Booked Alaska cruise, now looking at excursions...

[GadgetRick]

So my wife and I are doing a cruise in June with another couple. Cruising on the Crown Princess for their 7-day cruise out of Seattle. We've got airfare, hotel, etc. taken care of and now we're looking at excursions.

 

As you all know the excursions the cruise lines are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Looking for suggestions of reputable places we can go through for excursions in ports of call that don't involve the cruise line to save money.

 

First time we're trying this but the Alaska excursions are just stupid expensive. We've looked at companies in the ports and their a lot less expensive but I know we need to be concerned with getting back to the ship on time, etc.

 

Thanks for any input.

[Alaskanb]

So my wife and I are doing a cruise in June with another couple. Cruising on the Crown Princess for their 7-day cruise out of Seattle. We've got airfare, hotel, etc. taken care of and now we're looking at excursions.

 

As you all know the excursions the cruise lines are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Looking for suggestions of reputable places we can go through for excursions in ports of call that don't involve the cruise line to save money.

 

First time we're trying this but the Alaska excursions are just stupid expensive. We've looked at companies in the ports and their a lot less expensive but I know we need to be concerned with getting back to the ship on time, etc.

 

Thanks for any input.

The best place to post this is the Alaska forum. if you read through the sticky at the top of the Alaska forum page you will find reviews of independent tours. Cost depends on what you want to do.....

[GadgetRick]

The best place to post this is the Alaska forum. if you read through the sticky at the top of the Alaska forum page you will find reviews of independent tours. Cost depends on what you want to do.....

 

Ah, thanks. Sorry about that!

[cruisequeen4ever]

One excursion that I recommend that does not really cost more through the cruise line is the White Pass Scenic Railway in Skagway. The train picks you up from the ship, and the ride is gorgeous. In Ketchikan, I recommend the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour; it's expensive but such a cool, unique experience. In Juneau, you can affordably take a shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and hike around or take the Alaska Brewery Shuttle to their factory for a free little tour and samples. All of the towns are very walkable and cute. Have fun!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[GadgetRick]

One excursion that I recommend that does not really cost more through the cruise line is the White Pass Scenic Railway in Skagway. The train picks you up from the ship, and the ride is gorgeous. In Ketchikan, I recommend the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour; it's expensive but such a cool, unique experience. In Juneau, you can affordably take a shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and hike around or take the Alaska Brewery Shuttle to their factory for a free little tour and samples. All of the towns are very walkable and cute. Have fun!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks! I DEFINITELY want to do the train ride. Have heard great things about it. Good to know it's not really more through the cruise line.

 

I'll look at the others you suggested as well. We really want to do a lot of glacier stuff. :)

 

Thanks again!

[gatorguy56]

I highly recommend you go on the first train out in the morning in Skagway. The mosquitos get really fierce as the day warms up. Also, try to get on the last car. There is a viewing platform off of the back of each car but when you're in the last car you don't have any other cars obstructing your view for pictures. We had a great time :)

 

Are you going to Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm Fjord? We went to Tracy Arm Fjord and took the small boat off of the ship in the morning that takes you up very close to the glacier. There are actually two glaciers (north and south) and this boat will take you up to both. We got up close to Icy Falls and felt the spray on our faces. It was exhilarating! It was worth every penny for the excursion. This one is tougher to do on a private excursion out of Juneau because you would have the travel time both ways instead of one way. We still had plenty of time to do other things once we were back in Juneau.

[Thegeorges]

If you like to fish do the salmon fishing in Ketchikan we've done it twice and have had a blast ,my wife out fished everyone both times, and you can have your fish shipped home either have it smoked or in filets

Edited March 7, 2016 by Thegeorges

[Eaglecw]

As you all know the excursions the cruise lines are RIDICULOUSLY expensive. Looking for suggestions of reputable places we can go through for excursions in ports of call that don't involve the cruise line to save money.

 

GadgetRick, What week are you cruising on the Crown? I've found that there isn't much difference in the prices of the excursions on the pier, there all pretty expensive. I have found that you can price dicker with the vendors.

[wishfulone]

One excursion that I recommend that does not really cost more through the cruise line is the White Pass Scenic Railway in Skagway. The train picks you up from the ship, and the ride is gorgeous. In Ketchikan, I recommend the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour; it's expensive but such a cool, unique experience. In Juneau, you can affordably take a shuttle to Mendenhall Glacier and hike around or take the Alaska Brewery Shuttle to their factory for a free little tour and samples. All of the towns are very walkable and cute. Have fun!

