship excursions, since this is a cruise contracted site. IF you want an independent whale watch here, you are going to have to try and make some calls when you get there.

 

In Ketchikan- what "bear spotting"?? IF you are only looking for- by ground- you have a very low chance of being successful. the fly ins- are going to be heavily booked, and if you need more than a single seat- more difficult. IF you want the chance- then you need to be in line, and ready to go, before you ship even clears, and head right to the kiosks for availability.

 

You've at least done some homework and know what is available. With your preferences, it would be imperative you have early starts to arrange any tours, by phone as soon as you have service, and getting off the ship as soon as it clears.

[Barwick Cruiser]

Yes excursions are available in port. But Hoonah- at the tender dock are going to be the SAME tours and prices as the ship excursions, since this is a cruise contracted site. IF you want an independent whale watch here, you are going to have to try and make some calls when you get there.

 

I have a question about this..we sail Solstice next month and I prebooked a whale watch in ISP with Glacier Winds. They don't do ship excursions and the price I'm paying is much cheaper than any whale watch excursions that Celebrity is offering as well as being only with 6 persons on their boat as opposed to the ships tour which would have many more. Just want the poster to know there are other options besides ships tours or waiting to arrive at the Hoonah port.

[varoo]

Exactly!! We originally chose a Kayaking excursion. Being out in the open air and nature is very appealing to both of us, but fear of rain in Ketchikan put a damper on that. So we moved to a float plane excursion since they came so highly rated. Being cooped up in a plane is not as appealing though, I get a lil claustrophobic. Yes, the sights to see are probably fantastically beautiful, but I want to be IN it, not watching it from a window. I could just watch YouTube videos for that view. Hmmm...the more I talk and think this out the more I realize why I'm not so thrilled with our float plane reservation......

Just to toss out another possibility:

 

If you want to see Misty Fjords without being tightly cooped up in a plane, you might consider a boat ride through Misty Fjords instead.

That would give you room to move around out on an open deck and would cost less than a float plane trip.

 

Here is a link to reviews on Tripadvisor

 

Allen Marine Misty Fjord Tour - Day Tour (Ketchikan, AK)

 

[Budget Queen]

Just to toss out another possibility:

 

If you want to see Misty Fjords without being tightly cooped up in a plane, you might consider a boat ride through Misty Fjords instead.

That would give you room to move around out on an open deck and would cost less than a float plane trip.

 

Here is a link to reviews on Tripadvisor

 

Allen Marine Misty Fjord Tour - Day Tour (Ketchikan, AK)

 

This boat tour, barely gets into the fiords, and does do a portion of the same cruise ship transit. Superior are the combo tours where you fly one way.

[Alaskanb]

We have decided to do the 3 hr walk / totem visit with Wild Wolf Tours http://www.wildwolftours.com

We decided that we would better enjoy being on land than in the skies.

[LissaSue2]

DH and I went to lunch today and discussed our Misty Fjords excursion. We are going to cancel it. We enjoy getting out and doing, as opposed to sitting and watching.

 

Some of our favorite close to home things we enjoy are taking our bikes to Ventura Beach and riding them up and down the beach trails. Going to Mammoth Mountain with them and riding them along the mountain bike path that goes for miles. We enjoy hiking anywhere and everywhere. Camping. Outdoor things. One of our favorite weekend trips was going to a local lake and kayaking around it...looking at basically nothing! Ha! But it was the highlight of our weekend. So, though we have done sitting and observing activities, what we truly enjoy is getting out in nature and moving our bodies, stimulating several senses all at the same time. [emoji4]

 

So, though I am SURE the float plane excursion is wonderful, we've decided to do only things that WE are excited about.

 

So, having said that...

 

Tell me your favorite kayaking excursion. Inquiring minds and all that. [emoji6]

Edited August 5, 2015 by LissaSue2

[BitburgBoy]

We throughly enjoyed our Helicopter flight and landing on a glacier in Denali.It was the Highlight of our trip! Also, we did a bus to a crab meal,mmmm mmm ,and the floatplane back to the ship,HAL.

[yknot13]

Our situation is a little different, but I sure do feel your pain. We cancelled our "BIG" 20th Anniversary trip to Europe with a Med cruise because we simply weren't comfortable once the costs ticked into 5 figures. We made a very poor, knee-jerk decision to book Alaska because the deposit we'd already paid on the "good" trip more than covered the cruise fare and flights for our upcoming Alaska Southbound. What we failed to realize was how ridiculously costly the excursions were going to be, made even more gut-wrenching by the woeful state of our CDN currency.