The White Pass railway is one of those experiences you'll talk about for years. Don't skimp. Book the full trip - up on the train, coach into the Yukon for lunch and back down the other side of the gorge on the coach. Best lunch we've ever had on a ship's shore excursion. Full commentary and stunning views both ways. And there's time at the end to explore Skagway's main street. The ship is docked about 300ms from the main street/railway station.

 

Mendenhall Glacier - get the ship's shuttle and explore on your own. If you're lucky you'll run into a few black bears on the paths. We did. Make sure you get back to Juneau for a beer and a sing song at the Red Dog Saloon. I don't care if you don't drink beer. Get into the spirit and have one anyway!

Edited March 7, 2016 by wishfulone

[GadgetRick]

The White Pass railway is one of those experiences you'll talk about for years. Don't skimp. Book the full trip - up on the train, coach into the Yukon for lunch and back down the other side of the gorge on the coach. Best lunch we've ever had on a ship's shore excursion. Full commentary and stunning views both ways. And there's time at the end to explore Skagway's main street. The ship is docked about 300ms from the main street/railway station.

 

Mendenhall Glacier - get the ship's shuttle and explore on your own. If you're lucky you'll run into a few black bears on the paths. We did. Make sure you get back to Juneau for a beer and a sing song at the Red Dog Saloon. I don't care if you don't drink beer. Get into the spirit and have one anyway!

 

Sweet!

[DougH]

While pricey I think you will find even the independent vendors have similar prices (a bit lower than direct with the cruise lines) Check out excursions in Europe and South America if you want to see expensive.

 

Lots of great advice on the Alaska board. I also like the train from Skagway and while the price for the basic trip is pretty close thru Princess the independents offer the advantage of a private rail car and smaller buses. Smaller groups mean less time waiting for everyone to get on/off and allow more time for you to do your thing. I recommend the longer trips, you see far more than if you just go to the summit and back. A nice option ( and cheaper) is to rent a car and drive up to Emerald Lake and back. You have the advantage of being able to stop wherever you want.

[GadgetRick]

1. 
   

While pricey I think you will find even the independent vendors have similar prices (a bit lower than direct with the cruise lines) Check out excursions in Europe and South America if you want to see expensive.

 

Lots of great advice on the Alaska board. I also like the train from Skagway and while the price for the basic trip is pretty close thru Princess the independents offer the advantage of a private rail car and smaller buses. Smaller groups mean less time waiting for everyone to get on/off and allow more time for you to do your thing. I recommend the longer trips, you see far more than if you just go to the summit and back. A nice option ( and cheaper) is to rent a car and drive up to Emerald Lake and back. You have the advantage of being able to stop wherever you want.

Thanks. I have posted/been reading in the Alaska area and they all say exactly these things.

 

Although the renting the car idea is a good one. Thanks!

[Treven]

If you're planning on doing the train to the Yukon, don't forget your passport!

[GadgetRick]

If you're planning on doing the train to the Yukon, don't forget your passport!

 

Need a passport for that? I mean, I keep it with me anyway but didn't know I'd need it for that one.

[roobug]

Need a passport for that? I mean, I keep it with me anyway but didn't know I'd need it for that one.

 

You only need it if you are doing the train trip that involves getting off the train. There are a few that go up and go straight back down and you don't get out of the train.

 

If you need a passport it will say on your excursion information.

[sprint180]

Whale watching through - Harv and Marv. I think in Juneau but can't remember. Whales were so close I swear we could reach out and touch them

[magnolia888]

Whale watching through - Harv and Marv. I think in Juneau but can't remember. Whales were so close I swear we could reach out and touch them

 

We also took the Harv and Marv boat in Juneau, and it was fantastic. We had only five people on our boat, and whales everywhere we looked.

[Cruise Raider]

There's also a White Pass bus trip where you go into Canada so you will need for passport for that as well.

 

Of note, you can purchase your tickets for a bit of a discount at the train station in town -- you will be on the same train as those that booked it from the ship. It is probably not worth getting up early to get into town for this though, as the discount is slight but think I remember they gave you an additional discount with a AAA card. This was a few years back so don't know if they still offer it. I believe you can book it online ahead of time as well. Sometimes, the morning trip will be completely socked in with fog and it tends to clear up in the afternoon, if at all. While some rave about the morning train rides up there, some said they could not see anything at all. Our trip was not too horribly foggy but we definitely got some and we took the morning trip.

If not doing the train, we once did a gold panning trip ... loads of fun and also the Iditarod puppy camp once that we enjoyed immensely. The Days of 98 show is also a fun way to spend an hour or so. It is located at the end of the one street on the right in Skagway, not very pricey and you can just purchase tickets right there at the theater. It depicts life back during the gold rush starring Soapy Smith.

On the way back towards the ship on the other side of the street is the oldest building in Skagway (or Skaguay as I recall). I think it houses a gold rush museum if not nearby. We found that kind of interesting as well. And then there is the Red Onion further down on that side of the street. It is an old brothel and you can go in there for a drink or tour....be prepared for it to be really crowded, though.

 

In Juneau, I second heading to the Mendenhall Glacier -- one that includes entrance into the visitor's center. The tour we took from the ship included it and the one that we took from town did not. We didn't even assume that would have been the case. It was still a great tour but glad our first trip up there included it.

We combined the ship's tour with the salmon hatchery tour once ... some people didn't think it was worth it, I found it to be quite interesting.

And definitely....save some time for a visit to the Red Dog Saloon. That place is the best!!

 

We've known people that took the small tour boat up to the Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm Fjord....they raved about it and I can see why. It looked amazing ... but a little pricey, from what I understand.

 

In Ketchikan, you can do a hike up married mans trail to the top of the hill -- there is a hotel up there where you can get a nice hot drink -- all sorts of different totems up there and you can take the gondola back down for a couple bucks each.

I must say, one of my favorite things I have done there, though, was the lumberjack show. You can easily buy tickets for a few bucks cheaper in town .... again, I think they have a AAA discount. You can even buy them ahead of time online but no refunds if you don't go. The amphitheater where held is within walking distance from the ship. Some comments that it is a bit juvenile, but I really enjoyed every bit of it, as did the rest of our group. They get the crowd involved.

If your stop is long enough in this port, you will have time to do both the hike and the show and it will cost you well under $50 pp.

 

As maybe you could tell, we love Alaska so do it time and time again.

 

I would love to know more about that trip to the Alaska Brewery shuttle in Juneau from cruisequeen4ever. I definitely recommend the Mendenhall if your first or only time in Juneau but for our 9th time there....this sounds like too much fun. Right up our alley....

[Wellybeth]

Second or is it third the recommendation for Harv & Marv in Juneau if you want to go whale watching. Like others have said, loads of whales and nice small boats, 6 of us on our boat. Trip included a stop at Mendenhall on the way back to the ship.

 

Would also recommend Chilkoot Charters in Skagway for the Yukon rail & bus tour. Same itinerary as cruise tour, except there were only 20 of us in a mini van rather than a big tour bus, which meant we could stop places a tour bus couldn't (stopped to take photos of a bear eating dandelions on the side of the road - apparently dandelions ferment and bears get 'drunk' on them). We also had our own car on the train so we were able to move around and pretty much everyone was able to have a window seat. Although I spent most of the trip outside with my camera.

 

Both tours still allowed us time to do some independent sightseeing in the towns and both companies guarantee to get you back to the ship on time (both have policies in place if they don't - though both say it's never happened).

 

Enjoy you trip.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Treven]

Need a passport for that? I mean, I keep it with me anyway but didn't know I'd need it for that one.

You'll be going into Canada and they'll require a passport when you get off the train in the Yukon.

[jenng1976]

I also recommend Harv & Marv and The Chilkoot Charters Yukon train/bus ride. We also did the add-on summer dog cart ride which was fun!

[cruisequeen4ever]

Cruise Raider, you walk to the Alaska Brewing Company store in town, 5-10 min walk from the ship, and then sign up for their factory shuttle. I thinnnnnk it's around $10 pp each way now. The factory tour doesn't really take you through the factory, but it does give you a lot of interesting brewery info and history. When done, you get to choose around 6 samples. DH and I really enjoyed it, and DH and his dad went back another time, too.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[cruisequeen4ever]

You wouldn't need your passport if you do the round trip train trip because you don't leave the train. If you do the one way excursion that returns you by bus, you would need your passport. We did the round trip train trip. Going up, sit on the left side for the best view. We were able to enjoy a half empty car by walking all the way to the farthest car from the ship. Most pax didn't want to walk that far and crowded the cars closest to the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[villager13]

If you like to fish do the salmon fishing in Ketchikan we've done it twice and have had a blast ,my wife out fished everyone both times, and you can have your fish shipped home either have it smoked or in filets

Did you book through the ship or go with an independent company?

[Thegeorges]

Did you book through the ship or go with an independent company?

 

We booked it through the ship both times