 

We could easily be spending $1,000/day on the better excursions, which would quickly negate any savings on this trip compared to the one we really wanted to take. :( Coupled with the fact that we already live in an environment relatively similar to Alaska and much of it holds no great allure, we're really having to keep our wits about us while booking excursions. We've practically eliminated flight-seeing as an option in any port unless we can find something that strikes us as a very good value on offer at the pier. We're not counting on it.

 

This may end up being our CTN, during which we may spend a LOT of time on-board; buy a drink package, get spa treatments and take quite a few naps. We'll enjoy our time together and celebrate our anniversary regardless but as cruises go, this one is likely to be very different for us. I wish you well and hope you have a great trip, whatever you decide!

 

Spa Treatments on a cruise ship.....Now that is something I could never justify.

[sherryf]

DH and I went to lunch today and discussed our Misty Fjords excursion. We are going to cancel it. We enjoy getting out and doing, as opposed to sitting and watching.

 

Some of our favorite close to home things we enjoy are taking our bikes to Ventura Beach and riding them up and down the beach trails. Going to Mammoth Mountain with them and riding them along the mountain bike path that goes for miles. We enjoy hiking anywhere and everywhere. Camping. Outdoor things. One of our favorite weekend trips was going to a local lake and kayaking around it...looking at basically nothing! Ha! But it was the highlight of our weekend. So, though we have done sitting and observing activities, what we truly enjoy is getting out in nature and moving our bodies, stimulating several senses all at the same time. [emoji4]

 

So, though I am SURE the float plane excursion is wonderful, we've decided to do only things that WE are excited about.

 

So, having said that...

 

Tell me your favorite kayaking excursion. Inquiring minds and all that. [emoji6]

 

Sorry I can't help you with kayaking, but another option you might consider in Ketchikan is snorkeling. You sound like the type of people who would enjoy it. Check your excursion list for it, or try Googling "snorkel Ketchikan' and I'm sure you'll find the vendor.

 

I agree that you shouldn't spend a lot of money on things you don't really want to do, but you should find something that you DO want to do and spend the money for it without regrets!

[LissaSue2]

Sorry I can't help you with kayaking, but another option you might consider in Ketchikan is snorkeling. You sound like the type of people who would enjoy it!

 

 

I can't snorkel, I'm too retarded and it makes me sick to my stomach...literally. lol!! We tried it in Hawaii and my DH had to carry me back to shore because I got so sick. I don't know of it was the motion of the waves, or the claustrophobic feeling of being semi underwater, but sick as a dawg. Not an option.[emoji16]

 

Thanks though! If I were a normal human being it would be a great experience, I'm sure. [emoji6]

[ptf2009]

Yeah, it was a bad decision; made under pressure. It's not even really a second choice; DH jokes that we may never cruise again since Alaska is the "last place" he ever wanted to go. We're really looking forward to being away together though and are working on making the best of it. Maybe we'll actually find out if a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work - LOL! :D

 

I hope that you will be surprised at how much you loved Alaska! We have been on many cruises and land vacations, including Italy and Hawaii, but nothing compares to the absolute beauty of Alaska! We enjoy people watching and seeing their reactions. It was wonderful to hear over and over again people say "How Great Thou Art!" I hope to return to Alaska someday and yes, we did go on a small plane excursion that was also one of the highlights of our trip! Absolutely breathtaking!!! We did the land/cruise tour so that we could see Denali and Mt.McKinley...I could go on and on....

 

Happy Anniversary and have a wonderful time!

[ptf2009]

I can't snorkel, I'm too retarded and it makes me sick to my stomach...literally. lol!! We tried it in Hawaii and my DH had to carry me back to shore because I got so sick. I don't know of it was the motion of the waves, or the claustrophobic feeling of being semi underwater, but sick as a dawg. Not an option.[emoji16]

 

Thanks though! If I were a normal human being it would be a great experience, I'm sure. [emoji6]

 

When (If, I hope) you try snorkeling again...just wear the fins (so you can go faster), the lifejacket, so you can stay on top of the water, and the goggles. Because I am claustrophobic, I can't put the mouthpiece in my mouth and go underwater either:) So I just swim on top of the water, hold my breath and look at the fish for a few seconds at a time. We love the beautiful clear blue Caribbean sea, so I figured out a way to snorkel "my way!" Have fun trying!